[ft] Fighter Momentum Conservation (was: [OT]UnpredictableAI)

Just for the record...I am not arguing just for the sake of
argument...Hopefully I am trying to expain my view clearly...?

> Beth Fulton wrote:

> G'day,

<Short snippage>

> >The data sheet for a squadron seems much simpler

There are only so many types of fighters in the game. As opposed to the near
infinate number of ship designs possible.

You could just list each squadron with a single letter code for the fighter
type, and the number of fighters the squadron start with. Then just make hit
marks after for each one lost in that squadron. Seems very simple to me. How
many ship diagrams are that simple?

> >Dogfights -- one turn only...that is if neither side wishes to match

Just means that if you want to dogfight, new tactics are necessary. These
ships are in space...not air, or water. Means everything moves the same way.
Momentum should be observed for all objects. Not just because it is a ship.

> Fighters attacking ships -- The fighters get to attack a ship, if, (1)
it

> is in

Well, how big a weapon do you think a fighter can carry? Thats one of the
reasons they are called fighters. If they could carry destroyer weapons, they
would be called destroyers...

> >(I never understood why fighters needed their own move segment,

I have a few very good books on navel ships from the first "rafts" to
the mid-20th
century. Technological History is one of my hobbies.

> I may be speaking out of turn, but fighters of today don't act like

Sure they do. They just do it faster. At the speeds they travel, air does the
same things to them as to ships. They just have to worry about bumping into
things, not sinking.

> In a funny kind of way the

I myself have never bothered writing orders for any game that required it.
Just seems (to me) to be a waste of good time, better spent playing the game.

> There are flaws in the fighter rules, but fixing them and

That is true. I remember some of the long threads on this list on this subject
in the past few years. Sometimes I wonder if we are rehashing the same old
things without realizing it. Maybe I am just too lazy to check out the
archives...:-)

Besides, one never knows where a good idea will come from. Talk is good!

G'day,

> Just for the record...I am not arguing just

I will endeavour to pay attention and not let my devil's advocate side take
over then;)

> The data sheet for a squadron seems much simpler

Sorry that was my misinterpretation, I thought you meant it would be easier
to keep track of their movement/orders, I do agree keeping track of how
many are dead etc is easier.

> Just means that if you want to dogfight,

True, which is why (in the context of introducing that momentum to fighters
too) I suddenly wondered why "If both wish to, they both stop right there and
continue the dogfight.";)

> Well, how big a weapon do you think a

I'm not disagreeing with that, but if fighters are made to move like ships
without giving them thrust abilities that are ludicrously high then they

won't get into range consistently enough to do any damage, so you're back to
the problem of fighters (effectively) "being left behind" by the ships.
(Though in context of comments further down I'm saying this from a perspective
we're we write orders for ships and so if fighters were to be dealt with like
ships....)

> I have a few very good books on navel ships

Whereas I'm more an Ancients kinda girl;)

> Sure they do. They just do it faster.

But doesn't the immense speed they can attain give them flexibility beyond
what ships can match? They can turn on a pinhead and go back the other way
(essentially) when in the same time period ships would seem like they're

taking an age to turn... bit like fighters really being cinematic whereas
ships are in vector (relatively speaking). At least that's what it seemed like
to a dunderhead like me;)

> I myself have never bothered writing orders

Have you had much of an opportunity (like at cons) to see how games with

orders compare to your games without and do see if it changes the game? I'm
just interested as we've always written orders in FT.

> That is true. I remember some of the long

Well they say there's only 8 separate story lines, maybe the same holds for
threads;)

> Besides, one never knows where a good

Very true!

Cheers

Beth