Strike craft actually work

[deerhunter]

For those who don't know, strike craft (including corvettes) are not meant to sit still in a formation and slug it out. They are meant to fly circles around the enemy and make strafing runs or do dogfights.
Formations are meant for capital ships and frigates.
So stop whining that it doesnt work. They are meant to move. Thought that was obvious.

[Cheh3x]

I think you haven't played the classic version to understand how formations really work. They STILL MOVE AROUND but in FORMATION and not sit still or fly around like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Go play the classic HM1 and you'll see what I mean

[BrowneHawk]

I played classic. I remember fighters in formation getting blown apart. I like how they scatter and start dog fighting its more realistic. Everyone wants the fighters to march in line like its 17th centuary warfare. Early in game, like 3rd or 4th mission fighting the remains of the taiidan fleet. Had a large brawl rushing the carrier. HAd 70 interceptors dog fighting away. If they were flyng around in formation they would of been slaughtered.

[Llamedos]

generally i agree the game is enjoyable but seriously! you refered to space fighters and realistic in the same paragraph without a not.

are you mad??!?!?!?

[RSS| Bloogonis]

they are meant to move in formation. stike craft are like fighter jets except in HW2 they are locked in delta formation* in groups of 3-5 in HW 1 you had the use of the other formations to better take advantage of the ships abilities.

For corvets, their high damage output and armor for the class made excelent use of deffencive formations like WALL and SPHERE creating a great deffence against fighters and lighter corvets. CLAW and X formation where great for straifing fighter craft because it provided a more concentrated amount of fire on the target.

This of course was best illistrated in the HW engine since ships actualy shot at eachother and didnt just run a hit/miss calculation so the formations breaking to avoid fire(evasive mode) or holding together to keep the fire on the target(agressive mode)** actualy meant something. Even now it would be a usefull tool if they didn't break formation in agressive as you can use formations to keep an enemy in the strike crafts target envelope. but right now they seem to only function as if locked on evasive mode making them fly all over the place around a general target area choosing targets at will.

*a formation designed to minimize atmospheric interference during flight.
**in HW2 command states are not flight control, instead being engagement order.

[Diomedes]

Originally posted by RSS| Bloogonis:

they are meant to move in formation. stike craft are like fighter jets except in HW2 they are locked in delta formation* in groups of 3-5 in HW 1 you had the use of the other formations to better take advantage of the ships abilities.

For corvets, their high damage output and armor for the class made excelent use of deffencive formations like WALL and SPHERE creating a great deffence against fighters and lighter corvets. CLAW and X formation where great for straifing fighter craft because it provided a more concentrated amount of fire on the target.

This of course was best illistrated in the HW engine since ships actualy shot at eachother and didnt just run a hit/miss calculation so the formations breaking to avoid fire(evasive mode) or holding together to keep the fire on the target(agressive mode)** actualy meant something. Even now it would be a usefull tool if they didn't break formation in agressive as you can use formations to keep an enemy in the strike crafts target envelope. but right now they seem to only function as if locked on evasive mode making them fly all over the place around a general target area choosing targets at will.

*a formation designed to minimize atmospheric interference during flight.
**in HW2 command states are not flight control, instead being engagement order.

Corvettes are especially bad now.. They use to strafe side ways always facing front.. They now dog fight like slow ass fighters are circle targets trying to broad side them with front facing turrets.. It also has completely broken the heal mechanics.. They not only nerfed the range of healing corvettes but now they have to chase down lone corvettes to heal them.. When in the original game they just flew behind the formation, protected from fire and able to reach all of them quickly and efficiently.. When ever I see complaints like this, I see people who either A) didn't play Homeworld 1.. Or B) Didn't like Homeworld 1.. Lets also not forget the utter stupidity in this defense because that would mean Homeworld 2 now sucks ass and isn't "realistic"..
Seeing as they don't break off from their squadrons.. They stay in formation ranging from 3 to 5 fighter craft ALWAYS..
I would have been fine if they changed that for the first game and did it accordingly.. Because currently some of the most important mechanics are now broken..

[the cup]

I don't get what people are complaining about, sure, in HW1 it did look cooler, but people complaining that strike craft are useless are just clueless, just think about it, which would take less casualties, a group of fighters who will stay in formation regardless of any fire incoming?, or a group which splits to avoid incoming projectiles.

[Diomedes]

Originally posted by Well, what is it?:

I don't get what people are complaining about, sure, in HW1 it did look cooler, but people complaining that strike craft are useless are just clueless, just think about it, which would take less casualties, a group of fighters who will stay in formation regardless of any fire incoming?, or a group which splits to avoid incoming projectiles.

Oh yes while we are at it.. Lets discuss why everything moves so slowly in the game.. If this were "realistic" they should be going hundreds of times faster than they are right now.. And why are they so close when they open fire? They should be hundreds of miles away.. Furthermore what is stopping you from making smaller formations? Nothing, you guys think people were just making massive singular formations with fighters and corvettes instead of smaller ones?
And if that still doesn't pass than why aren't you guys raging at Homeworld 2? In which squardons are in unbreakable formations of 3 to 5 units for all strike craft?

[Llamedos]

Originally posted by Nude Burning Guy:

Oh yes while we are at it.. Lets discuss why everything moves so slowly in the game.. If this were "realistic" they should be going hundreds of times faster than they are right now.. And why are they so close when they open fire? They should be hundreds of miles away.

why do fighters even exsist?

[RSS| Bloogonis]

Originally posted by Commodore Dannerson:

Originally posted by Nude Burning Guy:

Oh yes while we are at it.. Lets discuss why everything moves so slowly in the game.. If this were "realistic" they should be going hundreds of times faster than they are right now.. And why are they so close when they open fire? They should be hundreds of miles away.

why do fighters even exsist?

GHOST SHIP!!!!!

edit:Just so you know im not yelling at you, im just screaming at the horibleness the first time ever encountering that bastard was. them nam flashbacks man, them flashbacks.

[Antiga]

Originally posted by Commodore Dannerson:

Originally posted by Nude Burning Guy:

Oh yes while we are at it.. Lets discuss why everything moves so slowly in the game.. If this were "realistic" they should be going hundreds of times faster than they are right now.. And why are they so close when they open fire? They should be hundreds of miles away.

why do fighters even exsist?

Why do you?

[Llamedos]

Originally posted by Antiga:

Originally posted by Commodore Dannerson:

why do fighters even exsist?

Why do you?

I belive it had something to do with alcohole.

[deerhunter]

Liking the answers so far. Anyone have a reasoning that DOES NOT involve HW classic? all the arguments keep going back to "well you never played classic". Someone give me something besides the fact I'm not a HW classic player.

[Dionysosss]

a wel afther mission 9 ya dont need strike craft enymore just capture destoyers and HCs acompany them with gravvwel gens
and you got an unstopable army (so far)

[RSS| Bloogonis]

Originally posted by mcoppa:

Liking the answers so far. Anyone have a reasoning that DOES NOT involve HW classic? all the arguments keep going back to "well you never played classic". Someone give me something besides the fact I'm not a HW classic player.

the formations being broken for strike craft specificly effects HW1. HW2 fighters are locked to delta formation in small groups as a single entity while in HW1 strike craft need functioning formations to cover eachother.

I just tried to use a bomber wing to take on a few capital ships. in the original they would bob and dodge attacks then sweep the target with devestating effect. without the tactical benefit of working formations, the few bombers that actualy reach the target do woefully little damage since they arnt firing at the same point at the same time or are zooming off attacking other nearby targets.

I also noticed the HW2 hit miss means missles are far more effective against strike craft, the Ghost ship level missile destroyer killed my 25 strong bomber wing while it got off only a single volley and a smattering of random shots as they broke off and began targeting the Multibeems I did not tell them to fight.

[deerhunter]

I can live with that answer.