Beginning missiles.

[Shoku (OP)]

I'm about to the point of mental collapse just trying to find all the parts I'm supposed to put together for this. 
I need a missile fire control, a magazine to hold # of missiles, and then some number of launchers for how quickly I want to unload them right? In the sample game there are always more parts though.  Some large missile launcher with strange attributes like hangar size and whatever MF reload is and usually 5 different missile fire controls. 

It's hellish trying to work out if I've even found all the parts I need to make the ship fire at all much less what I'm missing out on not knowing what these other options are.

And then the missiles themselves- well I get how to distribute the sizes but after I make, say, an anti-missile missile the first time is that the end of the line? There seems to be plenty for making bigger missiles but do I ever get more punch at the same size?

[Shadow]

It's not that hard.

• Magazine components, as you said, store missiles. Magazine technology seeks to maximize capacity per hull space (HS) and increase the chance of ejection in the case of a catastrophic hit on the module.
• The missile fire control handles the targeting and should be designed in accordance to the range of the corresponding missile (or missiles). Steve probably had several missile fire controls due to having various kinds of missiles and, of course, due to the advance of technology (meaning some FCs might be obsolete at that point of the game).
• The launchers themselves need to be designed in accordance to the size of the corresponding missile. Stuff like reload rate can be improved with research. You can fire smaller missiles from a bigger launcher, but that'll likely take longer to reload. The bigger the launcher, the longer the reload rate.

And as you develop missile technology, you can get more punch at the same size. Said tech is all about increasing damage, maneuverability and engine power per Missile Size Point (MSP). You'll have to design new missiles to take advantage of scientific breakthroughs, naturally, though that's not much of an issue.

[Erik L]

For missile launchers, check this part of the wiki http://aurorawiki.pentarch.org/index.php?title=Aurora_Player_Designed_Systems#Missile_Launchers

For missiles themselves, there is no wiki article yet. They are mentioned briefly in the tutorials. However, as you research "Missile Warhead Strength" I believe it is listed, it improves the damage per MSP*. Various engine techs do the same for speed. As you progress in tech, you can pull up the previous design, and it gets updated to the new technology. Just slap a new name on it, add it to a series (optional), and create it. Then just do the research for it, and voila! New missiles.


*MSP = Missile Size Point.

[Shadow]

As you progress in tech, you can pull up the previous design, and it gets updated to the new technology. Just slap a new name on it, add it to a series (optional), and create it. Then just do the research for it, and voila! New missiles.

To clarify a bit, existing missiles don't get automatically upgraded when you do this: you still have to manufacture the new missiles. When you pull up a previous design, it shows you its same proportions (warhead, engine, agility, etc.) but with the effect of current technology on its stats.

I hope I didn't confuse things further.

[Shoku (OP)]

The components are hard to understand, it is finding the information for them that is hard.

Now the fire controls there can't be that because they're duplicates of the same thing.

Some Russian cruiser has 10 AMM launchers and 120 "VLS" launchers - for these there are (2) resolution 1, 28m km controls and (3) 120 resolution, 84m km controls.  With that many antiship launchers I guess you might want to aim at 3 different ships but even ships with only around 20 launchers still have 3 controls for their anti-ship missile launchers.

Are they backups for if the ship takes damage?
*Any idea what VLS means?
-

I don't have a missile warhead strength research project anywhere in the available or completed lists.  The only things that even start with missile are missile agility, missile launcher size, and missile launcher reload rate.

Found it though.  They're all named things (ex: "Cobalt Warhead: Strength: 10 x MSP")

-

I finally figured out the launcher thing.  Box launchers have these hangar and MF reload times.  Having finally found that in the options on the design window there's a nice note explaining that MF reload stands for maintenance facility and hanger reload is, if I understand correctly, while it is docked inside a larger ship.

[Shadow]

VLS stands for Vertical Launch System, but I bet that's just a custom name for the component (after all, you can customize those things: just look at my designs). As for having multiple identical MFCs, it's both for targeting versatility, as you said, and I think it divides salvos* as well. A single point-defense gun (or turret barrel) can only fire on a single salvo at a time, so dividing your salvos would help against that.


*A salvo is a group of missiles that's considered a single target for combat purposes.

[Peter Rhodan]

Here is a quick run-down
Missile design has it's own panel - as mentioned earlier selecting a previous design int he upper left gives that previous missile with the latest tech - at bottom is button to creat class of missile - eg Size 9 Big Bertha - or whatever class name you want - give each size a class name and then your launchers can use the latest Mk 36B version that goes like 3,000,000mk once they are available.
You can spend hours designing missiles.
Launchers - pretty straight forward - in the design panel design the launcher size desired - upgrade with Launcher reload rate tech - use the Downsize tech path to reach Box Launchers for use in fighters etc
Magazine - design in normal tech panel - big as you want - my own design philosophy is around 60 capacity early on and several of them per ship (means not so really really bad when they blow up) - tech upgrade paths available to lessen the chance of blowing up etc
Missile Fire Control - early on particularly you need a min resolution (50HS) one for spotting incoming missiles and using your size 1 AMMs in self defence - size is the issue here - a size 16 will only give you like 2mk warning early on - and for those Big Betha suckers you need a resolution say 5k one with a range of like 90mk
The real trap with Fire controls is you need matching Active sensors - so 2 of each in effect - one Missile fire control to control the missiles and 1 Active Sensor to see the bad guys coming. The normal setup early on is a ship with Active Sensors to do the ranging as you can't get 2 MFC's and 2 ASS's and missiles launchers, magazines, engines, etc etc etc on anything smaller than the Bismark at the beginning.
Of course the bad guys will target the Sensor ships first..........
hope this helps

[jseah]

Hmm.. thought this might go here. 

How many salvoes would you aim to have on a 6k and 10k ton missile ship respectively?
I'm a bit worried that my 6k ton ships shoot 4 salvoes of 9 and then they're done. 

EDIT:
And my escorts have only 132 AMMs.  15 every 10 seconds, with 3 firecons. 

[Shadow]

Hmm.. thought this might go here.  

How many salvoes would you aim to have on a 6k and 10k ton missile ship respectively?
I'm a bit worried that my 6k ton ships shoot 4 salvoes of 9 and then they're done.  

I design my own missile ships with enough ordnance space for 10 salvoes or so.

See my Ashigara-class missile frigate (8kt) and Percival-class missile cruiser (12kt).

[Hawkeye]

I design my own missile ships with enough ordnance space for 10 salvoes or so.

See my Ashigara-class missile frigate (8kt) and Percival-class missile cruiser (12kt).

Yep, 10 Salvos for _offensive_ launchers is my minimum too.

On Anti-Missile launchers, however, it´s more like 30 salvos. Consider you´ll probably  need at least two, more often three to four missiles to hit one enemy missile, you want your ships to have a whole lot of ´em.


Note: You will never, ever have enough missiles

[jseah]

I can't seem to get 10, at least without severely crippling my output per wave. 

9->8 missiles per wave on my frigates nets me a bit more than 7 salvoes up from 4. 
18->15 missiles per wave on my destroyer has the same effect. 

I'm a bit wary of decreasing the wave size as well, since I estimate wave size to have a square-law effect.  More per wave = more get through = more damage = less they can shoot down your missiles next wave. 
Just eyeballing the stats from my escort frigates vs my offensive frigates tells me that my offensive frigate cannot even touch my escort. 
Sure, they cost about 80% that of an escort, but the escort has 15 AMMs per wave, ROF 10, 16 salvoes... =(
 - Interception chance is roughly 60% as well... =(  With a 6 million km interception radius.  =(
 - The current OOB of my fleet tells me that all my offensive frigates can shoot dry onto my escort frigates and they won't even take a scratch.  Maybe a few hits at most, which my armour is design to tank exactly one hit. 
 - The only one that gets through is the FAC swarm box launcher alpha strike which is 160 missiles and is just ridiculously big. 

Also because I don't want to waste missiles.  Like you say, you never have enough. 
1.5k AS missiles after 2 years of building missiles = 10 minutes of firing total from my ships
5k AM missiles (I split 50-50 between AS and AM) = 12 minutes of firing total from my escorts

[Shadow]

Sounds like you need to build more ordnance factories and research further ordnance construction tech.

Also, I use my missiles carefully. I never leave my anti-ship launchers (I don't use AMM) constantly firing: I fire a salvo, wait to see the effect (if I don't have a feel of the enemy's defensive capability) and adjust accordingly before firing again.

[Charlie Beeler]

jseah, it sounds like you need to start a thread in ship designs for critic. 

Here is something to consider.  Since the Fast OOB is set for a theoretical 2 years of construction, I SM starting missile stockpiles on the same order.