[Akalabeth Angel]

I should note that if hexes are 500 metres then it will really be more of a fleet combat game imo since fighter engagement ranges will be limited to  . . . 2 hexes for pretty much all weapons? 3 hexes for the Prom-S. 3 hexes for most missiles . . . 4 or so hexes for the Maxim. Or maybe that's what you're going for . . . just with greater emphasis on the fighter craft???

[Scotty]

That, and only a couple of fighters would be able to make two hexes a turn, if a turn is 10 seconds (seems reasonable, no?).  A majority of small craft only go about 50-65, correct?

[terran_emperor]

The way I see it: Chess or Shogi (Japanese Chess)

I'll get back to you on the pieces

[stuart133]

I should note that if hexes are 500 metres then it will really be more of a fleet combat game imo since fighter engagement ranges will be limited to  . . . 2 hexes for pretty much all weapons? 3 hexes for the Prom-S. 3 hexes for most missiles . . . 4 or so hexes for the Maxim. Or maybe that's what you're going for . . . just with greater emphasis on the fighter craft??

Yeah I can see where you are coming from. Um the problem is that if the hexes are sayyyy 100m a corvette will be about 7 hexes long and a few wide. I guess that would be feasible and show the size of the capships compared to the tiny fighters and bombers. The only thing is that an engagement with corvettes would be about the largest size IMO, (an Orion would be 20 hexes!) but then again I guess that would place emphasis on the fighters.

[Akalabeth Angel]

I should note that if hexes are 500 metres then it will really be more of a fleet combat game imo since fighter engagement ranges will be limited to  . . . 2 hexes for pretty much all weapons? 3 hexes for the Prom-S. 3 hexes for most missiles . . . 4 or so hexes for the Maxim. Or maybe that's what you're going for . . . just with greater emphasis on the fighter craft??

Yeah I can see where you are coming from. Um the problem is that if the hexes are sayyyy 100m a corvette will be about 7 hexes long and a few wide. I guess that would be feasible and show the size of the capships compared to the tiny fighters and bombers. The only thing is that an engagement with corvettes would be about the largest size IMO, (an Orion would be 20 hexes!) but then again I guess that would place emphasis on the fighters.

Well like I say, it depends what sort of game you intend on making. If it's made as a fleet combat game, then there'd be less emphasis on fighters. If it's meant as a fighter game, the fighters themselves should have a bit more variety and larger ships aren't going to work. Many fleet combat games only give fighters pitiful ranges like 2 hexes, but then again the emphasis is on the ships not the fighters so it works.

Another set of rules you might want to look at is: http://madcoyote.com/renleg/int/int.html . (free to download). These are the rules for Renegade Legion Interceptor, well, re-written by the fans because they incorporate a new damage system first found in a game of the same line. But it's basically fighter only, with some "corvettes" thrown into the mix. One idea is maybe you want to create a Great War era game, and have nothing bigger than a cruiser. Or you could create a game for either era I suppose too . . . Anyway, some more rules to look at.

[Aardwolf]

Back in the day (before I lost my hosting on game-warden) I had made a FreeSpace turn-based strategy game in Java. It was computerized, and might not be too easy to make a board game out of, and the gameplay wasn't particularly FreeSpace-oriented, but it might give you some ideas, if you could find it anywhere.

[stuart133]

Ok, the thing is that in Freespace fighters are the main focus. The first draft of the rules is coming along well and will have the following:
Small (100m) hexes, lots of fighter wings moving fast, slow moving cruisers and corvettes taking up several hexes, Great war era weapons*, a detailed fighter manoeuvre system, and a few other little things.

*Seeing as I haven't played that much FS1 I may need some advice on weapon strengths, or a point in the right direction to a nice big table with all that on it 

[Aardwolf]

You should play FSPort. ASAP.

[stuart133]

You should play FSPort. ASAP.

Oh I've played it, just not to the same extent that I have played FS2. I personally don't think it is as fun, but oh well. Anyway is there not a table of weapons somewhere??

Also the final edition of the game will feature FS2 stuff, but there is less FS1 stuff so that will be the first edition

[Aardwolf]

Yes, there's a .tbl file for Weapons, and there's also a lot of info on the Wiki.

[Thaeris]

500m hexes don't sound bad to me. Though the universe is FS, the physics of the game are up to you. Only flying at 50m/s is in reality very unrealistic...

One of the things I like about the space environment is the sense of the massive... as everything within is in comparison microscopic. However, I think a good compromise would be a 250m hex.

[stuart133]

Yes, there's a .tbl file for Weapons, and there's also a lot of info on the Wiki.

Cheers, that's in the FS Port files right?

500m hexes don't sound bad to me. Though the universe is FS, the physics of the game are up to you. Only flying at 50m/s is in reality very unrealistic...

One of the things I like about the space environment is the sense of the massive... as everything within is in comparison microscopic. However, I think a good compromise would be a 250m hex.

Yeah I know it is unrealistic but I'm gonna try and stay true to the Freespace universe on this one. And the whole point is the fighters will feel small as the capships dwarf them, the fighters still only fit in one hex after all. But either way when the first draft is done we'll see what is best.

[NGTM-1R]

500m hexes don't sound bad to me. Though the universe is FS, the physics of the game are up to you. Only flying at 50m/s is in reality very unrealistic...

One of the things I like about the space environment is the sense of the massive... as everything within is in comparison microscopic. However, I think a good compromise would be a 250m hex.

That gives very short weapon ranges, and so renders much manuvering pointless when the only way to fight is a charge.

[Scotty]

250 m hex allows for two hex movement for even the slowest fighters (operating on the 10 second turn assumtion), a decent range for the Subach and Menku of three hexes, maybe two for Tempests, and proportionally longer after that.  Having hexes be much smaller is going to do nothing but proportionally increase the amount of hexes a weapon/ship fires/moves.

[General Battuta]

Couldn't we just balance the game so it's fun and not worry about exact scale?

Eh? Eh?

[Scotty]

That would upset the bean counters out there (self included) .  Plus, it's easier to write a game around a scale than it is relative measurement.

[stuart133]

250 m hex allows for two hex movement for even the slowest fighters (operating on the 10 second turn assumtion), a decent range for the Subach and Menku of three hexes, maybe two for Tempests, and proportionally longer after that.  Having hexes be much smaller is going to do nothing but proportionally increase the amount of hexes a weapon/ship fires/moves.

Yeah but the whole point is that weapon ranges are quite long. Obviously firing a Subach at maximum range is going to incur some major penalties, but it helps reduce the problem that fighter combat tends to be: CHARRRRGE!! FIRE!! Pray for good dice rolls.

Couldn't we just balance the game so it's fun and not worry about exact scale?

Eh? Eh?

It is much easier to work out rough weapon ranges if it is to an exact scale. Also yeh I'm one of the bean counters 

[Thaeris]

As a general note... I'd like to say the great thing about board games is that if you don't like the rules, it's easy enough to change them. I have faith in Stuart though... I think... 

[stuart133]

Right things are going well buuuuut I've run into a huge problem. 
Testing the fighter manoeuvre system I have found this happens a lot:
1:Fighter wing one will come up behind Fighter wing 2
2:Fighter wing 2 will get initiative and therefore move second
3:Fighter wing 1 has to move, which is 4 hexes.
4:He shoots past Fighter wing 2
5:Fighter wing 2 pulls of a reverse loop and flies away from his erstwhile attacker

I'm not sure how to fix this issue: Any thoughts?

[Scotty]

That's the whole point of an initiative system.  When one side wins, they gain a tactical advantage by being able to either escape from their attackers or see where their targets are heading and set up for that.  The way to fix that is to have fighter wing one be more cautious.  Another way would be to have fighter wings be broken down into individual fighters at the player's discretion.  When not in combat they move as one unit and significantly reduce movement time (RL, that is), when in combat, you can roll init for all of them and have a dogfight, not just a "this wing shoots at this wing, end of story"