Yes, I only use weapons that are most effective against any given target by switching fire groups to "activate" or "deactivate" them. I start by putting all my turrets in Target Only mode as this mode means that you have the most control over how your turrets operate. As an added bonus your turrets don't generate any bounties in Target Only mode even if an NPC accidentally flies through your turret fire, which makes this mode very useful for "sniping" a hit on a target that the cops are attacking in a RES so you can get "credit" for the NPC kill without risking a bounty. So I'm going to assume that you're using turrets in Target Only mode (you can set this in the right HUD panel under the right-most tab where you can set orbit lines, etc).
What I do to maximize my turret control is that I set up two fire groups, one with turrets and one without. I bind whatever my main weapons are to primary fire and my turrets to secondary fire. Then I set up a second fire group that is identical except that it ONLY has the primary fire weapons grouped and I leave the turrets unbound in the second fire group. Once I target an enemy I "fire" the turrets with the secondary fire button. At that point your turrets will continually TRY to fire if the enemy you have targeted is within their fire arc. This means that you can continually maneuver to optimize your firing angles and any turrets with line of sight that were set to Target Only will try to fire as long as there is power in the weapons capacitor, without needing to pay any more attention to them other than maneuvering to maximize their fields of fire.
The downside to how turrets work is that once you've set them to fire at a target there's no easy way to turn them "off" again. Pressing the secondary fire button again in this instance does nothing as the trigger only turns the turrets "on". So if you want to turn them "off" you have two options. The easiest option here is to simply change fire groups to the second group that includes everything EXCEPT the turrets. This will effectively turn the turrets "off". If you then press "Cycle Fire Group" again you can use secondary fire when you want to turn them "on" again. In practice whenever I turn the turrets "off" I press the "Cycle Fire Group" button quickly twice to turn them "off" and then immediately switch back to the original fire group. At that point if you want the turrets to fire again, you just press secondary fire button to turn the turrets back "on". It's a bit of an annoying method but is the most efficient way I've found to rapidly turn the turrets "on" or "off" because for some reason FD hasn't implemented a proper turret "toggle" button. Alternatively you can quickly deselect and reselect your target but I find it's easier to use the fire group method instead.
The reason why I want this degree of control over my turrets is that I use energy-intensive and heat-intensive beam turrets and I often won't find the power draw and heat generation to be optimal in many circumstances. Against small targets I almost always keep my turrets firing as they are powerful enough to damage most smaller ships even on their own. Against larger ships I usually only keep them on to take down shields rapidly, otherwise they're usually turned off. This lets me switch back and forth between turret usage as needed depending on the target. If you're using pulse turrets that draw much less power and heat than beams you might not even need to switch back and forth like I do especially with your Anaconda's power distributor. The beams turrets I use are actually not very efficient in terms of either power usage or heat but they give me the best alpha strike damage which is why I use them to rapidly drop my target's shields as quickly as I can. I find against high-level NPCs flying fast/maneuverable ships that also have strong shields and use SCBs, like an Elite FDL, I need to get as much damage as possible in a short firing window and I find beams are good secondary weapons to help with this.
When 2.2 launches you will have the option to launch the fighter with an NPC doing the piloting for either the launched fighter or for your main ship. So I would just keep flying your Anaconda and let the NPC try to do what he can do use the fighter effectively, unless of course you "trust" the NPC to fly your Anaconda better than you can which it probably won't be able to do even if it's an Elite ranked NPC (apparently we can hire different ranks of NPC and level them up in combat as they gain experience).
You're very welcome, happy to help.
Thank you for another very in depth explanation! I hadn't thought of setting up two fire groups for the turrets! It's a good idea! You explained that very well and in layman's terms so it's very helpful indeed!
Also, I have the turrets set to 'fire at will' at the moment. Sounds like this is a bad idea on my part. It's not been a problem tho as I always avoid a battle at the moment. So it's a mistake I can correct.
The shield cell bank is something I'd parked at the back of my mind, but it's a timely reminder to use them. In terms of additional power draw, how much do they impact upon weapons once 'charged', ie I presume they work by drawing power from the PD until charged and then only draw more power after being activated? I'll have to go read up on them some more.
What is the situation with hull bulkheads / armour? Is there an option that gives good protection but is also good for general purposes so that it can be fitted and forgotten about? That way I can use the conda as a trader for CGs etc but also be able to defend myself when needed.
All this help is just Awesome! I'm blown away by how willing ppl are to share their knowledge!
