After Playing around with SML's some over the past couple o'weeks, I came to
several solutions and decided to create some missle ships to anhilate
my friends with. Lets just say that your opponents need a lot o'speed
and/or
a lot more pdaf's then are typical in the fleet book to survive.
Free Cal Tex Ships/Ideas
------------------------
Theory:
SML's need to be massed in one turn to be effective. 4 pdaf's remove 1 SML
launched. 2 Escorting Fighters remove 1 SML launched. Don't worry about
endurance, Anhilate Quickly or Die.
Key: Overwhelm Defences, Take out opposition before they can fire their beam
batteries, otherwise you're toast
Moto: "EggShells with Sledge Hammers"
Missle Ships
---------------------
Monsune Class Battleship hull 120: weak (24 dp) ftl
thrust - 2
weapons (72)
7*sml(3*fh,2*rs,2*ls)
3*magazines(12 space(6),2*8 space(4)) 6*armor
screen-1
3*pds 2*firecon
3*class-2 beams(fh,rs,ls)
tmf: 120 cost: 428
---------------------
Kenedy Class Heavy Missle Cruiser hull 90: weak (18 dp) ftl
thrust - 4
weapons: 5*sml 2*SML magazine (8 & 12 space mag's = 4 loads and 6 loads)
screen-1
3*armor 2*firecon 2*pdaf
2*class-2 Beams
tmf: 90 cost: 314
---------------------
Templer class Missle Cruiser hull 60: weak (12 dp) ftl
thrust - 4
weapons: 4*SML
SML magazine ( 16 space - 8 loads )
firecon
1 class-1 beam (360)
tmf: 60 cost: 211
---------------------
Lancer class light Missle Cruiser hull 48: weak(10 dp) ftl
thrust - 4
weapons (23) 1*firecon 1*pdaf 3*armor 4*smr (normal loads)
1*class-2 beam(fh)
tmf: 48 cost: 165
> On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, Charles Choukalos wrote:
aha! as i have long feared, it seems that massed SMs are in fact the ultimate
weapon. yes, with good maneuvering and fast closing a skilled admiral can beat
a bad admiral who has SMs, but what if both are good admirals? perhaps
diversity just is not possible...
Tom
> Thomas Anderson wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Nov 1998, Charles Choukalos wrote:
> > After Playing around with SML's some over the past couple o'weeks, I
This will work the first time they meet it... but I wouldn't give you
more than equal odds in the next battle, if you use equal-point
build-your-own fleets.
> aha! as i have long feared, it seems that massed SMs are in fact the
I doubt that. While their damage can be impressive, they aren't all that easy
to use them well and have some rather efficient counters.
Their average damage per Mass varies a bit with what type of launcher you
have, but if you assume SMR or 2 standard SM salvoes per SML (and that
every salvo is on target!) you get an average damage/Mass of 3 if the
salvo is unopposed by point defence or fighters. This is a lot, but it's the
only shot the salvo gets; if it misses or is intercepted, well...
let's hope you can disengage and withdraw before being destroyed :-/
'Course, the "average damage" can be rather misleading with SMs
considering their huge damage range (0-36 per salvo)! It is also a *lot*
better against slow ships using vector movement than against fast ones using
cinematic movement, since high thrust and the cinematic turning system means
that you have to spread your salvoes out to ensure hits.
> yes, with good maneuvering and fast closing a skilled
If both are experienced admirals with good designs/fleet mixes (eg, the
non-SM fleet hasn't forgotten to bring ADFC <g>), the SM-heavy fleet
tend to lose in my experience. (I won't say that I'm *good*, mind you! I might
arguably qualify as "experienced", though <g>).
Regards,
> Charles Choukalos wrote:
> After Playing around with SML's some over the past couple o'weeks, I
If they stick to fleet book designs, they'll be in trouble unless they go
heavy on fighters or escort ships - Furious- or Radetzky-class CEs, the
Minerva/A FFE or the soon-to-be-launched Tacoma/A FHE are all decent
fleet defence units which tend to cause difficulties for SM-heavy
forces. A carrier force will eat you for dinner unless you bring fighters or
escort ships of your own, since none of these designs have any ADFC and all
are rather brittle.
I do expect you to win the first battle, but after that I'd expect you to
Die more often than you Annihilate Quickly :-/
> Free Cal Tex Ships/Ideas
Yes.
> 4 pdaf's remove 1 SML launched.
Yes, more or less. Only you shouldn't launch the SML :-) You launch
Salvo Missiles (SMs) from the Salvo Missile Launcher (SML) or Salvo Missile
Rack (SMR), but I don't think you really want to throw the entire launcher at
the enemy (unless you've emptied the magazines, of course
;-)
> 2 Escorting Fighters remove 1 SML launched.
Wrong. 9 screening Standard fighters or 6 screening Interceptors negate one SM
salvo.
> Don't worry about endurance, Anhilate Quickly or Die.
Well... that's one way to put it <g>
> Key: Overwhelm Defences, Take out opposition before they can
Might be difficult to take the enemy out before he can fire Class-3
batteries at you unless you bring some SM/ER, though :-/
> Missle Ships
I assume the 12-space Mg linked to the forward 3 launchers and the
smaller ones to the side batteries?
> 6*armor
OK.
> ---------------------
Illegal design, see my other post for comments. Weapon arcs?
> Templer class Missle Cruiser
Weapon arcs for the SML?
> Lancer class light Missle Cruiser
Weapon arcs for the SMR?
> ---------------------
I get the cost to 148 pts, but otherwise OK. Weapon arcs for the SML?
Later,