Beam, Computer & Camera Direction

[Shadow2Lead]

Specific situation: I am attempting to make a ship with beam broadside weapons and assumed I would need to have the beam computer controlling the beam blocks match the camera direction I was using when I controlled the beam. So for firing starboard facing beams, I placed a starboard facing camera and a starboard facing beam computer. However these beams only fired in straight lines from their output blocks, in the direction of the computer. When I changed the beam computer to face the bow and used a starboard facing camera it worked perfectly: the beams focused on left click and could track across the entire screen. Notable, these "bow facing" beams are 360 degree weapons as they can fire at any target in any direction I have a camera pointed.

Why would I ever use a beam computer facing a direction other than the bow? My impression at the moment is that all beam weapons should face forwards and they will fire at any target I can click on. (So all slow turning beam ships should have 6 cameras at least.)

Also, is there any game-play mechanic associated with changing the damage beam module direction?

 

[NTIMESc]

Why would I ever use a beam computer facing a direction other than the bow?

If you wanted to fire them a specific direction using logic, the computer would need to face that direction.

 

[Shadow2Lead]

Thanks, good to know.

 

[Lecic]

Also, is there any game-play mechanic associated with changing the damage beam module direction?

I think in some early versions it was how projectile direction was determined, but it's been so long since I've played those versions that I can't remember anymore.