Re: FT-Command & control

bif smith wrote:

>I was thinking about a command ship for fleets/squadrens, and thought
about
>flag bridges. I`ve thought about the penalties for the loss of a flag
>bridge, in allowing the players one one side to not talk or write
messages
>between each other for 1 turn, so losing co-ordination between ships
>tempererally (as well as the mass removed from offensive weapons, pds
etc).
>As for advantages for using flag bridges, I`ve had several ideas, and
are
>looking for more.
>Reasons for using Flag Bridges-
>1-Any fighters can use any hanger on any ship for reloading/rearming
with no
>penalties. for this to be a advantage, there needs to be a penalty for
a
>different fighter group than the ones normally alocated to the ship
>reloading (say, a extra 1 turn to reload a torpedo wing in a
intercepter
>wing hanger bay).

Not meaning to offend, but why does having space given over to a flag 
officer and his staff confer such advantages to a ship, what is it that 
these 'staff-weenies' do that when it filters down to the flight deck
crew 
enables them to break down the barriers and tackle 'strange' fighters
that 
arrive in their hanger bay?

>2-Allows the side with flag bridge to pass writen messages between each
>other without the other side being able to intercept them. The side
without
>any (operable) flag bridges must only pass messages verbally, so the
side
>with the flag bridge knows what the other side is doing (represents the
>co-ordination possible between the ships of a squadren or fleet).

Today communications between navy ships is very good and I imagine that
in 
the future it's going to get better, tight beam communication between 
spacecrafts will be probably very hard to intercept. And if the 
communications aren't tight beam but being broadcast to all listeners, 
encryption will make decoding vital time sensitive enemy communications 
impossible.

>3-Allows sensor infomation from any ship to be shared between any ship
in
>the squadren/fleet. So, if one ship has improved sensors, it can share
this
>info with it`s collegues.

Again the quality of communications and transmission of data will make
this 
matter of fact (I believe that the US Navy refers to their system as
NTD, I 
think)

>4-If more than one ship in a squadren/fleet has a flag bridge, if one
is
>destroyed/disabled, the other one(s) may take over immediatly, with no
>pause/disruption in communications between ships.

Again quality of the 'network' within the fleet will probably smooth
over 
such disruptions, with ships routing information to other ships in the 
fleet as and when required. And if the Flag officer and his staff are
lost 
with the flagship, then that's what the chain of command is for. The
next 
senior officer would take command of the fleet using previous orders and

intentions (given by the previous commander), SOPs and his own judgement
to 
fight the battle (and defeat the enemy of course).

>Mass/cost.
>Mass-5
>Cost-15
>Notes-Considered a core system, adds a second bridge symbol (with a F
added
>to represent the flag bridge) on the core systems. Also allows a extra
crew
>factor in boarding actions (if used), to represent the extra marines
carried
>for Admeral protection duties.

Actually I think the idea of the 'flag bridge' is a good one, but I
would 
use it in team games where orders, planning and chain of command are 
important, the flag bridge symbol would designate the 'location' of the 
players. For example the FSE are battling the NSL, the NSL side is made
up 
half a dozen players, one being the C-in-C and the others commanders of 
groups of ships within the NSL fleet. One group is commanded by myself,
a 
battle squadron of four DNs and I have my flag on the first DN (marked
on 
the SSD as such), during the battle the DN explodes killing me (cheering

heard in background, Derek looks around). I'm dead no longer able to
give 
or receive orders, I relinquish control of my group (to my subordinate 
perhaps?) and become a spectator crying into my stout while my 'live' 
teammates and opponents make much of my demise.

Derek

Derek Fulton
12 Balaka st.
Rosny, Hobart.
Tasmainia,  7018.
Australia

Phone; (03) 62459123
Email; derekfulton@bigpond.com