Best orders to give to protect stations

[Yzandor]

Hello, cant find the way to explain to my fighter pilots (stupid AI) to protect the station. Which command you guy use?
When i tell them to "protect" it they go so far of the station that they miss all the action. EDIT: ok ive find something where they arent so far anymore.

Another question: Can a AI fighter docked on a AI frigate intervene when pirates are around? cant see how to make it happen. So im asking myself, are those carrier/frigate have there place in the game? Ive seen one of my frigate take on a small pirate ship: after 2 minutes i had to SAVE my frigate!

[Playbahnosh]

Docked ships with the default behavior "defend" will automatically undock and engage the enemy if they come into range of their carrier vessel. Same thing for combat drones. You don't need to set anything.
If you dock a fighter to a larger ship and set it's default behavior to "dock at" and select the ship, it will essentially act as it's ship-launched fighter, automatically engaging targets, then docking back in when the fight is over.

As for the "protect" command for stations, the patrol area is quite large (you can see the bubble on the map). Ships set to protect stations will patrol inside that bubble and attack enemies if they come close. I haven't found a way to set the size of the bubble though, maybe it comes in a future patch or something.

[Arvel]

Docked ships with the default behavior "defend" will automatically undock and engage the enemy if they come into range of their carrier vessel. Same thing for combat drones. You don't need to set anything.
If you dock a fighter to a larger ship and set it's default behavior to "dock at" and select the ship, it will essentially act as it's ship-launched fighter, automatically engaging targets, then docking back in when the fight is over.

As for the "protect" command for stations, the patrol area is quite large (you can see the bubble on the map). Ships set to protect stations will patrol inside that bubble and attack enemies if they come close. I haven't found a way to set the size of the bubble though, maybe it comes in a future patch or something.

None of your solutions work for me as you describe:

A ship with the default behavior "defend ship" will not dock with it, they will fly around it and guard it. If ordered to dock they will not undock (even if the ship is attacked) unless you remove the dock order, at which point they will undock and fly around and guard it. They will not land again unless you specifically order them to.

If you set a fighter's default behavior to "dock at" a ship it will dock and stay docked whenever it doesn't have orders. It will not undock unless you order it to, and will not automatically engage targets. If you order it to attack one of several fighters attacking the ship it will undock, attack the specific fighter you ordered it to, and then land again despite other hostile ships being present.

I have yet to find a way to get fighters to behave similarly to defense drones - i.e. automatically taking off when there are enemies and then landing again when they are gone.

[Playbahnosh]

Don't know what to tell you man. I have my starting Elite docked in my Cerberus, and every time an enemy comes to range it undocks and goes after them, just like combat drones.
There are multiple dock commands though, like "dock" but also "dock and wait", and there are setting switches as well, like "stay docked" and "hold fire", play with these until you get the desired result.

[Yzandor]

Don't know what to tell you man. I have my starting Elite docked in my Cerberus, and every time an enemy comes to range it undocks and goes after them, just like combat drones.
There are multiple dock commands though, like "dock" but also "dock and wait", and there are setting switches as well, like "stay docked" and "hold fire", play with these until you get the desired result.

Ill try that, thx for the answer.

Even with the protect station with the bubble, my fighters go out of it. crazy! AI MUST be adjusted. By chance the pirate attacks arent an issue as of right now.

[roland6885]

Don't know what to tell you man. I have my starting Elite docked in my Cerberus, and every time an enemy comes to range it undocks and goes after them, just like combat drones.
There are multiple dock commands though, like "dock" but also "dock and wait", and there are setting switches as well, like "stay docked" and "hold fire", play with these until you get the desired result.

Maybe it’s dependent on a skill? What star ratings does your Elite pilot have?

[Arvel]

Don't know what to tell you man. I have my starting Elite docked in my Cerberus, and every time an enemy comes to range it undocks and goes after them, just like combat drones.
There are multiple dock commands though, like "dock" but also "dock and wait", and there are setting switches as well, like "stay docked" and "hold fire", play with these until you get the desired result.

I've experimented with different settings, many of them. Can you tell me exactly what settings and orders you're using? Both for the Cerberus, and the Elite? The more you can tell me, the more I can narrow down what the problem is in my game and whether I'm experiencing some kind of AI bug.

Thanks, in advance.

[Yzandor]

Don't know what to tell you man. I have my starting Elite docked in my Cerberus, and every time an enemy comes to range it undocks and goes after them, just like combat drones.
There are multiple dock commands though, like "dock" but also "dock and wait", and there are setting switches as well, like "stay docked" and "hold fire", play with these until you get the desired result.

I've experimented with different settings, many of them. Can you tell me exactly what settings and orders you're using? Both for the Cerberus, and the Elite? The more you can tell me, the more I can narrow down what the problem is in my game and whether I'm experiencing some kind of AI bug.

Thanks, in advance.

Same here, i just cant find the settings. Docked ship dont attack. Ive only found "protect", but with that, fighters cannot be on frigate and launch to attack.