Taking down Power Gens (3v3)

[Gen_Khan]

So
This was mentioend as a vaible tactic back in the Beta days. Instead of capturing your oponents Power points, raise the Power Farm. This way they loose 420 req, 1 upgarded point at 120, plus 3 gens at 100 (I think).
I recently played the new map and did just that. Got in there took out the gens, then took the point. I didn't see much point in trying to keep the gen point as I already had mine fully upgarded.
Later in the game I noticed that the opposing team (after they got their power point back) only built 1 gen. Also he didn't have much of a vehicle spam, only 1 or 2 dreads. I think it might have been due to their crippled power economy.
It seemed to have stalled them, so what are your thoughts?

[Alegis]

I agree. Last game I raided a few with farseer and WraithLord, captured with farseer while at the same time destroyed the gens with the WL. If I don't have a WL I try to quickly take out one and get the hell out of there.

Another game we got badly crippled by a focused ravener attack from two nid players on our power gens all the time. They didn't care about the VP and only took it after we were thoroughly stumped in firepower.

[Noble]

It's a critically important tactic. The trick is in judging whether or not you can hold and keep a set of power generators for a significant amount of time. Sometimes this is easy, like if the power point is right next to the enemy base. Sometimes the decision is a bit more tricky, like if you're vying for control of a power point in the middle.

In the latter example you have to consider the benefit (and lulz) of taking a point that has been upgraded by the other team and benefiting from it's power output. You're also taking a risk that the enemy will simply snatch the point back and use it for themselves again.

Personally, I tend to err on the side of caution. If there is doubt as to whether or not I'll be able to hold a point, I destroy everything. At the worst you've missed out on a bit of extra power, but you've also ensured damage to the enemy economy no matter what happens.

[Saberdark]

Yeah, it totally kills you if you lose gens. I played a game last night where all our gens were destroyed as soon as vehicles got out. Totally crippiled us, we couldn't do a thing to them because we had so little power.

[2nd_law]

the reason to play ork in 3v3

[Darktau]

It is a viable tactic I have been doing this my self WSE and WL running around destroying generators and decapping the power node especialy near the enemies base.

If the enemy ignores me I cap the point and if I have a force I am happy with or extra resources I activate the power node just to slow my opponets retakeing ability. A few second if they send a large force or up to a minoute if they send a weak unit. Getting that extra power for those few second as they destroy the activated node has sometimes been the difference of building an Avatar or spamming another Wraithlord.

An odd difference yes considdering the 170 difference in power but if the enemy cant build that dread or carinfix for that much longer, as they did not see that they dont have any generators or power nodes before they upgraded those nid Warriors or marines with high energy costing upgrades. I have time to spare to build up that extra 170 energy for the Avitar.

The more I get defeated in 3V3 the more I see just how much Power and the resource points are in fact important to victory. They can allow for a stupid mistake to be errased and in my current state of finding my personal play style with each race and commander. I make a lot of mistakes especialy in build orders not understanding how I need to completely change my tactics for each commander until the mistakes finaly sink in my thick skull.

[Red Dox]

Generators near enemy base are better destroyed then captured. If i have the time and our team the upper hand, i take the point. And if i have enough ressources, i build an upgrade to fortify ist so that wild running ripper swarms don´t can take them back. If my troops are need elsewhere, i just decap the point and leave.

In a side note, i think Ork Stikkbommaz are way to good in this tactic. You can build a squad very early and the three thrown grenades destroy a generator instant. With the fast cooldown at their grenades and their good melee skills, one squad can destroy gen farms way to easily/cheap compared to what i need for quick destroy runs at the other races.

-----Red Dox

[Aquila]

Unlike Requisition (which, for some reason, doesn't seem like it's actually dependent on requisition points) power is pretty straight forward. If you don't have power points, you get 1 power per second. That's not enough to even pay for a squad upgrade, much less a vehicle.

It's tough to see the effects on the enemy, but having been on the receiving end, the blow is crippling. Generator farms have to be a top priority.

[hellic]

If your Guardians are free, use those grenades on enemy gens! Still, 2, or even 3 GU, will take longer to raze a farm than a horde of hormagaunts or a HB Dev w/ Tacs. :S

[Asvinda]

i used this tactic alot in the beta, allthough it didnt seem to affect the enemy i usually always won those games so it must have had some effect. Its a shame they reduced the damage of the kommando nobs booty trap by 50%, and i still think its insufficient building damage, it should atleast be able to bring down a turret on its own imo. Still as someone mentioned, this strategy is very easy as orcs, just send 1 stickbomba squad out to ruin their power nodes, and if you loose them, its no big deal. But it was fun, sometimes my teammates flamed me for doing it, saying i could just take it as my own.

[Engine]

I like killing gens because they don't shoot back.

[ydejin]

i used this tactic alot in the beta, allthough it didnt seem to affect the enemy i usually always won those games so it must have had some effect.
I use raid power gens a lot, and like SvedishFish, I've been on the receiving end in a few games. It definitely can have a big impact on longer games. If you've lost access to power, your opponent will be bringing out all manner of T3 heavy hitters -- Nob squads, Avatars, etc. -- and you won't be able to respond because you have no power.