Re: [FT] Shields or not

Jaime Tiampo wrote:

> > If the NSL, ESU, Sa'Vasku or Phalons are your primary opponents,
[...]
>
>hmm... first we don't play with cannon fleets since one of the big
>things that makes FT appealing is the design system so we can customise
>our ships.

First, a "cannon fleet" is a fleet primarily armed with cannon. You're 
thinking of "canon" fleets.

Second, Richard's point is just as valid if you're fighting custom
fleets - 
just add an "-ish" to all nationalities mentioned, and read those 
nationalities as examples of weapon mixes instead of exact definitions
of 
what ship designs are available.

>My cruisers don't mount shields and the battleships usually only have
>one but I found one of my most effective ships to be this
>battledreadnought.
>
>Mass = 130
>Cost = 447
>Thrust = 4
>FTL = Normal
>CrewFactors = 7
>DP = 26
>----  Damage Row Breakdown  ----
>[][][][][][][][][][][][][]
>OOO*OOO
>*OOO*OO
>O*OOO*
>OOO*O*
>--------------------------------
>Shields = 2
>Weapons and Such
>#	 Name
>2	 Class 1 Battery, 6 arcs
>4	 Class 2 Battery, 3 arcs
>5	 Class 3 Battery, 1 arc
>3	 Fire Control
>4	 PDS
>1	 ADFC

 From your statement that this ship is one of your most effective
designs, 
I can draw two immediate conclusions:

1) You're using Vector movement - in Cinematic, thrust-4 is much too
slow 
to get much use out of those B3-1s
2) Your opponents use very few, if any, P-torps or K-guns - this design
has 
very little protection against such weapons.

Regards,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."