I don't understand the problem with seekers here. During turn N, ships are alternating fire, and thus would place seekers face down when they fire. During turn N+1, you resolve seekers effect after the target ship have been activated to fire.
So even in the worst of world, a ship targeted by seekers would have one opportunity to fire at them.

Marc

IIRC, seekers attack in the same turn they are fired, after all normal ship and fighter fire has been resolved. So the turn would look like this:

Side w/ seekers announces targets

Normal ship/fighter fire, including anti-seeker fire

Remaining seekers make their attacks

The "resolve one sides' fire before the other" suggestion is merely to aid players. Note that damage does not occur until all fire has been resolved, so even if your pinpoint battery had lost a step it would still attack at its initial strength that turn.

In normal, initiative play, yes. In simultaneous play, they don't. As the rules state, on page 32:

"3) Seeking weapons make their attacks at the end of the Combat Phase, after all ships have completed their attacks"

Combine this with the previous paragraph, where ALL damage is done at the end of the Combat Phase, that would suggest this is the correct order of play:

1) Standard weapons attack; anti-seeker fire takes place

2) Remaining seeker weapons attack

3) Damage from all attacks is resolved

I agree. What is changes is when the seeking weapon gets to attack. Instead of attacking when the ship that launched it gets to attack for the turn after launching (i.e. when the seeking weapon is face up). It attacks after all ships have fired (i.e. when the seeking weapon is face up).

I tend to agree with murtalian, although I Wonder if the seekers are not attacking the turn after they are fired, but may only be fired at that same turn. Ie, during turn N, avery ship is firing, and those seekers fired that turn are immune to fire, and during turn N+1, everyship may fire at seekers along normal antiship fire, and then, after all fires done, seekers are attacking too.

But, how do we determine range between ships firing at seekers and seekers during that turn?

With non simultaneous play, that range depends on the turn (when seekers are fired or the following turn). In the second turn, range is not computed the same way whether the firing ship is the one targeted by seekers or not.

Marc

Seekers can be fired at during the turn they are fired, i.e. when they are face-down. Top of second column, p25. Of course, this is for non-simultaneous play.
I don't play with simultaneous play. Not only does it seem, to me, not realistic, it does bring some problems non-simultaneous play resolves. For example, I don't have to remember what damages were suffered that turn of before.
Of course, for people wanting to play with simultaneous play, I would propose that seekers can only be fired at the turn after, just before they attack.

Marc

I don't feel  this is the problem, Kevin.
In non simultaneous play, seekers are fired during the turn N and attack during the turn N+1.
In simultaneous play, seekers are fired during the turn N, but exactly when?
As enemy ship can fire at seekers when they are fired, simultaneous play poses some problem. If you suppose any enemy ship may fire at them, then seekers are disadvantaged over simultaneous play (more ships ie opportunities to fire at them).
And at the end of turn N+1, they attack, giving the opponent more ships to fire at them.

Marc

I don't see how they can be fired on in the launch turn in simultaneous play. To fire at them they mst be targeted, to be targeted they must be in play, but they are not in play until after the targeting part. So in my interperatation they can only be targeted on the "Attack" turn, in which they begin the turn in play and available for targeting.

We need a final ruling from the Great and Powerful Cricket.
Cheers,
Erik

My 2p worth.

Turn N.
Declare the launching of seekers first in the combat phase calculating AD as normal (taking into account any Active flares etc). Weapons fired at seekers in the same phase use the range to the "Launching" hex.
You should remember that the seeker is not actually sitting there but already on it's way to the target but the process has been simplified so that it is targeted at the beginning and end of it's flight.
Turn N+1.
Seekers resolve their attacks after all other weapons. Weapons fired at seekers during this combat phase use the range to the seekers intended target.

There was the question of Flares. Fired during Turn N and marker placed but are Activated (flipped) for turn N+1.
In the end phase remember to remove all flares that were active during that turn then flip flares that were fired (Launched) in the combat phase to activate them for the next turn.

Paul

I'm sorry, but I don't agree with the idea that simultaneous play has more problems. Initiative play has a serious problem that you could have a ship destroyed before it returns fire and, if you're incredibly unlucky, before it has a chance to fire at all (unlikely, but possible).

It also has the 'realism' problem to me that, for example when targeting a seeker marker (or in game perspectives, a shoal of missiles), you can fire some weapons, have enough time to see what happens, and then fire more weapons at them, yet if you lose initiative next turn, your ability to fire several salvoes before the enemy reacts is suddenly flipped on its head and your gun crews are the ones metaphorically scratching their heads as several laser beams slash into your ship.

Of course, thats just me, and I have been known to be wrong before 

And you forgot to say that it's a game about science fiction (ie something that has never happened) with ships that will never be built and obvisouly will never fight. We do not even know when such ship (ie ships that will look like what we can imagine as starships) will ever exit and even if ever there will be starships able to fight in space.
But when I say 'realistic', I suppose a sense of thought and a lot of imagination to determine how such thing should work that way, etc.
For simultaneous play, we can imagine real warships (wet navies) fighting with guns and missiles and IMHO, true simultaenous combat is not realistic. Just to imagine many dreadnought firing at each other in simultaneous way is making me laugh. Good for a game POV, a bit ridiculous otherwise. But it's just my opinion and it's just a game and all that.

Marc