======================================================================== Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1993 21:31:50 -0500 From: curtis@quark.qrc.com (Curtis Peer) To: gdw-beta@quark.qrc.com Subject: Useful Formulae I've cooked up some "Rules of Thumb" from the FF&S rules to aid designers. Custom Turrets: For the dimensions of non-standard turrets and barbettes, the radius of the turret is equal to the cube root of the volume in cubic meters, multiplied by 0.515: r=0.515[V^(1/3)] The Diameter of the turret = 2*r The Height of the turret = 2.3333*r ------------------------------------------------------------------- Particle Accellerator Length: The minimum length of a PAW for its effective range to be equal to a given range (in BL hexes) goes by the following formula: [ H ]^(1/3) L = 13.47* [----------- ] [ Ml * Mfa ] L= minimum length of PAW in meters H= desired range in BL hexes Ml= Length Multiplier (see table pg. 113) Mfa= Focal Area Multiplier (see table pg. 113) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Meson Gun Length: The minimum length of a Meson gun for its effective range to be equal to a given range (in BL hexes) goes by: [ 30 * H ] L = [----------] [ Ml ] L = minimum length of Meson Gun in meters H = desired range in BL hexes Ml= Length Multiplier (see table pg. 117) ------------------------------------------------------------------ PAW Penetration: If a PAW is operating at the maximum Mj for its length, its penetration value within its effective range is equal to: Pv = 5 * length (in meters) ----------------------------------------------------------------- PAW design notes: If a PAW operates at the maximum Mj for its length (and most will), the damage it can do depends on how long it is. This is not affected by tech level. Tech level affects the effective range only For example, a TL 9 PAW can have an effective range of 80 BL hexes (ie. maximum combat range) if it is at least 112 meters long. A 112m PAW can deliver up to 12,544 Mj, and will do so even if the PAW is TL 15, not TL 9. However, the TL 9 PAW _MUST_ have its maximum bore (1/8th length) to acheive this range. Higher TL versions have the option of reducing the focal area (and thus the volume, making for a more compact weapon), or keeping the range overcapacity to improve the weapon's performance during planetary bombardments. The effective range of a PAW grows (most of the time) by leaps and bounds with increased tech level. For example, here are the effective ranges of a 16m long, 2m bore, 256 Mj N-PAW (suitable for 100ton bays) at TL's 9-15: Tech Lvl Eff Range(km) Improvement over previous TL 9 7037.2 ------- 10 8042.5 14% 11 20,106 150% 12 37,700 87% 13 45,239 120% 14 100,531 122% 15 201,062 100% ----------------------------------------------------------------------- John H Bogan ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1993 22:16:16 -0500 From: curtis@quark.qrc.com (Curtis Peer) To: gdw-beta@quark.qrc.com Subject: Bay Mounted N-Paws Here's two TL-15 N-PAWs suitable for mounting in standard bays. These are not the FULL stats for these guns, as I am only including the stats for the tunnel and HPG, and do not include the beam pointer and crew station for reasons I'll go into later: 50-ton Bay Mounted TL 15 N-PAW: 144 Mj, Length= 12m, Bore= 1.5m, Power= 4 MW vol= 26.244kl mass= 25.983 tonnes cost= MCr 2.1708 effective range= 84,816km (2.8hex), Max Pv= 60 100-ton Bay Mounted TL 15 N-PAW: 256 Mj, Length= 16m, Bore= 2m, Power= 7.111 Mw vol= 59.226kl mass= 46.66 tonnes cost= MCr 5.116 effective range= 201,082.4km (6.7hex) Max Pv=80 What's wrong with this picture? look at the volumes. Even with the beam pointer and workstation, these come nowhere close to filling the bays. I can understand waste space to allow these to traverse, but this is ridiculous! Why, you could fit TEN of these things in a single bay and still not make a dent in the bay's available volume...... DING! ;-) How's this for a concept: A battery of PAWs mounted parallel to each other in a single bay. The all share a single beam pointer, and total their crew requirements before rounding off to determine the battery's crew. If the battery scores a hit, all the individual beams hit. Damage to surface features are divided equally between all beams before the beams _individually_ chew through the hull. All hits to same location. Since they are acting as a single weapon, they are controlled normally, rather than through an MFD. A likely number for PAWs in the battery is 10, which opens up another option: Instead of firing as a single salvo, the gunner may opt to stagger the firings of the PAWs in the Battery. In this case, the battery would not hit in the "all or nothing" fashion outlined above, but instead would act like a single high-RoF PAW, and do single-gun damage, but with reduced difficulty to hit. Whacha think? Got leftover space in a turret or bay? fill it with an auxiliary power plant to power the turret or bay's weapons. Stick this in your Gazelle's barbette: 8.34 MW, VOL= 2.78kl, mass= 8.34 tonnes cost= MCr 0.556 fuel consumption= 0.834 kl/year still leaves 3.42 kl to waste :-( fuel, perhaps? John H Bogan