On Wed, Jun 24, 2015 at 5:47 AM, Greg Chalik <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

> The reason is simple: a combatant who fires from well beyond the
> certain-kill range gives up essentially nothing for a *chance* of
> killing their opponent.
>
>>The firing combatant gives away his position and the fact that he has the
>> capability to fire the observed weapon.

This presumes the other party does not already have the firing party
spotted and plotted.

Attacking ships appear from jump, presumably they are detected by
local defenders, and once detected, tracked.

Defending ships in the local gas giant are probably safe from
immediate detection, but pretty much any other ship will become
obvious when they maneuver.  ("Oh, look, drive flare!")

Opening stages of the battle are detection and tracking of both
friendly and opposition forces.  Spot and plot.

Assuming an attack with more than one ship, there is built in delay
while waiting for all the attackers to emerge from jump, and group up.
(And depending on the situation, refuel before they make an attack, so
they can escape if things go poorly.)

While this is happening, the attackers are also busy spotting and
plotting the defending ships.   I mean, they aren't just sitting there
at 100d drinking coffee and waiting for the rest of the battle group
to drop out of jump....

It's not like you can pop out from behind concealment and surprise
someone, except perhaps during refueling at a gas giant.

You *might* be able to ambush small commercial ships, if only because
once they emerge from jump, they typically make course for the local
port, and you MAY be able to lurk on low power near the 100d limit.
But even then, it's pretty unlikely the ambush ship would be in
position to get a shot off- space being huge and all- and the longer
the ambusher is under power in pursuit of prey, the greater the chance
the potential prey will spot the drives.

IMHO, of course.

Dan

--

"Any sufficiently advanced parody is indistinguishable from a genuine
kook." -Alan Morgan