A real space engagement might be fought at extreme range, much like modern naval missile warfare in which weapons are launched long before impact. Deadlock compresses the action into a confined game space, so its tactical rules need to be judged on their own terms. Fighters remain important within those rules, which makes close defence a basic requirement. Main guns above and below could provide broad coverage, while close-in anti-fighter systems to port, starboard, and forward would leave friendly fighters to help cover the stern.
Chapter · 9:00-11:55
Standoff missiles meet a fighter-heavy battlespace
Long-range missile combat may suit space, but the game's confined engagements and important fighter threat still demand close-in defences.