The spread Info on the upcoming arrival
Published on October 26, 2007 By Pithlit In Beta Feedback
Currently the fleet takes its formation in the direction you have sent them.
As we have ships with vastly different ranges we want out LRM ships with weak hp and hull in the back.
The problem here is you can´t rotate a formation in a close space, as the game will always take the fleet center and the target point as measurement for the new direction the fleet will take.
Many other games (and they are right this way) let you decide which way your formation should be facing after they have arrived at their target location by holding down the right mouse button a little longer when issuing a move order.
That way usually a formation menu open where you can turn your units any way you like or even change formations on the fly.

This is especially critical when defending a gravwell entry point or something like that.
In the current situation you have to fly big circles often taking a few minutes until you get into the new position (as you have to get your fleet center away from the target spot to get an accurate position.

So PLEASE add the option to turn fleet formation on the spot in any direction you like!
Comments (Page 1)
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on Oct 26, 2007
There aren't any formations in the game yet... When the advanced fleet AI is implemented such actions as LRMs staying away from the enemy should be automatic. The grav well is too small for any real formations anyway.
on Oct 26, 2007
with formations i mean the "thing" that the units do when you currently group them.
on Oct 26, 2007
I know, and it is far from any formation or fleet behaviour. But I wouldn't worry too much - Ironclad is working on it.
on Oct 26, 2007
I think your misunderstanding him, he doesn't mean formation he means facing, IE position, gettting the ships to face the right direction is a hastle and requires stupid circling, a facing command would be a simple rotational icon at the ened of movement.

Would be greatly convenient.
on Oct 26, 2007
think so too, facing command would be nice.
on Oct 26, 2007
It's something we'd like to add, but it will depend on if we have time.
on Oct 26, 2007
couldn't stupid little things like that be put into the game after it comes out, like in patches?

(becouse I am SURE thier will be patches)
on Oct 26, 2007
couldn't stupid little things like that be put into the game after it comes out, like in patches?


Sure, and after its released they can start work on things like that
on Oct 26, 2007
Putting significant UI work off until a patch is always risky. Sure, Stardock makes patching very easy with SDC, but there are still plenty of people who will buy Sins at retail, and wonder why feature X isn't present out of the box. Many review sources (including magazines) make it a matter of policy to review games as released, not as patched.

I don't want to turn this thread into a debate on patch policies, so let me instead say that being able to choose unit facing at the end of a movement order seems like a pretty core UI feature to me. In fact, I'd prefer to have the ability to choose facing above the ability to execute 3D movement, another UI sore spot around here.
on Oct 26, 2007
Yeah, how many times have we all suffered from having our fleets facing the wrong direction at the end of the movement order? I would love to see that remedied.
on Oct 27, 2007
My point was that if your going to add a feature in a patch, developing it is going to have to wait until after the game is made.

Yes, this needs to be in release, because otherwise there is going to be lots of trouble
on Apr 27, 2012

out of curioustiy, i've wondered about Fleet positioning and formations.   Has anyone ever looked into how a mod could be built to provide say 5 different formations?

 

Marco

on Apr 28, 2012

Do you realize you are replying to a thread that has been dead for about 5 years? Better start a new topic next time...

on Apr 28, 2012

do you realize that after 5 years it is still perfectly relivant? which is kinda, a bad thing?

on Apr 28, 2012

Pbhead
do you realize that after 5 years it is still perfectly relivant? which is kinda, a bad thing?
I do but that was obviously not the point of my reply...

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