[REQ] Restrict units to operate within commanders area

[H34Dru5H]

This is one of the most frustrating problems with fleet operations. You move a carrier for example in command of a fleet to a defence position in hostile territory with a radius of say 25km and expect all members of that fleet to operate within that radius. But units within that fleet, especially interceptors, will fly off 40km+ to attack non threat or maybe a threat s/m targets hovering near some enemy station and get themselves killed. If I wanted them to go that distance I would of specified that distance for the position defence radius.

What is the point of being able to specify a range of operations when certain units, especially interceptors will fly off stupid distances and get themselves into trouble. What's more is they are nowhere nearby when the Red Baron and his cohorts suddenly spring a surprise attack because they are chasing Johny Rotten in his Power Distribution Unit.

I know I'm ranting, I would just like it if all subordinates would stay within the bounds of their commanders given operations range unless ordered otherwise. I know some units will stray a km or 2 before turning back, but the uncontrollable mass exodus of units from the operations area is becoming somewhat unbearable.

[enyophaze]

If you're protecting area, set their behavior mimic.

[GCU Grey Area]

Find it quite useful myself & would prefer this was not changed. It means my interceptors go into battle first, well ahead of my anti-capital bombers. Consequently enemy S/M ships will have already picked their targets so my bombers (which often have a terrible loadout for dogfighting) can sneak through to engage enemy capitals. If everything launched at once this would be considerably less effective. As for carrier-based S/M ships flying into turret range of enemy stations I avoid this issue by always keeping my carriers at least 50km away from enemy stations. During station sieges I place carriers behind the initial firing line of my destroyers, so interceptors will attack station defence drones if they engage my destroyers but will only launch after those drones are well outside station turret range.

[Raptor34]

Last I asked my idea of having a Sapporo moving along a patrol route with intercept wings would not work because they would just call them back when they go too far. Or something.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the details?

[jlehtone]

There are two questions:
* What does a ship target?
* When does it give up chase (if target runs away)?

A ship on Defend Position with 25 km range will target a foe (of any type) that enters/is in that area.
Subordinate of that ship on Attack role will target same foe as the leader.
Subordinate of that ship on Intercept role will target small/medium foe that enters/is within scanner range from the leader.
Subordinate of that ship on Bombard role will target large/XL foe that enters/is within scanner range from the leader.
A subordinate on Position Defense role will target a foe (of any type) that enters/is within 20 km of the defended position (or targeted by another Position Defense group at another position -- this is opt-out).

Therefore, the Attack role would make your fighter target "within commander's area".

---

If you do give an explicit "kill that target", then the ship will continue to chase until one of them is dead.
Targets selected by Defend Position, Intercept, Bombard, and Position Defense are chased only some time after they leave the "protected" area.

When a ship is attacked, it will interrupt/pause its current activity and optionally attack the new foe. These interruptions can keep your ship away from its commander.

It means my interceptors go into battle first, well ahead of my anti-capital bombers.

If Intercept and Bombard do pick targets from same distance, how the former "goes first"?

[EDIT] Fixed quote.

[Raptor34]

It means my interceptors go into battle first, well ahead of my anti-capital bombers.

If Intercept and Bombard do pick targets from same distance, how the former "goes first"?

Wrong person.
Also it depends on what kind of ships you are using. Excepting Split Chimeras, most anti-cap fighters are generally slower than your anti-fighter fighters.
Like I use Takobas for Intercept and Gladii for Bombard. So it's fairly obvious which one would reach the targets first.
Split Mamba/Chimera combos might be different though.

[jlehtone]

Wrong person.

True. Fixed. I have no idea how that did happen.

[LameFox]

Setting a distance (maybe as a % of sensors?) for intercept/bombard might not be awful but I don't think I'd want them bound to the leader's protect position radius. Just park your carrier, it doesn't need to move around to protect such a tiny radius anyway, it's not going to be running down foes itself.

[Raptor34]

Setting a distance (maybe as a % of sensors?) for intercept/bombard might not be awful but I don't think I'd want them bound to the leader's protect position radius. Just park your carrier, it doesn't need to move around to protect such a tiny radius anyway, it's not going to be running down foes itself.

But afaik if you do that and the carrier doesn't do anything. Then you'll not trigger auto ship replacement because I think that triggers on order changes.

[LameFox]

Setting a distance (maybe as a % of sensors?) for intercept/bombard might not be awful but I don't think I'd want them bound to the leader's protect position radius. Just park your carrier, it doesn't need to move around to protect such a tiny radius anyway, it's not going to be running down foes itself.

But afaik if you do that and the carrier doesn't do anything. Then you'll not trigger auto ship replacement because I think that triggers on order changes.

That's weird of it, but, you could always do what my gate camp carriers do now that cargo drones work: repeat order to pick up drops. It shuffles around slightly in one place but doesn't really go anywhere.