Launching Units
From Beyond Protocol
Utilizing Launch All Units
In general, there are two different circumstances in which this tactic could save your life, or the lives of those under your command. The first is during base defense. Placing multiple hangars around the outskirts of your base works best to protect the entire base. Placing them at the center aids in concentrating your forces and will help them work together. What is not recommended is building a single hangar to house all of your reinforcements. Should the enemy notice this, or just get extremely lucky, you could end up losing all of your units very quickly. Remember, when a ship or building is destroyed, all those inside can be counted among the dead.
The most common unit used with the LAU protocol is the Fighter. When using them in this manner, it is important to remember they are capable of targeting components. Any behavioral settings given before they are docked, are retained, so be sure to set those before placing the units in their hangars. In this case, it is most useful to set the target component to engines.
Likewise, to use the LAU protocol in space, often as part of a blockade or an ambush, continue targeting engines. This is still important because using this properly prevents enemy escape and blockade bypass. However, if you have knocked out the engines, you now potentially have an angry capitol ship at the center of your fleet. For this reason, it is advised to have separate divisions also target radar and weapons.
Of course, LAU protocol does not need to be limited to Fighters. This method could be used to launch capitol ships from space stations, or Corvettes from very large carriers. In this way, the fleet guarding a point of interest could be many times larger than Command Points allow, just not all at once. There is also the possibility of launching larger ships, which in turn launch smaller ships. Even if every launched unit only launches one more unit, you still have a force that multiplies after launch, which decreases the amount of time it takes to replenish lost units.
Using Re-Enforcing Units
As a fight continues, your CP will go down both from losing units and gaining veterans. One of the best ways to fill those gaps is fighters or tanks. Since the enemy has no way of knowing what is inside your ships, structures, or Space Stations, the best way to surprise them is to have units ready to be deployed as the first wave of your fleet is being destroyed. If you’re lucky, your opponents will not be prepared for this maneuver. Imagine their shock when suddenly you have a completely fresh group of units that are ready to destroy your opponents’ fleets with renewed furor.
For instance, a Carrier filled with fighters can be parked just out of the battle. Then, when your CP drops to 200 points, launch 20 Fighters. On the ground, you can modify this tactic to dropping ships full of Tanks. Having your own reinforcements ready if needed can quickly change the tide of the war. Pay close attention when utilizing this tactic. If you are not careful when reinforcing you may quickly find that you have overwhelmed your allowable CP to the point where your own units will start firing on themselves.
