32 replies to this topic

[bob345]

I recently came up with an idea for the Proton Torpedoes...
what if they weren't able to bypass sheilds and they were made strong enough that it took only seventy-two torpedoes to destroy an ISD. Since this would make a standard torpedo armed squadron overpowerd you could make it so that once they are close enought to the ISD to launch most of the squadron would be lost due to their proximity to the turbolasers, making a fighter/bomber charge effective only if the capital ship was already shooting at another capital ship. This would make bringing support ships and maintaning and effectiove fighter screen important.

Edited by bob345, 21 October 2009 - 10:25 PM.

[Kitkun]

Spam Scimitars?

[bob345]

Even though proton torpedoes would be stronger when they come in close enough to bomb the capital ship the tubolasers could also be accurate enough to destroy the squadron before it is destroyed by the proton torpedoes, and the capital ships fighter compliment and any support ships would protecct it from being destroyed.

[Kitkun]

You'd only need seven of a squadron of twelve unupgraded Scimitars to take out an ISD in one run. Just five if upgraded. So what if you lose a few squadrons? Instant kill on an ISD would be huge. Everything would have to be rebalanced as bombers would slaughter everything. As is, frigates die very fast to proton torpedoes. Then what about proton bombs, concussion missiles, plasma torpedoes and such?

[bob345]

ya I agree

[Ghostrider]

Is this canon???

[Kitkun]

Is what canon? Shied bypassing isn't as far as know, but it does make for better gameplay. Beats me how many would take out an ISD. Wook states the ones at Yavin were in the megaton range, though that's unsourced.

[Phoenix Rising]

I think he means the overpowered proton torpedo ala Mike Stackpole.

[feld]

I think he means the overpowered proton torpedo ala Mike Stackpole.

Here's hoping overpowered protorps are not canon. Otherwise, why would the Imperials invest so much in star destroyers and have such crappy baseline fighters (TIE)?

v/r
feld

Edited by feld, 05 November 2009 - 09:24 PM.

[Phoenix Rising]

Ugh, no, they're not. The likelier explanation is a slew of poor technical writing. As for shield bypassing... that's straight from ANH.

[feld]

As for shield bypassing... that's straight from ANH.

PR - are you referring to Dodonna's:

"The shaft is ray-shielded so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."

?

I've always wondered why they didn't have effective particle shielding...I mean, they clearly have some kind of shielding to keep atmosphere in landing bays.

(well, either that or really fast acting, really quiet, very well cleaned sliding glass doors

v/r
feld

[Kitkun]

Oh right, forgot that Particle shielding was added to hull.
I always kinda figured that the port should be particle shielded and not ray shielded. I'd be worried about debris in an exhaust port.
Guess that wouldn't have looked half as cool, shooting lasers down it.

[Phoenix Rising]

I've always wondered why they didn't have effective particle shielding...I mean, they clearly have some kind of shielding to keep atmosphere in landing bays.

Right. Perhaps it interfered with the function of the exhaust port? Probably not if the main one was shielded (or was so implied). The novel Death Star claims the existence of a secondary exhaust port altogether was the result of an oversight during construction (apparently the thing was partially designed as it was being constructed).

Also, the hangars by themselves don't use anything as sophisticated as shields to hold in atmosphere; that's accomplished by a magnetic field. Presumably, this was created by either a anti-concussion field generator, or a device closely related to it. This is interesting because it would imply that you could not fire warheads ("smart" warheads anyway) into a hangar even if the ship's shields were down, although vessels could easily pass through the field.

I always kinda figured that the port should be particle shielded and not ray shielded.

Yeah, I don't really understand it either. I guess we'll just have to go with the "sapient error" retcon in DS.

[Casen]

I'd imagine if it was particle shielded then the exhaust wouldn't be able to escape, thus nullifying it's purpose as an exhaust port.

[jdk002]

Shields are designed to keep stuff out, not in. Otherwise endless hordes of TIE fighters would crash everytime they left a ISD's hangar.

[Phoenix Rising]

If I'm not mistaken, the hangar shields would have to be lowered temporarily for anything to pass through them. That's how it works with planetary shields anyway.

[Tropical Bob]

The hangar shield is just magnetic containment for air. Ships can pass through it all they want without disrupting the shield nor requiring anything to be lowered. But it most certainly isn't defense against any sort of missile or laser, mind you.

At least I'm pretty sure I remember a lot of instances where people in the hangar watched ships go through the magcon field. Hmm...

[Phoenix Rising]

No, I mean the deflector shield array over the hangar area. You can't tell me that's not shielded during battle...

[feld]

The hangar shield is just magnetic containment for air.

Where does everyone get "magnetic containment" from? Hadn't heard that before.
Things need to be charged for magnetic containment to work. Air normally isn't.
It is very difficult to see how you could confine the air in the bay magnetically at all...let alone how you could do it without making the air unbreathable to anyone in the bay...and we see people walking around without protection in a bay with the atmospheric containment up.

[Phoenix Rising]

ANH, unfortunately, although not exactly in this context. Here are a few quotes from the RotS script:

The protective ray shield lowers on the main hangar of the TRADE FEDERATION CRUISER, and six new DROID TRI-FIGHTERS emerge and join the DROID VULTURE FIGHTERS heading toward the Jedi.

ANAKIN: Stay on my wing . . . the General's Command Ship is dead ahead. Easy . . . pull up ... Head for the hangar.

OBI-WAN: Have you noticed the shields are still up?

ANAKIN: Oh?!? Sorry, Master.

ANAKIN streaks ahead of OBI-WAN's disintegrating Jedi Fighter and blasts the shield generator. It SPARKS and EXPLODES.

The shield door drops away, and OBI-WAN crashes on the deck of the hangar bay, engulfed in a FANTAIL OF SPARKS. A set of blast doors starts SLAMMING shut across the hangar opening, as material is sucked into space.

ANAKIN maneuvers around the oncoming junk and flies into the hangar just as the blast doors SLAM shut.

So you can't pass through shielding either way without it being lowered. The confusing part is that the atmosphere starts leaking when the hangar generators are knocked out, which would imply that no one can be present in the hangar for launches or landings. This is shown not to be true in just about every other film.