Gunboat not firing : beginner need help

[hubgbf (OP)]

Hi,

My gunboat defense force refuse to fire to an ennemy gravsurvey, and I do not understand why.

I've got 5 box missile armed gunboat with missile fire controle, and a active scan gunboat without gun, all of them in a single fleet.  I'm following the ennemy ship, having a speed avantage, and I cannot fire on it at 20. 000 km and 100. 000 km.
I have assigned missile to missile launcher (even try to go back to earth, unload and reload them and try to fire again).
I have assigned missile launcher to fire control.
I have assigned the ennemy ship to the fire control, and then push the open fire.

I see:

_{FAC Missile Fire Control FC50-R100 #1:   Targeting Valhalla 004 - Weapons Firing
LM-Box-5 #1 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #2 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #3 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #4 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #5 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #6 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #7 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #8 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #9 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #10 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #11 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #12 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)}

But 5 seconds later, without firing, I see:

<sub>FAC Missile Fire Control FC50-R100 #1:   Targeting Valhalla 004 - Holding Fire


Assigned Missiles/Buoys without Shipboard Fire Control
LM-Box-5 #1 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #2 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #3 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #4 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #5 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #6 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #7 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #8 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #9 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #10 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #11 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)
LM-Box-5 #12 - Exocet-1b (Ready To Fire)</sub>

In the event screen I got messages saying that my missile fire control is targeting the ennemy ship, and no more.

Did someone understand why?

My fire control is FC50-R100, so for 5000 tons ships, and the ennemy ship is only 2450 tons, but I tried at 20k and 100k kms, so I do not think ECM and size is a problem.  It seems my fire control is not adequate, but I do not understand why, I build it choosing missile fire control and some range, that's all.  My best guess is that my missile fire control is not considered by aurora as a missile fire control, but I do not understand how I get it wrong.

Even if I'm a beginner I've already managed to kill a swarm queen with my missile fleet helped by several beam armed ship which I managed to put near enough to fire without being shot at by the queen, this after having killed her warrior with AMM fire to keep my true missile for the queen and her shield, so I thought I at least managed to know how to open fire !

Thanks for your help, aurora is addictive and I didn't like ennemy ship in one of my system, it's an epidermic reaction, and I need a fast and easy way to deal with them or any small-scale ennemy invasion.

[Beersatron]

Check and make sure each ship has the automated fire checkbox unchecked. Auto fire doesnt work with box launchers, so Aurora will just de-associate them without actually telling you.

Can you paste in the design of the FAC? Definitely has an active sensor as well as the fire control?

[hubgbf (OP)]

Thanks a lot, it was autofire which prevent my box launcher to fire!

[hubgbf (OP)]

Just in case, my design:

FAC Narval class Fast Attack Craft    1 000 tons     53 Crew     154. 4 BP      TCS 20  TH 176  EM 0
8800 km/s     Armour 1-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 9
Maint Life 13. 02 Years     MSP 96    AFR 8%    IFR 0. 1%    1YR 1    5YR 16    Max Repair 44 MSP
Magazine 60   

GB Magneto-plasma Drive E84 (1)    Power 176    Fuel Use 840%    Signature 176    Armour 0    Exp 30%
Fuel Capacity 50 000 Litres    Range 10. 7 billion km   (14 days at full power)

LM-Box-5 (12)    Missile Size 5    Hangar Reload 37. 5 minutes    MF Reload 6. 2 hours
FAC Missile Fire Control FC50-R100 (1)     Range 50. 4m km    Resolution 100
Exocet-1a (12)  Speed: 18 000 km/s   End: 62. 5m    Range: 67. 5m km   WH: 4    Size: 5    TH: 120 / 72 / 36

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes





FAC Narval - Scan class Fast Attack Craft    1 000 tons     88 Crew     283. 4 BP      TCS 20  TH 176  EM 0
8800 km/s     Armour 3-8     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Life 6. 44 Years     MSP 177    AFR 8%    IFR 0. 1%    1YR 7    5YR 110    Max Repair 168 MSP

GB Magneto-plasma Drive E84 (1)    Power 176    Fuel Use 840%    Signature 176    Armour 0    Exp 30%
Fuel Capacity 50 000 Litres    Range 10. 7 billion km   (14 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor MR100-R100 (1)     GPS 16800     Range 100. 8m km    Resolution 100

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

[Beersatron]

Those look fine, MFC is half of the ASS and shorter than the range of the missiles but you can tweak those in your next iteration and I guess you were restricted by 1000 ton limit and squeezing everything else in.

Extra armor on the sensor boat is good since that big EM signature will attract a lot of attention, although there will not be many armor 'columns' in a FAC so it still wont take that many ASMs to get a mission kill.

All in all, good start!

[hubgbf (OP)]

Thanks for your comment.

The MFC is a bit short ranged as the missile is the improved version of the first version of the missile, I will effectively improved it later.
About the active sensor, I thought I had to increase it to follow target out of the planetary range of my sensor during if he runs for the jump point which are far away from earth.  Isn't it a good idea?

For the scan, I effectively armoured it with remnant space hoping it will allow my other gunboat to fire more effectively.

[Yonder]

Thanks for your comment.

The MFC is a bit short ranged as the missile is the improved version of the first version of the missile, I will effectively improved it later.
About the active sensor, I thought I had to increase it to follow target out of the planetary range of my sensor during if he runs for the jump point which are far away from earth.  Isn't it a good idea?

That's not necessary for targeting purposes. If the target leaves either your FC range or Active Scanner range your missiles will lose their lock and fail to hit their target.

That said having a larger Active Scanner range can still be helpful for other purposes. Maybe you still want to be able to see the enemy even if you can't shoot them (although at most tech levels this can be better accomplished with a thermal sensor) or you want to have your tempting target of a sensor ship much farther away from your enemies than your fighting ships are. This is especially tempting for Gunboats like you have designed. At their small size the enemy may not be able to see them at their firing range. So they may just see your sensor ship and not even know your other ships are there until the missiles start hitting them.

[hubgbf (OP)]

I was thinking in terms of a retreating ennemy ship trying to avoid my FAC far away from my inner system scan, but now, after a fight against a heavily ECMed ship, I think it is very usefull to design missile fire control with a longer range than your missile too.