Feature request: Sprint & Drift also to single ships not in formation

[Sardaukar]

Hi,

It seems that currently there is no way to assign single ship/sub/vessel to Sprint & Drift, only those that are grouped into formation. And one cannot group only single ship to use formation editor.

So, it'd be good if this feature would be available also for single ships etc.

[Kado]

Yes, this would be awesome. It's realy one of the very few features that I'm still lacking in this superb game.

[dillonkbase]

Does the drift turn the boat at all so that the sensors engage the blind spots?

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: dillonkbase

Does the drift turn the boat at all so that the sensors engage the blind spots?

Drift in Sprint and Drift doesn't mean that ship/sub shuts down it's engine and propulsion. It just means low-speed creep to regain passive detection capability. Sprint is high-speed move to change position. So, vessel will never lose ability to change direction if needed.

[navwarcol]

The 'sprint' part of 'sprint and drift' is used to regain position in a formation,--- you drift awhile, then sprint to regain the front edge of your patrol station, then repeat-- so would not be needed as a single ship, as well as there being no patrol station to "sprint" to, even, as a single ship.

You could achieve though, what you are talking about, with waypoints that change speeds.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: navwarcol

The 'sprint' part of 'sprint and drift' is used to regain position in a formation,--- you drift awhile, then sprint to regain the front edge of your patrol station, then repeat-- so would not be needed as a single ship, as well as there being no patrol station to "sprint" to, even, as a single ship.

You could achieve though, what you are talking about, with waypoints that change speeds.

It'd just be lot easier to enable it for single ships too. Not having to micromanage.

[navwarcol]

Well, my point was that the entire process would be not something a single ship WOULD do.. the single ship would never have to "sprint" to regain a formation station, as it is not part of a formation, it could change speeds whenever it wished. "Sprint and Drift" is not something ANY ship captain would ever choose to do, for any tactical reason other than what it is intended for, which is holding a position in a formation ASW screen.

Sprint and drift is just to allow the ASW screen of a formation, to sprint to the front part of their station, then drift, then, when the rest of their formation closes on their position (which a single ship would never have) they "sprint" back to the forward edge, and repeat. The entire process is only done to hold a position in a formation, and would not only be unnecessary without a formation to keep pace with, but not even sure how the code would do it, as the code would look for a point (the forward edge of the patrol station) that does not exist.

When would your ship "sprint" (and why??? as it blinds your sensors) if there is not a 'rest of the formation' to worry about staying in a sector for?

In the end you would have to micromanage, anyway, with none of the above.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: navwarcol

Well, my point was that the entire process would be not something a single ship WOULD do.. the single ship would never have to "sprint" to regain a formation station, as it is not part of a formation, it could change speeds whenever it wished. "Sprint and Drift" is not something ANY ship captain would ever choose to do, for any tactical reason other than what it is intended for, which is holding a position in a formation ASW screen.

Sprint and drift is just to allow the ASW screen of a formation, to sprint to the front part of their station, then drift, then, when the rest of their formation closes on their position (which a single ship would never have) they "sprint" back to the forward edge, and repeat. The entire process is only done to hold a position in a formation, and would not only be unnecessary without a formation to keep pace with, but not even sure how the code would do it, as the code would look for a point (the forward edge of the patrol station) that does not exist.

When would your ship "sprint" (and why??? as it blinds your sensors) if there is not a 'rest of the formation' to worry about staying in a sector for?

In the end you would have to micromanage, anyway, with none of the above.

Single ship would do it if it'd have to get somewhere and still maintain some situational awareness, instead of creeping all the time. Submarines use it a lot also for that same reason.

[navwarcol]

I understand what you mean, but still, without a formation, there is no patrol sector to sprint to the forward part of... it would be up to the ships captain to sprint however far he wants, then drift... and this can be accomplished by the reference points and changing speed.

You mention you do not want to micromanage, but that really is the only way this could be done, and still make everyone happy, because with no patrol sector the game would have to determine where you want to sprint to, and it probably could not do that in a way to make everyone happy. In a formation, it is not required to "think" about it, it just sprints to the forward part of the zone, and as the zone moves in relation to the formation, once your ship reaches the back part of the zone, you sprint forward again. In a single ship "formation" you always are in the center of your formation, regardless of how fast you are going, which as I tried to explain above, erases the "sprint & drift" entirely. For a single ship or sub, this is not "sprint and drift" it is just "changing speeds" which they can already do.

[Sardaukar]

Well, it's not a big deal anyway. Just thought it would be easy to implement.

Subs use that for intercepting targets all the time, so thought it'd be easier for player not having to add dozen waypoints and alternating speed.

[Yokes]

You can do this with relative reference points and assigning a ship to patrol it.

Yokes

[navwarcol]

Ah.... good point, I had not even thought about relative reference points that move with your unit... that would give you the same thing without the micromanaging!

[Kado]

Guys, could you please explain the thing with relative RP a little bit more? Let's say I have two ships. I want one to go from A to B at 18 knots. And I want the other one to go the same direction, but to creep from time to time, so it can acquire some information from its sonar. I know how to do this with waypoints, bet it seems too labor-intensive and tedious to do it that way. Thank guys!

[Dimitris]

ORIGINAL: Kado
Guys, could you please explain the thing with relative RP a little bit more? Let's say I have two ships. I want one to go from A to B at 18 knots. And I want the other one to go the same direction, but to creep from time to time, so it can acquire some information from its sonar. I know how to do this with waypoints, bet it seems too labor-intensive and tedious to do it that way. Thank guys!

1) Group the two units together.

2) Select the group and open the formation editor window (F4).

3) Mark the constant-speed unit as "group lead".

3) Select the "escort" unit and check the "Sprint and drift" checkbox on the formation editor window. If you want it to take station at a different point relative to the group lead, select a new station for it.

That is all. The escort will now automatically sprint-drift during the passage.