Fighters incorrectly target carrier while ignoring fighters in 1.84 gold

[raynor]

I'm a fighter fanatic. But the computer does a poor job handling fighters. I uncovered a bug in the targeting priorities.

I matched a group of 60 fighters against an enemy light carrier with 24 fighters. When I play tactically, I lose 8 or 9 fighters while destroying all fighters and the carrier. Typically, the AI deploys the fighter in four Groups of size 10, 6, 4, 2 or somesuch. I don't do anything special. I just target the fighter Groups one at a time until all are destroyed. Then, I destroy the carrier.

When I turn on 'automatic', my fighter group ignores all the fighters to go after the carrier. By the time it reaches the carrier, all my fighters are destroyed. The same thing happens in strategic combat.

[Phoenix-D]

This may not be a bug- how do you have your targeting priorities set? You may be telling the fighter's AI to prioritize ships over fighters, so they attack the carriers first.

EDIT: Yep, very possible to order your fighters to attack fighters. Just move "fighters" to the top of the Type Priority list. The only problem here is the insane single mindness they chase the carrier with.

What I mean by that is they only fire on other fighters if they end their turn in range, so most of the time they don't fire. On the other hand, you can fix this by clicking the "Do not use type priorities" box. Then they follow only the "nearest, weapon, etc" list above.

[ May 26, 2003, 08:34: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

[raynor]

By default, fighters are set to 'Optimal Firing Range'. This strategy has 'Do not use type priorities over damage priorities' set by default.

So, the fighters *should* be attacking whatever is closest. But they are not.

I tried adjusting the 'Fighter Attack' Strategy so that 'Fighters' were the top of the Type Priority List and then checked the 'Use Type priorities over Damage Priorities'. I then set this strategy as the one applicable to the fighter. I also created a fleet with this strategy and put the fighters in the fleet. When I attacked, the fighters again ignored the enemy fighters while attacking the carrier.

This is just too weird. I don't remember this being a problem in pre-Gold Versions of the game.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I need "idiot-proof" instructions on how to set this. Thanks for any help.

[Phoenix-D]

That check box is a little bit confusing.

What it actually does is the OPPOSITE of what you see. i.e. the text describes what happens if you click on the box, not what its doing now..so your changes were actually counteracting each other.

[raynor]

Hmm.... I tried it both ways and couldn't figure it out. This is pretty much why I've never made the transition to PBW. There are just some really major differences between TB / Tactical and TB/ Strategic Combat and from TB / Strategic Combat to Simultaneous / Strategic Combat.

This is definitely a bug, of course.

[ May 27, 2003, 04:27: Message edited by: raynor ]

[Phoenix-D]

Its not a bug if its working as intended..and I think it is.

Save your empire and email it to me, I'll check out the strategies.

pdse4@cox.net