Fleet tactics

[GLI]

[Previously on Development Updates]

I've made it so that fleets will ignore single hostile ships unless they attack them or are part of another fleet. Fleets will only attack other fleets (unless provoked). This means that you'll still be able to land at pirate bases, for example, as any pirate fleets won't attack you unless you attack them. The randomly generated pirate ships will still attack you, so it'll probably be pretty much as hard/easy as it is now.

So, it'll be possible to fly through hostile fleet and they will not shoot at my ship? Strange...
Maybe they should at least send some warning message to "avoid" their fleet? In this situation player should "made big circle" around them (not through fleet). For slow ships like Drayman maybe player could stop and disable turrets AIs?

Player: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the South, to avoid a collision.

Confed: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the North, to avoid a collision.

Player: Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision.

Confed: This is the Captain of a Confed navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course.

Player: Negative. I say again, You will have to divert YOUR course.

Confed: THIS IS THE HEAVY CARRIER TCS HAWAII! THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE CONFED ASCII SECTOR FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS, AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH, I SAY AGAIN, THAT IS 15 DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER-MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP.

Player: We are a lighthouse planetoid base. Your call.

 :eeeee:

When that fleet in the movie turns hostile on me, it also becomes pretty clear that the AI really needs improving. And friendly missiles shouldn't hit you (I think 5-6 AI ships are taken out by friendly missiles without me doing a thing!). Maybe friendly gunshots shouldn't hit either. That'd definitely make it easier for a group of ships to engage a single target, as they wouldn't have to worry about friendly fire.

First of all they need tactics! Right now it looks that everybody are trying to hit one ship (without any cooperation) regardless of friendly fire. Maybe "friendly fire" will be "corrected" but I propose to do more:
- divert them to groups of 4 ship/fighters,
-  one group is hunting/shooting and other is "foxhunting" [I can't find a word for a group of people, sometimes with dogs, making noise to scare and chase prey; "hunting with beaters"/"beating"/driving"?],
- when some ships will lost too many of its shields or even armor then should be changed by another group,
- capship should be "the hunter" for "beaters",
- fleet is a "tactical group" and shouldn't "disperse"(?) because of one opponent (it could be a trap for them); after some distance from capship fighters (or at least most of them) should move back.

Did I mentioned that NPCs are too aggressive?

[VincentFirePony]

-  one group is hunting/shooting and other is "foxhunting" [I can't find a word for a group of people, sometimes with dogs, making noise to scare and chase prey; "hunting with beaters"/"beating"/driving"?],
"?],

Sounds like foxhunting to me.

[Bugamn]

Good one, GLI, I'd heard that before. But I wonder: is there a North in space?

[VincentFirePony]

Turn to a heading of 280 degrees.

No YOU turn to a heading of 280 degrees.

Lol

[Lexus]

degrees x or y?

[VincentFirePony]

Z!!!!!

[Cthulhu]

I think it makes sense the the fleet will ignore you, since they operate at a tactical level. It's not like in Rambo 3 where they send an entire army after you. Or Rambo 1 and 2 for that matter. Or any random action flick...

It would be cool if the fleets had different tactics. I remember reading about the tactics of ancient Greece (Sparta?) where the commander lined up his soldiers as:

Code: [Select]


   Enemy Line
-------------------

       
-----\      /------
      \----/
  Greek Soldiers


so when he moved north (up) the enemy would get trapped in the middle, and the flanks would fold around the enemy, thereby trapping them completely.  (I wonder if something as advanced as this is programmable?)
I cant remember the name of the commander or the name of the battle, but it's famous.

[GLI]

I think it makes sense the the fleet will ignore you, since they operate at a tactical level.

Hmm... such fleet shouldn't chase hostile ships (when e.g. pirate is in radar range) but could fight when their "line"/formation will be crossed/approached.

It would be cool if the fleets had different tactics. I remember reading about the tactics of ancient Greece (Sparta?) where the commander lined up his soldiers as:

Code: [Select]


   Enemy Line
-------------------

       
-----\      /------
      \----/
  Greek Soldiers


so when he moved north (up) the enemy would get trapped in the middle, and the flanks would fold around the enemy, thereby trapping them completely.  (I wonder if something as advanced as this is programmable?)
I cant remember the name of the commander or the name of the battle, but it's famous.

Well, IMO navy tactics should fit better... but for modern fleet with radars, rockets and fighters/bombers. P:AS is just a game so implementing "simple tactics" will be major improvement to present "bloodlust-kill'em-all".

[Lexus]

But if you had turrets on all sides, that wouldn't make a difference.

[GLI]

[Previously on Development Updates]

I followed the Confed fleet as it navigated to the jump point to Vortex Prime, jumped through (one ship at a time, but as soon as the first ship has jumped through, you can jump to the next system and the entire fleet will already be through)[...]

What will happen if I'll attack fleet in the middle of "jump" (some ships are there, some ships are here)?
- Destroyed ships will "respawn" on the other side of jump point (here: Vortex Prime)?
- Or maybe destroyed ships will be... well, (persistent/permanently) destroyed?
- "Firsts" ships will jump back to defend rest of the fleet?

IMHO Capships should jump after advance guard and before rearguard.

[VincentFirePony]

I'm eager to have my own fleet to bring into the fray...

Could also open some very interesting fixer/merc guild missions:
"It will be profitable if X fleet in X system wins/loses"

[Cthulhu]

Is the idea that we are to buy each ship ourselves from the ship dealer? So I can use them for trade as well, or in capital ship missions?

[GLI]

Is the idea that we are to buy each ship ourselves from the ship dealer? So I can use them for trade as well, or in capital ship missions?

Buying ships for player's fleet? Maybe... but if I understand correct it'll be possible to capture ships.

[Cthulhu]

If we are to transfer people on to other ships we need to be their superior, so we need a military rang right? Like "Fleet Admiral" or something.

[Lexus]

Fleet admiral sounds too high and mighty for a small fleet... How about plain old captain and downwards...