Re: Sensor Range Question

Beth wrote:

>Just one more thing (which is purely out of my own curiosity) if sensor
>ranges are so small that you'd only see a fleet coming if it was as
close
>as the moon etc, how do the fleet find each other to fight? Just wander
>around until they fall over something? And I'm not trying to take the
mick
>here (well not completely), I am seriously curious.
>

Since I posted the hard science behind this, I should put my own PSB
behind
it.

First in deep space: (1) sensor ranges are vastly increased, factors of
magnatude greater than in-system. (2) Jump Signatures are huge, simply
the
gravitic energies needed to fold space are immense, much less the
magnetic
and radio emissions from the powerplant that just accomplished it. (3)
In
all the sci-fi that I have been exposed to Jump engines need to use
certain
jump points, and can only fold so much space at a time. Pirates and
commerce
raiders will comonly lie in wait at these jump points, requiring there
be a
military presence ... and so on and on and on...

Second In-System: (1) in system if there is a system wide presence there
will be sensor bouys in the oort cloud, in extreme orbits from the sun,
sensor stations on every planet.... High command WILL know when someone
is
coming in-system. This encourages fast, below strength strikes from the
attackers against these stations and sensors. (2) If a planet is worth
protecting, it's worth it's own dedicated space forces. (3) some systems
will have "roaming" fleets that stay out of the way, possibly hiding on
the
fringe of an asteroid belt until they get a distress call, and move at
maximum burn to the engagement.

Finally in general: 60" table range is the maximum range for a firing
solution, after all at that range you could have a weapon that could
shot
someone. Detection at "Something is out there, sir, Scanners cannot
identify
it yet." is much longer but largely irrelevant for game purpouses (At
least
I don't have a table that big...)

As to my use of 1" = 1 km , 1 turn = 5-15 (averaging around 10) seconds:
(1)
Ground support! Dirstide II certanly dosen't have time intervals in the
15min range, the battlefield is only 3 miles long! (2) It's still more
range
than any sci-fi movie I have ever seen, or book I have ever read. (3) I
can't believe that space missiles are so unagile that in 15 minutes they
cannot turn more than 60 degrees. (4) at such long ranges the accuracy
of
unguided missiles (submunition packs, slavo missile racks, ect.) is "so
close to zero as makes no odds" (5) and lastly, Is based on the
realization
that space is so immensely big, so hugely big, that the human mind
cannot
hope to comprehend its vastness... so I don't try.

"There are an infinite number of worlds out there, and population is by
definition finite, so that the average population per planet is so close
to
zero as makes no odds, therefore anyone you meet is the figment of a
demented imagination."
	Douglas Addams "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"