Sit fleet, sit! Good boy!

[DonkeyShow]

Behold! The Donkey has another dilemma.

STATUS:
- automation of miltary ships is off
- one side of my empire is completely quiet, the other side is under attack
- I'm stationing fleets in each system to guard against these attacks

So I notice that the fleets in systems that see no action just kinda sit there waiting for something to happen. Good!!! That's what I want you little #&%$ to do!

My problem is that the fleets in the high action systems keep running around doing things I didn't tell them to. They like to fly just outside the system into deep space and just sit there. They also like to get fixated on some enemy ship that was just passing through and chase it halfway across the galaxy. Worse, individual ships will break off from the fleet and just go do something. I don't know what... maybe they're looking for a good donkey show.

I tell them to patrol system. That works for a while. But the order seems to clear itself and go back to "no mission" after a while. I've tried sending them to a spot and having them sit there with "(no mission)(engage system targets)". They still like to run around. I set each fleets home colony to one in the system they are guarding. I figured they would naturally try to stay close to home. Nope.

I've lost and retaken the same colony like 3 times now because the fleet I put there keeps running out to nowhere or deciding to go on the offensive. What exactly do I have to do to make them stay put in a system?

[cookie monster]

Lower lefthand window

Select fleet

Click on top right box with ship with gun

Set engage to ''Engage when attacked''

[DonkeyShow]

I totally love you dude.

[Data]

Too late, DS, I think he's already taken [:D]

[DonkeyShow]

Hey it's the new millennium. There's room for more in any relationship...

-singing- people all over the world, start a love train, love train -----

[:D]

[MaxyGamer]

Yeah, engage system targets sounds nice but your ships keep on chasing shadows all over the place giving your rather great tactical disadvantage at times.

But with engage when attacked option on, your ships won't attack any 'explorer' spy ships hiding in your certain systems... will they? will they just sit and wait to be attacked even if some hostile forces are in your systems?

[cookie monster]

ORIGINAL: MaxyGamer

Yeah, engage system targets sounds nice but your ships keep on chasing shadows all over the place giving your rather great tactical disadvantage at times.

But with engage when attacked option on, your ships won't attack any 'explorer' spy ships hiding in your certain systems... will they? will they just sit and wait to be attacked even if some hostile forces are in your systems?

The name is self explanatory.

They will "Only engage when attacked".

However the toggle is bugged and must be reset after every time a new order is given.

"Engage nearby targets" is also an option for more local defence.

[trogdor826]

speaking of orders for fleets and individual ships, i often like to send a couple escorts with my high cap freighters but once they reach a destination, their mission ends, is it possible to make an order for fleets/ships permanent for escort duty rather than re-issuing the order every time?

[Bingeling]

Late but...

I am so fond of escorts that the only thing I ever do with them is to scrap the starting one... But.

I would imagine escorts on auto do this kind of stuff. So just have them around on auto and see them aggravate your rivals with military presence. If you want a special escort, just assign the escort order, and put the escort back on auto, and it will resume its automatic duties once the escort mission finishes.

In general I find no need for escorting civilian ships, it seems that the ones that die usually die from wildlife or being caught up in the aoe blasts of planetary assaults in distant wars. Manual escorts for colony ships is a different matter (as long as I don't shield them and arm them).

[evilknight]

to be honest i love using escorts and frigates as screens for my larger ships, if they die its no big deal but if my cap ship or a cruiser bites it i'm in alot of pain. I'd also like to see cap ships broken into carriers and battle ships. I know you can just select your own design and build it but i tend to forget which one was which if I dont play everyday.

[Data]

Yap, more granular ship classes has been requested by several of us already. One more vote is always welcomed, welcome to the forum evilknight.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: cookie monster

"Engage nearby targets" is also an option for more local defence.

What's the practical difference between "engage nearby targets" and "engage system targets"? I haven't seen any.

[Mercator]

I'm new and haven't yet had a chance to play, but I'd assume the difference being proximity.

One being ships and fleets just outside the system but 'too close to be comfortable'

The other being actual system border violators

[Data]

Spot on, Mercator, welcome aboard.

[Fishers of Men]

How would the design of Distant Worlds define "nearby targets"? In the early game, where Hypedrive and fuel cells limit movement, nearby could mean next to a spaceport or mining station. In the late game, it could mean a nearby star. I usually play using the idea that the enemy is within sight of me on the most closeup screen. Anybody else with a different experiemce?

FoM

[Data]

Same here but if we're patient enough we can test this and find the limit....if we're patient enough [:)]

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: Mercator

I'm new and haven't yet had a chance to play, but I'd assume the difference being proximity.

One being ships and fleets just outside the system but 'too close to be comfortable'

The other being actual system border violators

In other words - no practical difference?

I've yet to see the AI stop a fleet just outside a system...

[Mercator]

Well, then game mechanics might make it a difference between 'in-system' and a radius of the planet.

[Data]

A very reasonable assumption to make, otherwise why would Elliot go to all the trouble of defining two different stances that do the same thing? Star systems are large enough that ships must make in system hyper jumps so it stands to reason that "nearby" can be related to a planet or location that doesn't require hyperjump to reach.
Again, this can be nicely settled via testing. In my early days I would have jumped at the opportunity, now real life must thake precedence....for now [:)]

[ehsumrell1]

Normally, the 'nearby target' stance allows the ship to remain while attacking/defending within a certain distance of either its current location or (if on escort duty of a vessel or patrolling a planet) its
selected target. Whereas the 'system target' stance allows the ship to 'chase' an enemy ship within
the current system and beyond disregarding any patrol or escort duty until either its target is
destroyed or lost out of its sensor range. This is the way it is supposed to work. But there are also
other factors at times that affect this, such as if the ship is part of a fleet, or on automatic, or
in a disruptive nebula or gas cloud, etcetera, hope this helps! [:)]