CT Starships & Mayday

[Enoff]

Well that is an interesting interpretation HG, I think that works well in the game mechanics. Do you think that is what the designer intended? or can we consider that a variant that you propose but which I think is very fun, interesting and possibly realistic of homing missile behavior.

I guess I should clarify what I intend with this thread. Its really a gestalt of all the CT material on Starship combat with the intention of it being played, represented and visualized on a GDW Mayday or GDW Triplanetary style gameboard.

I found an interesting variant in the SpaceGamer #40 magazine on CT Starship combat by Steve Winter. Lots of information regarding space and time scale representation plus using Mayday or Triplanetary as a playing board.

 

[HG_B]

Well that is an interesting interpretation HG, I think that works well in the game mechanics. Do you think that is what the designer intended?

Parsing the words, I could come up with no other logical meaning. (let's be charitable and assume logic on the part of the designers ) The "at least"
phrase was the key for me as that lists a requirement + "homing", it makes sense to me.

I've never seen any errata that explains it in more depth.

 

[Enoff]

From Special Supplement 3 Missiles

"Propulsion systems are defined by two numbers, commonly separated by a capitol G. The first number is the maximum number of Gs which the missile is capable of in a turn; the second is the number of G-burns of fuel the missile can make." SS3 pg. 3

"For example, a 1G1 propulsion system can accelerate a maximum of 1G per turn, and is capable of burning fuel to achieve 1G once. A 6G6 system can accelerate to a maximum of 6G per turn, and has enough fuel to reach 6G once. A 3G12 system can accelerate to a maximum of 3G in one turn, and has fuel to allow reaching 3G to for four turns. This same missile could accelerate at 1G for 12 turns, or 2G for 6 turns." SS3 pg. 3

"Limited burn missiles may be launched at less than maximum acceleration, but that acceleration may not be increased or decreased as the missile moves. Its course change potential is one-half the difference between its maximum G rating and its current G rating with fractions rounded down." SS3 pg. 4

"It may alter its course by its course change potential in each turn. Fuel for course changes is expended at 2 burns for 1G of change." SS3 pg. 4

"Example: a 6G12 continuous burn missile could be launched at 4G and would have the ability to change course at 1G (using 2 burns of fuel to do so) it could be launched at 1G and would have the ability to change course at 2G (using 4 burns to do so)" SS3 pg. 4

I think I was integrating all this information on my missile chart when I got a little distracted on this project. Here is the screen shot of the missile chart, turn sequence chart with the background being the main map zoomed out.

http://www.lexweb.us/mayday/screenshot5.jpg

Chart has missile Id, target, fuel burned, launch G rating, current thrust vector and current G, then information about the missile configuration plus the controlling ship.

 

[jawillroy]

I like what you've been doing. I, like you, had sought out Mayday hoping it was a more wieldy approach to LBB2 combat. I was dismayed to see a whole new ruleset...

I've been experimenting with using the Mayday hardware as a board for running book 2 combat, essentially doing "range band" movement but with hexes. It works pretty well. Instead of adhering to the "1 missile at a time" rule I treat each missile chit as a salvo going to a particular target.

What I would dearly love to see (I myself have no programming skills, and can only dream) is a computer-based platform to handle classic book-2 vector combat, so that you could plug in the ships' attributes, programs and so forth, and then click & drag your vector changes (measured and minded by the computer.) If you could have many multiple ships/objects active, think of the complex engagements you could handle! One could actually manage small fleet actions in LBB2 with a tool like that, where before it would have required hours and hours and hours on a floor the size of a tennis court.

To dreeeeeeeeam the impossible dreeeeeeeeeeeam...

 

[Enoff]

I have never gotten the programs to work on my xp machine but the old dos megatraveller games incorporated ship combat where you could also program your ships computer.

 

[HG_B]

Some very cool visual applets. Maybe show players for various sensor displays.

http://www.falstad.com/vector3d/

 

[Enoff]

"I like what you've been doing. I, like you, had sought out Mayday hoping it was a more wieldy approach to LBB2 combat. I was dismayed to see a whole new ruleset..."

Actually I just love reading the history behind the development of these games and I have more fun perhaps as a developer than a player. To me its fun to put all the scraps of information together and see if its half way playable. Not all of the GDW games were a finished product and were actually splinters of some central idea. Just great graphics and pushed out the door like some beta software that needs several upgrades.

 

[jawillroy]

To me its fun to put all the scraps of information together and see if its half way playable.

I appreciate and understand the impulse! Something like that has been driving my own efforts in muddling out a Traveller Universe pretty strictly based around LBB123, really only looking elsewhere when trying to clarify things for myself or when the gaps in the original ruleset are just too big.