Oolite Bulletins

Commander McLane wrote:

It should also be noted that each player is solely responsible for any exotic missile launched against their ship. If you don't like it/find it overpowered or unfair, just remove/edit the missile OXP.

Very true. This discussion is much like this one from just a few days before this topic was posted. As El Viejo said there - missiles are more for buying time than making kills .

JazHaz wrote:

On this subject, I would recommend getting an Automatic Chaff System (or ACS for short). This is a missile defence system that blows out a cloud of chaff for hardhead missiles and activates the ECM for standard missiles. Since getting it, 9 times out of 10 (probably better than that) I've survived missile attacks. The only time is doesn't work too well is a point-blank range missile launch by an NPC.

I prefer the ACS to the Anti-Missile System (AMS) from the Armoury OXP, it seems to work better for me.

I've stopped using the AMS, and in fact just sold mine. It's just too expensive to operate for someone who's trying to accumulate cash and who encounters strong pirates frequently. I was doing high-end RandomHits jobs (8K+ creds each) but my cash was staying stagnant. Those 1K Cr darts are just too darned pricey. I stopped refilling my AMS and now I'm slowly and consistently accumulating credits.

It also makes the combat more exciting -- there's a real "Oh S**t!" moment when a big flock of hardheads get launched your way. It should be dangerous to take on a big group of missile-packing baddies, with the AMS it was getting a bit ho-hum.

I also have a grudge against Black Monk gunships and take them on to help out debtors almost every chance I get. They spew a bunch of hardheads. My grudge doesn't extend to spending 6K Cr. to help out the poor debtor.

Actually, what I guess I'm really looking for is an "off switch" for the AMS -- is there one? If not, that would be an excellent addition.

I have since also gotten a lot of practice at shooting missiles down and am steadily improving. I'm finding about 7km is the ideal distance, they're getting close enough to hit, and their loop is not too big yet.

CmdrLUke wrote:

Those 1K Cr darts are just too darned pricey.

When you want it cheap, just use your laser. Use shift-T to target the missile and aim well. After some practice I manage to hit 1 out of 3 missiles. Not using ecm saves some valuable energy. You just have to know when to give up. e.g. some missiles spiral to much to get a good lock on. The closer you let the missile approach, the easier is the hit. Just don't try it with the front shields partly down.

Thargoid wrote:

Currently there isn't as it was written before pitiable equipment was introduced. But one could easily be added, I'll put it on my to do list.

I may also review pricing of things like the darts.

As long as we're dreaming, it would be cool to have a manual mode where you can target a specific incoming missile and apply counter measures just for that one missile. But a global on/off would be a huge improvement.

Eric Walch wrote:

Just don't try it with the front shields partly down.

It makes them spiral more, but you get about three times as long to make the shot if you use your aft laser instead.

cim wrote:

...use your aft laser...

What he said.

Smivs wrote:

cim wrote:

...use your aft laser...

What he said.

Do missiles actually not spiral as much if you're using the front view? If we're in a "player is not special" universe, why would the view I'm currently looking out of cause a missile to behave differnently? That's gotta be some pretty wild hand-waving...

Eric Walch wrote:

CmdrLUke wrote:

Those 1K Cr darts are just too darned pricey.

When you want it cheap, just use your laser. Use shift-T to target the missile and aim well. After some practice I manage to hit 1 out of 3 missiles. Not using ecm saves some valuable energy. You just have to know when to give up. e.g. some missiles spiral to much to get a good lock on. The closer you let the missile approach, the easier is the hit. Just don't try it with the front shields partly down.

Agreed, it would be nice though to be able to choose when you want to use the darts w/ the AMS. It seems to be the farther away thet missile is (to a limit, like i said, somewhere around 6-7km seems to be the key distance), the easier it is to hit, since the spiral is smaller.

CmdrLUke wrote:

Smivs wrote:

cim wrote:

...use your aft laser...

What he said.

Do missiles actually not spiral as much if you're using the front view? If we're in a "player is not special" universe, why would the view I'm currently looking out of cause a missile to behave differnently? That's gotta be some pretty wild hand-waving...

I think the spiral 'grows' with distance and if you are flying away the missile travels further before it catches up with you.
This is a good thing though, as it makes the spiral easier to interpret and therefore predicting the missile's trajectory is easier.
The knack is not to try to shoot at the missile but at a point wher you anticipate it will be in a seconds' time. Let it fly through your beam

CmdrLUke wrote:

Do missiles actually not spiral as much if you're using the front view? If we're in a "player is not special" universe, why would the view I'm currently looking out of cause a missile to behave differnently? That's gotta be some pretty wild hand-waving...

There's probably a non-player-centric explanation - it could be different closing speeds, for example. That would mean a missile approaching any ship, player or NPC, from the front would spiral less than one coming up from behind.

Being player or NPC has no influence on missile behaviour. It will indeed be the closing speed. And also the random accuracy makes each individual missile behave a bit different. High accurate missiles don't fly to the target, but to the estimated, future position of impact. In 1.74 there was a funny bug in this point. The old code assumed that you were always moving away from the missile. So when fast flying towards an accurate missile, the missile did turn around and started to fly away from you. (Actually it was heading for the wrong calculated point of impact. )

Eric Walch wrote:

Being player or NPC has no influence on missile behaviour. It will indeed be the closing speed.

Closing speed and direction. If you're going on front view and trying to track the missile for a laser shot, you're effectively trying to ram it too. So the course adjustments it needs to make are smaller and the spiral tends to be stable or even tighten. On aft view doing the same tracking pushes you away from it so if there is any spiral it tends to widen.

I think the spiral 'grows' with distance and if you are flying away the missile travels further before it catches up with you.
This is a good thing though, as it makes the spiral easier to interpret and therefore predicting the missile's trajectory is easier.
The knack is not to try to shoot at the missile but at a point wher you anticipate it will be in a seconds' time. Let it fly through your beam

OK that make ssense. I'll try that for aiming but it sems the missile adjusts its trajectory as soon as I adjust my pitch .