Inaccurate Missiles are Inaccurate... Unless Fired by Enemy.

I noticed it from the beginning when it was a minor annoyance, but now that I’m in Campaign every time three out of six frigates are torn to pieces by single Orbital Defense Platforms that can only fire missiles it makes me die a little inside. :’(

Whenever one of my ships uses missiles throughout a battle I’m lucky if I can get a 25%-40% score rate on the enemy (I just eyed it from the helpfull after-battle pie graphs), yet enemies hit with nearly all of them nearly all the time (sometimes I meet ships who must have drunk operators). I have started installing those “tracking speed” enhancer things on my ships, but it seems not to have helped much. Do I just need more of them or is this just a case of my RNG luck (legendarily terrible) hating on my ships?

The hit rate of 100+ Missiles hitting has little to nothing to do with RND. Just make sure you have target painter, and the other side isn’t using scramblers.

I don’t think the target booster enhance the tracking speed of missiles, but I may be wrong. As 123 said already, use target painters, they’ll make your life quite easier.

HOLY CRAP

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I never noticed those before. That helps a ton, thanks for the help (As for the aiming system things, I think your right Jukelo, I’ve never seen them help any).

I actually have a problem with the tracking algorithm. If the missile shoots at a fighter and misses, and there’s a cruiser RIGHT THERE, why doesn’t the missile re-acquire the cruiser as a target? I suspect it has something to do with the targeting AI’s. Anyone know for sure?

I don’t know for sure, but I think that it’s just not in the programing to acquire a new target or whatever. Perhaps that could make for a new module suggestion, “Smart Targeting Missiles.”

Also; I’m loving these targety lazers, I can kill things again!

Missiles don’t acquire new targets.

I’m aware of this. The question, of course, is why not?

Nothing else acquires new targets. It defeats the point of tracking if it can re target until it hit something or fuel ran out, and probably increase loading by 10 folds without adding anything to the game.

Only the heat guided missiles can acquire new targets (in the real life…), and as far as i know, till we have a new module called “heat sensor guided missile” or someting like that, the missiles should never acquire new targets. Maybe a new value on the module file, like “has_new_target = 1” xD, could do the job, but we all have dreams -.- One thing should be improved is the chance to hit the same target after a missile misses. Its sad to see how the 99% of the times, if a missile missis it will never hit again the target in the 99% of the times.

Actually several missile types can reaquire targets, though looping back to the same target is diificult in an atmosphere and with NAP of earth flight or tanks as targets makes reaquiring difficult.

Radar, Laser, Heat Seaking, Radio (yes there are radio guided missiles), and Optical can all aquire new targets (some of their “brains” may think they’re still flying to the same target but that is a moot point).

I might point out that making a “seeking” missile in space is simple if the target is losing atmosphere - nothing but a ship leaks breathable gasses X distance from planets and moons (and the like), plus all the other radiation comming off the hull and shields make ships stand out against the cold dark backdrop of space like ice cream on a hot summer day, you just can’t miss it. And any ship with a chemical engine that emits particles for thrust has just created an unmistakable path back to the ship.

This is exactly what i mean. Ramcat’s point is exactly the one i wanted to make, only much more eloquent xD

Would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a photon torpedo?

Actually, despite the potential for “overpowering” this could create, it could also make things MUCH more interesting. For example, a missile that emulates a ship drive of a certain class? Sure it only goes .3 and dies after a single hit, but it still can draw the target of missiles and let them get shot by more point defense!

yeah, there’s a lot of potential there

Fascinating. :wink:

That would essentially be a beacon missile, sort of like a target painter, except in missile form. The missile’s payload would be a beacon that sticks onto the ship and could work similarly to regular target painters. Presumably at a much longer range than target painters because its a missile, but because its a missile it could be shot down before it hits the ship. Once it hits the ship it sticks and attracts other missiles launched at the ship for a period of time before the beacon fails.

That would be very awesome. Speaking of the target painter, how long do it’s effects actually last? Only while the laser is active or for a certain time afterward?

Actually, my idea was a more advanced anti-missile decoy. Since only the MISSILES target via ship drives (in this varient concept) it creates a “false target” that the missiles would shoot at.

The target painter only lasts while the laser is going. A single target painter will not have 100% coverage, there will be gaps in the coverage, so 2 or more target painters are best if you absolutely never want to miss. I forget the exact numbers but you can always check in the module files using notepad. :slight_smile:

I’m pretty sure any missile fired while the painter is active will hit the target 100%, even though the painter becomes inactive in between. Similarly, any missile launched before the painter fires will NOT be affected by it.