Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment... |
Okay, so I'm playing versus the AI, and I set out to capture an enemy star system. I've got a lot of research and industrial muscle, so I go in with three carriers full of Medium Fighters. They've got Frigates, plus a smattering of light fighters and combat satellites, so I figure it'll be an easy fight.
Well, it isn't, but not because BM makes fighters less godly or beefs up the usual counter-strategies. It's not even because you need bombard weapons to finish off a planet, though that does set the timetable back somewhat.
No, it's because whenever I attack a planet, the fighters go straight for the planet itself, completely ignoring the satellites that are in orbit. It would be trivially easy to take two seconds and just blow the dinky little things out of the sky, but instead these rubes concentrate on slagging the planet while the satellites blow them up. Hey geniuses, the Resupply Depot and Research Labs on the planet aren't firing at you. If you'd get rid of the little buggers FIRST, you could smash the planet to bits at your leisure and NOT have a 50% attrition rate for the battle.
Idiots.
Look, if BM wants to nerf fighters, I have no problem, but this is the wrong way to do it. It's like you're playing rock-paper-scissors and your annoying prat of a brother throws out a half-clenched fist and calls it a sub-obrital meteor. How can I fix this? Trying to order the fighters manually causes weird glitches- they pile up into a huge, immobile column. I thought that setting the strategies to target Smallest first would clear things up, but it didn't. What am I doing wrong?
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
Yeah that seems the likely cause and isn't, AFAIK, a balance mod issue
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
A launch units when [condition] might also solve this problem and would be a great addition to the ship's strategies if Malfador implemented it.
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
Under Fighter Strategy I set Planet with Colony to "Do Not Engage" for damage amount. That seemed to work pretty well.
"Don't Panic"
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
This might work...
Change your carrier to NOT auto-launch fighters at the beginning of combat. Wait until the planet launches all the satellites and fighters it is going to ... THEN manually launch your fighters.
The defending units should all be launched, and the fighters might target them correctly.
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
Jozsf:
That only works in Hotseat and single-player games.
bellosthemighty:
I've actually experimented with this problem.
I have yet to find a good work-around.
Your best bet is to simply send in a warship with Point-Defence weapons. The PD weapons can only target units (a satellite is a unit, ships and planets are not) so while the ship's large guns blast the planet, it's PD kills the satellites.
____________________
LEGEND:
Stock : refers to Space Empires 4 or 5 as purchased, with no additional mods. Considered to "suck".
BM : short for "the Balance Mod" by Captain Kwok.
Un-named Mod, or Un-named's AI Mod : a replacement AI for stock.
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
Had a similar issue with the strategy for my planet capture task forces...
I designed a task force with troop transports as core and a few frigates loaded with PD weapons as escort... I set the strategy for "Capture Planet" and here's how it unfolded as I tested it with a planet with no orbital defenses in place:
The troop transports lock on to the planet and begin closing to drop troops upon it...
Because the LEADER of the TF is a troop transport and has designed a target for capture, the escort craft with no cargo IMMEDIATELY break formation and loiter at the edge of the map while the transports close with the planet and then die horrendously from volleys of missiles...
I've tried altering fleet/ship strategies to the point where "Break Formation" is set to NEVER for all versions and this STILL happens... when I set up a frickin formation I want ships to REMAIN in it unless they are blown up! Not decide to loiter at the edge of the map because they have no valid targets... there needs to be an "Escort" option under the strategy customizations that orders a ship to always remain in formation around the designated ship. If I manually move the escort craft to the planet ahead of the transports (since they are slightly faster) and park them their PD cannons obliterate the missiles while the transports close and drop troops then all break off and I get to attempt ground combat... the only fix I can find for this for strategic combat is to make sure my escort frigates waste space on a cargo bay to carry a few troops...
Another strategy option needs to be included to allow AI to continue firing at a planet/ship that is targeted for capture UNTIL it is either disabled or the actual capture begins (i.e. troop shuttles leave the vessel inbound on target)
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
Waste? Not really. -1 dropship +1 PD ship and spread the capacity of the dropship across the pd ships. 
But yeah, the fact that you need to is seriously annoying.
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
I designed a task force with troop transports as core and a few frigates loaded with PD weapons as escort... I set the strategy for "Capture Planet" and here's how it unfolded as I tested it with a planet with no orbital defenses in place:
The troop transports lock on to the planet and begin closing to drop troops upon it...
Because the LEADER of the TF is a troop transport and has designed a target for capture, the escort craft with no cargo IMMEDIATELY break formation and loiter at the edge of the map while the transports close with the planet and then die horrendously from volleys of missiles...
I've tried altering fleet/ship strategies to the point where "Break Formation" is set to NEVER for all versions and this STILL happens... when I set up a frickin formation I want ships to REMAIN in it unless they are blown up! Not decide to loiter at the edge of the map because they have no valid targets... there needs to be an "Escort" option under the strategy customizations that orders a ship to always remain in formation around the designated ship. If I manually move the escort craft to the planet ahead of the transports (since they are slightly faster) and park them their PD cannons obliterate the missiles while the transports close and drop troops then all break off and I get to attempt ground combat... the only fix I can find for this for strategic combat is to make sure my escort frigates waste space on a cargo bay to carry a few troops...
Another strategy option needs to be included to allow AI to continue firing at a planet/ship that is targeted for capture UNTIL it is either disabled or the actual capture begins (i.e. troop shuttles leave the vessel inbound on target)
I had the same thing happen to me. I had to end up redesigning that model to include 1 "real" gun so they wouldn't run out to the edge of the map like that.
"Don't Panic"
Re: Balance Mod- My pilots fail threat assessment...
I'm not entirely certain which strategy is being applied to fighters launched off a carrier, but try editing the strategy associated with your fighter design and place satellites higher in the target type list.
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