[Kopachris]

I just realized Mars' moon Deimos has Colly-order dimensions (about 15x12x10km).  It is completely feasible to model that sucker and fly around it.  Maybe attach some small but well-armed mining installations to it.

[The E]

That's not a moon, that's an asteroid

[Kopachris]

How many hitpoints would it have?  Using this to calculate, it would take about 3.297E+16 joules to destroy it.  Tech database lists the Harbinger as having an output of 5000 MT, which equals 2.092E+19 joules, and 3200 HP of armor damage and 51200 HP of subsystem damage.

[WhiteFox]

That's not a moon, that's an asteroid

That's not a moon asteroid. That's a spacestation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVekNsgUqn4

Back to topic:
Whats with the idea for Freespace-Battles in them we have to fly around an Planet ?

[NGTM-1R]

One of my big dreams, back in the day, was to get a good heightmap of one of the Martian canyons (at the time I was thinking Noctis Labyrinthus but would have settled for Mariner Valley) and make a mission involving attacking a target at the bottom of the canyon.

[Phantom Hoover]

I have horrible, horrible memories of Rogue Squadron returning.

[BengalTiger]

How many hitpoints would it have?

Well, an accurate way would be comparing its volume with the volume of a Big C, and then finding a multiplier that describes how much more TNT does it take to blow up a rock than it takes to blow up a battleship of the same volume...

Rocks are tough, I'd expect the moons to be practically indestructible, unless hit by a weapon that vaporizes the C and then only begins to shoot.

[Scotty]

Rocks are also significantly more likely to crack and fracture and otherwise self-destruct when hit with a massive enough force than ships are.  Remember that ships are designed to take punishment, and are compartmentalized to prevent major damage from spreading.

[BengalTiger]

Well, that is a point.
The multiplier could be less than one in that case, making it easier to blow up a rock into bits than a battleship.

[Apollo]

In this case I think it would be best to ignore realism and just make Deimos nigh-invulnerable.

[An4ximandros]

Unless someone is a crazy bastard enough to add voxel based terrain (a nigh impossible feat) I suggest going with Apollo's idea. Remember to add a portal to hell subspace and have some demons Shivans show up once in a while and attack everyone!

[BengalTiger]

Another suggestion:

Making subsystems on the moon covering pre-drilled craters and having scripted beams of doom destroying them to reveal the damage might give a nice effect if pulled off properly.

The moons should be indestructible to any other weapons.

[Apollo]

Another suggestion:

Making subsystems on the moon covering pre-drilled craters and having scripted beams of doom destroying them to reveal the damage might give a nice effect if pulled off properly.

The moons should be indestructible to any other weapons.

Yeah that could work.

[Terminator]

This thread reminds me of that Sol: A History mission where...

Spoiler:

...you assault Phobos and Deimos, which have been converted to installations, and then blow them up

[Kopachris]

Another suggestion:

Making subsystems on the moon covering pre-drilled craters and having scripted beams of doom destroying them to reveal the damage might give a nice effect if pulled off properly.

The moons should be indestructible to any other weapons.

Like it.  So mark it "big damage" in the table--according to the tech DB, the Harbinger has plenty of power to destroy this thing (seriously,  ? 5GT?).  If it's marked untargetable, can I (instead of using subsystems) dock mining installations to it that the player can destroy?

[Klaustrophobia]

I have horrible, horrible memories of Rogue Squadron returning.

the jade moon?

[Legate Damar]

You know what would be awesome?

Your fleet is hiding from the enemy behind the moon, and you figure they will have to come around it so you can ambush them, but then they blow it up from the other side and the entire thing explodes right in your face.

[Kopachris]

You know what would be awesome?

Your fleet is hiding from the enemy behind the moon, and you figure they will have to come around it so you can ambush them, but then they blow it up from the other side and the entire thing explodes right in your face.

Sounds more like something Dukat would do (the blowing up the moon part, that is).

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Anyway you try to do it you will get the enjoyment of watching all your fighters run into the sucker. 

[Black Wolf]

With dynamic waypoints and clever FREDding, the FS AI can be made much less goofy than it used to be.