[Snail]

"gun convergence" IIRC. (could also be "gun_convergeance", check the Wiki).

[Agent_Koopa]

Well, you could sort of "dive-bomb" ships by using after-burner downwards toward the ship, and releasing at max speed / min distance possible.

As for the bomb-only idea, you could just load your ship correctly before the mission.

I don't know where you've been, because that's exactly what you do in FreeSpace. The idea here is to make dumbfire bombs that have a downward-facing hardpoint. The problem is, the entire explanation for making bombs lock-on goes out the window as soon as we make dumbfires, which is that they analyse the composition of the hull and time their charge carefully. And it's going to be impossible to lock on to something out of your field of view.

[takashi]

look at ww1/2 bombers! they just drop something thats good enough to blow stuff up. why would a bomb need to know the hull integrity anyway?just make the drop-bomb weaker than a cyclops and have the cargo size of a tempest. i wont kill even a corvette until a few flyovers. its more of a bomb to "clear the path" for bigger bombs by elimenating or weakening smaller threats. it would be perfect for things like the athena bomber.

[jr2]

I don't know where you've been, because that's exactly what you do in FreeSpace. The idea here is to make dumbfire bombs that have a downward-facing hardpoint. The problem is, the entire explanation for making bombs lock-on goes out the window as soon as we make dumbfires, which is that they analyse the composition of the hull and time their charge carefully. And it's going to be impossible to lock on to something out of your field of view.

: I know that.  I was explaining how you could do it.  As for the bombs actually timing themselves for detonation; I didn't think of it that way before.  I just remember it being a PItA to lock on while you have a few fighters taking potshots at your rear, and flak going off everywhere.

EDIT: Oh, taka... there's a reason why we don't use dumbfire bombs anymore.    People get hurt.  I imagine some of the same reasoning went into the GTVA's lock-on bomb policy.  You don't want mult-megaton warheads missing their target and going who knows where.

[Dysko]

IIRC, capital ships shoot bombs only if you fire bombs with the enemy ship targeted (or maybe I'm mistaking it for XWA... if that's the case, ignore this post...). So, the only way to force the player to target the enemy ship is preventing bombs being launched without lock. If bombs are launched without targeting the enemy ship, the game engine doesn't make the attacked ship to defend itself against the bomb. In this way, any capital ship can be destroyed easily.

[Wanderer]

Wrong game.

In FS hostile capships prioritize weapons with 'bomb' flag above all other targets. With each and every weapon unless specifically set to do otherwise... That is AI ship will shoot at bombs with everything, like their own bombs, anti-capship beams etc. It is one of the cheating methods ("beam jamming") in missions where capship heavy beam firings aren't tightly controlled (though ai_profiles.tbl can be used to prevent it). It doesn't matter if the bomb (modded) isn't locked on anything ai will keep targeting it.

[Snail]

In FS hostile capships prioritize weapons with 'bomb' flag above all other targets. With each and every weapon unless specifically set to do otherwise... That is AI ship will shoot at bombs with everything, like their own bombs, anti-capship beams etc. It is one of the cheating methods ("beam jamming") in missions where capship heavy beam firings aren't tightly controlled (though ai_profiles.tbl can be used to prevent it). It doesn't matter if the bomb (modded) isn't locked on anything ai will keep targeting it.

You're talking of the bug in which capital ships will try to shoot down bombs with BFGreens, right?

[Wanderer]

That ain't a bug.. It's a feature .

Or something like that.

Or more accurately.. AFAIK its a retail FS bug which some people have used to exploit - hence it's currently a 'feature'.

[Dysko]

You're talking of the bug in which capital ships will try to shoot down bombs with BFGreens, right?

No, looks like I've mistaken it for the X-Wing Alliance feature where if you target a capital ship and fire missiles, the capship will shoot down them (or at least try to do that). If you dumb-fire missiles, the capship won't even try to intercept them.

That's how the Rebels won the Civil War

[Snail]

I was addressing Wanderer's post, not yours. Hence the quote.

[takashi]

how can you lock on when your not facing it?

[jr2]

You can't.

[takashi]

wrong. check aspect lock in external view. the triangle moves off the screen and still locks on. or maybe thats just a bug...

[jr2]

Well, I know modified F-15's and the new F-22 (so, presumable, the F-35) can do that... (lock onto targets not in front of them).

[Snail]

Here comes DySko. :

[Mobius]

There's me.

Anyway, he is on vacation now

[Snail]

Yay no essay posts.

[jr2]

DySko will affirm that I know my stuff.  At least in this instance; I think he'd agree on most anything else I've got on aviation stuff as well, though... maybe I'm not as much a Av geek as he is, but I do like airplanes.  I have since I was a wee lad. 

[Snail]

I was more of a car kid myself.

[jr2]

I"m not too awful on cars... When I was a kid, I used to be able to tell the make & model of almost any car passing ours just by the head / taillights and silhouette (at night)... only thing is, I grew up in South Korea (ROK).