Re: [DSII] Vehicle Construction Questions

Nathan "confused vacc-head" Girdler wrote:
> 1) Rounding generally isn't a problem, but there are
>    some situations where it is called for. The only
>    example (DS2 pg 52) rounds up where I would
>    expect it to, i.e. the fraction is .5 or greater.
>    Are fractions always rounded up, or rounded to
>    the nearest number?

I'd keep all the fractions around as long as possible, then at the very
end,
round all fractions up.

> 2) Can grade 0 armour support ablative or reactive
>    surfaces? (I find the latter very difficult to
>    believe.) Front armour is reduced one grade to
>    represent side, rear or top armour. What happens
>    to 1A or 1R armour?

And reduced _two_ steps for underneath armour (see mines). 1A and 1R
become
0A and 0R armour on the side. :)

> 3) Stealth and ECM are purchased _after_ BPV is
>    calculated. Is this correct?

> 4) According to DS2 pg 12, Class 6 artillery can
>    include mass driver guns. Pg 37 then goes on to
>    state that mass drivers are rated class 6 rather
>    than 4 because of their higher rate of fire.

I think that's a bit of colour creeping into the rules.

>    Do MDC engine requirements apply to artillery?
>    Have the rules traded off the engine requirements
>    for a system that is bulkier than it would be?

There's no special engine requirements for artillery.

> 5) The SP artillery example on DS2 pg 12 puts a
>    class 6 artillery system on a class 4 chassis.
>    Is this correct? If so, is capacity the only
>    limit for artillery pieces on light vehicles?

That's OK. Class 6 is 18 capacity points, the vehicle size class of 4
has 20
capacity points, so there's 2 spare capacity. Capacity points is really
the
only limit. One doesn't need to worry about MDC artillery pieces as
opposed
to other types. The actual model used might dictate artillery rocket,
MDC
cannon, conventional artillery or something else.

>    What about artillery counting toward the DS2
>    pg 11 maximum number of weapons on a chassis?

I regard that limit as "soft" and I let myself and fellow players break
this
rules as long as it's reasonable to fit a real world vehicle or actual
model. Other people might not allow this.

> 6) The Weapons Fit Limitations rules on pg 11
>    imply that the decision to install a turret
>    is taken when the primary weapon is selected.
>    The second example on pg 12 outlines a turret
>    being fitted for a secondary weapon. Is the
>    example valid? (If it is, I'm quite happy with
>    the principle that the largest non-GMS direct-
>    fire weapon occupying a turret determines its
>    capacity cost.)

It's reasonable that the primary weapon is fixed forward firing (or some
other arc?), and that a secondary weapon is turret mounted. It's a
common
configuration for tank destroyers.

>    The example data card on pg 55 specifies a
>    turret mount for a PDS. Is this relevant for
>    ADS, PDS or LAD? If so, how? What "class" are
>    these systems for the purposes of turret
>    capacity cost, if they are the largest / only
>    system in the turret?

I've assumed that ADS, PDS and LAD cover all arcs. When I deconstructed
ADS
into twin RFAC/2, the capacity point cost indicated that the weapons
were
turreted. There's more discussion on this on my site; it gives
alternative
ADS/ZAD mounts and limited arcs.

>    Although there is no cost difference placing
>    GMS in a turret rather than on a fixed mount,
>    are they still restricted to the limted arc of
>    fire if fitted on fixed mounts?

GMS is fixed arc firing. If mounted on a turret (with the extra capacity
cost), the GMS can be fired into all arcs, and I also allow turret
mounted
GMS to fire after moving.

> 7) Is it permitted to install ADS and PDS on the
>    same vehicle? How about multiples of these
>    systems?

Yes, it's OK, though a bit pointless. It's better to have two or three
vehicles instead.

>   (And on a combat note, what does pg 31
>    mean by "missile"? Do we include HAR? SLAM? IVAR
>    even though there's no "missile" in that name?)

PDS/ADS/ZAD only defends against GMS. HAR are too big to be affected by
PDS
fire, SLAM overwhelms PDS by numbers, and IVAR is fired too closely for
the
defensive system to react. To defend against IVAR, there's a special
armour
(the name escapes me at the moment).

>    One FAQ does state that PDS only affects GMS,
>    but it was discussing the effect of stealth on
>    SLAM. A clarification would be helpful.

PDS only affects GMS, IIRC.

> 8) ADS and PDS count toward the number of weapons
>    mounted on a chassis. What about LAD? Can multiple
>    LAD be carried on a chassis?

LAD counts as well. Multiple LAD can be fitted on a vehicle. Note that
on my
site, I suggest drastically reducing the cost of LAD, as it's overpriced
and
too ineffective.

> 9) The calculation for backup systems includes missile
>    guidance. Are we supposed to look at the costs of
>    missiles and separate out the costs of the missile
>    itself from the guidance pack? (If so, I reckon 10
>    points for GMS/L and 15 points for GMS/H.)

I've worked out costs for GMS guidance systems on my site. As for back
up
systems, I've made some changes in this area.

I hope that helps a bit!

Andrew Martin
ICQ: 26227169 http://valley.150m.com/
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