Why isn't damage synchronized with shots taken?

from Sins Forums

I think it's very annoying that units take damage whenever they please instead of when they are hit. I know it's something about subtracting hp when the shot is fired instead of when it hits, but I can't recall any game doing this in such an in-your-face manner. It takes away all the joy of shooting something if it's so obvious that it doesn't get hurt because of your shots but because of some mathematical formula in the background. Could this be synchronized in a future patch or is this something that's hardcoded into the core of the game and there's no hope of changing it?

14,453 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

I believe that it has to do with the speed of light in a vacuum. You see, you may be seeing the lasers hitting at a certain time, but they are in fact hitting well before then.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

 

Can't say I've paid much attention to it.  As long as I'm blowing up my opponent's ships I'm happy.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
I must say this is the biggest part of Sins that annoys me.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

If I remember right, the damage is counted as soon as the ship fires, but the shot still has to travel for a second or several seconds before it reaches the enemy ship. Basically its damaged as soon as your ship fires, but the actual display of that shot hitting the ship takes a few seconds.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Melchiz, reply 1
I believe that it has to do with the speed of light in a vacuum. You see, you may be seeing the lasers hitting at a certain time, but they are in fact hitting well before then.
End of Melchiz's quote

I sincerely doubt this is the reason. John Q. Average likely doesn't know a thing about this and certainly doesn't care.

I believe it's more likely to keep processing requirements low on this end, what with the potential for extreme fleet sizes with extreme damage outputs. I don't think it'd be very pretty for a low-ender to have to process some 60 bomber squadrons attacking a starbase if their hits were all calculated per impact.

The exceptions are abilities that affect units on a flat per second basis - such as hull repair or hull damage - where there's absolutely no complex math done. It's just X added to or subtracted from Y. This was probably done since they're the minority and greatly affect a ship's survivability/lethality.

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

*_*  

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

have a scout run by a TEC starbase and turn it, watch all the rail gun bullets miss and it still does damage for it :P

Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top

Which kinda sucks, it would be better if micro could make a lot of shots miss, at least in the case of small ships zigzagging across space turning inside a missile's own turn radius, something that could make for instance a cobalt look like it was raised in the Matrix.

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

ya... something thats really annoying is that when missles miss... they become 1337 hax missles and gain infinate turn radius and crazy speed and hit no matter what.