Hey Great another vehicle designer with a collection to share!!!!
Fabulous!
Actually, Cynthia, have you checked out the archives of vehicles? I'm not
certain, but I'm pretty sure that Rob Dean posted a MegaTrav Leviathan
from the GDW adventure. Before you spend a lot of effort I think you might
take a look at what designs are already available.
I posted a bunch of High guard conversions for Supp 9 Fighting ships, and
other stuff: Shivva patrol Frigate, plus numerous original stuff.
On the other hand, perhaps the other design nuts might like to compare your
conversions with theirs. But please by all means send your designs in.
As to your modifications, Here are my OWN opinions, not colloberated by
anyone else.
1) You are right about control points. I try to use the lowest TL
at which performance is not affected when calculating Control points.
Therefore: A jump one drive at TL9 should have the same #CP at TL15.
At TL17 (or something like that) the performance is affected (fuel consumption
drops) therefore calculate CP's with TL 17 as a minimum. But where
the craft's performance is affected you have to use the higher Tech level.
ie A TL14 ground car with wheels may have the same weight, cost, volume,
and power consumption, for it's transmission and suspension as a TL9 car,
but it's speed is much faster. So use TL14 Dig?]
2) About, Price of components dropping. Well, I see your point, but
I don't quite agree. At TL6 hard steel is first used, maybe a TL15 corp
can produce it cheaper, but that money would probably go into a higher
profit margin for the manufacturer. After all, The consumer is willing to
pay the extra at TL6, so we fix the price and rake in more cash!
The thing that will really make prices drop is if the company can
make a lot of a certain unit, Increased volume, decreased cost.
ie. The one millionth grav unit produced is going to cost less than the
second the company produced. On the other hand, that cash is again
probably not going to be passed on to the consumer.
So what am I suggesting to you?
Well, If you feel ships are too expensive, then charge less, but I would
make the cheaper ships not generally available. It is okay to reduce price
for players (hey look at this ship that fell off the back of a jump tender)
Or more likely, they bought one Free Trader out of Ling Standard Products
run of 2000 ships manugfactured. But calculate them as normal price.
Personally My feeling is that ships are too cheap. Look at the cost of a
single TL8-9 radar evading bomber: approx 500 million$, if rate of
exchange is approx 1Cr=1$, then the B-2 cost much more than a lot of starships!
On another note, I think I came up with a possible solution for low cost]
small vehicle computers. Review the problem:
A TL5 car with a top speed of 100kph, has the same performance as a TL8 car
with same top speed, which presumably has antilock braking, active suspension
etc.
Example:
A car is driving on slick roads toward a wall.
TL 5 car hits the breaks skids and hits wall
TL 8 car hits the breaks (performs identical task roll) skids and hits wall.
According to the rules you have to add a model 1 computer to get a Plus 1
That's almost a million credits for a lousy +1 on the dice!
Suggestion:
A robot brain, with no command or logic program, just enough CPU for a
skill of Vehicle-1, The computer multiplier would be 1, allowing you to
use linked panels without a big heavy costly computer, as is implied in
101 vehicles to be possible.
The brain isn't big enough to be an autopilot, just sufficient to aid in
controlling the vehicle, somewhat like a fly by wire system. (note that
in COACC the computer aided fly by wire does not require a computer from the
tables) {if one was required it would have to be three such computers,
because that's how computer aided fly by wire works [at least in the X-29]}
All in all,
Please send your designs!!!
Gotta Run
Mr. Scott