Federation Commander

mojo jojo · Lieutenant Commander Joined: 23 Jun 2009 Posts: 340

Can a ship choose to preload only a few photons/hellbores before the game starts in order to retain more power in batteries? For example, if a ship has 4 photons and 5 batteries, can it choose to preload 1 and retain 3 power or preload 2 and retain 1 power in batteries?

Scoutdad · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 2:07 am Post subject:

While I'm not certain I see the reasoning behind that choice, I'd say that you could do that.
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mjwest · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:15 am Post subject:

No. The preload is an "all-or-nothing" affair. (Honestly, I don't think that scenario was even thought of.)
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Hod K'el · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 4:51 am Post subject:

How can it be all or nothing if you do not have the power to load all four photons? (Yep, you confused me again...which is pretty easy to do nowadays.)

And come to think about it, I thought the objective was a simplified game...so why allow preloading at all?

And why do I not get to preload disruptors, then choose later to overload or not? And do not give me any garbage about multiple turn arming because my plasmas are multiple arming also, so do they fit in with 'all or nothing'?

And now this begs why I cannot preload a suicide shuttle?

The people that CHOOSE to take a Hydran or Fed ship know what they are getting into, which is why I disagree with the preloading rule.
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mjwest · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 5:55 am Post subject:

OK, let's go slowly.

The whole point of pre-loading is to allow ships with two-turn arming weapons the ability to fire the weapon on the first turn of the scenario. That is it. As compensation for this tactical advantage, you suffer the tactical disadvantage of having empty batteries.

You aren't really getting free energy. Instead, it is assumed that the ship spent the normal amount of arming energy on turn 0. So, our Fed CA with four photons and four batteries still spent eight points of energy to pre-load the photons on turn 0. It doesn't just spend the four points of energy in the batteries. However, the batteries are assumed empty, as the ship is spending all of its available energy to pre-load the photons and get to the scenario as quickly as possible.

By "all or nothing" I am referring to pre-loading specific weapons. You either pre-load all of your photons/hellbores/ion cannons, or none of them. You can't pre-load one photon, and leave the rest unloaded.

You can't pre-load suicide shuttles because they are single-turn arming weapons.

Finally, you can pre-load disruptors. No problem. Of course, your disruptors will have been discharged at the end of turn 0, so the only effect of pre-loading disruptors is you have empty batteries. But, if you want to pre-load disruptors, more power to you.

Besides, single-turn arming weapons have their own advantage over multi-turn arming weapons: Single-turn arming weapons don't use energy until the moment of fire. Multi-turn arming weapons must commit to arming during energy allocation. This is a non-trivial advantage.

As you say, people who CHOOSE disruptor armed ships know what they are getting into. It is all tactical trade-offs. Choose the ones you are most comfortable with.
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mojo jojo · Lieutenant Commander Joined: 23 Jun 2009 Posts: 340

Ok, how about if an Orion ship has a mix of Hellbores/Photons. Can it choose to preload ONLY the Hellbores or ONLY the Photons and leave the other weapon system empty to save power on batteries?

Scoutdad · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 1:09 pm Post subject:

Mike:
OK, I can see that... maybe you only had enough energy left over at the end of hypothetical Turn 0 to pre-load one Photon Torpedo; so you load it and there's nothing left for batteries...

Mojo:
Based on Mike's explanation of hte all-or-nothing preloading, I'm gonna guess that the hypothetical HB/PHOT question has the same answer - all or nothing.
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Mike · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 7:51 pm Post subject:

MJWest wrote:

Hod K'el · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 7:59 pm Post subject:

mjwest · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:08 pm Post subject:

OK, I will send the appeal to Steve.
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storeylf · Fleet Captain Joined: 24 Jul 2008 Posts: 1897

It was so much simpler when it was a use all the battery, then it would be a pointless question.

Its what happens when you tweak the rules for a few corner cases, and before long people want more exceptions, or rules added to allow x, y or z. Bang goes the FC keep it simple in a paragraph, and in comes the SFB style exception 1.1.2.a and condition 3.3.4. etc all in the name of 'realism'.

Please keep it as it is, all or nothing, as hod says - you know what you are getting into when you choose a ship/weapons.

mjwest · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:29 pm Post subject:

mjwest · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 9:00 pm Post subject:

Hod K'el · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:15 pm Post subject:

Because I am using two points of battery that I don't have on Turn 0. So where does that power come from? If it is all or nothing, then it is always nothing.
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Life is not victory;
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mjwest · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 2:28 am Post subject: