Carrier questions

Baron Munchausen · #1 November 28th, 2000, 07:59 PM

Sooner or later those fighters are going to run out of supplies. I don't think you can "resupply" them if they do. I think they are destroyed if they run out of supplies. I've been considering a special type of satellite to support fighters "in the field" like that. It would be bigger than any other satellite, maybe as large as 200kt, but it would have a requirement to be 50 percent or more fighter bays like a carrier. Drop one of these near a warp point with some fighters and you've got a defense system as powerful as ships (can move and attack) but it costs zero maintenance!

The best of both worlds. You could drop some conventional satellites nearby to support them and/or protect the carrier sat, though.

Elmo · #2 November 28th, 2000, 08:27 PM

Baron

Yes, I have seen a couple of the fighter Groups getting low on fuel. It's interesting that it looks like I can move them away from the warp point to a nearby planet I control. I was considering building a resupply fac there and refueling them. I have been unable to launch fighters into space or move them around in space except for this one unique case. That is why I thought there might be a bug. Have you ever been able to use fighters outside of strategic combat like other ships?

Elmo

Baron Munchausen · #3 November 28th, 2000, 09:20 PM

I have used fighters very little. I prefer the "capital ship" model of space warfare.

But, I have used them a few times just to see how they work. Yes, fighters can move independently within a system. That makes them the one unit that can defend an area instead of a point. There are some quirks with launching and retrieving them. I wish you could recover fighters in combat, for example, and it seems that they cannot move on the system screen (strategically) immediately AFTER being launched so you have to launch them the turn before you intend to attack. That's no good for surprise raids!

Especially if your carrier is cloaked in enemy territory. So, there are some things I wish could be changed with fighters, but I have other concerns first.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 28 November 2000).]

Narlotep · #4 November 28th, 2000, 10:15 PM

Baron,

Actually fighter Groups can be "Fleeted" just like ships, which permits the rotation of resuppliers into the "fleet" to maintain supply.

I have made extensive use of Starfuries with the B5 "race" for both frontline and rear area security. In cooperation with smaller vessels, they provide pretty good and quick defense in depth.

If based at a planet, you may as well launch them to act as a quick reaction force anywhere in a system. As long as they are stacked on the planet, they are resupplied...er, not sure even if Resupply Depot is required. I'll double check later.

Now if only they could get through WPs...
Narlotep

LazarusLong42 · #5 November 29th, 2000, 10:56 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Taqwus:
Since your fighters are probably faster than your carriers (eventually they can get up to combat speed 9)

Combat speed 15.

Nine engines (9) + three point bonus for Quantum (3) + Afterburners III (3).

9+3+3 = 15

LL

Taqwus · #6 November 29th, 2000, 11:04 PM

Engine movement points, and their bonus movement, is rated in strategic movement, and needs to be divided by two (rounding up). Afterburners is in combat movement.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

Shadow99 · #7 November 30th, 2000, 06:09 PM

Fighter combat gets really good if you switch vehicle sizes for the larger fighter types like I did (30 for medium, 45 for large). This keeps them useful well into the end of the game & replace most of my escorts & frigates... Though I'm thinking of adjusting them down a notch to 25/40 (medium/large)... Course I also added 5 lvls to each smaller sized weapon to balance out dmg caused by fighters, so you need to dedicate more to make them effective...