Firecontrols and targets

[Zook (OP)]

I know that in Real Life (tm), a fire control can only lock-on to a limited number of targets and direct a limited number of missiles (depending on missile type and whatnot). How does it work in Aurora? I'm asking because I've been playing and designing ships for days now, but I never had a fight. Part of the fun is learning through mistakes, of course, but not because of rules ignorance...

Anyway: let's say I fire a salvo of missiles at a target. Is my fire control busy as long as the missiles are underway? Or can I launch the next salvo immediately, at a different target, and the first one will still find its target?

[Erik L]

I know that in Real Life (tm), a fire control can only lock-on to a limited number of targets and direct a limited number of missiles (depending on missile type and whatnot). How does it work in Aurora? I'm asking because I've been playing and designing ships for days now, but I never had a fight. Part of the fun is learning through mistakes, of course, but not because of rules ignorance...

Anyway: let's say I fire a salvo of missiles at a target. Is my fire control busy as long as the missiles are underway? Or can I launch the next salvo immediately, at a different target, and the first one will still find its target?

One firecontrol, one target. I believe if you change targets, the salvos redirect, but I'm not positive.

[Shininglight]

From what i've been able to tell in my fights, I tend to be outnumbered rather badly in a long range fight, however my ships missiles are powerful enough that i can kill most enemy ships in an extended engaement, i usually fire one salvo and redirect, one salvo, redirect. As long as whatever the missiles were fired at remain painted by AS they seem to hit it even if you target something else with an FC.

[Havear]

Indeed. A Fire Control can control an unlimited number of missiles flying at an unlimited number of targets, but you can only fire on one target per salvo. Missiles continue to home in on their original targets, retargetting was taken out a while back.

[Redshirt]

One firecontrol, one target. I believe if you change targets, the salvos redirect, but I'm not positive.

Nope, the salvo continues at the target selected when the missiles were launched. You can fire three salvos,switch targets, fire three more, switch targets, etc, until you run out of missiles. Helpful if you outrange an approching fleet that's a little faster than you are.

[Konisforce]

On a related note, I've seen a whole bunch of designs that have 2 fire controls for either missiles or AM.  Since it sounds like a single fire control can do all the work, particularly if the reload time is longer than 1 tick of 5 seconds, what's the point of the second fire control?  Redundancy?  Or is there sometimes a time when you'd want to fire 1/2 a broadside at 1 target and 1/2 at another?

[Theokrat]

On a related note, I've seen a whole bunch of designs that have 2 fire controls for either missiles or AM.  Since it sounds like a single fire control can do all the work, particularly if the reload time is longer than 1 tick of 5 seconds, what's the point of the second fire control?  Redundancy?  Or is there sometimes a time when you'd want to fire 1/2 a broadside at 1 target and 1/2 at another?

All missiles that are fired under the control of a single fire control count as one "salvo". Importantly, defensive fire like AMMs or beam PD consider each "salvo" as a separate target. Therefore 1) more offensive/ASM firecontrols allow your broadsides to be divided into more distinct targets, overwhelming enemy PD more easily and 2) more defensive/AMM firecontrols allow to engage more incoming "salvos" simultaneously.

Example: Lets say you have a broadside of 10 missiles. The enemy has two twin-gaussguns-turrets that fire a total of 10 shots, which achieve a 90% hitchance against your missiles. Lets assume the enemy uses a single firecontrol for both gaussguns-turrents.
-If you launch your 10 missiles by a single firecontrol, they are all considered to be the same "salvo". When they strike the enemy he will be able to fire all his 10 shots against your 10 missiles, killing all but one.
-However if you would be using two FCs, then you would present 2 salvos of 5 missiles. The single enemy FC could only engage one of the salvos, completely destroying this one. However the second salvo would remain entirely unengaged, so 5 missiles would get trough.

[Konisforce]

Got it.  So fire control for missiles on both the giving and receiving end allows more targets to be sent / tracked respectively. 

Thanks!