i tried some cruiser missiles out tonight on a juggernaut. i pulled up to 5k and began launching at the BS. i could see the ship shooting at the missiles and since i didn't see the ships stats change i figured it was shooting them all down.
it was only after the fight that i learned that the BS hadn't shot down all the missiles and some had gotten through. i was surprised, because the BS's shield (from what i could see) didn't budge at all.
just coming out and saying "you shouldn't use them against shields" seems uninformed to me, the missiles are super slow. if you were to fire the missiles at about 3k, then the enemies shield would be back up before the missiles got there.
so from my experience, if anything under a BS class get within primary turret range of a BS they will die post haste. so the only alternative is to lob long range cap "torps" at the BS...but if they are practically useless against shields then you would be forced to get within the range of alternate weapons which in turn puts you right into the insta-death zone.
i believe something needs to be done to the cap missiles shield damaging abilities. i've not experienced how well they work against hull because i've yet to have one land against an unshielded hull.
Cruiser Pulse cannons have say, 3k range? You could manouver to 3k, work on the shield and fire the missiles. If you keep up with the pulses, you'll drop the shield before the missile hit, scoring a hit on the hull.
Alternatively, if you want to use missiles against capitals, try aiming at the front of the ship. That's how nova torpedoes can be used against shielded caps - hitting them in the front somehow damages the shield.
' Wrote:Cruiser Pulse cannons have say, 3k range? You could manouver to 3k, work on the shield and fire the missiles. If you keep up with the pulses, you'll drop the shield before the missile hit, scoring a hit on the hull.
Alternatively, if you want to use missiles against capitals, try aiming at the front of the ship. That's how nova torpedoes can be used against shielded caps - hitting them in the front somehow damages the shield.
well the instant you get within about 4.5k range of the BS you should begin to experience the "OWwWwW!" factor. then you still have to make it 1.5k closer to even be able to shoot
You know, Even though novas are more effective, I have not seen ONE dual-nova bomber.
I see very little capital ships with missles equipped, also. Wonder why? They're quite ineffective.
Just like Solaris! GASP! Its a coincidence? Or is it?
Then again, A supernova and a Nova is a regular loadout for bombers everywhere.
Dual novas can not drop shields better than a supernova/nova bomber, that's why you don't see them often. Not to mention, you still only get 70 torpedoes, so it's not the most effective loadout. Against hull and turrets, the nova is much more effective than the supernova. More accurate at range too.
Most capital ships I've seen mount full primaries and slap on a mortar. They don't use missiles because they don't understand that they are tactical use weapons. (approximately) 85% of battleships I've seen simply mount full primaries, a heavy mortar and expect to beat everything. They may beat other battleships and cruisers by brute force (and by cruising up to them), but they don't stand a chance against bombers. Strangely enough, ones with solaris... actually do stand a chance. I've seen two Legates effectively use solaris to fend off bombers. Another example is an Osiris with flak and solaris - its a very dangerous enemy as a bomber, as you can't get close and it's hard to hit it from a distance.
Most capital ship pilots I say simply use turrets and mortars, because they are simple. Missiles require timing and proper targetting to be effective. Primaries just require the pilot to hold down the mouse button.
The same issue occurs with bombers - the supernova is a simpler weapon to use than the nova torpedo. Novas require timing and aiming, while the supernova isn't as complicated.
I seem to do ok with a Heavy Mortar and a Mortar, with secondaries and primaries filling the rest (relatively even, maybe 6/7) I use one mortar against the shield, batter with primaries, then Heavy mortar. It works very well, I have one battlerazor and one flak, but I will probably never use a solaris again.
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