[LazarusLong42]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
Just to throw a monkey wrench into the works here, how about battle damage?

Would it be easier to recalculate the thrust balance and vectoring in order to fly straight after a torpedo has torn a chunk out of your hull given a previously-symmetrical ship or not?

Nope, it wouldn't matter. If the missile has physically torn out a chunk, your ship is now asymmetrical, no matter whether it started that way or not. Calculating the new moments of inertia shouldn't be difficult for the computer though, so long as it can determine exactly which chunk of the ship is missing.

I suspect, though, that if enough of your ship is missing to seriously affect the thrust balance--well, it's probably time to put your head 'tween your legs and kiss your *** goodbye.