Missile Lock

[Guest falkcj]

How do you stop a missile lock? When it says "Missile lock. Key to target?" What do you do? I can never shake it and I always get hit. Any pointers?

[Guest Scoundrel67]

The best way to avoid a missle is not to be locked on to begin with. Always check to see if someone has selected you as a target and take them out first or order one of your wingmen to attack them. The best defense IS a good offense!

 

Sooner or later someone will aquire a missle lock on your craft no matter what you do, so be prepared to act IMMEDIATELY upon hearing the warning tone.

 

1. Tap the spacebar to select the missle as your target as soon as you are locked and the missle is launched. If you hesitate for more than a moment, tapping the spacebar will not select the missle and then you'll have to find it manually which is a tall order while in the middle of a dogfight.

 

2. Forget about out running the missle--they're too quick, especially the advanced concussion missles. Now that you've selected the missle hurtling toward your ship, look at the distance displayed in the Heads Up Display (HUD). If it's close, a hard jink and turn should let it pass by where upon you may cut your throttle to 1/3 and turn into the missle to shoot it down. If it's far away, then just turn into it and open fire when it comes in range. If the missle is a middling distance away from your ship (1km), you might just want to let it get close and then perform your turn.

 

3. Use your counter measures correctly. The flare needs a time to turn and lock on to the incoming missle, so fire the flare when the missle is around 0.6-1.0km away, depending on the speed of the missle.

 

Chaff is a no-brainer that can cover for a multitude of sins. Just fly AWAY from the missle and hit the chaff when the missle is 0.5km away. It'll give you a nasty bump, but the missle won't do any real damage. Chaff does NOT help you if you fly directly into a missle.

 

4. Never fly in a perfectly straight line while flying away from an enemy using missles. If it locked you up once, it'll often try and do it again when you destroy the first missle.

 

5. If you're going to take a hit, make sure you dump all of your laser energy into your shielding before you are hit. If you're low on laser power and can't max out both front and rear shielding, max out the rear and run away while jinking.

 

Best of luck and WATCH YOUR SIX!

 

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They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

[Guest Fondas]

just to add something here...

 

The best evasive action when the yellow light starts to flash is to break. That means setting your throttle to 1/3 for just a moment and make a hard turn , no matter the direction. It takes a while for a missile to lock on, so you you're best bet is to get out of the enemy's shights. The same applies when the enemy has a lock on you (red light) but there are two drawbacks.

 

1) The AI won't hesitate. The moment they have a solid lock, a missile is already in the air.

 

2)When a lock is accomplished, even if the target manage to break it for a while, the time to relock is significantly reduced.

 

 

Let's say that the missile has already been fired upon you. Target the incoming missile (either by pressing spacebar when the comp ask you to target it, or by pressing the "incoming" key (i).

 

By the color ofthe missile you can see if it's a missile or a torpedo. The latter are easier to spoof. If it's far enough, turn and put it in you 3-6 position and break again when the range counter drops below 0.5

Then turn again and track the missile in order to shoot it down with your lasers. If the offender is further away than 1.5 to 2.0 clicks, forget the evasive manoeuvres , just target it, turn at max turn radius (i.e 1/3) and shoot it as it comes straight to you.

 

 

With counter measures , your job is a lot easier, but remember the basic rule of BFM. When someone shoots at you you are defensive. You can either fly BFM against a foe or a missile, never both. The problem is that while you're busy with spoofing an incoming, the opponent is either setting up for another launch or closing in for a laser shot...

 

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"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent"

TZG+7

[K_Kinnison]

All these comments are good, let me add my own comments...

 

Agaisnt AI

 

AIs will only fire when they get a full lock, which takes about 6 seconds, and a fighter can start getting tone on another fighter at 2.5km. Noramlly the AI will be fireing from your 12 o'clock (straight ahead) or you 6 o'clock (straight behind). YOu will rarly get one from the side b/c that would mean you are engaged. AI never can corectly do a intercept course, they allways fly straight at their target.

 

If you get fired on from the front, and you have turrets, use them by pressing {space} and "F" so your turrets fire on them. Dependsin on the AI of the turrets you gcan get a missile kill at 1.7km, or about .4km, never do it yourself.

 

Otherwise, you are heading in to engage the enemy, you shoudl know by now which craft carymissiles, and which dont. If you get fired on from the front, tap your trigger at the enemy and 95% of the time you will destroy the missle, and maybe damage the enemy. If you are not sure where the missles is coming from, hit the space bar and fil lthat yellow bow with a few laser shots.

 

Missiles vs Missil attacks: You dont really ned a full lock on. Wait 5 seconds for tone, fire off a missles dive, as a missles is fired upon you hit the space bar, fire at the missiesl, and target the ememy with lasers. He will get hit by the missles and your lasers and me dead, or realy poor shape

 

AIs do not use TOrpedoes agasint Fighters... and if thy did, they are slow enuf to shoot down, or evade

 

From the rear: depends if you are able ot turn to face it, rely on countermeasures, or dodge..

 

If you ahve time to tuen into it, see above

 

If you need to use chaff, look at your rear sensor, once the missiles stands out it shoudl be withen 1km, hit the chaff, and boost up your speed. YOu are going to spin as it hits, which makes it very hard to manuver. so use your speed (if you have nay) to dodge enemy fire

 

Flares, are auto lock-on mini-missiles i dont know if targeting the missiels helps, but makes sureyou launch that flare early enuf so it can lock on, and detonate the missles

 

If you need to evade...

 

Target the missles, wait until it gets to about .3km and break hard, it will now try to hit you a second time, and you should be able to shoot it donw now, or if you have a craft that can cruise above 100 MGLT, you shoudl be able to use your ears and know when it is getting close to do a hard dodge. Missles have fuel for about 30 seconds.

 

remeber, the Missles will go where you are, not where you will be, so that makes defelction shooting very hard for the AI

 

Good luck pilot, and clear ether

[Guest Marril]

Remember: AI shoots torps at you if you're in a freighter. It's a pain to get Strike craft (not Cruisers) shooting torps at you.

 

Also, capships can get a tone INSTANTLY with missiles. It's like a half-second red on the missile indicator followed by those annoying green messages "Missile Warning? Key to Target?"

 

PS, does anyone know what the third warning light is for? The first is figher lasers lock, second iscapship turbolaser lock, fourth is missile lock... maybe it's beam lock?

 

Anyway, AI misiles are a pain to dodge at close range. Also, they NEVER take the real opportunity to finish you off as you're spinning.

 

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Why is it that whenever someone says SOL I am always in trouble... whether it be Standards of Learning or (the other version). I'm always screwed.

--Tyais

 

[This message has been edited by MISSINGNO. (edited _*-@&-@&^!).]

[Guest Marril]

Also, getting out of the roll is easy, you twist the joystick to put on the rudder and pull up or down, you'll regain control faster and you won't be as easy to finish off.

 

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Why is it that whenever someone says SOL I am always in trouble... whether it be Standards of Learning or (the other version). I'm always screwed.

--Tyais

 

[This message has been edited by MISSINGNO. (edited _*-@&-@&^!).]

[Guest falkcj]

Thanks for all the replies! I really appreciate it. I will try all your suggestions next time I play!

 

Chris

[Guest OtanaMan]

Originally posted by Marril:

Remember: AI shoots torps at you if you're in a freighter. It's a pain to get Strike craft (not Cruisers) shooting torps at you.

 

Also, capships can get a tone INSTANTLY with missiles. It's like a half-second red on the missile indicator followed by those annoying green messages "Missile Warning? Key to Target?"

 

PS, does anyone know what the third warning light is for? The first is figher lasers lock, second iscapship turbolaser lock, fourth is missile lock... maybe it's beam lock?

 

Anyway, AI misiles are a pain to dodge at close range. Also, they NEVER take the real opportunity to finish you off as you're spinning.

 

 

Yes, it is a beam lock. How many beams were there again? Three? Anyway, we all know that AI hardly, if not ever use those beams on you. But, real human opponents will.

 

 

[Guest Morfeo]

Hello XWA Fans

 

And remember that Chaffs are useless against the Mag Warhead, Flares are the choise here. This is no big deal, since all it does is knock out your cannons for 20 seconds regardless of how many Mags hit you. On a mission involving this type of warhead, make you to ID warheads that are comming towards you, so that you wont end up wasting Chaffs against Mags.

 

Morfeo