The scatter cannon has always shot missiles down. The trouble was that there was no way to know one was coming: a missile was something that happened to you, not something you played against.
The count, always
The moment a guided missile locks you, a warning appears with how many are inbound: “3 INCOMING MISSILES”. That never depends on your loadout, because knowing three are closing is what decides whether you turn, duck behind a rock, or hold and keep shooting.
The warning only counts missiles that are coming for you. One flying past does not show up: a warning that lies is a warning you learn to ignore, and then it is worth nothing.
The markers, with a scatter cannon
| No scatter cannon | Scatter cannon equipped and lit | |
|---|---|---|
| The missile count | Yes | Yes |
| Arrows at the screen edge | No | Yes |
| A diamond over the ones in sight | No | Yes |
The markers exist to aim the countermeasure, and with no countermeasure there is nothing to aim. So that is the line: the count is survival and you always have it; direction is gunnery, and it comes with the module.
If you are flying without one, the warning says so outright — “no scatter cannon: you cannot locate them” — so it reads as missing equipment rather than missing information.
The edge arrows stay honest even when the missile is coming from behind you: they point at the side it is actually arriving from, not the opposite one.
The switch tells the truth
The scatter cannon key lights the bubble only if you have the module fitted. Without one the switch stays off and says so: no sparks to make you think you are defended when you are not.
A brand-new scatter cannon will not stop a heavy missile
Worth knowing before you trust it with your life. A fresh scatter cannon has a short bubble and hits softly: a heavy missile crosses the whole thing before it takes any real harm. With levels on it, it starts knocking them down for real, and that is where the module earns its slot.
It is why upgrading the scatter cannon feels so good: you are not raising a number, you are buying the difference between watching the missile arrive and watching it burst before it gets there.
