Handling AMM (and others missiles questions)

[Nibelung44 (OP)]

1.How do you handle anti-missile missiles so they do their job automatically?

2.How many launchers you attach to a fire control, I see 5 as a usual number, but why not more?

3. A third one, I was at start rather conservative in fuel usage for missiles engine, but it seems I can go up to x3 power, even if they burn fuel very fast, because it weights not much to add a bit more fuel to a missile, compared to adding more engines?

Bottomline, do you often go with good efficiency for missile consumption? Except for drones I mean...

[Hawkeye]

Each AMM-firecon can only engage a single enemy salvo per 5-second tic. Assigning a lot of launchers to a single firecon works fine, if the enemy is using only a few, but large salvos, but if you are facing a swarm of enemy FACs for example, you will be swamped with many small salvos. 3 to 5 launchers per firecon is thus more flexible as several firecons will launch vs. each large salvo, while each firecon will engage a seperate salvo if you are attacked by many small ones.

Automatic PD is set-up on the Battle Control window (F8)
Select the firecon, assign launchers and missiles, then set the point defense mode and hit "Set Mode" - Done

Beware! If you have both, beam and missile firecons and the beam firecons are listet before your missile firecons, the Max. PD Range will default to the range of your beam firecon. CHANGE THIS TO THE RANGE OF YOUR MISSILE FIRECON! Otherwise, your AMMs will be launched only at beam ranges.

Generally, go max power with missile engines, forget fuel efficiency.

[Erik L]

2.How many launchers you attach to a fire control, I see 5 as a usual number, but why not more?

Because, unless your AMM tech is vastly superior to the offensive ASM you are trying to intercept, a 5-1 ratio AMM-ASM is the maximum that can be launched. So most people tend to clump their AMM into 5 launcher units. If you are shooting with 3-1 or 4-1, adjust your firecons and launchers appropriately.

[Jorgen_CAB]

Because, unless your AMM tech is vastly superior to the offensive ASM you are trying to intercept, a 5-1 ratio AMM-ASM is the maximum that can be launched. So most people tend to clump their AMM into 5 launcher units. If you are shooting with 3-1 or 4-1, adjust your firecons and launchers appropriately.

Isn't it the other way around.

If you are inferior in technology you can put more launchers to each fire-con since you are more likely to fire several missiles for each incoming salvo.

If you have a good layered defense with both Gauss, short/long range lasers and AMM and your tech level is decent compared to the enemy you will tend to use less launches per fire-con since you are only firing perhaps one AMM per ASM anyway.

At least that has been my reasoning so far, I might be wrong though.

[Erik L]

Isn't it the other way around.

If you are inferior in technology you can put more launchers to each fire-con since you are more likely to fire several missiles for each incoming salvo.

If you have a good layered defense with both Gauss, short/long range lasers and AMM and your tech level is decent compared to the enemy you will tend to use less launches per fire-con since you are only firing perhaps one AMM per ASM anyway.

At least that has been my reasoning so far, I might be wrong though.

If your AMM have 100%+ chance to intercept, and can kill 1/2 a missile, then you in theory only need 2 missiles. With lower tech AMM, you need more missiles because of lower intercept numbers and lower damage. Though I tend to set it to 5-1 and leave it there, regardless of the tech I've reached.

With layered defenses, you can reduce it; but I'd not drop to 1-1. More along the lines of 2-1 or 3-1.

[Jorgen_CAB]

Personally I rarely need to go above a setting of 2 AMM per ASM unless I'm seriously outnumbered or behind in technology. I do rely allot in beam PD and shields as well as AMM.

I'm not sure but isn't it so that if I have 10 launches in one fire-con and I want to fire two AMM per ASM on a salvo of five all ten will fire since it is the same salvo?
To be honest I have never thought of or noticed if there is a cap of one missile per ASM and salvo.

[Erik L]

Personally I rarely need to go above a setting of 2 AMM per ASM unless I'm seriously outnumbered or behind in technology. I do rely allot in beam PD and shields as well as AMM.

I'm not sure but isn't it so that if I have 10 launches in one fire-con and I want to fire two AMM per ASM on a salvo if five all ten will fire since it is the same salvo?
To be honest I have never thought of or noticed if there is a cap of one missile per ASM and salvo.

If you have 10 launchers tied to 1 firecon, and you launch at a missile salvo, I think it does launch all 10. Some testing would need to be carried out, or word from on high (Steve).

[Charlie Beeler]

As stated, 1 MFC can only engage 1 salvo.  The number of missiles is dependent on the number of launchers available,the number of missiles in the targeted salvo, and the PD ratio setting.  

example: 1 salvo has 4 missiles.  MFC has 20 launchers assigned and PD ratio is set to 5v1.  20 AMM's will launch with 5 AMM's targeted on each missile.  Next cycle the MFC will search for detected salvos that have not been engaged.

example: 2 salvos of 3 missiles. MFC has 5 launchers assigned and PD ratio is set to 3v1.  5 AMM's will launch with 3 targeted on the first missile and 2 on the second missile.  Next cycle only 4 missiles will launch with 1 AMM targeted on the second missile and 3 on the third.  Since the MFC can only target one salvo at a time the second salvo will not be engaged until the next cycle provided it is still in play and in range.

/minor edit in second example/

[sloanjh]

As stated, 1 MFC can only engage 1 salvo.  The number of missiles is dependent on the number of launchers available,the number of missiles in the targeted salvo, and the PD ratio setting.  

example: 1 salvo has 4 missiles.  MFC has 20 launchers assigned and PD ratio is set to 5v1.  20 AMM's will launch with 5 AMM's targeted on each missile.  Next cycle the MFC will search for detected salvos that have not been engaged.

example: 2 salvos of 3 missiles. MFC has 5 launchers assigned and PD ratio is set to 3v1.  5 AMM's will launch with  targeted on the first missile and 2 on the second missile.  Next cycle only 4 missiles will launch with 1 AMM targeted on the second missile and 3 on the third.  Since the MFC can only target one salvo at a time the second salvo will not be engaged until the next cycle provided it is still in play and in range.

My recollection is that Aurora only tracks incoming salvos, as opposed to individual missiles, as AMM targets.  So in your second example, you'll have two waves of AMM targeting the first salvo: 5 AMM then 4.  Let's say the first wave completely misses.  Then it's still possible for the 2nd wave to completely kill the first salvo, i.e. the AMM in the second wave are not targeted at particular missiles in the first salvo.  From your description, if the first wave was a complete miss, the second wave would be at most able to kill two missiles in the first salvo (missiles 2 and 3, since all the AMM launched at missile 1 (in the first wave) missed) - this is not the behavior I remember.

John

[Charlie Beeler]

My recollection is that Aurora only tracks incoming salvos, as opposed to individual missiles, as AMM targets.  So in your second example, you'll have two waves of AMM targeting the first salvo: 5 AMM then 4.  Let's say the first wave completely misses.  Then it's still possible for the 2nd wave to completely kill the first salvo, i.e. the AMM in the second wave are not targeted at particular missiles in the first salvo.  From your description, if the first wave was a complete miss, the second wave would be at most able to kill two missiles in the first salvo (missiles 2 and 3, since all the AMM launched at missile 1 (in the first wave) missed) - this is not the behavior I remember.

John

I'll admit I haven't actively played for a while.  That being said, the behavior in my description is my understanding of Steve's intent with the ratio's.

You're quite correct that the targeting is only at a salvo level not individual missile.  My description should have said that the MFC would only fire enough launchers to fillout the assigned attack ratio not that AMM's are assigned to specific missiles.  So yes if the first AMM wave misses the second does have enough to kill all 3 missiles.  By the same token the first wave could kill all the missiles and leave nothing for the second.  I was only describing how the PD ratio controlled the initial launches.