DC questionS, forming groups and torpedo attacks

[Joe S]

I am just starting to play DC even though I have owned it for quite a while. When I order a torpedo attack, the ship or squadron immediately, fires torpedoes. Is is possible for them to manuver into a favorable firing position on their own or do I have to lead them by the nose?

Without fail, after a few minutes my squadrons disintegrate and I have ten or twelve individual ships to deal with . Then, when I try to reform them into groups, I can never get a new group to form. What is the secret to keeping groups together and reforming them? Thanks! Joe S

[Chapeau]

Originally Posted by Joe S

I am just starting to play DC even though I have owned it for quite a while. When I order a torpedo attack, the ship or squadron immediately, fires torpedoes. Is is possible for them to manuver into a favorable firing position on their own or do I have to lead them by the nose?

This is the United States Navy - when we get an order we don't discuss it over tea and crumpets, we obey it RIGHT NOW. You have to make sure they're in a good firing position first.

Without fail, after a few minutes my squadrons disintegrate and I have ten or twelve individual ships to deal with. Then, when I try to reform them into groups, I can never get a new group to form. What is the secret to keeping groups together and reforming them? Thanks! Joe S

Are you writing your own scenarios or running the stock ones? If you're writing them, it may be that your formation and/or movement orders are causing the problem. If ths is happening with the stock scenarios, I have no clue. Give more details.

To reform a group, left click on a ship to "lock" it, hold down the Shift key, and click on each of the other ships you want to be in the group. When they're all "locked" (or whatever the correct term is), right click on any of them and choose "Form Group" from the drop-down menu. Then click on the one you want to be the flag, choose "Transfer Flag", click on the one you want to be the guide (usually the same one), choose "Guide", then choose "Formation" and "Formation Spacing". PITA, no doubt, but that's how it's done.