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[Revnge_SevnFOld]

I play starsector combat like a strategy game giving my units orders...al be it limited orders...that is the worst limiting mechanic I don't understand...hahaha anyways...

I have watched some of my level 7 pilots fight in combat and they are so much faster than I am, and they can maintain the perfect distance away from other ships to vent at the perfect time cause they know behind the scenes how long it would take the closest enemy to come into range with their 50 different weapons so they have x amount of seconds to vent and so fourth and calculating that millions of times a second with 50 small ships and fighters around them... HOW THE HELL am I suppose to be that "good" like I can definitely make better strategic decisions than them sometimes they are as dumb as a plank, like "lets split up so we can be picked off one by one...and watching that happen when you have no command points left just breaks me hahaha

Does anyone else play like this? I should probably pilot a slower capital ship that is more forgiving I don't know haha?

[Igncom1]

Yeah I never pilot either.

Fleet comp is my jam! 

[TaLaR]

AI makes more than enough mistakes for player to exploit. A fight between 2 equal ships is pretty much guaranteed easy win for an experienced player (unless ships in question eliminate player agency, like 2 soft flux Auroras that can't scratch each-other).

[Revnge_SevnFOld]

AI makes more than enough mistakes for player to exploit. A fight between 2 equal ships is pretty much guaranteed easy win for an experienced player (unless ships in question eliminate player agency, like 2 soft flux Auroras that can't scratch each-other).

That is true, but in battle its not just two equal ships, there are missiles and fighters and other elements/ships to consider.

Ship rotation/position, shield position, flux management and dissipation, then all of those components must be evaluated with respect to every single enemy element on screen or off screen on its way to you and that is just ship movement not even combat or attacking combined with am I even fast enough to reposition.

I know the game makes it easier as you can pause the game, but pacing every battle in that way will make things dragged out waaay too long for me. But its just my opinion

[DownTheDrain]

In my personal experience the player is a lot better at evaluating risk, which seems ironic considering all the metrics the AI has access to. There's also some odd habits that cause the AI to basically suicide itself, especially in station battles.
Then again you don't want an opponent that's too mechanically perfect.

I don't think I could bring myself to play this like an RTS, as I'm having more issues with units not following my orders than with fighting enemies myself, but if you're having fun then more power to you.

[SonnaBanana]

station battles.

https://twitter.com/amosolov/status/1400169370249277441
We will see some improvements on that front.

[FooF]

To each his/her own, but I would have abandoned this game years ago if I didn’t personally pilot a ship. That’s, like, the main reason I play it. It’s a top-down, arcade-style shooter from my childhood but dialed to 11 and with customizable load outs. Everything else is window-dressing.

There was a game many years ago that you equipped ships and sent them out. You couldn’t pilot but could order to some degree. Gratuitous Space Battles? Something like that. It was fun but not being able to control anything made me look for something else.

[Gameciel]

I like the mechanism for I'm able to operate a Hyperion flagship manually and operate it better than autopilot. Tho in auto mode it is still winning properly and Wolfpack skills are boosting fleet pretty good.

I mean, there wasn't, but in 0.95a a good range you can handle to choose between manual or autopilot. For small flagships, manual is usually making performance better due to simplicity. Before 0.95a, its simply just fights of behemoths. There's no strategies really involved.

If you look into modern carrier fleet structures in real world, you'll find out no fleet is buckets of BBs or capitals. A battlegroup contains 1 or 2 carriers and cruiser (flagship), several destroyers, a few frigates, and some submarines. It's being multifunctional and systematic. Rarely a capital ship is the flagship, it is functionally strong but slow in reactions.

As a result, I love the idea that game provides us a good reason to have a small-sized flagship as well being user-friendly to pilot. If you think large ships are too much to handle, then just try frigate or destroyer flagships .

[SCC]

To each his/her own, but I would have abandoned this game years ago if I didn’t personally pilot a ship. That’s, like, the main reason I play it. It’s a top-down, arcade-style shooter from my childhood but dialed to 11 and with customizable load outs. Everything else is window-dressing.

I wouldn't call Starsector combat "arcade", but at the same time, it's not very simulationist. It's not that important, though, since it's very fun. I likewise would have stopped playing Starsector a long time ago, if it wasn't for the combat (and loadout building, but I consider both to be two parts of one whole thing). Good enough to make a vanilla playthrough or two every update.

Does anyone else play like this? I should probably pilot a slower capital ship that is more forgiving I don't know haha?

Medusa or Fury should be fine for learning how to pilot, since if things get hairy, you can get to safety fast. Slow ships have to be bailed out or sort of never get into a bad situation in the first place.

[Thaago]

I like Hammerheads as learner ships (maybe because thats what I learned on !). Medium speed, not too twitchy, press F to drown the enemy in bullets.

[Yunru]

I rarely pilot a ship myself, unless it's missile heavy (because man is that AI bad there).

It's more enjoyable with big ass (and thus, slower) ships, but the way the ship rotates rather than the screen is a disconnect that my brain struggles with while passive, let alone in a firefight.

[ltyd0619]

I don't pilot either. Thankfully Alex gives us the autopilot button.

I always enjoy watch AI battles, maybe deep inside I am an AI myself?

[Igncom1]

I enjoy being an old British admiral, sipping wine and feasting a roast while the fleet moves under my pre-planned orders to dispatch those scallywags from the league.

As my screen lights up from the explosions of ships I can boast, "Jolly good show lads!"

[LennStar]

I also mostly don't pilot myself. In big battles where I need every ship I mostly place myself on the battlecruiser with the command point bonus mod. And then sometimes I press the turbo button to get it's firepower to the fight too, because that often doesn't happen when AI pilots (a stark contrast to that what was the name similar ship with 3 figther bays. The AI always rushes that into combat.)

[Jo Jo]

I've seen some players who pilot ships quite well and can definitely turn the tide with their contributions, though I prefer the top-down view and the strategic control over the battle. I was informed early on that commands we give our ships are more like "suggestions" because the ships will always defend themselves first, then follow commands. This makes the game a bit more interesting because I end up babysitting the ships a bit more.

I wouldn't play the game if I had to pilot my own ship, which is the opposite of what many players feel. Maybe I'll change my mind and give the helm a spin in the future.