How do you easily change ship loadouts?

[Biv]

Like, if I have 10 corvettes called "Table-Class". I make two new loadouts, call them the "Bed-Class" and "Chair-Class".


How do I indicate which class I want them to upgrade to? Let's say I want half of my corvettes to Beds and the other half to be Chairs?


How do I get them to "upgrade" to a class that is, technically, less powerful but specialized for a certain role? And how do I force them to upgrade to that class instead of the more powerful one?

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

I think from what I've seen the game defers to the sub class with most damage output. For example I had railings and a laser. I created a torpedo picket class. When I upgraded my fleet they all became torps.

 

[Biv]

So I have to create a new design and erase the old one every time I change for different enemies or to adjust my tactics?

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

So I have to create a new design and erase the old one every time I change for different enemies or to adjust my tactics?

You can create multiple classes as desired.

Each design when saved can be built any any space station should the required update be made. Due to the in game random naming of created classes I'd recommend either naming the vessel by its purpose or using a abbreviation in capital.
For example corvettes armed with torpedoes I'd call "torps" or TORS prefix if you are role-playing.

 

[Biv]

You can create multiple classes as desired.

Each design when saved can be built any any space station should the required update be made. Due to the in game random naming of created classes I'd recommend either naming the vessel by its purpose or using a abbreviation in capital.
For example corvettes armed with torpedoes I'd call "torps" or TORS prefix if you are role-playing.

I appreciate the response, but that's not quite what I'm asking. I know how to make lots of classes. What I want to do is adjust the weapons on my already built ships before each battle. And have a bunch of different classes set up that I can switch between on a whim. Apparently you can't do that very easily until 2.2. The only way is to create a class, break off the ships you want to be that class, then upgrade them. Then you delete that class, design a new class, and do it again with the next ships.

 

[Peskie]

The Stellaris wiki says [emphasis added]¹:

[The Stellaris wiki is failing to bring up history so I can't link to a ~1.7 version or see if it's changed since then.]

All designs created or edited apply only to new shipbuilding orders, not to ships already under construction or in the fleet. However, a fleet can be ordered to upgrade to the nearest spaceport in order to update its entire design. When it does so, each ship will upgrade to the latest existing design for its hull size that has a name identical to its current design name (e.g., a Victory class cruiser will upgrade to the most recent "Victory" cruiser design). If there is no such identically-named design, it will upgrade to the most recent design for its hull size, whatever the name.

So unless this was a change added after 1.7 you can make whatever changes you want, including a brand new Corvette design, and if you save it as "Table-Class" then that's what your existing "Table-Class" Corvettes will upgrade/change into. The work-around to do what you want (it's a work around since without any kind of UI or anything you're relying on an implementation detail) is to delete or rename your existing "Table-Class" Corvette design (so there is no design with the same name) and then re-save/create your "Bed-Class" Corvette design before commanding half your Corvettes to upgrade (split the fleet manuall first). Then, once that's complete, you'd re-save/create your "Chair-Class" Corvette design before commanding the last of your "Table-Class" Corvettes to upgrade. If this sounds like a fidgety/poorly-designed/pain-in-the-ass hack I'd agree.

Note: I haven't actually tried this so it may rely on an implementation detail post-1.7 or PC specific. Frankly it's such a horrible way to do it that I would never bother.

On the plus side, if this silly mucking around works then you'll have two separately named designs that you can then change at will and as long as you don't want/need to move/upgrade any more existing ships between those deign types then you can just use the upgrade fleet command in the future and your "Table-Class" Corvettes will become the new "Table-Class" and your "Bed-Class" Corvettes will become the "Bed-Class".

¹ [Edit: The wiki history started working again so I was able to adjust the link to point at a ~1.7-ish version which had basically the same description.]

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

I appreciate the response, but that's not quite what I'm asking. I know how to make lots of classes. What I want to do is adjust the weapons on my already built ships before each battle. And have a bunch of different classes set up that I can switch between on a whim. Apparently you can't do that very easily until 2.2. The only way is to create a class, break off the ships you want to be that class, then upgrade them. Then you delete that class, design a new class, and do it again with the next ships.

I think you are correct in needing to separate vessels in order to upgrade them separately. I think its important to build vessels that aren't completely dedicated to one weapon type.

It's certainly a chore. I don't think there is a work around. From what time I've put into the game I'd say that's its wiser to simplify fleet management.

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

The Stellaris wiki says [emphasis added]:

[The Stellaris wiki is failing to bring up history so I can't link to a ~1.7 version or see if it's changed since then.]



So unless this was a change added after 1.7 you can make whatever changes you want, including a brand new Corvette design, and if you save it as "Table-Class" then that's what your existing "Table-Class" Corvettes will upgrade/change into. The work-around to do what you want (it's a work around since without any kind of UI or anything you're relying on an implementation detail) is to delete or rename your existing "Table-Class" Corvette design (so there is no design with the same name) and then re-save/create your "Bed-Class" Corvette design before commanding half your Corvettes to upgrade (split the fleet manuall first). Then, once that's complete, you'd re-save/create your "Chair-Class" Corvette design before commanding the last of your "Table-Class" Corvettes to upgrade. If this sounds like a fidgety/poorly-designed/pain-in-the-ass hack I'd agree.

Note: I haven't actually tried this so it may rely on an implementation detail post-1.7 or PC specific. Frankly it's such a horrible way to do it that I would never bother.

On the plus side, if this silly mucking around works then you'll have two separately named designs that you can then change at will and as long as you don't want/need to move/upgrade any more existing ships between those deign types then you can just use the upgrade fleet command in the future and your "Table-Class" Corvettes will become the new "Table-Class" and your "Bed-Class" Corvettes will become the "Bed-Class".

So updating a vessel applies only to its subclass specific named variant? I'll thibk I'll check that out when on the game next.

 

[Davor]

I appreciate the response, but that's not quite what I'm asking. I know how to make lots of classes. What I want to do is adjust the weapons on my already built ships before each battle. And have a bunch of different classes set up that I can switch between on a whim. Apparently you can't do that very easily until 2.2. The only way is to create a class, break off the ships you want to be that class, then upgrade them. Then you delete that class, design a new class, and do it again with the next ships.

I might be mistaken here, but for my ship we will call Table. Table has lasers on it. Later I discover cannons that do more damage. So what I do is go to the Table ship change the lasers to cannons and save. Then then I just click on my fleet and click on "upgrade" and those Table ships upgrade to them.

Now say I have Chairs and I want them to upgrade to Table as well, then I have to go to the Chairs and change them there. I just don't know a way of upgrading Chairs to Tables.

Is that what you are asking for?

 

[Biv]

I think I confused the issue. I'm going to oversimplify this.


I have two enemies. One uses mainly shields, the other, mainly armor.


I have three ship loadouts. Couches, who have a balanced load out, Chairs, who have mainly shield killing weapons, and Tables, who have mainly armor killing weapons.


The Table loadout is more powerful than the Couches, who are more powerful than the Chairs. But they all have specialty roles.


I would like to be able to switch between three on a whim without having to delete and recreate the classes every time....something you apparently can't do until 2.2.

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

I might be mistaken here, but for my ship we will call Table. Table has lasers on it. Later I discover cannons that do more damage. So what I do is go to the Table ship change the lasers to cannons and save. Then then I just click on my fleet and click on "upgrade" and those Table ships upgrade to them.

Now say I have Chairs and I want them to upgrade to Table as well, then I have to go to the Chairs and change them there. I just don't know a way of upgrading Chairs to Tables.

Is that what you are asking for?

Unless you just build tables. Scrapping all the chairs and creating a replacement for chairs that would compliment tables (without being a table).

 

[Andre The Magnificent]

I think I confused the issue. I'm going to oversimplify this.


I have two enemies. One uses mainly shields, the other, mainly armor.


I have three ship loadouts. Couches, who have a balanced load out, Chairs, who have mainly shield killing weapons, and Tables, who have mainly armor killing weapons.


The Table loadout is more powerful than the Couches, who are more powerful than the Chairs. But they all have specialty roles.


I would like to be able to switch between three on a whim without having to delete and recreate the classes every time....something you apparently can't do until 2.2.

I'd separate the mixed fleet into specialised fleets, one for each antagonistic entity.