Archive through April 08, 2006
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board:
New Rules:
(FD) New Drones:
Seahorse Drones:
Archive through April 08, 2006
You can program an ATG to lock onto a certain size class or larger. In the rules it can't distinguish between friendly and non-friendly units, but that's the price one pays for ATG. There's also some variations on that theme that I think don't quite gybe with your observations, because you're not really injecting intelligence into the machine so much as giving it instructions on where to go and what to target. Similarly I think it'd be easy to set a delay on the drone's drive to go one speed for X amount of time, and then to kick into high gear when that time is elapsed.
I can see your perspective, but I don't think it's as stark as you believe it. An ATG seahorse could be kicked out the rack, say at speed ten, and then set to activate when the propper SC target strolls on by, which is nearly pretty much how they work anyway (minus the speed change).
We give the Seahorse drone a MID-FLIGHT TARGET AQUISITION SYSTEM and you've got your captor drone.
What rules apply and how many BPV it costs I've got no idea.
Yeah, but that doesn't make it a Super-Intelligent drone. It has a few more abilities than a standard drone (hence the increased cost), but it's target aquisition is already factored into the cost of an ATG.
I guess I just don't see why it needs two sensor channels to be controlled. That seems kind of an arbitrary penalty particularly since ATGs don't need sensor channels to begin with.
I would suggest this be a drone modual, and put into some addendum in a future expansion (J3?). Thus a multiple (dual) speed drone-thing can be fitted to anyother type of drone without any weird special rules designed to try and balance the weapon.
Just my thoughts 
Like I said; I have an agenda, and I freely admit it. I want this weapon for the current So. SF Bay Area Campaign.
I guess it depends on super inteligent.
The drone is only a SC7 object ( I think the 1/3 control channel per fight really f's things up...a lot of people are going to want a higher drone control rater, afterall dones are doinf quat but move and the fighters have to fire weapons and stuff ) and as a SC7 object it just doesn't have the room to devote the high volumes of computers to do the kinds of singnal interpolation ( yeah right ) that would allow it to hit it's target.
Consequently it needs an entire control channel held open to signal it where to go and an entire drone control channel to signal it when to change speed and to what speed to change.
When the drone goes to ATG it no longer needs to receive a speed control signal.
Hmmm, well, maybe. I can see where you're coming from, but I don't see a speed change as being all that difficult for an ATG. I mean you kick the thing out the rack and it fends for itself, unless you decide to retain control over it. This is how ATGs work. You program them, and send them out into the big wide world
I think the difficulty in a speed change really lies with the player's ability to get the timing right for the program. I think you're very right to be concerned about an ATG seahorse, because it certainly could have a great versitility, and power if employed right. But assigning it an extra sensor channel for it's speed change, I think, is relying too much on the game mechanics to try and balance it.
Like you said, playtesting will dictate the seahorsies future Myself, as long as I'm playing a drone-chuker I'm all for new and unique drone technologies.
Anyway, thanks for being civil in this discourse. Keep coming up with ideas.
MJC; are you sure you understand how active terminal guidance works?
Gee...ummmm...
Active...NOT PASSIVE.
Terminal...until the end.
Gidance...control.
Which translates to:- Control by it'self until striking the target.
Does anyone other than SVC really understand how ATG works?
It's a simple computer to control the drone to its target.
A simple computer does the best it can to hit the target.
"The best it can" with reguard to hitting the target, if it is simple, is to just jump up to full speed.
Also since ATG only activates at R8 ( or less ) the drone is so near the end of it's flight that the designers are likely to think that the "jump up to max speed and give the ADDs something less to shoot at" routine might be important.
You know, I reread through our exchange, and I'm still just not clear on why you're insisting on a control space for a seahorse version of an ATG. ATGs control themselves. They are not controlled by ships. This is why I asked the question, because reading our dialogue it's not clear to me you understand the rules for ATG. I'm not trying to be insulting, I'm just trying to clear up any misunderstanding.
What justifies a control space for a speed change?
So, mjc, did you ever read up on the ATG rules?
Well I don't really understand your question.
My point on ATG is this:-
The drone normally requires two drone control channels, one for drone guidance and the other to receive signals of any speed changes.
If the drone switches to ATG then the drone no long needs drone guidance and also no longer needs speed change signals because the simple ATG computer in a seahorse drone, simply jams up the speed until the thing maxes out because it isn't smart enough to do anything else.
Net result when you switch a Seahorse drone to ATG it requires from that point, zero control channels...but is a pretty lousey seahorse drone from that point.
Okay, but if you launch it in either Tame-Boar or Wild-Boar mode, then you don't need control channels.
This is why I was so confused. Why would the seahorsey need control channels if launched in either of those modes? That was my real question
The ATG drone guidance computer just isn't smart enough to know when to "surprise that enemy ship with a speed change".
On the other hand the human drone control officer, is reasonably intuitive and can spot the "right time" to make a speed change and to which level (within the accelleration rules).
So the designers put in a simple sub-routine. If switched to ATG then drone goes as fast as it can.
Note the drones can be launched at any speed level just like type VII & VIII drones ( because they have a very similar throttling mechanism) so the drone is not required to be launched at maximum speed.
I haven't checked the ATG rules but I think you're speaking of MW settings and I don't really think a type VI drone is large enough to mount the special systems for it to be a seahorse drone.
A list of Triggers like a T-bomb might be possible, but would have to be written before launch...and you'ld be just as good at those for a playtest rule as I would be.
Also I like the setting of drone speeds at the standard "levels" as they create in and of themselves rather having the speed set at what ever speed is exactly one speed change from speed 32.
But you could program it to change speeds some time after it aquired a target lock. Thus you'd avoid the need to have it controlled.
With a simple timing command...
Whether or not a player then has the skill to make an "uncontrolled" seahorse drone effectively mix with his drone wave is anybody's guess.
Well, it's your baby, and the So. SF Bay Area campaign is dead, so... good luck with it
But I still think you ought to read the ATG rules.
Okay, answer me this; how do a tame boar and wild boar need a sensor channel. 
If you had a seahorse tame-bore, it would jump up to maximum speed in the shortest possible time ( under the one change per 8 impulses limit ) as any ATG guided seahorse drone would.
Teoretically rules could be written to allow a wild-bore to use way points liked to speed changes but it's simpler to say, that it jumps to maximin speed ASAP.
you've been beating this horse since 2002, it's dead jim.
In the immortal words of the Earth's greatest Philosopher.
"Ain't I a stinker?"
you want an answer to that?
Only if it's; "I know some fast women and they want to meet you."
I could quote some Rolling Stones lyrics here...
Better to simply say you don't want an answer.
mjc; but, explain to me that if Tame and Wild boar drones don't need an extra sensor channel (by definition they don't use a ship's sensors for guidance), then why... oh why... do standard ATG need them????? 
That's all I'm asking
They don't.
Swapping from ATG means the Seahorse accellerates as best it can.