• Registered: 2009-12-28
  • Posts: 9

Topic: Nova Arc modifier question

Ok, just got the book today and I'm trying to sort out the new system. 
It is not clear to me what the arc numbers are doing. 
Example    I have a FF1  and an AA2 weapon (which seems to represent 1 FF gun and 2 AA arc guns).  When I shoot in the FF arc, step one is arc modifier which would seem to be -1.  Shooting in the AA arc would give me a -2 modifier.
But from what I understand from the construction rules, AA2 means I have 2 guns in that arc, yet if I shoot in the AA arc its a -2 modifier (and the more negatives means less attacks generally).  So I THINK I really should be taking the arc modifiers from all guns that CAN"T shoot, thus shooting at the FF arc target is a -2 (from the AA2 weapons) and the AA arc target has a -1 modifier.

Is this close to being right?

Poliorcetes

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

Poliorcetes wrote:

Ok, just got the book today and I'm trying to sort out the new system. 
It is not clear to me what the arc numbers are doing. 
Example    I have a FF1  and an AA2 weapon (which seems to represent 1 FF gun and 2 AA arc guns).  When I shoot in the FF arc, step one is arc modifier which would seem to be -1.  Shooting in the AA arc would give me a -2 modifier.
But from what I understand from the construction rules, AA2 means I have 2 guns in that arc, yet if I shoot in the AA arc its a -2 modifier (and the more negatives means less attacks generally).  So I THINK I really should be taking the arc modifiers from all guns that CAN"T shoot, thus shooting at the FF arc target is a -2 (from the AA2 weapons) and the AA arc target has a -1 modifier.

Is this close to being right?

Poliorcetes

You had it right in the first part. The number after is arc designation is not the number of guns, but the arc modifier with the minus sign omitted "for clarity."
So for your example above, the arcs would read FF(minus)1 and AA(minus)2. In the example above the FF battery would have more weapons in it than the AA, therefore it will have a higher base chance to hit on the chart as it only moves -1 right while the other battery would move two places to the right. Does that make sense?
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Erik

  • Registered: 2009-12-28
  • Posts: 9

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

Ok, so I finally found page 49 that explains how the firing arcs are created. 
But the Drydock doesn't seem to let you put in a FF0?  How do you create a single gun on the Drydock page?
I see that the SU calculation multiplies the arc factor (thus 0 isn't allowed), but page 49 clearly shows the 85-100% range to give an arc modifier of 0.  What am I missing?

Poliorcetes

  • Registered: 2006-01-17
  • Posts: 740

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

To have one weapon firing into an arc, such as the FF arc, just type in FF1.  If you put in FF0, the "0" means in the arc, no weapons in the FF arc.  One weapon would be FF1, not FF0.  Once you get the idea, it gets much easier.
Cheers

  • Registered: 2009-12-28
  • Posts: 9

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

Yes but the problem is an Arc modifier of -1 according to the table represents a battery making up <85% of the total batteries.  ie. 1 gun is equal to 100% of the battery's, thus is equal to an arc modifier of 0 according to the chart.  Yet I have to label it as a -1 on the drydock calculator.
What am I missing about this chart?

Poliorcetes

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

Poliorcetes wrote:

Yes but the problem is an Arc modifier of -1 according to the table represents a battery making up <85% of the total batteries.  ie. 1 gun is equal to 100% of the battery's, thus is equal to an arc modifier of 0 according to the chart.  Yet I have to label it as a -1 on the drydock calculator.
What am I missing about this chart?

Poliorcetes

If you are using the Drydock forget the chart on page 49.
BeowulfJB is saying enter the number of weapons after the Arc not a modifier.

Of course such things are a bit clearer in shipyard nove. wink

Paul

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

When building a ship on the Drydock, enter the number of weapons after the arc. When you print the ship display, it will convert to firing arc modifiers automatically.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2009-12-28
  • Posts: 9

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

I think I finally got this figured out.  You INPUT the number of weapons on the spreadsheet, but the ARC Modifier doesn't show until you PRINT it.    ie LOOKing at the spreadsheet you see the number of total batteries but the PRINT version only shows the dice modifier (arc modifier) of the involved group of batteries.
I thought there might be a glitch seeing how none of the ships in the book have any xx1 designations but I was able to create it on the spreadsheet.  Since a -1 requires a 70% makeup, unless you have a lot of weapon batteries you will rarely put enough batteries in to get to the -1 modifier.

A basic summary of batteries and their resulting arc modifiers
1 = 0
2 batteries, each will be -2 (50%) modifier
3 seperate batteries = -3
4 = -4
5 = -5
6 = still -5
7 = -6 (14.28 rounds down to 14%)
8 = -6
etc.

interestingly you can only get the -1 with a very specific setup (ie out of 10 batteries, need a grouping of 7 and 3, 8 and 2 or 6/4).

overall not very relevant but it helps me get a better feel for what the results mean now.  It is hard to re-learn the visual ship layout system.  The arc numbers simply reflect dice adjustments instead of # of batteries (or perhaps better stated, the arc modifier reflects the computed damage value of the batteries)

Poliorcetes

  • Registered: 2012-05-31
  • Posts: 1

Re: Nova Arc modifier question

good thing that you finally figure it out which means that you are already get your satisfaction and fulfillment of your work.