Minesweepers in tactical combat

Actually your question is related to a similar issue I asked about in another thread.

It seems that all mines laid in tactical combat end up in the same mine group no matter which ship laid them. Also, they do not appear on the tactical display(perhaps a design feature or a bug). I have no idea how to lay a dispersed mine field in tactical combat or even if this is possible at this time.

OK..... Once I removed that entry in the VehicleUnitTypes.txt file everything became clear(or least more clear). I had assumed that the mines were simply laid in one clump. Of course without any visual reference to go by one would assume that to be the case. In fact they are ejected along the current flight path of the vessel in lots of 3(at least that is what it seems). Now, how minesweepers work in this environment is still under investigation.

At least now I have now a better understanding of how to best employ my mine layers in combat.

It is better to set the 'launch units in combat' option to false otherwise your minelayers will begin laying mines immediately which could be far away from where they are needed. Leaving this option in its default setting of 'true'is fine for drones because they can move into combat while mines are stationary.

Thanks to Brad for pointing out that data file tweak.

You don't need minesweepers in tactical combat because mines don't detonate in tactical combat. They ONLY go off if a ship enters the hex they are in during a strategic move..

I've had ships explode in combat when chasing a minesweeper so I'd actually say they do detonate in tactical combat but only if you drive exactly over them.

They sure as hell go boom. And if it so happens that it is your ships that drive over one they will rip you to shreds. Ever seen what a small mine will do to a destroyer? No?? Try inserting a live hand grenade between your cheeks(any cheeks)and count to 3. The results will be quite enlightening.