Starsector 0.98a is out! (03/27/25)
Hi
So I started playing Starsector again in prep for the new update (hype!) and I'm not sure if it's a mod or be not doing stuff right but the ships I deploy, officer or not, act dumb. They'll just fly straight forward and get swarmed or just hover around the same spot and watch me die while I'm spamming commands for them to back me up; the officers I'm using aren't aggressive either. I don't remember this happening when I played before. Most of my mods are utility minus two factions, ship weapon pack, and some colony ones. Is there something wrong or do I just need to learn how to use orders right haha
Cheers!
Yea if you are using the escort order then they're not going to do much aside from covering your rear. From what I understand though (and what I've observed anecdotally), the smaller frigates do have behavior where they will move in-front of you to shield tank some damage when they are on escort duty. Its actually behavior that is noticeable with a lot of enemy AI. If you ever see like a group of enemy ships moving together, the escorting frigates will move forward to absorb your hits if you've fluxed out the main cruiser they were escorting. Key distinction between frigates and destroyers and cruisers on escort duty is that a lot of the larger destroyer and higher ships just don't move or accelerate fast enough to get in front of you in-time to help you soak hits.
If you do want more effective escorts, I'd recommend bringing more fast moving but relatively nimble frigates like tempests and omens; they are more survivable (and more powerful for that matter) than your run-of-the-mill enforcer. Being smaller does mean they are harder to hit and being faster means they can successfully disengage to vent after shield tanking.
