Fleet Command Guide: Difference between revisions

''Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.'' - Jefferson

While in EVE no one is going to discuss your greater or lesser virtues, clear communications is the key to every other aspect of EVE combat. Teamwork, coordination, and calmness are the foundations of a strong pillar of command.

''The first and best victory is to conquer self.'' - Plato

''The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemies.'' - Napoleon

Rambling and explanations are wasted time - in combat, situations change quickly, so you need to keep things short and pay attention.

''Correction does much, but encouragement does more.'' -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Calling a pilot out is an absolute last resort; even if you fix the problem, it creates a stigma in the minds of other pilots, and both the error-maker and all the other pilots will remember who screwed up. When people ask, even if you're annoyed, just say "It's not important who - just that we got it fixed."

A leader is the man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do, and like it. - Harry Truman

Sharp and harsh orders will usually get the same results - what it won't get you is that same pilot back the next time you're running an operation. Pilots who enjoy an operation and endure being given orders are far more likely to come back, and while you can't guarantee they'll enjoy every op (because sometimes things go bad) you can at least make the memory not sting as much.

''In general, commanding a large number is like commanding a few. It is a question of dividing up the numbers.... It is a question of configuration and designation.'' - Sun Tzu

''The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.'' - Theodore Roosevelt

Make sure your boss (ideally, another Fleet Commander) is knowledgeable about how to set up fleets for leadership purposes. The boss will be shuffling wing commanders, creating squads/wings, etc. Wing Commanders will need to designate squads (occasionally by purpose) and help sort squad leaders. Squad leaders should be looking for updates on the locations of their squad members and so on - most importantly, though, all of this needs to be going on without any Fleet Commander interaction. Delegate people who can take care of this without you thinking about it - you have enough to do. A proper Fleet Command simply assigns a Boss and perhaps a Wing Commander or two, and then sets his mind to other matters, while invites and leadership sorting is taken care of elsewhere.

''It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.'' - Whitney M. Young, Jr.

A standard combat fleet for aggressive engagement should need no more than two interceptors, two interdictors, and two covert ops. Those numbers should change depending on your fleet's need - trade your coverts for interceptors/interdictors on defensive actions since you'll need more tackle and less scout (you know where they're coming to), your interceptors -but not interdictors- for more coverts for an escort, as you'll need more advance warning and coverage. Having more interceptors and interdictors than this number is a waste - their roles are too specific and not damaging enough. Interdictors can smash interceptors, but generally attacking interceptors aren't doing enough damage to merit a major fleet role to smash them.

''The greatest accomplishment of reason is the discovery of the advantages of ... the division of labor.'' - Ludwig von Mises

Interdictors and interceptors also need role-specific orders and preparations. Interceptors should know whose job it is to strike the primary and the secondary; two tackles on one target lets the other leave. Divide this up alphabetically, size-wise, or with whatever criteria you wish - but make sure it is divided. Interdictors should also be likewise pre-planned in their roles; is it their job to chase down enemy frigate-class vessels? Shall they run out at snipers and bubble them? Are they to travel towards the largest enemy blob and hold them all down? Bubble-and-jump? High-speed ship pilots must know before combat what they are expected to do - their job is too swiftly done for them to wait for orders.

''I found that there were these incredibly great people at doing certain things, and that you couldn't replace one of these people with 50 average people. They could just do things that no number of average people could do.'' - Steve Jobs

Once you have assigned other FCs to handle Capital FC, EWAR FC, and Tactical FC, trust them to know their jobs. Assume the EWAR is being coordinated in its own channel. Know the Capital ships will be ready and briefed on what's going on. Be confident the Tactical FC will be killing tacklers and then EWAR as fast as possible with his squad. Focus your attention on talking with your scouts, keeping a mental picture of what's going on, and tending to your fleet.

''In planning for battle I have found that plans are useless; but planning is essential.'' - Dwight D. Eisenhower

It is absolutely vital that in the last thirty seconds before combat the fleet commander's voice can be heard, and sounds as calm and assured as possible. You can be sure that a pilot will never be more tense than they are in the last thirty seconds before combat is joined - knowing that you have faith in them, that there is a plan, and that victory is expected if everyone works together will go a long way to making sure these things happen.

''The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.'' - George Patton

See Also :   

''If the enemy is in range... SO ARE YOU.'' - Old soldier's axiom

It is important that you keep a continual clear call of a Primary and Secondary - and in the cases of large battles where ships can pop quickly, a Tertiary. This is done so that pilots can lock the needed target well in advance, and shift swiftly to the new foe without wasting time on a relock. If (for whatever reason) you are unable to identify ship types swiftly enough to keep a good call of P/S/T, focus on battleships at closer ranges - though you should definitely work on Primary calling, as this is more important than any function of the Fleet Commander.

Fleet Commanders can often make their jobs much easier during a wild engagement by employing filters to see specific things at a time. By filtering your overview to only see Battleships and Command Ships, searching for an appropriate target to call becomes much easier. An interdictor pilot might wish to filter his overview by frigates if he has a specialty job, and so on. Although every Fleet Commander will have their own preference, here are some recommended settings to have presaved and ready to go:

The fourth setting is also quite important - it allows you to quickly tally "Friendly" vs. "Unfriendly" losses. As a Fleet Commander, your biggest enemy is having too much information thrown at you; being able to filter it can give you a decided advantage.

''A leader is a dealer in hope.'' - Napoleon

If you are popped as a commander, though, it is generally not a good idea to try and continue commanding from your pod. Get out and if possible, re-arm and return. Pod-command puts you at serious risk of implant loss (everyone likes squishing pods), and limits you greatly as far as monitoring target health and maneuverability.

''Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.'' - Patton

EVE has a certain love affair with two large fleets smashing into each other, beating each other senseless, and then calling it a day. Good combat tactics, though, has nothing to do with even numbers, and even less to do with an even fight. By engaging in clever positioning and other tactics, you can turn the tried-and-true tactics of our veteran foes on their head. This is by no means the only set of tricks you can use, but these are tried and true maneuvers that have already proved their worth. Feel free to add to this list.

One of the oldest and most-used maneuvers for any Fleet Commander is the ambushing of an enemy sniper/EWAR distance force by use of a warp-in covert ops. When attacking, try to make sure you always have one covert vessel in your force. This enables you both to have a scout, and to have someone prepositioned for striking at snipers and EWAR at range. Note that you cannot warp to someone who is less than 150km away. If an enemy target is 120km away, have your covert sit behind them at 150km, and warp to your pilot at 30km... neatly dropping you right on top of the target.

Note: Stealth bombers can be used for this purpose as well; although they are visible while warping, many times in a large fleet battle opponents will not be aware of where a suddenly-disappearing frigate on their overview went, giving the Stealth time to scoot into position after landing.

Particularly when taking the last tactic into account, having your EWAR forces visible at the scene of the battle is asking for trouble. Have an interceptor create a bookmark approximately 500km from the site of the conflict. Then, have your EWAR forces sit at that mark, aligned to the expected battle site. Approximately three seconds after the first primary is called, signal the EWAR force to warp in. This has a variety of benefits:

- Because the EWAR is arriving late, it is likely that the enemy fleet is already targeting specific ships, and changing primaries is rarely done easily or smoothly.

There is a big difference between a retreat and a rout. A good Fleet Commander will recognize this. If your fleet is being chased by the enemy, have half a dozen battleships hold on the gate before actually jumping through into the next area. When they have all been fired on, have them jump through. Odds are good the enemy fleet will follow, but many of their pilots will be unable to actually engage. This results in a brief period of time when you may actually outnumber/outgun the enemy fleet, despite their earlier advantages that caused you to flee in the first place. Use this period to pop one or two enemy ships, and then continue your retreat to the next gate again. Odds are good that most enemy fleets will stop chasing after being chipped a few times by this maneuver.

When a fleet enters a system, the defenders have a habit of locking and firing on the first vessel that appears - no matter what that ship might be. Good fleet commanders can take advantage of this mistake. The first ships to uncloak any time you go through a bottleneck (you jump through a gate to attack an enemy group that is waiting) should be frigates - ideally, assault frigates or interceptors. A few moments later, cruisers should uncloak, and bigger ships, and so on. EWAR typically should be one of the last to uncloak at any size. When possible, have the ships (especially the smaller ones) move as rapidly as possible outward, forcing the enemy to commit to one area of the gate or another.

This will cause the opposing force to spend time and energy locking up ships that have less effect on the coming battle, and possibly not have time/lock slots left to then target larger ships later in the fight. Even if your opponents know/suspect such a strategy, you have the advantage of getting your smaller ships into tackling/attack positions on remote enemy EWAR, etc. It is rather likely that even in a well-led fleet, some enemy pilots will lack the discipline to not lock smaller, less valuable targets that present themselves, instead of waiting for the bigger foes.

- Deception about true force size; even local won't warn a foe

As a general rule, denying information about what your fleet is comprised/capable of is never a bad thing to do, and unless your opponent has advance knowledge of your dual-natured force, gate-splitting is one of the best things you can do to advance your own success.

''"Only the dead have seen the end of war."'' - Plato

Never is a victorious fleet more disorganized than during the aftermath of a battle, when gear is recovered. (This is in fact a great time for opposing fleets to use stealth bombers and the like to even the score a bit.) To prevent reinforcements or ambushes from smashing your control of the field, make sure that the only vessels out scavenging are swift ones, and that your longer-range vessels and EWAR are in at a central core. This way, fast vessels which can scoot in and out of danger are supported by a strong central unit which can coordinate fire well. A dedicated salvage ship - preferably a Cormorant destroyer - is an excellent tool for the job of clearing wrecks profitably. Allow pilots who have lost vessels to collect their own gear at the same time, but encourage them to do so in a frigate-class vessel if possible. If you are aware of the gate the enemy fleet has fled through, sending a scout to that gate can be prudent to prevent ambushes.

''All men make mistakes. Only wise men learn from their mistakes.'' -Winston Churchill

Make sure to ask your specific tactical areas for their input: did the EWAR manage to shut many of the enemy down, or were they harassed too much? How did tackle/anti-tackle see things? The folks who lost ships should be queried to find out how to prevent that loss in the future. Although discussing losses is by no means one of the more fun things to do in any given combat encounter, it can be vital to understanding what to do better in the future.

''The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you.''

- Max DePree