Poll: Do You Use Independent Targeting?

[SneakyTacts]

I’m just wondering who uses that. I don’t use it, but I might if anyone shares a good use for it.

 

Quick edit: whoops, I meant to put this in the Gameplay section. I’ll do that next time.

[riess]

I am using it for mining/salvage turrets on my ship... but damage penalty makes it useless on combat ships.

[SneakyTacts]

I am using it for mining/salvage turrets on my ship... but damage penalty makes it useless on combat ships.

 

Ah, that is something I should use it for. I’ll set my mining lasers on auto by a large asteroid and leave to eat or drink for a minute.

[Sir Charles]

Once I find a factory with really strong Teslas I often make them independent and put them all over my ships (especially well working with miners and freighters) so I don't have to bother with enemies while mining or trading coz the turrets will obliterate anything by themselves.

 

Also I use them when I decide to play as a pirate. Have you ever had that dialouge like "Ha we are gone before you can hit us" with the ship warping away? I usually go next to them, activate my independent targeting turrets to shoot them and then start the dialouge (clicking through it very fast), when they give me the freight, i disable them, but when i get said dialouge, i simply wait in the last dialouge sequence untill my independent turret killed the ship. That whay I get a fraction of the freight at least!

 

Hope this was helpfull and brought some interesting ideas on how to use independent targeting to you guys, but to make a point about the general mechanic: 50% less damage really is a lot, I think that should be changed to make independent targeting more attractive.

[Kamo]

I really like Independant Targeting turrets: they are a godsend for

1. [*]Big ships with rear/flank turrets (especially since Ctrl-view rotating seems to interfere with turrets rotating/recognizing targets under mouse reticle)

[*]Stations :D

[*]Long-range artillery turrets (where ships are too tiny to fire at manually), of course including most custom-made station turrets ::)

I believed Independant Targeting damage reduction was two-thirds (-66%) or -60%. -50% is a bit nicer, but a little less like -40% would surely be more attractive. (But gimping it more would make the damage reduction not stand out, with the whole random godrolls and poorrolls adding huge randomness in damage.)

 

Also, an even better idea: independant targeting should reduce fire rate instead of damage (for the same DPS reduction) ! It would also make a lot of sense !

[Ravien]

I use them almost exclusively if I'm mining on my main ship!

 

I also use them if I have a mix of different turret types since it's hard to precisely manually aim a mix-match of random turrets.

[Nachtu]

Only on strong turret factory made turrets. Independent targeting is useful in an escort ship. For example I've got two smaller AI controlled escort corvettes covering my larger personal destroyer-carrier. I order them to escort me and the turrets (when placed on "autofire") fire on enemies that get too close to me without the ships breaking away to chase anyone. This also makes retreating easier, since the AI ships just jump with me.

 

In the future when thee add some kind of fleet formations this will be even more useful.

[SneakyTacts]

Wow, you all have very useful tips on independently firing turrets.  I'll begin integrating all of your uses into my play-style. Thanks, all!

[Ravien]

Only on strong turret factory made turrets. Independent targeting is useful in an escort ship. For example I've got two smaller AI controlled escort corvettes covering my larger personal destroyer-carrier. I order them to escort me and the turrets (when placed on "autofire") fire on enemies that get too close to me without the ships breaking away to chase anyone. This also makes retreating easier, since the AI ships just jump with me.

 

In the future when the add some kind of fleet formations this will be even more useful.

 

I didn't know that they would keep formation when using auto turrets! That could be useful for point defense destroyers too, now that they'll shoot down incoming torpedoes headed for any friendly ship. :D

[Nachtu]

I didn't know that they would keep formation when using auto turrets! That could be useful for point defense destroyers too, now that they'll shoot down incoming torpedoes headed for any friendly ship. :D

 

Hey yeah, awesome tip.

 

Still can't wait for some fleet formation commands, since right now "keeping formation" is them flying in a bunch 5 km behind you  ;D They fly closer when going slow speeds though, so slow speed convoy drive by's in a conflict work nicely.

[DivineEvil]

I rarely use anything but Independent Targeting turrets for everything. This is mostly based on the inconvenience of current camera control, that doesn't allow you to freely track something without holding a button. I only use manual turrets as my capital, long-range weapons or primary mining array. I simply prefer not to bother with pointing my ship at the enemies, just maneuvering to expose them to as many of my weapons as possible, and they're doing the work on their own.

 

Independent Targeting turrets are also good, because ships armed with them will fire at enemies without you ordering them to attack in the strategy view directly, so you can control formations to some extent.

[unbekannt1984]

Hi,

 

I've got 2 big Seeker-Missile Launchers with Independent Targeting and 30km range and 2 PDCs (10km range) on a ship. But I can't enable those in populated areas, those weapons simply hit non-enemies way too frequently.

In non-populated areas (or in the middle of a pirate-sector) those weapons are useful.

[Inspired]

I use exclusively independent targeting turrets for literally everything. There's no way I'm aiming at enemies manually, especially from 20 kilometers away. Also mining and salvaging is excruciatingly boring to do manually, so I'll just craft insane salvaging turrets and fighters and semi afk in a scrapyard, or simply give the captain a salvaging order. Too bad you can't give orders to a ship you're in, like in x4.

[Eruner]

Turrets with independent targeting deals tons of damage

or

Turrets that deal tons of damage has independent targeting as a bonus.

 

 

and as you mentioned advantages of using IT turrets, I have even made a design to utilize it to the great extend

[Kamo]

+310% damage ! That's what's called a godroll :).

Though there's a lot of them on screen, but it's kinda logical with the amount of turrets you made. That must have taken ages to research :o !