Fighter speeds [Was: The Liberator and fighter speed]

I just realized that we've all been having such a good time with the
Liberator and poking fun at Blake's 7 special effects that no one
responded
to the poster's second question (I didn't keep the original post, so I
can't
remember who you were) about fighter speeds at launch.

I haven't tried using the fighters-move-like-ships-with-12-thrust
varient
yet, but I'd say that if you're doing away with the "max speed" for
fighters,
then when they launch they should start out with the velocity of the
ship
that launched them -- conservation of momentum and all that.

Of course, it really depends on how your launch bays are mounted. If
your
fighters launch forward (ie -- in the direction the ship is heading),
then
maybe they start out with the carrier's velocity plus 6 (half their
thrust),
since they would have to accelerate out of the bays. If they're
rear-mounted,
like the good-ol' Battlestar Gallactica, maybe they start out at
zero-thrust.
If they're are side-mounted (something like B5's cobra bays maybe) I
guess
you could do it either way. It all in the PSB!	;-)

Scott Field

LEFTIST: A liberal who bites.