FFS modifications
FFS.Gun.Notes.txt
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Source wording preserved. The original download is available separately.
Observation: When I was designing that gun, it occurred to me that a
"universal" damage and penetration chart could be constructed for this
design system. Such a chart would simplify a couple of steps of the
design sequence, and would make optimizing weapon designs easier.
Universal Damage and Penetration Chart
Energy Damage Penetration by Ammunition Type
Ball DS HEAP HE/Tranq
0-56 0 Nil 1-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
57-506 1 Nil 1-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
507-600 2 Nil 1-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
601-1406 2 1-Nil 1-2-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
1407-2000 3 1-Nil 1-2-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
2001-2756 3 2-Nil 1-2-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
2757-3000 4 2-Nil 1-2-Nil 2-2-2 Nil
3001-4556 4 2-3-Nil 1-2-3 (*) 2-2-2 Nil
4557-5000 5 2-3-Nil 1-2-3 (*) 2-2-2 Nil
5001-6805 5 2-4-6 1-3-5 2-2-2 Nil
6807-7000 6 2-4-6 1-3-5 2-2-2 Nil
7001-9506 6 2-3-4 1-2-3 2-2-2 Nil
9507-12656 7 2-3-4 1-2-3 2-2-2 Nil
12657-16256 8 2-3-4 1-2-3 2-2-2 Nil
16257-20000 9 2-3-4 1-2-3 2-2-2 Nil
20001-20306 9 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
20307-24806 10 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
24807-29756 11 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
29757-35156 12 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
35157-41006 13 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
41007-47306 14 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
47307-50000 15 2-2-3 1-1-2 2-2-2 Nil
50001-54056 15 2-2-2 1-1-1 2-2-2 Nil
54057+ E^.5/15 2-2-2 1-1-1 2-2-2 Nil
(*) Strictly speaking by FF&S rules, these would be "1-2-3-Nil", but T:TNE
weapons would ignore the fourth penetration value (beyond extreme range?).
Notes on converting real-world weapons to FF&S:
Compute Muzzle Energy: In order to accurately rate a real-world weapon
in FF&S, at an absolute minimum you will need to figure out the muzzle
energy in Joules. This isn't as hard as it sounds; many reference books
will give this information. Books intended for gun enthusiasts will
frequently yeild the information needed, although the units of
measurement will need conversion. Several different formula can be used,
depending on whether you can get the bullet mass in grams, grains, or
ounces, or the muzzle velocity in meters/second or feet/second. Some
references even give energy in foot-pounds, making the computation simple.
Em = 0.5 * (Mb / 1000) * Mv ^ 2
Em = Energy at Muzzle, in Joules
Mb = Mass of the Bullet, in Grams
Mv = Muzzle Velocity, in Meters/Second
Em = 0.5 * (Mb / 1000) * (Mvf * 0.3048) ^ 2
Mvf = Muzzle Velocity in Feet/Second
Em = 0.5 * (Mbg / 15432) * (Mvd * 0.3048) ^ 2
Mbg = Mass of the Bullet, in grains
Em = 0.5 * (Mbo / 35.27) * (Mvf * 0.3048) ^ 2
Mbo = Mass of the Bullet, in ounces
Em = Emfp * 1.3558
Emfp = Energy at Muzzle, in Foot-Pounds
Armor Penetration Efficency Table
Energy Damage Armor Penetration by Ammunition Type
Ball Max Armor DS Max Armor
0-56 0 Nil None 1-Nil None None
57-506 1 Nil None 1-Nil None None
507-600 2 Nil None 1-Nil 1 None
601-1406 2 1-Nil 1 1-2-Nil 1 None
1407-2000 3 1-Nil 2 1-2-Nil 2 1
2001-2756 3 2-Nil 1 1-2-Nil 2 1
2757-3000 4 2-Nil 1 1-2-Nil 3 1
3001-4556 4 2-3-Nil 1 1-2-3 3 1
4557-5000 5 2-3-Nil 2 1-2-3 4 2
5001-6805 5 2-4-6 2 1-3-5 4 1
6807-7000 6 2-4-6 2 1-3-5 5 1
7001-9506 6 2-3-4 2 1-2-3 5 2
9507-12656 7 2-3-4 3 1-2-3 6 3
12657-16256 8 2-3-4 3 1-2-3 7 3
16257-20000 9 2-3-4 4 1-2-3 8 4
20001-20306 9 2-2-3 4 1-1-2 8 8
20307-24806 10 2-2-3 4 1-1-2 9 9
24807-29756 11 2-2-3 5 1-1-2 10 10
29757-35156 12 2-2-3 5 1-1-2 11 11
35157-41006 13 2-2-3 6 1-1-2 12 12
41007-47306 14 2-2-3 6 1-1-2 13 13
47307-50000 15 2-2-3 7 1-1-2 14 14
50001-54056 15 2-2-2 7 1-1-1 14 14
54057+ E^.5/15 2-2-2 (Dam/2)-1 1-1-1 Dam-1 Dam-1
From this table we can figure out how to play min-max games with the
system. First off, it's obvious that DS ammo is superior to ball for
any energy 507J and up. If we're going to use ordinary ammunition, for
cost or historical accuracy reasons (or because we don't think it's
sane to fire DS from a revolver), unless we can get the energy over
4557J, it's best to keep the weapon's final energy in the 1407J to 2000J
range, as this offeres the most efficient armor penetration. The use
of specialized ammunition (DS, HEAP, HE, or Tranq) avoids this "blip"
on the damage/penetration curve, with more powerful rounds being
uniformly better.
When looking at ranges longer than close range, there is another "blip"
in the table. The last column (showing long range for DS ammunition)
shows this artifact, although it is present at extreme range as well, and
at long range for conventional ammunition. In these cases, increasing
the energy over 5000J will *reduce* the round's armor penetration
ability, unless the energy is raised to 7001J or more. So there is
another "sweet spot" in the table, at 4557 to 5000J. Also note the
big jump in armor penetration abbility at long range from 20000J to
20001J. The table below summarizes the optimum energies I've derived.
Best Energies
Energy Type Damage Penetration Max Armor
57J Ball 1 Nil None
507J DS 2 1-Nil 1 None
1407J Ball 3 1-Nil 2 None
DS 3 1-2-Nil 2 1 None
2757J DS 4 1-2-Nil 3 1 None
4557J Ball 5 2-3-Nil 2 1 None
DS 5 1-2-3 4 2 1
7001J DS 6 1-2-3 5 2 1
20001J DS 9 1-1-2 8 8 4
Guy "Wildstar" Garnett / wildstar@quark.qrc.com