Torpedo/Pulse Fre Arc Too Wide

posted on April 13th, 2011, 10:39 pm

The firing arc for torpedoes and pulses is set to 1.61.  This unit is commonly believed to be in degrees.  The unit is actually in radians.  This specific value translates to 92.25 degrees.  Which is way too much for a launcher that is supposedly in a fixed orientation.  To get 1.61 degrees, this value would need to be 0.03.  Personally, I think that would require too much precision.  So a value of 10 degrees (0.17) should be just right for this game.  Maybe 15 degrees (0.26).

posted on April 13th, 2011, 10:43 pm

Launchers in canon aren't limited to the direction the cannon is pointed in, especially not seekers like the Torpedoes. There's nothing to say directed-energy like Pulse Phasers would be either.

[Anonymous]

posted on April 13th, 2011, 10:50 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on April 13th, 2011, 10:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No one commonly believed this value to be in degrees.  We've always know that it was in radians.  Also, you're assuming it's only one pulse weapon, and not several, with only the one with the most optimal firing solution being used.  Fleet Ops does not fire "all possible weapons" on a ship, because the game would then lag and you wouldn't be able to see what's going on anyway.

Sometimes, you need to be Ok with the things that aren't perfectly "canon", because this is a game, and not an RPG.

posted on April 13th, 2011, 10:57 pm

Sometimes, you need to be Ok with the things that aren't perfectly "canon"

  BLASPHEMYYYYY!!!!! 

posted on April 13th, 2011, 11:03 pm

Sometimes, you need to be Ok with the things that aren't perfectly "canon"

Interesting justification to making pulse ships weaker normally and completely defenseless if without engines.

Not to mention the seeker-nature of Torpedoes is a part of FO canon.

posted on April 13th, 2011, 11:07 pm

I never assumed it was a single weapon.  It's every weapon that has a restricted firing arc.  And I am allowing for things to not to be perfectly "canon".  I just think that the fire arcs are way too wide for ships that are supposed to have restricted arcs.  Trust me, if I wanted realism, I wouldn't have given such a wide value for firing arcs like 10 to 15 degrees.

PS:  The only thing I did assume was that it was a common for people to believe that the units were in degrees.  I didn't say everyone.  I just said it was a common belief.

posted on April 13th, 2011, 11:13 pm

Sometimes, you need to be Ok with the things that aren't perfectly "canon", because this is a game, and not an RPG.

Right, this is A2 and not TrekHack. Sometimes canon just can't be applied to a game. 

posted on April 13th, 2011, 11:15 pm

The arc is this way to avoid common turning issues for vessels.

I can't think of anybody who thought that the arcs in Fleet Ops were in degrees... every replay with limited arc units, and every mention in the guide, not to mention the units themselves.. would make absolutely no sense as degrees.

posted on April 13th, 2011, 11:49 pm

Interesting justification to making pulse ships weaker normally and completely defenseless if without engines.

Not to mention the seeker-nature of Torpedoes is a part of FO canon.

Not weaker, as their cost is decreased a little or they get some bonus for having a limited arc.  It makes sense for pulses as they are semi fixed, so either one pulse can swivel a little or there might be multiple pulses for say, the T-15.  Each ship might be different, for example the brel only has 2 pulse guns, so they'd have to swivel a little, but it makes sense in their design.

I didn't get into torpedoes, but most of them have 360 degrees of freedom, and we usually assume multiple launchers (if a Galaxy fires a rear torpedo, we assume it came from the rear launcher, not the front).  The very few ships that have fixed torps might have different launchers, and torpedoes with weaker guidance systems.  They might have to have the launcher facing the target to get a good lock before the torp can track.  That might be why ships have fore and aft launchers.  The few ships like the Susa that have forward only might have sacrifice guidance for payload, since it's designed as a bomber.  Or ships like the E-II might sacrifice guidance for more speed so that it can reach long/artillery range.  So that might be why firing arc torpedoes act the way they do.

It's like that DS9 episode where the runabouts and the maqui fought each other.  Torpedoes were fired, but they missed and didnt' swing back for another pass.  Perhaps normal torps don't quite have the reach around ability unless you've got Spock and McCoy modifying a torpedo to search for gas.

posted on April 14th, 2011, 12:13 am

I can't think of anybody who thought that the arcs in Fleet Ops were in degrees... every replay with limited arc units, and every mention in the guide, not to mention the units themselves.. would make absolutely no sense as degrees.

Oops!