Re: [GZG] Screens versus Advanced Screens in Cross Dimensions?

On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 5:32 AM, Hugh Fisher <laranzu@ozemail.com.au>
wrote:

>> The only consideration is on a damage per turn (at the end of every
turn
>> the damage absorbed is removed), or on damage per battle (Basically
turning
>> the advanced shields into another set of hull/armour boxes
effectively).
>
> Damage per battle is how Alderson fields in Mote in Gods Eye and
> the force wall in Blake's Seven work. They're better represented
> in FT by armour rather than either standard or advanced screens.
> (In the particular case of advanced screens, "advanced" armour
> isn't necessary because armour already works on missiles, etc.)

Not entirely true in the case of Langston Fields (Alderson drive,
Langston fields).  Depending on whether or not you are talking about
pre-Motie fields or the post-Motie expanding fields, there are
different nuances.

Standard Langston fields can dissipate energy, although unless you
essentially break contact, you won't be able to dissipate it quickly.
They were also susceptible to "burn-through" which could damage a ship
in specific places where a nuclear warhead temporarily punched through
the field. That's slowly regenerating armor with a chance of a
'critical' which could force a threshold check which could only damage
a single system (start rolling, end when either one system is damaged
or when all systems survive).  In relation to the weapons used, the
hulls are fairly weak and once the shield goes completely, the ship
goes too.

Expanding Langston fields dissipate energy much more quickly and are
not susceptible to burn through (function of the superconducting hull
layers which were introduced at the same time).  On the other hand,
when the field was overloaded, the energy storage banks would explode,
utterly destroying the ship.  That's one long row of regenerating
armor boxes, with only a single box of 'hull'.	And a very different
game than standard Full Thrust.

John
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani
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