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Effects of Scale on Maneuverability and Acceleration
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Raven Redstar
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

garhkal wrote:
Raven Redstar wrote:
Maybe do -1D per 33%? Which means a full load will knock off 3D maneuverability which kills pretty much any sort of transport, only the super modified ones will have a chance of having anything left.


I can get behind that. Though would the -1d apply even if say the ship HAS no maneuverability dice?


That's an interesting idea, at some point the ship is so sluggish that it takes a really good pilot to be able to make her maneuver when she's loaded down. I would say it would be a GM's call on the fly.
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vanir
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 3:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
As far as pilots reducing the G-loads of a maneuver by choice. That's not entirely true. Not all aircraft can take the same G-loading.

But it is entirely true when you're talking about toning down the manoeuvre to keep the same induced g-loading in the same aircraft at a higher mass loading as I was.
You're talking about different craft. I'm talking about how you have to fly the same craft differently.

I do concede about Space units vs MGLT. Because I think in piloting terms of throttle input = thrust delivery, the force being expressed with throttle input is against drag rather than mass, combined with the atmosphere rating it was making me think of space rating in terms of velocity.

But it's still true about manoeuvre. You don't need to reduce your manoeuvre for a heavier load in the same craft if you simply slow down. Thus a load doesn't affect intrinsic manoeuvrability, it just exceeds G-limitations of the structure at lower speeds.
Hence you can either go more slowly in velocity and turn just as hard as before, or go easier on turns and go as fast as before, when you increase your mass load on the same craft.

Not talking about 747 vs F-15. Talking about 747 vs 747, or F-15 vs F-15, at two different loads.



That's okay, I get that you're going with what you're doing and I fully support that. As mentioned this exercise by me is as always for my own peace of mind to create the best GM ruleset for me.
If anyone's interested I'm going with concession that space rating does in fact reduce under heavy loads to reflect inertial effects of mass, seeing it represents MGLT acceleration.
On top of this pilots should reduce velocity in manoeuvres when under heavy loads. Not so much throttle when turning to keep stuctural integrity within limits specification for the craft.
I'm not taking dice off manoeuvre, but doing violent manoeuvres at more than 50% load exceeds safety limitations. This is exactly what happens in aircraft IRL.
The last two bits are under pilot RP discretion, but will result in game effect if handled badly.
And I'm going to use a cargo analogue of fuel load modifications to pilot guidelines in aircraft as taught in actual flight training. Less than half fuel = full performance, light load = performance increase, more than half fuel = reduced performance. Analoguous to cargo capacity in SWU spacecraft, 0-10% cargo +1 space rating, 11-50% cargo listed space rating, 51-100% cargo -1 space rating.
Other than that game effect, the only change is piloting guidelines. Not so much throttle in turns (restrict the number of moves in the same round you manoeuvre). Or else go softer on the manoeuvre (don't do a 180 at 3-4 moves, just do slow turns or slow down).

Like I said, I get you won't be doing this. But it's where I'm coming down on it all happy.
I do really appreciate the thread, it helped me get that sorted. It was about the only area of starship combat I hadn't rewritten more realistically.
Like I've put in BVR versus BFM where you have to use sensors to get fire control locks, use Search rolls in BFM to dogfight properly, I've put in an ECM/ECCM phase when engaging enemy craft, etc.
Just hadn't worked out throttle and manoeuvre control for piloting guidelines yet, but that's sorted now. Cheers Smile
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atgxtg
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

garhkal wrote:
Raven Redstar wrote:
Maybe do -1D per 33%? Which means a full load will knock off 3D maneuverability which kills pretty much any sort of transport, only the super modified ones will have a chance of having anything left.


I can get behind that. Though would the -1d apply even if say the ship HAS no maneuverability dice?


I can't because not all 33%s are the same. For a big bulk freighter, the majority of the craft is probably cargo, while on a small courier ship the cargo hold is probably only a token amount of the overall mass.
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atgxtg
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vanir wrote:
Quote:
As far as pilots reducing the G-loads of a maneuver by choice. That's not entirely true. Not all aircraft can take the same G-loading.

But it is entirely true when you're talking about toning down the manoeuvre to keep the same induced g-loading in the same aircraft at a higher mass loading as I was.


But if you are reducing speed to pull off a maneuver you aren't as maneuverable. THat is what maneuverability means. Look at cars. A performace car can make turnsd at high speed than something like a VW Beeltle can't make at speed. Sure if the VW slows down, it can make the same turn as a Ferriari, but the Ferriri is far more maneverable.

Quote:

You're talking about different craft. I'm talking about how you have to fly the same craft differently.


Oh, do you mean that if you overload a vehicle you have to turn slower and generally handle it more carefully to avoid overstressing the frame or engine?


[quote]
I do concede about Space units vs MGLT. Because I think in piloting terms of throttle input = thrust delivery, the force being expressed with throttle input is against drag rather than mass, combined with the atmosphere rating it was making me think of space rating in terms of velocity.

[quote]
But it's still true about manoeuvre. You don't need to reduce your manoeuvre for a heavier load in the same craft if you simply slow down. Thus a load doesn't affect intrinsic manoeuvrability, it just exceeds G-limitations of the structure at lower speeds. [/qoute]

But that is reducing your maneuverability. For example, let's say you got two vechiels in a dogfight. Sure one can slow down to make the same turns as the more maneuverable craft, but in so doing the slower vehicle will fall behind and lose the maneuverability war.

A very good example would be a maneuver war between a man and a missile. In the real world the man can change direction much easier than the missile, but he is going so slow that he really couldn't dodge the thing.

BTW, if it helps, I do run a houserule where the speed affects the difficulty of any maneuvers.

Quote:

Hence you can either go more slowly in velocity and turn just as hard as before, or go easier on turns and go as fast as before, when you increase your mass load on the same craft.

Not talking about 747 vs F-15. Talking about 747 vs 747, or F-15 vs F-15, at two different loads.


Yes you can, but the G forces are related to the square of the velocity. So to half the G forces a vehcile would have to go 1/4th as fast.




As far as keeping maneuvers under a limit. You might want to consider using any maneuver dice above the ship's Hull rating as damage dice. THat would help to explain why TIE fighters only have 2D maneuverability despite their high Thrust-mass-ratio.
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jmanski
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While I don't equate a ship's Space to acceleration, I do think that top speed must be lowered for several reasons:
1. It has been done in Tramp Freighters for the cargo pods
2. There has to be a real penalty for over loading the vessel. Adding a million cargo pods would be possible if it only affected maneuverability. I'm sure there are folks out there willing to take a -1million d penalty to maneuver to fly more stuff around (they'll use the argument that they'll fly in a straight line and not turn....)
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Argentsaber
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Raven Redstar wrote:
garhkal wrote:
Raven Redstar wrote:
Maybe do -1D per 33%? Which means a full load will knock off 3D maneuverability which kills pretty much any sort of transport, only the super modified ones will have a chance of having anything left.


I can get behind that. Though would the -1d apply even if say the ship HAS no maneuverability dice?


That's an interesting idea, at some point the ship is so sluggish that it takes a really good pilot to be able to make her maneuver when she's loaded down. I would say it would be a GM's call on the fly.

I absolutely agree.. it seems like an inversion of the high difficulty of "difficult terrain" to me.
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Mamatried
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wouldn't all this only apply to atmospheric travel?

Space is weightless and thus size or mass don't affect speed as there is no real resistance ( yes there are micro particles and all that )

I can not see how size should matter on speed, or even manuverability as this would be dependent on the power of the manuvering thrusters used.
same goes with speed....both hyperdrive and Sublight speed.

In fact other than the extreme need for power, the even greater cost, I see no reason for star destroyers to not be super duper fast, even in the 10+ range and even have very good maneuverability as all this depends on the power of the systems used and not the size of the object in space.
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Raven Redstar
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Film evidence suggests otherwise with regards to how ISDs handle in space.

Chasing the Milennium Falcon in ESB. They nearly collide with one another because they're unable to make the sorts of z-axis turns that his ship does, and it's shown again when they choose to go into the asteroid field after him.

Even if there's no gravity in space, the ships themselves have gravity generators or plating so that crew and passengers can walk around. If the ship starts making crazy maneuvers, the crew will feel the G-force effect, and if gravity is disabled, then they find themselves slammed against walls, the ceiling, and the floor.
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Mamatried
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Raven Redstar wrote:
Film evidence suggests otherwise with regards to how ISDs handle in space.

Chasing the Milennium Falcon in ESB. They nearly collide with one another because they're unable to make the sorts of z-axis turns that his ship does, and it's shown again when they choose to go into the asteroid field after him.

Even if there's no gravity in space, the ships themselves have gravity generators or plating so that crew and passengers can walk around. If the ship starts making crazy maneuvers, the crew will feel the G-force effect, and if gravity is disabled, then they find themselves slammed against walls, the ceiling, and the floor.



And is this due to the ship's size or lack of or weak maneuvering thrusters?

As to maneuver I would agree a huge ship would be rated low due to the power needed, however there could be ways to improve this.

As to speed, if we look to earth and the various wet navies, we see a battleship actually cruising about 30 knot flat, a speed more than many private "speed" boats and enough to waterski behind. with more to go if need be, and yes these have a lower maneuver rating than a smaller but eually fast, faster or even slower ship.

Destroyers even in the 1940s could cruise at 25+ knots, again waterskiing speeds.

What I am saying is that the ships are made that way, other ships of same size could be designed otherwise and be better on both speed and maneuver.

Remember the empire was "cheap".........
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

D6 Space did something along these lines by increasing the Difficulty of all Piloting rolls by +5 for every degree of overload (i distinctly recall reading it, but now I can't seem to find the reference). For example, even a single degree of overload (say 50%) increases even Free Actions to standard actions at Very Easy Difficulty. This effectively ties the degree to which a craft can be overloaded directly to the pilot's skill level.
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yomama360
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mamatried wrote:
Wouldn't all this only apply to atmospheric travel?

Space is weightless and thus size or mass don't affect speed as there is no real resistance ( yes there are micro particles and all that )

I can not see how size should matter on speed, or even manuverability as this would be dependent on the power of the manuvering thrusters used.
same goes with speed....both hyperdrive and Sublight speed.

In fact other than the extreme need for power, the even greater cost, I see no reason for star destroyers to not be super duper fast, even in the 10+ range and even have very good maneuverability as all this depends on the power of the systems used and not the size of the object in space.


In space (away from a planet) your ship still has mass, just nothing nearby for it to gravitate to. Only other difference in an atmosphere is that the atmosphere would slow the ship down and cause drag depending on how aerodynamic the object.

The more mass (weight) the ship has, the more energy/ power/ thrust required to move it around, regardless of whether there is a planet nearby or not. So I agree that the maneuverability is based on power of the engines, but RELATIVE to the mass of the object in space. So yes, mass does matter.

In game terms, the way I imagine it, a ship with high maneuverability would have powerful turning thrusters relative to it's mass. So it makes sense that a loaded freighter would lose maneuverability. High maneuverability might also mean it can handle g-forces and abrupt changes better. I interpret the "speed" rating to be the power of the forward (and reverse) thrusters relative to ship mass for speeding up and slowing down.
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CRMcNeill
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Giving this a bump because I've had a new thought that applies to it...

For those of you who haven't looked at it, Mini-D6 is an evolution of 1E Star Wars D6. One of the new rules included in the system is the Speed Scale. Under Mini-D6, vehicles all use Speed Codes, ala 1E Star Wars, and the Speed Codes simulate differences in relative speed between characters on foot, ground vehicles, aircraft and spacecraft. Here's the chart:
    Walking / Muscle-powered = 0D
    Ground Vehicles = +2D
    Aircraft = +5D
    Spacecraft = +10D

Now, this doesn't really apply to Speed in the 2R&E system, but I do see another application for it.

I have long been looking for a way to represent how different vehicles interacting with the same terrain might have advantages and disadvantages based on their mode of propulsion, and I think the Speed Codes are a way to do it.

Here's what I'm thinking:
    1) Throw out the Spacecraft Code, as there isn't really going to be a lot of crossover between it and the others.

    2). When dealing with walking, repulsor/wheeled and/or flying vehicles dealing with the same terrain, all other things being equal, apply the Speed Code dice as penalties to Piloting rolls vs. the Terrain conditions.

For example, let's suppose the local terrain is at Easy base Difficulty (driving a speeder through a sparse forest). Any characters who are walking (as well as Walkers) roll against the same terrain at +2D to the appropriate skill. Aircraft may almost always fly above any surface terrain conditions, but if they attempt to fly below a certain altitude (or in locations with altitude restrictions, such as a cave or under a theater shield), they must roll their Piloting skill with a -3D penalty.

Certain ground vehicles (tracked, hovercraft and off-road modified repulsorlifts) would have their penalty reduced to -1D, but would still not be as "All-Terrain" capable as walkers or characters/creatures on foot.
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