Re: Fighter groups (designer please read)

Sam wrote:(re turn length and distance scale...)

>Well, since planet templates are suggested to be 12" across, this
>suggests 1"=1000km (approximately). This seems to give reasonable
>weapon ranges (IMO).
>
>We can use the planet rules to work out the length of turns as
>well. A ship in orbit around an Earth-like planet has an orbital
>period of roughly 12 turns - at an orbital radius of 12,000km
>(measured from the centre of the planet).
>
>This is approximately twice the height of a low Earth orbit,
>which has a period of 90 minutes. Using a^3 = P^2 (Keplar's
>Laws of orbital motion - 'a' is radius, P is period), we get
>an orbital period of about 255 minutes. 255 divided by 12
>turns gives a 21 minute turn.
>
>Of course, since the rules on planets and orbits were probably
>chosen with absolutely no regard to realism, the above is nothing
>more than a very good example of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out).
>Anyone who is interested in using this btw, better check the
>arithmatic, since I'm currently half asleep.
>
>
>-- 
>Be seeing you, 				      ARM not Intel.
>Sam.						Acorn not Microsoft.

First, yes you're right in your assumption that no math went into the
planets/orbits rules!! They were chosen completely arbitrarily to give
what
I thought was the right "feel" for the game (as is the case with most of
the rules).

Funnily enough, looking at your calculations above, the idea of 1" =
1000km
and an approx. 20 minute turn actually feels about right for the
game...!
Wierd how things work out (of course, now loads of people will work out
all
the OTHER math (velocities, accelerations, fuel usage etc.) based on
this
and then shoot it full of holes....).

Jon Tuffley.