Author Topic: SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM  (Read 4307 times)

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Offline Paul M (OP)

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SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM
« on: September 02, 2014, 05:22:03 AM »
While looking at the RM for TL10s new goodies I spotted the following:
BAM-Rc (antimatter)
BAM-R (antimatter)
BAM-G (antimatter)

Does anyone know how these are supposed to work and cost?  The UTM has only information on the fusion based systems.  I'm not really keen on these things given the existance of the AMBAM. 

Though admittedly the AMBAM is pretty much useless until a fight is over...then you can destroy the rest of the minefield.  But I think the whole "the ship blows up because one anti-matter weapon is hit" is absurd.  Unless you do a deliberate implosion I doubt the energy release would be fast enough to count as an explosion anyway...it would be more or less a slow 1 MeV gamma burst.
 

Offline ZimRathbone

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Re: SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2014, 02:32:14 AM »
These were ideas that Steve came up with (I think that they appear in SA), from memory, they work much like the regular AMBAM.  Functionally the BAM-Rc & BAM-G versions were identical, cost was I think 1.5 MCr for the BAM-R, 5 Mcr for -Rc/G, range was 2 tacHex for -R, 5 TacHex for -Rc/G (no ability to  attack point sources such as individual ships tho), and the -Rc/G could take out 2 patterns of mines, the -R only one. The other big difference that I recall was that the Rc/G version was actually bigger than the base missile (2.5 MSP rather than 2).

This was about the same time as he came up with the Mine Racks and other items to try and counter the InstaMegaMineField (tm), and not long before the 1st Great Schism.
Slàinte,

Mike
 

Offline Paul M (OP)

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Re: SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2014, 04:15:04 AM »
Yes they are in SFA.  Starslayer and I talked about this during our battle over the weekend (Vassal for the win...I really need to find time to sit down with that program and make a better set of starfire counters).  We won't use them.  With AMBAM and AMBAM2 available I don't really see the point in allowing these systems.  Worse SFA doesn't properly track them...you can set up that they are present in the magazine but the program doesn't put them there after you hit "ok" so you have to manually track the extra costs of to the magazine.  And that is far from small as the Shanirians had a bill for nearly 9000 MCr loading up their assault fleet and the 3 new colliers that carry the extra ammo.  SFA doesn't track the Lx ammo either.

We counter the insta mega mine field by using the mine layer systems and also requiring that a ship be present to "tend" then mines.  We have also been sensible on the size of the minefields...300 or so patterns of mines is a pretty massive field in our game.  Something you only get at a key system and usually built up over several turns.

As much as I am a fan of simplified book keeping, you have to have a cost for having a big empire or else it is just the case of the rich getting richer faster and faster.  Colliers and moving them around costs a lot more than maintenance on the "missile fund."  It also means that there is a chance your missile ships will end up out of ammo or out of a particular kind of ammo.

As we found out with the autoresolver having it only list either eligable or carried ammo would speed up missile fire set up.
 

Offline Starslayer_D

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Re: SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2014, 03:30:18 PM »
I found 1 more system which isn't explained:

Zh Hardened Datalink

Also AFM2 don't save as loadout either.


« Last Edit: September 11, 2014, 03:10:41 AM by Starslayer_D »
 

Offline Edsel

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Re: SFA stuff that didn't make it in the UTM
« Reply #4 on: September 13, 2014, 02:08:48 PM »
The Zh is a hardened datalink that is immune from all jamming.  It is just like the Zi system but takes up twice the space.