Re: New weapons module

From:	Michael Sandy [SMTP:mehawk@????.org]
>The weapons modules 'float' in the gravity plane.  In this way, two
>ship's weapons can be placed in one module, one oriented 'up', one 'down'.
>The support they are attached to the ship is hinged so that regardless of
>the loading of the ship, the weapons modules will be on the gravity plane.
>This is part of an evolutionary design that seeks to make as much us of the
>boundary area of the gravity plane as possible, instead of working around it.

This is certainly a good idea and improves the fighting capacity of a
ship, but the engineer in me has to raise a few points:

The idea works in space where the only gravitational effect is from the
helm, but what happens when you enter the planetary gravity field?  Will
the bracing be sufficient to support the mounts hung out there? (Or from
increased bracing, do you get increased ships mass and lower
manoeuvrability?).

And what happens when you land the hammership, the weapons mounted under
the gravity plane are going to get wet, which I am sure is not good for
ballista.  At least there won't be much chance of the ship capsizing.

You have introduced a week point in the ships structure, I would expect
that a few shots could hit where the module is mounted to the hull, thus
render it useless.  The weapons crew could be thrown off, the entire
module fall off or at lease collapse against the hull.  That could
really screw up the ships manoeuvrability.

Another point, I have noticed that all the ships are symmetrical
(AFAIK), what would be the effect of an unsymmetrical ship? ie, what
would happen if this hammership got one of it's modules shot off?
Its not like you have to balance the ship on the centre of thrust like a
rocket.  Would the helm be able to compensate?



Ian Bowley

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