RE: (FT) small vs large ships, was YAFS

Binhan Lin wrote:

>Oops, you're right.  I miscalculated the torps as being mass 3.

Mass 2, more likely... unless you planned to make your strikeboats
thrust-4 :-/

>The numbers are just straight firepower - obviously tactics can improve
or 
>negate weapon systems,

And in an analysis like this you have to take tactics into account. How
can 
you say "strikeboats will always beat dreadnoughts" based on a firepower

comparison for an idealized situation, if you have no idea about how
likely 
it is for this situation to occur?

>for instance if the larger ships take nothing but Class 1 and 2 beams,
the 
>10 x 20 Mass torpedo boats will win, since they just stand off at 30 MU

>and fire at their heart's content.

Provided that they manage to match speed and course at 30mu against a 
non-cooperating opponent. Easier to do in Vector than in Cinematic, but
not 
quite trivial in either system.

>But as I mentioned in a different thread, a single points costs does
not 
>accurately reflect the combat value of the system, only the POTENTIAL 
>value if used to maximum effect.

Er, no. The points values of the various weapons take the average
effects 
of weapon ranges, arcs etc. into account, based on years of experience
by 
several different gaming groups. I suspect that that's why the
strikeboats 
seem so overpowered to you - you're looking at their very rarely
attained 
*maximum potential* value, whereas the points costs reflect their much 
lower *average* value.

>The question I think people really should be asking is how to give a
value 
>to more intangible values, such as range, differntial damage, and arc
of 
>the weapon (which are partially based on the thrust value and turning 
>ability of the ship) and perhaps a more complicated formula based on
the 
>overall design as a whole should be used, rather than a single plug and

>play modular format.

You're *way* behind, man. I and several others have been asking these
very 
questions for years already (in my case about ten years), and by now we 
have a reasonably good grip on all of them. The "more complicated
formula" 
you ask for already exists; the reason why it isn't used directly for 
gaming purposes is that Jon wants it to be possible to design FT ships
by 
pen and paper instead of by computer only, so instead it is used
(together 
with playtesting) to check how close the design system comes.

FWIW much of the discussion of these questions has taken place on this 
mailing list; searching the list archive for "combat power" should turn
up 
quite a few posts you might find interesting.

Regards,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
-Hen3ry