Issue with aircraft safety

[ketatrypt]

hello! My first post here, just wanted to say how awesome it is that so many people support such a great game!

I am having an issue trying to figure out what to do with aircraft while building a squad up - I can build them and stuff, but, I can't seem to find a way to keep them safe - I try to keep them inside a shield, but, if a single spyplane goes overhead, they will all take off after it and get drawn into enemy fire. And every time, I have to micromanage them, and pull them back.

1 way I found around this is use an aircraft carrier, but not all maps have water, and not all races have carriers.

So what gives? how can I keep my planes safer? (preferably keep them inside a shield until I am ready to use them)

Oh yea.. I suppose I should mention I am playing on campaign, on hard difficulty. I figure it would make a somewhat good tutorial before going online?

Thanks!

[CookieNoob]

Well, campain isnt that good to practise for multiplayer.. in these missions you have to react to a specific scenario, in multiplayer you have to react to whatever your oppenent is doing. Playing the Supreme Commander campain (not the forged alliance campain) will introduce the basic game mechanics, not more. The FA campain requires a very different play style compaired to games against humans. If you are able to beat the campain, try to beat a sorian AI on theta passage or any other map of your choice. If you manage that, dont waste more time playing against a pc and join "noob" or "beginner" games. Another way to improve on how you play could be to watch a few point of view casts or replays from higher rated players (you dont have to start with ZLO/Chosen/*any other super high apm player*, just take some 1300 player) from their perspective. Push shift and try to see what they do and for what reason.

To answer your inital question:
Airplanes are combat units, they are supposed to fight enemy aircraft or land units... if you dont want them to engage, set them on "hold fire". However you have to tell them to fight again when you need them afterwards. Trying to keep them shielded seems a bit unnecessary to me. In a game against humans, the air game is very different from the campain anyway.

[Crotalus]

Hold fire was already mentioned, also if you patrol the planes in a small "safe area" they will return there automatically when giving up the chase of the air scout. Currently interceptors run up to 75 km before returning, which is a bit excessive maybe.

[Hawkei]

1. Hold fire
2. Put under shield
3. Build ground based AA
4. use small patrol of fighters to control airspace, with air staging facility, and leave bulk of air force inside protected area.