Turrets

[evovi]

Never had a turreted weapon before - and reading various Reddit posts and forum posts (mainly on old game builds) people refer to them as useless and guaranteed to get you wanted by hitting police or innocents ..

Are they effective and viable nowadays, more predictable or are there things I should watch out for?

Anaconda builds I've seen tend to utilise turrets of some description is this down to hard point placement or just because it works better

Just want a heads up before I get myself in trouble - I'm a law abiding citizen officer

[Kiltrathi]

I've used them extensively, both on an Anaconda and on a Fer-de-Lance. I've yet to encounter any situation where I'm firing on anything other than the intended target. I do however set them on attack target, not just any enemy nearby. For the latter I use my SLF, set to defend, she is deadly when it comes to taking out my target's wingmen.
The Fer-de-Lance built has two turreted beam lasers, they'll keep on firing while I'm manoeuvring into a firing arc for my huge multi-cannons.

[Quartz]

They don't trigger aggro unless you tell them specifically to attack a non wanted target. Only problem is, you'll need to switch weapon group or unlock the target to stop turrets from firing.

As in effectiveness, they are meh. Medium turret beams worked well enough on my python against pesky eagles but I'd still not use them unless I'm in a conda.

[Bookmite]

Indeed they're awesome when used correctly...I have turreted Pulse lasers, and gimballed MC's ...I set the turrets to fire at will, they only shoot at will once you have fired at your target . In a lot of instances the turrets are still firing when you don't have a clear view of your target.

They've never hit a cop or another target by mistake either

[Roger Wilco Jr]

Aw hell, I was just writing a reply and I can't remember exactly how I used them. Regardless, I never had a problem and I think those threads are mostly outdated.

I think I used fire at will at first, but changed it to forward fire only on the Conda. Then I'd have my main guns in one fire group, and combined with the turrets in a second. If I needed the extra firepower, I'd switch to the combined group. One thing I was careful about was switching out of turrets if I saw a friendly crossing my path, as the turrets would keep firing when I stopped pulling the trigger. But I also remember using fire at will and letting them handle a swarm of smaller fighters on their own.

Anyway, I did find them pretty useful on the big ships, but I think you do need to be careful about friendly fire. I don't think you need to worry about them opening up on someone in front of a station and having the station blow you apart.

[Quartz]

One thing I was careful about was switching out of turrets if I saw a friendly crossing my path.

Not a problem anymore. I used to have police get in the way of my turrets without them getting mad at me.

[evovi]

Thankyou for the info

[Orkekum]

no idea. my combatconda does not have turrets.

[Loriath]

On my Corvette, I use two Beam Turrets. My not much used Anaconda has all Turrets.

I have them set to Fire at will, so they will attack any target that has fired upon me. Because they are mounted on the Top front of the Vette, they often are firing at targets behind me as I swing around, or they are firing at different targets than I am attacking. This works well in a Res against Wings who open up on me anyways if I attack one of them.

In a CZ, I switch them to Target Only to keep from drawing Aggro. This switch is required is to keep the CZ sane and keep me and our wing alive. I also use this mode in a wing because my beams have Shield Regen as a secondary effect.

I also set my Fighter to Engage at will in a Res when I am against wings. This with the beams in the same mode work quite well for me.

The only time I get wanted is with my other weapons. I have the other guns (All MC on the Vette, one MC on the Conda) set to fire together, so if a neutral flies in front I have to let up fire. Last night I watched my beams and my fighter both tag Security ships on several occasions without drawing their wrath. They definitely fixed any issues with Turrets getting you wanted, as well as the issue of a Wanted ship launching a fighter that is not wanted.

On the weekend, Dawg and I were sending our fighters against Elite Ships alone as large as Dropship/Assault ships and watching them kill. They are quite efficient at it for their size. Even wings of 3 were no problem. Dawgs Pilot was Dangerous and mine was Master. I think a Deadly/Dangerous/Elite SLF with a all Turret fire at will ship would be quite a lot of fun. Both my Pilots are on the verge of hitting Dangerous, so that will be the time to take the Anaconda out more.

[evovi]

Thankyou