How to designate some enemy as a non-target?

[thedoctorking]

The AI, in control of my escorting destroyers, has a bad tendency to fire our limited stock of torpedoes, and later missiles, at crippled enemy ships, sometimes in inopportune directions actually towards where our main formation is going. I know you can designate a target for division gunfire (which the AI sometimes ignores) but there doesn't seem to be a similar function for torpedoes. In any case, I'd like to be able to point to an enemy ship and say "leave that one alone". Ships that are dead in the water and on fire have got enough problems and don't pose any threat.

You'd think the AI would be able to figure this out on its own.

[Searry]

Yeah you can do missile strikes but not halt torpedo strikes. I think the torpedo behaviour is legacy from old games and the missile salvoes as a new feature is refined. If you put your missiles on fire at will they're gonna spend it all instead of managing them. Personally I like firing the first salvoes manually when I have the fire anywhere tech and then just ripple firing when that's done since you have to hit everything possible as far away as possible and you have no way of seeing those enemies for a long while.

[thedoctorking]

What's the effect of ripple fire?

[EwaldvonKleist]

The AI, in control of my escorting destroyers, has a bad tendency to fire our limited stock of torpedoes, and later missiles, at crippled enemy ships, sometimes in inopportune directions actually towards where our main formation is going. I know you can designate a target for division gunfire (which the AI sometimes ignores) but there doesn't seem to be a similar function for torpedoes. In any case, I'd like to be able to point to an enemy ship and say "leave that one alone". Ships that are dead in the water and on fire have got enough problems and don't pose any threat.

You'd think the AI would be able to figure this out on its own.

Not possible unfortunately, would be a very useful and historically plausible feature. IRL captain's were quite conscious about their torpedo stocks, heavy ammo use and barrel degradation from unnecessary shots.

[WLRoo]

On the other hand, KMS Bismarck was silenced by 0910 (the usual criteria for surrendering) and was dead in the water by 0931.

HMS Rodney ceased firing at 1014, HMS King George V ceased fire at 1021 - meaning they pounded the wreck of the Bismarck for 45-50 minutes after she was defeated.

[EwaldvonKleist]

This is because the British wanted to be extra sure that she doesn't suddenly come back to live. But the officers in charge could absolutely have told all ships to hold fire at any point, and players should also get this ability.