Point Def. too tough against missiles-change it.

[Arralen]

Dunno where the problem is, really - have blown up lots 'n lots of AI ships using missiles .. no matter if the AI ships have PD or not

I wonder how you're using the missiles .. shooting all of them at one ship at once should really help .. especially if you move your ships away from the enemy .. the AI never knows if to fire allguns at the missles or get at least some shots at your distant ships

And concerning upping the missile damage resistance - the CSM1 has resistance of 30, while the PD1 only deals 25 damage, so it needs 2 shots to take down the missile already ?!

As it was said, the higher speed will shurely help, too, and if this isn't enough, just make the range of all missiles (don't forget plasma, shards and these bio-thingies) +2.

While this seems counter-intuitive at first, it would have a big effect on combat .. it will make the enemies beam weapons utterly useless .. so while you'll score few hits, he won't get any !!

A.

PS: I forgot - o.c. you could always use more than one missile component on a ship, but you already thought about that, don't you ?

[This message has been edited by Arralen (edited 26 March 2001).]

[Nitram Draw]

I use a lot of AAA destroyers and cruisers. Each usually has between 12-20 PD weapons. Very few missles or fighters get through in a fleet with 2-3 of these attached.
One problem with missles is the rate of fire. Firing every 2-3 turns makes it easier for the PD weapons to do their work. As Arralen points out the key to attacking with missles is to overwhelm the defenses. Perhaps a lighter damaged/shorter range missle with a rate of fire of 1 would help balance it out.

[DirectorTsaarx]

As of patch 1.27 or 1.30, the hit points for seekers DO increase for higher tech levels. (Especially for Plasma Torps).

I think they also tweaked supply usage for seekers...

[Baron Munchausen]

The simplest way to make the missile/pdc situation more balanced is to remove the built-in BONUS to hit from the PDC. They have a 50 percent modifier in the components.txt files, so as things are now they are at 100 percent to hit at full range of five. Remove the 50 percent bonus and they are only 50 percent likely to hit at full range. Unless you have Combat Sensors, and then the CS bonus is added to your PDC just as it is to other weapons. So, you'll actually see pdc MISS once in a while. Amazing! Now that's realism. I also wish MM would add some way to modify the 'ecm' value of seekers so you can have better protected missiles at higher techs but this is a start. Another good change would be if missiles could actually MISS themselves once in a while. Missiles and mines need a real 'to hit' chance instead of this infallible damage.

[mac5732]

before 1.30 the AI was sitting duck for missles because that's was all you needed to take him out. Now its somewhat harder as the AI has better missle defense. I think if you reduce PD again the AI will again be handicapped. Now you launch your msls and then you have to close with beams etc weapons
and slug it out. The AI defense now makes you put these weapons types on your ships besides just loads of missles. If you mix ftrs & missles together some will get thru, but PD's should stop a good portion of msls,
or ftrs, I would look more at changing battle tactics and possibly designing an armored missle with a slight increase in defense against PDs, but to decrease PDs In my opinion would hamper the AI and a human player would just pound it again with waves of missles. Just my opions Mac

[DirectorTsaarx]

quote:

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Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
The simplest way to make the missile/pdc situation more balanced is to remove the built-in BONUS to hit from the PDC. They have a 50 percent modifier in the components.txt files, so as things are now they are at 100 percent to hit at full range of five. Remove the 50 percent bonus and they are only 50 percent likely to hit at full range.

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I think that bonus 'to hit' is to counteract the defense bonus on fighters. Without the bonus, PDC will ALWAYS miss fighters at range 5 (in absence of combat sensors and ship experience, of course...).

[Trancejeremy]

What I'd like to see, is something like you could do in Moo 2. Missiles could be armored, fast, had ECM, etc.

And what about decoy missiles? That would help