6 replies to this topic

[WardenWolf]

It looks like the formation in which missiles launch (and then fly) is being re-worked:

http://mwomercs.com/...ost__p__1824378

While I appreciate the effort to look into this, I am confused on a couple of points:

1) Why do the missiles 'weave' around in-flight at all? From what I have seen, missiles tend not to do that: it would waste energy / fuel, reduce accuracy, put undue stress on the missile structure, etc.

2) Why do all the missiles launch at once? I know this is affected in MWO by the 'size' or number of visible launch tubes on a given mech hardpoint, and can be used in some configs to do interesting things, but even with a basic matching setup (say, a LRM 10 in a visual 10-tube launcher) why do all the missiles shoot out at the same time? It seems like that would be asking for trouble with mid-air collisions and such! In real life, multi-shot missile launchers fire in sequence to avoid such issues (fast forward to 2:10 in the video):



It seems to me that if the missiles fired about 0.1 to 0.05 seconds apart they could achieve the goals of not having all the missiles impact the same spot (for balance) without the weird spreads that are in-game now (or those that are planned, as in the above Command Chair link).

What does everyone else out there think?

Edited by WardenWolf, 11 February 2013 - 01:42 PM.

[Gaan Cathal]

WardenWolf, on 11 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

1) Why do the missiles 'weave' around in-flight at all? From what I have seen, missiles tend not to do that: it would waste energy / fuel, reduce accuracy, put undue stress on the missile structure, etc.

Because it looks cool.

WardenWolf, on 11 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

2) Why do all the missiles launch at once? I know this is affected in MWO by the 'size' or number of visible launch tubes on a given mech hardpoint, and can be used in some configs to do interesting things, but even with a basic matching setup (say, a LRM 10 in a visual 10-tube launcher) why do all the missiles shoot out at the same time? It seems like that would be asking for trouble with mid-air collisions and such! In real life, multi-shot missile launchers fire in sequence to avoid such issues (fast forward to 2:10 in the video):

Because sequential missiles would be more vulnerable to AMS

[WardenWolf]

Gaan Cathal, on 11 February 2013 - 01:45 PM, said:

Because it looks cool.

I dunno - I suppose to some folks, like yourself, it does - but to my eye it just seems unrealistic (and so less 'cool').

Gaan Cathal, on 11 February 2013 - 01:45 PM, said:

Because sequential missiles would be more vulnerable to AMS

This is how it should be, since AMS should be the main counter to missiles (and I say this as a LRM boat pilot much of the time). ECM is not supposed to be an anti-missile solution, at least in previous games / lore, but it has become that here because AMS was not as effective as perhaps it should have been. Additionally, we are only talking about making launches of missiles take 0.25 - 1.0 seconds to launch fully, so that would be time for only 1-3 more missiles to be shot down... not that huge of an impact, really.

[kiltymonroe]

WardenWolf, on 11 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

Why do the missiles 'weave' around in-flight at all? From what I have seen, missiles tend not to do that: it would waste energy / fuel, reduce accuracy, put undue stress on the missile structure, etc.

[WardenWolf]

@kiltymonroe - Wow, that is the oddest missile flight path I've seen... but at least an example showing that perhaps the stuff in MWO makes some sense

Some more looking, after seeing this, shows that most past missile systems seem to use straight trajectories - but modern / future designs sometimes do employ mid-air movement like that. In at least some accounts this appears to be specifically to throw off anti-missile defenses. It still looks abnormal to me, but maybe that is the way things will be more and more in the future.

[focuspark]

WardenWolf, on 11 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

1) Why do the missiles 'weave' around in-flight at all? From what I have seen, missiles tend not to do that: it would waste energy / fuel, reduce accuracy, put undue stress on the missile structure, etc.

In theory to avoid potential AMS fire, in reality it makes good YouTube videos and more interesting gameplay.

WardenWolf, on 11 February 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

2) Why do all the missiles launch at once? I know this is affected in MWO by the 'size' or number of visible launch tubes on a given mech hardpoint, and can be used in some configs to do interesting things, but even with a basic matching setup (say, a LRM 10 in a visual 10-tube launcher) why do all the missiles shoot out at the same time? It seems like that would be asking for trouble with mid-air collisions and such! In real life, multi-shot missile launchers fire in sequence to avoid such issues (fast forward to 2:10 in the video):

Same answer as above... also, they only need to be tracked as single flight reducing overhead on the game servers. People need to realize what they see in game is just a pretty representation of what's really happening and may or may not reflect it accurately.

[WardenWolf]

focuspark, on 11 February 2013 - 02:39 PM, said:

Same answer as above... also, they only need to be tracked as single flight reducing overhead on the game servers. People need to realize what they see in game is just a pretty representation of what's really happening and may or may not reflect it accurately.

Ah, yes, if the missiles are being tracked in-game by flight that absolutely makes sense! I just have fond memories of missiles coming out individually over a short duration in previous MW games, and it seemed like that was more realistic and would lead to more effective missile countermeasures.

I do at least give the MWO team props for taking visual launcher size on the mech into some account when displaying missile launches & flights, though