Ta, BM. Sometimes I wish I'd studied physics at university rather than copmuter science. Then I remember how much time my physicist friends had to spend in labs whilst I was messing about playing SE3/4.
Geo wrote:
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The main consideration with recoil isn't going to be it moving the ship around anyway. The vast differences in mass between the projectile and the ship says that the counter force isn't going to move the ship all that much. Certainly nothing that thrusters designed to move the ship around to begin with can't handle.
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That depends - a small ship will only have small thrusters. You'll not veer the ship around crazily with recoil, but you might throw off the aim of the next shot. I guess it depends how quickly your computer/thrusters/aiming system (or SJ's opposite-firing gun) can adapt.
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That is the reason the 15in guns on the WWII battle ship recoil like they do. Not because the ship would roll over or anything, but because the counter force would break stuff the first time you shot it if you tried to mount it rigidly.
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Yes - very good point. Why didn't I think of that?
Another point is that very large energy weapons will require a lot of power. Would you want a large weapon on a destroyer if you had to turn off shields and life-support to recharge it?