link to mechanics discussion from last year. http://aurora.pentarch.org/viewtopic.php?p=7376&highlight=#7376
I have added your points from last year's post to my reply. Please check out my post on proposed new fighter rules because I think they will probably include many of your suggestions.
http://aurora.pentarch.org/viewtopic.php?t=9981) Is there a way to issue conditional combat orders? I found how to tell the task group to try to standoff at X range in the TG screen. But nothing similiar to when you reach range XX fire Z weapon. It appears to be fire or hold fire, when fire execution being dependent on whether your within weapons and fire control range and have a sensor lock.
With the proposed fighter rules, you can give the same orders and conditional orders as you can for ships. I could add an open fire order to the fleet orders list that will function like any other order. The problem may be that if you have low initiative, you might move before your opponent and activate weapons then find he has moved out of range before you actually fire. Commanders with high initiative can help this but its not a sure thing. It doesn't matter with beam weapons because they won't fire if they are out of range. Missiles will fire though because they may be in flight for a minute or more and there is no way for the program to know your intent. You might be firing on a closing target or firing to keep an enemy away. The best way is to wait until after moves and then activate weapons. The F8 combat overview window has a button that will open fire with every weapon in a fleet with a single click.
In fighter construction I see that Sensors can be constructed into the fighter but appear to have no effect other than to take space. Actual function appears to be dependent on the carrier only. What have I missed?
As you noted in the original thread, fighter sensors are affected by thermal sensor technology. Under the proposed fighter rules, they would use the same sensors and same mechanics as every other ship.
3) Do fighters have the same ability to be issued a standoff range as the task group?
4) It appears that fighters cannot be pre-loaded for an initial sortie. The ability to seperate arming/fueling from luanch orders would be useful and probably already there, I just haven't figured it out yet. (ie I get a sensor contact and want to ready my strike group but not launch since it could be hours before I'm in fighter range)
5) Allow fighters the option to fire less than an alpha strike. (ie fighters are loaded with 4 missiles to be able to select to fire 1, 2,3, or all 4) This would allow for mixed loads on fighters.
Say you have a heavy fighter squadron of 10 fighters that each have 12 rails per fighter. Your engaging a flotilla of destroyers. An alpha strike from this squadron should be massive overkill for a single destroyer, dependent on the loadout of course. The ability to select less than an alpha would allow the option of engaging multiple targets (not in the same fire order) successively from a single loadout.
Or
You have a "multi-role" fighter that you load partially with longer ranged missiles for anti-shipping and partially with shorter ranged anti-fighter missiles. Yes, I've been able to engage fighter to fighter with missiles successfully.
All the above is possible with the new rules
Another idea I've had is for a second type of point defense that has conditional controls for fighter defense instead of missile defense.
That's a very good idea. I'll have to look at the mechanics but it would fit in well with the proposed rules for fighters
Steve
