Fighter Attack patterns?

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 9:34 pm

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to be able to control how the fighters formulate their attack patterns. Not really where they fly, but more or less where do they cluster together and where do they split formation. Because I was thinking that it would be a good idea.

This is how I thought it out. You would have a special pannel on the fighter carriers which would specify the attack pattern for the next set of fighters to launch. One their launched their pattern is permanently set. Though personally I'd like these basic patterns to be formulated.

Defensive Pattern Beta:
The fighters will stay grouped together in a V formation constantly through flight. The fighters will attack together and maintain formation.

Offensive Pattern Alpha:
This is where the fighters would basically be swarming their targets and after giving some shots, break formation and put some distance between them and the enemy until their weapons are ready for another volley.

Mixed Pattern Omega:
This is more effective with slow or stationary targets. Because first they fly together giving a volley of shots all together, then they split and begin circling the target firing at will. Then they rejoin formation to give another volley all togehter thereby repeating the process.

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What do you guys think?

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 9:41 pm

ugh, you don't know howmany times scripted 3d flight paths have been suggested   *facepalm*

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 9:46 pm

I don't know if separate flight patterns for fighters are possible in A2.

I would love to see a ship formation though which allows artillery vessels to stay on artillery range instead of closing in and get fried.

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 9:50 pm

that existed in vanilla a2, it was the assault wall, it put artillery at the back, general spam at the front and frigates which enhanced ur fleet in the middle. but it was removed from fleet ops, as was the up and down ability. i think thats why that particular formation was removed cos it required largely varying height.

other formations may have done the artillery at back thing i'm not sure. i mainly used the wall cos it brought all your guns to bear at once.

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 10:40 pm

I think the Assault Wall was the only one that put Artillery at the back... and I don't remember my ships moving to different heights using it (unless I'm remembering wrong).

posted on January 3rd, 2010, 10:43 pm

i think you are remembering incorrectly 

the wall placed them vertically so that they all came into range at roughly the same time. so all your fleet fired at once, doing a lot of damage quickly. it was literally like the wall from farpoint. it was the best formation for attacking stuff.

the X formation was good for defending a large area. i used that one somtimes.

posted on January 4th, 2010, 1:49 am

I don't know if separate flight patterns for fighters are possible in A2.

I would love to see a ship formation though which allows artillery vessels to stay on artillery range instead of closing in and get fried.

Super Secret Tip: Setting aritllery units to "low" movement autonomy and ordering them to attack forces them to engage at maximum range.

posted on January 4th, 2010, 3:06 am

Super Secret Tip: Setting aritllery units to "low" movement autonomy and ordering them to attack forces them to engage at maximum range.

That only works (semi) effectively if you have only a few ships, or a bunch not in formation (selected individually) as otherwise they will close so that the last vessels in the formation are in range... and the ones in front of them are waaay closer than arty range  .

posted on January 6th, 2010, 8:38 pm

Super Secret Tip: Setting aritllery units to "low" movement autonomy and ordering them to attack forces them to engage at maximum range.

Super Secret Tip deluxe: Doesn't work in groups and when the artillery ranged weapon is a special (as t is with the Intrepid).

Artillery units often have a Line of Sight which is less than artillery. Heck the Dominion bomber and Intrepid could be real threats or used to lure enemy units away from groups if only they stayed at that long range.

posted on January 6th, 2010, 10:11 pm

That's why scouts are useful throughout the game afterall

posted on January 7th, 2010, 1:00 pm

we should just give the venture the modified tricobalts from the veteran steamy and be done with it. 

[Anonymous]

posted on January 7th, 2010, 1:21 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on January 7th, 2010, 1:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Could one change the damagetype of fighters according to their "attack pattern"?
Instead of launching fighters generally one could launch fighters with "swarming patterns" (doing pulse damage) or coordinated attack (doing beam damage as they would all hit the same spot in quick succession metaphorically speaking). The animation could be changed later ...

Another cool idea as a vet ability for the carrier would be that there is a slight chance, when using coordinated attack to disable a subsystem ... just a thought

posted on January 7th, 2010, 2:04 pm

we should just give the venture the modified tricobalts from the veteran steamy and be done with it. 

Now thats a ship i want venture with a triloader. Also does that special remind anyone else of Pirates of the Caribbean

posted on January 7th, 2010, 2:17 pm

I like this suggestion, Buuut, I think it may make fightercarriers that much harder to micro.  They are a pain as it is with two fighter types.

I have made my suggestions for fighters on other threads, so I wont go into them again here.

posted on January 7th, 2010, 2:38 pm

Now thats a ship i want venture with a triloader. Also does that special remind anyone else of Pirates of the Caribbean

i didnt mean the triloader, i meant the modified tricobalts from the veteran steamrunner only, the ones that bypass shields. we can give it triloader too we can also give it six launchers like the dom dread.