Why Did My Fighter Get into Melee Range Despite Speed and Range Advantage?

[minimen]

A supply ship is flying around with an escort of two fighters. According to the wiki, these fighters have a maximum speed limit of 5000 and a weapon range of 40. To counter this, I built a Nightmare vessel with a speed limit of 5250 and armed it with Stingray missiles, which have a weapon range of 45. I expected that the enemy fighters wouldn’t be able to touch me due to my speed and weapon range advantage.

However, despite using evasive maneuvers, my fighter ended up in "melee range" with the enemy. Why did this happen? If this is how the game mechanics work, then there seems to be no point in equipping long-range rockets.

[Delian]

What equipment did you put on your Nightmare?

[minimen]

What equipment did you put on your Nightmare?

I tried two setups: one with only 2 Stingrays, and another with 2 Stingrays and 2 Gauss cannons. In both cases, the result was the same—my ship ended up in "melee range."

[Delian]

post .sav

[sanyaskillpro]

Evasive maneuvers is -50% firing speed +some amount of dodge, only available if another ship is the aggressor. Probably doesn't work the same way as the long range tactic.

[minimen]

...

Ah, I see. When an enemy ship is the aggressor, the only available tactics are evasive maneuvers and ramming speed. Somehow, the enemy fighters are always the aggressors, so there’s no way to enable the long-range tactic—resulting in a melee-range fight. However, when the player is the aggressor, the long range, and the full broadside tactic becomes available. Do you happen to know what the full broadside tactic does?

[sanyaskillpro]

Get in range of all the guns and stay at it. Pros, you can escape faster if you fail to dodge some hits. Cons, if the enemy ship escapes it will be immediately out of range of your shortest range weapon.

[eharper256]

Ah, I see. When an enemy ship is the aggressor, the only available tactics are evasive maneuvers and ramming speed. Somehow, the enemy fighters are always the aggressors, so there’s no way to enable the long-range tactic—resulting in a melee-range fight. However, when the player is the aggressor, the long range, and the full broadside tactic becomes available. Do you happen to know what the full broadside tactic does?

They are equivalent to the original X-COM tactics, nothing's changed there. Plink at max range of longest range weapon, with slower fire rate. In range of all guns. And go to knife fighting distance losing dodge but also firing faster (sometimes). In the original you yourself generally weren't intercepted back though.

If you're after a dangerous enemy, be sure to send multiple ships together to fight it and spread the damage as well as double the firepower brought against it. Get the faster ships to escort the slowest of the group sent, and the slowest to attack the enemy. You'll need to quickly select tactics in multiple windows though.

[shinr]

You'll need to quickly select tactics in multiple windows though.

Doesn't right-clicking a tactic applies it to everyone?

[eharper256]

Doesn't right-clicking a tactic applies it to everyone?

Does it now? I'm guessing that's a tip I missed somewhere.