Re: Thoughts on FT

Ok, I didn't really ask all because I didn't know. I asked them because
I 
wanted to raise some discussion on these points.

So, I'll answer my own questions:

On Fri, 4 Apr 1997, Mikko Kurki-Suonio wrote:

> Why doesn't armor have mass?

To make the Kravvies even meaner.

> Which weapons ignore armor? The same ones that ignore screens except 
> railguns and scatterpacks? 

Never quite clearly explained, but I'm betting on my suggestion above.

> How to combine screens & armor? Is protection-3 maximum?

Who knows? The game needs a more generic protection system. It's on the 
verge of becoming what WH*'s armor system was. A horrible mess.

> What do C-batts need to roll to kill a heavy fighter?

5+ sounds fine. Though this is getting a bit too granular for all these 
options (stdhvy/msl vs. PD/AD/C-batt).

> How come there's a model for a standard Kra'Vak fighter when they
don't 
> use any?

Lack of communication between sculptor and GZG.

> Do missiles attack 360 or 270 degrees? The rules are contradictory.

270. The following paragraph is an editing mistake.

> How to make mines more worthwhile? Ok, mine-laying isn't a typical
battle 
> activity, but the strategic cost should be reasonable. 

Strictly speaking, there isn't a strategic cost for a minefield. The
cost
of the mine-laying system has can be considered the price for a
"realistic, but in the game's scope unusable" piece of equipment, much
like ortillery systems. 

> Specifically, how come no one puts a missile warhead in a mine?

Because missiles were designed after mines and pretty much all game 
add-ons exhibit a trait of arms race, not disarmament.

More on the subject of Kra'Vak:

Railguns vs. Pulse torps

The systems are actually remarkably similar. Let's compare
a PTT with a Railgun-3:

		 PTT	      RG-3
Points		 15	      12
Mass		 5	      4
Arcs		 Fore only    One arc only
Extra firecon	 Required     Not required
Max range	 24"	      30"
To-hit at min
 range		 3+	      2+
Min damage	 1	      3
Max damage	 6	      6
Avg. damage	 3.5	      4.5

For a system that does the same thing, a PTT has more price, more mass,
more restricted arcs, requires more firecons, less range, less accuracy
and less damage. 

Quite simply it loses in every category.

Fair, eh?

Incidentally, since RG costs are linear, they have a problem opposite 
that of beams: RG-1's are better.

For the price/mass of 1 RG-3, you can buy 3 RG-1's. They hit better (3
chances to roll instead of one), have same min and max damages (total) 
but more stable average damage. They're much more durable with threshold

rolls.

I guess the Kravvies don't believe in statistical analysis or they would

have replaced all larger railguns with RG-1's.

--
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