A question of scale...

[igycrctl]

So I was looking through my old, printed, version of 3rd ed and noticed that the distance of a tactical hex was 1/2 LS. Then I looked at the 3rdR rule book and the same distance is now only 1/4 LS. Can somebody explain to me why this was changed? Thanks.

[Cralis]

Sure! The tactical hex size was changed in 3rd Revised/Sky Marshal #2 (and all later versions) for several reasons. Probably the most important were:

1. it reduced the speed of ships, sensor ranges, and weapon ranges
2. which made the StMP work perfectly with the average distance traveled at speed 4 in one month. The StMP was introduced with Sky Marshal #2

[krenshala]

Also, at 1/4 light second per tactical hex, each point of movement equals 2 system hexes per day traveled.

[Cralis]

Also, at 1/4 light second per tactical hex, each point of movement equals 2 system hexes per day traveled.

At 1/2 LS it came out to 1 sH per day But the end result has worked out with 1 StMP equal to the average distance from the center of one star system, through the WP, to the center of the next star system (at speed 1). Since this average also applies from WP to WP, this is where 1 StMP means you can traverse 1 star system.

It is VERY important to note that this is an average! The SM will need to intervene in cases where the distance is much shorter or longer than average.

StMP (STrategic Movement Point) really simplified movement and tracking in 95% of cases and really reduced the obnoxious amount of time plotting movement as compared to ISF. And the difference gets exponentially pronounced the more ships you have in your empire.

[nukesnipe]

StMP (STrategic Movement Point) really simplified movement and tracking in 95% of cases and really reduced the obnoxious amount of time plotting movement as compared to ISF. And the difference gets exponentially pronounced the more ships you have in your empire.

Funny, but I actually kind of liked the ISF movement plotting and was thoroughly confused by the change. I got over it.

[Cralis]

Funny, but I actually kind of liked the ISF movement plotting and was thoroughly confused by the change. I got over it.

Oh I liked it too, as did a lot of players. I like _accuracy_. And there are times were a certain path would be shorter or longer than the average. What I didn't like was the absurd hours I spent doing navigational plots for more than 60 units/groups on the move. And if we had been using orbital movement it would have been far worse (because you have to plot where your destination will be instead of where it is at the beginning of the month.

I was also less than enamored when, as an SM, I had to follow those plots for EVERY player to determine if anyone saw each other.

I started using StMP when I realized I spent 2 hours doing plots and with StMP I did the same basic thing with a system map and _no_ calculations in 15 minutes.

It's not perfect, but it saves a LOT of time.

[thebard]

Oh I liked it too, as did a lot of players. I like _accuracy_. .......

I was also less than enamored when, as an SM, I had to follow those plots for EVERY player to determine if anyone saw each other.

I started using StMP when I realized I spent 2 hours doing plots and with StMP I did the same basic thing with a system map and _no_ calculations in 15 minutes.

It's not perfect, but it saves a LOT of time.

Time for someone to code movement and interception chances...... (no, I'm not volunteering)

[Whitecold]

If you manage to design software that can reliably read the galaxy map and plot courses you are halfway to a starfire strategic software. All you need to do is implement the excel sheet functionality and tie it all up...

[Cralis]

If you manage to design software that can reliably read the galaxy map and plot courses you are halfway to a starfire strategic software. All you need to do is implement the excel sheet functionality and tie it all up...

The logic to calculating routes is pretty complicated and the speed of it may be entirely dependent upon how the system information is stored.

But there is another element that I think is equally as important as the logic: how it is displayed. Without a decent, interactive graphical display of the systems and route information the player will still have to dig through his records to plot courses.