Why do people keep saying the missiles suck?

Sun Mar 30, 2003 8:51 pm by NukeIt

Just as an experiment, I bought a pair of catapult launchers with my hammerhead. I wanted to see whether or not they were actually as bad as people keep saying they are.

Now, I may be missing something, but I didn't lose any money using them. I used my guns to take down the shields of the target, then finished it off with a pair of missiles in the face. And repeated. And again. And again. And I gained money doing it, because the trade-in value of the salvage I gathered far outweighed the cost of the replacement missiles. I used one pair per enemy to supplement my guns, making sure to use them while it was not actively evading.

See, I may be wrong, but I think missiles were never meant to be completely independent. And they are incredibly damaging weapons; they do more armor damage than any other weapon per shot. A pair of more powerful missiles can whack an incredible amount of armor off the armor of even a top-end ship. So where, exactly, is the problem here?

People are just expecting more out of their missiles than they were designed to give. They are auxiliary weapons, not main ones. 1-hit-1-kill missiles are not what the developers had in mind, I think.

Reaper: $200,000,000.
Rockets: $100,000
The look on that pilot's face when you launch a full pod of screamers up his tailpipe: priceless

Sun Mar 30, 2003 9:05 pm by UV

Most of the time, you can do just fine without using missles - but like you said, there's nothing like launching a couple of catapults at a dying enemy and finish the battle with style

Sun Mar 30, 2003 9:23 pm by Forceflow

Mhm, dunno, but when I realised slapping on a missile launcher would mean to get rid of one of my guns I sold it. I had a missile launcher and used it a couple of times, but I dunno, I didn't like the 'feel' of it.
Yes a missile can do some nice damage, but in the end they cost too much and do too little. Later in the game you slap on one LvL10 gun or a LvL9 gun with 8.33 fire rate and it'll do way more damage in the long run than a missile will do. Plus the damage you'll do wont cost you a thing.
If they'd stick an extra hardpoint on my ship just for a missile launcher I'd buy one, and use it, but loose one of my pretty babies? Never...

Murphy was an optimist.
*I* am a pessimist[!

Sun Mar 30, 2003 9:26 pm by Zenic

The reason they say missiles suck is because they dont know how to use them

The only time you can DODGE or CounterMessure a missile is when their coming straight at you from 5 feet away.

Thats why you play chicken with the enemy and right when their about slam into you launch a missile and pull back... Most likely they will get hit (this works best if you get their shields down all the way first)

I remember killing so many sorry people with that tactic.

"Your constantly making withdrawls from my Self-Esteem Account[!"

Sun Mar 30, 2003 9:40 pm by Lev Arris

And I gained money doing it, because the trade-in value of the salvage I gathered far outweighed the cost of the replacement missiles.

And i gain even more money by NOT using missles but by using guns only which are as effective as missiles, but without causing expenses like missiles do.

That's the whole problem. Missiles should have a big advantage compared to guns, but the Freelancer ones don't have that.

-------------

"Do not kill. Do not rape. Do not steal. These are principles
which every man of every faith can embrace. " - Murphy MacManus

Sun Mar 30, 2003 11:09 pm by Artic

even if you cant avoid missels when you move straight in to them by turning AB on and pull up and turn the missel cant handel the increase of speed and the turn but most pepole avoid going in a frontal rush any way. And theire also seems to be the problem that some missles get blow up in your face by 8.33 fire. But against the ai it isnt that bad because they are just to dump to pull up in the last second.

Mon Mar 31, 2003 2:16 am by Argonus

I am using Canonball missles....Loving the "Playing Chicken" tactic....It's quite enjoyabe to launch one of those babies at almost point blank range....then pulling a hard turn (I can almost imagine the g-forces on that)

It's even more amusing when you do it next to a planet, and if the missile doesn't kill them....when they bank from avoiding the missile.........and smack nose first into the planet.

MIssiles are satisfactory....but I prefer homers better....

They have a better chance at hitting...

-Arg

-If you want to flame me...Don't post it in here...email me at [email protected]

Or call 1-800-RYP-OFF1

Mon Mar 31, 2003 2:52 am by Flak Cannon

hmm... people keep mentioning homing vs non homing... all the missiles can home, is it just the diff between the .5 refire and 2.(not sure) turn opposed to 1.0 refire and 4.(not sure)turn rate? it seems that most high level enemies either have countermeasures or can evade the missiles, so the only way they work is to shoot when really close or when playing chicken...

also, if u dont like missiles because they dont hit and u blow them up with guns, use slower firing guns (and pack more dmg) or hit tab until you are at 150+ m/s before you fire the missile, giving it instead of net 180 m/s, more like net 250 m/s... giving the enemy less chande to move, and you hit them more often.

but missiles are good if u just use them sparingly, and not keep shooting when u kno u cant hit

Remember, on a scale of 1 to Awesome, I'm Totally Great

Mon Mar 31, 2003 2:58 am by Nevick

I say make missiles go faster. I mean, whats up with ships going at about twice the speed of the regular missile. you can just outrun then when you got someone shooting one at your 6. and yes i agree that the chicken race missile tactic is good but when i hear incoming missile i just bank and hit the thrusters and outrun em hehe.
I mean the basic idea of a homing missile is to be able to hit something that is out of range of the regular guns right? not some close combat weapon.

Mon Mar 31, 2003 2:59 am by mocap69

The best missle I have used is the Lancer and those missles have a 60+% of hitting the target from what I have witnessed and tested!!

The best scenario is the one argonus suggested, but I use torpedos instead of
missles. Yes they cost more, but like the saying goes "more bang for your buck"!!
Go straight at a ship and launch a Lancer and a Starkiller, this tends to take out even the best ships or smashes them hard enough for a single weapons salvo to
scrap them. It worked great in Privateer and works better now!!

Mon Mar 31, 2003 7:29 pm by Argonus

Hmmm

Mocap has a point....

Going at a head on chicken run with a Rogue...and toss a Sunslayer at point blank range....Could hurt a lot...However...if you aren't cheating, you can hurt yourself from the backlash...

Tried this last night without cheating in my Titan....I took a good hit..Think I will stick to the missiles to do that....Less chance of killing yourself....

-Arg

-If you want to flame me...Don't post it in here...email me at [email protected]

Or call 1-800-RYP-OFF1

Mon Mar 31, 2003 7:46 pm by Thalos

I used in my ship a huge dammage equip and love finish a combat with a succesful torpedo. Sunslayer area dammage is so awesome i blow myself in one of my combats.

If u wanna end fast a combat fire all in one shot to a close front enemy and launch a sunslayer in his/her face... if he is not a experimented user of freelancer soon he/she calls u cheater...

Missiles, i'm working in a missile armed eagle.

Vini vidi vinci

Mon Mar 31, 2003 7:53 pm by bbrock81

Sunslayer in a chicken run may be a bit too strong, but I think starkillers work ok...I don't do it much because my nomad weps tend to finish off the other ship before we pass anyway (not that I'm complaining

)

Mon Mar 31, 2003 8:05 pm by WapCaplet

I wonder if people would use missiles as much if there were a counter on screen that showed how much your credits decrease each time you use a missile. I know it isn't neccessarily a ton of money, but being able to see that little credit counter drop down, bit by bit, might have an affect on how people think.

Just a thought...

Those are my thoughts, not yours, I'm WapCaplet[!

Mon Mar 31, 2003 8:45 pm by Ether Dragon

I still say missiles are worthless. By your own account, they're only useable in very specific situations. How often do you have to wait for a certain circumstance in order to use guns? Never. If your enemy is in view and in range, you can hit him. No chicken runs. No close combat. No reloading. Using guns, you'll do much more damage through constant firing than you will waiting for that one magic shot. Consider how much time you spend with your crosshairs sitting on that red dot.

Something else - one of the big goals of the whole fly-by-mouse system was that it was supposed to get away from the chicken run concept so common in flight sims. If the only successful missile tactics promote it, then missiles are even more of a failure.

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