Strategic Combat Tactics

[Taqwus]

Another misfeature is that the tactical AI does not understand space control.

This is particularly notable when you have a vessel that is either the same speed or just barely faster than an unarmed victim. The victim will run... but to exploit the victim's behavior, you generally should NOT chase *directly* at it early on.

For instance, suppose you are both on the same horizontal row. The victim will rush towards an edge and then start dodging vertically. However, if you move one row vertically (in the direction of more space) and then chase in the same horizontal direction with the rest of your MPs, the victim will run away from you, *diagonally* towards a corner. Because the grid system is bounded, and uses squares, you should then be able to reach a position where you are 2-4 squares away, firing, and the victim will not try to break away. The AI is poor for the victim in this case (it should try to either break away or ram the attacker), and nonexistent at exploiting this (it'll often try to follow too closely and end up never even shooting at what should be a free kill).

Also, suppose your vessel is going in a one-on-one with a single enemy. Your ship has movement rate M1 and effective weapon range R1 (effective meaning likely enough to hit and cause damage); your enemy, M2 and R2.

If weapons are equal or nearly so, then who gets first hit may be crucial (particularly with the nastier toys like armor/shield-piercing Time weapons, engine-destroying foo, massive WMGs...). This means that if you are fairly close and R1 ~ R2, it may be in your interest to stop advancing at exactly (M2+R2+1) squares away. The enemy vessel will generally close to (R2+1) squares, too far away to hurt you -- and then you can advance, fire, and retreat.
If you have far larger bigger guns, then the enemy vessel should not only be worried about where you can shoot, but also where you can move and *then* shoot from.

This is particularly nasty if you have advanced propulsion or another source of speed advantage. However, it is NOT done by the AI, at all.

I had an LC, using only a CSM-V launcher and a couple of Time beams, defeat a fleet of 7 CSM-V LCs without taking a single point of damage (The crew survived to the end of the game, with +50% from experience...) In strategic mode, it probably would have been chewed up, running directly away from enemies and towards the borders only to be blocked by sheer numbers...


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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[General Hawkwing]

Tarqus,
I wasn't going to share the stop short trick, but you're right it works like a charm. This is really true if you have any early game escort vs escort or frigate vs frigate battles.

[Psitticine]

I wish MM would add the ability to put units on "overwatch". It'd help balance space station immobility as well as making some more realistic tactics possible.

[Jubala]

Overwatch? As in escort/protect? That would be helpful if you mean what I think you mean. What do you mean?

[Psitticine]

As in opportunity fire. If a unit didn't move or fire during your turn, you could set it to wait and it'd open up at the first valid target that moves inside its range.

[Lerchey]

The opportunity fire option would be interesting. The code exists... it's what the Point Defense Cannons do now. Making it a strategy option could make things interesting. And it would certainly make defenses more effective. For one thing, it would decrease the effectiveness of "jump in, fire, jump out" in tactical combat.

Neat thought.

John

[Jubala]

Making combat work like simultaneoues turns would be better methinks. Both sides gives movement and firing orders at the same time but nothing happens until you hit end turn. That way you can't fire away at a single ship until it dies and then switch target but you have to try and anticipate the enemys moves and decide if you want to massively overkill a few targets or spread your fire and try to cripple several targets. Would be way more fun imo. And it wouldn't be so important to get in the first shot as everybody shots at the same time. The scoot in shoot scoot out tactic wouldn't work either.

[This message has been edited by Jubala (edited 21 October 2000).]