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At this point in the game, my fleet more or less ignores all attacks. There posture is "Defend" "Sector" "Auto", and I can see the posture circle on the map. However even when enemy ships lets right on top of the fleet, they just set there doing nothing. All the do is refuel.

Also I have never see this level of harassment. I have 5 systems to my name, and my computer is CONSTANTLY blipping about me being attacked by some lone escorts, against heavily armied Space Ports. This whole game has been weird after this started. What the hell do I do about it? (fleet disband and recreate has been tried)

This is your first post. I'm sorry if I can't explain things well, but I'll try. Check empire settings (menu, options, empire settings). In there is the default engagement stances for manual, and automated ships. This is how ships will react to targets within a system. For me I have engage system targets for all. Ships and fleets, auto or not, will engage anything within the system they're in. Check and see what your default engagement stances are.

To your second issue, lone escorts attacking means pirates. What I have been trying to say is automated fleets do not react to incoming pirates. The pirates become "visible" to automated fleets when they attack something. Then your fleet may respond. Or may not. In my experience fleets vs harassing pirates just doesn't happen. It sounds like for you it doesn't matter though because you have defenses at the colonies, and lone pirates won't stand a chance.

I am really sure at-least that the attack fleet policy works without Auto.. I've set "manual" fleets to "attack when engaged" or "only nearby targets" and they for sure followed those orders without me pressing "A" auto key..

Are we talking about the same thing? Engagement stances or posturing? Posturing only works on auto. Engagement stances works all the time, but in a system only. So setting this to nearby targets doesn't mean nearby stars, it means targets near your ships.

Ok Yeah I'm probably not being clear either then..

I understand what you say about pirates attacking.. that is no problem for me..



Perhaps I basically don't know what Automating fleets do.

1.A)I was under the understanding, that automated fleets are used for whatever the computer AI wants to do..(especially depending on if you have fleet automation on in the Menu Settings..)

1.B) I was under the understanding with automation on, The AI could take your fleet that you set to Defend a system, and tell it to defend another system and the blue circle showing defense will now change to the new home system it is defending..
or if sets an an attack it would be red circle.. ok make sense?

I am saying with Automation on the fleet the AI can assign new orders to the fleet and take away where you positioned them and set their range/posture or homeworld to defend another System altogether as the AI deems a new place for the fleet..

is that correct?



now,

2. I was also under the understanding that If you create a fleet and do not press "A" key to automate them.. so now we have a "manual" fleet. good. everybody is clear. BUT- if I set Posture to Nearby System and Defend, they should still defend the nearby system! correct!?

I think while playing that is what happens.. they still go off and defend a nearby system IF A "enemy fleet is detected incoming" message appears! I think that is what triggers them to go wait and defend..(this could be pointless but just saying) I may have Long range scanners that allow incoming fleets to be detected like that..

but the point is, Manual or NON-automated fleets still follow Posture orders (nearby systems etc..)

If I am wrong then ok.. I am wrong.. I will play a game right now and set a fleet to manual and defend nearby systems and start wars with everone.. If my Manual fleet moves, then Postures orders work with Manual and don't need to be automated right?

sorry for the long message.. But I want to get to the bottom of this!

This post is the ultimate guide to posturing. It's old but still applies.

tm.asp?m=2973167&mpage=1&key=posture

It will most definitely explain posturing way better than I ever could.

Do you have attacks against enemies checked? If it is then you're automating war and attacks, which means the AI using your fleets and ships for whatever. So you think you are posturing fleets, but the AI will override that to what it wants.

That maybe what I mean about when I "auto" my fleets, the AI just moves the defend and attack locations that I set..

So I never automate my fleets..

maybe I have War and attacks clicked.. I'll have to see..

Pirates can't investigate ruins afaik, btw. If you're constantly finding empty temples et al., then it just means the regular AI empires are still beating you to the punch.

Manual or NON-automated fleets still follow Posture orders

After some testing this is true, but after the mission my fleets wouldn't return to base unless automated. Do yours?

It is consistent with what I experienced quite a long time ago. Automated fleets return "home", manual ones do not.

Which is correct in my mind. Deciding to go home (or to automatically refuel) is a different order than picking up an attack order due to posture settings.

That being said, manual fleets heading off due to postures is mostly an annoyance to me, but at least I am quick to set them to defensive and minimum range.