Okay, either I've uncovered a bug or I don't understand how things work. The fact that I posted here, instead of the bug forum, will tell you which one I think it is <G>.
All of this is in 4.77, and I can't remember if there is a known bug in this area or not.
I designed a buoy intended to be a captor mine. The buoy was 20 MSP, had four size 3 missiles, and the rest of the space was devoted to endurance and sensors. The sensors had a range of 600,000 km's and a resolution of 60, and the captor mine had a release range of 500,000 km's. The size 3 anti-ship missiles carried by the captor mine had a sensor with 540,000 km range and a resolution of 60, as well as warhead, engines, and fuel of course.
The mines were emplaced 400,000 km's from a warp point through which three enemy ships appeared. All three ships were larger than 5,000 tons, which meant they were more than large enough to be detected by the sensors. The captor mines launched their AS missiles five seconds after the enemy ships arrived, as intended. Unfortunately, at that point the missiles just sat there. They never moved and apparently never recognized the enemy ships as targets.
Have I done something wrong?