I would like to see the ability to specify limited fire arcs for locations. Just the thing for naval battles. Even in space, direct fire weapons will trouble firing through hulls. A rear blind spot caused by engine exhaust is another possibility.
heh this has been mentioned before it seems to be something that a lot of people are interested in.
and again here
no response yet from cliffski on this particular matter though.
Actually I’m pretty sure Cliff covered the subject on his blog someday. The thing was, though they’d be cool, it would be a nightmare for Cliff to code an AI that would use such weapons to their full potential.
It was said, “The current AI will not know how to use limited firing arcs and will need a massive overhaul withc there is no time to do since there is the campine to finish(witch was player asked for) and the need for bug squishing and interface cleaning up/updating.” Now That may or may not be qouted right but thats what i reamber, and thats my story and i’m sticking to it!
Lone Starr
Each gunner has rules it must follow, and the AI makes decisions for each particular weapon. It decides which enemy the weapon will target, and fires when the target is within range.
The navigation system to determine where the ship will go makes decisions independent of the weapon decisions. It decides where the ship will go and for how long.
I like to make the joke that these ships have a pilot and some gunners, but no captain.
The pilot will often do things that would make no sense to the gunners. He’s off doing his own thing and doesn’t care about the weapons.
Without some kind of “captain” AI, there would be no way for your ship to know how to fly so that it effectively brings its weapons to bear on the enemy.
It wouldn’t know how to dodge to stay out of enemy’s arc of fire, or which enemies are worth dodging.
Very good point. I have seen all sorts of effect from this split brain. I do have a suggestion: If the gunners are being really effective at laying down damage on a target the pilot isn’t following/attacking, and ineffective on the target the pilot is following, the gunners tell the pilot to change targets.
I’d like to add one:
Current pilot’s target; weapons fire “no effect”, this, this, or this target are better… (target list would contain historical non-destroyed ships that weapons fire was not “no effect”)
Superb analogy, and sadly all too true as borne out by my own GSB experiences. I think I could apply one of my favorite Great War epigrams as well: “lions led by donkeys”. It was originally said in reference to the rank-and-file of the British Army in comparison to their commanding generals. I often feel that my ships are “captained” by those very same donkeys at present! 
At the very least, I’d like to be able to read the comm chatter between a ships gunners and its pilot. Of course, that would probably make GSB an NC-17 game, if the gunners use the same vocabulary that I do. 
Actually, it would be a pretty boring conversation. I don’t think they even speak the same language.
Pilots, judging by the deployment screen, are among the most precious commodities in the galaxy. They are pampered and well cared for. They speak the fine (dead) language of the elite intellectuals, which can only be spoken with the accompaniment of musical harmonies.
Gunners are free with your guns. They are cheap. We can import them from third-world planets for mere credits on the voucher. Even in their own language, they speak with thick, heavy accents and rarely understand each other.
Ah, it all comes clear now. I hadn’t realized ships in GSB used Holtzmann foldspace generators for FTL travel. Any dumb schlub can pull a trigger, but a Navigator is a wondrous thing. Maybe we need a new “Translators’ Quarters” module to improve communication?
You’re so nice. On my ships, I figure I just need an Armory and a Stockade to enforce discipline.
“Now, men, I shall show you what I do with gunnery sergeants who look at me quizzically when I give them orders!”
“… Hey Phil, why is he giving the sergeant cake?”