Aurora 4x
VB6 Aurora => VB6 Mechanics => Topic started by: sublight on January 14, 2012, 08:28:01 PM
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In one campaign I built some 50m km ranged self-guided drones, equipped with a passive EM sensor and a small active-scaner.
In theory they could be launched as a first wave against invading foes who turned on the active scanners early. The passive EM locks on to the active scanner, adjusts corse on the invading fleet, and the tiny active-scanner allows the drones to follow up on any other squadron ships after the active scanner dies. All in all a good low-tech early defense tactic. I thought.
As luck would have it, their chance came. The enemy was flying straight in, waypoints were set bracketing their position, and after launch the waypoints were deleted. Drones and ships rushed head on, drones screaming for a new target and... they passed.
(http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x184/sublightrun/Aurora%20LetsPlay/MissileMiss.png)
The enemy scanners were registering as strength 2000 emission, and the drones reportedly could detect 1000 strength from 600k km. They passed within 350-450 k km of each other, with the drones insisting they were using onboard sensors to look for a new target every 5s step of the way.
What went wrong?
Do missile EM sensors only lock onto shields, and not scanners?
Must missiles travel to the last known target location before looking for new targets?
Is there a sensor hierarchy where the large EM passive was over ridden by the tiny active?
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Could you post the missile design? Its possible that if the missile sensors were very small they may not have detected the enemy ships.
Steve
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9.3 Inquisitor
Size: 9.3
Warhead: 6 (3 msp)
Active sensor: 0.1 (0.2 msp, 40 res)
EM Sensor 0.12 (0.4 msp)... detects 1000 at 120,000 km...
Oh, wait... this is another one of those "the passive sensor range shown is str1 minimum" isn't it?
So, actual detection range would have been... 120k km / 1000 str * 37.5 *65 = 293k km...
They must have missed by a hair. :(