-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
not I
You cannot fire weapons (missiles or Beams) at an opponent unless he is being "painted" by an active sensor... either yours, or another ship of your team. On the other hand, using your active sensor is very conspicuous, and gives away your own position... so it is usually turned on just before combat starts (unless you are using it basically to prevent anyone from sneaking up on you undetected, at the cost of ruining your own stealth).
Count Lake said:
Seven Life-Pods recovered so far. Nine more to go.
They are on, naturally. What's the point of attempting to be stealthy against the Prix? Their detection tech is far, far in advance of our stealth techs. One or more ship in each task group has its active sensors on.
Right.
The Prix squadrons Bandit-2 and Bandit-3 are now only 17 minutes from getting the Rocks into Beam range.
A difficult choice... do we temporarily abandon the rescue effort and try to draw the enemy off from our Battle Fleet long enough for it to link up with the Mine-Layers? If they don't chase the Rocks, they might destroy the remaining nine Life-pods as they pass them. If they do take the bait, the pods are as safe as anyone else (ie: if we win the battle, we will pick them up).
A difficult choice... do we temporarily abandon the rescue effort and try to draw the enemy off from our Battle Fleet long enough for it to link up with the Mine-Layers? If they don't chase the Rocks, they might destroy the remaining nine Life-pods as they pass them. If they do take the bait, the pods are as safe as anyone else (ie: if we win the battle, we will pick them up).
Don't they have to pass close the rocks in any case? Given their tech advantage, I would think they would have the decoys in their sights long enough to empty their magazines.
Edit: Also, can't you set the renovouz point so that the rocks will be in a direct line of the coming enemy.
Edit: Also, can't you set the renovouz point so that the rocks will be in a direct line of the coming enemy.
Set the rocks on ramming course!
Unfortunately, the Prix can ram us, but we aren't allowed to ram them. Hardly seems fair.
If they are equipped with Beam weapons, it doesn't empty their magazines. Beams have limitless ammo, they just have to pause a few seconds between shots.
Well you get the gist of what I mean anyway.
Send them to the wolves.
Set then up the creek without a paddle.
Etc.
Send them to the wolves.
Set then up the creek without a paddle.
Etc.
Still, if you are afraid that they may destroy the rocks, set a renovouz point where the rocks will not be in the middle of the their path.
Actually I once had a ship of mine ramming a precursor... mind I didnt ORDER it. Happened anyways.
Mine was an unarmed big commercial ship, his was a small fast thingie with weapons.
I'm starting to think that the carrier/fighter doctrine has been done on the wrong scale. The carrier should be a huge "jump-tug", iwwith just a jump drive. The Fighters should be light cruisers capable of withstanding some fire and deliver a more solid and lasting punch. And the extra space used for ordinance and a faster sub-ftl engine.
On top of which you have the rock class ships, maybe a specific PD ships, and sensor ships.
A cruiser on the other hand is equipped to operate independantly, thus for patrolling and smaller threats.
So the navy should be divided into battle fleets, consisting of a fighting force, and cruisers which can be used to reniforce battle groups, or as skirmishers.
The point of this is to have fighters which are able to withstand pd fire, and require actual ordinance to put out. And I don't feel that the fighter's first strike was that impressive compared to the ones put out by the actual fleet. 60 missiles barrages has proven quite sufficient. Remember that the pd came in 19 missiles barrages, which meaning that if our missiles are fast enough a minimum of 40 would have gotten through, or 20 if they could fire twice, with a 100% accuracy. And 20 has proven quite enough to do quite some damage.
Space games are often using the carrier doctrine from modern day fleets, but when one goes with the "space is an ocean" trope, one has to realize that figthers are not fighter planes anymore since their IS NO AIR. They are swimmers, and much less impressive than fighter planes, and thus not something I would build a naval doctrine upon.
On top of which you have the rock class ships, maybe a specific PD ships, and sensor ships.
A cruiser on the other hand is equipped to operate independantly, thus for patrolling and smaller threats.
So the navy should be divided into battle fleets, consisting of a fighting force, and cruisers which can be used to reniforce battle groups, or as skirmishers.
The point of this is to have fighters which are able to withstand pd fire, and require actual ordinance to put out. And I don't feel that the fighter's first strike was that impressive compared to the ones put out by the actual fleet. 60 missiles barrages has proven quite sufficient. Remember that the pd came in 19 missiles barrages, which meaning that if our missiles are fast enough a minimum of 40 would have gotten through, or 20 if they could fire twice, with a 100% accuracy. And 20 has proven quite enough to do quite some damage.
Space games are often using the carrier doctrine from modern day fleets, but when one goes with the "space is an ocean" trope, one has to realize that figthers are not fighter planes anymore since their IS NO AIR. They are swimmers, and much less impressive than fighter planes, and thus not something I would build a naval doctrine upon.
That's what I've decided to do. The Rocks have suspended the rescue effort and are moving diagonally away from the Prix' present course. There is absolutely no point in allowing the Prix to destroy the Rocks with Beam weapons... it doesn't use up ammo or weaken the Prix force in any way. I want them to fire their (limited) missiles at the Rocks, not their (unlimited) Beams.
I think we need to abandon the pods for the time being. Tragic a choice as it is, if we don't do our utmost to win, no one comes out of this alive, instead of potentially losing some of the people in the pods.
Quift - what you say is true in the abstract, but remember how the game design works - fighters can be built in factories in a few days, cruisers requires slipways and months. That's their immense advantage.
Quift - what you say is true in the abstract, but remember how the game design works - fighters can be built in factories in a few days, cruisers requires slipways and months. That's their immense advantage.
That's because the alpha strike was launched with only one Carrier worth of Fighters... five-sixths of them had been destroyed. The intended alpha strike was with 60 Fighters, each carrying three missiles. A 180-missile strike might have impressed you, considering that our entire battle fleet taken together only mounts 46 missile tubes.
Quift: Our fighters did admirably. We soaked up way more damage than we should in terms of missiles/tons. Those 19 missiles were overkill, and that overkill may have saved a bunch of bigger ships. In my opinion the fighters worked great, not as anticipated, but great.
Glorious Leader: Am I among the (so far) survivors?
Glorious Leader: Am I among the (so far) survivors?
Bandit-2 and Bandit-3 will be in range in another 4 m-km. No incoming fire from them yet.
Hm. maybe they are beam-only ships.
Which means they need to be liquidated quickly.
Which means they need to be liquidated quickly.
I'd note the following on future fighter doctrine.
1. Don't count on them to be able to fire their weapons. They're vulnerable.
2. Do keep in mind their ability to act as a second layer of decoys, closer to the fleet.
3. Do not count on them getting more than a salvo, MAYBE two, off. Reloading times are just too awful to expect anything else.
4. In light of 2 and 3, assign NPCs* to the fighters and consider the option of not rearming them during a fight and keeping them out as decoys.
*Not named Alice Bryant.
1. Don't count on them to be able to fire their weapons. They're vulnerable.
2. Do keep in mind their ability to act as a second layer of decoys, closer to the fleet.
3. Do not count on them getting more than a salvo, MAYBE two, off. Reloading times are just too awful to expect anything else.
4. In light of 2 and 3, assign NPCs* to the fighters and consider the option of not rearming them during a fight and keeping them out as decoys.
*Not named Alice Bryant.
You are. I'd rather not compile a list of survivors at this stage, though, since it would just be wasted effort if we cannot destroy Bandit-2 and Bandit-3.
When I say "in range", I mean "in our missile FC range, modified by ECM". They are many millions of km beyond their own Beam range, assuming them to be Beam Cruisers.