Better Missile Pods

[XenoCow]

I have two ideas for how to improve missile pods.

--- Idea #1: Small Pods ---
For increased customizability there could be more sizes of missile pods. I think that there should be at least a 1 or 2 tube pod that would be great for low-profile, or budget ships to carry missiles. I could also imagine 3 or 4 tube versions having a place too.

--- Idea #2: Customizable Missile Pods ---
To give missile launchers the most possible customization, make them single tubes that can be bolted together to make packs of whatever size and shape players want.

There are a couple aspects of this that I'd like to address. One is that these tubes could be bolted anywhere and would have a standard YOLOL wire input port, but also be able to connect to each other directly like ore crates. Second, these new launchers, being independent devices, might be cumbersome to control. To solve this, a new missile controller could be used to provide an easy interface between the rest of the YOLOL network and several missile tubes at once.


Please share your comments or ideas below.

 

[Quinc]

I also would like to see more variations of the missile launcher. Though I don't see the benefit of a missile control. The line of YOLOL code that actually fires the missile would need to name the specific launcher and the tube within the launcher anyway. Unless the missile control completely bypasses the need for YOLOL it isn't worth it. My version of your suggestions:
1. Single missile mount - A small pylon that holds a single missile on one end, can connect to a device mount opposite the missile, or a cable near the rear of the missile. Compared to a missile tube the device itself is extremely cheap and lightweight. Unfortunately the missile is largely exposed, can explode if hit, and when fired has reduced accuracy.
2. Dual Missile tube with Dual device mounts plates - A rectangular device with two missile tubes inside, and two device mount plates on either side. Can carry power, data, coolant, etc. from one side to the other, though it requires a device mount to connect to pipes or wires. So a single device mount can connect to this launcher and another device on the far side. An indefinite number of dual missile tubes can stack ontop of each other in a line.

 

[Meetbolio]

Customizable Missile Pods sound like something that fits the game's philosophy of "we give you tools, you make shit yourself" much better than the current system.

 

[XenoCow]

Customizable Missile Pods sound like something that fits the game's philosophy

I agree 100%. I really hope that this suggestion, of all the suggestions I've made, gets implemented some way or another.

 

[XenoCow]

Though I don't see the benefit of a missile control. The line of YOLOL code that actually fires the missile would need to name the specific launcher and the tube within the launcher anyway. Unless the missile control completely bypasses the need for YOLOL it isn't worth it.

The controller would take a single fire input and launch a single (or perhaps settable number of) missile(s). It could also set the delay for the missile being launched. It could be replaced by YOLOL, but the idea of the controller is an easy interface instead of having to directly access the specific launch tubes (which one could do if desired too).

 

[Verbatos]

To give missile launchers the most possible customization, make them single tubes that can be bolted together to make packs of whatever size and shape players want.

This is the best idea I think, if you have any pods attached to each other be considered the same and have the same YOLOL input, this would be perfect, although it may be good to have size limits on the pods, to stop people just making a wall of rockets.
It would also be good to think of ways to reload the pod, would it have to be manual or can you think of an automatic way to do it?

 

[XenoCow]

if you have any pods attached to each other be considered the same and have the same YOLOL input

This would be the controller's job because having a ton of rocket tubes to deal with in YOLOL would be cumbersome. The controller might take the form of a base that attaches to a standard weapon mount, or something more like a MFC box that you could stick anywhere.

It would also be good to think of ways to reload the pod, would it have to be manual or can you think of an automatic way to do it?

Reloading weapons now is already a very manual process. I could see someone building robot arms to automate it once we get the toolheads for them. Maybe it could be made semi-automatic reloading. As in, stations or carriers could have a jig that acts like a speed loader for a revolver, loading a bunch at once, but in the same way that someone would do by hand.

 

[Verbatos]

I think it would be good if we could just have a rack of backward-facing missiles that could also be customised like your second suggestion of pods, but these racks could just push the missiles into the pods before retracting.
You could make a system where rocket pods pop up out of a surface to fire like in every superhero movie ever, then retract back down smooth and have a reloader inside, then push the pods back up.
Any thoughts?

 

[XenoCow]

I think it would be good if we could just have a rack of backward-facing missiles that could also be customised

Yeah, that's the idea I was thinking of too with the "speed loader." Some thing to hold onto many rockets that can be moved into the tubes and place them there.

 

[five]

XenoCow, great idea, great concept. I see no problem with this conflicting with anything in StarBase or its Philosophy. Though your missile controll device would be useless in my opinion. Ez af YOLOL code. Watch this (Source: youtube.com/watch?v=5-xhwLw3cYI).
You can programm a lever to change the missiles timing or speed (leverstate = TargetSpeed/DetonationTime) as ez as that. You want the missiles to go slower: pull the lever back. Need to hit a fast moving target full throttle for them. This would be ez to display as well: just tell a screen to tell the levers state.