New Beta Patch

[Q]

Thank you very much for this good news!

[Suicide Junkie]

Any word on what was included?

I'm hoping that the "explosive component" ability has been added.
Aaron said that it was on the to-do list, and I've got lots of stuff to use it on.

(components add X damage to the ship when they are destroyed)
Nuclear Missiles, Antimatter stores & other dangerous stuff will rip big holes in your ship when they are destroyed

[capnq]

quote:

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Nuclear Missiles, Antimatter stores & other dangerous stuff will rip big holes in your ship when they are destroyed

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Contrary to popular mythology, nuclear weapons don't explode when damaged. You'd get more damage from the missiles' propulsion fuel, with some radioactive contamination if the warhead is breached.

Antimatter losing containment, though, will be a spectacular bLast.

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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft

[This message has been edited by capnq (edited 23 May 2001).]

[MCO]

I believe that nukes do carry high explosives in their warheads, if I'm not mistaken.
MCO

[Taqwus]

Many high explosives are rather stable, if memory serves. Besides, a) the explosives surrounding the fissionable material are typically *shaped* charges, and b) they need to all be detonated simultaneously, to trigger anything stronger than a fizzle. And any coupled fusion devices won't go off without the fission devices detonating.

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-- The thing that goes bump in the night

[Suicide Junkie]

Yes, I know nukes will generally not explode when hit, and the high explosives in them will not make a really big bLast.

For storytelling purposes, I consider the warheads to be armed, and hair triggered . So the missiles explode just before PDCs would have finished 'em off, in the hopes of doing splash damage.

I should also note that I never said that I was going to set the damage from an exploding missile launcher really high. 75 damage would be plenty to account for fuel stores in the launch bay.

Still, the biggest use for this will be in the Cobalt warheads If you have a ramming ship, one small hit could trigger a chain reaction and blow your ship to smitherines

[Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz]

The Russian navy would no doubt endorse SJ's proposal.