[Request] Indvidual/group subordinate control in boarding menu

[A5PECT]

So I'm flying a frigate to board a target. The frigate has a fighter assigned to attack with commander in alpha group, and alpha group is set to "docked." I want to board the target using the frigate, but I want the fighter assigned to the frigate to stay docked and not participate in the boarding operation.


(Click to enlarge)

If I launch the boarding operation from here, the fighter is also issued the boarding order, despite the group it belongs to being set to "docked." There is no option in the boarding menu to individually select the fighter under the frigate's command and exempt it from the boarding operation.

I would like some way to do this without having to unassign the subordinate ship from the commander.

[Nanook]

Move the fighter pilot from Pilot to Crew Member in the fighter. Ships can't undock without a pilot.

[A5PECT]

Move the fighter pilot from Pilot to Crew Member in the fighter. Ships can't undock without a pilot.

There are multiple workarounds. None of the workarounds are less bothersome than unassigning and reassigning subordinates for every boarding operation, and no workarounds are scalable into larger, more complex fleets.

If I have a fleet of 4 destroyers and 40 fighters led by a carrier, but I only want the carrier, one destroyer, and 20 fighters to engage in a boarding operation, I have to recompose the entire fleet for the operation, conduct the operation, then recompose the fleet again into its original arrangement.

[Nanook]

Or you could simply compose one fleet just for boarding ops, since you seem to have several available. With that many ships, it shouldn't be a problem.

I don't really relate to that style of boarding, though, since I always do the boarding op in person with ships only piloted by me. I'll fly a fighter or corvette/frigate to disable the ship, then fly the boarding ship myself, usually my personal destroyer, to do the actual boarding. I learned early on that the AI is too dumb to be allowed to do such delicate tasks.

[Mikhaleech]

There is a trick, actually. Not to mess with manual orders or unassigning the pilots.

Open the "Behaviour" in subordinate docked ship panel.
Proceed to the "Dock and Wait" order.
Click on "+" near that order and choose the "Sync Point", Kappa i.e.

That's it, boarding order shall never replace the docking order and the subordinate ship holds still even in case main ship is participating in boarding.