Ramming attacks

[oleg (OP)]

Need some help understanding what happened, I got 2 grav survey ships in a system and they encounter this ship:

23rd December 2083 01:40:16,Unknown,Sensor Data reveals that the alien ship class Shrike (Epsilon Eridani Aliens #1039) is capable of 1000 km/s

24th December 2083 15:10:16,Epsilon Eridani,New Thermal Contact!  Contact ID: Shrike 001, Class ID: Shrike, Race ID: Epsilon Eridani Aliens #1039, Strength 1200  Shields: 600 (Existing)  Active Sensor S336/R100 (Existing)

I set my ships to follow at 500 K to gather some intell via em and thermal and they both get rammed although they go 4722 km/s.

I expected them to keep their distance because of the speed gap but apparently not. Was I wrong in assuming this?

[Brian Neumann]

You need to set the gap to more than the speed of the ships you are following.  If they move at 1000km/s then 6000km is about the minimum.  Otherwise what happens is that you move to the set range, then they move and close on you.  Movement is not simultaneous, it is in order of your initiative.  Initiative is set on the task force screen (F12) and is limited by your ship commanders.  If none is assigned then it is limited to 100.

Hope this helps you
Brian

[oleg (OP)]

Okay, never used that before. Thanks for the lesson

[Jacob/Lee]

Is it possible for player ships to ram enemy ships like they do vice versa?

[Charlie Beeler]

Is it possible for player ships to ram enemy ships like they do vice versa?

No.  This is NPR specific only.

[symon]

(sigh).
I know Steve doesn't allow it for players yet for fear of allowing it to be too effective.
Still, my Organism would ram for sure when warranted. Everything is expendable in their eyes.

[Jacob/Lee]

No.  This is NPR specific only.

Damn, if only we could ram too.

[UnLimiTeD]

Someone put up a suggestion.
It's only fair. 
Well, mainly, it's good for the fluff.

[Thiosk]

I would build a ramming fleet and conquer the galaxy by simply headbutting the crap out of all the aliens.

[Jacob/Lee]

Yeah, you know when it's a bad day when some random precursor colony ship rams a geosurvey ship for 300 damage.

[ollobrains]

do point defense cannons seem to have any effect ?

[viperfan7]

along with the player ramming, I think it would be nice if we could use the exhaust of an engine as a weapon, higher the power to size ratio the more damage it does

[ollobrains]

along with the player ramming, I think it would be nice if we could use the exhaust of an engine as a weapon, higher the power to size ratio the more damage it does

should u be able to use it as a passive exhuast damage or a active light it with a match and watch the enemy burn( and perhaps side affect of area affect damage on youre own ships if they get to close)

[Thibaut]

I got a grav survey ship rammed for 4000 (FOUR THOUSAND !) damage yesterday !

400 is small fish

[Charlie Beeler]

along with the player ramming, I think it would be nice if we could use the exhaust of an engine as a weapon, higher the power to size ratio the more damage it does

Aurora engines do not produce exhaust/thrust, so this is a nonstarter.  Engines produce a field around the ship and all movement is inertialess.