Flares/ countermeasures in general

[entropy008]

Is it just me or do they do absolutely nothing?

I understand how flares work IRL aerial combat. One would think that in super-space future that they wouldn't be completely bum!@#$% worthless.

[FilthyVon]

I don’t think I have ever even seen them deploy. Waste of time

[entropy008]

Originally posted by dantaylor999:

I don’t think I have ever even seen them deploy. Waste of time

I've seen tons of other fighters/ freighters/ capitals deploy them but they don't do a damn thing.

Same goes for me when I take 8 straight up my afterburner and frantically mash shift+c before the destruction occurs.

[Scotters]

Reminds me of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFF7ecArBk

[entropy008]

ahaha yah more or less

[76561198861956260]

I have seen them being used by the AI countless times, making rockets retarget one of the flares instead. Works everytime.

Keep in mind that there are different rocket types: heat seeking, friend/foe missiles and auto targeting (smart missiles) with different targeting mechanics.
I think (could be wrong though) smart missiles are immune to flares but are also a lot more expensive, slower and do less damage. Your choice.

Also flares are pretty neat as a pirat, due to AI freighters being equipped with missile turrets.

[Set-115689]

Smart missiles seem to bypass flares.

[Scotters]

Just like the acid bypasses the goggles!

[Nuee]

Hmmm part of the problem is that there are different types of missles yet only one type of counter measure. A flare would work against a heat seeker but would be useless on something using optical or radar targeting, I would think instead of counter measures just being flares that a multi-purpose counter measure package might produce an actual cloud (to hinder visibility and foil optical targeting), within the cloud might be finely powdered metals (to foil radar), and the flare (to foil heat seekers). Then there is ECM which could be added as a ship mod.

Airforce planes carry both flares and chaff. Cool picture below of both at the same time.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/CH-46_Sea_Knight%3B_Flares.jpg

[AK_Snowbat]

those are just flares popping outta the back of that heli. Chaff is like bits of aluminum foil.

[Asmosis]

Originally posted by FilthyVon:

I don’t think I have ever even seen them deploy. Waste of time

You press "Shift + C" to deploy flares.

They work well enough for yourself (provided its not a dumbfire missile) and i've seen AI pilots use them but I'm not sure how often they use them.