Did anyone ever find that ship designing requires you to choose how many
firecons you want and notice that we (at least I) don't have a table or list
of what weapons require firecons?
Is there such a list someone might have compiled?
I know (or do I? I think I know, but I could be mistaken) we have several
broad classes of firecon requirements:
Type I: Does not require a firecon Type II: Requires a firecon for every
weapon instance of a type. Type III: Requires a single firecon for an entire
weapon type, rather than one per weapon instance. Type IV: Requires a firecon
for every target instance, but not for each weapon of a type. Type V: Hybrids
that require a firecon under some circumstances.
Does that cover the possibilities?
If we don't have such a list, I guess I might be ending up making one and I
should then submit it for validation by those with more FT smarts than me.
I admit I'm also unaware of how firecon requirements may have morphed
over game versions (FT, MT, FT-FB1, FT-FB1, FT-Playtest), so I'm not
sure if that becomes a consideration in developing such a chart/list.
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Eric:
Thanks for the first cut. I think I poorly explained the categories (except
Type I which is no firecon).
I would have put Beams in IV because they require a firecon for every target.
I see why you put them in III (needs and FC per weapon type) though as that is
also true.
The distinction there was meant to be one I saw in ships with PTs and Beams. I
think PTs require an FC (could be confused here) for 1...N of them. So do
Beams. So they both need an FC. As I understand it, two FCs would let them
fire at two targets (PTs at one, Beams at another) or one target. But one FC
would not let them shoot at a single target with both systems due to the
requirement for PTs to have a firecon.
I have to agree with something Bob said to me offlist - Just having
most weapons there be a firecon available for their target (which could aim
several different weapons types conceivably) would be easiest. Skip any
restrictions that require a dedicated firecon to fire at the same target with
a different weapon. That would skew some costing, but how badly, honestly?
Class V was thrown out because I thought there were some odd rules
surrounding FCs and PDS and B-1s. Both of those weapons can run in
anti-fighter or anti-ship mode and I thought the FC requirements
varied by mode (not required for anti-fighter but required for
anti-ship). That means they would not be tied to the weapon so much as
to the weapon mode. Of course, I may have this wrong too.
T.
I might not have read the difference between Type III and IV the same way as
you wrote it, then. I interpreted that to mean, one fire control per weapon
type per target. If you're crazy enough to want beams, pulse
torpedoes, and K-guns all on the same ship, you'd need three firecons
just to target them all on a single enemy ship. As such, I only put needle
beams in Type IV because you have to have a different fire control to target
more than one system even if it's on the same enemy ship.
All main weapons need a seperate fire control in order to fire in point
defense mode, it's true, so you could put pulsers, class 1 beams, and
class 1 K-guns in Type V under that heading.
E
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