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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 4:26 pm Post subject: Sensors in Atmosphere |
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I have recently posted some vehicle stats that have included sensor stats similar to those used by starships. I'm also trying to work up rules for using guided bombs against planetary targets, which will require some form of Sensor Lock-On for bomb guidance. The key thing for me will be how sensors are affected by atmosphere. This may not be wholly realistic, but it is based on how atmosphere affects weapon ranges, too.
Here's what I'm thinking:Sensors in Space: Sensors function as described, using listed ranges in Space Units. This includes ships in orbit, scanning into an atmosphere.
Sensors in Atmosphere: As with a Capital Ship's weapon ranges for atmosphere, multiply sensor ranges by 2, then convert to kilometers. This applies both to ships in atmosphere scanning the surface and surface vehicles scanning ships in atmosphere
Ground Based Sensors: As with weapon ranges, divide Sensor Range by 10, then convert to kilometers. This range covers surface sensors detecting surface targets, and would apply both to ground vehicles and aircraft flying nape-of-earth.
For example, an X-Wing's Sensor ranges would look something like this:Passive 25/0D (50km / 2.5km)
Scan 50/1D (100km / 5km)
Search 75/2D (150km / 7.5km)
Focus 3/4D (6km / 300m) Whereas something like my Fenwolf-Class Assault Walker would have ranges like this:Passive 2km/0D (40km)
Scan 4km/1D (80km)
Search 6km/2D (120km)
Focus 300m/3D (6km)
Basically, the primary restriction on ground sensor ranges is the planet's horizon, with atmospheric interference as a secondary cause.
Thoughts?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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garhkal
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Joined: 17 Jul 2005
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Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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I can see a 1-10 reduction for ground vs space, but i would rather see it be based on where the sensors are. Higher mount ones would (or should) have a longer 'sight to horizon' range.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2015 7:20 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | I can see a 1-10 reduction for ground vs space, but i would rather see it be based on where the sensors are. Higher mount ones would (or should) have a longer 'sight to horizon' range. |
I can agree with that. Maybe a reduced reduction ratio base on the relative elevation of the ground sensor? Like 1-5 (basically, double the range)?
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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garhkal
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| Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 2:17 am Post subject: |
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Agreeable. Though one thing i never understood is why most vehicles, inc practically all existing walkers/large hover units (such as the juggernaught and floating fortress) don't even HAVE sensors.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
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Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 2:29 am Post subject: |
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I had the same problem. Of course, by flip-flopping Starfighter and Walker on the scale charts (and thus making Walkers-scale vehicles a lot more formidable vis-a-vis everything else), it became a bit more necessary to explore the issue. Giving them sensors means that, while they can't dodge attacks, they are harder to kill, with weapons that hit hard enough to do serious damage to starfighters and light freighters (even some small capital ships).
But, like your signature says... | Quote: | | You cannot dodge it if you do not know it is coming, and you cannot hit it if you do not know its there. |
Giving Walkers Sensors solves the problem.
Of course, not every ground vehicle is automatically going to be equipped with sensors. Obviously, ground assault vehicles would be more likely to have them than a basic landspeeder (even though Luke's landspeeder on Tatooine had at least a basic sensor suite).
That would be the real question, in the end; what vehicles would have sensors, and how good would they be.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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atgxtg
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Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | I can see a 1-10 reduction for ground vs space, but i would rather see it be based on where the sensors are. Higher mount ones would (or should) have a longer 'sight to horizon' range. |
That might matter for ground vehicles, but airspeeders and starfighters can gain altitude and that would more than offset where the sensor arrays are placed. |
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| atgxtg wrote: | | That might matter for ground vehicles, but airspeeders and starfighters can gain altitude and that would more than offset where the sensor arrays are placed. |
That was my thinking as well. I figure that starfighters will be restricted to "Ground" range if they are flying nape-of-the-earth (i.e. below the level of surrounding terrain), but once they are up in the air, their range increases to Atmosphere Range. Of course, if they are up in the air, Ground sensors can now detect them at Atmosphere Range, as well.
Starfighters or Airspeeders can stay below the range of ground sensors by flying NoE, but this becomes progressively more and more difficult the closer to the ground sensor they get, with distance of detection based on terrain and placement of the ground sensor.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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garhkal
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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So the sensors range changes from round to round, based on what flight ceiling some one is at?
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | So the sensors range changes from round to round, based on what flight ceiling some one is at? |
That and the flight level of the target one is trying to detect.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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garhkal
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| Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:05 am Post subject: |
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Seems a little complicated then.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
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Posts: 16283
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | Seems a little complicated then. |
It is, but no less complicated than choosing the range for capital ship guns based on whether their target is in space or on a planet's surface.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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