Re: [FT] arcs in vector

G'day guys,

 >Are you guys wierd? If this were America (rather than cyberspace), I'd
try
 >to excercise my 5th amendment rights with regard to such a question.
:)

Most likely and we don't have anything like your 5th amendment (or if we
do 
they're keeping damn quiet about it) so honesty is probably the best
policy ;)

 >Your comment about the fire being too split to damage all their
desired
 >targets is interesting. Mostly in my experience (we typically run
fleets
 >that give each player about the equivalent of a DN or BDN, and two or
three
 >cruisers and typically 2-3 players per side) the targetting would
mostly
 >fall on 2-4 ships per turn - which if you have wings would be a goodly
part
 >of one wing. So we'd just obliterate these ships.... Our policy is a
ship
 >that doesn't survive to shoot was a poor investment of points.

We usually play about 2500 points per player (usually only 1-2 players
per 
side) so you often see a couple of big guys (BB - SDN sized) per fleet, 
with the rest mostly cruisers, though a few DDs or FFs are usually
hiding 
in there too. We also see only a few ships targeted a turn - either the 
missile boats or big buys usually - so when the 'usual' targets are
split 
between groups you can see them wince (as they end up picking off
secondary 
things or over killing the primary one)

 >In general, I should also comment that none of us sits still for
pincer
 >attacks. I tend to wait till the pincers are at their widest then go
full
 >throttle at one pincer. So usually when I am in close engagement with
them
 >(all my guns at close range), they have the guns from the target
pincer in
 >close range and those from the non-target pincer either out of range
or at
 >longer (hence less effectual) range. A good time to do this is the
turn
 >before the pincer starts cutting in... when their vector is still
outward.

The guys here don't sit still either and it's taken a while to get
pincer 
width and swaying with the target down pat (the first few attempts were 
less than satisfactory... OK attrocious), but I'm getting better at it
now 
just took a bit of practice .

 >Beth, I think the way to test this (down the road) would be for me and
Chris
 >to create "limited arc" versions of a mid thrust fleet (NAC?) and you
and
 >those who share your view to fight us using standard multi-arc NAC. In
 >theory, we'll have forces of the same mass (and probably roughly the
same
 >point values) whose only distinction is the weapon layout. Fight this
two or
 >three games and we should have a good idea of the value of the extra
arcs.

Sounds OK to me, though to be honest I have no familiarity with NAC
ships 
at all - of the published stuff I've played a little NSL and ESU, but
the 
vast majority has been FSE or alien stuff. On the other hand if I went
with 
Laserlight's idea of me pick a fleet then you do a 1-arc version I
wouldn't 
want to pick something you didn't feel comfortable with either so which 
fleets have you played the most? If we can't find common ground I'm
happy 
to play NAC... I'll just have to get some practice in first.... me in 
training now there's an amusing vision ;)

Oh and if anybody else is still listening to this thread.... I need a 
second... any volunteers to come to the aid of a mai... wenc... lady in 
need? ;)

 >Note, BTW, I didn't say have NO guns with more than 1 arc. Secondaries
tend
 >to have 3 arcs. But your primaries only need 1 or at most 2 arcs on
MD4
 >ships.

I'd figured that's what you meant by the end of it all ;)

 >I look forward to meeting you over a gaming table (even if it is a
virtual
 >one). Sometime you have a chance, drop me a mail off-list
 >(tomb@bitheads.com). :)

Will do.

Cheers

Beth

------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax 03 6232 5053 International +61 3 6232 5053

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au