Well of Souls Forums

So, more accurately point defense, or "PD".

"The idea that torpedo can resist being hit by AA changes everything."

It does? The basic calculation is what percent of the incoming missiles the PD can intercept within the amount of time between detection and impact. This will be affected by the number of incoming missiles vs. PD platforms, PD accuracy and energy delivered vs. the resistance of the outer surface of the missiles and their ability to dodge. This is going to be true in nearly any science fiction warfare scenario that doesn't include short range FTL.

The drawback of a kinetic payload is that the missile has to actually collide with the target, whereas a detonation (either omnidirectional or directed like a shaped-charge warhead) allows a larger envelope of damage.

One way to get the best of both worlds is to have kinetic kill missiles as submunitions for a torpedo, as mentioned above.

Arioch wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:27 pm

The drawback of a kinetic payload is that the missile has to actually collide with the target, whereas a detonation (either omnidirectional or directed like a shaped-charge warhead) allows a larger envelope of damage.  One way to get the best of both worlds is to have kinetic kill missiles as submunitions for a torpedo, as mentioned above.

Basically, a rocket-propelled fragmentation grenade.

"'Close enough' counts only in dancing, horseshoes, and hand-grenades."

Keklas Rekobah wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:29 pm

Basically, a rocket-propelled fragmentation grenade.

Except the "fragments" are guided missiles.

Arioch wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:38 pm

Except the "fragments" are guided missiles.

So basically a smaller, torpedo-sized blister? But the Loroi AMMs and their KKVs are quite big, so how many of them will fit inside? Also, why are there no smaller AMMs, like the Umiak Gimlets, for example?

Arioch wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 29, 2021 9:27 pm

The drawback of a kinetic payload is that the missile has to actually collide with the target, whereas a detonation (either omnidirectional or directed like a shaped-charge warhead) allows a larger envelope of damage.

One way to get the best of both worlds is to have kinetic kill missiles as submunitions for a torpedo, as mentioned above.

Difference will be a kilometers in terms of distance traveled or so, even if we consider absurd payloads for the torpedoes.
Arkansas sunk only because nuke crushed its underwater unarmored part, and that was 100m away, ship itself was fine.
In space there will be no medium to spread shockwave, and plasma ball for even RDS-202 was only 50m wide, there is not gona be any shrapnel from it, so only concern is heat from the pulse i think.

Also what armor scheme do loroi use?
Do they have citadel on their ships?

Well, we can use nuclear-pumped disposable lasers in warheads. Given the power of the impulse from the detonation of antimatter, the impulse of such a laser will potentially be able to burn through even ship armor at a considerable distance, not to mention much more lightly armored missiles.

A DX blister can carry 60 AMM-250's, which themselves have an effective range of 15,000 km. Keep in mind that the submunitions still have to have enough acceleration to catch the target, which will be maneuvering hard.

Zorg56 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:17 pm

Also what armor scheme do loroi use?
Do they have citadel on their ships?

I expect that most armor will be a sandwiched composite of layers that are alternately ablative, reflective, fiber mesh and super hard material. Most Loroi ship have an armored ring around the command center, and Umiak ships have extensive internal compartmentalization (not least of which because the engines are inside the main hull of the ship, rather than out on nacelles).

↑ What you describe seems similar to "Chobham" armour.

This may have already been asked and answered but Beryl gives Alex a handgun while she has a bigger rifle of the same kind of weapon. What is the difference between the two?

It would not surprise me if Alex’s gun has little or no effect on Loroi bioplas armor.

How one aim with Loroi particle beam pistol? It has no visible sighting devices.

kfcroc18 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:50 am

This may have already been asked and answered but Beryl gives Alex a handgun while she has a bigger rifle of the same kind of weapon. What is the difference between the two?

Higher maximum power and larger battery capacity.

SVlad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:07 am

How one aim with Loroi particle beam pistol? It has no visible sighting devices.

It has both a sight display on the top (visible in the fourth panel, though it's currently dark, and it also places a laser dot on the target.

Arioch wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:47 am

kfcroc18 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 12:50 am

This may have already been asked and answered but Beryl gives Alex a handgun while she has a bigger rifle of the same kind of weapon. What is the difference between the two?

Higher maximum power and larger battery capacity.

SVlad wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:07 am

How one aim with Loroi particle beam pistol? It has no visible sighting devices.

It has both a sight display on the top (visible in the fourth panel, though it's currently dark, and it also places a laser dot on the target.

Ahh ... but can you turn it up to eleven?

Just found this out in my life.

Polyester and virtually all other synthetic fibers are made of plastic or petroleum and are toxic. More so when heated.


What are Loroi clothing made of? Toxic cheap stuff? Or non toxic expensive natural fibers?
Which you can get from just about any plant.

I have slso known for some time that putting coffee in a styrofoam (really bad) cup or paper cup (bad but not as bad as styrofoam) is also toxic due to chemical leaching. Cups are coated with leak proof chemicals and glue.

Or maybe the Loroi don't care bevause they live to about 400 anyway lol?

The Loroi duty uniforms and armor are made of a fiber mesh that's specifically designed to be resistant to both projectile weapons and beam weapons (which means heat). I don't know exactly what it's made of (I'm guessing some kind of silicate fiber), but if it reaches a temperature high enough to burn, chances are that the wearer is already dead.

"Loroi clothing" in general is made from a wide variety of materials.

Arioch wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:18 am

The Loroi duty uniforms and armor are made of a fiber mesh that's specifically designed to be resistant to both projectile weapons and beam weapons (which means heat). I don't know exactly what it's made of (I'm guessing some kind of silicate fiber), but if it reaches a temperature high enough to burn, chances are that the wearer is already dead.

"Loroi clothing" in general is made from a wide variety of materials.

Burn eh?

That's the irony of mass produced cheap synthetic clothing. It does not burn necessarily.

I read that polyester actually melts under fire... because it is plastic after all. Acrylic is the same stuff women paint their nails with, so it likely melts too.

If it's plastic, then it burns, lol ...

Firefighters' clothing is now made from several grades of reinforced syntheplastic - and it does NOT burn. Fundamentally. Together with the lining, it dissipates heat very effectively and protects the person wearing this uniform from it.

There a MANY sorts if plastic... and some of it is no related for oil or, in general, mineral resorses.

It's just that not all types of plastic are used in civilian life ... and almost none are used in large quantities.

Time to dig pick up my neutronium nitpick yet again, and ask a couple of overly technical questions

1. What is the limiting factor for the Loroi (point-defense) laser cannons' damage output? Focusing, materials, power conversion, emitter strength, or just the unwillingness to invest too much effort into a largely obsolete technology? Then, why not switch to blasters?

2. A similar case, do other factors, aside from the "uncertainty of hyperspace", limit jump range ? Maybe there's an upper limit to jump field generator power intake or output as well? Or is the hyperspace itself the limiting factor? What's the longest jump that was ever attempted, by Humans or Loroi?

3. How well do the Loroi understand the Hierarchy's technology, especially the plastron field? Or is that nothing that would benefit their ship design, so it's not a priority?

Cthulhu wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 15, 2021 5:24 pm

1. I suspect that the size and the problem of heat dissipation while maintaining the required rate of fire.

Still, the lasers in the Bubble are not offensive weapons, but defensive ones, and even considered obsolete (though I definitely don't understand why. As a missile defense, the laser is ideal, especially if you increase the rate of fire and improve focus). Which means that its main parameters are rate of fire and accuracy, not range and power.

And, well, the size, yes. Or rather, the need to supply as many of them as possible without reducing the other characteristics of the ship.