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Author Topic: Weird Missile Targeting  (Read 700 times)

intrinsic_parity

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Weird Missile Targeting
« on: February 08, 2024, 08:39:20 PM »

I've been noticing quite regularly that ships will target missiles at some enemy far away (nearly out of range) while being actively engaged with a ship right next to them. Sometimes the ship they are targeting with missiles is not even high on flux or overloading. It can be a problem if they need the missiles to deal with the ship they are directly engaged with.

Here is an example:
Spoiler
[close]

The conquest has had an eliminate order on the close ship for a while as well. I have also seen this with harpoons on my onslaught.

Has anyone else seen this behavior at all?
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eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2024, 12:19:53 AM »

I've been noticing quite regularly that ships will target missiles at some enemy far away (nearly out of range) while being actively engaged with a ship right next to them. Sometimes the ship they are targeting with missiles is not even high on flux or overloading. It can be a problem if they need the missiles to deal with the ship they are directly engaged with.

Here is an example:
Spoiler
[close]

The conquest has had an eliminate order on the close ship for a while as well. I have also seen this with harpoons on my onslaught.

Has anyone else seen this behavior at all?
I've noticed this multiple times in my latest run in which I pilot a missile Aurora. Every so often I deselect my target accidently and my sabots fly off to target something borderline out of their range rather than the closest enemy. I've even had them target fighters when no target is selected but there is a ship in range, which is very weird.
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Grievous69

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2024, 12:24:36 AM »

All part of the missile nerf boys.

But since I'm running a missile heavy fleet for the first time, I'm going to pay closer attention to targeting to see what's happening. So far I haven't seen anything super weird, although I'm mostly blasting enemies in my Conquest so it's not like I can always tell who fired what missile.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2024, 01:08:23 AM by Grievous69 »
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Amoebka

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2024, 01:06:51 AM »

Yes, all the time, and it has been happening before this release too. Always assumed that's just how AI targeting works.
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xenapan

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2024, 11:09:17 AM »

i find it happens more with suppression type missiles like squalls where it's firing presumably to keep another opponent from joining in the fight which would put it in a worse position? at least thats what i've always chalked it up as.
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Candypowers

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2024, 12:15:39 PM »

It’s worse with fighter bombers and defensive targeting array. Often will try to target a ship it can’t even reach while there is an enemy right next to you.
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Lawrence Master-blaster

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2024, 12:20:09 PM »

Has anyone else seen this behavior at all?

Yep, that's how it always worked.
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prav

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2024, 01:32:09 AM »

Saw a most impressive one just now, where my battlecruiser overloaded an Apogee with a solid HVEL salvo, and then immediately launched two Hurricanes into the omnishield of a healthy low-flux battleship >2000 su away.
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mark.sucka

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Re: Weird Missile Targeting
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2024, 01:21:15 PM »

I thought I was just seeing things anecdotally, but hearing others complain too I'm glad to see I'm not alone.

I have ships with hammerheads.  An intelligent captain would think you'd save those for when you're in close range of a non-phasing capital / cruiser / heavy destroyer with downed shields or ideally over-fluxed and incapable of defending themselves.  Where you stand a solid chance of the dumb-fire anti-armor missile aligning on target, surviving PD, hitting the target's armor instead of shields, and doing solid by not excessively over-kill damage to a threatening ship.

Instead my ships tend to launch them as an opening salvo in battle...at max range...against low-threat nimble frigates trying to cap points like kites / shepherds / etc or ships clearly capable of phasing or phase-skimming....protected by a swarm of PD strike craft....I can't describe the face palming as 99.99% of the missiles are either easily shot down by the enemy's PD as there is nothing else they need to focus on, or simply strafed.  Nor can I describe the torrent of expletives I yell at my screen when the enemy reserves their missiles for the thick of battle and does what I just said an intelligent captain would do.
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