Composite Beam Weapons for Starships?

Super-Gagme · Post by **Super-Gagme** » 2003-04-23 09:54am

The LAAT Gunships have them, why have they never been used on Capital Ships? I don't see any reason against it, would be nice to see it for a change from the typical Masses of Turbolasers...then again if you had a ships flying around with about 5 Composite Beam turrets it would seem too not Starwars. Well what do you think?

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2003-04-23 11:46am

I think that if beam weapons were superior, they would be in use already.

Beam weapon

1 - 1 - 1 -> | = shield strenght 2 = damage 0

Turbolaser

3 - > | shield strenght 2 = damage 1

I know it's crude, but I belive it shows what I mean.

Super-Gagme · Post by **Super-Gagme** » 2003-04-23 11:48am

If this is the case then why were they employed on the Gunships and the Artillery in the Clone Army? They must have some features.

nightmare · Post by **nightmare** » 2003-04-23 01:32pm

Sure. The gunships usually don't fire at shielded enemies, and neither did the SPHA-Ts. A beam weapon would be good against formations if you can swivel it quickly with the beam on. It would also be useful for penetrating armour, since you can concentrate power at a very small point. The compound weapon has another feature well demonstrated by both Death Stars; the ability to combine several small weapons into a large one. It's quite possible that this was a necessity at the time rather than an innovation, considering the laster Sovereign- and Eclipse superlasers with just one beam.

That said, I gave an example with a beam weapon and a turbolaser at the same power level above. This wouldn't really be the case. You can concentrate more power in a bolt because it would be easier to cool down the weapon with non-sustained fire, and it would transfer more kinetic shock to the target as well. I think that the superlasers can also be considered pulse weapons rather than beam weapons. Think really long turbolaser bolt with a long recharge time.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2003-04-23 02:32pm

You get better wattage for the short blast of the TL. This is essential considering the dispersion/superconducting affects of SW armor and dissipation affects based on a wattage threshold by SW shielding.