After playing the game it's no surprise combat are less enjoyable than the rest of the game. A lot has been said in different forums about the death-stack problem which I shall not repeat. English is not my native language, so I apologize if there is any "slip ups". Here are some of my thoughts about improving the system:
1) Be able to build fleets! The smaller vessels die fast and it's a chore to replace. Even if it's not the most ideal build I always stack battleships with different builds because they are easier to replace. Many options to how make this work. One could combine smaller fleets with one type of ships to make bigger mixed fleets. Or one could make a standard mixed fleet which one multiplied up to make bigger fleets. Of course this should be available only a bit later in the game. A reinforcement mechanism should automatically apply, either one ship at a time or as a convoy with at the same time. A fleet should maybe fight as a group and share stats.
2) Each type of ship should have clear roles in combat and some weapon-systems made only for them. The major roles are simple: Bigger ships have better armor, but are less agile. Smaller ships have better tracking with smaller weapons, but only bigger ships can have the more massive weapons (as before). Any flack weapons should be good against missiles, but less good against smaller ships if they have a shield or armor. This way any battleship would be at an disadvantage against multiple squadrons of corvettes (when they have about equal power (combined) as the battleship), but it would have an advantage against cruisers and destroyers. All this is dependent of weapons equipped, as a battleship without heavy weapons should struggle against other battleships and cruisers. Destroyers should destroy (pun intended) corvettes and make a decent fight against cruisers. Cruisers is here the more all round-ship, but if the battleship equips their heaviest weapons they should destroy cruisers (and struggle against corvettes at the same time). As already said the smaller ships should get a tracking bonus with smaller weapons because of their agility. This should be able to be balanced, but it's depended on balanced weapons!
3) Be clear about each the advantage and disadvantage of all ship types! It's difficult during the game to understand this as combat is very chaotic. A better damage interface may improve this, but it should be clear in any informative description.
4) Let every weapon have some function, but avoid a "jack of all trades". This one is already difficult, but here's my suggestion. Much of this is how the game already is balanced: Missiles should of course have longest range and best tracking, but have a good counter as the flack canon/point defense already is. But these defenses shouldn't be too effective either and take up enough room on the ship to be a trade-off. Swarm missiles (and/or a new "stealth" missile) could be a relevant late game improvement with less tracking against smaller ships. If an all out missile fleet doesn't deal reasonable damage then the defense is to effective. Also missiles should be better against smaller ships because of the tracking and fewer defenses. Small missiles should be fully replaced with torpedoes (because there is no reason it should have less tracking when attached to a larger ship). Lasers should be all-round good against anything but shields. No need for spectacular benefits here. Plasma weapons should have shorter range or worse tracking, and they should still be effective against armor. Kinetic weapons should be worse against armor, but better against shields. If either kinetic or plasma weapons has longer range, they should only have tracking good enough to kill cruisers/battleships and do small damage to destroyers. The importance here is that every weapons has a trade off. Heavy defensive weapons and you are worse off against heavy damage weapons because of your own lack of damage. A lot of smaller weapons and you lack the power to take out bigger ships, and the opposite because of worse tracking. Corvettes advantage against battleships is here because of space torpedoes and their worse tracking against them. Maybe they also could get a bonus with a computer system for small ships. Glass canon build (without missile defenses) and missiles destroys you. No shields and lasers destroys you. No armor and plasma weapons destroys you. A balanced build without missiles and the glass canon build has a significant edge on you and an all out missile fleet will be on equal footings. This way there is always a build that would be somewhat better if they go all-out in one direction with a similar weakness. It would be cool if the AI adapted according to their intelligence, but with some "nation-dependent" preference and never perfectly against you.
This became a longer text than I thought, but I hope some of the devs will see and consider this. I have to repeat that there should be a simple way (for example multiple builds at the same time) to reinforce small ships. If not my fleet will forever consist of battleships and cruisers. I'm looking forward to the upcoming patch!
1) Be able to build fleets! The smaller vessels die fast and it's a chore to replace. Even if it's not the most ideal build I always stack battleships with different builds because they are easier to replace. Many options to how make this work. One could combine smaller fleets with one type of ships to make bigger mixed fleets. Or one could make a standard mixed fleet which one multiplied up to make bigger fleets. Of course this should be available only a bit later in the game. A reinforcement mechanism should automatically apply, either one ship at a time or as a convoy with at the same time. A fleet should maybe fight as a group and share stats.
2) Each type of ship should have clear roles in combat and some weapon-systems made only for them. The major roles are simple: Bigger ships have better armor, but are less agile. Smaller ships have better tracking with smaller weapons, but only bigger ships can have the more massive weapons (as before). Any flack weapons should be good against missiles, but less good against smaller ships if they have a shield or armor. This way any battleship would be at an disadvantage against multiple squadrons of corvettes (when they have about equal power (combined) as the battleship), but it would have an advantage against cruisers and destroyers. All this is dependent of weapons equipped, as a battleship without heavy weapons should struggle against other battleships and cruisers. Destroyers should destroy (pun intended) corvettes and make a decent fight against cruisers. Cruisers is here the more all round-ship, but if the battleship equips their heaviest weapons they should destroy cruisers (and struggle against corvettes at the same time). As already said the smaller ships should get a tracking bonus with smaller weapons because of their agility. This should be able to be balanced, but it's depended on balanced weapons!
3) Be clear about each the advantage and disadvantage of all ship types! It's difficult during the game to understand this as combat is very chaotic. A better damage interface may improve this, but it should be clear in any informative description.
4) Let every weapon have some function, but avoid a "jack of all trades". This one is already difficult, but here's my suggestion. Much of this is how the game already is balanced: Missiles should of course have longest range and best tracking, but have a good counter as the flack canon/point defense already is. But these defenses shouldn't be too effective either and take up enough room on the ship to be a trade-off. Swarm missiles (and/or a new "stealth" missile) could be a relevant late game improvement with less tracking against smaller ships. If an all out missile fleet doesn't deal reasonable damage then the defense is to effective. Also missiles should be better against smaller ships because of the tracking and fewer defenses. Small missiles should be fully replaced with torpedoes (because there is no reason it should have less tracking when attached to a larger ship). Lasers should be all-round good against anything but shields. No need for spectacular benefits here. Plasma weapons should have shorter range or worse tracking, and they should still be effective against armor. Kinetic weapons should be worse against armor, but better against shields. If either kinetic or plasma weapons has longer range, they should only have tracking good enough to kill cruisers/battleships and do small damage to destroyers. The importance here is that every weapons has a trade off. Heavy defensive weapons and you are worse off against heavy damage weapons because of your own lack of damage. A lot of smaller weapons and you lack the power to take out bigger ships, and the opposite because of worse tracking. Corvettes advantage against battleships is here because of space torpedoes and their worse tracking against them. Maybe they also could get a bonus with a computer system for small ships. Glass canon build (without missile defenses) and missiles destroys you. No shields and lasers destroys you. No armor and plasma weapons destroys you. A balanced build without missiles and the glass canon build has a significant edge on you and an all out missile fleet will be on equal footings. This way there is always a build that would be somewhat better if they go all-out in one direction with a similar weakness. It would be cool if the AI adapted according to their intelligence, but with some "nation-dependent" preference and never perfectly against you.
This became a longer text than I thought, but I hope some of the devs will see and consider this. I have to repeat that there should be a simple way (for example multiple builds at the same time) to reinforce small ships. If not my fleet will forever consist of battleships and cruisers. I'm looking forward to the upcoming patch!