borisof007, on 09 March 2012 - 09:11 PM, said:
SRM's, not streak SRM's mind you, do not have guidance. They fire straight, so it takes skill to use them.
This is a common misconception that has, somehow, made its way into some of the previous MW games.
In the BT canon (to which we know the Devs intend to generally adhere; see question 22 in
the FAQ), non-streak SRMs
are guided.
In fact, not only are the
standard SRMs guided (
and compatible with the
Artemis IV FCS), but they have
the option of several different guidance packages, including
anti-radiation,
heat-seeking,
listen-kill, and the
option of no guidance system at all (
dead-fire missiles).
When SRMs (of all varieties) are described as "direct-fire", this is in opposition to the "indirect fire" of LRMs - that is, SRMs are launched with a flat (or very nearly so) horizontal trajectory relative to the ground rather than the pronounced parabolic arc characteristic of LRMs.
With the
Streak SRMs:
Quote
The Streak Missile Launcher is a specialized version of the standard Short Range Missile launcher which withholds fire until it receives a solid lock ensuring all missiles will hit.
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Originally developed in 2647, the Streak SRM Launcher is relatively similar to the standard SRM launcher but linked to a unique Targa-7 fire control system. This system is designed to guarantee a hit against any target onto which the pilot can get a lock, a special feature of this system preventing the weapon from firing at a target when there is no lock-on, saving ammunition by preventing shots that would miss anyway.
-----
Unlike a standard SRM whose shotgun effect may result in some misses and some hits, Streak guidance gives the lighter launchers the effective average firepower of the heavier and more wasteful SRM systems, but with considerably less variation in damage effects. The only disadvantages are that Streak launchers are incompatible with other missile target acquisition technologies such as the Artemis IV FCS and Narc Missile Beacon, their specialized ammunition is much more expensive, and some users are willing to accept partial hits rather than not be able to fire on demand.
The Streak system is not a guidance system, but an ammunition conservation system - it disallows the firing of the missile launcher until such time as its built-in fire control system recognizes that all missiles are solidly locked and (almost) guaranteed to strike the target.
Solis' question is essentially, "Will SRMs' behavior be modeled accurately (that is, having them be guided - in accordance with BT canon), or will SRMs' behavior be modeled according the common misconception that SRMs are not guided?"