Re: Roles of various ship classes

Michael wrote:

> > Sure. But a thrust 8 heavy cruiser costs 50% more than a thrust 4
heavy
> > cruiser, and three thrust 4 cruisers with turreted batteries will
most
> > likely eat your two thrust 8 cruisers (one PT-armed and one
> > escort-swatter).
> 
> It is closer to 4:3 in cost ratio.

Or worse, for heavily screened cruisers (5:4 for your examples below).
True.

>  Seriously, if we are using
> 4 Mass for Pulse Torpedos, 4 mass for 2 Arc A Beams, 5 Mass for
> 3 arc A Beams

Not a system I've seen before for the A beams, but no problem. There are
lots of similar suggestions floating around.

>, I'll take two Pulse Torpedo Cruisers and an
> escort swatter with Thrust 8 vs almost any 4 cruisers with
> thrust 4 you care to put them against.  At the very least it
> will be an even fight, and having faster ships gives me
> the ability to run away or pursue, a very useful strategic
> option. 
>
> I'll take Level-3 shields, 2 PTs and a PDAF,
> and Level-3 shields, A PC Beam and A CS Beam and a PDAF

Four thrust 4 cruisers - I assume you mean the Mass 36 variety? Well...
Level-1 Screens and three A (PFS) batteries, or (more realistic and
all-round) two A (PFS), one B (PFS) (assuming Mass 2 for the three-arc
B)
and three PDAF would be quite OK. (Since I don't know what you use for
the
1-arc A battery I don't design a broadside ship, but that's what I
prefer
for slower types.) Both outgun your swatter by more than its screens
help
it, and I'm not too worried about the PT cruiser - thanks to my weak
screens the PTs are more powerful than the A's on the swatter only at
range
6 or less (where you won't be very often), and have a more restricted
arc
of fire.

I've fought on both sides in similar scenarios (winning and losing with
both), though at equal points rather than a strong advantage to the
slower
side (my choosen squadrons each outcosts your by 35-40%). Based on those
battles, I'd say that the above fight would be pretty even if you roll
well
for your first PT roll (knocking one of my cruisers out fast), and
uneven
to my advantage otherwise.

> I have to ask, if that [40+] is the speed you are flying at, how do
you
> manage to be within good SMP range at all?  Even an 8 thrust ship
> can't do a U-turn if it misses on the first pass.

As long as I get within 12 mu, it's OK. Range 6 or less is a bonus, but
not
to be counted on. If I miss, well... I'll be quite far from the enemy on
the next turn; he only gets one turn to kill me even though the
turnaround
takes some turns. When you're used to high speeds, getting into range
isn't
too big a problem either.

>  If the target
> is spread out in a large fleet I can see a few successful SMP
> strikes.  Thrust 2 ships can't dodge usefully, but that just
> proves my point about the advantages of faster cruisers. 

Faster ships in general, truly. You need to be thrust 5 or higher to get
out of the way in my experience - at least when your opponent knows you
and
can predict your maneuvers :-/

> Like
> missiles, a good defense against submunition ships is a lot
> of speed, as the area of their most effective range is close
> to that of missiles.

But unlike missiles, their entire attack envelope is nine times as big,
and
they have a lot more maneuvrability. They cost far more, of course.

Regards,

Oerjan Ohlson

"Life is like a sewer.
What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry