No BL, and Mayday kinda makes me queasy- vector mechanics are more portable then CT, but the time scale is annoying.
You know you can change the time scale, right? Adjust Mayday's turn lengths to LBB:2 and make the requisite adjustments to hex size and movement? It's done in miniature gaming all the time. You could also do something as easy as ruling 1 hex = 1mm and play LBB:2 on hexes.
In the vector games, I didn't get a nudging effect...
That's because you haven't played it enough. Mayday's rules about 4 hits in one turn destroying a ship and 3 hits over three turns doing the same make players very skittish about putting their ships within potential weapons envelopes.
If things go against one side, they aren't going to nudge, they are going to run.
No one is suggesting that the side getting pasted is going to "nudge" their way out of danger. "Nudging" is about all putting your opponent on the wrong foot, about placing them in a "fork" similar to chess.
You're failing to comprehend two important things about vector movement. First, any future position is just a sphere of possible positions. Second, the movement choices made previously can seriously constrain movement choices both present and future. Vector movement allows you to "bluff", "bait", or "buffalo" an opponent. You can hint at a future positions which you have no intention of occupying. Those possible future positions "express" certain weapons envelopes which an opponent may want to avoid. Because past movement decisions influence future ones, a series of feints can "lock" your opponent into a future position where you can drop the hammer.
Combat in the Age of Sail saw a somewhat similar system of nudges, feints, bluffs. Wind direction, speed, and maneuverability already constrained movement and that sometimes allowed one ship or squadron to force their opponent to chose between a few unpalatable choices.
This is Phase I...
Phase 1? You're not there yet. You need to decide on a scale first. Everything flows from that. In ASL a single MG is important, in PanzerBlitz it's not even seen. You want a system which simultaneously allows for Beowulfs and Plankwells while also not being as detailed as something like Harpoon or Seekrieg. That isn't going to happen.
And, I AM saying that you can operate separate subfleets at different ranges instead of one big blob.
And I'm saying all those different ranges are inside the One Big Blob and mostly for operational reasons.
Cause I am going for a finer scale then classic HG.
That's debatable because you haven't selected a scale yet.
If you have read what I have...
I have and it's mess. You can't fully explain what you're doing because you don't yet fully understand it yourself. Make some decisions, choose a scale, and start dropping what doesn't fit.
Harpoon can model a battle between a torpedo boat and battleship only because it's extremely detailed. Once you start to whittle away at the amount of detail, other stuff has to be whittled away too. Things are going to get granular and things are going to get lost. It can't be helped.
You want tactical maneuvering of some sort? The "sniping spinals" you keep mentioning? Then choose just what a tactical element consists of in you game and drop everything that is smaller. Panzerblitz doesn't use squads and Victory in the Pacific doesn't use destroyers even in grouped squadrons.
Now as to the differing subfleets position relative to each other, this phase is more abstracted as the range band mechanic won't necessarily capture those 45 degree angle courses to open up or cut the square to close and that action happening against 2-4 other groups, enemy and friendly. So I am looking more to the die roll to handle it.
You're describing the "tactical board" from Avalanche Press' edition of Imperium. It didn't work in that game either.
Good luck.