Oolite Bulletins

Missile Spoof.oxp by Wyvern
===========================

In failing to resolve the ammo counter bug in ACS, I decided to remodel it in a much simplified form. This is the result.

What does it do, exactly? The principles are the same as the ACS; fire the ECM and throw stuff overboard to deter missiles. That's where the simularity ends.
Missile Spoof uses flares, which it makes with a fraction (.1 LY) of ship's fuel. As long as you have fuel, then you have white-hot flares to scatter. It uses the ECM if your tanks are dry, and both if you have fuel, so keep an eye on your fuel guage.
Remember: No fuel = no flares = a far higher chance of getting clobbered by a Hardheaded missile or torpedo.

Naturally, this resolves ammo counters going wrong by eliminating the ammo counters. Also eliminates the need to buy specialized ammo magazines.

For the curious, being simpler also means being a little dumber: While it no longer requires the missile anylizer, it chucks out flares - and nibbles a bit of fuel - each time a missile is fired your way, and no longer checks for missile type.
===============================

Installation:
1) Sell your ACS (if you have it) then save
2) Remove the ACS oxp (if you have it) from your AddOns folder
3) Place Missle Spoof.oxp in your AddOns folder
4) Head for the nearest TL 8 or better station and spend 1000cr for a Missile Spoof
5) Have fun!

UPDATED: Now checks for standard missiles (the most common type used against the player) and doesn't drop flares if standards are detected; uses less fuel that way. Sell option added, full refund.

http://www.box.net/shared/k6cq6809jnodnbueklsu

Interesting approach for an anti-missile system

if i read the code correctly, each .1 LY fuel spawns 10 flares .

How long do flares live ?
What happens if there are more missiles on route to the player then there are flares ?

The chance a hardheads gets redirected towards a flare seems a bit high.
suppose missile A and B both target flare C.
Missile A destroys flare C, what does missile B do ?

If it behaves like a proper flare - then flares don't destroy missiles (or missiles flares) - they force the track point sufficiently distant from the firer that the missile cannot reacquire the target before it runs out of fuel.

Lone_Wolf wrote:

Interesting approach for an anti-missile system

if i read the code correctly, each .1 LY fuel spawns 10 flares .

How long do flares live ?

Only a few seconds.

What happens if there are more missiles on route to the player then there are flares ?

It throws out flares each time a missile is fired at you. It will happily keep doing so as long as you supply it with fuel.

The chance a hardheads gets redirected towards a flare seems a bit high.

The hardened missile is the next step up from the standard. OXP missiles are naturally steps up from the hardened missile.

suppose missile A and B both target flare C.
Missile A destroys flare C, what does missile B do ?

Missile A targets flare A, missile b goes after flare B, and so on.

Very cool.KISS philosophy in action.

I have only one slight concern in using this. If I have a fuel requirement in the immediate future, such as jumping to another system and say the fuel required for the jump is 5.0ly and I have <5.5ly and using injectors for evasive action and the hyperspace jump is counting down and now I'm just about to make it with exactly the right amount of fuel(5.0ly) and a couple missiles are fired at me and the flares go off and next thing is witchspace fuel insufficient for jump. There is a solution. Check the fuel required before launching a flare. If there is a hyperspace destination selected on the short range chart you can read that and use that as a basis for fuel required as I have done in the numeric hud. This would allow a crude cutoff point to be selected after which no more flares are launched and therfore no more fuel used. The hyperjump won't be interferred with and the pilot can set(albeit crudely) the point past which no more fuel is used in this way. Want the system to use fuel all the time then set it at your current sytem(0.0ly). Want the system to not work set it to a system farther away than you have current fuel for. Or have it set to an escape system and it will launch flares until you reach this fuel point. You can use the code for fuel required in the numeric hud oxp if you like. Either that or an on/off n activation would work. It's just a thought. I like your concept!

@CSOTB
Who would've thunk that throwing a bit of burning fuel at a missile would be troublesome? Less troublesome than getting hit by the missile, surely!

There's ways around it's fuel usage.
Stop at a fuel station, deploy a drop tank, swing by the local star, or dock for a quick gulp.
For what it's worth, the spoof isn't near as fuel thirsty as the injectors, and a smart hunter would go by a fuel station or go sundiving before looking for trouble anyway. Traders are likewise advised to scoop some sunjuice before going insystem.

All that said, nothing in the ooniverse is perfect.
Shields fail, equipment gets shot up, witch-drives malfunction and drop you into a Thargoid shooting range, random fuel leaks, docking computers that sometimes crash you into the station, and so on.
A spacedog learns to deal with it.

Installed, bought it and went to an anarchy.
The flares took care of 4/5 missiles, another 1 did hit me.
(no missiles oxps installed).
The scanner get's a bit crowded when the flares are launched, but this is only for a few seconds and not a big problem.


Cmdr Wyvern, i've tried most of the anti missile systems but this is the first that feels like a natural improvement over the standard ECM.
This is another one of those devices where i wish npcs could also get it.

Lone_Wolf wrote:

Cmdr Wyvern, i've tried most of the anti missile systems but this is the first that feels like a natural improvement over the standard ECM.
This is another one of those devices where i wish npcs could also get it.

Thanks for the kind words.
You know the ACS (AutoChaff) did much the same thing. But it used a bit of logic to decide whether to fire ECM or throw chaff, and it relied on expensive buyable ammo, instead of cheap, even free fuel. ACS used an ammo counter which didn't work so well.
With Missile Spoof, the 'counter' is native and works perfectly, and the 'ammo' is as stated, cheap to free. That other systems use fuel is a tradeoff for the effectiveness of this device.
Thargoid's Missile Machine costs .1 LY of fuel (+ a couple of TC of cargo) to make three missile rounds, and nobody complains about that!

Cmdr Wyvern, I've had a chance to give a test run to your oxp and I must say this is a home run! Well done! Don't change a thing.

Cmdr Wyvern: this is wonderful stuff. Thank you. However - and because of the fuel consumption and because I have a cloaking device - I might want to sell the equipment. But I don't seem able to do so.

UK_Eliter, My AutoECM OXP with On/Off ability may be more suited for you.

Switeck: I'll try it out!

LOL isn't it funny how different words mean different things in different variations of English,

As an Australian, I read the title of this thread and thought it was the name of a bad porno!

What spoof means in Australian English

ADCK wrote:

LOL isn't it funny how different words mean different things in different variations of English,

As an Australian, I read the title of this thread and thought it was the name of a bad porno!

What spoof means in Australian English

It probably is!

When I google missile+spoof many/most of the results refer to the "fooling" of missiles ie missile spoof. The general concensus is that spoof means "to fool". It can also refer to a parody of something as well.Hehe!

*bump*

Updated! Same link as in the first post. Uses less fuel, and is now sellable.

Oh yeah, "spoof" in this case does mean 'to fool', as in fooling those damned hardheads into chasing flares instead of your engine flames.