[MUD-Dev] Source data on Crossbow

[Orion Henry]

On Thurs, 17 Jul 1997, -Matt Chatterley

> To quote the simplified version of NII:
> 
> F=ma
> 
> also bearing in mind:
> 
> a = (v-u)/t
> s = ut - 1/2at^2
> s = ((v-u)/2)t
> 
> Given these formulae, and with the assumption that the missile being fired
> is a particle, it's relatively easy to calculate the distance it will
> travel (given launch angle), and the force of impact.
> 
> KE = mv^2
> 
> For kinetic energy will give some indication of the energy of the missile
> at any point along its path (and is probably more useful if you actually
> track energy in your systems).
	
	This brings me to something that I have been puzzleing over
forever.  How can one express all the numbers in a role-playing game
with the laws of physics.  What is "damage"?  Is the kenetic energy
DIRECTLY proportional to the ability for a weapon to puncture armor
and destroy flesh and bone?  Where does force come into play?  How
could you express a "Strength" stat?  Would it be a force?  A power
source?  What?
	Could someone come up with a scheme that could figure out 
how hard you could hit a target with a handheld weapon given the
attackers strength (in watts?) the mass of the weapon, its length,
weather its being swung or thrust, if its being used with one hand
or two, how far apart the hands are to grip the weapon giving more
leverage, where the center of blance of the weapon is (axe vs sword)
etc etc..
	This is something that I have been working on for months and
have yet to come up with a model that I truly like.  Do any of you
people with more of a physics bacground than myself shed any light
on the possible of expressing combat with physics equations.


> If anyone is interested, I can try to turn these fps figures into impact
> forces given average missile masses. I'm not terribly good at applying the
> above, though. :)

	Go for it!

	Orion Henry