Exactly - it's the analyzing I wanted to get done here. Here's how I see it:
Targeting:1) Numerous lasers/beams/missiles/bombs fired at target.
2) Target registers incoming fire (except weapons flagged with special "force-guided" flag, which are ignored).
3) Target ranks incoming weapons that are within 300 meters of the target.
4) Target assigns threat index to all weapons fire within 300m by sorting according to heaviest damage potential, in descending order.
5) Target "opens fire" with BH turret* on highest ranking weapon, while re-evaluating threat index every second. Note that special attention should be given to beam fire, which traverses those 300m instantly. Beam fire should be intercepted only after it has already struck the target, on the next index reevaluation, to simulate the disadvantages of needing to predict weapons fire as opposed to all-around regular shield coverage.
6) In addition to threat index reevaluation (which is primarily for incoming weapons that pass the 300 meter range), the target automatically shifts BH aim to next highest weapon in threat index when currently targeted weapon is removed from the equation - whether that removal is by hitting an obstruction (colliding with a fighter), being shot down (bomb interception), or being "sucked up" by the BH itself.
Black Hole Operation:1) A turret-system combo (takes energy levels from
engine (! See point 8) system) with 360 degree field of fire.
2) Continuous-fire, invisible "beam", with a black spot hit/impact effect.
3) Like laser weapons generate local colored lighting, the BH hit effect would generate a local negative light effect.
4) Here's the tricky part: The BH "beam" must not collide with the originating ship's hull, but with the
shield mesh. This will place the apparent black hole, and thus the interception points, at any location a bit out from the ship hull - right where the shield mesh is.
5) Shield meshes on Vong ships should
not affect weapons fire by themselves, they are there solely to provide the BH beam something to impact against.
6) BH beam range limit must be essentially unlimited, to allow targeting of any incoming weapons fire even if on opposite side of ship, but the effective range must stop at the shields.
7) Energy level of any given dovin basal projector should not affect its energy absorption level capabilities. In other words, it takes the same amount of energy to halt a second of subach shots as it does a second of heavy beam fire - it is the act of
generating and maintaining the black hole that takes up energy, not how much energy it is swallowing up.
8) What
does tax the energy level is moving a BH to different targets, as well as maneuvering the ship. With lowering energy levels, a ship should either maneuver more sluggishly, or intercept weapons fire slower. We need a set-dovin-shield-priority sexp, where you set a number from 0 (all energy goes to engines, with shields receiving the surplus) to 10 (all needed energy goes to shielding, with surplus going to engines), with the default being set in the tables.
9) When less energy than required is allocated to the shields, BH turrets hit effects physically shrink in size, and repositioning black holes takes longer.
Random Thoughts:- If laser, beam and missile weapons need to have a "destroyable" flag set, like the bomb has, then it should be modified to be destroyable only by BH weapons - no sense in allowing capital ship beams to be "shot down" by Subach fire.
- The dovin basal shield-stripping abilities can be simulated by a completely separate weapon system, 100% accurate invisible beam that is devastating to shields, but has no effect on hull. However, this weapon system should be a major energy drain on the originating ship.
Ugh.
