Re: [FT] Hardened Systems

>Sure :-) Hardening the FCs save you from embarrassing disasters, but
even
>at 25% (FRU) more Mass you're usually just as well off buying another
>spare system, or armour, instead. Armour often has a better effect than
>hardening your key systems (for the same Mass and higher cost); the
>exception would be if you harden a few FCs on a very large ship... and
>even there you're usually just as well off buying a spare FC instead.

The value of a hardened FC is for more than can be simply measured. It
effects too many other systems - like weapons >:-)

>Seriously, though - the chance to lose the launcher is just as big as
the
>chance to lose the magazine; hardening one but not the other does
improve
>things somewhat - fairly close to the efficiency *loss* you get from
the
>increased Mass. You have to have at least three salvoes per launcher
>before the hardened launcher pulls ahead of the standard, and so far
all
>battles I've seen so far where SMs have figured heavily have been
>decided, win or lose, on the second salvo. I have yet to se an SML ship
>fire missiles on four different turns in a game; three salvoes I've
seen
>on two occasions.

Same comment as above. The value is quite different.

>Nope. Probably worth it for ADFCs and FCs, maybe for SMLs if you don't
>armour their magazine, balanced (or, at least, much less effect on
battle
>results than using the same Mass to buy armour or extra screen levels
>would have had) for other weapons and screens.

I agree, and because these system cause other systems to be more
effective,
the 50% seems more right to me (gut instinct - untested).

Schoon