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Obviously, a squadron is a subdivision of a fleet. However, it is usually assumed to be a squadron of fighters. In reality, this term can apply to any subgroup of a fleet...with some minor additions. The smaller units can be assigned to a ship as "carrier" and will dock with that ship when not in battle.
Basic premise: A squadron is a subdivision of a fleet, that can do any number of things based on definition. My idea is that multiple types of squadrons be created and usable in-game, and each one has specific presets, along with customizable versions. The basic process is to create a fleet, then to, through another option in the fleet menu create a squadron, assign ships to that squadron and assign a lead ship (Squadron version of a flagship) to that squadron, and then give them orders: Assign them to a ship, assign them to attack, or assign them to hang back and defend the fleet in general, or assign individual squadrons to a station or location, just as you can do with fleets now, and order them to rejoin the fleet before a battle.
Here is a list of what I see as essential, basic squadrons:
(Please note, the term "largest ship" is a placeholder, made on the assumption that targeting based on mass will be easier and faster to implement than, say, targeting based on firepower and capabilities)
Fighter Squadron: Composed of whatever you want it to be, this squadron's priorities are to hunt down enemy fighters and, if they've been assigned to a ship, bombers targeting that ship. Fighter AI would focus on moving fast and evasive maneuvers (If those are possible for AI) and, of course, targeting other small ships.
Bomber Squadron: Aims for the largest ships in a group, attacking in a rough formation or attacking anything that attacks the ship they're assigned to. They also focus on moving as fast as they can, and on getting close to the enemy ship they're targeting, to improve accuracy and to make it more difficult for large-caliber batteries to hit them.
Destroyer Squadron: Focused on escort, these ships switch from fighter/bomber deterrent to capital-ship attack runs to keep the capitals away from, say, your transports. AI keeps the ships moving, but focuses on getting accurate hits.
Cruiser Group: A cruiser group will work in concert with a larger ship, providing more firepower and shields if assigned to a ship, and attacking the weakest/most damaged large ship in an opposing group if not assigned. The AI stays back and focuses on midrange attacking, unless an enemy ship loses shields or armor, in which case they switch and focus on taking that ship out---much like cruisers in naval warfare.
Line of Battle/Battleship Line: Focused on the largest enemy ship, this class stays at range and pounds targets from midrange to long range, depending on weapon capabilities of the group. They stay relatively close together, focusing firepower on the largest ship first, then the next. AI Stays back from the dogfighters and destroyer screen sweeps, and focuses on blowing things up. With style.
Carriers: A special designation for when better carrier mechanics are implemented, this is acquired whenever a group of ships is assigned to the ship as their carrier. This designation can be overridden (So as to not restrict your Impstar Deuce to carrier AI when it's perfectly capable of wrecking the other guy) by other designations as you want, but in the main the AI focuses on supporting its fighters by being alive at the end of battle. Carriers hide.
Transports: Another special designation, select a ship as a transport and it runs away as fast as it can. Mostly useful for creating subdivisions of one faction fleet and then assigning escorts to it. Also useful if you create a completely separate trade fleet and assign 1 transport to a destroyer group to keep the pirates away.
Another neat addition I'd like to see would be the ability of a player to "lead" a squadron. If a player takes over a ship in a squadron, the ships in the squad would follow that player...assuming that the player is in the squadron's lead ship. That'd lead to very interesting faction battles, that do not require the shuffling of ships between fleets like you would need to do now in order to give command to other players (i.e. for one player to lead a starfighter wing, he/she has to be given ships out of another fleet, assign them to his/her fleet, and then, at the end of the battle, he/she has to give them back to whoever's holding them.
Basic premise: A squadron is a subdivision of a fleet, that can do any number of things based on definition. My idea is that multiple types of squadrons be created and usable in-game, and each one has specific presets, along with customizable versions. The basic process is to create a fleet, then to, through another option in the fleet menu create a squadron, assign ships to that squadron and assign a lead ship (Squadron version of a flagship) to that squadron, and then give them orders: Assign them to a ship, assign them to attack, or assign them to hang back and defend the fleet in general, or assign individual squadrons to a station or location, just as you can do with fleets now, and order them to rejoin the fleet before a battle.
Here is a list of what I see as essential, basic squadrons:
(Please note, the term "largest ship" is a placeholder, made on the assumption that targeting based on mass will be easier and faster to implement than, say, targeting based on firepower and capabilities)
Fighter Squadron: Composed of whatever you want it to be, this squadron's priorities are to hunt down enemy fighters and, if they've been assigned to a ship, bombers targeting that ship. Fighter AI would focus on moving fast and evasive maneuvers (If those are possible for AI) and, of course, targeting other small ships.
Bomber Squadron: Aims for the largest ships in a group, attacking in a rough formation or attacking anything that attacks the ship they're assigned to. They also focus on moving as fast as they can, and on getting close to the enemy ship they're targeting, to improve accuracy and to make it more difficult for large-caliber batteries to hit them.
Destroyer Squadron: Focused on escort, these ships switch from fighter/bomber deterrent to capital-ship attack runs to keep the capitals away from, say, your transports. AI keeps the ships moving, but focuses on getting accurate hits.
Cruiser Group: A cruiser group will work in concert with a larger ship, providing more firepower and shields if assigned to a ship, and attacking the weakest/most damaged large ship in an opposing group if not assigned. The AI stays back and focuses on midrange attacking, unless an enemy ship loses shields or armor, in which case they switch and focus on taking that ship out---much like cruisers in naval warfare.
Line of Battle/Battleship Line: Focused on the largest enemy ship, this class stays at range and pounds targets from midrange to long range, depending on weapon capabilities of the group. They stay relatively close together, focusing firepower on the largest ship first, then the next. AI Stays back from the dogfighters and destroyer screen sweeps, and focuses on blowing things up. With style.
Carriers: A special designation for when better carrier mechanics are implemented, this is acquired whenever a group of ships is assigned to the ship as their carrier. This designation can be overridden (So as to not restrict your Impstar Deuce to carrier AI when it's perfectly capable of wrecking the other guy) by other designations as you want, but in the main the AI focuses on supporting its fighters by being alive at the end of battle. Carriers hide.
Transports: Another special designation, select a ship as a transport and it runs away as fast as it can. Mostly useful for creating subdivisions of one faction fleet and then assigning escorts to it. Also useful if you create a completely separate trade fleet and assign 1 transport to a destroyer group to keep the pirates away.
Another neat addition I'd like to see would be the ability of a player to "lead" a squadron. If a player takes over a ship in a squadron, the ships in the squad would follow that player...assuming that the player is in the squadron's lead ship. That'd lead to very interesting faction battles, that do not require the shuffling of ships between fleets like you would need to do now in order to give command to other players (i.e. for one player to lead a starfighter wing, he/she has to be given ships out of another fleet, assign them to his/her fleet, and then, at the end of the battle, he/she has to give them back to whoever's holding them.
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