[AllStarZ]

I've recently taken to experimenting with piloting cap ships. While doing so, I noticed a few things:

- They are unforgivably un-maneuverable. So much that anything over the size of a corvette is barely viable for combat.
- Beam weapons don't work. Essentially meaning that piloting Orions, Leviathans, or Fenrises is pointless. You can't control the beams, and they won't work on their own either.
- Targeting in general is rather fickle. Your flak batteries and etc. will focus on hammering that Mentu instead of protecting you against bombers.

So:

- How can I add thrusters to capital craft? So that they can move sideways, and up and down without yawing or pitching?
- How can I activate my beams?
- How can I switch targeting priorities of turrets from fighters, bombers and bombs to warships?
- How can I order turrets to attack my target like I can with bomber turrets?
- How can I order them to do whatever the hell they want?

[Unknown Target]

- They are unforgivably un-maneuverable. So much that anything over the size of a corvette is barely viable for combat.

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- Beam weapons don't work. Essentially meaning that piloting Orions, Leviathans, or Fenrises is pointless. You can't control the beams, and they won't work on their own either.

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- Targeting in general is rather fickle. Your flak batteries and etc. will focus on hammering that Mentu instead of protecting you against bombers.

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- How can I add thrusters to capital craft? So that they can move sideways, and up and down without yawing or pitching?

In the tables, under max speed (X, X, X).

- How can I activate my beams?

Beam-free-all? Other than that,
-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- How can I switch targeting priorities of turrets from fighters, bombers and bombs to warships?

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- How can I order turrets to attack my target like I can with bomber turrets?

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

- How can I order them to do whatever the hell they want?

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.



You might be able to do some of that stuff with some clever scripting/SEXPing though.

[AllStarZ]

Beam-free-all?

[GenericCorvette]

- Beam weapons don't work. Essentially meaning that piloting Orions, Leviathans, or Fenrises is pointless. You can't control the beams, and they won't work on their own either.

- How can I activate my beams?

Beam-free-all?

Beam-Free-All is a SEXP in FRED that allows beam turrets to fire. Use it on your player-commanded capital ship.

- Targeting in general is rather fickle. Your flak batteries and etc. will focus on hammering that Mentu instead of protecting you against bombers.

- How can I switch targeting priorities of turrets from fighters, bombers and bombs to warships?
- How can I order them to do whatever the hell they want?
- How can I order turrets to attack my target like I can with bomber turrets?

I think the best that can be done without digging into some complex hackups would be to treat your capital ship like an oversized bomber and target whatever it is you want to shoot. Deactivate targetting (ALT+T is the default, I think) to let them choose their own targets.

[Warp Shadow]

The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so none of those features are included.
Except for moving sideways and backwards. Look closer.

[AllStarZ]

I think the best that can be done without digging into some complex hackups would be to treat your capital ship like an oversized bomber and target whatever it is you want to shoot. Deactivate targetting (ALT+T is the default, I think) to let them choose their own targets.

Yeah but then other capship beams won't target my ship, and damnit, I want to be torn to pieces by BGreens.

[GenericCorvette]

I meant target enemies like you would to get a bomber turret to shoot them, not make your capital ship a bomber with a cruiser's model.

[Snail]

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

QFT.

[Mobius]

-The game wasn't designed to fly capital ships, so this feature is not included.

QFT.

So? Was the game designed to have in-mission cutscenes? No. But we can have them now, and they work!

- How can I switch targeting priorities of turrets from fighters, bombers and bombs to warships?

I don't know if it works with a player controlled ship, but...try the SEXPs turret-set-target-order and ship-turret-target-order

[Snail]

Ah, but the game was designed to have in-game cutscenes by the SCP. But the SCP has not made any effort to give the player control over a capital ship.

[Mobius]

What kind of changes? Does the code really need changes to to allow us to control ships without having problems? I mentioned two SEXPs that should be useful, for example. The player controls just one ship, maybe a few SEXPs should be enough.

[Snail]

It's not perfect. Ideally, the player would be able to order individual turrets around via the comm menu and use his main beam turrets at will. Until the SCP creates a real good engine for this, it remains a fighter-based game.

[Mobius]

Well don't think the cutscene SEXPs we have are perfect, there are many issues and FREDders requested new features.

Controlling turrets with the communications menu? And what if the target gets out of range? Is a human being able to coordinate the use of dozens of turrets?

[Snail]

Controlling turrets with the communications menu? And what if the target gets out of range? Is a human being able to coordinate the use of dozens of turrets?

I'm just throwing around ideas here.

[Mobius]

That's not a good idea. I mean, controlling turrets with the communications menu?!?

[Snail]

Lots of people have taken up that idea. Shoot me for saying it again.

[Mobius]

It has a chance of working only for freighters and cruisers, not with corvettes or worse, larger ships.

[AllStarZ]

I meant target enemies like you would to get a bomber turret to shoot them, not make your capital ship a bomber with a cruiser's model.

I do target my enemies, and the flak insists on bombarding that Mentu.