[Conniver]

I've just started the Advanced Training #2 mission in The Main FreeSpace Campaign where I'm supposed to learn about using my shields and the interceptor missiles. However, the game doesn't outfit me with any missiles. I only have the standard ML-16 lasers, the secondary weapon slot is empty. The game won't allow me to go into the Ship Selection and Weapon Loadout screens which IIRC is normal for training missions.

Is this a bug, am I missing something obvious, do I need to change a setting somewhere?

Now I've noticed there's a Skip Training button so this is probably not preventing me from continuing the campaign but I'd prefer doing the training mission first. And I'm not sure if there's a way that I could go back to do a previous mission later, I haven't been able to find that option anywhere. So if anyone can help me on this one it would be much appreciated.

Thanks
-Con

EDIT: Oops, noob alert! I didn't mean to post this in the Missions and Campaigns Forum but the General Freespace Discussion Forum. Sorry! Is it possible for a Mod to move this?

[jr2]

Hmm, as a workaround, perhaps try reloading if a support ship is available.  Or you could just skip the mission.

Basically, it teaches you that you have to wait for lockon to shoot, cause it won't hit otherwise unless you're extremely lucky.  Also, there is a wait count (3 for Interceptor) before you can fire again.  Also, Interceptor is aspect seeking, that is, it tracks towards the point where it and the target would intercept given the target's current speed & heading, vs. chasing the tail, like the MX-50/Rockeye does.  In a nutshell.  Although, it would be nice to find the problem... wait for Gooby or someone, I guess.

[Game_Master64]

is this the fs port or the actual retail fs

[Conniver]

@Game_Master64: First I installed the retail version of FS2 (I didn't apply the 1.2 patch) after which I downloaded and installed Turey's FreeSpace Open Installer (thanks again for the instructions jr2). I'm playing The Main FreeSpace Campaign using the FSPort MOD.

@jr2: Thanks for the "aspect seeking" explanation. At least now I know what to expect from the interceptor. It doesn't sound like a very impressive missile though. From your explanation is sounds as if it will hit the target only if the target doesn't change heading after the interceptor is fired. Should I consider this missile to be used only against slow moving and/or close range targets that aren't likely to change speed/heading?

[Goober5000]

This is a bug in the original game.  Drop the attached file into your mission folder and restart the mission, and it'll be fixed.

[edit: re-uploaded deleted attachment]

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mustang19]

@jr2: Thanks for the "aspect seeking" explanation. At least now I know what to expect from the interceptor. It doesn't sound like a very impressive missile though. From your explanation is sounds as if it will hit the target only if the target doesn't change heading after the interceptor is fired. Should I consider this missile to be used only against slow moving and/or close range targets that aren't likely to change speed/heading?

No, it constantly updates the target lead. It's like a real missile.

The Interceptor is a pretty good weapon when you need to hit something fast-moving, as it's the fastest missile in the game other than Fury. It's great for bomb intercept (hit B to target bombs or bombers). And remember to press SHIFT+/ to fire double-barrel, which allows you to fire two missiles in salvo- that's double damage. So it's a decent weapon, and you will be getting even more powerful stuff pretty soon.

[jr2]

@Conniver: I didn't mean it that way... the missile tracks its target continually, always aiming for where the target & itself would intercept given the target's current heading & speed, which it tracks & updates continually.  Therefore, it is 5x better than anything you've got so far.  Double-barrelled Interceptors can take out a fighter with one hit in some cases... packs quite a punch.

[Conniver]

@jr2 and Mustang19: Thanks for further explaining about the interceptors. Sounds like they will come in handy after all .

@Goober5000: I downloaded the file and put it in my Freespace 2\data\missions folder. Now when I start the mission I do get missiles but they are type MX-50, not Interceptor...? I quit the game (though not the FS2 Launcher) and then made a Freespace 2\fsport\data\missions folder (there was no missions folder in that data folder) and cut&pasted the file in there and restarted the game. Same thing, MX-50s instead of Interceptors. It seemed to me that your file had sorta patched the game (may have been a bad assumption on my part) since it no longer seemed to matter in which folder it was so I quit the game and removed it, wanting to see if the game would go back to the no missiles at all scenario. It didn't, still MX-50 missiles so I figured the game is patched but not entirely correctly somehow.

Now I'd started a new pilot yesterday after my original post to see if I could get him quickly to the same mission to see if he would suffer from the same problem. He only had one mission to go which I just finished. Now when he starts the adv. training #2 mission he suffers from the same problem my original pilot had. No missiles at all. When I play with my original pilot he does have missiles but still the type MX-50 and not Interceptors. I downloaded your file again, tried putting it in either mission folder but nothing changes. Original pilot MX-50, 2nd pilot no missiles. I decided I'd just skip the training mission with my 2nd pilot, see what happens and hope the bug only applies to the training mission. Now I can play the next mission but in Weapons Loadout there are no Interceptors available. I can't imagine that Volition would introduce a new toy in a training mission and then be cruel enough to not let you play with it in your next mission, so I figure I'm still bugged.

Last thing I did was take a look in the Technical Database in the Tech Room. The Interceptor is listed but it's listed as Interceptor#Weak and when I click on it no description is given.

Any and all help is appreciated. Cussing at me should I have done something stupid with the provided file and/or any other dumb action of mine is acceptable .

Thanks
-Con

[Goober5000]

Hm.  That's probably a loadout problem.

Put the mission in the same place it was before (when you had MX-50s) but open it up in Notepad and change the Modified date to something different.  Then fire up the game and try again.

And you don't get to use Interceptors immediately after the training mission.  You have to wait about three missions or so.

[jr2]

It's like a real missile.

couldn't resist... is the AIM-9 "fake", then?    (It's a tail chasing heat-seeker, FYI anyone who doesn't know... it acts like an MX-50, and almost all fighters today carry them as their short-range dogfighting missile.)

[Dysko]

Well... there is also the AIM-120 AMRAAM... that's a radar guided missile, exactly like the Interceptor or the Harpoon. The only difference is that the AIM-120 is effective only in mid-to-long-range engagements (it's quite ineffective at short range).
Uhm... is the AIM-132 ASRAAM a heat seeking or a radar guided missile? If it's radar guided, we have found the RL counterpart of Interceptors and Harpoons.

[Admiral Nelson]

ASRAAM is a heat seeker.  It has longer range but less maneuverability than the AIM-9X, the latest version of the sidewinder.

[Conniver]

Thanks for the suggestion Goober, unfortunately it didn't work. Nothing has changed. I'm going to take my 2nd pilot through the next couple of missions and see if the interceptors become available. Something tells me they won't but it's worth a shot. And it's not worth the trouble if it's just the training mission that's bugged. I will be back later with the result.

EDIT: I've played through the next couple of missions and I now have the Interceptor. And like you guys said it's one heck of a weapon. So I guess it is just that one training mission that's bugged for me. If you want to help me get it running that's fine, I'll try all suggestions but there's no need to go through a lot of trouble for it as far as I'm concerned since the rest of the game appears to be running perfectly.

Thanks for the help and explanations all.
-Con

[jr2]

AFAIK, Interceptor#Weak doesn't work with the SCP/FS2Retail, because #Weak was only used in FS1 to set special damage for a weapon (to weaken its punch).  It wasn't really a table entry, but the game set a special damage value to anything with #Weak, IIRC.  Right, Gooby?

[Goober5000]

Wrong. It was a table entry, just like any other weapon.  Only problem was, it was never given as an allowed weapon on the player ship.

[jr2]

Seems like an easy enough fix... modify ships.tbl to include it, right?  BTW, in FS1 Retail, why is Hornet#Weak there?

[Goober5000]

Eaaaaaaasy fix!  Vvvvvvvvveeeerrrry quick!

(A cookie to anyone who gets that reference. )

Hornet#Weak is there for the same reason that Interceptor#Weak is.

[jr2]

But it's not used in training.

Also, I'm looking at port 3.0.4, and I do see Interceptor#Weak in the allowed weapons... or you mean mission, don't you?

EDIT: Umm... Gooby?  The music for the training is screwed up, too.  (See what a can of worms you opened with that cookie?)

EDIT2: Sneaky little...

Code: [Select]

;;FSO 3.6.8;; $Substitute Music: That's as good as

Code: [Select]

:wel[i][/i]come
(Good thing I noticed before I upped a fixed .vp for you... that would've been... tragic.  Wasted time, precious!  Gollum!  Anyways...)

EDIT3:

Eaaaaaaasy fix!  Vvvvvvvvveeeerrrry quick!

(A cookie to anyone who gets that reference. )

Wait a second!  You mean, you already did it?  I thought the "reference" was that I should quit complaining and do it myself.  Which is it?