hmmmm. I have tried this with limited sucess. You can avoid the enemy if you have them beat on movement. I have had sucess using two tactics. I don't usually have to use them, so my testing is limited. First off, don't always do a corner run. You will get killed being a chicken (that crossed the road). Two examples.
I had a combat movement of 4, the AI only had 3. So I played "squirrel" using the planet as my tree. Every time he tried to go around one way, I would move to the opposite side, and kept out of his range. This went on until about turn 12 or 13. the AI for the next two rounds did not move at all. I found that boring and was enjoying the chase, so i moved on tile over, and it began again. So there is a way to stagmante the AI movement, but exactly how is still a curious factor. he eventualy got to a position that he could chase me in circles, and it was hard to keep out of range. this continued until about the 22nd turn, at which point I then made my corner run, and he could not get there in time to destroy my ship. iirc, he did get one shot off tho.
Second one: little different situation here. the AI had 3 big ole bullies, with a decent range. given the ship movement of 3, and a weapon range of 7, I had to stay 11 tiles away at all times. One miss-click movement and my ship would not have survived the first volley. I made an agressive corner move, but in the same direction as the AI fleet. (kinda like a reverse feint). with their range, the planet trick obviously would not work, so i used the same kind of tactic, but was running fairly close to the edge of the map. I wanted to keep the AI on that side as much as possible, so my arch in my squirrel turns was very wide. Straight up 4, diagonal 1 (I have 5 moves in combat). sometimes to make the turn i would have to diagonal 2 or 3, but doing so lost the running lead. After about 4 laps around the combat screen, doing this, the combat ended with his 3 dreads never getting off a shot, and my antique PDC lt cruiser left hastily for the nearest safe haven asap.
Superior speed can flee the bigger ships, even when they have a death range of 10. You really need a +2 combat movement over the AI to pull it off. 3 would be easier. and AI position is every thing. you may not need to use all your movement point every round. just stay 1 or 2 tiles out of range and run in a circle...... and pray you ship don't pull a mulligan move and end it's round in the wrong tile.
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oh yea, my sucess rate in the few times I have tried this has been about 60% survial, and 20% no damage flawless vic....stalemate.
[ January 30, 2003, 22:27: Message edited by: couslee ]