Re: Vector Based FT III

At 11:34 AM 3/19/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Phillip E. Pournelle wrote:
>> 
>> In regards to Daryl Poes recent post:
>>    Trouble arrives if we apply physics to the mines and missiles...
>
>I think you can assume that mines have a small station-keeping drive
>or a one-shot engine that brings it to stationary.  The whole point
>of a minefield is lost if it drifts off (well maybe an orbiting
>minefield would be okay).
   In my B5 game I have had many a good pilot use his momentum carry
through
on mines and clouds of Sand to drift into the enemy.  While it may not
be
that hard to avoid the individual object, it plays hell with keeping
formations and breaks up firing patterns.  Orbital mines and stationary
mines are more usefull in defensive postions.

>  2) Mines seem pretty wimpy.	Shouldn't they do more damage?
There has been many a discussion regarding mines.  After watching
shielded
ships act as mine sweepers, I made my mines make their attacks as beam
weapons with 3d6.  This seemed to work and made the points consistant
with
their power.
  Others have proposed larger mines that are bigger, more expensive and
do
more damage.
>
>Missiles are trickier -- I just punted and had them behave in a
>non-Newtonian fashion (by using the old rules).
   I can see why you did this but, it creates imbalances in the turn
cycle
as well as the maneuvering.  This means I can come screaming in at
visciuos
speeds dump my missiles and watch them dump momentum (switching to FTII
flight mode) and match my enemies velocity...
>
>Whatever the solution, I think you don't want to get into a
>situation where you're pro-rating movement or moving in "sub turns".
  While it slows the game down, it is internally consistant and creates
fewer imbalances.  I think that you have to make all objects behave in
the
same manner or just play by the old rules, otherwise you are looking for
trouble...

>Yes, it'd be fun and interesting to give fighters anti-mine and
>anti-missile capabilities.  Do you send your fighters out on offense,
>or do you hold them back to protect your ships?

 Right now I mostly use fighters as a kind of mine...  Since they can't
really keep up with the fleet, once it gets up to speed, I hold them in
reserve until my opponent closes with me.  Since I know we'll be in
close
proximity next turn, I dump the fighters out (midway through movement)
and
make him pay for getting too close to me.  This was very effective
against a
Kravak task force once...  Otherwise I use standard fighters to screen
enemy
fighters.
  With the new speed rules for fighters and fast fighters, I may use
them
more offensively.
Phil P.