EAW - Fleet formation feedback

[DarthCycle]

Having (space ship) fleet formation would be an awesome feature.

 

Based on what we've seen in the videos, fleets do jump out of hyperspace in formation, but once the player select a group of units (with the typical area select with the mouse) and then gives orders, the group breaks apart, or so it seems.

 

SIMPLE SYSTEM:

 

When you assign a group number (the typical 1 to 0 on your keyboard) to a group of units, they will respect the following simple formation rules:

 

1) Big capital ship stay at the center of the formation: this is the inner ring

2) Smaller capital ship deploys around the bigger capital ships, at regular interval: this is the outer ring

3) All ships in the formation will move at the speed of the slowest unit in the group. This will ensure formation integrity

4) When a ship from the outer ring is destroyed/crippled, the rest of the ships in the outer ring redeploy accordingly in order to re-establish a regular interval between the ships in the outer ring.

5) When a group is given a target, the group moves closer to the target until the ships from the inner ring are at optimum range. All units from the group will then fire at the target, if they can. Units that cannot fire at the target, especially outer ring ships, will NOT break formation in order to be able to fire at the target.

 

This should be very simple to implement. You don't have to change anything to the UI. It's just a hard-coded (hopefully mod-able from a text file) setting as to how group of units move together.

 

ENHANCED SYSTEM:

 

To enhance this system I would then add (it adds a little complexity to the UI and the combat system)

 

1) Outer ring formation: ships in the outer ring deploy in various formation: sphere, wall, half-circle, circle, etc... Obviously, these different formation could offer various tactical advantages during combat, based on circumstances and tactics used by the opponent.

2) Define the inner ring range setting, 3 different settings : maximum range, optimum range, closest range. This setting defines how close to the target will the group move, based on the range capability of the ships in the inner ring.

3) Outer ring engagement rules: ships in the outer ring can be given alternate combat orders. For instance, always engage any target that comes within close range, regardless of the primary target of the group. However, never break formation to do so. This would simulate escort versus escort and main capital ship against main capital ship space battles.

 

I hope someone from the dev team will read this and inspire them

[Cain]

Great ideeas - just avoid to name them ideeas - say for example - EAW: Fleet Formations Feedback and be cristal clear with points 1,2,3,4 etc - then it may just work

 

If I have not said it yet - Welcome here

[Smikies]

I really like these.

 

maybe a fleet formation editor, so you can create our own fleet formations, would also be cool?

[DarthScharnhorst]

To tie into this topic, I think it would be great if the skill of the Admiral leading your fleet determined what formations you could put your ships into. That is of course if we will see admirals leading the fleet!

 

Take it one notion further and give the Admirals different traits which could open up new formation possibilities. For example, Admiral X prefers to engage the enemy at a distance thus he likes to employ the heavy use of fighters and bombers while keeping his ships away from the Enemy. A fleet led by Admiral X therefore gets the ability to go into a screen formation where the carriers are at the center of the Fleet. On the other hand, Admiral X's opponent Admiral Y likes to get his Capital Ships in close to use their main lasers so his fleet has the Special formation of a Battle Line or a Delta Wing and his fighters screen his capital ships.

 

Take it one step even further by having the AI employ different tactics based upon the Admiral leading the Fleet and its ship composition, this way it will be harder for battles to feel the same and grow stale. If the developers pull something like this off I won't be able to leave my PC for weeks!

[Joshinator]

These are some amazing ideas. With the spcific's u gave DarthScharnhorst, and the cool admiral idea, if it were implemented would make it a very tactical space stratagy indeed. Perhaps admirals would also give a bonus to all ships around like stronger shields and weapons, or faster reachage time on weapons due to great leadership

[Seewolf]

whats with Friendly Fire?

 

i remebered me on a mission from Xwing where you must scan some ships from a imperial fleet with a AWing.

After you have scaned a lot of them and you have looked at your Hud, you have seen that a lot of the Ships had taken Damage trough here Friendly Fire.

[Cain]

Some sort fo frendly fire should be enabled

 

 

BTW guys why you don't upload your selfs some avatars ?! It will be great to look at you true your avatar

[Foshjedi2004]

Avatars are fun.

 

Can we create special Formations?? That would be really fun. Hard Hitters at the front and Rear with the Weaker ships keeping the Midline Shields honest.

[Joshinator]

Maybe u'd get to create cool formations like that if u have an admiral present in the fleet.

 

btw, i don't know how to upload an avatar, i have one but it's too big. how can i get it from the web? can someone e-mail me instructions plz?

[Foshjedi2004]

Cut the Avatar down slightly until it is at the right size then change the format to a Gif file or something

[Zerogravity]

cain when you gonna let us use 130x130 sized avatars anyways?

[Ismael]

cain when you gonna let us use 130x130 sized avatars anyways?

 

Cain told me about this 1 week ago. And since all avatar must be 15 Kb size then the hight and wide has no importance _ I believe it is now 175 & 145 / Cain has post them somewere.

 

We could use his avatar as a size fit and paste ours over his when we build them / to fit the scale.

[Zerogravity]

i go into paint and stretch the pictire then check the attributes to see if right size.

[Seewolf]

mhh i had no luck. iam to big for the small ava place ^^

[Seewolf]

mhh i thin the idea is nice but for EAW its only good for anti fighter defense in the capital ships with some anti fihter ships.

 

You think to the formation of a ball like homeworld

from petro we know that the ships has on the sides more Firepower at in the front or in the back. we know that the battelfield are 2D bzw. 2 1/2 D

move in the x and the y coord 1/2 D for the Z (when ships fly about annohter) a real Z like in himeworld will we not have.

 

so it think the formations will looks like more an keil or two battel lines. first battel line antifighter and surpesse ships. Attack the first line of the enemy and fighters to take down the speed of the capital ships. Second line Capital ships with speed up to came into the flanks of the enemy ship to use their firepower if the sides.

 

annother thing. had someone seen on the vids that ships attack multiple targets? i dont remeber me exactly if there was this on the vids.

[Joshinator]

It's good that u mentioned that seewolf. I distintly remember an SD firing batteries in at least 2 different directions, in a couple different battles. Perhaps there are a couple settings for ships. ie concentrate all fire power (ship will move to get all batteries in range from port to starbord. or fire at will, guns will target the strongest targets it can find on all forward arc's (port, starbord, bow)

[Ghostly_Substance]

possabilty of vehicles fireing in multiple directions since every unit thats being attacked will gain damage so when you attack it its health will get lower. Yup.

[Foshjedi2004]

So A Star Destroyer can do sustainable battery fire in all directions instead of only on 1 target?? Or can you prioritise the Enemy into Primary Secondary and Tertiary targets??

[Joshinator]

Take a look at the E3 video again, all those batteries on the SD in a couple shots weren't just firing in 1 direction. Hopfully there will be a couple settings, with "prioity attack settings"