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I just started to put some carrier fleets into action and selected as first target a large pirate base (1800 Dmg) with around a dozen destoryers guarding it. Stance for my carriers is "Stand-off", so I expected them to keep out of the star base's weaspons range while launching all fighters/bombers from their 12 installed bays. While the last worked pretty good, the first part went utterly wrong. I didn't manually intervene after having given the "prepare and attack" order and just watched how the carrier kept on his course towards the base, finally reaching weapons range and then tried to escape when shields were down to 50%, but of course couldn't outrun quick enough and got blow to pieces, together with my fleet admiral. For the remaining two carriers I had to manually lay a course around the base out of weapons range while the fighters did their job. The destroyers didn't engage at all, by the way, but that's another topic (I image due to "evade stronger opponents" being set for AI?).

Did someone find a way to use carriers without this sort of micromanagement during battles (I just imagine of parallel battles taking place when situation escalates...)?

I think we are in the wrong forum, but apart from that...

I think carriers are better on "evade" but they are not very good at that either. They do not consider the "whole" battle when evading, and may evade through other enemies. On my manual fleets I find the carriers quite prone to being destroyed if there are ships involved and the battle is somewhat even. In a "normal" 14/4 cruiser/carrier fleet, I would expect to replace more carriers than cruisers. I rarely head for battles that I will lose, though. If attacking "large spaceport and 4 defensive bases" cruisers are prone to death too, though

I am not sure why your destroyers did not work out. I make sure they have "all weapons" on stronger opponents (or even point blank) when attacking spaceports. Beyond early game, destroyers of mine don't attack spaceports, though.

This image is from my Universe launch AAR, when I finally have enough frigates and destroyers to bust the nearest pirate spaceport. I am team red. No issue having them fight.



However, when that base explodes, it deals heavy damage, and will wreck the "close, small, boys". The AAR said 43 to 36 ships and 12 that could not jump away (too damaged). I guess the 12 were the 12 close ones that survived

This is how the "small guys" may look after a major spaceport battle. Same, game, later:

What weapons were on the carrier? This matters because if you have lasers on the carrier it will close to stand off range (laser range). Try carriers with just fighter bays and PD. Its all they need anyways.

ORIGINAL: Retreat1970

What weapons were on the carrier? This matters because if you have lasers on the carrier it will close to stand off range (laser range). Try carriers with just fighter bays and PD. Its all they need anyways.

The carriers are designed like that: 12 bays and 6 PD. Still they kept closing in.

I am not sure why your destroyers did not work out. I make sure they have "all weapons" on stronger opponents (or even point blank) when attacking spaceports. Beyond early game, destroyers of mine don't attack spaceports, though.

The pirate destroyers kept sitting there and did not engage the carriers. My fleet - for that mission - consisted of three carriers alone.

Maybe the BD is considered weapons. Stand of distance for those is pretty darn close.

What Retreat1970 plus this:

If you've got missile weapons, you can probably get away with Stand-Off because missiles have the longest range of any weapon except fighters. Of course that also means you can be shot at by missiles in return. But that's where your PD weapons come in, so you should still be safe (in theory).

If you've got anything else (lasers, etc) then yeah, you'll want to evade because stand-off range for those weapons is actually pretty darn close, like Retrat1970 pointed out.

If you ONLY have fighter bays and PD, then I think the PD is considered the main armament and is used for calculating Stand-Off. IT uses the longest-range active firepower weapons system I think.