Had sooo many it's hard to remember. However only one sticks in my mind.
It was a few years ago, maybe 2001/2002 and I too had edited the game so ships were cheap to run and had fewer weapons but better shields hull.
Well I was about 375+ turns into a game as the Federation based upon Large, Impossible, Spiral and I had everything researched already so fleets of Defiants/Sovereign's etc.
Well The galaxy was split literally 50/50 between myself and the Kilingon AI and there was an extensive front line which both sides were striking across every turn resulting in skirmishes mainly between both sides fast frigates.
I had been spending about 50 turns trying to get the iso-linear scanners operational on my outlying garrisons (planets) while quelling uprisings of subjugated planets when I picked up a HUGE Klingon fleet at one of their starbases. (I know not often you see an AI starbase) and there was roughly 175 ships, probably 50 command/ships of the lines 100 smaller ships and about 25 strike's and many more transports etc.
I panicked, as you would  and regathered my ships that were spread along the border to the nearest starbase/high-tech planet hat was close to where I thought the Klingon incursion would take place.
I sent my science ships out to try and assess the best possible way to engage the force and I concluded a direct assault was the only way with superior numbers of ships (the enemy ships were quite high on experience) as opposed to a large proportion of my fleet which was on a level 2 or 3 at best, result of continual rebuilding and need for patrols.
15 or so turns passed and I had my taskforce of around 250 ships assembled and ready, my flanks were hopelessly weakened and vulnerable but scanners showed no signs of any enemy ships nearby so I deployed.
The Klingon fleet immediately moved to my dismay, I had been suckered in to a classic trap, I was sure they were going to split and outflank me taking my outposts and systems and crippling the range my ships could go. I made a snap decision to carry on to the last known location and to my extreme luck I was close to Qo'nos. I too diverted and the tables were turned. I was closer to their homeworls than they were to my border!!! This was it I thought I'm going to suceed ... But then realisation dawned on me, I had not fitted my task force to deal with Orbital Batteries and for a system invasion. I had very few Nebula class cruisers and no troop transports. I was faced with bombarding the planet or trying to hunt down the huge Klingon task force (wherever they had gone) It looked like I was indeed destined to lose.
I stayed in Klingon space randomly searching for the task force for a further few turns while engaging in many minor skirmishes involving cloaked Klingon scouts (they were probing my fleet) and decided that as they hadn't shown up that they were evading due to my superior numbers. I decided to head one last time to the location of the last known whereabouts of the Klingon Navy. I pressed on and due to interference in the area my scans were less than satisfactory. My 250 strong fleet warped into the Klingon system and proximity warnings and tactical scanners immediately lit up. Without any forewarning we had jumped into an ambush, the Klingons were ready and waiting while our ships were disorganised, running low on supplies and our striker cruisers and older/slower ships were lagging behind!! It was classic military incompetence on my behalf.
Immediately the Klingons attacked, but they were many ships short of the fleet I had seen before and I still had a comfortable numerical advantage ... but that comforting thought was about tobe smashed as 20 or so cloaked Birds of Preys dropped their cloaking field and opened fire, a few of my front line ships took heavy damage to their shields as hte Ion torpedoes and disruptors from the experienced Klingon crews found their targets.
They had the upper hand already, the firepower the Klingon fleet commander had at his disposal was awesome, the Federation couldn't match their ships for pure damage. Instead we would have to try and soak up their weapons fire by using the fast ships as decoys while letting our heavy cruisers and command ships stay back and pummel the Klingons fleet with out Quantum torpedoes.
The first proper round of battle involving all ships was awesome, space was literally filled with ionised particles and debris from smaller ships unlucky enoughto have taken direct hits from a high energy disruptor blast. At first our tactics worked, we were able to take the damage the Klingons dealt as our Miranda and Constellation class frigates drew the fire. While our defiants got in close and used their huge firepower to wreak havoc among the larger ships. All the while our sovereigns were orbiting providing cover and flanking support while a few noble Galaxy X class ships gave support from the rear.
It was going as well as could be hoped, the Klingons had lost a lot of smaller destroyers and many small style command cruisers giving our force a brief hint that we could win this battle, unfortunately it would not last. In the heat of battle I failed to notice the Klingons targetting our science vessels, and after 10 or so turns they had all been destroyed so robbing me of the ability to counter the Klingon tactics. I was having huge damage inflicted on my large ships and many were without shields and venting plasma and in many cases venting atmosphere also, the Klingon ships were fairing better their larger command ships were no beginning to take lead from the Bird of preys and smaller vessels, simply charging in and dealing as much damage as they could from clsoe ranges, without prior knowledge there was nothing I could do, in 3 turns of the Klingon command ships coming about and heading at nearly full impulse into my ranks I lost 15 - 20 ships, this continued until I was left with only a handful out of 60 or so command ships but I still had my destroyers.
The Klingons, meanwhile, had themselves taken hideous losses, the tactics they had employed did hurt the federaton task force greatly but their command ships had all but been destroyed, they had no more negh'vars left, they were a priority early on and their vorcha and bird of preys were dead in the water so to speak. It was now up to the frigate and smaller ship classes who were still in relatively good health, on both sides.
I ordered my command ships to staty at distance focusing what remaining weapons they had on the remaining Klingon light ships and as they were no longer evading the larger more stable platforms of the sovereign class hulls meant that the phasers were able to hit for obscene amounts of damage, coupled with the constellations and defiants of about 55 combined oppossed against 60 or so Klingon destroyers it took a mere 6 further turns for our fleet to out maneuver the Klingons, seeking out their weakspots to the above/rear of the Klingons and simply massacreing them, the defiants pulse cannons and the upgraded weapons systems of the constellations working perfectly along side each other to rip through the kligons shields and equally effective on their hulls.
It was finished ... for now two huge fleets had engaged virtually equal at the start and each side fairing blunders, excellent tactics and luck through out the engagment, overall 150 or so Klingon ships were destroyed and about 170 Federaton ships. A lot of fine officers and crew were lost to space that day and it would be a long time before another battle of that magnitude would be seen again.
Overall that was the last large battle in that game, we eventually allied and I won through that option. Nevertheless it was an amazing battle and I was sure I had won at some points and lost at others.
P.S I am sorry about the length . please feel free to ask me to post an edited version with just the semi-facts
And the numbers are rought guestimates, was such a long time since I played.
|
. As the went the Federation over whelmed me, destorying my systems, which caused minors to leave and systems to declare independance. I was eventually down to just Ferenginar, yet the Federation did not come and destroy me. After a time I was able to build a colony ship and sent it out, it ran into a Borg cube and was desotyed. At this point I did not dare leave my home world, or I might draw the attention of the Borg. Well after MANY turns the game ended, and I WON. I found out that the borg have wiped out all of the Federations systmes, leaveing my the only one to survive. That has been the only game where I have ever won with only one system, and I will always be amazed.