Re: S'V Seekers

Kevin Walker wrote:
> 
> True.  From a balance point of view although fighters do have the
> secondary move they only do on average approximately 0.8 damage per
turn
> (for a max of 6 turns, less if they do a secondary move) while the
> seekers do all they're damage at once.  Although fighters suffer a
minor
> penalty for performing a secondary move, one that may not always come
> into play, seekers suffer effectively no penalty (one less turn of
> movement when the secondary move is probably moving them into an
attack
> anyway).  Of course there's always exceptions.
> 
> >> ...and with that assured hit, these damage ideas are a bit on the
> >> excessive side. Consider that MT missiles are 2 MASS for their
effects.
> >
> > And Seekers require 1 mass and 1 energy (which is mass used there
where
> > it could be used somewhere else), same as a figher. Perhaps 2 energy
> > then?
> 
> Lance pods are 1 MASS and 3 energy.  MASS is probably a better
balancing
> factor with SV IMHO especially with a weapon that promotes use at
longer
> ranges.

And fighters are 1 mass 1 energy. 

Ok here's the balancing points:
Pods have a range of 24mu. With odds to hit of 6mu 66%; 12mu 50%; 18mu
33% 24mu 17%
Seekers have a range of 72mu. With odds to hit of 50% against 1 PDS. 

The pod has an effective range of 12mu or 18mu(it varies to what you
definition of effective is) and the seeker has an effective range of
60mu.

There is no save against pod, just it's chance to miss. The seeker you
can kill with PDS. Nominally you need 3 PDS to take out a seeker. 2
technically should do it and 1 has that 50/50 chance but we all know how
the luck goes with the die.

I'm waiting for a third and fourth oppinion to offer some other
alternatives too. :) 

> Good points.	In MT I thought they were too powerful.  With the FB
> changes they took a real hit.  Still if they're each treated as a
> separate target vs. PDS systems they're some hope - not nearly as good
> as they use to be though.

It does give them a little survivability that they have to be targeted
individually but it's still a 50% on 1 PDS, and they're doing 2-12
damage averaging 7.
 
> One thought - how about modeling seekers or something like them based
> upon the FB missiles?  Just a thought.

Mostly because I'm not a fan of salvo missiles. For hit and miss they're
worse then PTs. My dislike for them are: 1) too dicey with 1-6 missiles
that lock on, averaging 3.5, being able to be hit by 4+ and 2 on a 6
with PDS means that 3-4PDS should cancel a salvo; 2) They're too short
range, by the time you can use them the enemy is alread shooting at you;
3) They're too bulky, you're looking at 5 mass for the first shot, and
you probably won't get more the 2 off, the 3rd is if you're really,
really lucky, so you end up spending 7 mass for 2 shots with them; 4) If
you're working against a mobile fleet you still have to get the
targeting right. If you don't you just wasted the shot. Against thrust
2-4 ships this isn't really a problem, but you can't always hope for it.