Funny, I was just thinking about this today.
- single, unarmed ships can always blockade. In fact you could build a batch of stripped down escorts just for blockades. They are, of course, vulnerable to enemy ships and fighters.
- "Do not fire on planets" has never worked for me.
- Fleet strategy of "Don't get hurt" doesn't help either. Armed ships will attack the planet anyway, unless...
Create a strategy called "Blockade"
- Set movement to "Don't get hurt" and "Don't get hurt".
- Set formations so all ships stay in formation!
- All other setting are up to you.
Create a fleet
- Add at least one completely unarmed ship. Even PD can cause a problem if it finds targets.
- Set the unarmed ship as the leader!
- Apply the blockade strategy to the fleet
- Note: Outlying ships in large fleets may well be in range of the planet. Keep your fleet small.
When your unarmed leader sees that nasty ol' planet it turns tail and runs, dragging the rest of the fleet with it. If the fleet is attacked, the armed ships will still defend.
Again the key items:
- Dont get hurt time 2
- All ships stay in formation
- Unarmed leader