Quick question about survey buoys

[mover005 (OP)]

Just found this gem of a game 2 days ago and find it very interesting and gratifying to figure things out.

One thing though I didn't manage to do till now is the following... I managed to stick geo-survey buoys onto missiles, also managed to figure out how to shoot missiles at waypoints from PDCs... my question is the following: Is it possible to shoot buoys into orbit of other planets from missile bases? We're kinda doing this already irl and this game seems so deep that I can't imagine it isn't possible somehow here. I think I'm missing something easy.

[Father Tim]

Assuming your missile fire control has the range to see the planet, and your missiles' first stage has the range to reach it, sure.

. . . Unless the "Task Groups containing PDCs may not be assigned orders" restriction prevents it.  I don't see why you can't fire bouys from the individual units (F6) screen.

[mover005 (OP)]

On the individual orders screen I only seem to be able to target the set waypoint. When I set the waypoint on the planet, the rocket shoots fine and launches the buoy when it arrives, but the buoy just ends up uselessly in space, and not in the orbit around the target planet.

[Steve Walmsley]

On the individual orders screen I only seem to be able to target the set waypoint. When I set the waypoint on the planet, the rocket shoots fine and launches the buoy when it arrives, but the buoy just ends up uselessly in space, and not in the orbit around the target planet.

Instead of creating a waypoint using the Add button, select the planet so it is centered in the window and then press the Last button. This will create a waypoint on the last thing you selected. If this is a planet, the waypoint will move with the planet so the missile arrives in the right place.

Steve

[Beersatron]

On the individual orders screen I only seem to be able to target the set waypoint. When I set the waypoint on the planet, the rocket shoots fine and launches the buoy when it arrives, but the buoy just ends up uselessly in space, and not in the orbit around the target planet.

Instead of creating a waypoint using the Add button, select the planet so it is centered in the window and then press the Last button. This will create a waypoint on the last thing you selected. If this is a planet, the waypoint will move with the planet so the missile arrives in the right place.

Steve

Oh!! I presume that this works if your survey ships detect an alien thermal/em signature on a planet/moon and you waypoint it like above? So, when your survey ships moves away (or gets blow up!) you can still come back in a few years time and know what moon it was because the WP moved with it?

[Steve Walmsley]

On the individual orders screen I only seem to be able to target the set waypoint. When I set the waypoint on the planet, the rocket shoots fine and launches the buoy when it arrives, but the buoy just ends up uselessly in space, and not in the orbit around the target planet.

Instead of creating a waypoint using the Add button, select the planet so it is centered in the window and then press the Last button. This will create a waypoint on the last thing you selected. If this is a planet, the waypoint will move with the planet so the missile arrives in the right place.

Steve

Oh!! I presume that this works if your survey ships detect an alien thermal/em signature on a planet/moon and you waypoint it like above? So, when your survey ships moves away (or gets blow up!) you can still come back in a few years time and know what moon it was because the WP moved with it?

Yes, that will work too

Steve

[mover005 (OP)]

Thanks for the answer. Well this worked in a way that the Survey buoy followed the planet around, but didn't do any surveying. The design window tells me that the buoy has a runtime for exactly a year, collecting about 800 geo survey points, I guess that should be more than enough for luna. They also work when used from a ship. Guess it just doesn't work with missile bases right now.

[mover005 (OP)]

Please disregard my last post, actually the moon got surveyed, It just had no minerals, I looked at it wrong. My fault. Yay!