This is assuming that they want us to win. If this is their intention, I'd say let us do less of an effort, so they are forced to lower the bar to a ridiculous level, then strike with all our might at once.
I still do not understand how some players bought this. Arrival of new forces lowers the threat? So, if a hundred more maelstroms arrive I will be able to singlehandedly clear them all, right?
Initially we thought that the maelstroms brought along or produce their own swarms. But based on what Prof Tesreau (FDev's proxy) said, it seems that the thargoids have a finite amount of troops which are distributed among the maelstroms once they reached their destinations (maybe they travel there through witchspace, idk).
You're assuming that a Maelstrom is something akin to a carrier/shipyard - in which case, each would have its own independent supply/production of Thargoids, and adding more wouldn't make the others easier (though they each might get easier over time as they spread their own forces over more systems)
A shame really, if progress rolled over we would have been done with HIP 23716 about now, and the community would have felt its first little win in this massive war even though we have 40 other systems with invasion status getting hammered. It would have been an enormous celebration and party on the forums, and squadrons around the world could coordinate and reorganize efforts to another system. Watch it hit 98% and reset to 0, even though there is a week "left". Instead of celebration its now stress and worry, and you better stress that number hits 100% or you will see players participating drop like a bag of bricks.
Both theories for hive ship or gateway are plausible with the lore. Whatever it is it has a capacity either to produce, store or transport.
War's not meant to be easy. The fact one is at 56% and the other at 38% compared to last week.when the former only reached 50% by the Thursday reset, suggests this is absolutely feasible. Also most folk abandoned defending two Systems at once and concentrated on HIP 23716 instead. Now they're focusing on two again. Once HIP 23716 gets to 100, we can make a push on HIP 20485.
This is not war tho, this is a computer game which aims at entertaining people.
Perhaps the bugs did the math (lol) and deduced that they can take over more systems than they will lose even with their forces stretched thinner and is worth the trade off.
If you think real Wars are not scripted than here's a famous quote for you:
There's no such thing as influence decay. Reputation decay is slow and doesn't really matter most of the time, plus I think it only happens for superpower-wide rep (so even more inconsequential).
Of course there is a reason. WMD was used against Thargoids, so why would they put all their forces together after that? It's actually rational not to do it.
It is very likely to get real easy...
Yes and it's simulating a war with aliens.
Yep and I've said elsethread that by next year, people will be moaning it's too easy and will have forgotten about this mechanic they've decided isn't to their liking.
Good on you. This is not Crusader Kings tho.
