[FT]Needle damage

That triggered some fond memories. When I first started playing Full Thrust we
gave every system 4 levels or repair: New, Damaged, Fixed, Destroyed. When a
system was damaged by a threshold check, it became Damaged (marked a single
line through it). If the system was Repaired, we marked 'OK' next to the icon.
If a Damaged or Repaired system took damage from a threshold again, it became
Destroyed (unable to be repaired, crossed off). Needle Beams took a system
directly to the Destroyed level. It made a quick game even quicker (and more
deadly).

I would, however, stay away from having a weapon function differently at
different ranges.

I agree that Needle Beams (NB) are not a main line weapon (and IMHO, they
should stay that way). They are a little too weak. However, I would prefer not
to see an arms race that will negate the value of the current NB, or
make an NB fleet mandatory if you expect to win a pick-up game. Giving a
NB either additional arcs or extra range should be provided at a HEAVY
PENALTY.
The value of a NB should be adjusted so that it's cost/mass still makes
a Beam weapon preferable in most situations, but allows the NB to still be
useful in specific situations (piracy, specific ship-capture missions,
etc.).

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Brian Bell bkb@beol.net
http://www.ftsr.org/
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