Anyone able to do this yet? I can add in gunboat patrols but no destroyers, cruisers or Battleships. I too would really like to see these bigger ships as encounters but I haven't found a way to do it so far.

Same for me...
I am working on it, but I haven't succeeded yet...

This interets me a lot too - but no luck even with gunboats. Can someone enlighten me - I can get all other basic encounters in the mission folder to work, but gunboats just don't seem to spawn for me

(I've tried using the area_gunboats and modifying area_defend to include sc_gunboats instead of fighters)

well gunboats are easy... have to use rheinland military or nomad faction though... They are the only one with gunboats...

edit area_gunboats.ini:
[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_gunboats
pilot_job = assault_leader_job
make_class = wanderer
formation_by_class = gunboats
behavior = wander
arrival = all, -object_all
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3

add this line to your "system_name".ini:

[EncounterParameters
nickname = area_gunboats
filename = missions\encounters\area_gunboats.ini

and add this info to one of your zones:
encounter = area_gunboats, 2, 1.000000
faction = rh_n_grp, 0.600000

Bretonia got gunboats too

yup... you're right..

cheers - was using liberty (doh!)

Hehe, ok lets figure out how to get the battleships and cruisers into the game too

Thats great, I was gonna post something about fighting bigger ships, if someone can do this that would be Great!

Kusari has gunboats as well. I've added gunboat patrols in certain areas in Kusari, Rheinland and Bretonia. The Kusari gunboats are pretty funky looking but I like them more than the others. I always have them escorted by 4 navy fighters as well.

Well gunboats are working well now...

I was wondering if you can place ships as fighting and destroyable objects (or even if you can destroy objects)? I'm trying to put together an inner sol system set piece battle and I'm just too new to all this (sigh).

right now the game's not crashing anymore when I try to add area_cruisers, they just don't appear.. So not much progress here right now...

just a thought, but maybe you could add a battleship to the "destroy installation" mission... I'm not sure where a rogue faction would get the means to acquire a Rheinland battleship (for example) but it could be a good excercise.

Well, the real idea is to have the cap ships patroling around showing a naval presence in the various systems. Yeah, we could add them in as a base in a mission like you suggested, but I'm not sure that would teach us anything new concerning our problem though. Might try it for kicks though. Ya never know... Might work ok as a Zoner mission to get the oppressive -(insert dis-liked navy here)- off their backs. Won't help your rep with that navy though..hehe..