Ships Computer Sizes and Penalties

[Ben Harrison]

I was going crazy using a spreadsheet to create star/space-ships for the various Pocket Empires IMTU. While doing so I noticed that if a government/industry/etc is at TL-9 the maximum computer type is Model 3.

This limits the overall ship size to a max of 4000 tons. While I did design several ships at this max, I feel there should be someway that larger ships could be made. How else could a TL-9 ship use the particle beam spinal mount?

What type of penalty should be assessed to starships with too small computers? Something similar to the agility modifier mentioned if a streamlined ship with a too small computer maneuvers in atmosphere? That plus initiative modifiers? The above plus a to hit penalty? Something else entirely?

 

[belter]

Fellow Citizen,

I think you have 2 routes to take with placing a weapon system on a ship that is not "officially" allowed to have it:

1) THE OTU PERSPECTIVE: Apply severe penalties -

a) reduce the ship's ability to maneuver the turn before and after firing,

b) reduce the range of the weapon by half,

c) reduce the damage inflicted by the weapon by 1d6

d) each use creates the possibility for a malfunction . . .

or

2) MORE PLAYABILITY: Lighter penalties -

a) reduce damage by 1d6, and

b) reduce the range to 80,000km

Good luck with that spreadsheet!

 

[belter]

Almost forgot your computer question -

I would go the same route as I did with installing weapons on ships not able to "officially" use them -

1) Severe:
a) no atmospheric flight (automatic crash)
b) every 6 turns roll on the damage location (pg 166) table to determine random damage due to computer error/failure
c) penalties to hit, agility, etc.

2) More Playablity:
a) Reduce all weapons systems USPs by 2 (to a minimum of 1)
b) Each use of a weapon could be its last, a 6 on 1d6 each use
c) Reduce range of sensors/comms by 2 models

3) Make up a list of 6 negative modifiers and allow the player to ignore 2 of his choice each turn.

 

[Ben Harrison]

While all of your suggestions have merit, I also had this idea.

Use the proper computer, but add a price increase to the whole system. All aspects of the system. For example:

To build a 10,000 ton Cruiser, with a TL-9 Spinal Partical Accelerator for it's main arment. In this example the main computer and flight control are Model 4's while sensors and comm are Model 3's.

Normally this cost 3.5 tons of space, just to use one "paying" aspect.

To Calculate the penalty cost use the following formula (Required Model - Max Normal model)+1.

This becomes a multipler. So our model 4/4/3/3 computer system now displaces 7 tons vice 3.5. The monitary and ep costs are also multiplied by that amount.

This represents all the extra enginering, extra proccessing power, software defelopment, and energy costs needed to produce the needed computer system.

The ship fucntions normally, but the builder has really had to pay for it.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by BLH:
What type of penalty should be assessed to starships with too small computers?

Well, you could go with the GURPS notion that a TL represents a factor 10 increase in the performance of a computer and allow ten computers of one rating to perform as one of one rating higher. That way your bigger than 4,000 T ship can have 10 factor 3 computers, which is expensive and takes up a lot of precious space, but is still doable.


Hans

 

[Ben Harrison]

Originally posted by rancke:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by BLH:
What type of penalty should be assessed to starships with too small computers?

Well, you could go with the GURPS notion that a TL represents a factor 10 increase in the performance of a computer and allow ten computers of one rating to perform as one of one rating higher. That way your bigger than 4,000 T ship can have 10 factor 3 computers, which is expensive and takes up a lot of precious space, but is still doable.


Hans </font>[/QUOTE]That sounds even better, from my point of view, than the "mere" x2 penalty I mentioned before.