[FT] Min'n'Match Fighters (was: [FT] Multimode fighters)

In message <B18DDC5F1158D311A66900805FD4718102C7CA6A@vstasv1>
	  "Robertson, Brendan" <Brendan.Robertson@dva.gov.au> wrote:

[snip] 
> 
> This also makes it easier to cost:
> Base (3) + (1) attack fighter + (2) two extra 0-cost attack modes.
> Changing modes costs 1 endurance with no restriction on which mode is
> changed to.
> 
> Generally, you would start the battle in Interceptor mode, change to
> Standard mode once the fighter screens are thinned out but still risk
of
> dogfight, and change to Attack mode once there is no fighter threat
left.
> 
> They'd probably need to be long range as well to make them useful
(another
> +1 point).
> 
> 
> Brendan
> 'Neath Southern Skies
> 
Hmm... This reminds me, I have, over the years, been considering various
possible FT fighter design systems with varying levels of detail (and
success, actually, none cot beyond the preliminary calculation stage,
so far :-( ) mostly with intention to expand the fighters to include
other 'small craft' (defined as space craft in the size range fighter up
to scout), enabling the design of short-range shuttlecraft, 'gunboats'
(bigger, nastier, less agile fighters), landers, etc. Also, if for some
settings you whant to use a fairly large basic MASS unit to stop your
ship designs having unmanagably large MASS values (ie. if your typical
SDN in your setting is 20km, you probably want 1 MASS to equal more
than 100 tonnes). I have yet to come up with a system I like, though I
have an idea of what it should look like.

Anyway, enough digressing, when considering 'compond' fighters, those
comprising features of two or more of the MT fighter types, I think
(possibly falsely), that simply adding the difference in cost from that
of a regular fighter may be a little underpriced, especially for more
than two capabilities. (Ok, fighter costings are a bit of an issue
anyway).

My suggestion is to cost each capability using a cost multiplier, if
more than one extra capability is added, apply all the multipliers.

Thus, for the Fighter Capabilities listed in More Thrust:

With a regular fighter costing 3 points

Capability	Cost Multiplier
Fast	x4/3
Heavy	x5/3
Interceptor*	x1
Attack	x4/3
Long-Range	x4/3
Torpedo*	x2

* Only one of these options per fighter.

So a heavy attack fighter would cost: 3 x 5/3 x 4/3 = 6 and 2/3
which rounds up to 7 per fighter

A Fast Interceptor is still: 3 x 4/3 x 1 = 4 points per fighter

A long-range, fast, torpedo fighter would cost 3 x 4/3 x 4/3 x 2 = 10
and 2/3, rounded up to 11 per fighter - and probably not worth it (Ok,
it has 9 CEF, but only 1 attack regardless)

A heavy, long-range, fast attack fighter is: 3 x 5/3 x 4/3 x 4/3 x 4/3
= ~12 points per fighter (rounded up) - thats 4x the cost of a standard
fighter!

This could be expanded to allow other mods, for instance, those on Jared
Nobles website (there is a link off Noam's WDA I believe), and eaven
features like 'Ace' or 'turkey' from MT

eg. (these are all open to debate)
Capability	Cost Multiplier
Large (4/fight) x 2/3
Small (9/flight)	x 1.5
Fragile (+1 to opponents attacks)	x 2/3
Atmospheric	x 1
Ace	x ~1.5
Turkey	x ~2/3
etc.

Well, any thoughts - and any suggestions for the small craft concept.

Charles