Safety switch for weapons?

[Kaks]

Nice one indeed! I might have some free RL time this weekend too by some bizarre coincidink!

[Cody]

It must be tomorrow somewhere, ’cos I just went and installed trunk. That does everything nicely, a_c… many thanks.
Even better, at a ‘nod’ from me, Norton’s was perfectly happy to let me install trunk first go.

[another_commander]

a_c-
Is it possible to also allow this weapon toggle to be joystick-button activated, please?

Sure. Please test revision 3776.

[Bugbear]

The system has been upgraded to include all weapons, namely lasers, missiles, mines and energy bomb. Missiles and mines can still be armed, circled with 'Y' and get assigned targets in weapons lock mode, but they will not fire until the system is released again. Missiles and mines display is also darkened when locked and a new HUD element, the "Weapons offline" text has been added to the HUD display lists. This switches on when... guess . Also, since the messages indicating status are definable via descriptions.plist, Ganelon's idea of having the ship's computer announcing weapons status is very doable just by enabling the speech option.

The weapons status is saved so that when you load a player saved in "weapons asleep" mode, the same mode will be resumed upon load.

Pics of the system: left is standard, right is with weapons locked.


If all goes well, I should be able to roll this in later today.

Edit: And... done. Revision 3774.

I like it!!! Very elegant.

[stillsick]

REALLY good idea, all this. Who hasn't made a mistake with their guns? Now if you could only lock down the fuel injectors the same way - well, not really but I have used them instead of the brake by accident. Still, hurtling into the station at mach 2 was very, very funny!

[PhantorGorth]

I have another minor suggestion to add to the lock idea, which is for it to automatically come off lock if you are fired upon or have incoming missiles.

Phantor Gorth

[Switeck]

ECM could remain "immune" of the lock, since it's (mostly?) not an offensive weapon/act.

[curtsibling]

On the same (sort of ) subject...

Could there be implemented a safety for the plasma turrets in game?
When in a battle alongside allies or stations, sometimes my caddy's
guns blast away and I get into deep trouble over a "friendly fire incident!"...

It would be cool to toggle turrets off, before launching into a dogfight...
Naturally when a fight is just the player and pirates, then no holds barred!

[Screet]

Could there be implemented a safety for the plasma turrets in game?

Hehe, I've had also many shots fired automatically and hit the wrong ship/station. That's why I did add such a switch a looong time ago but it never made it into trunk. Seems only few people do use ships with turrets.

Of course, that one needs to be switchable without turning all weapons off.

The code change for that is a minor one, though. Very easy to add for yourself, for as long as you're happy with a keypress and adjust your joystick to send that key when a button is pressed.

Screet

[DaddyHoggy]

Shouldn't the balance of owning a ship with turreted weapons be the simple fact that sometimes they f*ck up on your behalf?

[Mauiby de Fug]

'Twould be a useful thing to have! I'm always wary of getting involved in fights outside the space bars these days, or eliminating Thargoids attacking the station. I've had a few shots go awry, and 'twas costly wiping my status clean! Luckily GalCop are easy to bribe...

Also, if a way to toggle turrets was available, I'd probably hack my version of the Feudal States. They don't allow challengers at their lodges with turrets, and they're not allowed to take part in tournaments either (for good reason - it would be far too easy!). If I could deactivate them, I'd enable myself to play.

It doesn't quite seem realistic to me that a weapons system would be installed which the plot had no control over. With lasers or missiles, you can simply not fire them. With turrets, there is no such option.

[Screet]

Shouldn't the balance of owning a ship with turreted weapons be the simple fact that sometimes they f*ck up on your behalf?

Hmm? Like that energy bomb on tab so that it's more often accidentally activated than it would ever be used?

No. I don't like that idea. That's my ship, it has to do what I want. It should not shoot at everything while defending a station or such.

BTW: I did try to balance it a bit for me by adding energy consumption for turret shots, similar to the energy usage of lasers. That way, it's sometimes required to turn turrets off in order to keep enough energy. However, that one would be *very* difficult to balance for all turreted ships.

Screet

[curtsibling]

Shouldn't the balance of owning a ship with turreted weapons be the simple fact that sometimes they f*ck up on your behalf?

Let's be logical.

Don't you think by the year 3000AD that someone might have invented an 'off' switch for plasma flak turrets?

[curtsibling]

It doesn't quite seem realistic to me that a weapons system would be installed which the plot had no control over. With lasers or missiles, you can simply not fire them. With turrets, there is no such option.

Totally agree!

[another_commander]

It doesn't quite seem realistic to me that a weapons system would be installed which the plot had no control over. With lasers or missiles, you can simply not fire them. With turrets, there is no such option.

Yes there is: Release your target lock.