A bit of a Romulan Change up.

posted on May 24th, 2010, 9:12 pm

yep, even a last-generation mobile phone would be capable to calculate a course for a torpedo to hit a 3d-moving target (some restrictions do of course apply, like rapid movement changes where the torpedo might be phyiscally to slow to adjust its course, but you get my point).

What makes photons miss (except the cinematic effect, called Ce in 24th century physics formulas) are systems like the most popular ECM, that creates sensor fakes around it, distort sensor-beams or do other freaky stuff, that makes it hard for torpedoes to actually find a valid target. Its much like real-life countermeasures on military aircraft. I think we can guess that cloaking involves similar techniques, besides the pure visual cloaking (which emmits a lot of Ce, but is of poor use, as no 24th century starship computer should operate on visuals only)

posted on May 25th, 2010, 12:44 am

Ships can interfere with targetting sensors using ECM, so they probably have a way to make it harder to see where the shot came from.

Couldn't a few people take camera pics from in the ship while looking out the windows? Then upload that to the computer, comp. determines the point of origin, FIRE. Unless the ECM can interfere with cameras that are inside the ship (even then you could make the windows into touchscreens so you could have people point to the point of origin.)

Another way to do it is to simply fire in the general direction the shots came from (unless ECM scrambles cameras, but again, windows.) Stations are big and have big bubble shields.

Maybe three or four shots the station gets off before it gets fired upon. It's a lot like if you were completely invisible and you shot someone...with a bright green beam...and you can't move. Good luck avoiding getting shot back at.

[Tyler]

posted on May 25th, 2010, 12:48 am

Last edited by Tyler on May 25th, 2010, 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

Even with a Computer doing it, the shout will likely have already left the station and be heading towards you. It may work for beams, but not likely Torpedos or Pulses.

Trek camera's are holographic, so they probably use weak sensors (not nearly as good as a Shuttle's).

Sight from windows may help, but you'd only know the direction from that point with nothing about distance or any math stuff to figure out where to fire unless you're Data.

posted on May 25th, 2010, 12:54 am

Use Picard's strategy in nemisis, fire at 0 degree elevation all arcs and fire where shield impacts occur.

posted on May 25th, 2010, 12:56 am

Yes, that should work. Space is an Ocean, after all. It'd be funny if the Starbase turned out to be above you and you moved on, never realizing.

posted on May 25th, 2010, 12:58 am

I think people looking out the windows might notice that it's above them.

posted on May 25th, 2010, 1:00 am

That would be quite an achievement, seeing a cloaked station with the naked eye. Especially one in this fictional '3D' hogwash.

Almost no one in any fiction ever looks up.