[Sing_In_Silence]

Originally Posted by Sing_In_Silence

(also, why can Hertic do it but I can't?! )

Eh. Meant Cleric, and typoed Heretic besides.

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And the point I meant to make about disconnecting Missiles from launchers is that it would allow you to overstack missiles.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Pretty sure the AI in this game isn't equipped to handle avoiding enemy firing cones (or ships will be wheeling around all the time trying to get behind each other).

No, yeah, it isn't.
I'm just saying that imo- as you say, at least vs. capships, or if they find themselves there vs. a fighter - they should.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

A working random missions board would be beyond awesome.

FYI, since I understand you haven' seen SW2(?):
The Jobs I saw in SW2 (the Jobs board is what - in SW3 - is the 'News' list, i.e. in your office, left is Mercs, right is Jobs.) were 'patrol' (travel a circuit around the system, fight a wing pirates/Berserks that spawns before you when you reach the last one.) and 'fedex' (dock with station X in system Y. Return.).

Originally Posted by Trucidation

No separate AI for firing rockets exists I think.

As far as I've understood (going through the attack and defend scripts) you're right.
Which doesn't explain why I've seen them do it.
Not always, but more than just once.

(e.g.
A wing of 2 Bidents and 2... Raptors? attacks my MS.
Raptors swoop in and start flying around as expected.
The Bidents park at max range, pummeling my MS while my fighters are engaged.

It's good tactics, I'm not arguing that. I just wish I could return the favor :p )

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Yeah, I really hate exp-on-kill systems.

Yup.
It also makes early-game more difficult (I mean, if you obsessively pause-save-load and make sure that you last-hit every kill, by the time you get Ternie you can be at 50+ exp (and, um, don't ask how I know. ), more if you stick around Falcon Station and pick off the MSF/NESF combatants, join the Patrol patrols and pick off pirates, etc.
And even 'just' 50 exp is a big difference at that point),
and Mercs much less useful (and they're not particularly useful - for their cost - to begin with, I'm sad to say).

Originally Posted by Trucidation

It's pretty messy all around.

Wasn't too bad imo in SW1, (at least, as far as I've gotten. iirc: 3 generations of ships, kinetic miniguns and cannons, SRMs, LRMs, 1 MIRV, 1 laser, 2 PLs, 1 PA.)
but the fact that everything (tried) to scale al the way... gets, well, yeah, messy.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Now this would be a useful one-shot; actually, it's more of a deployable (unless it gets blown up).

I assume that you haven't, but:
Have you read any of David Weber's Honor Harrington books?
Another thing I'd've liked is missile pods (external, stationary-but-towable 1shot missile launchers. Put whatever missile/torpedo in.)
Of course, the fact that ECM interception is static
(read: unaffected by missile quantity, meaning that lots and lots of missiles don't satrurate the ECM, increasing penetration)
(which is what the ECM-reduction on Missile Salvo is supposed to emulate)
would make this much less useful.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Aren't skill usage reset when the pilot docks, I don't quite remember. It's just that docking is kind of a hassle so you can't simply do it in the middle of a huge fight.

Nope, it's when you enter a new system.
You make a good point, though.
Refresh-on-dock would also be a fair alternative (and would probably require a reduction of max charges).

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Seems like they didn't want us traipsing around, haha.

Well, to be fair, traipsing around can really screw up the intended plot-progress-to-player-power ratio.
e.g. Did you know that the Y-shaped defensive platforms in Hephastus can drop Shining (gen3 PL) turrets?
Did you know that you can (theoretically, if you already know what happens in that system) go there - while in the Heavy Transport, before getting Ternie or the Mastiff?
Also, there are 34 of the turrets, and Shining turrets sell - on normal - for ~89k-92k each.
Would make getting to Elio through hostile Patrol/NESF wings much easier, not to mention the rest of the game afterwards.
Or would, if there weren't a gen5 assassination team scripted to kick your ass if you don't stick to the starting script. (Warning: TVTropes link! Beware!)
But yeah, simply adjusting this figure - while it would help exp - doesn't address the other issues.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

Yeah, I find it better most of the time to have everyone fly separately; the wing bonuses just don't cut it when the wingmen contribute nearly nothing to the fight.

idk if they really 'don't cut it', but they're completely invisible, and the extra autonomy of individual fighters (as well as most pilots having some amont of Leadership) really makes it an unappealing option.
The biggest reason to fly in a wing is the ability to sacrifice 1 fighter to free up 1 precious system slot on every other fighter.

Originally Posted by Trucidation

SW1 didn't have a universe, it was pretty much system = mission, so they could afford to put in details. SW3 feels quite empty especially in the systems you normally don't visit outside of missions.

re: SW1.
Exactly and exactly. Sorry if I didn't express it well enough.

re: SW3.
Exactly, but on the flip side they do have more 'character' than the mostly-empty systems in SW1.