Re: Beam Weapons

At 05:47 PM 11/28/96 +0000, you wrote:
>One could consider energy requirements versus 3 power plant sizes
(escort,
>cruiser, capitol) in terms of power output, capicitors, weapons
recharge,
>etc.  Using this, it would be easy to come up with some REASONABLE
design
>rules.  However, such an addition to the rules would be like adding a
fifth
>limb, an useful but unneccessary complication.

	I don't know about this being unnecessary. If we combine this
idea
with Robin Paul's idea of extra mass for "inappropriate" sized weapons,
for
one thing, it explains where that extra mass is going (larger
powerplant,
larger capacitors to hold the charge for the weapon, etc.) but it also
opens
up the possibility of including enough extra mass to fire the weapon but
not
as often so you could install a large battery like an A-bat on a smaller
ship but only fire it every other turn. Frankly, I think a powerplant
size/capacitor/weapon recharge design system would be utterly cool. It
would
certainly open the options up a little and further distinquish players'
designs from each other.

>Mike, when is GZG gonna make the A batteries mass 4 ?!?
>

	This is certainly something I agree with. With all the talk
about
balancing A-bats it certainly would be very reassuring to get an
OFFICIAL
solution so that we can all be using the same fix. 

	James
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