Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

If I am running after a ship w/ two others coming at me from either side. Why can't I target all three, thus hitting all three with my weapons? Instead I have to cycle through all three targets with the Y key. By the second target the third is out of weapons range and my second shot on target number one is delayed. Could this be modified?

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

I've been meaning to try modifying a normal weapon to set the autofire flag (Weapon Autofires := TRUE) I assume it will automatically fire like a Point Defense Cannon, but it will have more legal target types and a restriced arc of fire. (and no control over the weapon)

I'll post back if it works. It would be a nice feature if you were able to temporarily set a weapon control group to autofire. It'd make big ships with side and rear weapon mounts more playable.

[ October 05, 2003, 23:54: Message edited by: bor ]

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

How else should the game work? If you don't even have to select the targets, but the weapons just fire at the nearest target automatically, why are you playing the game? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif You may as well watch a Scifi movie. I suppose you could work out a system where certain weapons could be 'set' for autofire, but that could make the controls too complex. I think cycling with the 'Y' key works pretty well.

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

If each weapon is manned, then each should be able to target and fire independently. Thus we should be able to target more then one ship. Actually, we should be able to target one ship per weapon or one per weapon bank.

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

One per weapon would get unweildy pretty quick, I'd think; one per bank might be manageable.

The problem comes in thus: which ship is focused on when you hit F8 then?

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

Right, scratch that bigger problem:

Control. Right now its simple. Press Y or T, or right click on your target. Target selected.

Now, how do you do this with four Groups, and still keep the targeting fast enough that you'd be better off multi-targeting rather than cycling through to fire?

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

right-click twice to select a focus, once to add it to the list, thrice to remove it.

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

Once we do have the ability to target multiple ships, then we would be able to mod weapons that attack more then one ship. Missile w/ multiple warheads, dual beam weapon, or web mines (a field of small mines). Also this would give us the ability to track enemies while we are w/i the system. So we would not lose site of your enemy when you go to space dock to repair, reload, or upgrade.

[ October 07, 2003, 17:26: Message edited by: Devilsbane ]

Re: Is it possible to target multiple ships?
 

Currently I'd just been using the i key to cycle through the oponents and fireing all out weps when that happens. Works well enough but probably not what you were looking for.