CIC for Book 2 ships

[mike wightman]

I posted this elsewhere but it may be of interest to those of you who don't follow every thread...

Jame's posting of LBB2 designs a few weeks ago got me thinking about warships in the LBB2 paradigm again.
His "dreadnought" carried so many fighters it got me thinking about how combat works between the "big ships" in the LBB2 paradigm. Notice that with multitarget the most fighters you can engage is 4.
So if a 5000t warship launches 80-100 fighters at you, and you haven't got a similar fighter screen available, you are (especially if using the special supplement missile rules)

Here is a possible balancing option.

Install more computers to allow turrets to be directed at x targets per computer multi-target4 program running, and one CIC module (4tons, 1MCr, 1 crew required) per additional computer installed

Example, a 2000t destroyer with a model 7 computer and 20 turrets can only engage up to 4 separate targets. To make it more effective versus fighters and the like, the architect opts to install a 16t CIC and 4 model 5 computers (to run target, multi-target 4, predict 4, gunner interact, and return fire). The destroyer may now fire each turret at a separate target.

By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

 

[mike wightman]

I posted this elsewhere but it may be of interest to those of you who don't follow every thread...

Jame's posting of LBB2 designs a few weeks ago got me thinking about warships in the LBB2 paradigm again.
His "dreadnought" carried so many fighters it got me thinking about how combat works between the "big ships" in the LBB2 paradigm. Notice that with multitarget the most fighters you can engage is 4.
So if a 5000t warship launches 80-100 fighters at you, and you haven't got a similar fighter screen available, you are (especially if using the special supplement missile rules)

Here is a possible balancing option.

Install more computers to allow turrets to be directed at x targets per computer multi-target4 program running, and one CIC module (4tons, 1MCr, 1 crew required) per additional computer installed

Example, a 2000t destroyer with a model 7 computer and 20 turrets can only engage up to 4 separate targets. To make it more effective versus fighters and the like, the architect opts to install a 16t CIC and 4 model 5 computers (to run target, multi-target 4, predict 4, gunner interact, and return fire). The destroyer may now fire each turret at a separate target.

By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

 

[mike wightman]

Ship designs to follow...

 

[mike wightman]

Ship designs to follow...

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
...By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

raises hand slowly, all alone,

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
...By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

raises hand slowly, all alone,

 

[The Oz]

That's an interesting idea, Sigg.

One other way I've handled the LBB2 limit on targets is to put a real "fire control computer" with every turret. A Mod/3 works well enough for laser turrets, having the space to run a good mix of offensive programs and lots of storage to switch out the ones you don't need all the time. Mod/2bis can do the job if you don't mind their relative inflexibility. Mod/2's can handle missile turrets, depending on whether you think missiles can benefit from Predict or Select programs (I don't allow that; I like missiles to be more random, since they're so powerful). Plain old Mod/1s can do the job for sand turrets.

One other advantage to fire control computers is that the ship's main computer is freed from having to run offensive programs and so can be dedicated to defensive software.

 

[The Oz]

That's an interesting idea, Sigg.

One other way I've handled the LBB2 limit on targets is to put a real "fire control computer" with every turret. A Mod/3 works well enough for laser turrets, having the space to run a good mix of offensive programs and lots of storage to switch out the ones you don't need all the time. Mod/2bis can do the job if you don't mind their relative inflexibility. Mod/2's can handle missile turrets, depending on whether you think missiles can benefit from Predict or Select programs (I don't allow that; I like missiles to be more random, since they're so powerful). Plain old Mod/1s can do the job for sand turrets.

One other advantage to fire control computers is that the ship's main computer is freed from having to run offensive programs and so can be dedicated to defensive software.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:

By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

4 Model/5 computers - 180MCr
4 CIC Units - 4MCr
4 Target Programs - 4 MCr
4 Multi-Target-4 Programs - 12MCr
4 Predict-4 Programs - 32MCr
4 Gunner Interact Programs - 4MCr
4 Return Fire Programs - 2MCr
Total: 238MCr per destroyer

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:

By the way, does anyone keep track of the extra cost involved with equiping warships with all these computer programs

4 Model/5 computers - 180MCr
4 CIC Units - 4MCr
4 Target Programs - 4 MCr
4 Multi-Target-4 Programs - 12MCr
4 Predict-4 Programs - 32MCr
4 Gunner Interact Programs - 4MCr
4 Return Fire Programs - 2MCr
Total: 238MCr per destroyer

 

[Fritz_Brown]

My standard (that is how I build MY ships, not necessarily the Navy's or anybody else's) is to place a small computer at every turret (good on ya, Oz), and then run a program on the main FD (Fire Direction) computer to coordinate the firing. After all, you don't want multiple turrets engaging the same target unnecessarily.

The whole system is set up on a ring network, so a break in the comms is simply rerouted. Anytime a turret computer finds itself totally isolated, it continues firing per its normal rules. And, the central FD computer is separate from the nav/piloting comp and the life support/anti-hijack comp. Although they are all on the network, and can run the appropriate software as a backup to the main.

Yes, I actually have a department of design redundancy department in my shipyard.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

My standard (that is how I build MY ships, not necessarily the Navy's or anybody else's) is to place a small computer at every turret (good on ya, Oz), and then run a program on the main FD (Fire Direction) computer to coordinate the firing. After all, you don't want multiple turrets engaging the same target unnecessarily.

The whole system is set up on a ring network, so a break in the comms is simply rerouted. Anytime a turret computer finds itself totally isolated, it continues firing per its normal rules. And, the central FD computer is separate from the nav/piloting comp and the life support/anti-hijack comp. Although they are all on the network, and can run the appropriate software as a backup to the main.

Yes, I actually have a department of design redundancy department in my shipyard.

 

[deadlock]

Greetings and salutations,

Military and government ships are usually built with redundant systems. When I design ships, I have a main server and a back-up. Like Fritz, all the turrents have a small computer with an IP address as dealt out by the server. That way, if the main server is offline, the back-up will take up the slack. The back-upp server(s) are never in a vital area that is attacked. I usually place them in the stateroom sections of the ship. On military and government ships, and especially merchant ship, this works out great in a combat situation.

That's my two credits on ight hours of sleep in five days.

 

[deadlock]

Greetings and salutations,

Military and government ships are usually built with redundant systems. When I design ships, I have a main server and a back-up. Like Fritz, all the turrents have a small computer with an IP address as dealt out by the server. That way, if the main server is offline, the back-up will take up the slack. The back-upp server(s) are never in a vital area that is attacked. I usually place them in the stateroom sections of the ship. On military and government ships, and especially merchant ship, this works out great in a combat situation.

That's my two credits on ight hours of sleep in five days.

 

[Hal]

When I was designing lasers for GURPS TRAVELLER in the heyday of GURPS TRAVELLER FIRST edition, I noted the "logic" flaw they presented in having energy modules inside the turrets, but the Engine room inside the ship... in otherwords, a BAD logic error. So I designed my ships using self contained fusion power plants inside the turrets themselves. If the ship's main power plants ever went off line, the turret power plants were there to help with life support, emergency power generation etc. The only thing the turrets couldn't do was act as their own sensor platform

I also included rules for what I termed the Norden Targeting Computer. Using the GURPS rules for hardwired one purpose only computers, I created a targeting computer that was better than anything a Mainframe computer could run (ok, so it only gave a +2 bonus over a mainframe computer, but every ounce of computing power matters!

)

The one thing I've always liked about GURPS TRAVELLER is that modules designed for a GURPS ship could just as easily be retrofitted into a CT universe. Since the energy levels for CT were obscene (each power point is how many megawatts?!!!!) one power point would be sufficient to power much of the equipment in GURPS modules. No biggie - to each their own as the saying goes.

 

[Hal]

When I was designing lasers for GURPS TRAVELLER in the heyday of GURPS TRAVELLER FIRST edition, I noted the "logic" flaw they presented in having energy modules inside the turrets, but the Engine room inside the ship... in otherwords, a BAD logic error. So I designed my ships using self contained fusion power plants inside the turrets themselves. If the ship's main power plants ever went off line, the turret power plants were there to help with life support, emergency power generation etc. The only thing the turrets couldn't do was act as their own sensor platform

I also included rules for what I termed the Norden Targeting Computer. Using the GURPS rules for hardwired one purpose only computers, I created a targeting computer that was better than anything a Mainframe computer could run (ok, so it only gave a +2 bonus over a mainframe computer, but every ounce of computing power matters!

)

The one thing I've always liked about GURPS TRAVELLER is that modules designed for a GURPS ship could just as easily be retrofitted into a CT universe. Since the energy levels for CT were obscene (each power point is how many megawatts?!!!!) one power point would be sufficient to power much of the equipment in GURPS modules. No biggie - to each their own as the saying goes.

 

[Jame]

I always thought that the 1 ton set aside in the turret was part of the fire control, and part of the turret as well...

 

[Jame]

I always thought that the 1 ton set aside in the turret was part of the fire control, and part of the turret as well...

 

[Jame]

Now, this raises a question - how much cargo should a warship have, if any?

 

[Jame]

Now, this raises a question - how much cargo should a warship have, if any?