An interesting tactic, thanks for sharing. :)
As I see it, the main problem is that you write about 'raids' as if it was some very easy strategy. It's not, in my experience. Sending just one unit and doing the rest of the job with air power doesn't count as a raid for me, it's more of invasion (you don't obliterate a base then, you pour your air into it). If you can't keep the ground, you can destroy it, but it's not that abusive because you do try to keep the ground.
Obliterating my own base - I don't know, I'm not that experienced at MP but I don't see many situations when it's useful. I could obliterate a small base to prevent infiltration, which is a valid approach in my book. The other reason is to deny the enemy launch pads for his air power, but he has already brought his own colony pod with him, so what's the point. And if my base falls, I can still infilitrate it, download techs and then mind control back for cheap. I don't see much point in the scorched earth strategy. If you obliterate your base to deny your enemy a healing place for his army or something like that, then things are going downhill for you anyway.
Why do you try to keep the ground, instead of just using air power to attack, capture, and destroy wherever the enemy hasn't concentrated their forces?
Furthermore, if you need to keep the ground (something that air power is horrible at), so you have to bring in ground units anyway (and so can't use air power's mobility advantage to its fullest extent) then why is air power considered so powerful? Just because you need the Air Superiority ability to attack it?
The main reasons I would see are:
A. To get a reputation as "the guy who's not worth invading in a many-player game because he'll destroy his bases rather than let you take them."
B. If you are fairly evenly matched, but can't get the bulk of your units there in time, to destroy the base so he can't use it against you and you don't have to take it back (which can be hard if he's got enough probe teams that mind control isn't a feasible option, or is running Fundie.)
Such issues must be discussed with some anchor in practice, otherwise there's little point in doing it. I haven't played for a while and my current games are yet to unfold, but let me recall the most standard and basic type of games I was in (let's say it's HtH for convenience's sake):
- both players expand
- one is getting stronger
- this stronger guy prepares an invasion: assault units (mostly air), probe teams, garrison (airborne)
- with his stronger military, he closes in with a colony pod within 8 tiles from the nearest enemy's base
- he builds a base and pours in all/most his units inside
- next turn, he attacks that nearest base, makes a drop with drop pod units, moves in with his air power and probe teams (if required)
- he continues the slaughter
- the enemy surrenders soon
- the info that you 'destroy your bases' is not at all a deterrent to me; I just need to bring two colony pods to make sure my air power has continuity of movement
- and let's say I'm weaker (and desperate because you're getting stronger); even then I'm happy to weaken you down; either way, it's not your bases which I'm after, it's your jugular
- last but not least, air power is very good at 'keeping ground', or for that matter, at anything that is related to 'killing enemy units'; basically, with their movement, cheap attack, invulnerability to ground attacks and ZoC (with needles) they are the ultimate 'terminator' units. Whenever situation calls for killing, bring these.
1. Why can't one of the players attack with a similar method even without a military lead, simply attacking where the other guy has fewer troops than the entirety of the first guy's forces?
That's true in a H2H game, where the only goal of taking over someone else is to destroy them. With more players, it gets more complicated.
I'm not saying he can't; it's just the opponents I mentioned didn't. It's probably initiative. Once you see the other guy is getting stronger and stronger on the chart, you can either launch a desperate attack or start to prepare your defences. I guess they went for the latter, which is a more obvious choice.
Of course, but this doesn't change one key feature of SMAC - on most maps you fight in order to win, not to expand.
When you attack the enemy, you want to kill, not to take their land or women.
Why wait until they're getting stronger, and why must the attack be desperate? Why couldn't you make an attack of that sort when you're both about even, relying on the destruction of enemy bases to make them lose more than you do?
What about their population and improvements?
Or to try to be more specific: 1) preparing an attack takes time, so if you want to catch your enemy before he runs away on the chart, it is going to be desperate (i.e. you don't have time to build forces you'd want to, maybe you make cuts in probe teams or SAM)
2) attacking when you're even doesn't strike me like the best idea in the world, simply coz you're at 50/50 (less if he's a better player than you).
You simply need to recall your last invasion on the AI. Remember how there's loads of drones and drone-related facilities probably got destroyed during the capturing
And remember how after a (longer) while the base gets back to normal, but its energy output is ridiculous low because it's like 20 tiles away from your base and is killed by inefficiency?
Personally I'd only slash and burn if I knew the base was in inhospitable territory, or had large mineral deposits that the enemy could use. Because all that matters for conquered based, until they properly assimilate that is, is mineral output for your forces and what has been stated, as a healing dock for your units.
Why does it take a lot of time to get 5 needlejets, a colony pod, and a drop unit, and just hit where he doesn't have the forces to defend against that?
No...as the attacker using high-mobility troops, you'd be able to use your entire attack force against one base, whereas he has to spread out his forces (or else you'll just attack where he didn't concentrate them), giving you a lot better than 50/50.
Firstly, there aren't that many extra drones; on Transcend for a large base, you might get a total of 4. And I think only one facility is destroyed during the capturing, so even if that's a rec commons (most likely scenario), that's only 6 extra drones; for a large base with all the psych-boosting improvements, that means you'd need maybe 3 extra doctors, 2 once you rush buy that rec commons back.
How do you know where he is weak? Have you infiltrated him? If so, I recommend you assume that he's infiltrated you as well and sees your concentration of forces.
We probably just have different maps and empires in mind. Some your concerns could be relevant for huge maps, empires spanning three continents etc. I use tight spacing, and one of the reasons is that it's easier to defend. If it takes max 2 turns to fly over my faction with needlejets, then surprises are really not that devastating - unless of course you come with stronger forces anyway.
We really need to practice this habit of checking things. :D I just checked and destroyed 3 facilities in one base and 4 in another. This matches my experience that 1-4 facilities get demolished.
But my main point remains that I haven't seen experienced players abusing the base obliteration thing. If it was that good, they'd have probably noticed it.
I can verify that multiple facilities are destroyed on city capture.