Matrix Games Forums

There are many parts of this game that seem like a great game for my tastes. However, the part that I just don't get and sucks all the enjoyment out is how to control fleets. I don't mind AI assembling fleets or letting individual ships in the fleet do their own thing. But I can't get a fleet to change it's home base (Scott's guide shows how but I can't get it to work as you lose focus of your fleet when you zoom in to single system). Even more frustrating is to order it to attack a base or invading fleet. I keep trying that with right click but the fleet goes wandering off into neverland. I keep flipping between manual and automated.

If someone can show/tell me how to best handle the fleets so that:
1) When I tell them to go somewhere they can stay there or close by... And when I'm in a war how can I have more control over them (do I switch off of automatic to manual)
2) When in manual mode how can you tell a fleet where to go inside a system (one they are not in) or to attack a fleet you can see in galaxy map

On the first question... go to the Fleets section in the empire policies and set "Fleet Postures" to manuanl. This means you control which bases that fleets use as their "home base". From this place they will react to threats and go to missions based on your settings.

There are allot of nuances to how fleet control works and what automation and how much of it you want to use. I think that generally a mix of manual controlled fleets and automated works the best. Trying to control them all can become a real chore eventually.

The best way to be sure you do the correct order is to always use "ctrl" key and right click on the object and select the proper action from the drop down list. For attack there are two options, "Attack" and Prepare and Attack". Attack just send the fleet immediately without regard to where ships are or how much fuel they have. Prepare and Attack will make sure the fleet are assembled and refuels (if the AI think it is needed) and then it goes for the target.

It is no problem to attack an enemy fleet using this. Also take note what the mission of the fleet is on the fleet itself. It should say it is attacking Fleet X...

Use the context menu for most actions you do.

Thank you for the information. I will try that as I continue my game and hopefully will feel less frustration at watching fleets wander off to nowhere in the middle of a war!