thrust-1 zigzag

> > No, but he is firing it from up to 72mu away, at a target with

*cough*
a thrust-1 ship?  zigzag?

You are joking, right?:)

Btw, one needle beam hit and that NC equipped ship won't have any problems
lining up that "dreadstar".

Glen

> > > No, but he is firing it from up to 72mu away, at a target with

> > Well, yes, but he _does_ have to fire the thing while he's pointed

> *cough*

> You are joking, right? :)

Have you played with nova cannons much?  You _are_ aware that they take
three turns to hit anything at maximum range, right? In three turns,
_anything_
can get out of the way if it's not completely parked. And since you can't fire
the things against even the most unmaneuverable zigzagging enemies more often
than every two turns or so (i.e. you have to take one turn to adjust and then
a second to fire unless your enemy goes in a straight line) it really doesn't
take much to keep out of the thing's way.

Wave guns, different story; they extend to full (but shorter) range all at
once. But nova cannons in small numbers are not a particularly effective
weapon at maximum range.  ANYTHING can out-zigzag them well enough that
if you concentrate on making them hit, you're not going to keep them at far
enough range that they can't eventually shoot back.

> From: stiltman@teleport.com

> three

> more

> really

Our group views Nova Cannons as "Siege" weapons. Good in campaigns involving
outposts and such that can't move. You are correct in pointing out that
hitting moving targets with Nova Cannons can be difficult.

Pete

> >>Have you played with nova cannons much? You _are_ aware that they

> >Our group views Nova Cannons as "Siege" weapons. Good in campaigns

> Assuming a thrust 1 ship uses both its main drive and its push, it

The operative words in this comment, while they make it perfectly accurate,
are the ones in parenths.;)

On 11-Jun-00 at 23:22, Brian Thompson (brianthompson17@hotmail.com)
wrote:

> Assuming a thrust 1 ship uses both its main drive and its push,

I take it you are not using the better (IMNSHO) FB2 vector rules. The new
vector rules eliminate this "problem".

Roger

> >>Have you played with nova cannons much? You _are_ aware that they

> >Our group views Nova Cannons as "Siege" weapons. Good in campaigns

> Assuming a thrust 1 ship uses both its main drive and its push, it

> The operative words in this comment, while they make it perfectly

In a 5000 point game one is not limited to a single Nova Cannon. The ability
to make an opponent zigzag gives you an ability to control his movments. I
have seen Nova Cannon used well and badly. The weapon limits the tactical
choices of an opponent an in this more then the damage it does makes it
useful.

Andy A

> From: "Peter C" <petrov_101@hotmail.com>
it
> really

Assuming a thrust 1 ship uses both its main drive and its push, it still

only has a maximum acceleration of just over four inches over three turns(with
vector movement). If you plot its course over the next three

turns and aim your nova cannon at where he will be then, your enemy will be
hard pressed to evade, and he won't be able to turn. If you use the new vector
thrust rules in FB2, then he can only accelerate by 3 inches.

> From: stiltman@teleport.com

> take

Thus, the solution to your problem becomes apparent, use vector movement, and
all problems will be fixed;).

> > Assuming a thrust 1 ship uses both its main drive and its push,

if you used the new vector rules(i think they're better too, but i play
KV),
then the maximum acceleration (over 3 turns)in any one direction is 3 inches,
during which the ship cannot make any other maneuvers.