newby's guide to ship and fleet strategy

[Growltigga]

alright, cue howls of laughter and derisive comments

where the flipping nora is the break formation button - I can't find the wretched thing anywhere

[Gryphin]

I would make a comment but it took me 8 minutes to find it and I've been practicing with it all along.
Empire > Strategies > Formations >
There is a list of "Types that break formation"
Choose the ones that you want to do so.
< wry grin > no , make that a < poker face >

[Quikngruvn]

Just be sure to change those settings for every strategy you plan to use (or all of 'em, to play it safe). I've been burned at least once when I changed the strategy of a fleet but forgot to make the new strategy break formation....

Quikngruvn

[Gryphin]

PsychoTechFreak,
Using standard SE IV,
Once you have clicked on Formations
You must click on each of the items you listed
You will be provided with:
Bases
Ships
Carriers
Colony Ships
Fighters
Satelights
Mines
Planets
Transports
Bases (no weapons)
Ships (no weapons)
For each strategy on the left, you can select or de-select the desired "Types That Break Formation" strategy on the right.
This is so you can customise the strategy taken based on the type of Attack Strategy you have assigned to a type of ship.
Based on earlier post, it looks like you would want to set this for each strategy.
Possibly with Kamakazi or "Capture Enemy Ships" you may want them to all move in together so they strike at the same time. I don't know if that works. I have not figured out how Mines, Planets, Bases, or Satelites break formation. Neither have I figured out if their is an advantage to it.
Good luck.
Just a thought, but why would I want to capture Allied Ships? < bemused grin >

[tesco samoa]

Capture AI ships and use them or take them back to be analyzed for tech.

I recommed you break formation on everything .

And all non fighting ships to ram.

Hey there only going to die anyway.

[Gryphin]

tesco, Thanks, I forgot to program in the non fighting ships RAM, but I do it in Tactical. However: in early games I have rammed Escorts and Frigates with Colony Ships and survived to actualy colonize a planet.
"It ain't over till it's Over and the crew is sucking space"
(paraphrased by Gryphin with apologies to the original author)

[PsychoTechFreak]

Lovely, but I still have no idea how to create the strategy "break formation". Since it does not appear with the standard strats, I would have to add it manually: "B-R-E-A-K F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N", but I don't think the ships would do what I want them to do.

EDIT: Got it, finally !

[ 02 February 2002: Message edited by: PsychoTechFreak ]

[PsychoTechFreak]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gryphin:
I would make a comment but it took me 8 minutes to find it and I've been practicing with it all along.
Empire > Strategies > Formations >
There is a list of "Types that break formation"
Choose the ones that you want to do so.
< wry grin > no , make that a < poker face >

---

You are talking about Space Empires IV/Empire Options/Strategies/Formations, aren't you ?

Ok, maybe my eyes are not opened wide enough, but I see the following strategies:

Optimal Firing Range
Don't Get Hurt
Capture Enemy Ships
Capture Planet
Fighter Attack
Kamikaze
Maximum Weapons Range
Short Weapons Range
Point Blank

That's it ! Ok, I can add a strategy, but I have to assign the movement strategy, but break formation is impossible. In the AI_strategy file I can enter a break formation, but obviously not in the game itself. Or do you use a special Mod for it ?

[Fyron]

Hmm, this doesn't seem to have been answered. Better late than never!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Growltigga:
primary strategy and secondary strategy (what's the difference by the way)

---

The primary strategy is the movement strategy that the ships normally use. When the AI determines that the primary strategy is no longer a good idea to use, it will change to the secondary movement strategy. I have no clue as to when or why the AI decides to change to the secondary movement strategy.

[PsychoTechFreak]

I have fiddled around with the strategy windows now: What if I want to have a different strategy for special targets, like planets. I want the attack ships to toast everything except the planet, this should be taken over with a troop transport (which btw should not arrive too early at the planet). For the planet they should: Damage targets until all weapons are gone (see damage window), and Damage Per cent per planet: as low as possible.

This seems to be not possible yet, except maybe if I create special ships which just target planets, and I put every other attack ship to "don't fire on planets".

EDIT: Quikngruvn 's solution with the ships do not break formation would be the only solution I see, but with the disadvantages of the formation.

[ 03 February 2002: Message edited by: PsychoTechFreak ]