Heavily Armed and Dangerous

[far-trader]

<below is a duplicate of a topic posted to "The Fleet" for general discussion, copied here for specific T20 discussion>

So there I was minding somebody else's business when Savage strolled by and hit me upside the head with an inspiration wrapped around a brick. While I watched all the new stars forming constellations the idea soaked into the open gash in my head.

It all started innocently enough with that good soul Tom Rux asking about the differences in design systems, vis-a-vis hardpoint limits or none.

Savage's solution inspired a tie in with an earlier problem/idea I had and wasn't sure what to do with. I was looking for ways and means to increase the Structural Integrity of ships (select certain ships for mtu) using T20.

His solution just screamed reduce SI for weapons over the "safe" limit. It could maybe be as simple as treating the ship as that much smaller for SI calculations. For example a 400ton ship with 6 turrets is 2 turrets over the safe limit so for SI its treated as a 200ton ship.

Naturally this solved my earlier dilemma too. If a ship is below the "safe" limit its SI is increased. For example a 400ton ship with only 2 turrets (like the old Sub Merch) would be treated as a 600ton ship for SI calculations.

So what does everybody think? Where's the abuse potential? Does it break at kiloton levels? It seems pretty simple and elegant to me but right now its still got that glow of wondrous newness

 

[mike wightman]

In which case shouldn't armour increase the SI for number of hardpoints purposes?
I like the idea, by the way.

 

[vutpakdi]

The increase in SI might work for a ship of the same basic design, but it doesn't make too much sense that a subbie with two turrets would have more structural integrity than a patrol cruiser with four turrets given that a patrol cruiser is designed to carry four turrets as a light combat vessel.

I like the reduction in SI for over regulation number of turrets idea though.

Ron

 

[mike wightman]

Allowing armour to mitigate SI decrease for extra turrets may also help to explain how the 300t Gazelle Class CE can have four turrets.
From its HG stats you could rule every 3 levels of armour allows one extra turret with no penalty to SI.

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Allowing armour to mitigate SI decrease for extra turrets may also help to explain how the 300t Gazelle Class CE can have four turrets.
From its HG stats you could rule every 3 levels of armour allows one extra turret with no penalty to SI.

That might be a fair rule of thumb, or a good place to start anyway.

As for the old CT CE, I always made it work by building it as a 400ton ship, with 100ton carried as drop tanks. That way the extra turret is allowed and the drop tanks cost extra (as in the hull cost plus the tank cost) for Jump grid and maneuver bracing.