There is a lot of outdated and/or partially incorrect information nigh Fleets floating around. This guide is based on rigorous testing and up–to-date equally of 2021.

Introduction

The following information has all been obtained by constructing the relevant scenarios in the game editor and testing behavior.

Fleet Behavior

  • Fleet Postures only applies to enemies that you lot're at war with, not to pirates
  • Fleets conduct co-ordinate to posture fifty-fifty if they are not automated. However, this is buggy for attack posture where the fleet can get stuck once the posture target is destroyed. This bug tin can be avoided by automating attack fleets. Nonetheless…
  • For automated fleets, the AI volition choice posture attack targets and home bases (even if fleet formation automation is disabled). However, home base changes seem to happen only very rarely and not in any sensible fashion, and so mayhap this is actually a bug and the home base of operations is intended to stay unchanged.
  • Fleet posture range changes for defence fleets by the AI practice not seem to happen – but it'due south hard to provide a negative…
  • Fleet posture (defend/attack) is inverse by AI only if armada formation automation is enabled (and only for fleets that are automated)
  • Engagement stance is dissimilar from fleet posture. Engagement stance is controlled at the lower right corner of the unit status window and controls which targets are attacked by a ships. The default date stance when giving an guild (attack / patrol / escort / terminate) can be set nether "Empire Options").
  • Engagement stance applies to enemy units in the same system as the fleet (not necessary the home base). Fleet posture applies to targets outside of the organization and acts on a slower timescale. When the fleet responds to something, the Engagement Stance of the fleet changes to "Engage detected targets". This means that:
  • If engagement stance is "but when attacked", then the fleet will non protect targets in its electric current system – fifty-fifty if these targets are under direct attack.
  • If there are enemy units outside of the current system, the fleet will attack them according to its posture range – no matter the engagement stance. Notwithstanding, once the fleet reaches the system, the engagement stance will apply.
  • Therefore, the Appointment stance of a fleet should generally exist "Organization targets".
  • Attacking fleets can get separated if parts of the armada get after escaping enemy ships. Automating the fleet ensures that information technology will reassemble subsequently.
  • An automatic armada generally returns to its home system on its own.
  • If a ship is part of a fleet, it by and large stays with the armada. If fleet is automatic, manual commands to a ship are cancelled immediately. If fleet is not automated, you can generally give a manual order and the transport will return to its fleet when information technology has executed the order. Just obviously, if y'all give an order to the fleet earlier that, this will take precedence right away.
  • The difference betwixt ordering a fleet to attack a target straight and giving it in assail posture with the same target is that with an attack posture, the fleet will *afterwards* attack other targets near the original one (co-ordinate to its posture range).
  • The difference betwixt the "Attack" and "Set and Set on" order (which you lot can give to fleets) is that for the latter order the fleet will first spend some time waiting until near of its ships are in the same place earlier jumping to attack.

Mutual Issues

  • If a fleet seemingly does non do anything at all, then it may exist because targets are out of its attain (eg if a unmarried send in the fleet only has very little fuel left).
  • If the engagement stance of ships in a fleet is constantly overwritten, so this is probably because the armada gives the ships implicit orders, which every time re-employ the default engagement stance. The way to avoid this is to set the default engagement opinion to "No Default Opinion / No Change" for "Attack" and "Other".
  • Distant Worlds Universe