So this is a post I have wanted to do for a while, basically for the MVP we have to simplify the weapons system to see what works and what does not. We can build up from there in each iteration.
I have boiled down my weapons system into core points:
In the real version I think we would all like something where payloads are individual objects that travel in 3d space. For the MVP though that will not be the case, the firing system will be simple:
At the time payload is fired the system will calculate two values:
Time to impact is calculated fairly simply. This will be the distance the target is from us divided by the speed the payload will travel at. This will give us a time (in seconds most likely) to impact.
After the payload has been fired there will be a countdown to impact. This will continue to count down until either the destroyed time is reached (in which case the interface will let us know the payload has been destroyed) or it reaches 0 which means it hit its target.
So even though the system knows if will hit or not the crew will not.
The logic I am using here is that a payload can be detected by an enemy ship and destroyed (most likely shot at by a countermeasure, that isn't so important right now I think). To work this out we will need a couple values:
So what we need to calculate is how many seconds a payload will be inside the detection range of a ship before impact.
For example we have a ship that has a detection range of 2kms. We fire a payload travelling at 600km/hr from 3kms away. This would give the payload a travel speed of 0.166km/second which means it will be in the detection range for about 12 seconds.
So to get the seconds will be
floor([Detection Range]/[Payload KM/sec])-1
We will then do a roll for every second it is in detection range until we either run out of rolls or we get a detection (in which the payload is destroyed)
We will NOT do a roll for the last 1 (or 2) seconds, at that point the payload is too close.
So if an enemy ship has a detection rate of 5% there is a 5% chance that it will detect 11 times. This is NOT the same as multiplying the detecting rate by the seconds and there are a few reasons for doing it this way:
From my other posts I discussed an automated process for creating the torpedoes (the AFP) which gives customisation so that the crew can use a payload that will work for the situations that they might find themselves in.
For MVP these values will be very simple:
Damage for now will be boring, enemy ships will have a single HP value that we will be witling down.
We also need some values about the Endeavour to be tweakable:
We wont know till we start but will have to play around with some scenarios to work out what will be the best numbers here. We want to limit the amount we can fire so that the crew will have to pick and choose but not make it too limited that it takes an age to destroy anything.
I feel that this system will let us play with a range of payload types as well as a few interesting enemy types (High detection strength but low range. High detection range but low strength. Ships with low HP but high detection range and skill. Ships with high HP but low detection range and skill). These will all require the crew to use their intuition to work out what the best payload and approach is to destroy. We could also say have a ship with an extreme detection range and skill that we would essentially have to broadside up close to hit. There are a lot of options and as the system gets more dynamic, they will grow.
I have tried to think about a simple approach to a weapons system while still achieving my primary goals with the final system. This system is quite different to what the final will be however it is the bare minimum to let us know if the full system will work and be engaging while letting us tweak values on enemy ships and payload types to make for interesting dynamic combat. I look forward to getting feedback from anyone on what they think. Please keep in mind again that this is to be as simple as possible, I have a tonne of ideas that will make it a lot more complex but that isn't what the MVP is for at all! The tests that we do with this system will give us a lot more direction on where to go with the weapons system from here on out so its pretty exciting!
This system doesn't yet include payloads being fired at us. I think that should be a bit more advanced and be using the EMDAR plus navigation controls, we should see how this system works first and then push into the next step there. If anyone has any questions just let me know :)
So to summarise what I think you see as included in the MVP:
More complexity/realism can be added as the system develops.
Picking up on your point about a "cool down" time between launches, the railgun launchers will be magnetic which is therefore frictionless, but the torps will be launched explosively to give initial velocity which then gets amplified by the railgun's magnetic field. This will have an impact on launcher condition and will need to be monitored - regular maintenance will be needed to prevent launcher failure.
But the biggest impact to to be turnaround times will be the process of charging the capacitor used to dump the huge amount of power needed at the instant of launch.
I went into more detail on this in a separate post here.
I'm wondering if we should look at including more around trajectory elements in the MVP, as this is pretty fundamental to tactical management and are vital skills and experience to ground early, not just for the tactical team but for helm and command as well.
This would cover three post-launch phases:
To give us the level of realism needed to make it a useful training experience we'd probably need to look at managing the torp track on the TOE grid, rather than just probability calculations.
As this is a whole phase in itself in the service delivery forecast and compared to the size of previous phases, including this seems about right?