Planet defense, mines, etc

[Beorne]

Two short questions on SEIV.

1) I have two ships defending a planet (with platforms, satellites, defending base etc). If I'm attacked on strategic battles the AI is so smart to keep the ships near the planet or send them away?. I think the latter, so how could I modify the ship strategy to keep them near the defending base?

2) I have no experience in removing minefields. Let's suppose I have to disarm a minefield of 30 mines. I have a minesweeper that can sweep 15 mines a turn. I suppose that if I drop the sweeper on that sector it sweeps all mines in 2 turns. But if it is in a fleet with other ships, what happens? The other ships blows up after a turn? And if I cross a minefield with a fleet containing a sweeper that has less sweep capacity than the field what happens?

Thanks

[Randallw]

1. I don't believe there is a way to tell the ships to stay close to your planet. They will move towards the enemy ships, unless they are unarmed or told not to get hurt in which case they will try to move as far from the enemy as possible.

2. In your case of a minefield with 30 mines, if you move a ship capable of removing 15 mines then it will remove 15 but then be damaged by the ones left. Minesweepers are not immune to mines they do not remove in 1 turn. You need more than 1 minesweeper but minefields are limited to up to 120 mines, at least in most games I've played.

[capnq]

Randallw said:You need more than 1 minesweeper but minefields are limited to up to 120 mines, at least in most games I've played.

In stock SE IV, the limit for one sector is 100 mines. But note that each empire can lay 100 mines in the same sector, so the theoretical limit can be higher.

[scJazz]

1) If your ships are set for Maximum Weapon Range strategy with appropriate firing orders (nearest, damage 30%) they will approach the attackers and then start withdrawing away from them. Probably withdrawing toward the planet. If they aren't immediately wiped out the planet defenses might provide a bubble in which they can live and fight. It is about as good a situation as you can get for the AI.

2) If you take 2 minesweepers that can clear 15 mines each into the sector with 30 mines both ships will live. If you take just one of those ships individually into the sector, the first ship will clear 15 mines and then presumably be destroyed by 1 or more of the remaining mines, the second ship will clear the remaining 14 or less mines (whatever it takes to kill the 1st ship).

[StarShadow]

1) I haven't tried it, but you could try turning off 'Automove'. I expect that with automove turned off, all of your ships will sit where they are unil/unless you give them movement orders.

[TurinTurambar]

StarShadow said:
1) I haven't tried it, but you could try turning off 'Automove'. I expect that with automove turned off, all of your ships will sit where they are unil/unless you give them movement orders.

Where the hell is THAT setting?

[Phoenix-D]

Starshadow: he's talking about strategic combat. No way to turn automove off then, and no way to give movement orders. :/