It would be nice if tractor beams could be used to keep kamikaze cruisers at a distance by not only preventing them from closing the gap but actually forcing them farther away. My biggest problem in survival is the enemies constantly kamikaze run and blow up on top of my ships and I can’t seem to find a way to prevent it. It leaves me defenseless against the endless stream of fighters I would otherwise have no trouble stopping.
What weapons mix are you using? Nothing gets within a couple hundred of my fleet.
Super fast fighters are virtually unhitable. I want to know your anti-fighter ship designs Serpent 
Use the anti fighter weapons, preferably the cruiser ones. Defense laser is good but doesn’t have much range… The capital beam pulse laser though, that has longer range and better damage and is duel use against frigates (turns them to steaming piles of frigatemush actually) and is even useful against Capital ships whose shields are down. My anti fighter cruisers combine these two weapons with tractor beams to maximize fighter munching and crunching.
Also, make sure to note that the fighter laser has 8 armor piercing. If you want anything to survive for long against fighters, have at least 9-11 armor avg combined with some nanobots. The fighters will eventually take your armor down with critical hits, but as long as your nano bots hold out you’ll be able to repair it.