I'm happy that people still have something more to add.
I think we can figure out which person is right if we look at the problem form a logical point of view.
First I can only see 4 types of weapons that we can use in outer space.
Lasers: move at the speed of light, and therefore cannot be dodged by anything moving at no-relativistic speeds. It will always hit its target, unless it is poorly aimed. Lasers range, is limited by beam spread. Beam spread is were the laser light "spread out" which decreases the energy density. This means that the lasers range is not limited by accurate , or by speed of the target, but by the energy density at certain ranges. One watt per 0.01 cm^2 is powerful enought, to burn thought metal, while one watt per 1 cm^2 can only burn thought paper. Beam spread does not decrease the power, but increase the area in which the energy applied. This means that lasers are short range weapons as there abilitie to burn thought there target goes down with increase in range fired.
Missiles: we should think of them as small drone spcaecaft, that chase after enemy ships and attack them with their warheads. For all the same reasons, that you can target a ship you can also target a missile. Also like ships they can cahnge there velocity, which is also the reason that they can be targeted. Missiles, could shut down there engine, but this means missing the target. Missiles have an number of advantages, over shells and lasers. One is that they do not generate hugh amounts of waste heat. A missile can be pushed off with springs or cold gas. Once clear of the ship, the misile's propulsion system ignites. But then all the waste heat is the missiles's problem, not the ships. The other which I never seen talked about, is that if the missile launch system is desired right, is that the missiles have no reload time. If you look at one of the reasons that we now use a vertical launching systems, you find, that there is no reload time between missile launches, which also mena that you can fire all the missiles at the SAME TIME. Also beacuse these missiles need to track, they also act like sensor platform, which also could be called probes. Missiles should attack in swarms, so that they can overheat the lasers and allow at least some of them to get thought.
Shells: fired from coil guns the size of the ship, or from rail guns the shell act the same. Shells are dumb fired kintic kill weapons, that kill thought kintic energy. They use momentum over warheads. The power of the shell comes from its mass * in velocity after firing. Also we need to take into account what the force * time, when the shell hits, as if we increase time we decrease force, as M*V = F*T. Shells are more of an meduim range weapon as they do not decrease in power with increae in range fired, but can not change there velocity, to follow the change in velocity of enemy ships at long range.
Kintic kill missiles: are just like Katyushas from Attack Vector Tactical. Kintic kill missiles are kintic shells that are launched with springs or cold gas or an rocket engine. They produce no waste heat like missiles, and if designed right can all be launched at the SAME TIME. But because they are dumb shells they can not change there velocity and there for are mid range weapons. Even thought the shells are just like those fired from coil or rail guns, there are some difference. First kintic kill missiles have less energy then those fired by coil or rail guns, unless the launching system can produce the same power as one coil or rail gun rounds. Which means if the power is less, and the shell has the same mass, then how is it a meduim range weapon? Will, because you can launch all the kintic kill missiles, you can produce swarms of kintic kill missiles, like you can produce swarms of missiles. It becomes a meduim range weapon as you most get out of the way of a cloud. The Kintic kill missile trades "saturation" fire for speed and their for power of each round. An important side effect, is that this cloud effect, acts very much like an Phalanx styke weapons system. The Phalanx weapons system shot 4500 rounds per min, which produces a cloud of lead, which the missile runs into and is destroyed. This means that an kintic kill missile also on some level act like an laser system.
From what I have seen so far, people think that you should compare space weapons to an revolver, shotgun and a dog. The dog being a missile, the revolver is an laser and the shotgun is an kinetic weapon.
I think we should think of space weapons system more along the lines of weapons that we find in Role playing games. Think of an laser as a sword, which has short range, can be used to attack some one close to you or attack a hawk, but the main point is that it is both an close range offensive and defensive weapon. Also a sword does not run out of ammo, like a rifle, bow and arrow or a group of hawks. Think of the coil gun as a rifle, in which you must line up the shot. Think of kintic kill missiles as an wave of arrows, where the ideal is that one must hit, at the cost of power. Finally think of missiles like hawks, they work best in groups, and make coil guns useless against them, thought there numbers. You can't out run them, and they never miss, the only way to stop them, is with another hawks, hit them with an arrow or cut them in two with a sword.
Second the number of class in space warfare will be equal, to the number of least usefull types of ships. What does least usefull types of ships mean?
Well it means that you will not build a new class of ship, who job can be done better by another class of ship. Or if that class of ship can do more, or cost less.
Lets use Star Wars: empire at war as an example.
Lets uses the following class of ships in the example.
Strike craft = A
Corvette = B
Frigate = C
Cruiser = D
Capital ship = E
in the game:
A < B
B < C < D < E
E & C & D < A
What does this mean? The job of an frigate, is to destroy corvette. The job of an cruisers, is to destroy corvette and frigate. The job of an capital ship, is to destroy corvette, frigate and cruisers. This mean that you will never build a frigate, if you can build a cruiser. It also means, that you will never build a frigate and/or cruiser, if you can build a capital ship.
This means that even thought the number of class in game is 5, you only have 3 usefull class of ships. You need strike craft to destroy capital ship. Corvette to destroy strike craft, and capital ship to destroy crovette.
In a game, where we have only one class of least useful units, we call these units Uber units, as there is no reason to build any thing, but this class of ships.
So in real space combat, we need to ask are selfs is there a reason, that we one ship can't have the abilitie of other. Because lets face it. Is there a reason that a capital ship, can't have anti strike craft weapons?
Do you guy, read post, that are this long?
Sins Forums
Stardock Forums