Re: [FT] Heavy Beams - scattered comments to the debate

>You can't *accurately* factor this into the statistics, but you mustn't
>ignore it either - which you seem to have done. You need to be aware of
>it, and of the fact that it makes the "heavy damage some turns" weapons
>more powerful in a average-length battle than the raw statistics
>indicate.

Yes and no. I see your point, but let's say HB armed ships A & B both
have
empty BPSs. On the first turn A expends the EPs, and B saves them. On
the
second turn, both expend all available Eps. Both have expended the same
number of EPs, though at different points over the two turns. Which is
more
effective?

The answer can only be: it depends on the situation. Maybe by holding
his
EPs, A suffers a threshold which takes down his facing BE (or worse his
BPS). Maybe by holding them, A is able to deliver a critical blow on the
second turn.

My belief is that you've got to "call" the What-Ifs somewhere, and
that's
why I tend to rely on the statistics I've detailed in previous messages.
It's not perfect, but it tends to balance out in the long run. And by
"long
run" I mean many games; not just one battle.

>However, my main problem with this formula is that it assumes
>completely random maneuvers (or, more accurately, completely random
>target locations) when computing the value of wide fire arcs. If you
>assume that the players are attempting to point their weapons at the
>enemy, 2-arc weapons aren't worth twice as much as 1-arc weapons, and
>6-arc weapons definitely aren't worth 6 times as much, yet the formula
>seems to suggest that they are.

See my previous comments on situation vs. statistics.

>IME, 6-arc weapons are worth roughly twice as much of the 1-arc one (in
>Cinematic, less in Vector). Maybe as much as three times more in the
>hands of players unused to single-arc weapons, but that'd leave the
>narrow-arc weapons too good in the hands of an experienced player.

This is actually a good point, though I think that I'd go with:

1 Arc = 1
3 Arc = 2
6 Arc = 4

Schoon