[Arkcon]

This is a common occurrence.

When one race occupies a sector, and an enemy enters, the spacing is tight. When, for example, one race occupies a sector, and (to give a different example than yours) the enemy is there already in an engine destroyed ship, and reinforcements arrive, the game disperses them. The same result for an ally.

Another example: You colonize a planet and it's moon. Enemy arrives to find moon close to planet. OK, now an ally or enemy colonizes the moon. Now when combat starts, the moon and planet are dispersed.

OK, now it's opinion time. Is it a bug? If the game must be logical, and a defense must be perfect once set up, then it is a bug.

I think SE4 would be weakened if there were foolproof defenses. I personally like a little FUD from time to time. It has saved and hurt me off and on, it just seems correct for the game to throw a wrench at me once and a while.

Other examples:

Fast colonizers escaping missile sats at a warp point.

Ships evading sats when they approach the same side of the warp point, then warping through.

I once had a mineral rich breatheable planet, with shipyard and training facilities and a moon. An ally had the other moon. He dropped the treaty. Instantly next turn, his moon glassed my planet, and my moon glassed his moon. I was furious -- at him, not at SE4.

[ February 11, 2003, 16:58: Message edited by: Arkcon ]