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[Loopy Newby]

I’m just in general curious on how other players use and strategize with the tactical map in combat with its small list of versatile orders. I’m assuming you can pull off some really impressive wins with the right strategy and tactics even against a superior force but at the moment i am mainly only commanding my bigger ships like the Hammerhead and Sunder to focus down slow targets to prevent them from wandering off chasing a harrasing Hound or Phase Ship and commanding my Frigates to take out back line carriers like the Condor but otherwise i just let my frigates be and let the AI control them despite the fact i think commanding them would make frigates a lot more effective I just don’t know how exactly to command them very well besides designating targets to destroy.

Thank you for all the replies in advance.

[Undead]

For me there are a few critical points. First of all, you have to make a formation before the battle - through the use of move here/defend here and manual assigning. Like for example onslaughts in the middle, monitors of flanks, and a carrier behind. For each separate ship - separate point (works better that way). Also, in my experience using defend yields better results. Furthermore, do not hesitate to use your elimimate/engage commands once the battle starts and there are clear vurnerable targets in the viscinity, and issue other orders to better regroup your forces since your command channel is open. Rarely i use the escort command, usually putting a manual defend order to your frigate left/right of your forces works better in my experience, i saw plenty of times my monitors cleverly preventing enemy forces from outlanking and surrounding my main fist of onslaughts.

Of course there are other thing, but these came to mind immediately, hope it helps. Currently trying out 0 combat skills playthrough, with a nominal flagship to generate command points/distract enemy, havent reached redacted yet to see how this playstyle will be able to deal with them

[Vextor]

Full assault and then I just roam around in the chaos, or usually rush the backline and spawncamp the reinforcements, or bait the backline into turning their backs to my frontline.

If not full assault then I just order Control on all objectives, but I still prefer full assault. The reason for that is because I often see my ships that would outmatch the enemy are just holding back a lot and being extremely passive, such as pushing up the flux level of the enemy ship while at low flux and then retreating and letting them to vent. I'm like "what the hell did you do that for?", and this goes on repeat in some cases until I order full assault, after which my ships eat them alive.

If it's a phase fleet I'm facing then I exhaust their CR, chasing them around isn't worth the effort. Since I don't use SO, my ships with officers can almost always win by attrition if needed. And if they don't, the enemy fleet will be too exhausted for my clean up team by that time. If it's just a few phase ships, then I order 1 frigate for each to chase them and keep them busy, I really can't be bothered with destroying them, and it works really well. They often get chased off into the corners of the map, or back into the enemy frontline. If it's a harbinger then 2 frigates. If it's a Doom, I bring out my fast disco ball.

[Harmful Mechanic]

In a really big battle, I'll build chains of escort orders to form task groups centered on a single cruiser or destroyer. Depending on the ship, you can make whole subfleets; Astrals and Herons with a few destroyers and perhaps a cruiser for support can be fearsome, largely autonomous strike units on the battlefield.

As far as frigates go; in 0.95 I've taken to using SO Shrikes as frigate-leaders and forming frigate clouds of 3-4 centered on a single Shrike. Armed with Ion Pulsers and Sabot Pods, and with built-in Hardened Shields and Resistant Flux Conduits, the Shrike's goal is to drag the frigates with it into combat and provide some support. You send one of those out to take a point in the early phases of a battle, it's going to do all right.

[Wyvern]

By contrast, my usual interaction with the order system is... mostly not.  I tend towards using fast high-tech type ships that can pretty much take care of themselves; Tempest, Fury, Aurora, and various mod-added fast cruisers and battlecruisers.

I'll set some initial capture orders - generally aiming a Tempest or two at nearby points and whatever fast cruisers I've got at far ones so the frigates end up supporting them just based on where they are after they complete their node capture.

And then, for the most part, I leave things be. I'll give an occasional eliminate order - generally assigning one of my Tempests to go kill some enemy frigate that's trying to go after a node I hold (since I, unlike the AI, can see that coming well before the ships get there.)

And, of course, toggle on full assault at some point; when depends on what I'm fighting. For generic pirates, this can even just be 'at battle start' - if the enemy is just that much lower-quality on ship type, then I can just let things roll over them. Most real fights it needs to wait for clearing out some of the enemy weight of numbers, though.

[SonnaBanana]

1: Hull too low, get out!
2: What the *** are you scared of, it's only a single frigate! Go all out!
3: You're cruiser with multiple escorts and you're chasing frigates instead of helping out in a multiple-capital brawl? What's wrong with you? Get the *** over here and help out!
4: I need a fighter strike on these two targets.

[WeiTuLo]

I set up control groups. At the start of the battle, I send in big slow ships with fast frigates. The fast frigates capture points, the slow ships move to establish the front. I deploy the rest of the fleet after. When I see one of my ships out of position and anticipate danger, I order them back or to retreat. They follow it sometimes. When I see a Radiant out of position, I order the heavy hitters to all target it and charge in myself. They tend to die rather quick. Best when my frigates don't body block for them.

[Linnis]

Depends on the situation ofcourse.

I deploy 2-3 fast frigates and slowest ship first, using only 30% of the DP. Then after the first point is captured, I deploy the rest of the fleet. The reason is deploying this way means all of your ships aside from capture frigates will engage in battle around the same time. While the AI will also deploy in two stages to match your deployment but their ships will be a mess and not arrive in the fight all at once.

As for orders I usually tell my tanking ships to target something while damage based ships are left alone. As the tanking ships become high flux the enemy AI will try to dive on top of them to get the kill. At this moment I pause and order the damage dealing ships to target whatever end up becoming exposed on their side.

Overall this tactic works quite well.

Another whole different situation is when ECM is not a big problem, sometimes I will deploy one cruiser or destroyer alone and pull it back to the player spawn. The AI will deploy its Boss ships or half of its fleet to attack. When these ships are on the player spawn I deploy the whole fleet at once suddenly causing the Boss or ships to be almost immediately surrounded and beaten down.

[CrashToDesktop]

Typically I'll order my frigates to capture all the points on the map, then give an Eliminate order on any opposing, isolated frigates trying to take my points while the rest of my fleet proceed up the center. The enemy AI normally gives an Assault order to one of the points, once I figure out where the bulk of their fleet went I'll order my ships to move in. Depending on what ship I'm captaining, I'll either take a front-row seat in killing enemy ships (if I'm in a fast ship) or go backseat commander, set autopilot, and order my forces around from tactical map view and camera feed views to keep track of what's going on, taking manual control once I get into range and going back to autopilot once I'm not (if I'm in a slower ship). During all times I try to keep track of particularly stupid ships that try to get themselves killed nice and early (like that one damned Tempest), and react accordingly if things go belly up - Combat Chatter helps keep that micro down while I'm personally controlling my flagship.

If I'm heavily outnumbered, I'll restrict the number of points I try to take to a minimum (usually only half of them) and order my fleet to Assault / Defend a point, so we get a numbers advantage. Back in the day I used to prioritize doing this in a Nebula to slow down any enemy ships trying to break in, but since the update that removed nebula effects in battle, there's no such choice now other than retreat path and reinforcement route.

[SCC]

I mostly retreat my own ships when they take too much damage and when they run out of PPT. When fighting Remnants, I like to order elimination of overextended Radiants.

[Scorpixel]

-Rush control points
-Priority on enemy ships doing the same (the AI gives order too but stop ordering cap after some time)
-Maintain the line (rally/defend/assault), destroy anything that stands out
-Cycle charge the enemy to death

The enemy is only a threat when it's all over the place, keeping orders simple so that ships have the option to deviate when necessary is important, your AIs often cannot do exactly what you wish them to.
Always have some orders in reserve.

[Burvjradzite]

As usual, points. I order my two 4-harpoon-podded falcons(p) to escort singe officered astral full of sparks. When points are captured i remove that order from points that are too far and not worth protecting anymore. In that time usually enemy capitals reveal themselves and i put an avoid order if it's radiant or well equipped paragon, other just don't deserve attention from my side. Then usually my 15 officered frigates do the job while I go there and there to help them.

[nathanebht]

Hardly ever use Full Assault. Also much of what others have listed.

Rush control points with frigates by placing capture orders on them. Eliminate orders on individual enemies going for my control points.

Eliminate orders on individual enemies that are unsupported or have very weak support. Engage orders on tough enemies or enemies with a lot of support. Cancel my orders to cap control points or target individual enemies if that becomes a bad situation.

During a big, long battle, if hull or CR get low then I order that ship to retreat.