[tesco samoa]

For close range I use combined ship classes.

Say a fleet of 10 ships

3 ships which have computer 3, aux command, max engines, ecm, combat sensor and q.reactor. One weapon the tachyon projection cannon and the rest filled with organic armour. set to point blank strag.

2 ships with the same up front stuff and then 10 pd's, 1 tachyon projection cannon and one shield depletor ( in opposite order ) and the rest armour/ shields.

3 ships with the same up front and as many enveloping acid globes and set to max. range, and round it off with some armour

2 close assault ships with the same up front and then in this order. 2 tractor beams, shield depletors and tachyon projection cannons and 2 repulsor beams and some armour

1 ship maxed out with missles ( seeking parasite ) and everthing up front.

Always make the armour ships the biggest size you got and the rest can be any size.

The armour ships close with the pd ships ( due to the one weapon one them ( that way they don't fight in the famous SEIV X Formation ( yep rip one right to the best cornor on the map ))) , the missle ship backs off and starts firing. The other ships close to a max range and start firing while the close assault ships disable shields and weapons.

Kind of cheating on the close assalt ship but, when in doubt fight with combined forces.