Attacking Planets (or trying not to)

[Phoenix-D]

Your ships were likely trying to kill any weapon platforms the planet had. Also, telling them to break formation will cancel any fleet orders you give them, and they'll revert to their class orders.

Phoenix-D

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Your ships were likely trying to kill any weapon platforms the planet had. Also, telling them to break formation will cancel any fleet orders you give them, and they'll revert to their class orders.

Phoenix-D

I know they do this on Capture Planet orders and can acidentally kill the planet but if you have a fleet strategy where ships are specifically told not to attack a planet will they still attack the WP's??

[Phoenix-D]

I think they will. The Planet checkbox likely refers to the planet itself..so without weapon platforms they will ignore the planet, but the weapon platforms draw them in. Just like the way the capture planet order works differently if you have a mixed force of transports and warships than just transports.

Phoenix-D

[Dan C.]

I think they will. The Planet checkbox likely refers to the planet itself..so without weapon platforms they will ignore the planet

I think that might be it. I have a saved Version of the game at that point, and there are 7 WP with missiles. However the fighters leave behind a nearby BC and CA with lots of weapons at the half-way point to go after the planet. (The near parameter should have kicked in)
As well they obviously keep attacking the planet after the WP are gone (and the ships are near-by attacking) as the population drops from 4000 to 3344, the 53 fighters who are left at the end can only do 1060 max points of damage a round (106 pop) so there has to be at least 4 rounds of firing after the WP are gone.
This would explain why when the second fleet arrives they seem to ignore the planet correctly.

[Suicide Junkie]

Also, your ships & units won't switch targets very often. Try setting the damage % per planet way down to 10% or so, and the fighters should start reevaluating their targetting choices earlier.

[Dan C.]

Try setting the damage % per planet way down to 10% or so

I just tried that and it didn't work. However I noticed that the secondary move was actually point-blank (not drop troops which it was originally, and intended to be.) If anyone is interested in taking a look, I have the save (default 1.78 Gold rules) on my web page Here
Just take the fleet labelled "Problem fleet" in the Xira system and attack the adjacent planet at 3,11.

[capnq]

Have you tried making "Drop Troops (if carrying)" the primary strategy, rather than secondary?