Re: FT Taskforce and Fleet Actions

At 6:44 PM -0400 8/6/01, Laserlight wrote:
> > The thing I'm stumped on is exactly how to represent movement based
> > upon a task force's (and specifically the ships comprising said task
> > force) movement across individual hexes. I want the scale of
> > acceleration between each ship to be represented nicely but not too
> > quickly.
>
>Vector on a hex grid is easy.

Pretty much why I'm going that direction...

>
> > 80-100 hexes across is the overall map known as Theatre Action Scale
>
>That's a LOT of hexes, don't you think?

It may get scaled down, but some of the size is due to the need for 
the correct scale representing an entire system. Generally you're 
going to be fighting near planets or on the axis between an attacker 
and the planets you are defending. So there will be a lot of empty 
space that you don't fight in. But, remember, that 100 across is 
diameter, its half that from edge to center.

If its too small then the entire inside area of the Solar System (the 
benchmark) is going to be in one hex area. Thats too small. The earth 
is at 1 Astronomical Unit (143 x10^6 miles),
Venus	.72 AU
Mercury .4 AU
Mars	1.5 AU
Jupiter 5 AU
Saturn 9.5 AU
Uranus	19 AU
Neptune 30 AU
Pluto	39 AU

If a map is based on .5 AU per hex then from center to Uranus will be 
38 hexes out with a diameter of 76 across. Neptune will be 60 hexes 
out and 120 hexes across.

I'm willing to dump Neptune and Pluto as they're just too far out 
from the sun. Pluto is way out there and on a rather odd orbit. 
They're pretty much backwaters, but the closer Gas Giants will be 
especially important with their large size, high proportion of moons 
and large volume of Hydrogen and Helium for mining and power 
generation (Fusion is the likely power source right?).

>
> > Any asteroid belts will have a maximum safe speed for transition
>
>Well, as long as you don't outrun your radar, you should be safe.  I
>wouldn't bother with this.

Some of the idea is to keep units from ignoring it entirely. Its not 
insubstantial and is actually quite a significant size considering. 
It also makes for more possibilities of that belt being some sort of 
barrier in a way.

> > Keep in mind, I'm still batting the concepts around but the basic
> > idea seems solid and playable. Thoughts comments?
>
>Good.

What? Good that I'm still working the ideas out or good the ideas in 
general... :)

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- Ryan Montieth Gill		DoD# 0780 (Smug #1) / AMA / SOHC -
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