Right, I've been playing around with FFS for a while now, designing
this and mulling over that - the general thing, and I've got some
ideas/questions that maybe other people have worked on:
Please note that I haven't got the book with me at work, so I'll just
have to guess most of the figures, but I hope they are almost
correct.
1) Homopolar Generators. These seem to be the major restriction on the
size of most devices, especially weaponry, within FFS. However, I got
wondering about whether batteries could be used in their place. One
quick calculation later, and I come up with the following:
For a laser, I assumed each pulse lasts about 0.1 seconds, therefore
we need the 0.036 sec discharge rate battery type (or we could
extrapolate). This has an output of x3125 at 3MW (?) at TL15. This
comes to (3125X3X0.036)=337.5Mj per cumet. HPGs are 0.04 cumet per Mj
(?) which is only 25Mj per cumet. This gets even wider a discrepancy
at lower discharge times, so a meson gun at 100 shots/turn would only
really need the 3.6 second battery which works out at about 1350Mj per
cumet.
This creates a slight technology gap... I am of course assuming
batteries can be recharged at that speed, which I would have thought
was possible, as they can discharge that fast!
I also cannot believe that a spinning wheel (which is what HPGs are at
TL 8+(?) ) can give up all x000Mj of energy in a short a space as
0.036 seconds. Has anyone tried working out the friction or even the
speed the wheel would need to be spinning at to store so much energy?
I can believe large power capacitors, so why this rotational K.E.
system?
2) What is there to prevent the same HPG being used for more than one
weapon? The rules state that the HPG is capable of keeping up with any
rate of fire (again I don't believe that), so if it can manage 800
shots/turn, why can't it drive four different focal arrays at 200
shots/turn? All that would be needed is the extra focal arrays, an
extra beam pointer for each FA, and some extra control (this could be
an MFD to drive the FAs or maybe install three extra workstations). I
first though of this idea for a Janus mount, where the two identical
spinal weapons were synched to fire alternately from the same HPG.
3) Black Globes used as solar arrays seem to absorb one heck of a lot
of energy. In the habitable zone, a gigantic size globe will absorb
1/10 (1200^2) = 144,000MW!! Over one single turn, this will be
1800x144,000 = 259 million Mj - try absorbing that lot into a HPG
without overload.
Even a smaller screen will absorb 1/10 (40^2) = 160MW which is 288,000
Mj per turn - has this lot got to be taken into account when designing
the HPGs for absorbing incoming fire?
Maybe we can drag a small ship behind the main craft carrying a black
globe generator and use that as the power supply for my craft....
4) Why does anyone bother with tunable lasers at TL13+ when x-ray
lasers become available? The range modification of any atmosphere
condition is never worse than ten times smaller than the visible laser
modifier, so an x-ray laser with a range multiplier of 100,000 is
always better than the tunable one.
5) Why did GDW have to go and make fusion weapons non-viable as space
weaponry anymore? Grumble moan grumble. Have to make my OWN rules now.
*sigh*
6) When designing bay PAWs, would it be possible to have the tunnel
along the greatest diagonal of the bay? As far as I can remember, the
100 ton bay has dimension of 15.65 x 9.5 x 9.5 thus restricting tunnel
length to 15.65m.
But the greatest diagonal is 20.6m, thus effecting an increase of
tunnel length of 33% or so. Much better....
Same effect applies with turrets and barbettes if you fancy generating
PAW turrets or even close range Meson barbettes.
Personally, I just ignore the standard socket designs myself, and just
design the weapons into the body of the ship - no waste of space and
free to choose my own dimensions.
Which brings me to...
7) How do I calculate the maximum dimensions in the other two
directions on a ship? I know the length - but what about width and
height? At the moment, I am assuming that it can be derived from the
average cross-sectional area: i.e.
Volume/Length = avg cross-sectional area.
The width and height can then be derived from them. A cylinder or
needle config would just be sqrt(area), and other configs can have
widths and heights of any reasonable figures which multiply together
to the area. This are the main body figures. Thus, I know roughly how
large my sideways facing meson guns can be....
Anyone any other ideas? Perhaps a table of W and H multipliers might
be a good idea.
8) Where are the design rules for the bulk of space missiles? I have
found the warhead and propellant rules, but what about guidance design
etc? Have I just missed them?
Oh well, thats enough for now. Otherwise, it's a wonderful book. I
just hope we'll get to see FFS 2 or something similar, with computer
programs, robots, ships, submersibles etc etc.
Aha! Just remembered - in the TNE rule book, it lists an expanded
version of the battery list for higher TLs, and tells you how to
design them for any piece of equipment. Just one small question - no
piece of equipment actually has a power requirment listed with it! So
how do we work it out then? Anyone done a table?
Ralph.
_ _ _ "To err is human; to screw-up
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