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Nemo84 -> System Patrols and Sector Fleets (3/29/2010 10:17:04 AM)
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Hi, newcomer here with a couple of questions. I've been greatly enjoying the game over the weekend, still getting used to the mechanics and such. Now, one of the areas I'm most unclear about is the ship automation for my warships.
See, I've encountered some very strange behaviour from my escorts and frigates. For example, in one test game I had several colonies and mining stations in my home system, and a bunch of mining stations scattered across 3 neighbouring systems. All this was protected by about a dozen each of escorts and frigates, all automated. At one point, I got a message that a mining station in my home system was under attack by a pirate frigate. I zoom in, expecting to see my glorious navy obliterate that dastardly scoundrel. However, nothing happened and the pirate had plenty of time to take out my undefended station. Searching around for my warships, I noticed there was only a single escort in the entire home system, escorting a newly arrived freighter. However, one of the mining systems contained three frigates and an escort, to guard a single station and freighter. And that isn't the only time I've seen the automation AI group lots of ships in one system and leave another nearly unprotected.
Also, escorts keep jumping between systems when escorting civilian vessels, creating lots of downtime due to being in transit. Wouldn't it be far more efficient if they merely escorted ships as long as these were inside the system? So a freighter would arrive in system A, get assigned an escort from A which jumps to its position, and when jumping to system B the escort goes back to standby because B will also have escorts waiting.
So my question is, is there a way limit ship movement to a single system or sector? That way I can create automated "System Patrols", who are only worried with patrolling stations and ships in their single system instead of jumping at will across the galaxy, leaving some areas undefended for extended periods. And is it possible to create an automated "Sector Fleet" that will remain on standby to defend against enemy attacks inside their assigned sector, but will not go on the offensive against hostile systems? And if this functionality does not yet exist, could it be added to a future update, pretty please with a cherry on top?
And maybe another suggestion regarding automation. It would be great if there was an overview somewhere for every ship type that listed what automated ships will and won't do, with the priority for every action. And does assigning ships to fleets change their automation actions/priorities?
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