Acceleration of projectiles

Hey,

Don't you think that making missiles accelerate would make zero-k more real (physics-wise) and flashy (with extra launch animation)? It could be done so projectiles (missiles and rockets) accelerate (with soft cap simulating air resistance) instead of flying at constant speed. For example, for me biggest offenders are slow rockets like Rocko's, or Hacksaw. It would be cool to see how missile units look with this change to make missiles accelerate from 0 to say 150% of their current speed (soft cap) at ~70%, so that over max range the delay of an impact stays the same.

Non-homing rockets typically have constant speed because Spring has aiming problems otherwise.

Many homing missiles already accelerate with a soft cap but it is not very visible because the starting velocity is the same order of magnitude. For example:

• Defender starts at 500 elmo/s and accelerates to 750, at 300 elmo/s².
• Hacksaw starts at 650 elmo/s and accelerates to 800, at 200 elmo/s².

Many vertical missiles start from 0:

• Tacnuke accelerates at 180 elmo/s², up to 1200 elmo/s.
• Impaler accelerates at 315 elmo/s², no cap [Spoiler]
  technically there is a cap of 8000 elmo/s but not practically reachable

quote: Sprung Many vertical missiles start from 0: Tacnuke accelerates at 180 elmo/s², up to 1200 elmo/s. Impaler accelerates at 315 elmo/s², no cap

Yeah I remember those. Impaler still looks a bit lame though, but that's mostly due to triangle trajectory, no normal sane rocket does that.

Hacksaw effect is so small I never noticed. I think if I thought about Picket I'd notice, but yeah, you're right! That's a direction I'd go.

quote: GoogleFrog The unit AI does not know how to predict flight times for accelerating rockets. Units would consistently undershoot. Recluse has this issue but has some hax to somewhat circumvent it.

Would it need changes in the engine or in lua?

quote: GoogleFrog Rockets would spend more time close to allied units so there would be an increase in friendly fire.

I was thinking about it, maybe some skirmishers (mostly thinking about rocko) could root themselves for brief period (0.1, 0.2 s) while ejecting a projectile. Even at present friendly fire among rockos seems bad.

quote: GoogleFrog It would be more difficult for humans to predict rocket trajectories and dodge at the appropriate time.

That would just require getting used to I suppose.

I am not entirely sold myself about idea, but I'd like to see the presentation of it.