Strength alone isn`t always the key to victory. In times when you`re outnumbered, or out fired, it is tactics that can turn the tide of battle, and give you victory against unfavourable odds.

In Delta Quadrant: Horizons, your fleets can have an advantage or disadvantage against your enemies through the use of Formations.

Formations are the way your ships are organised within your fleet. Formations affect the way damage is distributed among your ships, and also your fleets accuracy and evasion.

Ships at the front of your fleet will take damage first, and this means they will be first to be destroyed. You can use this to your advantage if you plan your ship designs carefully.

This formation places your smallest ships at the front, making them first to be destroyed in battle. Your fleet remains together, increasing your own accuracy by 20%.

This formation splits your fleet in half, and places small ships towards the front of each section, making them first to be destroyed in battle. This formation increases fleet evasion, thus decreasing enemy fleet accuracy by 20%.

This formation places your largest ships at the front, making them first to be destroyed in battle. Your fleet remains together, increasing your own accuracy by 20%.

This formation splits your fleet in half, and places the largest ships towards the front of each section, making them first to be destroyed in battle. This formation increases fleet evasion, thus decreasing enemy fleet accuracy by 20%.

Your ships are organised in a random way, meaning ships are destroyed more or less randomly. Your fleet remains together, increasing your own accuracy by 20%.

This formation splits your fleet in half, and ships are organised in a random way, meaning ships are destroyed more or less randomly. This formation increases fleet evasion, thus decreasing enemy fleet accuracy by 20%.

Depending on the situation, it may not always be in your advantage to fight. Fleet tactics control how your fleet responds if it is idle in the same star as a fleet from another empire. There are three types of tactic, these are Aggressive, Guard and Defensive. Fleets may also be set to help allies.

An idle fleet will firstly respond to any fleet that has an aggressive mission against its own empire within the same star, such as bombard or invade, or if the fleet itself is attacked. An idle fleet will also help any other fleet from its empire within the same star system.

Next, if an idled fleet has no target but 'Help ally' is set, it will help any allied fleet that is involved in a battle around the same star.

If after this a fleet from any empire has no target, and aggressive status is set, it will first search for any enemy fleets within the same star and engage them. If no enemies are present, it will then search for any neutral fleet within the same system and attack, unless your empire has a NAP with this empire. A fleet with aggressive status will still respond to attacks from empires with NAP, as explained above.

If a fleet has guard status, and is idled around a star, this fleet will engage any enemy fleets in orbit of the same star, and start a battle. It will not start a battle with neutral fleets. It will still respond to attacks from any empire as explained above.

If a fleet has defencive status, and is idled around a star, it will not start a battle with any fleets. It will however, still respond to attacks from any empire as explained above.