Mixed Bag of Questions

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by davanden:

5. It would be nice if I could change the strategy as well as the Groups at the tactical
level. Strategy depends on the force you're attacking.

Dav Vandenbroucke

When you say you are at the tactical level, I guess you selected tactical combat. Then, you can change the Groups and their formations. They're called combat Groups, and they have a leader and those that follow.

You can then select auto if you're tired of controling them.

[davanden]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I didn't make myself clear in my Last couple of questions. I already know about fleets, setting strategies and formations, and about assigning Groups at the beginning of tactical combat. What I was wondering about was the ability to permanently assign Groups within a fleet, so that I don't have to hunt through all the ships and, for example, find all the missile ships, at the beginning of each battle. I'd like all the missile ships in a squadron within a fleet. It appears that this isn't possible.

When I do go to the trouble of assigning Groups in a battle, I find that it doesn't help much, because the "wingmen" do not keep formation. Many of them go off in odd directions. I don't mean maneuvering to stay in formation, either. They just kind of wander away from the battle. These are ships with strategies such as "optimal range," too, not "don't get hurt." I usually have to control the ships individually to get them headed the right way.

[Puke]

nope, no such luck.

i dont notice those problems so much, because multiplayer play always uses simultanious combat.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by davanden:
, because the "wingmen" do not keep formation. Many of them go off in odd directions. I don't mean maneuvering to stay in formation, either. They just kind of wander away from the battle. These are ships with strategies such as "optimal range," too, not "don't get hurt."

I've seen them go a little hokey too. But a small fleet, no more than 10 ships, of the same type, do tend to stay in formation.

Ships with no weapons always run away. A ship with just point defense cannons is a ship with no weapons A ship with PDC and one meson bLaster I will stay in formation.

Ships may break formation while they reload, and return once the reload is complete. WMG, CSM, null cannon are worst at this effect because their reload is 3 turns.

See if you want to try this. Use the arrowhead or wall formation. The lead ship is a heavily shielded light cruiser with CSM (or beam weapon your choice). The wingmen are smaller or less well shielded with a mix of CSM and PDC.

Won't they keep formation, spread your missiles out, and overlap their point defense? Will it work better if they're all beam weapons with reload rate 1?

Maybe you want a special tacic, like a PDC Destroyer orbiting a capital ship always drawing fire, SE4 doesn't do that.

But even my tactic above, I wouldn't count on. I usuall just try to overwhelm the enemy with superior numbers and advanced technology.