Carrier questions

[Elmo]

Guys

I just started playing around with carriers in my current PBEM game. Do they launch fighters automatically in Strategic combat or do I need to launch manually before entering combat? If they do launch automatically should I give the carrier a Don't Get Hurt order or will it be launching from too far away if I do that? Any tips to save me from learning the hard way would be appreciated. Thanks.

Elmo

[AaronEdward]

Strategic is automatic, tactical is manual.

[Elmo]

Thanks. Any thoughts on the best orders for a carrier, assuming it does not have any offensive weapons?

Elmo

[Taqwus]

I think the carriers will launch as fast as possible regardless of strategy. Since your fighters are probably faster than your carriers (eventually they can get up to combat speed 9), this is probably a good thing.

I'd still want to micromanage them. For instance, if you use rocket-pod fighters, the AI will try to make them run away after firing. If you have *other* fighters, however, and you're up against a fleet w/ a lot of PD, you want the now-useless rocketers to fly around soaking up PD fire so your other fighters can approach unharmed. I suspect it also doesn't coordinate them that well -- i.e. holding back fighters until they're all launched, since with fighters number (of stacks) is critical.

FWIW, micromanaging a simulated combat, using 2 DNs and 2 HCs w/ 112 twin-rocket fighters and 112 normal (shield disperser/electric discharge), I destroyed 8 DNs of the same class, losing 1 of the 2 and a fairly large number of fighters. Using 'strategic combat', both carriers, all fighters, and both DNs were always lost with _at most_ one enemy DN killed. So micromanagement w/ fighters is still vital I'd say.

DN weaponry included 4 PD V's each, and were pretty tough hombres (ca. 1500 ? phased shield points, similar amount of organic armor III, ECM, sensors, the works. Something like 5-6 heavy Enveloping Acid Globules, movement 6 in combat, etc.)

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Jubala]

Like I just said in another thread, we need a much more sophisticated system for giving orders to our ships in strategic combat.

Another thing, would be cool if the rocket fighters could dock in the carrier to reload and then go out and fire again. That's what fighers do now. Also look at the battle of Midway in WWII. That was basically a carrier duel in which the fighters sought out the enemy carriers to sink them and thus depriving the enemy fighters a place to land and reload/refuel. Might make things to complicated but it would be fun and more realistic imo.

[Elmo]

Thanks Taqwus. I've had a few encounters with my CV's since posting and you are right, the fighters launch very quickly then the carrier withdraws.

Something funny happened too. I lost a carrier in one battle at a wormhole, but the fighters are all still there kicking the crap out of the AI fleets that keep trying to come through. Works better than mining the wormhole! Even a fleet of 5 LC's were crushed with no losses to the fighters. I'm wondering if it's a bug.

Elmo

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

[Baron Munchausen]

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]

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]

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]

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