Re: FT-HET Lasers

bif smith wrote:

>I was thinking about a comment by Oerjan Ohlson about different
>weapons being able to be reduced to a few basic concepts
(ie->interceptable, non-intercepterable, ignore sheilds etc), and was
>thinking about the comment about HET Lasers being very simular to >P
Torps (roll to hit, ignore sheilds), and came up with this idea.
> 
>H.E.T. Laser* (High Energy Throughput Laser)

>Mass-Same as beam batterries (including arcs)
>Cost-x4 mass
>Ramge-8 MU per class
>Dammage-Die rolled -3, reroll on a six (ie-1 to 3=miss, 4=1 dp, 5=2
>dp, 6=3 dp + reroll [use this system to aviod extra die rolls])

Average damage per die is 1.2 (including the re-rolls).

Does it have the same number of dice per range band as normal beam
batteries, or is it just 1 die everywhere within range?

Comparing 6 Mass of 3-arc weapons and assuming that the hetlasers do
have the same dice per range band as beams:

		Avg. damage for 6 Mass of...
Range:		L2-3	L3-3	P-torp	B2-3*	Pulser-C-3*
0-6		7.2	3.6	2.91	4.8	9.6
6-8		7.2	3.6	2.33	4.8	9.6
8-12		3.6	2.4	2.33	4.8	9.6
12-16		3.6	2.4	1.75	2.4	0
16-18		0	1.2	1.75	2.4	0
18-24		0	1.2	1.17	2.4	0
24-30		0	0	0.58	0	0

* The B2-3 and Pulser are of course degraded by screens.

The L3 and P-torp have the same Mass and both ignore screens, which
simplifies the comparison considerably. The P-torp inflicts less damage
at most ranges, but has longer range (and also better armour
penetration, though not enough better to matter much).

The L2 looks very nasty up close. Not quite as nasty as Pulser-Cs
(unless the target has level-2 screens and is within 8mu), but with
somewhat longer range to compensate (and also somewhat cheaper).

Can't say I'm too hot at introducing yet another way to read a damage
die, but it looks OK balance-wise. Making them cost 4xMass might be a
bit conservative, but not much - and a little too expensive is always
better than too cheap!

>PDS Cl.1 L Bats-Same as Cl.1 beam batts, except no penalty for use
>against hvy fghtrs (? not sure about this, but is a good exchange for
>limited range) 

Normal B1 batts. don't suffer any penalty against heavy fighters either
- heavy fighters don't get killed on rolls of "4", but B1s don't hit
*any* fighters on rolls of "4".

>Symbol-Same as a Beam batt, except with a L added in the icon.
>Notes-Sheilds have no effect due to the beam being non-charged,
>therefore not affected by the magnetic sheilding used on human >ships.
Is affected by Phalon vapor sheilds (diffused by the vapor >droplets).

What effect does vapour shrouds have? Another -2 to the dice?

> *PS-Sorry to any starfire players out there for the blatent
plagurism.

'Sokay... you came up with a better reason for the name "hetlaser" than
the one Weber used <g> (He describes them as "a pair of heterodyning
lasers in exact wave-length desynchronisation", shortened to
"heterodyne lasers" and then to "hetlaser" - but so far none of the
laser technicians I've talked to have been able to understand what he
means...)

BTW - re. the 18mu-range Needle (I thought I had replied to that, but
haven't seen it appear on the list): If you mean 18mu with a single die
throughout the range, then I think 5 Mass would be reasonable for a
3-arc weapon. The usual caveat applies though: I haven't actually
tested it in battle...

Later,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

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