I want to create a multi player race game where the countries start with conventional start and some kind of nuclear capabilities. I already found a way to simulate the ICBM, by creating fighters and putting them in orbit. But this means they have a range of 0 so they hit their target instantly and there is no possibility for interception (unless I can intercept a missile immediately?). Any solution around this?
In one of Steve’s AAR, he made it work, somehow. He had ground-based ICBM that were intercepted by ships in orbit. Here, reply 3, the war between the Islamic Alliance and India. Any idea how he did it? It was on an older version, and I couldn’t find a VB6 version of the game, however I did find a version of Quasar, which I was told is more similar to VB6 than C#, and in it the ICBM also hit immediately because the range is 0, so assuming it was the same in VB6, I’m not sure how he got it to work.
Btw, anybody know the difference between Quasar and C# regarding mechanics? Quasar has a much better UI, but also everyone moved to C# instead so I’m assuming C# is better on most front, no?
Missiles are detected on launch and before they move. The sequence is:
Missiles Launch
Missiles Detected
Missiles Move
Point Defence is Resolved
Surviving Missiles Hit
This happens even if the launch ship and the target ship are at the same location.
That didn’t happen in VB6, or Quasar, because there was no post-launch detection in that version. The (very old) conventional ICBM in VB6 had a 15 minute flight time, which is why they could be intercepted.
BTW that campaign you referenced is 18 years old (although it was great fun!). Almost everything has been updated since then.
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Alright, thanks a lot! An answer from the writer of the AAR is the best I could hope for.
Just, sorry if my question is dumb, I’m only a newbie, but this point defense could be achieved with interceptor missiles, right? Or it would cause an issue if the interceptors launch is triggered by the point defense and thus the missiles hit at the same time as the interceptors launch, in the sequence?
Quasar is a remake of the old VB6 Aurora but done in a different engine. It is probably the best way to play VB6 Aurora as the performance is lot better. But Quasar development is concluded, it is a finished project and will not receive any updates and certainly will not get any features as the goal of the project was to emulate VB6 Aurora as closely as possible.
However, C# Aurora is the game that continues to receive updates as Steve works on it, it has loads more features than the VB6 version and performs much better. There are many significant differences, to the point that they could almost be called different games by now.
The ICBM interception only worked because there was a special rule in VB6 Aurora for ICBMs that forced them to wait in orbit for 15 minutes before they struck their target, to simulate ICBM behaviour on Earth better.
Point defence can only be achieved by Direct Fire weapons, not by missiles. AMM (anti-missile missile) defence requires an additional 5 seconds to work:
First 5s phase:
Missiles Launch
Missiles Detected
Missiles Move
Second 5s phase:
AAM Launch
Missiles Move
Interception
Not in a scenario where both sides are in the same location. The full sequence during an increment is:
Missiles Move
Point Defence
Missiles Hit
Normal Detection
Combat, including Missile Launch
New Missile Detection
So in a scenario where Race A attacks Race B in the same location
Missile Launch by A
Missile Detection by B
Missiles Move
Point Defence
Missile Hit
Normal Detection
(Defensive Missile Launch is here, so it doesn’t happen)
Interceptor missiles are intended for medium to long-range interceptions, where you can see inbound missiles. At close or point-blank range you need energy point defence, either in orbit or on the surface.
BTW - even in a conventional campaign I would probably design some form of SSBN equivalent that deploys in deep space, armed with missiles. Having my missile launchers in orbit would leave them vulnerable to a surprise attack by surface-based energy weapons, killing them before they could launch.
Thanks a lot guys!
The missile launchers in orbit are intended to just be a representation of conventional nuclear capabilities. I won’t use the surface based energy weapons to target them, because it would make no sense for a system like a Or Eitan/Arrow mix to shoot at missile silos. The missile launchers could target each other (right?) but like real life intend to make a ton of them to represent second strike capabilities. Just, there is no Kessler effect in the game, right? And yeah, ultimately they will be vulnerable to ships, but that’s the point, to simulate space exploration being triggered by an arms race triggered by the removal of MAD.
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After a lot of tests, I just cannot get the point defense to work. It just let the missiles through. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’m creating static STO with laser, put active sensors on (no idea if it makes a difference), tried every kind of targeting (area point defense, ranged defensive fire, point blank defensive fire), but nothing makes a difference.
Is the race launching missiles set to hostile for the race with the STOs?
Yes, it is set to hostile. Both ways.
Do you have an active contact on the missiles at the end of the turn in which they launch?
It might also be worth SM’ing a basic orbital station with PD and see if that intercepts the missiles - so you can see if the problem lies with the STO.
I have an active contacts.
The missiles are only at 25km/s, should be easy to intercept. I have even tried launching them from the moon and the STO didn’t shoot them down despite having hours to do so.
STO set to PD, yes, not making a difference.
Gauss is not changing anything.
The orbital station was a good idea because I am seeing some different behavior. The orbital station intercepts the missiles just fine. But the weird thing is that if I launch a salvo too big for the orbital station to intercept by itself, the STO will help shoot them down. The STO just does not engage the missiles first or on its own. I have tried removing the PD of the orbital station and just leaving the active sensors but it does not make a difference.
That sounds like a bug I thought I had fixed. So making the station just an active sensor in orbit - with no PD capability - doesn’t result in the STO firing?
No. I need to give orbital station PD capabilities and fire first for the STO to also fire.
I’m on version 2.7.1. It’s the last one, right?
Actually, if I give the station direct fire control, the STO will fire. But I also need to set the fire control to Point Blank Defensive Fire. If I don’t set them to PD, the STO will not fire. Very curious. Is there any way to create some kind of ground fire control for the STO?
They should work without anything in orbit, but I have seen this bug before and I thought I had fixed it. I will take another look.
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