[Pnakotus]

By which I mean, can you tell a missilebay to push out missiles, which then align to target and fire the booster?  It'd look pretty lame if they ignited the engine before they left the bay, even if you could make them do the turn afterward.  I don't know anything about the weaponcode for SCP, so I'm not sure if you can do something this un-FS with missiles.

[FireCrack]

I asked this opnce, it wasn't possible at the time, though this may have changed, or it may be fairly easy to implement.

[WMCoolmon]

I implemented something similar recently. Don't remember what it was though. :Nervous:

[FireCrack]

Wait, i reread your post pnak, and it seems you want the missiles coming out sideways... is that right? That's not realy a VLS, well VLS doesnt realy make sens in space, but the basic principle that would be carried over would be a bank of missile launchers that isnt aimed, but instead relies on the homing mechanism of the missiles. The original problem with this was that the missiles would come out at an angle, not verticly.

What you seem to be proposing is somwhat more dificult.. i think...

[Wanderer]

Might be stuff from here. And it was the ability to adjust the time before the missile starts homing after the launch. A bit similar but not quite, engine is burning all the time regardless of the time adjustment.

VLS (Vertical Launch System) can be made quite easily for singlepart turrets, Just set the missile to a swarm missile with number of missiles in the swarm being 1. Add WMCs adjustable time before the homing system activates and you get VLS for missiles.

[Pnakotus]

Wait, i reread your post pnak, and it seems you want the missiles coming out sideways... is that right? That's not realy a VLS, well VLS doesnt realy make sens in space, but the basic principle that would be carried over would be a bank of missile launchers that isnt aimed, but instead relies on the homing mechanism of the missiles. The original problem with this was that the missiles would come out at an angle, not verticly.

What you seem to be proposing is somwhat more dificult.. i think...

Well, I was thinking about a pilotable (fighter-style) ship having a non-forward missile bank, that would still be locked onto targets normally.  I figured this would require a VLS-style system (where the missiles are ejected somehow and then aligned and 'launched'), or an R-73 style where they're just fired normally but given extremely high manuveur in the first few seconds.

I guess hitting oneself would be a potential problem, say if the launcher ejected missiles (linearly, or sideways or whatever) which rotated to track the target before firing the engine... if the launch platform was turning heavily and the missiles best line was THROUGH the launch platform.  I guess they'd have to be ejected a fair distance to be safe.

I think what you're suggesting is the ability to fire missiles that can emerge from the launching model at any angle, so they could fire 'upwards' or 'backwards' to always launch toward the target?

I'm doing a poor job of explaining, so I'll use the glory of ASCII art to illustrate what I mean.  '***' is the deadly missile fighter, T is the target and dots are the path of the missile.  The main engine fires at *.

                                              *            \              .                   .
                                 |             .            .              .    .              .    .
                 |               .             .            .              .        \          .       .
***     T,  ***     T,  ***     T, ***    T, ***     T,  ***        T,     ***      <>

[Wanderer]

If and when WMCs code changes are added to CVS then it is sort of possible to do it. Unfortunately it results in extremely accurate missiles as AFAIK missiles manouverability can not be changed during the flight time so it would have very high manouverability from the moment it begins to home on to the target. Heat seeking missiles with 300+ degree homing cone would enable these for fighters... And those weapons would be forward firing.

And that previous talk seems to have been about VLS turrets, not fighters.

[Roanoke]

"VLS" ?

[FireCrack]

Vertical Launch(ing) system

[Pnakotus]

Maybe it'd be doable using the spawn cluster code?  You could launch a missile away from the ship, which then launches a missile at the target.  You'd need to be able to pass targetting info to the spawned missile though, and I'm not sure you can do that.

[FireCrack]

Mabye have it so if an aspect missile is spawned it inherets it's parent's target?

EDIT: Actualy, then you cant have heatseeking VLS

[CaptJosh]

He's basically talking about the current revision of the missile launch systems on the AEGIS equipped Arleigh Burke class DGs (missile destroyers). There's a gas charge that kicks the missile clear of the vertical launch cell, then the engine fires and the guidance and maneuvering package turns the missile toward the target. It's considered an upgrade from the original system where the launch rails turned toward the target and the missiles fired because the vertical launching cells can reload faster, and create less of a radar silhouette, even if the missiles were already pointed at the target on the older design.

The current design also has some lineage from SSBNs, or "boomers." Missile subs use an inert gas charge to propel the missiles to the surface where their main engines would then engage.

[FireCrack]

Well, they actualy reload slower, but you have 24 of them in the space one of the twin rail launchers would be in, but whatever.

[NGTM-1R]

Most of the AEGIS cruisers have them too. The Ticos pioneered the concept in fact.

Non-VLS equipped versions have smaller magazines then those with VLS; the VLS is also much more ameniable to different weapons. Non-VLS ships need seperate ASROC and Tomahawk launchers. The VLS can be reloaded much more quickly...it's just that reloads aren't carried onboard and have to come from another ship or off the pier.

[CaptJosh]

I picked the Arleigh Burke DDGs because I knew the class name. I don't know what the AEGIS cruisers are called. *shrug* As for the VLS cells being slower to reload, I don't believe so. The rail launchers they used to use had to rotate up to vertical and lock into place before they could be reloaded. the VLCs (Vertical Launch Cells) don't.

[Wanderer]

I think Russian used them earlier, at least in Kirov-class.

And i believe one of the greatest advantages with the VLS or VLC is that in high seas the missiles and the launchers can be kept safe from elements (and light weapons fire) unlike with normal launchers which could be quite easily damaged in heavy storms or in icy conditions (Northern Atlantic & Pacific).

[Colonol Dekker]

Has anyone seen wing commander the movie? The missile/Torp is ejected from the tube/launcher by pressure, THEN the rockets own propulsion kicks in. I assume thats the kind of effect thats wanted in this case!

[WMCoolmon]

Have you tried launching missiles as countermeasures? (ie setting the missile weapon name as the "$Countermeasure type:" just about "$Countermeasures:" in ships.tbl)

[Wanderer]

A bit derailing but:
I have tried some heat seekers as countermeasures and they worked in a bit odd way... They didn't home on the selected target but rather flew in random circles and then after few (quite good looking, a bit of spiral in them) loops they just took of all flying towards some distant point at the game area. Non seeking missiles just dropped like countermeasures and came to near full stop.

So not quite like the effect that is wanted. I didn't try aspect seekers so they might work a bit better than the other ones.

[Galemp]

Don't we already have a system like this, with the Rockeye? It launches straight ahead, then swerves to track its target about a second after you fire it.