[Mark Walton]

I was just playing around, I made a custom hull :

Name := Missile Swarm
Short Name := Missile Swarm
Description := Massive cloud of deadly missiles
Code := HH
Bitmap Name := FighterSmall
Vehicle Type := Fighter
Tonnage := 100
Cost Minerals := 500
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 500
Engines Per Move := 1
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 3
Ability 1 Type := Combat To Hit Offense Plus
Ability 1 Descr := Maneuverability increases chance to hit enemy targets in combat by 100%.
Ability 1 Val 1 := 100
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
Ability 2 Type := Combat To Hit Defense Plus
Ability 2 Descr := Small size makes ship 50% harder to hit in combat.
Ability 2 Val 1 := 50
Ability 2 Val 2 := 0
Ability 3 Type := Combat Movement
Ability 3 Descr := Provides 5 movement points in combat
Ability 3 Val 1 := 5
Ability 3 Val 2 := 0
Requirement Must Have Bridge := False
Requirement Can Have Aux Con := False
Requirement Min Life Support := 0
Requirement Min Crew Quarters := 0
Requirement Uses Engines := False
Requirement Max Engines := 0
Requirement Pct Fighter Bays := 0
Requirement Pct Colony Mods := 0
Requirement Pct Cargo := 100
Launched from Ship := True
Launched from Planet := True

And some custom components:

Name := Missile Barrage Launcher
Description := Area on a starship where fighters are stored for launch.
Pic Num := 58
Tonnage Space Taken := 150
Tonnage Structure := 150
Cost Minerals := 300
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 0
Vehicle Type := Ship
Supply Amount Used := 0
Restrictions := None
General Group := Unit Launch
Family := 15
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 2
Ability 1 Type := Launch/Recover Fighters
Ability 1 Descr := Can launch and recover fighters from space. 1 fighter can be launched per combat turn and 4 fighters can be launched per game turn.
Ability 1 Val 1 := 1
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
Ability 2 Type := Cargo Storage
Ability 2 Descr := Provides 100kT of cargo space.
Ability 2 Val 1 := 100
Ability 2 Val 2 := 0
Weapon Type := None

Name := Megaswarm
Description := Mass of warheads designed to simulate a 1-shot missile battery.
Pic Num := 185
Tonnage Space Taken := 100
Tonnage Structure := 100
Cost Minerals := 1000
Cost Organics := 0
Cost Radioactives := 10000
Vehicle Type := Fighter
Supply Amount Used := 0
Restrictions := None
General Group := Weapons
Family := 2042
Roman Numeral := 1
Custom Group := 0
Number of Tech Req := 1
Tech Area Req 1 := Missile Weapons
Tech Level Req 1 := 1
Number of Abilities := 1
Ability 1 Type := Cargo Storage
Ability 1 Descr := Counts as Cargo Storage component, toward requirement on hulls.
Ability 1 Val 1 := 0
Ability 1 Val 2 := 0
Weapon Type := Warhead
Weapon Target := Ships\Planets\Ftr\Sat
Weapon Damage At Rng := 5000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate := 0
Weapon Display Type := Torp
Weapon Display := 0
Weapon Modifier := 0
Weapon Sound := mine.wav
Weapon Family := 36

What this does is not perfect but it lets you make a weapon which has # of shots limited over game turns instead of just combat turns... the actual "boom" bit is a modified fighter. I might use this sort of system for other "one-shot" weapons. I will also tyr to think of a way to simulate "direct fire" weapons this way.

Doesn't help my initial problem though.