How to stop carriers

In the strategies is a switch which says something like 'Launch Units in battle', turn that off (false) for the strategies you use - or create new strategies which have it turned off.

Strategies are in the Empire Options screen.

Another approach would be to limit the number of fighter bays to the number you want to launch at a time.

This has drawbacks, since more groups of fighters will be launched as time goes on. And a proper carrier may get a bonus or fixed number, since carriers can launch even when all bays are destroyed. This would work for a non-carrier with fighter bays however. I've used 2-bay units and they launch pairs. Of course they don't stop launching.

Or fighters which are not to be launched could be carried aboard freighters with no launch capacity.

EDIT OK I found it in the data folder in strategies.txt, sorry I was thinking in the game somewhere.

Can you tell me where to find this switch exactly please I have looked in everything connected to strategy I can find and cannot see this.

I am using a freighter as a carrier and want to drop fighters and troops on the planet, but when I go in to drop troops the ship keeps launching the fighters automatically so I cant drop them on the planet! I cant find any way to stop it.

The place your looking for isn't in the data folder it's in the game. You'll find it in the little crown icon (empire options). Under the options window Scroll down to the bottom, this is where "stratagies" is located. Now make a new one called carriers, and set the auto launch to "no".

Now when making a carrier you'll need to set this stratagie.

SEV, more than a feeling.

Aaaah ! OK thanks v much, now I see, wow that's a nice feature.