This mod adds a fleet management UI to the game, accessible via the Sidebar (in the INFO section).
The most basic functionality of this mod is to just assign some ships to the 'Player Fleet' and they will follow you and engage enemies based on the selected stances (see below). The ships will then not be part of your squad in terms of that game mechanic, so you won't see "In my squad" on the property monitor. But it will still behave correctly.
UFO allows you to assign "stances" to your fleets, ships, and even single NPCs. Stances are seperated into "Aggression Level" and "Formation Mode".
The following is a list of all aggression Levels:
Passive: This mode forces the formation mode "Don't Break". In this mode captains and pilots will stay in formation with the fleet at all times, and defence officers will never fire at enemies.
Defensive: Captains and pilots will react to enemies based on their formation mode only if the fleet is attacked. Defence officers will fire upon enemies only if the fleet is attacked.
Offensive: Captains and pilots will react to enemies based on their formation mode as soon as enemies are detected. Defence officers will fire upon any enemy in range.
The following is a list of all formation modes (note that defence officers ignore formation modes):
Break: In this mode captains and pilots will break formation based on their aggression level.
Don't Break: In this mode, captains and pilots will always stay in formation and never fly towards the enemy, regardless of aggression level.
UFO also allows you to give some basic commands to your fleet. Below is a list of all commands currently supported:
Escort Ship: This orders the fleet to protect a chosen ship based on the stances of the fleet (e.g. if all ships are 'Passive' then this is just a follow command).
Move to Zone: This orders the fleet to move to a chosen zone. Enemies will be engaged based on the stances of the fleet (e.g. in 'Offensive' stance, this acts like an attack command).
Should any of your fleets engage some enemies, they will send you a real-time status report with details about your fleet, the enemy ships, and the zone where the enemy was detected.
This mod also features using crew skills. For example, highly skilled captains can make in-sector jumps with their capital ships, and ships in general react faster to changing circumstances based on their skills.
Please be aware that this is a beta release and as such might melt your PC, destroy the world, or who knows. So please use it with caution.