Fleet Tactics Guide
From Star Wars - Dark Horizon's MUSH
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[edit] Targeting Priority – Head shots or no head shots?
There are two basic strategies in your typical fleet battle when it comes to assigning targeting priorities and which one you use depends on your overall objectives for the battle. There is also a third strategy that will be used only in particular cases.
1.Head shots – Conventional video game wisdom tells us to go right for the head which is, in this case, represented by the enemy flagship and other manned ships. Once the enemy flagship has taken enough damage the opposing fleet will retreat to recharge, repair, and resupply. After all, Admirals are very protective of their own skins and a fleet is useless without a commander. This is useful if you are looking to force the enemy to retreat. It is a strategy that will win the day and is useful as a delaying tactic but it will not win wars.
2.Asset targeting – Headshots usually produce little more than a draw where some ammo is wasted and the flagships need only be repaired. Asset targeting is based on the fact that it is easier to repair existing ships than to purchase new ones. Therefore, this tactic is designed to actually destroy opposing ships. Instead of forcing a retreat by targeting the PC-crewed ships you are targeting empty and often less valuable ships. Because there is less danger to the opposing admirals the chances of them retreating is much less and the opposing fleet will take much more damage. They may still force your fleet to retreat by aiming for the head but if you killed three fighter squadrons and two escort ships and suffered a moderately damaged flagship then you are the one winning the war.
3.Strategic Targeting – This is more of a sub-category of asset targeting. In this case you target a particular ship or type of ship for a strategic purpose. If the enemy does not control a fighter-producing shipyard then you may want to target their fighters specifically. It may not win you the battle but it advances your position in the war.
[edit] Broken Squadrons
One of the features of DH space combat is the concept of “Broken Squadrons”--squadrons too massively damaged to represent any further threat. Conventional Internet game wisdom says that you should always focus on finishing a badly damaged unit. While this is generally true in the case of capital warships and in DH ground combat, there comes a time when targeting a damaged squadron is a waste of resources and damage potential. In other words: once a squadron is “broken” in fleet combat there is usually no reason to target it.
Squadrons in DH dont have a total amount of hitpoints that be can recharged or healed. They are groups of ships and nothing more. Each individual ship has to be replaced to bring a damaged squadron back up to full strength and it costs nothing to group fighters into squadrons.
Lets look at an example: In our hypothetical you have just decimated a squadron of TIE fighters with a barrage of missiles. There is only a single TIE fighter left in this squadron. There are other whole TIE squadrons and unfriendly capital ships in the battle.
This turn you have an available squadron of X-wings. They can fire four lasers or they can fire two torpedoes or two concussion missiles each. Why shouldn't you target the lonely TIE fighter with your X-wing squadron?
Because in your typical case the TIE would be destroyed by the first or second X-wing to fire its lasers. Ok, the TIE gets destroyed so what is the bad news? The bad news is that four to five X-wings end up doing nothing for the round. Their target is gone, no damage is assigned, and that much potential is wasted.
If you target a full squadron of 12 TIEs? You'd probably kill three of them with lasers and damage others. You'd kill even more if you used concussion missiles.
If you target the solo TIE then the enemy has to replace 12 ships. If you target the full group of TIEs the enemy has to replace 14 or more ships. There is no easy way to determine when many squadrons reach “broken squadron” status but an experienced admiral will be able to give a good guess. If you do an After Action Report this is something you should always look at.
[edit] Fleet Building
The Art of War and the Book of Five Rings agree on one thing--- most battles are won before they ever begin. Saladin, Patton, Scipio, Rommel, and other great generals have lived and believed that preparation is the key to victory.
Patton was once presented of a list of vehicles by a group of reporters and asked which would be best to help won the war. He skimmed the list, tossed it back to them and said “just send me some damn bulldozers. Once I'm able to move the tanks I have through the rubble I may want more.”
[edit] Flagship
A good Admiral needs a variety of ships for a variety of jobs. The first ship he needs is, obviously, the flagship. Since many players will be unable to resist the urge to always go for the headshots the flagship should focus on defense and speed. Weapons are not a deciding factor in picking a flagship. At most, weapons are a secondary consideration. No flagship you can pick will have more teeth than a bomber squadron.
The primary purpose of your flagship is to keep you alive. Since its already doing then why not use it to keep your fighter forces whole? Flagships will typically serve as a fleet's main carrier. Because of this docking is another stat that should be strongly considered when picking a flagship.
(The following list is by no means complete)
Tier 1 flagships:
MC90, Imperial Star Destroyer, Victory Star Destroyer, Defender Mothership, MC80 (on account of its durability),
Tier 2 flagships: Guardian Battleship (lacks speed and docking)
[edit] I have my flagship-- what next?
Here is where you have to strike a balance between economy and utility and that isnt easy. Most players will go straight for the biggest ship they can afford as the second ship in their fleet but this is typically a bad idea.
Ok, lets look at an example. To simplify this example we are not considering fighter squadrons as an option. If you are actually building a fleet you will want to keep your flagship stocked with fighters at all times.
Our Example: You have a little over 400,000 credits left to spend on your fleet and you have already purchased your flagship. With 400,000 credits you can purchase a single Imperial Star Destroyer or ten Assassin Strike Corvettes. Which is the better option?
In terms of raw numbers it would be the ten Assassins every time. They'd give you exactly twice the number of turbolasers, over five times the number of lasers, and a much greater number of torpedoes and missiles. On top of this the ten Corvettes would give you 100 hangar spaces for fighters.
But do you really want 10 Corvettes? That will take a heavy toll on any admiral's tactical ability. They are smaller ships so individually they dont require as much effort to control as that Imperial Star Destroyer but there are ten of them. ((Players cant see the exact numbers as far as your stat bonuses go but keep in mind that bigger ships drain it more than smaller ones but each ship in the fleet beyond the flagship does drain it))
So if economic efficiency is countered by the drain on your command abilities how do you build your fleet? The simple answer is to buy a variety of ships. You can trade in four Assassins for two Bayonet Light Cruisers. You lose some of the economic efficiency but make up for it in tactical (stat) efficiency.
Bayonets are also quite fast and quite a bit larger than corvettes. They are much more suited to blockades than the Assassins. Adding some versatility has already increased the usefulness of our hypothetical fleet.
[edit] Sample Fleet
Here is a sample fleet suitable for, say, a strong Outer Rim planet without access to much special equipment, and relying on one commander and one pilot (2 PCs). It would cost about one million credits to deploy this fleet. This fleet would be moderately well balanced in most situations, even though its fighter complement lacks the edge to defeat the very strongest fighter wings, and its capital ship component is not first-tier.
Flagship: Defender Mothership
- Rugged, fast, and with plenty of docking space, the Defender Mothership can absorb a lot of punishment and launch a lot of fighters.
Escort 1: Guardian Battleship
- Tough and heavily armed. Capable of providing withering fire against smaller ships and absorbing a lot of punishment.
Escort 2: Supernova Battlecruiser
- Almost as well-armed as the Guardian, but much more fragile. Useful to strengthen fleet firepower.
Escort 3: Nova Strike Cruiser
- Light and reasonably fast. Good for interception, blockade. Offers a respectable volume of fire, especially vs. fighters.
Escort 4: Nova Strike Cruiser
- Light and reasonably fast. Good for interception, blockade. Offers a respectable volume of fire, especially vs. fighters.
Wing Commander: Talon Type III (4x)
- Ideal for leading the second 'fleet' of fighters on account of high speed and durability--which makes for a safe wing commander. Very expensive, but worth it.
Squadron 1: Z-95 (6x)
- Very rugged dogfighter, reasonably fast, and extremely well-armed. Flexible, can attack capital ships, will do well against fighters and bombers.
Squadron 2: Z-95 (6x)
- Very rugged dogfighter, reasonably fast, and extremely well-armed. Flexible, can attack capital ships, will do well against fighters and bombers.
Squadron 3: Unaani Stinger (6x)
- Acceptable cheap bomber. For use against capital ships.
Squadron 4: Unaani Stinger (6x)
- Acceptable cheap bomber. For use against capital ships.
[edit] Ship Types: Planning for versatility
The purpose of a major military is not "fleet vs fleet" action. The purpose of a military is to defend or progress it's home country's interests with minimal loss. For this reason a good military planner will diversify his/her forces so that they can carry out the widest range of missions at the lowest cost. In other words, don’t look at a ship's raw firepower. Look at its potential utility.
Fighter Squadrons: Fighters and Bombers are the teeth of any fleet. They are well suited for killing major warships, other fighters, or both. Not only that but hyperspace equipped fighters make excellent scouts. Bombers make for excellent orbital artillery. It is no wonder that wars are won or lost by fighter forces.
Carriers: Protecting and transporting damaged and idle fighters is the purpose of a carrier. The effective use of a carrier can reduce losses and minimize the cost of warfare. They are also useful for various covert operations and convoy duty.
Battleships: Typically regarded as the kings of space by inexperienced officers. Battleships make excellent orbital artillery and are the preferred way to transport large quantities of soldiers to combat zones, where they are offloaded through use of dropships and transports. Additionally, they are quite useful for killing smaller vessels that are quite good at hurting your fighter wings. ((For what not to do with a battleship, read my notes on Frigates))
Cruisers: Though typically faster and more agile than a battleship the cruiser offers less firepower and defense. Cruisers are typically designed for more specialized roles such as anti-fighter, anti-capital ship work, pocket carriers, orbital artillery, or various combinations of those roles. Their superior speed makes them excellent blockade craft and enables them to fight frigates and corvettes effectively.
Frigates: Frigates typically fall into four categories: 1) Torpedo craft 2) Pocket carriers 3) Anti-fighter craft or 4) Ion craft. A modern frigate is normally well-armed for its size, fairly well defended, has a sizable hangar and is devilishly fast. Though frigates see less use than their larger brethren they tend to be the most versatile and possibly most cost effective ships available. They make excellent support ships for covert operations, larger fleets, and are respectable warships in their own right. You may laugh at those four Nebulon-A's from the bridge of your Victory Star Destroyer but you would be making a mistake. Those four Nebulon-As can disgorge as many as sixty Talon III fighter-bombers or ninety X-wings. The Nebulon-As and the fighters are also /much/ faster than your Victory Star Destroyer. This makes them the ship of choice to ambush inexperienced commanders. (This is also why you don’t charge in with a ship as expensive as a victory star destroyer-- it is simply idiotic)
Corvettes/Gunboats: Excellent anti-fighter craft. Excellent recon craft. They have high speed, decent firepower, and are the cheapest capital warships available.
