You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Play nice. (This means you.)
Logins from the previous forum have been carried over; if you have difficulty logging in, please try resetting your password before contacting us. Attachments did not survive the migration--many apologies, but we're lucky we kept what we could!
mj12games.com/forum → Starmada → SFB Andromedans in Starmada
I've always enjoyed the Andromedans in SFB and would like to convert those ships into the Starmanda AE format. Has anyone figured out how to configure a ship with power absorbers?
YDB :idea:
what do power absorbers do in SFB?
I haven't played the Andromedans (Andros) in a while, but if I remember correctly, in lieu of shields, Andros use power absorbers (PA). As a ship receives shield damage, PAs will store the energy which could be used to power other systems, almost like a battery, and can discharge a certain amount per turn. The down side is when the PA receives too much energy and can not divert to power systems or discharge, the ship will instead release that energy as internal damage. I think other PAs,that had recieved energy, could be damaged and release their energy as well, causing a chain reaction of internal damage--that would be very bad.
In SFB, Andro ships are very difficult to beat and as the story line goes, the effort to beat the Andros required all the star races to ally and fight in teams. The Andros were eventually beaten back...for a time.
YDB
Funny, it works the same way as the shadows tendrils (B5 Universe, B5 wars rules).
As Starmada doesn't use energy, I have no idea how it could be simulated.
Maybe by using weapons with random ROF/IMP/DMG to simulate the fact that energy is not always available.
Marc
Madpax,
I think you gave me an idea. Yes, PAs are energy based, and in SFB, energy (as well as speed) is life. Starmada seems to incorporate energy into the ship design and systems; damage, then, becomes the factor that reduces the effectiveness (life) of a ship. So, my idea for PAs is to have a save roll (sort of like that in 40K). When a ship receives damage, base that save roll on how big the PA is (depicted in its shield rating, 1=6+/2=5+/3=4+/4-5=3+). If the roll is successful, the damage is ignored. If the save roll is missed than the ship receives the damage. Specifically, if the save roll is missed by 1 point (i.e., you need a 6 and you roll a 5), the targeted ship receives normal damage; if the save roll is missed by 2 or more (i.e., you need a 3-6 but roll a 1) the damage is double to reflect the chain reaction affect.
Does anyone believe this could be worked out fairly into Starmada scenarios? What do ya'll think?
YDB
That doesn't really model the effects. I remember Andys very well. PA failure wasn't usually gradual but catastrophic. The PA absorbs any weaps until full, then detonates, this can be mitigated by bleeding off a percentage, transferring power to a Power Module an ejecting it, or using the power in ships systems. In battle the Andies power would increase dramatically as they took hits. Unlike 99% of all other races, the Andies would quickly go to firing all weapons at maximum power (including overload IIRC) as well as maximum movement and displacements. While a battle group could take down a single Andy by concentrating enough firepower to overload the PA's with more power than the single ship could use. Multiple Andies were very nasty with individuals being able to displace away to bleed power while the other ships maintained the pressure on the enemy. Two Andy CA's could shred a Fed CA in short order.
In general in SFB a ship cannot maintain and fire all its weapons and shields and still be able to maneuver. An Andy ship could operate all weapons and maneuvers at maximum within the first few hits received and maintain that maximum level of output while their opponents are struggling to balance power consumption.
When the PA's overload, I have never seen it deal dribbles of damage. Normally once you loss a PA, the rest chain and the ship pops like a blister.
I don't know how you would model it, but the Andies firepower should increase as it takes hits plus it should gain MP's. That is until that critical point when the PA's overload and it blows up. The big thing is that in practice, in all the games I ever played, when a PA finally overloads the ship generally becomes an expanding cloud of gas and debris.
Good point. Missed the Andy power spike and increase in combat effectiveness while in a short fight. Will have to massage a better model that represents both the positive and negative characteristics of PAs.
Seems you're suggesting a possible increase in speed and in weapons usage (maybe a ROF increase)--question is, by how much should both increase? As far as the PA failure and the catastrophic affects, it should be tide to the shield factor (which would be the PA rating).
Maybe the PA rating could represent the number of hits it can hold, being able to discharge a certain amount per turn: some to speed or the displacement move, some for a change in ROF, or some just radiated into space. If the rating is exceed by additional damage received during the turn, then the "pops-like-a-blister" occurs. The PAs release their damage held as well as the damage being received. Doesn't work well for a PA rating of 1, though.
Just some ramblings here, but I would love to see Andros in Starmada. Any other recommendations out there?
YDB
Now that FC: War and Peace is out, the potential Andro rule sets that could be considered as a basis for conversion is increased, plus the layout that Star Fleet Armada modules mean that you'd only need one other module to pair its ship list with to have a range of Andromedan, ISC and Vudar ships ready to go.
PA's could add to a linked weapon's ROF, or ship's speed.
PA's are assigned to a shield facing, like in SFB.
Ship has ratings for each PA - like 10/5/3.
The ratings are:
- the amount of damage it can absorb in a turn.
- the additional ROF that can be added to a linked weapon in a turn.
- the amount of speed that can added in a turn.
Once you've taken the amount of damage it can absorb in a turn PLUS ONE, the PA explodes, releasing that amount of damage into the ship.
mj12games.com/forum → Starmada → SFB Andromedans in Starmada
Powered by PunBB, supported by Informer Technologies, Inc.