Re: FT: Missiles and Gas Tanks

At 05:29 PM 7/17/97 -0500, you wrote:
>[using something akin to a cruise missile in my example]
>
>I've had the impression that missiles are launched
out-of-direct-line-of-sight
>of the enemy.	The missile has a course set and flys nap-of-earth,
evading
>trees, buildings and, possibly, incoming anti-missile missiles.
>
>In FT I would think that a launched missile would have to perform some
kind of
>evasive actions against rocks, wreckage and anti-missile efforts. 
Also, we
>are not talking about a surface launcher firing against a surface
target. 
>There is a "volume" of space to figure in that the target is moving
through. 
>Therefore, there must be some kind of expenditure of propellant ... ?
>
Watch the missile attacks in an anime space battle.  They dodge and
weave
like no-ones business.	At this tech level it would be easy to point a
defence laser at an incoming target on a constant trajectory.  The more
jukes and jives you put in your missile's flight path the better the
odds
of it reaching the target.  To do this type of manuevering in space
would
consume an enormous amount of fuel compared to the payload
delivered.(modern missiles are mostly propulsion and they can use fins
to
stear.fins arent much good in space.)  

Anyways try playing a few games where the missiles dont run out of fuel.
Or
even double the time now.  You end up with ppl who start launching their
missiles several boards away, travel at the same speed dumping more and
more missiles out into one giant wave.	In SFBs the drone bombardment
cruiser with long range drones is the most powerfull ship in the game by
a
factor of 10.  
"Captain we have 240 contacts coming in at high speed.	What do we do?"

"We bite the big one."

These games were never very much fun.  

						That Chuk Guy