Re: Why big ships are too good...

On 7 Dec 1996, Brian Bell wrote:

> Yes, but would you take a 1000 points of Escorts agianst a 1000 points
of
> Capitals? Or 1000 tons of Escorts agianst 1000 tons of Capitals? 

I would accept that 1000 tons of escorts are probably going to have more
than a passing problem dealing with 1000 tons of capitals, but then that
is why we build ships by points :)   

> As you point
> out, the problem is not, so much, with the offensive system
construction costs.
> Escorts are at a range disadvantage against Capitals, but this is
(somewhat)
> offset by Escorts' better maneuverablility. The problem occurs because
screens
> on Capitals save them so much more damage than a similiary protected
Escort. (Is
> it that simple? Not quite, but close). If screens had a cost equal to
1/2 the
> ship mass per level or a mass of 1/20 the ship's tons per level, it
might be
> more even. In addition, Escorts reach the threshold points much too
quickly in
> proportion to Capitals. Threshold rows should be filled in straight
across and
> max out at 5 per row (Each ship would have tons/10 rows). This would
give
> smaller ships a more even chance.
> 
> Brian Bell
> 103311.1205@compuserve.com
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fthome.html
> 
> 
> 

Actually, it is the threshold problem that bothers me - as a weakness of
large ships.  Granted that smaller ships check thresholds earlier, but
then what is the risk?	They have fewer systems to be checked (and thus
are less likely to lose systems) and are destroyed before threshold
checks
become a problem.  But take a Super ship of mass 200.  The super ship
will
check for its first, second, and third (6+, 5+, 4+) threshold checks
long
before it is destroyed (about half way actually) and would probably be
reduced to a floating hulk.  This would leave the other half effectively
destroyed.  With escorts/cruisers the "other half" would be fully
operational (the other half being made up of actual other ships).  With
so
many systems on large ships I just think they are a little more
vulnerable
to threshold checks: three screens means a 50/50 chance of losing one on
the first check, firecons are about the same, etc.  

How many people out there have used Superships?  What were the results?