Meson Screens - help?

[Nerhesi]

Can someone please explain to me how Meson screens functionally affect incoming Meson fire?

I can see that Nuclear Dampeners for example half the hits of incoming Fusion Gun Fire.

However, for Meson Screens, it seems that they completely inhibit the incoming attack. So.. a bolt-in 1 ton Meson screen will eliminate all incoming hits from all Meson weapon fire?

Just trying to get an understanding of the Absolute Defense that is meson screens and how they function. Thanks

 

[kilemall]

Well I don't know the T5 take on them, but classically the Meson Screen seeks to cause the decay rate of the mesons to increase, so they decay and 'detonate' short of the interior of the target ship.

From one POV it could be construed as an 'all or nothing' proposition, as even a near surface meson burst would still do critical damage.

A similar effect occurred with the different attack failures with specific hull designs in CT:HG2.

Certain hull designs cause almost certain failure due to presumably making precision meson decay targeting very difficult, only larger spinal weapons tend to overcome this form of defense (perhaps due to larger or more bursts that cover more potential locations of the ship interior at the time of attack).

 

[Nerhesi]

Eh?

Sorry - I'm just asking about how it works in T5. Screens that is.

Yes diff hulls react in diff ways - but with a screen, in T5, as long the screen is covering your hull, you are immune. Period. 3000 spinals fire on you, and you're fine.

I just want to confirm that my understanding is correct about absolute mode defences

 

[Ackehece]

Eh?

Sorry - I'm just asking about how it works in T5. Screens that is.

Yes diff hulls react in diff ways - but with a screen, in T5, as long the screen is covering your hull, you are immune. Period. 3000 spinals fire on you, and you're fine.

I just want to confirm that my understanding is correct about absolute mode defences

"(for example, a Meson Screen operates in Absolute
Mode versus any attack by a G weapon Meson Gun)."

pg 282 t509

Starship Mounts are standard fittings on ships; they are
produces in an array of sizes. The actual size of a specific device
depends on its performance and on Tech Level Stage Effects.
A device is fitted into the smallest possible Mount. For
example, a Standard Nuclear Damper-12 R=5 is one-ton. It is
fitted into an Internal one-ton Mount.

pg 373

Meson. The device volume prohibits meson decay within it. Energetic mesons do not release their energy

pg 374

G Meson Screen Bolt-In
Meson Screens apply a variant of the damper principle
to create a volume in which energetic mesons cannot decay.
Meson Guns direct a variety of particles toward a target.
Mesons specifically can pass through ordinary matter (specifically
through armor and exterior hull structures) with very
little interaction: precise control of the specific particles and
their speeds forces them to decay (into a burst of radiation)
inside the target. Meson Screens prohibit this decay and the
particles pass through the entire volume without effect.
Meson Screens inhibit the operation of Communicator-
Plus (Meson Communicators) including both transmission
and reception. Meson Screens inhibit the operation of Meson
Guns. The screen must be deactivated for a Meson Gun
to fire or CommPlus to function.

pg 375


so yes meson screens are small - but very useful (and 3Mcr!!!)

 

[Ackehece]

oooh this brings to mind an interesting fleet tactic...
R=5 so mount them on fighters or missiles and have them form an array in front of your fleet with holes - just big enough to shoot through as you know where the holes are but the enemy fleet does not. allows usage of your meson guns but disallows enemy fleet...
of course with the advent meson screens your meson spinal equipped fleets might want to rearm