Guts of minefields and sweeping

See help file and manual. Also:

• Subject: Re: Minefield damage - shields count ?
• Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 16:15:50 GMT
• From: {email removed by editor} (Shane Kearns)
• Organization: UUNET UK server (post doesn't reflect views of UUNET UK)
• Newsgroups: rec.games.computer.stars

On Mon, 07 Sep 1998 14:40:22 GMT, c.cartin@kainos.com (chris) wrote:

>Hi, do shields matter when you hit explosive mines ?
>
>And am I correct in saying that if you had say 2 ships in a fleet (no
>ramscoops) that hit a mine they would each take 250 points of damage
>and if there was 1 ship it would take 500 damage because of the
>min fleet damage of 500 ?

Yes, but all the damage multiplies up by number of engines - so if you are talking about destroyers you are right, but 1 cruiser takes 1000 damage from hitting a standard mine.

Damage taken is the greater of 5 or the number of ships, multiplied by the mine damage, multiplied by number of engines per ship.

When shields are present, half of the damage will go to the shields and half to armor (as for a torpedo hit), but any overflow on the shields will go to armor.

Example: destroyers with a bear neutrino barrier in the GP slot 5 destroyers take 500 damage = 100 damage each = 50 to armor, 50 to shields (absorbed) 1 destroyer takes 500 damage = 250 to armor, 250 to shields, but as it only has 100 shields the extra 150 rolls over for a total of 400 damage to the armor

Some minesweeper designs:

"light sweeper" scout or frigate hull with 1 gatling gun Advantages: Very cheap, can afford to lose 19 rushing into a minefield

           at warp 9 so the 20th can get through and sweep it.
           Put a scanner on it and it doubles as a security role,
           spotting incoming cloaked ships and preventing mines being
           laid (waypoint 0 sweeping)

Disadvantages: Easily killed

           Useless against SD detonating minefields

"sweeper" destroyer hull with organic armor, a shield and 2 gatlings or heavy blasters. Mechanical slot usually takes a jet or overthruster for an intercept role, otherwise empty Electrical slot usually empty, but can take a cloak (SS), an antimatter generator(IT). If you are lucky enough to get it, use the MT armor with inbuilt shielding - that way you can put 2 cloaks on the design (great for SS with 2 ultras) Advantages: Survivable against mine hits/detonations - may need to stack Disadvantages: cost, not very effective as an interceptor/general skirmisher

"heavy sweeper" cruiser hull with 4 heavy blasters (or megadisrupters at high tech), some combination of armour, shields and jammers depending on tech levels. Often an overthruster. Advantages: A better general purpose skirmisher than the destroyer

           Missile resistant (if jammers used - hard to put more than

           1 on a destroyer)

Disadvantages: Cruisers take 2x mine damage than destroyers, so need

              at least 2x the armour/ shield to make up
              Expensive

"skirmisher" Rogue (SS), Galleon or Nubian (others) Essentially a ship you cloak as high as you can, but give it both minesweeping and minelaying ability. Example: Partisan class Nubian [100kT] 3 transgalactic mizer scoop [33kt] 12 Super-Stealth cloaks (4 stacks) [36kT] 3 Big mutha Cannons (1 stack) [9kT] Jump Gate (1 stack) [10kT?] 6 Heavy-200 dispensers (2 stacks) [120kT] 2 overthrusters (1 stack) [10kT] 6 complete phase shields (2 stacks) [6kT] 3 Jammer-30 (1 stack) [3kT] Advantages:Versatile - could save a design slot

          Stealthy - operate behind enemy lines

Disadvantages: very expensive

---

This is a Frequently Asked Question