Ship formations

or lack of

from Sins Forums

One thing that really bugs me about sins is the lack of formations for your fleet. With the new graphics update in rebellion, zooming in on your ships is pretty neat. However, zooming in on a fleet, seeing these well designed, shadowed, and gorgeous ships parked in complete disarray should be fixed.

Furthermore, I would like to see different formations for the individual fleets.

For example:

Heavy frigates and offensive capital ships in the center, with light frigates and other capitals on the flanks (Slightly forward of the center), with the long range and support frigates bringing up the rear.

How about a simple column (think being able to punch through a minefield in a line with your cannon fodder frigates taking the brunt of the damage)

maybe a defensive wall; offensive frigates and offensive capital ships in a wall (both horizontal and vertical)  in front of support frigates and capital ships

 

9,363 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Whole fleet composition isn't quite finished yet I suppose. Just look at where the titan will usually be positioned within a fleet... It's like titan on one side and fleet on the other...

Atm I fare better without assigning fleet mode at all most of the time.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

When fleeted, ships do actually organize themselves quite well.  Idk if it's by range, DPS, or what, but there is a consistent pattern to it.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Volt_Cruelerz, reply 2
When fleeted, ships do actually organize themselves quite well.  Idk if it's by range, DPS, or what, but there is a consistent pattern to it.
End of Volt_Cruelerz's quote

This maybe somewhat true however, all the ships tend to be facing random directions and or are constantly bumping each other.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

How about being able to arrange formation with preassigned buttons?

 

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

I don't know that you would want the long range frigates in the back if you are advent. you want those suckers close enough to use all 3 beam banks.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

The whole 'random facing' thing was a problem in the original Sins too and I hated it. You could line a fleet up on the edge of a gravity well ready to jump in, and let them do their thing. A while later, they're all positioned, you tell them to go, and then they sit there for two minutes while half the ships fly around in moronic circles and try to straight out... god help you if one of your capital ships had to do the moving, everything would go without it and it'd join the battle ten minutes later.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

I agree, the formations are great now but i hate having my titan parked way out to the side where its support ability can only be used on half my fleet, I don't know how hard it would be to program but i would like to see a full customization for formations where you can put certains types of ships where ever you want or atleast give us the option of making different formations and maybe putting the titan in the middle or having long range ships fly with a little distance behind everything

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

They really need to take a page from Homeworld 2, which had a great way of handling fleet formations. You could run your destroyers in front to soak up the first hits,  have your cap ships work like a spear and punch into the enemy fleet, or have them on the edges ready to flank. Carriers were also positioned intelligently enough that they were never really in much danger.

Since AI is a work-in-progress I really hope they have the time and money to visit this very important aspect that was always lacking from the original game.

Oh, and ships should always obey the facing orders. Enough with the 'jostling around' thing.