[diamondgeezer]

I didn't commit this to Mantis since it's not really a bug. But Reci really needs heat seeker missiles to track targets which have the 'invisible to sensors' flag. I'm hoping it ought to be a very quick code tweak

[jdjtcagle]

Its funny how they work for wingman and not the player.
why look at the port and FS1 you can't hit the shivans with MX-50 when they first appear but your wingman can.

[Joey_21]

It makes more sense for a heat-seeking missile to track a target regardless of whether they are visible to sensors or not since a heat-seeking missile follows heat anyway so...

[Stryke 9]

What sort of things do you think the sensors would rely on?

"Ah, command, I don't see anything, and there's no radiation sources about, but there's this big thruster flare right in front of me and I don't know what it is... probably nothing, nevermind."

[Carl]

FS sensors must be stupid. anything that reflects light can be tracked. the only way to make it invisible to sensors is to make it invisible.

[Stryke 9]

Or camouflaged. Given the light input from the stars and so on, you'd have to go by changes in light rather than just its presence, and given how much crap seems to be floating around in space in FS that'd make for a terribly confused sensor.

[diamondgeezer]

For fuck's sake, do we have to do this every single time? Stryke, I know I neglected to mention that yes, in real life the whole thing is preposterous but I was hoping you lot would show some fucking restraint or have gotten bored after having had the same fucking argument in every other thread.

[Starks]

What if the Shivans ran on COLD FUSION?

[Bobboau]

but if there invisable to sensors, then why would the sensors on a missle detect them?

in most casses, I think people would assume that they wouldn't track, as a result we can't simply change this behavor, if a change is to be made it must retain the option of the origonal behavor, and I can't realy think of a good way to do that

[Lightspeed]

actually I always shot down Ptahs and Pegasi with Rockeyes

It works perfectly fine.

[an0n]

Two words: Undiscovered Country.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Bobboau
but if there invisable to sensors, then why would the sensors on a missle detect them?

in most casses, I think people would assume that they wouldn't track, as a result we can't simply change this behavor, if a change is to be made it must retain the option of the origonal behavor, and I can't realy think of a good way to do that

Heat seeking, not aspect seeking.  They can still differentiate between hostiles and friendlies via IFF codes (no friendly code= hostile).

  Insofar as I can tell, the sensors in Fs ships basically work like sonar or radar, tracking some form of electronic emissions - because there doesn't seem to be any baffling on the thrusters of the GTVa stealth ships to dissipate heat, and also because the shivans couldn't be targeted in FS1 despite thier obvious thruster related heat signature.

Do heatseekers work under primitive sensors?

[Lightspeed]

yes, and they do also work against stealth fighters.

[Nico]

Originally posted by aldo_14


Heat seeking, not aspect seeking.  They can still differentiate between hostiles and friendlies via IFF codes (no friendly code= hostile).

So they should go after civilian ships too ( TWA boeing anyone? )

[aldo_14]

Civvies have IFF codes too, as do installations.  Otherwise they'd show up as 'unknown' or similar.  It'd be part of some sort of inbuilt tracking / locator beacon, as in real life.

[Nico]

In real life, civilian planes don't have IFF indicators

[an0n]

Neither do Red Cross buildings.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Nico
In real life, civilian planes don't have IFF indicators

a) Freespace isn't real life
b) They do still carry ID beacons I belive, so they can be tracked by air traffic control.

[Nico]

I mentioned real life coz you did "as in real life".
And I doubt heatseeker missiles have IFF discriminators anyway. They target a heat source and, well, that's it.

[Atalhlla]

There can be only a few explanations for this, beyond saying "FS isn't realistic" >

1 ) Cold fusion (LLivingLarge)
2 ) Gas... Maybe the Shivans can't eat beans or something.
3 ) Ice cold lemonade.  It's got to be it.  They stole all my lemonade...

~Atal