Missile lock

[phavoc]

Something else that is contradictory"

Missiles cannot be used against targets within Adjacent or Close ranges, as there is not enough time for them to obtain a solid lock and safety protocols are engaged to stop them turning back and hitting their own launch vessel.

Unless you are firing a smart missile, at least when we knew what all the missile types were, if you missed your to hit roll, the missile 'missed' and wandered out into space or self-destructed. In any event it just missed. "Smart" missiles were supposed to continue to attempt to hit the target until they ran out of fuel.

Even today's torpedoes can be fired at short range with the proper precautions. Command-controlled missiles have a lock by the firing ship upon launch. There is no mechanism to fire missiles towards an enemy and wait until you have enough control / target painters freed up for the missiles to come under command guidance.

Short-range missiles should more or less be direct-fire weapons, with a basic to hit roll and no positive or negative DM's to reflect their sprint-mode style of launch. It certainly would make close-in combat more dangerous and interesting.

 

[Condottiere]

There's a reason for that, so that the missile doesn't damage the originating craft, though I'd suppose anything over a thousand metres away should be outside that range, barring nuke warheads.

You could make it a hit penalty, which would be basically the determination the range is too short, the commander over-riding safety protocols, and the shorter time the missile weapons system has to react.

 

[AndrewW]

There's a reason for that, so that the missile doesn't damage the originating craft, though I'd suppose anything over a thousand metres away should be outside that range, barring nuke warheads.

Don't forget antimatter warheads.

 

[phavoc]

There's a reason for that, so that the missile doesn't damage the originating craft, though I'd suppose anything over a thousand metres away should be outside that range, barring nuke warheads.

You could make it a hit penalty, which would be basically the determination the range is too short, the commander over-riding safety protocols, and the shorter time the missile weapons system has to react.

Nah, that's not reality. Anything with explosives in them has a chance to detonate upon impact. Nuclear weapons can (and have) exploded upon impact, but not in a nuclear fashion. And that's because nuclear weapons need very specific and very controlled environments to detonate.

As far as backblast goes, it's important with a torpedo because of how compression and water work together. As many have said, space doesn't work like water, so most of the concepts aren't applicable.

As far as maneuverability goes, that's where you put the DM on - the missile becomes more or less a direct-fire weapon. Consider it a really large railgun round.

This has always been an arbitrary decision that has no basis.

 

[arcador]

Another question arises - when launching missiles, do we apply the range modifiers on the initial launch check?