I feel that the WW2-style (or BSG) "fill space with lead" approach is born from inaccurate weaponry. i.e. to get any hits at all you have to generate a vast quantity of fire (also see the importance of the proximity fuse!). In contrast modern warships have a small number of CIWS and missile launchers with much higher accuracy. We know that Freespace turrets have very high accuracy, which I think would lead Freespace ships towards the modern approach of fewer turrets. Of course, for both WW2 and modern warships, a single hit (or near miss) from an AA weapon is often enough to cripple a small aircraft, translating that into Freespace means a frustrating game for the player, which is where the analogies break down. You need gradual/incremental damage to allow the player agency, and the ability to recover from mistakes. That's almost a pity, I'd like to see mod using the paradigm of a small number of accurate high powered turrets+missiles to make capships lethal if you lack the specialised equipment to counter their defences.
