The Train Effect

I have noticed in several battles where my fleet or oppenents fleet are spread out that these fleets instead as pivoting as one mass they will line up like train or traffic jam, and then just get crushed by the opposing tighter formation. Has anyone else here noticed this, and how do you prevent it? Is it a flaw in the game itself?

You want your ships to meet the enemy ships all at the same time. If your ships are strung out you’re essentially just letting the other guy cross the T on you, in which case your ships are screwed.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_T

As each ship comes into range one at a time you’re in a situation where his entire fleet is facing only a single one of your ships. As that one ship is utterly doomed, the enemy fleet will probably destroy it before another one of your ships comes into range. Thus, you are fighting while outnumbered by a huge degree and its not a single engagement, but a series of target practice engagements for the other side.

My large engagement fleet is built around this concept. I use the Formation order, with the formation’d ship being anti-fighter, high armor and repair modules. It’s well enough back that an enemy will have to wade through a fast missile firestorm to get to it and break the formation, too