2 Hammerhead variants, long ranged (LR) and short ranged (SR). Both are very straightforward, no missiles or any difficult tactics requirements. They just need to maintain correct range to win.
As long as range is above Needler range of 800*1.2 LR ship wins, under Railgun range of 700*1.2(-extra for weapon placement on ship) SR ship wins. In between is somewhat unstable and depends on armor/hull/flux state, but overall SR ship somewhat wins at this range.
Both have same speed, meaning that as long as LR ship is serious about maintaining range and SR ship doesn't try to sacrifice armor for zero flux boost (AI doesn't do this), closing the distance is near impossible. Which is exactly how this plays with LR ship under player control - one-sided win for LR ship.
Getting win is also easy with player-piloted SR ship, LR ship just let's you close distance and loses after few offensive vents.
Under AI control LR ship keep committing mistakes until it dies.
- It doesn't seem to take inertia into account during approach. So while it starts trying to backpedal once in combat range, that's too late. It needs to enter combat range at near 0 relative speed.
=> which leads to ships closing at least into Needler range and at worst straight into Railguns, and both ships getting to high flux.
- LR ship allows the other side to get away when both are at high flux, but only CR ship is actually threatened (due to range). LR ship can recover flux by combination of passive dissipation, intermittent hold fire and shield-flicker (against mauler), without giving opponent opportunities to vent.
SR ships has it's own problems too:
- It doesn't try to close distance hard enough. It often is happy with Needler range, despite Railgun range being so much more advantageous (since it accumulates some flux in process of closing range).
- SR ship allows to break contact after reaching Railgun range. Unless SR ship has already lost too much armor/hull and/or has much higher current flux than LR ship, it can armor tank/offensive vent to victory.
Overall "low flux = let's approach, high flux = let's retreat and vent" is very flawed logic. Ships need to be aware in which range-bands they can win against an opponent and do their best to maintain/close the distance (taking inertia into account).
- It's ok to to not use vent opportunity and keep firing instead (when you have range and speed advantage).
- It's also ok to offensive vent/armor tank in close range if closing the distance again would cost you more and you have massive advantage in close combat.
- There is no need to close distance against enemy that is slower (system effects included) and has short range firepower advantage. This just plays into their hand.
- Situation where ship A wins against ship B at medium range, but (slowly) loses at long range and (quickly) loses at short range is also possible.
- AI should probably consider armor-tanking zero flux boost as valid way to close the distance. Which can be countered by hold fire + back off (if there are allies to retreat to).