Space Engineers

Space Engineers

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Viper Vertical Launch System
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Type: Blueprint
File Size
Posted
Updated
5.234 MB
30 Mar, 2024 @ 10:44pm
31 Mar, 2024 @ 3:07am
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Viper Vertical Launch System

Description
Viper Vertical Launch System

  Description
Howdy!

The Viper Vertical Launch System (VLS) is a reloadable, 6 shot WHAM/LAMP guided missile launch platform. It is designed to be an easy-to-use technology demonstrator that can also be relatively easily integrated into a ship.

This is the spiritual successor to the Crotalus Mk.I Vertical Launch Missile System (hence the name "Viper"), but now it uses the latest generation of my homing missile guidance script suite.

Important Limitation
You can not use multiple of these VLS cells onto a single ship as they will conflict due to how WHAM/LAMP works.


  Features
  • 6 vertically launched homing missiles with 5km range and ~100 m/s² acceleration
  • Self-reloading mechanism
  • Pre-configured missile designation custom turret
  • Easy to paste onto an existing ship
  • Fits within a 7 x 5 x 3 block volume



  How do I use this?!
Setup is essentially as simple as cutting off the yellow sprue and pasting the components onto a ship, but follow the detailed instructions on the blueprint itself (because I hate duplicating documentation lol). You can also just use this as a standalone demonstration platform.

Flight Seat Toolbar Setup
  1. Fire missile
  2. Reload all missiles
  3. Control Custom Camera Turret
  4. Switch missile guidance mode
  5. Toggle missile lock-on
  6. Toggle missile precision mode
  7. Toggle missile spiral
  8. Toggle missile stealth (antenna broadcasting)
  9. Kill all active missiles

Basic Firing lnstructions

First, get in the provided flight seat. Then...

To launch a homing missile using camera homing (LIDAR):
  1. Aim at the target with a camera
  2. Press [5] to initiate camera lock-on
  3. Look at the status screen or listen for the lock-on sound to ensure you have lock
  4. Press [1] to fire (Can only fire when locked on)

To launch a homing missile in turret homing mode:
  1. Press [4] until the "Turret" mode is selected
  2. Fly into turret range of a target
  3. Look at the status screen or listen for the lock-on sound to ensure you have lock
  4. Press [1] to fire a missile (Can only fire when locked on)
Note
This blueprint is only equipped with the attached custom turret controller as a turret. To add more, simply add more custom turret controllers or AI turret blocks into the "Fire Control" group.

To launch a Line-of-Sight guided missile:
  1. Press [4] until the "Beam Ride" mode is selected
  2. Press [1] to fire a missile
  3. Look where you want the missile to go. They will steer towards where you are aiming.


  Authors Notes
This is intended to primarily be a technology demonstrator for WHAM/LAMP. This was created to satisfy a relatively common request from users to provide a simple example platform for dissection.

I used the old school red ship in the thumbnail and literally just cut a 7 x 5 x 3 hole in the butt and pasted the VLS cell in there.

I made this in a couple of hours, so I hope it works for someone other than me. Feel free to use, modify, and/or publish this thing on your ships! This is meant to be a utility, so modification is encouraged :)
78 Comments
r4v1n6 18 Feb @ 9:33am 
As I recall you need to update the blueprint with tanks in stockpile mode. Some blocks will still be built turned off regardless of their state when the blueprint were made. Some will be activated when the PB is turned on, but tanks and connectors need to be turned on by a timer block when the build is complete.
r4v1n6 18 Feb @ 9:30am 
@s3m989 in creative, you don't really have to provide H2 as the tanks will be 50% full when built. You also don't need to provide components, the missiles will be built anyway in 1-2 seconds.

In survival it's quite different (as you seem to have noticed). You need to provide components and fuel, depending on world settings building can take 20+ seconds or even more if you don't have all the components. Using a Timer to determine when the build phase is done, is not really practical. You have to watch the projector's build progress. Whip wrote a script that can do that (see further below).
s3m989 18 Feb @ 8:56am 
I've tried to use this but after reloading the hydrogen tanks on the missile aren't put on stockpile so they aren't loaded with hydrogen.
By add stockpile on for a group for all the missile hydrogen tanks on Timer Block/Missile Reload 2 End and stockpile off on Timer Block/Missile Fire this seems to fix it but i haven't had change to test it fully.
I could also just be using this wrong
r4v1n6 14 Dec, 2024 @ 3:08am 
Well, I think it has contributed in a number of misfires for me. Disabling it made it happen less though it still happens (it's what usually ends the fight). The launch platform pilots itself using AI blocks (with evasive on) while I do the firing. Or I set it to auto and go say hello in person with a grinder.
I did try increasing the guidance delay, but maybe I need to increase it more. Leaving the silo hatches open during the fight also helps. As long as I can keep the distance and use a missile or two as a decoy, it usually ends well. Often the Factorum drones spawn in very close though.
Whiplash141  [author] 14 Dec, 2024 @ 1:21am 
"The connectors on the mount (and also the missiles) had the default strength set."

I've never seen this occur and I've fired hundreds of missiles out of this particular platform.
r4v1n6 14 Dec, 2024 @ 12:42am 
@Whip You are right, min/max were set (although braking torque weren't). I guess it's safe now to set them to the same value to fixate a joint.

In the past Clang dropped by whenever I tried that, so I learned to give it a few degrees wiggle-room and use the brake and lock instead. The first thing I do when building a hinge/rotor is to copy the default torque into braking so that it doesn't flop around as I finish building it. I do it even on ball turrets. Then if they are supposed to move and there's a risk of it pushing against something, I lower the active torque to about 1/10 of the default value to prevent it from breaking itself.

Btw looking at my install notes, there were one other thing. The connectors on the mount (and also the missiles) had the default strength set. During trials I found that it was enough to prevent the missile from escaping the silo in some situations.
Whiplash141  [author] 13 Dec, 2024 @ 11:50pm 
Oh you will also probably want a longer guidance delay if you are in gravity, this is pretty finely tuned for zero-gee launches. Double the guidance delay from like 1.5 to 3 seconds and you should get solid separation from the launch platform
Whiplash141  [author] 13 Dec, 2024 @ 11:48pm 
"Out of the box it will only be aligned and stable as long as it is powered."

Not correct. The hinge min and max limit are set to 90 deg. The subgrid can't physically move regardless of power state.

Also verified that the platform is fully functional with recent updates.

One thing to check though, @smiLe, is that the small subgrid that the missiles are mounted is not a station. When I pasted the platform in the ground, the small grid was converted to a station along with the large grid base.
r4v1n6 13 Dec, 2024 @ 1:41pm 
@smiLe Missile getting stuck in the silo during launch (which eventually self-destruct) seems to be a fairly common failure mode for these type of systems, and not just this one. Usually it happens because the launch platform moves around too much before the missile manage to leave the silo.

It doesn't sound like your issue is caused by this though, having the launchers stationary. One thing you might want to check is the Hinge that the missiles are mounted on. Out of the box it will only be aligned and stable as long as it is powered. You need to set the torque when powered off to something above 0 or it could get misaligned.

Also check that the missiles get fueled. Without, they will eventually explode inside the silo after "launch".

Also both LAMP and WHAM have been updated since this was posted. I don't know if that matters as I haven't noticed any issues using the older scripts. Only the Radar was broken by the last game update.
smiLe 10 Dec, 2024 @ 11:46am 
Been trying set this system p on my base. Have used the older ion system on ships of mine before. That's why Im confused why this stream lined version isn't working for me. Have the missiles on a hill side and control seat in main base. When i fire it just blows up. Checked custom data of doors and fire control group. Works on default seat but even if i Copy/Paste it. still goes kamikaze.