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Damage

The two basic types of weapon systems are Turrets and Launchers. Turrets fire a stream of damage (projectiles, charges, laser beams) that travel in a straight line out from the turret as the turret moves to track the target. Launchers fire a self-propelled bundle of damage (rocket, missile, torpedo) that chases down the target. (There are exceptions, but most weapons follow one of these patterns.)

In each case, the actual damage done to the target depends on a number of factors. You can read the details in these two articles: Turret Damage / Missile Damage - but for now it is enough to recognize that the two weapons systems do damage in different ways. Given that the target is within range of the weapon, then the final damage to the target depends on:

Launcher	Turret
Basic damage amount	Basic damage interval
Signature radius of target	Transversal speed
Velocity of target	Turret tracking
Explosion radius of missile	Turret signature resolution
Explosion velocity of missile	Target signature radius
Damage reduction factor	Turret optimal range
	Turret range falloff

The difference, in simple terms, is that launchers will always "hit", but the damage done will vary depending on the size of the target and the speed of the explosion. On the other hand, turrets may miss the target, but a hit will always do its basic (somewhat variable) amount of damage.

It may seem that a 100% chance to hit any target within range is a significant advantage, however this is balanced by other factors, including especially the firing speed of the weapon and the travel time of the damage bundle. In general, launched weapons fire more slowly and take more time to strike their targets, thus leaving their ships more open to retaliation. In any case, you can rest assured that neither type of weapons system has an advantage over the other in and of itself. The advantages arise from the ship bonuses, ship fittings, and pilot skills and experience.

The remainder of this article will deal with the mechanics and characteristics of launcher based weapons systems. Damage done will be compared in absolute terms. For a very detailed explanation of how the damage of an individual hit is created when the weapon hits its target, please refer to the article on Missile Damage.

Missile Targeting and Range

A missile will leave the launcher and proceed at its best speed until it hits the limit of its range. If it encounters the target during that time, it will explode. See Missile Damage for a thorough explanation of how missile damage is generated during such an explosion.

Launchers

Each launcher class can launch multiple types of missiles of that class. Generally, the missile types vary the damage type, flight time, and other tactical characteristics.

For example, a xxxxx launcher can fire 3 types of missiles:

Launchers have various characteristics, including such as firing rate, ...