09-04-2011, 01:00 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Not in your time zone:D
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Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
How do you spot the weakspots in Spaceship armour or rather, what Sensors do you use?
The task is on pg52, calling for "success by 5+" but: Is it Passive sensors or Active sensors? If Active then do you use the mods from pg44? eg Skill#, SM+10 vessel, -53 @ 600,000 miles, +20 telescopic vision level 10 zoomed in, +10 plain sight, +24 silhouetted deep space, +10 fusion torch IR signature = skill#+21? or if they've a stealth hull and are using a fuel cell and between you and a planet = skill#-9? I know there's a penalty for sensors beyond the listed range (-2 per doubling?) but can't remember where I found it before...
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"Sanity is a bourgeois meme." Exegeek PS sorry I'm a Parthian shootist: shiftwork + out of country = not here when you are:/ It's all in the reflexes Last edited by jacobmuller; 09-10-2011 at 12:15 PM. |
09-10-2011, 12:21 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Not in your time zone:D
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
It's been a week; hopefully a polite enough passage of
time for some necromancy Anyone know what sensors you use to spot Spaceship armour weakspots? And, if it's Active, what mods you might use? Or Where I might have found the -2 per x2 range for active sensors? TQ
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"Sanity is a bourgeois meme." Exegeek PS sorry I'm a Parthian shootist: shiftwork + out of country = not here when you are:/ It's all in the reflexes |
09-10-2011, 12:26 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
I'd use let you use any sensor array except a scientific one for the task, and include all mods except the IR signature - that should only apply to detecting the ship, not analyzing it.
The "-2 per x2 range" is from UT, and (IIRC) replaces the normal range modifier. I don't think it's used in Spaceships. |
09-10-2011, 12:49 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Spaceships detection rules are all about the passive sensors. Stuff is usually too far away for active sensors to be useful, and they'd generally be worse for detecting weak spots in armour, ever if they were useable.
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09-10-2011, 01:39 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Quote:
Active sensors are pretty useless at Spaceships detection ranges, but less so at Spaceships combat ranges.
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09-11-2011, 05:20 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Quote:
At long ranges (ie in space) you're just going to get a blob on radar of any kind, where infrared and optical telescopes will be able to resolve surface details. Then a roll against Engineer is required to infer from these images the details of the ship of interest. Example: Assuming equal aperture sizes (possible by Aperture Synthesis using sensors at most distant extremes of the ship). Your optical telescope is able to resolve surface details down to 10cm (approx 4 inches) on the surface of a ship of interest. At the same distance, imaging radar (and being generous with wavelengths based on those typically used) will be able to resolve details no smaller than 1 kilometer (approx 1000 yds). For this reason alone, I would argue that active sensors are pretty useless for detailed target analysis. |
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09-11-2011, 11:21 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: MO, U.S.A.
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
I think it would be a combination of sensors. For example the above mentioned IR sensors, Hot Spots may represent weak points where more heat can escape, or primary targets like power plants.
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09-11-2011, 10:14 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Cowtown, Canada
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Perhaps the heat blooming from Exhaust ports that a convenient photon torpedo can be tossed down? @:-)
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09-12-2011, 01:33 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Absolutely. I was mainly pointing out the reasons why optical and infrared wavelengths would be far more useful. Thermal radiation is in wavelengths only approx double that of optical wavelengths, as opposed to 5 orders of magnitude.
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09-12-2011, 01:54 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Not in your time zone:D
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Re: Finding the weak spot (spaceships, mostly)
Thanks, I'd never have bothered to think in terms of imaging resolution. Although I think I'll stick with the Active scan, eg if your optical resolution were 4 inches, then your radar could be 1-10 yardss, ie just enough detail for a missile to target.
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"Sanity is a bourgeois meme." Exegeek PS sorry I'm a Parthian shootist: shiftwork + out of country = not here when you are:/ It's all in the reflexes |
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