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Introduction: Doing Damage
The two most widely used types of weapon systems are Turrets and Launchers. Turrets fire a stream of damage bundles (projectiles, charges, laser beams) that travels in a straight line out from the turret as the turret moves to track the target. Launchers fire self-propelled bundles of damage (rocket, missile, torpedo) that chase down the target. (There are exceptions, drones, for example, 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: base damage amount, signature radius of target, velocity of target, explosion radius of missile, explosion velocity of missile, damage reduction factor
- Turret: base damage amount, transversal speed, turret tracking, turret signature resolution, target signature radius, 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 a basic 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 basic, absolute terms. For a very detailed explanation of how the damage of an individual hit is created when a launcher fired weapon reaches its target, please refer to the article on Missile Damage.
Note that launcher based damage bundles are often called "missiles", and that this term can refer to any of rockets, missiles, torpedos and bombs (even though bombs are not fired from launchers).
Missile Range and Launcher Firing Rate
A missile does not so much hit a ship as explode near it. When a missile crosses the signature radius of its target, it blows up. The speed at which this explosion grows and the maximum size of the explosion determine the amount of damage done to the target.
EVE uses a mathematical equation to compute the precise amount of damage that the explosion does to the ship. The details of what happens when a missile hits are somewhat complicated and are explained in Missile Damage.
Range
When fired, a missile will leave the launcher, quickly accelerate, and then proceed at its best speed directly at the target until it runs out of fuel. If it encounters the target during that time, it will explode - otherwise it will vanish. The approximate maximum distance that a missile will travel can be found by multiplying the speed of the missile by the number of seconds that its fuel will last. (The approximation is due to the slightly slower speed as the missile accelerates at launch.)
Maximum Distance ≈ Speed x Seconds of Fuel
For example:
- A Light Missile has a flight time of 5 seconds at a speed of 3750 m/s. The maximum distance it can travel is 5 x 3750 ≈ 18,750 m.
- A torpedo has a flight time of 6 seconds at a speed of 1500 m/s. The maximum distance it can travel is 6 x 1500 ≈ 9,000 m.
Although the terms "range" and "distance" are often used interchangeably, technically, the range answers the question of whether the missile can reach its target: is it "in" or "out" of range? If the target is stationary, then the maximum distance will be the missile's range. Normally, however, the target is moving, and the range depends on this motion.
If the target is moving directly away from the missile, then it will take the missile longer to reach the target than it would a stationary one. In fact, if the target is moving fast enough, the missile may not be able to reach it at all - in this case, the target would be considered "out of range." Note that the target does not have to be moving faster than the missile ... just fast enough to stay ahead of the missile until it runs out of fuel.
If the target is moving directly at the missile, then the missile will reach it much faster than it would reach a stationary target. In this case, the target may be "in range" even when it seems to far away to hit.
In most cases, however, the target will be moving in a curve with regard to the missile ship - possibly in an orbit, possibly curving towards or away from the launch. It is hard to specify the range, exactly, in these cases, but as always, the missile will head directly for the target, and it will continue as long as it has fuel. It's path is likely to be some sort of a spiral.
There is no way to control the path of a missile once it has been launched. It will point itself at its target and follow the target until it hits or runs out of fuel.
Firing Rate
After a launcher fires its missile, it must rest for a time before it fires again - this is called the "rate of fire". Turrets also have a firing rate, but launchers are much slower.
| Weapon | Firing Rate (Seconds) | Average Base Damage (HP) |
|---|---|---|
| Light Missile Launcher | 16 | 83 |
| Cruise Missile Launcher | 20.6 | 375 |
| Light Electron Blaster | 2 | 9 |
| 350 mm Railgun (Large) | 7.3 | 34 |
| Large Dual Heavy Beam Laser | 7.2 | 34 |
| Note that values are approximate; for comparison only. | ||
There is a correlation between firing rate and the base weapon damage. In general, launchers fire more slowly, but their missiles do more damage; while turrets depend on a stream of quickly fired, but less potent damage bundles.
Summary
Missile weapons do more damage per hit than turreted weapons. However, launchers fire very slowly compared to turrets, and missiles take much longer to reach their targets. While these can be modified by means of skills and equipment, the relationship holds even with these improvements.
This has tactical implications. With a low ranged, fast firing turret ship, the pilot wants to get in close and keep the target locked. With a long ranged, slowly firing missile ship, the pilot wants to stay beyond the target's range and go for a slow kill.
Launcher and Missile Types
Each launcher class can launch missiles of that class. Different types of launchers within the class vary the firing rate and other characteristics of the launchers. Similarly, there are multiple missile types within a class. These vary the flight time, damage, and other characteristics of the missile. A launcher class and its associated missiles can be thought of as a weapons system, each of which fits best in a particular class of ships.
Related Skills and Equipment
As is usual in EVE, various skills and equipment can improve a pilot's use of launcher based weapons.
