Squadron Question

On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 12:00 AM,  <gzg-d-request@firedrake.org> wrote:

> But I also beleive like the player in question, the launch/recovery
function has take up at least part of the Mass of the bay.
> The question is how much?
>
> I am looking at the group for Wisdom, don't want to shut him down as
this is a player who rarely has a "idea",
> but I want to make sure if we allow this we don't hose other carrier
types.

Whereas I DO want to shut him down.  For game balance reasons.

So a six-bay carrier normally takes 54 mass, right?  However, if you
let him treat fighters are missiles then you could save 6 tons for
every two you reduce the launch rate by.  So those same 54 mass with a
launch rate of two squadrons per turn can now support 8 squadrons.
Allowing him to increase fighters on the board by 33% without any
penalty is Not Cool.

But, cries he, there's a lower launch rate.  Well, bullshit.  All that
means is he spends a couple turns forming up his fighter groups early
in the game.  Very rarely have I ever seen fighters actually survive
their combat, exhaust their endurance, land, rearm, and relaunch in
the same battle.  As a general rule Full Thrust moves too fast for
this to be a concern. and fighter casualties are too heavy.

In order to compete (33% extra fighters would be significant,
especially in fighter-heavy fleets) everyone would have to adopt the
same scheme.  The game already rewards soap bubble carriers enough,
let's not make it any cheaper in terms of mass and thus points to
field them.

John
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani