View source for Talk:Marsec Heavy Launcher

== Range ==

If you teleport, the rocket just keeps homing. Does it disappear when it's traveled past its listed range? This might be hard to test.

[[User:NinthRank|NinthRank]] 18:57, 20 October 2007 (PDT)

: Good point. I think it's just the targeting range that is affected by this - the missile itself will travel on regardless. But I can't say that for sure. 

: Here's one test that could be used to examine this. Grab a couple of teleporters and a Marsec plate. Then look for a map with a lot of wide open space. Stun raiding a slum maze garden might be ideal. Fire a rocket at the flying unit, teleport to the other side of the map, watch the rocket swing round, then teleport out as it nears the unit and repeat this as much as necessary. - [[User:NKF|NKF]] 19:11, 20 October 2007 (PDT)

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Most interesting. I gave my suggestion a try, and picked up a few observations. 

* Range does determine the lifetime of the rocket. Compared it with a minilauncher and heavy launcher, and the heavy launcher was able to perform several passes while the minilauncher blew up on the first turn. The alien version obviously has greater range. I guess we can treat distance the same 1.5m = 1 tile measurement that we use for the proximity mines. 
* Missiles vanish if they encounter the edge of the map. 
**Coincidentally, the "X under fire" message appears at the moment the missile vanishes (or general impact)-  not while the rocket is travelling.  So basically you won't know what hit you until it hit you. 
* The turning circle for rockets is quite tight! Much tighter than I imagined anyway. 
* You can sometimes fool the rocket so that it gets confused and doesn't know whether to turn left or right, so it keeps travelling forward in a zig-zag. Not sure how to get this done, perhaps you need to teleport far enough and be in direct line with the rocket. It's better to rely on slamming it into solid objects though. 

- [[User:NKF|NKF]] 20:19, 20 October 2007 (PDT)

On a complementary note: don't try to dodge a rocket until <b>after</b> it's launched.  Preferably the first frame after launching.  Failing to observe this principle will have the homing head for the square you're entering then, not the square you're running out of.

- [[User:Zaimoni|Zaimoni]] 23:31, 20 October 2007 (CDT)