box launchers. how do they work and how to reload

[plasticpanzers (OP)]

I started a game using a later tech and it has box launchers on some ships and fighter in the premade tech.   it has
size 4 missiles for them and will load 7 in 2 x size 4 box launchers.   when i upgraded the premade missiles with higher speed
and bigger warhead ones but same size body now it only fits 2 missiles in 2x launchers.   worse it still shows the old missile
on the design tech for the fighter/laucher even when i upgrade the missile and don't even make the older missile and
change/upgrade the box launcher name

when i build the older fighter and missiles the game preloads the box lauchers with 3.5 missles per 2 launchers.  when
i build my own fighters it does not preload any missiles at all.  theirs: 28 in 8 mag space 2xlauncher.   mine: 8 in 8 mag
2xlauncher (size 4 missiles either way).

[MarcAFK]

That's actually quite odd, box launchers are only supposed to hold a single missile of the same size as the launcher, reloads are supposed to take place in a hanger or otherwise very slowly.
It looks like the premade ships are buggy, could you post the original design?

[plasticpanzers (OP)]

The older missile (from the game designed 'Cobra' fighter won't show up now.   Here is my current fighter
test design:


F-101B Voodoo class Fighter    489 tons     3 Crew     226.6 BP      TCS 9.77  TH 56  EM 0
16376 km/s     Armour 1-5     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 3.4
Maint Life 3.14 Years     MSP 29    AFR 19%    IFR 0.3%    1YR 4    5YR 67    Max Repair 70 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 0.1 months    Spare Berths 1   
Magazine 16   

Raptor 80 EP Internal Fusion Drive (2)    Power 80    Fuel Use 277.19%    Signature 28    Exp 20%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres    Range 2.7 billion km   (45 hours at full power)

Raptor Gauss Cannon R1-17 (1x3)    Range 10,000km     TS: 16376 km/s     Accuracy Modifier 17%     RM 1    ROF 5        1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Raptor Fire Control S00.7 32-6000 H70 (FTR) (1)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 24000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0

Crackerbox B L4 Box Launcher (4)    Missile Size 4    Hangar Reload 30 minutes    MF Reload 5 hours
Missile Fire Control FC42-R66 (1)     Range 42.5m km    Resolution 66
Shrike XIII X-4 Homing ASM (7)  Speed: 23,800 km/s   End: 35.7m    Range: 50.9m km   WH: 13    Size: 4    TH: 79/47/23

(EDIT: the above missile shows up in all reworks of the original fighter design i adapted nomatter if i build them or not)

Raptor Active Search Sensor MR0-R1 (70%) (1)     GPS 5     Range 520k km    MCR 57k km    Resolution 1

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 Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes

Here is the new missile that I have designed to try out on it as a minor upgrade to the (renamed) Shrike XIII (warhead) X-4 (size) missile:

Shrike XVI Box Missile X-4
Missile Size: 4 MSP  (0.2 HS)     Warhead: 16    Armour: 0     Manoeuvre Rating: 12
Speed: 25600 km/s    Engine Endurance: 35 minutes   Range: 53.2m km
Active Sensor Strength: 0.4032   Sensitivity Modifier: 110%
Resolution: 1    Maximum Range vs 50 ton object (or larger): 40,000 km
Cost Per Missile: 6.0665
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 307.2%   3k km/s 96%   5k km/s 61.4%   10k km/s 30.7%
Materials Required:    4x Tritanium   0.2412x Boronide   0.4032x Uridium   1.4221x Gallicite   Fuel x600

Development Cost for Project: 607RP

[MarcAFK]

Oh. I see what's happening now. In the class design window there's the ordnance/fighter tab for assigning default missile load out.
You should assign your preferred missile to the design then when it's built it will be automatically loaded as long as you have enough missiles in the planets stockpile.

[plasticpanzers (OP)]

I see that and thats good now i can change the basic loadout name but the issue that when a fighter is compete the game puts
a loadout (if i have them 'in stock') of 28 points of missiles into 16 mag space (and even 28 into 8 mags of space in my
2xlauncher lighter F101 dogfighter version).  This only if i use the premade box missiles that came 'with the tech' of the game
setup.  if I use my own design its 4 points of missiles for a size 4 launcher so only 2 or 4 missiles total per fighter.

Now...on the other hand if i decide to go with a slightly inferior older missile I get to load more missiles than your supposed to
into the launcher which is not good news for the bad guys (field modification by the ground crews?).   Basically for 2 or 4 launchers
i get to load a total of 7 of the older missles (total) vs 2 or 4 for mine...I like it...

112 missile impact points vs my 38/76....

[Sematary]

There is something seriously wrong with that design. Box launchers are designed to only hold one missile that is the same size as the launcher (or smaller I think, I don't know on that I have never tried), they are also designed to not be able to reload which is why they are 0.15 times the size of a normal launcher of that size.

[plasticpanzers (OP)]

Its an SM design.  I started a test game with TN and alot of tech to try it out and had the system predo systems and ships.
I only did some minor changes to the Comet fighter that SM provided (slightly larger engines and 1-2 gauss cannon).  I only
built a test CVE to try fighters out and its then I noticed this when the fighters were being finished and 'pre-overloaded' with
the older missiles that I had been producing but stopped and had not scrapped yet while I was making newer ones.

I unloaded the fighters missiles and used the reload system I see in the game to put my newer missiles in and thats when I
noticed the difference.   Good for me, bad for bugs....

[linkxsc]

SM designs are often kinda bad, but they do give insight into what kind of designs the AI will be fighting you with.

Honestly a lot of them, if you swap out the engines and a tiny bit of work they really aren't so bad, but other times.......

[Erik L]

I prefer to use the SM designs as initial starter ships. Then as my tech grows and is defined, I work up my own designs.

It gives a better start RP wise than if everything was perfect and by-the-numbers. I do the same thing with my research.

[MarcAFK]

It is possible to use SM to modify ships in an unusual manner, design a ship with 1000 magazines, assign 1000 missiles, remove the magazines. Find there's still 1000 missiles assigned.
This applies to normal ship design too, but when you build that ship the game will check it's actual magazine capacity and only load what you have available. But if I spawn the ship using fast overbuild it'll have the full design capacity even if it shouldn't be possible.
If you SM edit a ship to have slower engines it'll still be travelling at it's old task group speed, there's other issues, just keep this in mind if you edit a ship class that already has units constructed.