[Freeciv] Re: Dirigible

["Jim C. Nasby" <decibel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, Jul 05, 2004 at 10:11:27AM +1000, 
nicholas.g.lawrence@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War
> by Frederick A. Talbot
> 
> The first use of Dirigibles (actually balloons) was for observation.
> The balloon in this case was tethered and could not move at all
> (The tether was essential because it was also a communication
> link so the observer could relay information to the commander
> on the ground).
> 
> So the first balloon unit was vision 2 movement 0

Actually, not necessarily true. They were tethered, but they could still
be moved by bringing them back down and carting them off somewhere else.
It's not like they were all stuck at the factory ;P.

Another interesting possibility: move 1, vision 3. That would make them
very useful until very late in the game.

> 
> >Davor
> >It would be stupid to create two diffirent versions, with the only
> >thing seperating them would be the ability to carry troops. It
> >would be much smarter to create a new unit instead.
> >
> >A transport aircraft sounds like a good idea. And I'm astounded
> >that it has not (yet) been implemented.
> 
> 
> Now, when I read
> The War in the Air
> by H. G. Wells
> it emphasised the advantage of having a stable aerial platform
> for dropping bombs on targets, so I initially gave the dirigible
> a high attack and defence. But Wells may be using a bit
> of dramatic liscence. The heavy-lifting capacity of a dirigible
> though makes it a good candidate for a troop transport.

Do they actually have that big a lift capability? The Zepplins that
Germany built would only carry about 60 people if memory serves, which
is presumably the equivalent to one or two units.
-- 
Jim C. Nasby, Database Consultant                  jim@xxxxxxxxx
Member: Triangle Fraternity, Sports Car Club of America
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