Fighter pilots and other fleet craft taking suicidal initiative

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I've been playin UC for about 2 weeks, and was wondering wondering if there was anything I could do to discourage my FC pilots and maybe even other CC's within the fleet into taking initiative and hyperjumping to enemy stations to attack them with 1 in 1000 odds of surviving the sortie. It seems that, after launching my FC's to defend my ship during a fight, once the threat is eliminated the FC's will automatically jump without giving me sufficient warning to order them back to base. I also notice that when other friendly ships move into a new area, they will agressively move to attack any enemy units, even starbases. Hence I am also loosing XP due to their suicidal tendencies.

[cdrhardboot]

ayup, they are a bit foolish arent they?

[Supreme Cmdr]

If you read the manual, you will notice a big difference between the ESCORT and DEFEND orders. There is also a HALT order.

NPCs using either of the two orders will do just that. And if they don't have an order, they will revert to the default SAD. Guess what that does.

As a commander, it is your responsibility to keep an eye on your forces. Thats what Tacops is for.

As for the friendlies jumping in, each one has a goal and there is nothing that you can do about it. Except leave before they get killed on your watch.

If you don't want the responsibility, don't play the commander career. Either that or ignore the negative EPs.

[cdrhardboot]

On page 19 or did i miss something? Im seriously trying! eh, doesnt matter, me thinks i should go play and stop hitting tab-esc-f1. =)

[cdrhardboot]

I think i figured it out. There is a difference between Escort and Defend. But its not described in the manual, and the game misleads you also. Whenever i was telling my fighters to defend me i was hitting tab-esc-f1 for escortdefend me, which sets them to escort. Or i was bringing up the command menu-fighters-orders-defend command craft, which also puts them on escort. But if you click command-fighters-orders-defend-priority-yourship they go into defend mode and dont run off! I can wupp booty now!

--edit--

Argh! It wont work for the other cruisers, carriers, etc. It also seems once the fighters do get a target(from an enemy attacking me) they go back to being insane.

[ 06-12-2004, 04:48 AM: Message edited by: cdrhardboot ]

[Supreme Cmdr]

Rubbish. How surprising.

1. Both defend/escort are on p19 of the manual
   
2. Using the TOM with escort/defend me, tells the NPC to use whichever of the two orders applies within its current profile and abilities. As if the fact that they are both in the same F1 order, wasn't a clue. Which brings me to....
   
3. Obviously, if you use defend as a direct order - from the orders menu, you don't leave the decision up to the NPC as to whether to use defend or escort.
   

[cdrhardboot]

Im realy trying to figure this out, but in the manual it simply says defend=defend and escort=escort. Thats not much to go on, could you give me any clarification on what each does?

And is there a way to keep a ship on an order, for example on Defend, even after an engagement has occured or do you need to give the orders again?

Also, opening the command menu, selecting the ship you wish to give orders, then selecting "defend command craft" puts them on Escort, not Defend.

-edit-

Also, when you said they do what fits thier profile, are you talking about the loadout you pick when you luanch them? ie- CAP,SEAD,SAD

[DennyMala]

Defend should be a more tight order than escort.... but sincerely I've experienced few or no difference in in-game behaviour from my fighters or fleet crafts....