Max Tracking Time Bonus vs Missiles X%

[Bouchart (OP)]

Exactly what does this line of research do?

[Nathan_]

If you have an active sensor capable of spotting missiles, you'll accumulate a tracking bonus for as long as you observe them up to the maximum. This is added to to-hit percentages to improve your chances of taking the missile down, particularly with weaponry that has inferior tracking/agility compared with their target's speed. This bonus can be displayed on the f3 system map if you find whichever checkbox it is under.

In general it is an incentive to overbuild your anti-missile sensors.

[Charlie Beeler]

Close but not quite right.

If a beam fire control has a tracking speed inferior to the missile speed you have a negative modifier as Nathan_ discribes calculated as (BFC tracking speed/Missile speed)*BFC ToHit%.

Max Tracking Time Bonus vs Missiles X% is a direct offet to the penalty modifier.  It accumulates at 2% per 5 second impulse to a maximum of the Tech X%.  The bonus starts accumulating when the missile salvo is detected on active sensors.  This limited to only offsetting the negative modifier.

Example:  BFC with TS of 30k/kps (and turreted beam with at least the same TS), vs a missile at 40k/kps your BFC tohit is 75% of the calcuated % (ie a 25% penalty).  Assuming the tech for a 20% bonus has been researched and the salvo can be tracked for at least 50 seconds the 25% penalty is reduced to 5%.  Now assuming that the tech is for a 40% bonus and the salvo is tracked for at least 100 seconds only the 25% penalty is negated, you don't get a bonus of 15% above BFC's hit chance.