HTML conversion by Michael P. Owen, March 2000
Can you please do something to fix the problems with gas engines? And can you fix laser guidance while you're at it?
Too Many People to Mention
Too Many Locations to Mention
We've gotten so much mail on these two topics that this
issue's Backfire is devoted solely to them. David Ladyman and I,
with the help of Mike
Hurst and the members of the River City Autoduelling Association
(thanks, guys!) have come up with some possible solutions. Some
of these
are unofficial -- try them and tell us what you
think. We'll take the best ideas and print the final word in ADQ
6/2.
Gas Engines
First, the problems with gasoline engines:
1) They're too powerful when compared to electric engines -- the difference in weight overbalances the difference in cost.
2) It's possible to build a car with acceleration 10 but a top speed of only five or ten mph -- or, worse yet, a negative top speed.
3) Overdrive and HD transmission should be usable with gas.
4) There's too pronounced top speed breakpoint at 170.
The possible solutions:
1a) Increase the weight of gas engines. Right now they're too
light, but doubling them makes them too heavy. Do we double their
weight, pick
some number in between or just leave it alone?
1b) Require gas-powered cars to have a minimum acceleration
(before add-ons) of 10 mph -- in other words, require power
factors to be half or
more of weight. This is unsatisfying because the cars of 1988
often have accelerations of 5 mph.
1c) The superconductors and platinum catalysts that appear in this issue give electricity a few benefits to bring it more in line with gas. These gadgets are official.
2) The single best solution we've seen for this one is this:
The top speed of a non-oversized gas engine is given by the
formula (250 x power
factors) / (power factors + weight), rounding down to a multiple
of 2.5 mph. No other calculations are necessary, and the formula
applies
regardless of whether power factors exceed weight. Increases or
decreases to top speed due to accessories are simply added after
the
calculation: the artificial ceiling of 170 mph is lifted. For
example, a 6,595-lb. vehicle with a 400-cubic-inch blueprinted
engine with tubular
headers has a top speed of (250 x 7245) / (7245 + 6595) =
130.8. which rounds down to 130; that same vehicle with a
200-cubic-inch engine has a top speed of (250 x 2500) / (2500 +
6595) = 68.7, which rounds down to 67.5. This formula is more
complicated than the old system, but it works much better.
3) From now on you can use overdrive and HD transmissions with
gas engines, as in the same matter for electric plants. This
change is
official. These accessories will be more effective
under the new top speed rules.
4) The new top speed rules do away with the 170 mph breakpoint
-- alternate rules would have to address this issue.
Laser Guidance
These are the complaints we've received regarding laser guidance:
1) Infrared targeting lasers are too effective -- cheap, light, and invincible. They make the laser-reactive web worthless.
2) Laser guidance itself is too effective for its cost.
Consider a laser-guided VFRP (infrared targeting laser, of
course): you've got a +4 to hit for
$5,500, 50 lbs., and no extra space. Compare that to the $16,000,
100 lb., one space cyberlink also gives a +3 -- which do you
want? And you
can still add the cyberlink, for a final bonus of +7! Clearly,
something needs to be done.
And here are our answers.
1a) First, burning objects (FCEs, FOJs, burning wrecks) do block IR, both sighting systems and lasers. This change is official.
1b) Second, we're seriously considering changing targeting
lasers so that they only hit on a 6. We'll also change twin
lasers to hit on a 6 as
well. These changes limit an overused weapon and improved an
underused weapon, so it'll probably become official.
2a) Laser guidance is ineffective at point-blank range -- the
rockets are unguided because they haven't had time to lock onto
the laser beam.
This isn't official, but Mike Hurst, our staff reality expert,
considers it reasonable. Sounds good to me.
2b) If the guiding laser hits, rockets make to-hit rolls with
the laser's to-hit number. If the laser fails to hit, the rockets
are unguided, with to-hit
numbers calculated from a base 11. This is simple, but has the
net effect of making guidance more effective at close ranges than
long ranges,
which isn't reasonable.
2c) The guiding laser must hit. If it fails, the rockets automatically
miss. On the other hand, if the laser hits, each rocket will
hit on a roll of 1-5
(on one die). Mike says this is the most reasonable fix, but it's
more complicated.
2d) To lessen laser guidance's impact, regardless of which fix
we use, two gadgets -- the hi-res single weapon computer and the
smart link --
give other weapons some of guidance's advantages. These are
official.
Playtest the changes and see what you think. If you care either way, let us know!
