Enemy attack vectors (and intro)

[tppytel]

Hi all!

I'm new to DW - I picked up the game a couple weeks back, but have put 100+ hours into it so far. So obviously I'm pretty impressed so far. I've read a fair number of forum threads and manual pages and learned a lot, but haven't quite pinned down every detail yet. So, the first of a likely series of questions on details that are still eluding me...

I remember when I played the introductory scenario (and understood much less of what was happening) that I would occasionally get a popup about an enemy attack vector. I think that only happened for enemy fleets, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen that in my current game (in which I'm about halfway through the tech tree but have exclusively fought pirates so far) What exactly enables that ability? I see Hyperjump Tracking as an ability tied to Proximity Arrays, but the in-game description makes it sound like that's related to pursuit rather than defense. Is this based on Proximity Arrays? Long Range Sensors? Something else?

[Bingeling]

It is probably about seeing them leave. Having a unit present where they start, covering the stat area in with range scanners, that kind of stuff. It is also possible that it shows up if you see a part of their attack vector with a long range scanner.

[tppytel]

Again, I didn't know very much at the time and might not have known what to look for, but I'm pretty sure I didn't have military units anywhere near the enemy fleets when I got the incoming attack notification. Possibly freighters, though?

[btd64]

If you have the long range scanner technology and you detect an enemy approaching your colonies, you will get a message that says something like" enemy fleet on a vector towards your colony at .....". That's about it....GP