The following was copied from a post by Fenris Ulfric.
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Originally posted by Fenris Ulfric
Since it's come up in about a dozen Vs. Debates in as many days, I thought I should revisit the issue here in a dedicated thread.
Now, for quite some time, I've been using an obtuse and inaccurate way of determining firepower which has three outcomes.
This meathod has been based on the energy required to vaporize a certain radius sphere of material.
First outcome: Strict mathemetical heeding of the equaitons. This gives us a radical exponential power curve putting Lasers as low-kiloton weapons while a CSM measures over 13 gigatons. The problem with this is the fact that the power differential would mean either shields were on an inverse resistance (being HIGHLY vulnerable to low-level weapons fire while repelling much higer levels of firepower much more effectively, which makes no sense). This model doesn't work for that simple reason. The damage caused by the lower-powered weapons are completely dis-proportional to the damage inflicted.
Second and Third Outcome: Choose one end of the spectrum as the base calculation and go from it linearly from one end to the other. This give a more realistic measure of damage potantial, but the low-end up can never yield the energy required for a CSM, and the high-end-low (what I've been using) would give lasers far more punchign power than they should for only 18 cm penetration.
However, NONE of these are correct. They are all highly flawed.
Unfortunately, this only leaves one option which is so completely unorthodox that it recieved increadibly heavy criticism when I first brought it up (leading me to use the other, more flawed meathod).
This is in fact, the only theory which fits Game play AND the linear structure of damage potential.
The Bore-and-Spread Theory.
Essentially, this applies the game mechanics, in which shields across an entire side drop for a laser, as does said 18cm penetration laser strip armor off the entire side of a vessel, be it Fighter or be it Dreadnought. There is no explanation of this odd trate, however it does happen.
This is where it gets nasty.
A common fighter-laser, the weakest weapon in the game, will strip 18cm armor or the equivelent in shields of the entire side of a ship, and of part of the top and bottom, up to Kilrathi Dreadnought or Starbase in size.
(For a Dreadnought) That's a 22km long, avreage of 3km wide and 18cm deep strip of metal.
That's 11,880,000 cubic meters of metal, and the high-end damage for a fighter laser.
The Vs. Ruels of conservative estimate say when measuring an exotic futuristic compound, in this case durasteel, use Iron for a baseline conservative estimate.
The Energy to convert 1 cubic meter of Iron to vapor from a temperature of 30 degrees Celcius is 60010238510.3 J/m^3.
That's 712,921,633,502,364,000 Joules to strip off that volume of metal, or 712,921.6 Terrajoules. With around 4100 TerraJoules/megaton, that gives a mere fighter-laser an upward figure of 173.9 megatons worth of energy in a mere fighter-laser.
That is what shields would register it as when resisting. however, the weapon has a very exotic nature, meaning when it strikes hull, it only tears down to 18cm equiv of durasteel, or in this case, iron, and sends a strange energywash over the target's striken side. Thus, it won't rip through more that 18 cm, BUT it WILL rip that equivelency off the entire side in a millisecond.
However the effect is very quickly cumulative.
Take the Banshee (a Union of Border Worlds fighter). It has four lasers. Lasers fire 4 times a second. That's 16 strikes per second, 2,782.4 megatons worth of energy in a second, and 2.88 meters ripped off the side of the target or target component.
This gives your average light fighter squadron of 12 fighters more raw energy-weapon firepower than Mike Wong's greatest estimates for an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Now, take a Capital Laser. 25cm penetration, fires *5* times a second, and always mounted in pairs.
Energy/shot: 990,168,935,419,950,000 Joules; 990,168.9TJ
Yield/shot: 241.5Mt
Yield/second: 1,207.5Mt/second
Yield/turret/second: 2,415Mt/second/turret
A Tallahassee class Cruiser has 11 Laser turrets. That's 26,565 Mt/second equiv. with just the lasers, much less the 3-4 AMG turrets. With the 4 AMG turrets, it puts out 34,293 Megatons per second, sustained fire. Fire can be sustained indefinitely.
AntiMatter Guns (AMGs)...
1.5 meter penetration, 1.5 second refire delay
Energy/shot: 5,941,013,612,519,700,000 Joules; 5,941,013TJ
Yield/shot: 1,449Mt/shot
Yield/second: 966Mt/second
Yield/turret/second: 1,932 Mt/second/turret
Captital Ship Missile (CSM)
60,000cm (600m) penetration.
Energy/missile: 2,376,405,445,007,880,000,000 Joules
In Terrajoules: 2,376,405,445 TJ
Yield: 579,611 Mt (579.6 Gigatons)
And so on...
HOWEVER, this means the shields of Capital Ships must match this damage capability if they are to stand up to this much energy. This results in the following shield figures:
Tallahassee class cruiser:
Sheilds: 3000cm equiv (per side)
Energy to drain shield: 118,820,272,250,394,000,000 Joules
In TerraJoules: 118,820,272.2 TJ
In Megatons: 28,980.6 Mt
Kilrathi Dreadnought:
Shields: 8000cm Equiv (per side)
Energy to drain shield: 316,854,059,334,384,000,000 Joules
In TerraJoules: 316,854,059.3 TJ
In Megatons: 77,281.5 Mt
Now, I'm fully expecting the following uproar over the impossibility or foolish nature of the calculations, and even to get flamed by a couple of the less-rational debators. However, this meathod *is* the most true to the Wing Commander universe, and is violated by none of the materials, while all three of the other meathods were woefully wrong. This is the only meathod that actually works.
Another IMPORTANT issue is that this energy is not focused in the same manner as other weapons in other universes. with the effect which burns the side off, there is not the same "oomph" as a "mundane" weapon of similar magnitude,as is will not bore through more than said number of Centimeters of material (for the calcs, iron, but in "reality" durasteel, a powerful alloy with superior metalurgical properties), no matter what the size. The only major issue is how quickly the damage would accumulate.
In further addendum, hulls reinforced by Structural Integrity Fields, or other forms of shields/forcefields may in fact suffer said energy burst to the impact area, reacting with the hull integrity fields much like it would shields, and prevent the Spreading part of the weapon's exotic function. This would be all-but lethal to a warship, adn would likely explain why structural integrity fields are not seen in Wing Commander.
Anyway, this is here for you to chew on and debate over.
