Space Engineers Carrier Tactics & Strategies, Small VS Big Ships Best Engagement Practices (Vanilla)

A presentation video presenting Space Engineers carrier tactics & strategies and their practical applications, small vs big ships best engagement practices, and more, all which can be applied in vanilla multiplayer survival
Steam workshop link: steamcommunity...

[@gabrielibarra5551]

Dude you helped me realize my current carrier has no practical use Im starting work on a better one now

[@LucaTheGuide]

\ o / yey! Tell me how it went later c=

[@jellymid1726]

@@LucaTheGuide He never told you…

[@LucaTheGuide]

@@jellymid1726 ye xD rip

[@Aereto]

Reminds me that most of my carrier designs are made as mobile command or deep exploration carriers, needing significant space to carry assembler arrays or refineries with cargo containers to match. Nowhere fast but significantly reinforced in ribbed heavy armor while hangars and observation bridges are the soft points. Using a laser antenna for comm to main HQ or relay and a beacon for emergency distress pings, it is meant to hold crewed heavy and medium small ships for combat, not using antennae for drone command though a serious retrofit is needed to allow remote control and expedited drone fabrication. Assemblers are used to perform on-site rearms, while refineries are for deep exploration that need mining and procurement for sustainment while not wasting cargo space carrying bulky ore. For cheap fighters and bombers, I use only Hydrogen power to provide thrust. That does mean adding a critical weak point or two (especially if hydrogen engine is used for energy), but can be used instead of batteries or reactors powering the lower thrust ion engines. If Ice supply is of no concern, hydrogen is my option. Drones and small fighters would use ion, but small reactors may not be enough to keep up, where the resulting upscale mean higher cost per loss due to more rare minerals consumed, including uranium. Atmospheric fighters, especially the light combat gunner craft, can only need upward thrust if piloted by players familiar with VTOL and helicopter vehicles.

[@arkhantheblack8934]

this has informed me that my current carrier is woefully underarmed, with but 3 gatling turrets, though it uses multiple flak escorts

[@danikahicks9896]

Goddamnit, where have u been all my life! Practical space engineers. God it took me years to find you. Plz never go away. Plz? Ok. Thank you so much!

[@LucaTheGuide]

Np! And dw I'm still here just busy with stuff rn :P

[@TheAetheris]

These videos are really good and informative. I can't wait for more. :D

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks Aethens :D glad you find them useful! c=

[@MariahSyn]

Thanks for the video, I'm relatively new when it comes to Space Combat in the game and am learning the hard way that even with some serious work in building a small grid ship with multiple redundancies and layers of armor (even going so far as to put heavy armor block layers between components) that taking on even a Pirate Freighter will leave my ship mauled and limping away. I'm probably doing something wrong, lol, because even with the ability to unleash a broadside of 8 out of a possible 10 gatling turrets I come off the worse. (Didn't lose my ship this time) Still, a bit frustrating. Contemplating trying decoys and drones.

[@shahbazfawbush]

Great challenge!

[@thatcherridings8388]

Guerilla philosophy is often the most effective in Space Engineers combat; when every ship can deal equal amounts of damage avoiding said damage while simultaneously endowing as much as physically possible (ie. Circling and firing at range while leading your targets) is going to be your best bet

[@chadyoung9934]

Somewhat unrelated to traditional carriers as it requires the deploying craft to be mostlystatic and have prep time, but an interesting thing one can do with drones is set up a web of waypoints and set a small fleet to "patrol" them at the press of a button, which can be useful as either a distraction during a defensive engagement or to set up area denial against small craft.

[@shahbazfawbush]

New mod coming out allowing mobile way points. Changes everything!

[@thatcherridings8388]

Curiously railgun drone deployment wasn't mentioned, as it's the most efficient method of rapid drone dispatchment (very little power draw + safe automated activation via timer blocks to increase antenna ranges + arrangement of multiple gravity generators to further increase rate of deployment), but I suppose it's a method exclusive to space combat and therefore remains circumvented from universal combat strategies

[@zereimu]

The golden zone is due to the gun's optimal range, ideally you should always be as fast as possible but you gotta be careful not to overshoot it and get inside of the circle like the video describes, but if you absolutely must get within guns optimal range(deeper than golden zone) you have to keep an eye on your transversal velocity, basically the reason far away airplanes look like they are moving slowly, while the closer they are they seem to go faster, the turret's automated tracking systems can compensate more easily the farther you are but the bullet spread will not due to mechanical reasons, while the closer you are the bullet spread will be more on point to you but the turret's tracking will be harder to hit with due to faster velocity and mechanical limitations. Maintain angular velocity as fast as possible so that your target's transversal velocity relative to your ship is 0(as if they were not moving at all from your perspective due to orbit) while you maintain high speed so that the transversal velocity they need to track is far higher therefore harder to hit you if that makes sense. For this you need to maintain a smooth fast orbit which is tough, doesn;t need to be perfect but the smoother and faster the better. IF You have to dive in that is. I hope this makes sense. To simplify if you have to go deeper than the golden zone(right outside of turret optimal range) spin really really fast and really really close to the enemy ship in a way that you can maintain a perfect circle so that the big ship's guns can't hit you, taking into consideration the shape of the ship so you don't run into a wall of turrets.

[@Sawer]

You got yourself another Subscriber :D

[@LucaTheGuide]

thanks sawer c= x3

[@Pentagon2004]

Nice I personally only build cargo ships But this video was very interesting Maybe I can take some ideas from it to modify my ships

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks! c= and cargo ships are cool too \ o /

[@Pentagon2004]

^w^ Btw Could u make a video like this about cruisers? Cus I'd need some help with that And it might be interesting for others too

[@LucaTheGuide]

@@Pentagon2004 I might! c=

[@Pentagon2004]

*happy noises*

[@thedogisaneldritchgod491]

Great tips! Keep up the vids! Don't listen to the robot voice haters either. Personally, robot voice is generally okay, not great but okay. Meanwhile, actual voice has the capacity to be either good or bad depending on the person but most times, voice is bad because of either bad mic, background noise, annoying voice or the person's inability to do public spaking. Cheers!

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks Johnny! c= and will do

[@kiawinwinspec1865]

As a Veteran, this video provides very cogent, and relatively sound tactical advice. Once my PC is up and running, would be interested in meeting up if you are up for it. Till then, keep up the great work!

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks Kia! I play on the official AU servers mostly, are you NA?

[@kiawinwinspec1865]

@@LucaTheGuide correct! Given how fast high-speed data is growing in my area, I might still be able to link up.

[@matthewwagner47]

Using real 6th generation space tactics instead of earth base tactics will help alot. Carriers are part of a larger flotilla and screening forces in large numbers.

[@danielboatright8887]

Add 3d printers, people die or lose their ship, redpawn on carrier, print new ship, rejoin the fight, carrier sits back from the engagement and only 'needs' one pilot, once the fight draws down to a low risk point the carrier engages bringing more guns to quickly end it.

[@JonnesTT]

You seem experienced, do you think classic dogfighters are worth a damn in SE? For example can they be more effective at getting rid of bombers than defensive frigates? Oh, and on that topic, if anyone knows a script that can deploy drones in formations around a moving mothership let me know :D

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks c= I'm n ot that experienced with fighters but anything with enough acceleration can be used to dodge bullets easily, and fighters can be a cheap solution to fight frigates but you'll have to be really good at it

[@shahbazfawbush]

One of the modders is working on such a mod!

[@Geroskop]

After latest update railgun bombers and PMWs bombers are a thing! Previosly you only could do scripted torpedoes but now you can use custom turret blocks for guidance on vanilla!

[@tadferd4340]

PMW?

[@Geroskop]

@@tadferd4340 player made weapons...

[@tadferd4340]

@@Geroskop As in custom turrets or scripted weapons?

[@Geroskop]

@@tadferd4340 those could be non scripted too, like TV torpedoes or unguided bombs (warheads inside armor shell). Up untill now on scriptless servers you had only option of TV guided torpedoes, kamikaze torpedoes or unguided torpedoes/bombs, two of whitch required at least two crew and turned on antenae. Now you can easily print and use "fire and forget" ordnance using custom turret block for guidence sustem, NO SCRIPTS! YAY! Now ive got an idea of two stage AP warheads... I wonder if we can replace warhead with full H2 tanks instead, those could be dirt cheap. Or even use those tanks as a booster to accelerate warhead tip past 100m/s speed limit if its a subgrid.

[@user-xs1fm3bo8t]

My carrier is just jump drives, power generation, and ship docking on 4 sides. Strictly for moving all my other ships from point a to victim b.

[@brady157]

I like it, its practical

[@gawainfreeman2212]

Great content. Please can we get a FUR carrier, built in multiplayer survival? 🙏 🖖

[@LucaTheGuide]

xD but you were there

[@gawainfreeman2212]

That's a carrier 😅😱 it prints drones¿

[@LucaTheGuide]

@@gawainfreeman2212 xD it is, and nein :P

[@mustangbeauty4]

Me: *Watches the intro and sees that you’re a furry.* *Leaves.*

[@LucaTheGuide]

xD

[@Mothlord03]

Bruh. They're people like you

[@pedropimenta896]

7:00 or use laser antennas, which dont reveal your location/distance

[@LucaTheGuide]

Yeah :P quite expensive to make and run and don't always work on multiplayer though x -x (i tried for my rover before)

[@suspiciouscheese4518]

Laser antennas are great for a relay ship. For combat ships that are constantly maneuvering, they can be hidden when the ship turns and pose a risk of disconnecting.

[@helveticfpv550]

love the voice. you pitched it down?

[@LucaTheGuide]

I tried sometimes xD

[@Hobbitmax999]

Here's what I want. How should I make it. What I need: Miner carrier with powerfull combat applications with built in refining and assembling (high pcu available and many enemy mods plus sheilds)

[@drbarbare]

Love the TTS! Looking forward for more of those informative videos :). That'd be nice if there were a bit more footage in action, but I understand it's hard and more time consuming to make.

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks JR c= yeah I did think about putting more footage but decided just to go with the animated presentation all the way lol, will try to put more footage on my next SE videos!

[@zsoltlang2144]

ah yes, we sea-men love to travel among the ocean of stars

[@reign_of_stuka8991]

i dont even care its a robot voice this is a unique thing no one else has really done :D

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks Nep! c=

[@Hades_Space_Engineer]

yeah the video seems to come from someone who knows a lot about the strategic use of carriers in SE

[@davidcanter5390]

Are you gonna make it update carrier?

[@dmorty1232]

Keep up the good work!

[@LoopieTheClown]

I like dis channel

[@LucaTheGuide]

Thanks Spunky

[@hyperxd8357]

I have a dilemma I am currently fighting a 1v1 war any tips

[@LucaTheGuide]

Hide your most important stuff and hunt him down with the least amount of resource possible. After you find him setup a survival kit or medical room somewhere near where his base / hangout spot is where he can't see you, then scout him for a bit see if he'll go around to his other stuff, then strike him when he's the least ready (or when he's offline if the server allows that / you're okay with that)

[@chasedean4032]

Since we use scripts and mods I use the fighter to hit the turrets and thrusters so I can use a the large guns and Cruz missile to finish her of it the fighters

[@Euripides_Panz]

Let's play another game. Take a shot for every time you hear "ship" and a beer every time you hear "ships" or "ship's." Have fun!

[@bobbyboi735]

But ill die

[@Euripides_Panz]

@@bobbyboi735 You'll "drown." 😆

[@bobbyboi735]

@@Euripides_Panz lol

[@AdamSchadow]

Without a doubt you thought about this quite a lot however I would highly recommend you to look deeper into SE for example small ships in space are useless since large ships have gravity drives which make them extremely fast at accelerating so a small ship has no chance to stay at any reasonable distance since the large ship can go from 0-100 in a split second and shred the small ship.

[@LucaTheGuide]

Most big ships don't have gravity drives because they are expensive to make and cost a lot of PCU, and you need a lot of them to achieve reasonable acceleration c= I have 1300+ hours on SE x3

[@AdamSchadow]

@@LucaTheGuide You do not need many gravity drives since their power scales very quickly for example when you have double the amount of generators and double the amount of mass blocks you get 4x as much power. You are using windows on your ships which is a death sentence since 1 hit is all it takes to take you to the respawn screen and make your ship controllable for quite some time. To me it seems that you do not even know about player guided missiles which is the primary way to take out enemy ships since you do not risk getting hit from turrets.

[@LucaTheGuide]

Hey, the bigger the ship the more gravity generator / gravity drives you need, and windows are actually stronger compared to light armor blocks, plus my ships do have secondary seats which are deep inside the ship for heavy combat situations. And no lol in any realistic PvP situation in survival servers with limited PCU, guided missiles are not the main way of destroying enemy ships, since they are mostly not too maneuverable, can be easily destroyed if not armored properly, and if they're big enough to be armored properly they're even less maneuverable, and if they're big enough to be armored properly and made maneuverable, it would cost a lot of resource and PCU, and it's also bothersome to deploy during actual combat situations. The only time guided missile would work is when the enemy ship is not being controlled by anyone and not during actual combat where both sides are actually fighting each other

[@ytho3557]

turrets can only target one thing at a time, and they always target the nearest target, so as long as you have several guided missiles in the air at any one time you can overwhelm defenses incredibly easily. the lead missile always gets shot down, allowing the followup ones to make it through. PCU doesn't factor in much for guided missiles if you build them as you launch them with welders and a decent auto-launch system. using an incredibly bare bones missile system and rdav's guided missile script you can make missiles that won't be easily dodged by medium-large enemy ships. obviously ships that can go from 0-100m/s in a second or two will be able to dodge, but generally guided missiles are quite effective

[@LucaTheGuide]

That requires scripts to be enabled (most big and all official servers don't enable them for obvious reasons) and for the host ship to carry tons of resources to weld them (except if you're talking about small grid missiles, which would normally only be as destructive as normal missile turrets' missiles but with longer range) Guided missiles (scripted or not) can be useful but they are really circumstantial, especially in ship-to-ship PvP context (scripts must be enabled, host ship must have welder and projector and carry enough materials, the missile user must be the one who finds the enemy first for it to be effective, they must have enough PCU still) I've just never seen or encounter a guided missile user in spontaneous survival PvP, prolly because of the hassle and impracticality of it. If you do have an example of where and when it worked in spontaneous survival PvP situation with scripts disabled, do show me though because I want to see it!

[@thetimetravelingfbi7626]

A faction bigger than mine declared war on me what should I do

[@LucaTheGuide]

Deploy FBI agents. And nah just dw :P it's gonna be hard for them to find you. Would be easier for you to mess with them if you find their base / where they hang. Since you can use torpedoes / etc to mess with them x3

[@ara8692]

mobile base and no antennas / beacons if it happens again

[@konaonpalannut9723]

My carrier has 80k pcu. Too much maybe?

[@LucaTheGuide]

sounds like it xD

[@sh1be572]

I learned something, :)

[@LucaTheGuide]

\ o /

[@Happysealdog]

Is your carrier on the workshop?

[@LucaTheGuide]

Nope! I haven't released that yet, I only release my older builds except when I made something that I specifically made for the workshop c=

[@Happysealdog]

@@LucaTheGuide awwww.. ok thanks

[@nsg8bit]

@@LucaTheGuide Any chance you would release it now and give us a link??

[@LucaTheGuide]

@@nsg8bit Whoops! Yeah I keep forgetting it e .e will try to release it today and tell you when I do

[@nsg8bit]

@@LucaTheGuide that whould be fantastic i been looking for something like this ship and there dont seem many out there like it. Thanks.

[@pedropimenta896]

Now I want a script that autopilots drones in a way that they stay within the golden zone, kinda lije relative dampeners but smarter...

[@LucaTheGuide]

Sounds like a good idea * -*

[@dusty4896]

Brilliant now tell me how

[@theprogrammer32]

hehe.. seamen

[@deinemomdrian3154]

*sigh* What does the the "Fur" in your name stand for? -__-

[@LucaTheGuide]

furry xD

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

When, Why, & How? . Never. Because they suck as a concept in space combat. It can't be done in any reasonably practical way. . In fairness...SE doesn't have anything even vaguely approaching real space mechanics, so carriers are hypothetically somewhat more viable as a concept in the game. But...not really. In actual space combat, though, missiles and fighters are completely and eternally useless...and no quasi-magical technology will ever change that.

[@rodger8918]

Helpful and informative video, but by the Gods and Goddesses the robotic voice was annoying as hell.

[@LucaTheGuide]

Edit: Thanks! c= yeah I try to talk more in my newer videos x3

[@electricimpact9322]

The video has good tips but is just annoying the way it’s presented and the voice

[@wellandrachel]

The voice is so annoying i swear i nearly put my fist through my device listening to that

[@LucaTheGuide]

rip xD