No, flanking means to attack from the side(s). Since LRMs can only shoot directly in front of them, it applies utterly to them.

They can TURN.

Slowly? LRMs have the fastest turn rate in game except scouts. They also have longest range. By the time your "flanking" ships get in range, LRMs have already turned around and fired first.

Very insightful.

LRMs turn much faster all cruisers and cap ships. As I have said before, only scouts can turn faster. If you played the game you would have noticed this. If you think flanking is a counter against LRM that's even more of a stretch.

The game has no strategy at all to speak of... I'm sorry I bought it frankly. It is C&C in space. Build more tanks (sorry Starships) and throw them at your enemy. Lame and dumb. Granted the space setting is cool, but it doesn't make up for the total lack of strategy. Gal Civ II is so much better than this game. It is a different game but I think this genre is better suited to turn based than real time. Play CoH, it blows this game away.

Where would a topic be without the complimentary troll post.

s/everyone else/everyone else who commented in this thread about turn rate, if you insist on pedantry. I wasn't assuming anything, but now that you mention it, since (a) it was posted three times other than by me that they turn slow, without contest and ( this forum is full of offensively argumentative posters (like most of the internet ), I don't see it as that bad of an assumption.




So they don't turn much faster than all the basic frigates? The staple ships of the game? I know for a fact they don't turn faster than LRMs, which in all likelihood the attacker is using. Let's forget about that anyway, since the point is completely irrelevant. It doesn't matter how fast LRMs turn relative to the flanker; it matters how fast LRMs turn relative to how fast the flanker can get into firing range. Again, not looking at figures, but with light frigates being quick, lrms having long range and enforcers having intercept I'm confident that the flanker will get into firing position long before the target LRMs have turned.

Let me delve into an example, which I hope will show why flanking is a good thing. Lets say we have 10 LRMs each. I split mine into two flights of 5 each, and come in from your flanks. There are a few things you can do from here:

1) If you're lazy, or letting the AI control them, your LRMs start to focus fire on one ship; thus, they start to swing round toward it. While they are turning all my ships get off free volleys. Once I see which way you are turning, I know which flight you are going after. I can retreat it, I can dive it through your lines, or I can start to wheel it round, trying to stay ahead of your turn. Regardless, my other 5 ships are pummeling you.

2) If you're more on the ball, you can split your fire; 5 of your ships turn to one side, 5 to the other. Now all your ships are firing at me, and vice versa. Except! Your focus fire is split; You'll have done half-damage to 2 of my ships at the point where I kill the first of yours (less actually, since I got free volleys to start with).

3) You can get your ships the hell out of th... wait. Why are you moving your ships, if there's no advantage to flanking?

4) I don't got one. If you know something else you can do from this position then that's something I'd appreciate knowing.

Sideshow you have good tactics theories, but the Sins game mechanics does not reward the tactics you mentioned. You need to try your theories in the game against massed LRMs and see why they don't work.

When LRMs are in a blob formation, all of them can fire on the same target at once and achieve optimal DPS. If you split your group of 10 into 5/5, you basically gives the blob 2 to 1 advantage if you try maneuver while the blob heads directly to you. Trying to hit and run with half a group is a very bad idea since LRMs have the longest range and fastest turn rate. You are giving the entire blob free shots while only half of your group can fire.

Yeah, sure....Please, tell me what this game needs in order to be strategic, since none of you have really provided anything.

Very doubtful....Particularly when looking at the scale of the game.

Would you rather I compare it to a Greek phalanx or a Spanish tercio?
Sorry, just being antagonistic.

I actually think that this game is a bit like chess. You move, then they move. Wash, rinse, repeat. When your bishops (fleets) hit their forces, the fireworks begin. Vinraith makes a good point in that it sacrifices some of the 4X depth of GalCiv and some of the RTS depth of, say, Age of Empires (throw me a bone here, I havn't played any RTS's besides Empire at War or Dawn of War in a couple of years), but I disagree in that it maintains enough of the strategies from both to make it a fun game.