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mj12games.com/forum → Starmada → Most Effective Facings
Hi, I am curious which are the most generally effective firing arcs for the most common configurations? Rule of thumb kind of information. I appreciate the help.
Regards,
-Emiricol
I tend to use ACE and BDF for a lot of my designs.....
John
Hi, I am curious which are the most generally effective firing arcs for the most common configurations? Rule of thumb kind of information. I appreciate the help.
Regards,
-Emiricol
Facing the enemy... :wink:
Sorry Jeremy couldn't help myself.
-Ian
My preferences run to ABC and ABD, dropping to ABCE and ABDF on DN style hulls. Both let you consolidate all your firepower out of AB, while giving you a bit more coverage on the flanks.
While alot of ships have only AB arc coverage, I generally recommend against it. Though it gives you more throw weight for your CR, its both potentially vulnerable to flanking and encourages a 'sit at the board edge and turn to shoot at your foe' playstyle that just isnt much fun for anyone involved.
Funny, I tend to use AB arcs on my heavy weapons, to keep mass down, and ABC, ABD, ACE, BDF on my medium and small weapons for better coverage.
It depends on the movement system you are using.
If the basic Starmada system ("tank-like"), then it's usually best to put the big guns in a smallish arc (AB, for example) as it is relatively easy to bring the necessary side to bear on the enemy.
If using a cinematic, inertia-type system (a la Full Thrust), it is probably better to focus on broadsides (ACE/BDF) as there will be a lot of passing...
For smaller weapons, it's probably best to have all-around coverage to fend off pesky fighters.
As Dan said, you need wider arcs if you use the Full Thrust movement...
I have found that drones and fighters, along with a floating battlefield, tend to get rid of the "battle's edge" campers......
In addition, in our group and dependent on the race of your fleet, we also use a modified fire arc system, with the arcs following the hexsides for movement... we number them 1 through 6... with 1 being foward, 2 being port foward, 3 being starboard foward, 4 is port aft, 5 is starboard aft, and 6 is directly aft.
It works without changing the spreadsheets, and allows one of our fleets (based on the Homeworld computer game) to use the frigates as designed in the game.... he has an "Ion Frigate" which uses a 3/2/2 weapon in the 1 fire arc as it's sole weapon (the 3 rof is to simulate the duration of fire). In addition, it also allows his "Assault Frigates to carry the plasma bomb launchers in the 1 arc, to support the turrets, during the initial advance... and then the railgun turrets as the ship moves around the battle edge.
Our Trek style player actually uses both fire arc styles, to simulate the "Phaser Strips" on the TNG ships.... he uses the overlapping arcs to simulate what is seen on the show.... and if he loses a weapon, we assume that it simulates damage to a portion of the strip, but that the rest is working.
John
I tend to go for AC/BD arcs myself, mainly to give the opportunity of an overlap on the centreline, but also to give flank coverage. AB arcs I use also for heavy weapons, primarily if I want a kill zone in front of my vessel. Lighter weapons get a 180 degree arc some of the time, or 240 degrees if I've got the SUs. I prefer 2 arcs for heavy weapons though--unless they're more of a medium weapon, in which case I go for three arcs.
If I haven't confused you by now, congratulations!
Most of my Starmada ships are designed as 'World War II warships in space', similar to the Star Blazers conversion of the Yamato. Except for a few ships, my ships all have their weapons in ABCD arcs or in CDEF arcs. This means that all weapons can only fire in C or D arc. All of these ships have Overthrusters which guarantees that they will be able to fire a broadside.
(Most of my heaviest battleships are now mass 16).
:!:
The USS Texas and USS Arkansas designs have some heavy weapons in CD arcs to represent the unusual design of these ships, which I have made mass 15 ships.
When I play, I usually form my ships into a battle line and blast away at the enemy. Using maneuver and the overthrusters, I keep the enemy in C or D arc. All of the heavy guns hit on 3+ and fire out to 18. My battleships have speed 6.
I only have the heavy guns of the ships represented on my Starmada ships, all in "a" battery.
The secondary weapons that WW2 ships were armed with are all represented by the Point Defense system that all my ships carry. This works well. My ships are similar to the FRAX in Star Fleet Battles.
I've found that it depends on the playstyle you want; lately I've been playing with ships inspired by Age of Sail ships of the line, using primarily short-range C & D arcs (for broadsides) and it really turns the game into one of maneuver; I find this more fun, though of course YMMV.
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