Missiles In Space

Recently I wanted to take a break from all that 3D modeling to focus improving missile mechanics in-game. Any of you that have participated in the closed beta knows that missiles have been hit-or-miss. Limited feedback I got from the testing pointed towards this conclusion.

So I asked myself, “why does missiles are so ineffective in my game?”. Then I realized that they are ineffective because I’ve been modeling their behavior closely based on their terrestrial counterparts. The missiles in space need to function more like a space ship!

So I made a little demo with a singular target randomly moving around, and a missile tracking the target. That sounds simple enough, but that’s where it becomes interesting. I’ve created this new demo in a way that the missile does not expand all it’s propellant immediately after launch.

Here’s the new missile mechanic demo:

Instead, I made the missile work somewhat like a real satellite. First, it accelerates towards the target for a bit, then starts coasting. Then depending on the movements of the target, the missile performs correction burns. This way the missile always tries to intersect with the target at a point. And once the missiles gets close enough, it enters terminal guidance mode to deliver the blow.

I ended up making a cool Projectile Cam to follow the missiles progress during debugging too. So you can watch your missiles soar through the stars with glee.

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