Here is mine, and it works fine - although i didn't bother to work out if it spawns JUST right (as in position for ship number), so it might end up with a cruiser where a gunboat is for you..........but it IS in a beautful wall formation

[Formation
nickname = battleship_wall
pos = 0, 0, 0
pos = 400, 0, 0
pos = -400, 0, 0
pos = 0, -250, 0
pos = 400, -250, 0
pos = 0, 250, 0
pos = 400, 250, 0
pos = -400, 250, 0
pos = 600, 250, 0
pos = 400, 550, 0
pos = -400, -250, 0
pos = -600, 250, 0
pos = -600, -250, 0
pos = 600, -250, 0
pos = 0, 550, 0
pos = 0, -550, 0
pl_pos = 0, 0, 500

OK, I updated the formation and it works much, much better. However when I have it spawn 9 ships (in any amount of gunboats and cruisers) only 8 are formed and the 9th patrolls around the formation. Is there a limit of 8 to a formation? Do I need to change something in escorts.ini?

BTW thanks for the quick answer Chips ...You Da Man

if you use the same amount of positions as the above, you will have 13 ships in your formation maximum including the player ship, pl_pos.

in case that if you didn't know or fully understand the formation sequence... the first pos entry is always the lead ship then the folowing entry's are the escort ships this is in the order of Lead ship, escort group 1, escort group 2, and so on... and of course this is controlled by your encounter parameter.

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Thank you for the info fire...I did not understand....still kinda sketchy....
I am getting 9 ships including the battleship but only 8 of em are in formation. The 9th seems to wander around a bit. With chips fomation I accomplished what I needed to but it would be nice if they were all formed together and symetrical.

here in the info in my capitalships_rhineland.ini
[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_battleships
pilot_job = assault_leader_job
make_class = wanderer
ship_by_class = 4, 4, sc_cruisers
pilot_job = assault_job
make_class = wanderer
ship_by_class = 4, 4, sc_gunboats
pilot_job = assault_job
make_class = wanderer
formation_by_class = battleships
behavior = wander
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = no
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3


This is the capitalships_escorts.ini
[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_fighters
pilot_job = assault_leader_job
make_class = wanderer
ship_by_class = 4, 4, sc_fighters
pilot_job = assault_job
make_class = wanderer
formation_by_class = fighters
behavior = wander
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = no
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3


This is the area that I have an encounter in:
[zone
nickname = zone_rh01_pop_berlin
pos = 51766, 0, 7701
shape = SPHERE
size = 6000
comment = Berlin
sort = 9
toughness = 10
density = 10
repop_time = 10
max_battle_size = 20
pop_type = rh_p_grp, co_khc_grp, base_cluster_law
relief_time = 10
faction_weight = rh_n_grp, 9
faction_weight = rh_p_grp, 9
faction_weight = rh_p_grp_prisoners, 5
faction_weight = co_alg_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_khc_grp, 10
faction_weight = rh_m_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_ni_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_rs_grp, 10
faction_weight = co_ss_grp, 10
density_restriction = 8, unlawfuls
encounter = capitalships_Rhineland, 19, 1.000000
faction = rh_n_grp, 1.000000
encounter = capitalships_Escorts, 19, 1.000000
faction = rh_n_grp, 1.000000

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

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

Trying changing faction_weight which is how many of each faction can show up at once and also max_battle_size.. which is, well, the maximum amount of ships in a certain zone at one time.

this is my battleship formation in script...

<script
<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\formations.ini" method="append"
<source
[Formation
nickname = fb_capescorts_special
pos = 0, 0, 0
pos = 0, 200, 0
pos = 200, 0, 0
pos = -200, 0, 0
pos = 0, 0, -400
pos = 0, -200, 0
pos = 200, 0, -200
pos = -200, 0, -200
pos = 0, -100, -200
pos = 200, 0, -200
pos = -200, 0, -200
pos = 0, -100, 200
pl_pos = 0, 0, 400
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\ENCOUNTERS\capitalships_Lsf_cruiser_patrol.ini" method="append"
<source
[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_cruisers
pilot_job = job_battleship
make_class = class_patroller
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_fighters
pilot_job = escort_leader_job
make_class = class_patroller
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -1
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -2
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 4, 6, sc_fighters, -3
pilot_job = escort_job
formation_by_class = battleships
behavior = patrol_path
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 5
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\ENCOUNTERS\capitalships_Lsf_escort_patrol.ini" method="append" newfile="true"
<source
[EncounterFormation
ship_by_class = 1, 1, sc_fighters
pilot_job = escort_leader_job
make_class = class_patroller
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -1
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -2
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -3
pilot_job = escort_job
formation_by_class = fighters
behavior = patrol_path
arrival = cruise
allow_simultaneous_creation = yes
zone_creation_distance = 0
times_to_create = infinite

[Creation
permutation = 0, 3
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\npcships.ini" method="append"
<source
[NPCShipArch
nickname = fbt_elite_cruiser
loadout = fbt_elite_cruiser_loadout
level = d19
ship_archetype = li_cruiser
pilot = fbt_cruiser_default
state_graph = CRUISER
npc_class = lawful, class_cruiser, d19
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\pilots_population.ini" method="append"
<source
[MissileBlock
nickname = fbt_missile_cruiser_a
missile_launch_interval_time = 8
missile_launch_interval_variance_percent = 0.120000
missile_launch_range = 3000
missile_launch_cone_angle = 20
missile_launch_allow_out_of_range = False

[Pilot
nickname = fbt_cruiser_default
inherit = transport_default
gun_id = gun_cruiser_a
missile_id = fbt_missile_cruiser_a
repair_id = repair_fighter_hull
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\SHIPS\loadouts_special.ini" method="append"
<source
[Loadout
nickname = fbt_elite_cruiser_loadout
archetype = li_cruiser
equip = infinite_power
equip = ge_s_scanner_02
equip = ge_s_tractor_01
equip = ge_lc_engine_01
equip = sfx_rumble_cruiser
equip = fbt_cruiser_forward_gun01, HpWeapon01
equip = fbt_small_station_turret01_mark01, HpTurret_L5_01
equip = fbt_small_station_turret01_mark01, HpTurret_L5_02
equip = fbt_lair_missile01, HpTurret_L5_03
equip = fbt_lair_missile01, HpTurret_L5_04
equip = fbt_small_station_turret01_mark01, HpTurret_L5_05
equip = fbt_small_station_turret01_mark01, HpTurret_L5_06
equip = fbt_small_station_turret01_mark01, HpTurret_L5_07
equip = LargeWhiteSpecial, HpHeadLight01
equip = LargeWhiteSpecial, HpHeadLight02
equip = SlowLargeBlue, HpRunningLight03
equip = SlowLargeBlue, HpRunningLight06
equip = SlowLargeBlue, HpRunningLight08
equip = SlowLargeBlue, HpRunningLight09
cargo = ge_s_repair_01, 5000
</source
</data

<data file="DATA\MISSIONS\faction_prop.ini" method="sectionreplace"
<section
[FactionProps
affiliation = li_lsf_grp
</section
<dest
formation = fighters, fighter_li_lsf
</dest
<source
formation = fighters, fighter_li_lsf
formation = gunboats, armored_li_p
formation = battleships, fb_capescorts_special
</source
</data
</script

it is a patrol type formation.

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ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -1
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -2
pilot_job = escort_job
ship_by_class = 2, 2, sc_fighters, -3
pilot_job = escort_job

Whats the -1, -2, -3 for.

Its linked to the difficulty of the spawn, if the level was D10, the first one would be at D9, then D8 and D7. Might have been better to start a new post though as it isn't really linked to B`ship formations and its been a few years..