How does guard 'aggro' work?

[BobTheJanitor]

If you'll excuse me the MMO term. I seem to recall reading something in some recent patch notes that I can't track down now about how the entire planet isn't supposed to attack when your ships show up. This, in general, isn't my experience. For example, I'm trying to clear out guard posts on a planet (with an Eye) with some autocannon minipods. But as soon as they uncloak and attack a guard post, just about everything on the planet (well, about 250 out of 350 ships) comes after me. I'm not sure how much proximity has to do with it, but this is basically putting my ships on the far side of a guard post from the rest of a planet, uncloaking and letting loose on the guard post, then running away to try and recloak again. It doesn't really seem to work with 200+ ships on my tail though. I don't want to just clear the AI fleet out, because of the Eye. Is my impression incorrect, and is it normal for guards to just come from everywhere as soon as you show up on the planet? Are the AI ships generally in an FRD mode of their own? In the advice I've seen for getting rid of Eyes, people seem to suggest strategies similar to this, but with guards streaming at me from everywhere, I have no idea how I can take out the posts one at a time and not kill guards.

[keith.lamothe]

Any AI ship within about 11,000 range of your ships is likely to attack; and if you fire on a ship or a guard post, all ships in that "guard group" will aggro.

There are several other rules, but those are the main ones, I'd imagine.

[TechSY730]

The "aggro" nerf you are referring to applies more to "freeing" the ships (aka. put them into threat) as oppsoed to letting them go across the system to take out intruders. Generally, you have to out firepower them 2:1 before all ships will become full fledged "threat freed". However, they are free to wander away from their posts if there is something on the system they deem threatening enough, or when the command station is in danger. What is threatening enough for them to break away from their "zone defense" tactics and seek out enemy ships on the system wherever they are? I don't know the specifics on that. However, I do know that killing what a ship is guarding is pretty much a sure fire way to get them to be fully "threat freed".

Addendum: As I was writing, Keith pointed out one good condition. The space within 11000 distance of what they are guarding is their "zone to defend", which is much bigger than you may of been thinking.

EDIT: I said Chris by mistake, my bad.

[keith.lamothe]

The firepower thing is also important though.  If you come in with overwhelming force they will all go after you, in hopes of at least making a dent.

[x4000]

And also, if you're playing certain AI Types, like tag teamer, the same goes.  Also if you attack the command station right from the start, rather than guard posts or whatever.

[BobTheJanitor]

Maybe some sort of firepower thing was what it was, because I just checked and it definitely wasn't within 11,000 of anything else except stuff right at that guard post. But I did bring in about 350 ships, although the planet had about 350 ships as well, so I'd think the firepower would be close... although I have no idea how to check that (do we have a way to check that?) What does it use to determine this? Does it attack if it thinks you're too weak, too strong, or what? Or is this supposed to be internal workings that we as players are not supposed to dabble in?

[x4000]

It's if you have about 2x its firepower, it will free all the guard posts at once.  Unless your ships were way better than theirs, if you had about equal numbers that shouldn't have been it.

[TechSY730]

Maybe some sort of firepower thing was what it was, because I just checked and it definitely wasn't within 11,000 of anything else except stuff right at that guard post. But I did bring in about 350 ships, although the planet had about 350 ships as well, so I'd think the firepower would be close... although I have no idea how to check that (do we have a way to check that?) What does it use to determine this? Does it attack if it thinks you're too weak, too strong, or what? Or is this supposed to be internal workings that we as players are not supposed to dabble in?

Yes you do. There is a Mobile Military (firepower) filter in the galaxy view that will switch the display from ship counts to total ship firepower per planet, for both you and the enemy. Basically if it says F:(A number), then that number is a firepower rating.

EDIT: Be careful. There is currently a bug where the other firepower modes besides Mobile Military (firepower) will not switch the enemy display to firepower counts. Thus it will show your firepower, and enemy ship counts, rendering comparison pointless. Make sure you choose Mobile Military (firepower) if you want to compare.

[BobTheJanitor]

Ah, interesting. I don't suppose there's a way to check firepower of just a group of selected ships though? Now that I have finally cleaned out the planet and don't have all my minipods there, it's hard to tell what they're worth. It was basically a full cap of mark I and II minipods though, for whatever that's worth. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on those numbers as I move on to other planets and see how it shakes down. If it keeps acting odd I'll try and get a save and post it.

[TechSY730]

Ah, interesting. I don't suppose there's a way to check firepower of just a group of selected ships though? Now that I have finally cleaned out the planet and don't have all my minipods there, it's hard to tell what they're worth. It was basically a full cap of mark I and II minipods though, for whatever that's worth. I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on those numbers as I move on to other planets and see how it shakes down. If it keeps acting odd I'll try and get a save and post it.

Sadly no. Currently there is no way to check the firepower of only the selected ships. I think there is a suggestion in the bug tracker for that, but it has been pushed to post-5.0 due to time constraints.