SENS (and XSENS) revisited

[Prospective]

From reading my 'First Contact" post, Ur-Lord suggested using convoy routes with picket ships in order to patrol warp points to provide a warning that an unknown fleet was in the area. In that discussion was talk of the SENS and XSENS order. However, looking at the Convoy Route Supplement, neither SENS or XSENS appear as a valid order within a convoy route.

 

There is a ? section that says other orders may be added later.

 

Can anyone verify whether I can put a SENS or XSENS order within a convoy route? I'd prefer not to waste a number of orders writing a convoy route that won't do what I thought it would do.

 

Thanks.

[SargonKingOfSlith]

The SENSE and XSENSE commands are used by ships that are sitting still at a location and otherwise not doing anything.

 

Fleets on a convoy route will be MOVEing, NMing, or WARPing, and thus a SENSE command is unnecessary.

 

You get an Alien Fleet Sighting report if both of the following conditions are met:

1. your fleet is at the same location as an alien fleet

2. your fleet just performed an action, or their fleet just performed an action

[Prospective]

Ok, so if I build a picket ship and put it at a WP with an XSENS, an "alien fleet sighting" report will be generated whenever a non-cloak equipped fleet arrives at that WP (100% of the time, no way to miss them, right?).

 

However, if I build a picket ship and put it in a convoy route between several WP's in the same system, an "alien fleet sighting" report will be generated by virtue of the actual MOVe orders between WP's...so a SENS or XSENS is un-needed. Is that "movement triggered alien fleet sighting report" guaranteed to be 100% (as long as the opposite fleet is un-cloaked)??

 

Thanks.

[hobknob]

Nothing is certain. By using a convoy route to picket WP's you are able to use fewer ships/fleets than a dedicated WP sentry. There has been some experience that indicates the SENS is less acurate at finding alian fleets than simply moving, but Pete mentioned that an adjustment has been made.

 

Cloaking is another issue entirely.