SCL/1 vs clan ERLL (AeroSpace/BattleSpace) [answered]

[villagereaver]

As I was designing an assault dropship, I assigned a bank of four LSCLs and four CERLLs. By my calculations, I lose two hexes of range and gain 584 tons and drop 48 heat generation. In addition, the ERLLs don't have a penalty to hit small craft.

Is this just a design oversight, or am I missing a feature of sub capital weapons?

[Lagrange]

As I was designing an assault dropship, I assigned a bank of four LSCLs and four CERLLs. By my calculations, I lose two hexes of range and gain 584 tons and drop 48 heat generation. In addition, the ERLLs don't have a penalty to hit small craft.

Is this just a design oversight, or am I missing a feature of sub capital weapons?

It's a common observation.  Note that if you are playing the basic ASF rules, SCL/1 can fire into long-capital range.  And, if you are using individual weapon ranges, the extreme range bracket goes to 36 instead of 30.  Either range advantage could be particularly useful if Naval-C3 is involved.  The other useful additional capability that SCL/1 provides is orbital bombardment.

My personal opinion is that the capital to standard scale ratio is not well chosen for making sense.  At 100:1 many things start making more sense and working better.

[AlphaMirage]

Agreed with Lagrange, the 100 to 1 would make more sense but it would make almost all Aerospace fighters unable to hurt a ship with anything but nuclear weapons. Really what needs a major overhaul is the armor tonnage as its paper thin at the present tonnage but that's in the nebulous realm of fan rules.

[cray]

As I was designing an assault dropship, I assigned a bank of four LSCLs and four CERLLs. By my calculations, I lose two hexes of range and gain 584 tons and drop 48 heat generation. In addition, the ERLLs don't have a penalty to hit small craft.

Is this just a design oversight, or am I missing a feature of sub capital weapons?

Subcapital weapons use capital weapon ranges. Those with enough range (light lasers, light cannons, Piranha missiles) can perform orbital bombardment. Clan ER lasers are great for anti-fighter work but they can't bombard from orbit.

[villagereaver]

Thank you gentlefolks.

It is design oversight and operating as intended and still not what I (we?) want.

I don't see my Balmung PWS/ADS performing orbital bombardment. I'll upgrade the Piranha bays to one of the larger "crit fishing vs aesp fighters" nautical themed missiles.