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General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Akalabeth Angel on June 30, 2008, 06:12:15 pm

Title: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Akalabeth Angel on June 30, 2008, 06:12:15 pm
You know those dumbfire missiles in FS1 and FS2, that are supposed to be bomber supression. You fire them, they fly in a straight line then when you fire them again they release a bunch of little bombs that explode it a pretty little cloud.

Has anyone ever been able to a damn thing with those missiles? Even the cluster missile bomb has been nigh useless for me, every time I take them onto the field.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Droid803 on June 30, 2008, 06:23:31 pm
The Infyrno is less than worthless. Its got no range.
Take tempests if you want Total Dumbfire Ownage. :P

The Piranha/Synaptic isn't much better. Better off with more bombs. However, they do make nice shockwaves to piss interceptors off. (The AI is much better with them, somehow)
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Rodo on June 30, 2008, 06:24:19 pm
It's supposed that the missile inflicts limited damage over a fully shielded vessel..

The only fighter/bomber you could destroy with this kind of weapon would be the serapis... or maybe a loky??

Im more concerned about one thing... the description on the database says that it explodes when you trigger it but all of them explode 300 meters away or so... kind of bump as I tried to use this one on a mission and it's not that effective (feels like a lot of new combat ways are being lost to that)-


Rot
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Droid803 on June 30, 2008, 06:32:14 pm
Yeah, its for taking out Thoths, Serapises, Horuses, Valkyries. For craft which have absolutely no capacity for taking damage whatsoever.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: phreak on June 30, 2008, 06:33:05 pm
If you use the spawn angle code in FS2 open, you can get the child missiles spawning in a fairly tight cone, which increases the lethality by a significant factor.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 30, 2008, 07:01:03 pm
Try TBP those kind of weapons are standard for the Earth Alliance ships. 
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Rodo on June 30, 2008, 07:20:09 pm
I always wondered why was it that we could have this kind of "dumbfire" massive missiles... with that tecnolog they have the second logical step would be a massive swarm warhead.

Fire a XXXXX!!!  3 sec's later an explotion and 6 swarms of hornets comming right out of it and heading towards the enemy turret that was on radar lock ^^
now that would be an effective turret supressor warhead for interceptor wings, wouldnt it?

Rot
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on June 30, 2008, 07:46:25 pm
In that case why not have a Helios sized bomb that splits into 6 trebs and targets several turrets/subsystems?  Better yet just do away with a few bombs and add a couple of extra turrets for either anti-fighter or subsystems.  Ursa with 3 MS at different firing arcs (top, bottom, back) comes to mind. 
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Stormkeeper on June 30, 2008, 08:44:17 pm
I actually use those fighter/bomber suppression devices on cruisers. They make good mini bombs, cause they can't be target as bombs, plus you don't need an aspect lock.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: asyikarea51 on June 30, 2008, 09:36:12 pm
I tried tabling a rocket system that spawned a few weak bomblets (< 5) for maximum effect. A Tempest with more bang...

...but the bang was pretty much useless unless it was a direct hit, or if the target simply happened to be at the rocket's maximum range.

:sigh:

Where's that spawn angle code in the wiki? Weapons.tbl? :) And on that note, why are the cluster bomblets homing? To make sure the explosions actually strike the target or something?
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: phreak on June 30, 2008, 10:29:26 pm
Where's that spawn angle code in the wiki? Weapons.tbl? :) And on that note, why are the cluster bomblets homing? To make sure the explosions actually strike the target or something?

Yea the bomblets home so they'd actually hit something.  There is a flag in the special Wanderer build out that passes on the lock of the parent target to the children.  It should be far harder to dodge than clusters bomblets that pick their own target.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Stormkeeper on June 30, 2008, 10:31:48 pm
Yea the bomblets home so they'd actually hit something.  There is a flag in the special Wanderer build out that passes on the lock of the parent target to the children.  It should be far harder to dodge than clusters bomblets that pick their own target.
Cool. Now all we need is a multi-targeting code, and make each bomblet a mini Harpoon.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: phreak on June 30, 2008, 11:28:06 pm
I wouldn't get your hopes up, it's hard enough to track one target ;)
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Stormkeeper on June 30, 2008, 11:38:49 pm
True, that. Still, it'd be freaking awesome to track multiple targets and ka-blam them all with a single multi-missile.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Akalabeth Angel on June 30, 2008, 11:42:11 pm
True, that. Still, it'd be freaking awesome to track multiple targets and ka-blam them all with a single multi-missile.

      I thought the whole point of a MIRV was to overwhelm the target with multiple projectiles. If you just fire one big bomb which fires 1 missile each at five targets, why not just fire normal missiles from the get go? Fire a hornet type missile but attacks four different targets, it would be so awesome, you'd fire these missiles, and only 1 or 2 would hit, and then by the time you hit them again, you'd have like fresh shields to hit again and you'd never get anywhere. Hurray!
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Stormkeeper on June 30, 2008, 11:48:10 pm
... I see your point there.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Iranon on July 01, 2008, 01:08:46 pm
I've never been happy with Piranhsa, but Infyrnos have their uses.

- They can take out big chunky fighters in 1 hit; no lock-on needed (use of afterburner recommended)
- They are effective against cruiser-sized targets
- They can tear a whole wing of light fighters to shreds (not too useful in the main campaign since there are no Vasudan enemies)
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Snail on July 01, 2008, 01:14:22 pm
- They can take out big chunky fighters in 1 hit; no lock-on needed (use of afterburner recommended)
- They are effective against cruiser-sized targets
- They can tear a whole wing of light fighters to shreds (not too useful in the main campaign since there are no Vasudan enemies)
I usually use Infyrnos on transports or light freighters (I learned this trick from PI).
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Kie99 on July 01, 2008, 01:26:59 pm
If you fire a Piranha online in a dogfight the bomblets target you.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Rodo on July 01, 2008, 01:57:35 pm
True, that. Still, it'd be freaking awesome to track multiple targets and ka-blam them all with a single multi-missile.

totally agreed, not saying lots of targetting reticles, but unleast two would make the game more interesting, I downloaded the source code a while ago willing to do something like that, but got lost in it's vast VAST coding and eventually gave up. now I have 34,8 MB of wasted code in my hard drive...bump

- They can take out big chunky fighters in 1 hit; no lock-on needed (use of afterburner recommended)

I've noticed something also about that afterburner thingy.. when firing a dive bomb (like the helios) the bomb does not seem to travel at the same top speed as the bomber does, many memories of being able to shoot one of those and watching them with the "*" camera coming from behind of my bomber and hitting a sathanas beam turret...
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on July 01, 2008, 04:21:47 pm
The afterburner thing is always good for kamikaze bombing in multi.  Launch four Helios and use your ship as cover for the bombs as the follow behind. 
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Mura on July 01, 2008, 06:03:29 pm
it is, indeed, one bad thing about using the afterburner with the cluster bombs is that sometimes you get yourself in the range of the explosion if you don't calculate well and end up hurting yourself  :doubt:

In Multi i managed to use the piranha rather well, the shockwave was annoying enough for everyone else, and weirdly, some would get EMP damage and turn them into a rather easier targets (i don't know if that was a bug, though  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: colecampbell666 on July 07, 2008, 10:30:55 am
I use the Infyrno as a light bomb. I believe that PI calls it a "Poor Man's Bomb".
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: General Battuta on July 07, 2008, 11:28:37 am
Yesterday I fired an Infyrno and I blew myself up!
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: colecampbell666 on July 07, 2008, 08:43:34 pm
I assume that was a comment on my misspelling, which I fixed.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Droid803 on July 07, 2008, 08:55:49 pm
Its hard to even bomb properly with an infyrno.
Its got no range...
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: colecampbell666 on July 07, 2008, 09:38:08 pm
600 is more than the range from which I release bombs. It's especially effective if you fire it into a fighterbay etc, as the clusters impact the hull as well.
Title: Re: Cluster Bomb Curiosity
Post by: Stormkeeper on July 07, 2008, 09:40:07 pm
Yea, I used to do that lots and imagine the structural damage the it was inflicting.