Re: Whatever (was a lot of things)

on 6/15/00 3:00, Mikko Kurki-Suonio at maxxon@swob.dna.fi wrote:

--->8--- (snip)

>> Why use interceptable freighters? Because 12 thrust-15 freighters
carry
>> as much cargo as 1 thrust-4 freighter, and cost almost 20 times more.
> 
> This is getting a bit extreme... but okay. (Why not just one bigger
> transport?)

Besides the cost issue there could be other issues involved.  Packaging
of
the cargo (especially troops) might not handle thrust 15 (or even 6)
very
well.  Maybe greater acceleration burns up fuel faster than a slower
acceleration to the same target velocity.  The FT rules don't go into
this
of course and it's best left up to the game/campaign but these are items
to
consider.

Another consideration is that some of these transport ships may not be
full
military vessels although not with troop transports.  ;-)  True, few
governments probably employ civilian transport into combat zones these
day,
but there is always the possibility that to keep logistics fleet costs
down
some FT militaries might employ contracted transport ships.  Thus the
military designers might not have the ability to design the vessels
involved
in this capacity.

Another issue is as the thrust rating on a transport vessel goes up
other
factors beside carrying capacity are decreased.  Armor, shields, PDS,
etc.
are all possible mass/cost cutting targets.  Besides escort vessels for
these transports may still be needed even if only for the final few
minutes/hours of the trip, a time when the transports may not be able to
use
their speed if they intend to land their troops or dock at a station.

--->8---

> From a more meta point of view: Given a scenario and freedom to custom
> design ships for it, what's to stop me from designing ships that
totally
> short circuit that scenario?

This problem comes up a lot if the players know the specifics of the
scenario before hand, a luxury few ship designers have when laying down
ship
designs.  I like the idea of giving a basic premise - You're
transporting
troops for an invasion of a planet - once the ships (and designs) are
decided upon the specifics of the mission are provided.

> I would like a game that you could play well understanding only the
basic
> principles -- without actually knowing the rules. Unfortunately, most
> games reward people who memorize loopholes, little glitches,
> breakpoints, optimization tricks etc.
> 
> Ever seen a chess player accused of cheesy tactics?

Ahhh...but chess doesn't allow you to design the game pieces that are
used
on the board or to alter the composition of the forces usually unless
you're
playing some sort of variant.  ;-)

--->8---

Kevin Walker
sage5@home.com