Corrections to Problems with T4 FFS2

[Boeloc]

Hello Folks,

I'm new to CotI, and I'm using the occasion to ask a question that has been bugging me since Fire, Fusion, and Steel2 came out so many years ago. How do you read it?! For those who do not know, the first edition of that product had mathematical formulas that didn't make sense because the printer mixed up the symbol fonts. For example, if memory serves, the "=" sign was replaced with a "(". I still have the book, but I did not have months to go through every page and decipher its meaning. Has anyone ever produced a corrected text that can be downloaded? I love TRAVELLER, but that product made me quit T4 and go back to previous versions.

 

[Boeloc]

Hello Folks,

I'm new to CotI, and I'm using the occasion to ask a question that has been bugging me since Fire, Fusion, and Steel2 came out so many years ago. How do you read it?! For those who do not know, the first edition of that product had mathematical formulas that didn't make sense because the printer mixed up the symbol fonts. For example, if memory serves, the "=" sign was replaced with a "(". I still have the book, but I did not have months to go through every page and decipher its meaning. Has anyone ever produced a corrected text that can be downloaded? I love TRAVELLER, but that product made me quit T4 and go back to previous versions.

 

[mike wightman]

Hi Boeloc, and welcome aboard.

The fajor snafu in FF&S2 was the substitution of <-> for a multiplication symbol in many of the formulae.

Here are a couple of sites with errata, but I've never seen a corrected text.

http://www.stl-online.net/vanya/errata/ff&s.htm

http://traveller.mu.org/errata/ffs.errata.html

 

[mike wightman]

Hi Boeloc, and welcome aboard.

The fajor snafu in FF&S2 was the substitution of <-> for a multiplication symbol in many of the formulae.

Here are a couple of sites with errata, but I've never seen a corrected text.

http://www.stl-online.net/vanya/errata/ff&s.htm

http://traveller.mu.org/errata/ffs.errata.html

 

[robject]

My turn for an FFS2 question.

Where's the penetration values for starship lasers?

The formula I see for output energy is based on "Damage Value", which as far as I can tell corresponds to target armor values.

So for instance, if you want to design a grav-focused laser that can hit unarmored starships, that's a DV 20 laser, where, disregarding range for the moment:

DV = 2.5 x sqrt( input energy / 5 )

If DV = 20, then:

20/2.5 = sqrt( input energy / 5 )

8 = ...

64 = input energy / 5

320 = input energy, in Megajoules.

FFS says a ROF of 10 is typical for starship lasers, so input energy is

3,200 Mj distributed over 30 minutes,

or 100Mj per minute,
or 1.78Mj per second.

What am I missing?

 

[robject]

My turn for an FFS2 question.

Where's the penetration values for starship lasers?

The formula I see for output energy is based on "Damage Value", which as far as I can tell corresponds to target armor values.

So for instance, if you want to design a grav-focused laser that can hit unarmored starships, that's a DV 20 laser, where, disregarding range for the moment:

DV = 2.5 x sqrt( input energy / 5 )

If DV = 20, then:

20/2.5 = sqrt( input energy / 5 )

8 = ...

64 = input energy / 5

320 = input energy, in Megajoules.

FFS says a ROF of 10 is typical for starship lasers, so input energy is

3,200 Mj distributed over 30 minutes,

or 100Mj per minute,
or 1.78Mj per second.

What am I missing?

 

[zonk]

resurrecting old thread

At http://traveller.mu.org/errata/ffs.errata.html it says that there is (was) a T4 FFS designer's notes online

Dave Golden, one of the designers of Fire, Fusion & Steel (T4 Edition), has a FF&S2 Designers' Notes page (http://www.pcisys.net/~goldendj/Traveller/Admiralty/Shipyard/FFS2Notes/FFSNotes.html)

That link is bad. Does anyone have a copy of the designers notes? Or the current location if they are still on the web?

Second does anyone know if the pdf at DriveThruRPG of the T4 FFS is corrected?

 

[anders lager]

DriveThru version of FF&S2...

...is NOT corrected if I recall it right. I first got the PDF version, and a while later I happened to stumble upon a print version as well. Both have problems with the formulas. I don't think that there ever was a corrected version printed. After all, Imperium Games only persisted for about two years or so.

FF&S1 for TNE, however is a completely different cup of tea. Buy that one instead if you're into design. Also, that book makes the 2nd ed easier to comprehend.

Take care
/doc