Fighters are tractor beams

[Q]

It seems to be a problem connected to the reload time of the main weapon:
I repeated the test with an attacking ship that has wave motion gun and PDC. The ship fired its WMG at range 8, but during reload of the WMG it attacked the fighters with the PDC at range 5. When the WMG was reloaded it moved again to range 8 and fired! Not very clever, but it obeyed the order of "maximum range" if you consider that during the WMG reload the PDC were its only weapons available.
But if you use an attacking ship with WMG, anti proton beam and PDC? The ship will keep a distance of 8 fire the WMG and anti proton beam but not use the PDC.

Therefore you have two options:
1.) As already suggested don't include PDC's in the design of the ships with high range weapons and maximum range strategy.
2) Include at least one weapon in the design with a reload time of 1 that has a high range.

[PvK]

Yes, I think Q is correct. I think the only reason a ship will close to PDC range rather than max weapon range, is if the longer-ranged weapons can't fire that turn (reloading).

I also suspect (not sure) the "don't fire on fighters" setting also will not prevent a ship from using its main weapons on fighters - I think it only prevents them from moving the ship to attack fighters. If fighters happen to come in range of main weapons, and the main weapons have no other targets that turn, I think they will fire at the fighters.

PvK

[LGM]

For Max Range strategy with the Talisman, a variety of ranges might be useful. Put a Missle III and a Missle V on with your Wave Motion Guns. Each weapon could come into range a different times, setting you up to reload out of phase. Then when you are reloading your WMGs, it will move back to Missle III range. If both the WMG and Missle III are reloading, it will pull back even further. Just in case the reload thing does not work right, put one APB on the ship to establish a Max Range of at least 8 all the time. Then your PDC ranges will never qualify as the max range weapon (unless you take damage).

I shall have to try this in a PBW game I am in.

[dumbluck]

LMG: the APB would overrule the longer range missles. It's max range of all available weapons, so your ship would always stay at range 8 for the APB.

[jim]

LGM -

Using Null space weapons does not seem to solve the basic problem. That is, the ship will NOT try to stay out of range while the Null Space reloads. Instead, the ship will remain in range (or even close) with its PDCs.

To others -

I have had erratic performance when using just APB s and PDCs and max range. Assume one puts the APBs first and they fire first. It seems that, if the ship begins at the "max range" and does not move before shooting, then it will shoot all the APBs, then CLOSE to engage fighters. That obviously defeats a Max range strategy. Assume one puts the PDCs first, this gets odd, also. I have seen cases where the ship will move to shoot the PDCs, then will fire APBs. Then, having moved, cannot move again after firing APBs.

I must be missing what the key pieces are, because I cannot always repeat the above.

[ August 03, 2002, 01:12: Message edited by: jim ]

[PvK]

Originally posted by dumbluck:
LMG: the APB would overrule the longer range missles. It's max range of all available weapons, so your ship would always stay at range 8 for the APB.

I don't think so. On turns when the missiles are loaded, it would move to the max missile range. While the missiles are reloading, it would move to max APB range.

PvK

[PvK]

Jim, part of it is affected by whether the strategy says to target seekers and fighters (and drones) or not (assuming there are any to target). If you set those to "no", I think you will not see the ships moving to use PDC's on those types. They will however still use the PDC's on seekers and fighters (and in the upcoming patch, on drones), if/when they move within range.

PvK

[tesco samoa]

perhaps a request for the next patch.... Max range is set to the range of the greatest weapon.. Ie. if you have 7, 5, 3 as weapon range... the ship range is 7. The secondary weapons are used as such... secondary weapons. As it should be... When the enemy gets past you big gun... the smaller ones come into play....

Another combat bug....

[Grandpa Kim]

Why have such fuzzy ranges? How about being able to select a range from 1 to 20?

[tesco samoa]

PDC's on drones.....

Ok so the current work around is to select not to target units or seekers then the max range will work... is this correct and has it been tested to work...