[Question] NPC use of destroyer main battery

[furirkeeper]

Hello
The Behemoth destroyer has a quite powerful main battery because of its range. But is there any way to order a ship to attack a station or ship using only its main battery, keeping the distance?
For me that feels like the main use of the destroyer, yet when I tell it to attack it just rolls up right next to the station I am attacking and gets killed.

I have seen NPC factions keep the distance when attacking a station, and I would like to do the same to make full use of its capabilities.

[burger1]

Try the teladi destroyer maybe? Can you mod the main battery for range and if so what are the effects?

[furirkeeper]

Try the teladi destroyer maybe? Can you mod the main battery for range and if so what are the effects?

I haven't tried any weapon upgrades yet, I will get there eventually. Should maybe try the Teladi one then.

Actually I have noticed two behaivors while attacking the same station.
When I order my Behemoth to attack the station:
- Either it will just race up to the station and engage with all turrets and die.
- Or one time it actually stopped and tried to use its main battery, however that was a quite sad sight since it had some sort of spasm as if it was trying to dodge something so most of the main gun shots missed.

I have no clue what I did differently as it was in the same attack (a reissue of the same attack order, since naturally I reloaded when it killed itself).

[graphicboy]

I've seen the "rush in and die" routine before. Every time since then using Behemoths, they either park far from the station and bombard it, or (from the map) circle the station and barely get touched.

Equip a Behemoth with nothing but plasmas and the main battery and see what happens. My guess is you've got some other weapon types equipped and their shorter ranges are drawing it in.

[furirkeeper]

I've seen the "rush in and die" routine before. Every time since then using Behemoths, they either park far from the station and bombard it, or (from the map) circle the station and barely get touched.

Equip a Behemoth with nothing but plasmas and the main battery and see what happens. My guess is you've got some other weapon types equipped and their shorter ranges are drawing it in.

I will try that, thanks

[Karmaticdamage]

Its best to make a specialized fleet just for smashing stations. Destroyers with all plasma turrets, preferably the Ody. The more the better. Its quite a site to see 30 - 50 destroyers tear a station down in a couple minutes. Note that empire stations are a lot easier to kill then xenon, don't even really need to defang an empire shipyard before hurling a blob at it. How they engage the stations might depend on their piloting skill. My destroyers that have survived and leveled no longer get in close and always snipe from range.