New division mode ‘Column’

[Skeksis]

We have ‘Line Ahead ‘and ‘Line Abreast’ but I think there’s room for a ‘Column’ setting. Ships to line up and sail 3 abreast for the length of the number of ship in the division.

Ships sorted to:

• Heaviest to lightest (regardless of class).
• Heaviest 1/3 to form the centre column.
• Lightest 2/3  to form the port and starboard columns.

       It would be very quick and easy to sort, as fast as sorting polygons in the 3D pipeline.

What this sort and mode achieves is that the utmost capital ships ends up in the centre column and the rest, the supporting ships, end up in the side columns. By allowing any class of ship into divisions now it has opened up the battle instance to some new tactics, to new formations/division modes etc. e.g. Currently (and previously) smoke screening ships had to be in another division and their course managed every time the main division changes its course. Any other auto formation mode doesn’t allow for smokescreens to be effective because there’s too much distance between those set formations, a 'Column' mode will provide smokescreens effectives on a automatic-mode level. I'm sure there will be many more such tactics to come about with this mode.  

e.g.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Skeksis