tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post6708383292280247480..comments2012-08-11T20:14:15.334-07:00Comments on Engineering a Universe: The Crongus Wars: There and Back Again: Hyperspace Dives, Alcubere IP Drives, and Interstellar CommunicationSabersonichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-51878601672459187522012-08-11T20:14:15.334-07:002012-08-11T20:14:15.334-07:00Well you'll need very large numbers for planet...Well you'll need very large numbers for planetary invasion either way just take a look at these <a href="http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2009/06/space-warfare-i-gravity-well.html" rel="nofollow">blog</a> <a href="http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2009/12/space-warfare-viii-orbital-combat.html" rel="nofollow">entries</a> and see how <a href="http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2010/09/space-warfare-xii-surface-warfare.html" rel="nofollow">hard</a> it <a href="http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2012/07/space-warfare-xvii-blockade-in-spaaace.html" rel="nofollow">just</a> is without FTL technology. Only difference is the distance and measure of time it takes to reach that escape distance with the appropriate charge and cool time reached.<br /><br />And yes, even though basic math states otherwise, due to the Theory of Special Relativity websites such as <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/fasterlight.php#id--Causality" rel="nofollow">Atomic Rockets</a> and <a href="http://www.rocketpunk-manifesto.com/2011/03/ftl-part-i-honest-cheat.html" rel="nofollow">Rocketpunk Manifesto</a> will still state that FTL equals time travel, no matter how one would try to state otherwise.<br /><br />"But a message/starship traveling at twice the speed of light would have a delay of only two years-"<br /><br />"Doesn't matter, FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"But there is no solid connection between the two locations like a wormhole so-"<br /><br />"Doesn't matter, FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"But isn't time dilation relevant to the point of view of the-"<br /><br />"Doesn't matter, FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"But still-"<br /><br />"FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"Yet then-"<br /><br />"FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"What about-"<br /><br />"FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"If-"<br /><br />"FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />"Bu-"<br /><br />"FTL equals time travel."<br /><br />It's like I'm haunted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H24V-u7fNJM&feature=relmfu" rel="nofollow">the</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQIjcjyBbAs" rel="nofollow">number</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/23_enigma" rel="nofollow">23</a>.....Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-76143593006817067412012-08-11T02:51:12.735-07:002012-08-11T02:51:12.735-07:00I dont say warp in strong grav is a bad constraint...I dont say warp in strong grav is a bad constraint, i'm thinking about its pros and cons. :)<br />Well, in SW i could only see orbital combat, but jumping can have stronger constraints, for example in Space Battleship Yamato, BSG, they could only jump for a limited distance, and after the jump, they couldnt just jump again, or use their most powerful weapons, but without warping, Gamilus PDF would have eaten them...<br /><br />But again, strong grav jumps also good constraints, but it means, you need very very big forces for invasion.<br /><br /><br />"In short, I curse the day I learned the details of FTL and time travel as per the laws of Special Relativity."<br /><br />And i curse the day when someone found out, that seeing the message arriving before it was sent means time travel, it clearly misses the point, that absolute time = distance / speed, it is different from local time.TOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07714038528716438776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-32261006564681526312012-08-10T03:18:47.391-07:002012-08-10T03:18:47.391-07:00Still, the annoyance of the phrase "FTL equal...Still, the annoyance of the phrase "FTL equals time travel" has given me enough <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/glossary.php#id--Jargon--Nifflheim" rel="nofollow">Nifflheim</a> that to not touch the subject just invites headaches from the hard sci-fi readers about how my setting should work as it should because of how likely it is for future messages to be sent into the past and just trying to find ways to decrease the chance of time traveling communications gives me multitude of headaches. <br /><br />In short, I curse the day I learned the details of FTL and time travel as per the laws of Special Relativity.<br /><br />As for warping away from danger, even if the low grav restriction is involved, well that's just a can of worms I'd rather stay away from. Beyond the fact that <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/fasterlight.php#id--Jump_Points" rel="nofollow">It'll make any interplanetary/interstellar war MAD short</a> and thus make the idea of planetary "occupation" and in a similar vein planetary "defense" absolutely worthless in strategic sense let alone tactical, it leaves a kind of "Why bother" when it comes to spacecraft combat. Or rather, why should spacecraft even risk their lives in the honorable <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/StandardStarshipScuffle" rel="nofollow">Starcraft Duel</a> when they can just warp away from danger or worse, warp around the defenders and strike at the objective directly. This is where having an FTL drive that has such jump points as a requirement: They create <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/fasterlight.php#id--Jump_Points--Defending_Points" rel="nofollow">choke points that both sides must use and forcefully initiate battles</a>. Its all fine and dandy for a setting that focuses on Space Opera levels of interstellar exploration for the ol' "Jump anywhere, Go anywhere" type of FTL Drive, but when it comes to the military glory and horror that is <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpaceBattle" rel="nofollow">Space Battles</a>, people will inevitably go "why bother?" <br /><br />And I think I kinda fulfilled that little area of low gravity restriction onto the M3WD System when it comes to "Tactical Retreat". It's not exactly interstellar, but it does allow a similar feel and heightened tension for the race to get the Nifflheim outta Dodge. The HWDS isn't the end-all, be-all technology that is so often featured in other sci-fi. Rather its little more than a plot device that just so happens to have a very good reason why you want it to be reliable when you need it to work.<br /><br />Of course, there are other extrasolar civilizations among the Milky Way that utilize Warp Drive-esque means of interstellar travel such as the member species of the Interstellar Commonwealth of Civilized Worlds. They're just few and far in between. However, there is another reason why the Milky Way civilizations utilize gravity assisted interstellar FTL travel and that is to further distinguish them from the extragalactic empires that invaded the galaxy such as the titular Crongus. It also allows for a rather interesting battlefield that should, the key word being "should", allow many of the favorite cliches to be plausible: The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_giant" rel="nofollow">Gas</a> <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/appringraiders.php" rel="nofollow">Giants</a> and their multitude of ring systems and moons. <br /><br />As for the whole Anti-Satellite Artillery from planetside, that's what onboard <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacewardefense.php#id--Point_Defense" rel="nofollow">Point Defenses</a> and <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeflectorShields" rel="nofollow">Force</a> <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/spacewardefense.php#id--Force_Fields" rel="nofollow">Walls</a> for warcrafts are for.Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-5015882478523415552012-08-10T00:04:10.074-07:002012-08-10T00:04:10.074-07:00Sending a message from Alpha Centaury with 1000c s...Sending a message from Alpha Centaury with 1000c still means its arrive a day after it was sent.<br /><br />By the way, i think, jump in low grav has also another advantage : occupy planets.<br />They can launch entire swarms of missiles, and in an operatic setting, the gravity well doesnt mean that much advantage.<br />If the ship cant warp away from them, then capturing a hostile planet will be pretty impossible.<br />With warp, it is still quite heavy, since the planet can house megacannons protected by megashields and strong defence fire.TOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07714038528716438776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-49034464822879080312012-08-09T16:02:16.425-07:002012-08-09T16:02:16.425-07:00Oh, it gets worse with FTL transmissions that have...Oh, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FromBadToWorse?from=Main.ItGotWorse" rel="nofollow">it gets worse</a> with FTL transmissions that have no dissembler time delay over interstellar distances. It'll be more like a negative DeltaT value. And if one takes into account the usual speeds of FTL communications in most other sci-fi and space operas that feature them, the DeltaT value would be the equivalent of receiving the FTL transmission before the sender's grandfather was even conceived.<br /><br />And it also helps on the "hard decisions made on the spot by a living crew" argument if the onboard computer systems have particular hurdles that precludes pure automated warcrafts. I simply chose the Legal Route as the primary reason since it's not heavily reliant upon either physics or advancements in computing to explain. <br /><br />Laws have been known to turn simple subjects into complicated messes from time to time and makes for a perfect cop-out if used properly in sci-fi.Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-15684795092955550432012-08-09T00:12:05.743-07:002012-08-09T00:12:05.743-07:00"As stated in the article above, the rocket e..."As stated in the article above, the rocket engines of said starcraft must be powerful enough to achieve at least orbital velocity, if not escape velocity, of that particular gravity field."<br /><br />Ok, i think i like it. :)<br /><br />"to counter the old phrase "FTL equals time travel"."<br /><br />Maybe it is old, but still nonsense i think, that would mean radio messages arrive instantly.<br /><br />(Lorentz transformations to light, you get delta-t = 0, you can see they arrive the same time they were sent)<br /><br />Otherwise, yes i understand, hard decisions should be made on spot. :)TOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07714038528716438776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-19258852085982966692012-08-08T14:43:15.118-07:002012-08-08T14:43:15.118-07:00Yeah, one of the downsides to having a particular ...Yeah, one of the downsides to having a particular theme to connect articles within a blog entry....<br /><br />Though I'll have to correct you in that the HWDS-equipted starcrafts can't perform interstellar dives with a blackhole as a Dive-In point. As stated in the article above, the rocket engines of said starcraft must be powerful enough to achieve at least orbital velocity, if not escape velocity, of that particular gravity field. The escape velocity of a black hole's event horizon is the speed of light and there is no known rocket engine that could achieve FTL velocities.<br /><br />Ergo, the starcraft and its payload of crew and/or passengers are stuck in the singularity of the black hole. Not a pretty prospect I assure you. Long story short, the HWDS's method of interstellar travel is simply one way to distinguish the setting from all other similar sounding universes in addition to another difference between those of the Milky Way Galaxy and the extragalactic powers beyond the rim. To be honest, I was mostly inspired by the <a href="http://www.wcnews.com/wcpedia/Akwende_Drive" rel="nofollow">Jump Drive</a> of the <a href="http://wingcommander.wikia.com/wiki/Wing_Commander_technology_and_vehicles#Engines" rel="nofollow">Wing Commander</a> Franchise. Well, before I was able to research the science of its operation online....<br /><br />And I know enough about science to try and attempt to respect it within my own setting to minimize the amount of <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/glossary.php#id--Jargon--Hand_Waving" rel="nofollow">Hand Waving</a> as possible. The key words being "try" and "attempt", mind you.<br /><br />Well, it's one thing to detect an extrasolar transmission before it is sent, it's a whole other beast when the contents and data of said transmission could be read before it is sent when <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/fasterlight.php#id--Causality" rel="nofollow">Causality and Paradoxes</a> are involved. Sufficient to say, beyond stating that it can't, it's best to make the possibility of time traveling transmissions as close to null as possible with whatever variables one can think of to counter the old phrase "FTL equals time travel".<br /><br />And speaking of old telegraphs, from how I've painted the technological limitations of humanity so far, it appears that when it comes to constellation deployment, strategy, and warcraft tactics to a certain degree, it's starting to sound a bit similar to naval warfare from the Crimea War to World War One with notable accents of Age-of-Sale Horatio Nelson dashed into it. I'm pretty sure <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Weber" rel="nofollow">David Webber</a> and his fictional character <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honor_Harrington" rel="nofollow">Honor Harrington</a> would have approved of the setup.Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-62297945425252757422012-08-08T00:50:39.357-07:002012-08-08T00:50:39.357-07:00Huhh pretty long article.
Personally i like better...Huhh pretty long article.<br />Personally i like better the jump in very low G constraint, making black holes as best jump points seems awkward to me, and deep space is really boring void, that can be skipped from a story.<br />Otherwise it is nice to see, you care about science. :)<br /><br /><br />" Even if FTL comms do somehow deliver messages from the future"<br /><br />You can see they arrive before they were sent, but i doubt it is really a paradox.<br />Of course it can be bad, if you can remote control everything from Earth... maybe it requires very much energy, precise synchronizing and things like that, it is rather like old telegraphs than modern radios.TOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07714038528716438776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-9296052524224017942012-04-25T19:31:38.604-07:002012-04-25T19:31:38.604-07:00Ohhhhhh! So that's what you meant by "fle...Ohhhhhh! So that's what you meant by "fleet operations", spacecraft classes. Though now that I think of it, would it really be appropriate to have spacecraft "classes" like the ol' blue water navy?<br /><br />Anywho, your example sounds awfully alot like <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacewarship.php#id--Attributes--Trade_Offs" rel="nofollow">Atomic Rocket's own little graph idea</a>, though I think that there should be <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacewarship.php#id--Attributes--Additional_Attributes" rel="nofollow">more than just three variables</a> when it comes to warcraft classifications.<br /><br />Additionally, I have made mention to (at least) humanity's treaty agreed classification of combat spacecraft and combat starcraft classes <a href="http://cronguswars.blogspot.com/2012/04/guncraft-diplomacy-rough-draft-design.html" rel="nofollow">in my blog entry on my design rough draft.</a> I had numbers for each of those classes, but I subsequently lost them....<br /><br />Oh well, it'll come to be eventually, though I imagine that, <a href="http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacewarship.php#id--Classification--Terminology" rel="nofollow">as per Ken Burnside's thoughts on the matter</a>, I would imagine that the Expeditionary Starcrafts would have a noticeably larger endurance rating compared to the Stellar Defense Forces, though I also have a feeling that the Stellar Defense Forces would have higher defense and weapons ratings compared to Expeditionary Starcrafts. Not sure about the propulsion rating though..... <br /><br />And that's not going into the independent patrol combat spacecraft classes like the classical blue water cruisers. Though now that I think about it (again, I know. It a curse), I wonder if the Expeditionary Forces should be organized around the main battle constellation and the Stellar Defense Forces more like Independent Patrol operating from orbital bases and the like, or should it be the other way around?Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-36749383924493763412012-04-25T09:12:58.970-07:002012-04-25T09:12:58.970-07:00I think the best approach to use when designing fo...I think the best approach to use when designing forces for your story is "what makes for an interesting story?" I like the analysis on tropes, <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CompetitiveBalance" rel="nofollow">competitive balance.</a><br /><br />Your lightning bruiser is what everyone wants -- speed, endurance, firepower. If you can build something like that, why would you build anything else? Limited resources. You have a fixed budget and a given mission and you have to pick the best mix of forces that allow you to satisfy them all. <br /><br />Those factors will affect how your fleet is constructed.jollyreaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05673007647719726846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-12623955458591450672012-04-23T18:14:01.564-07:002012-04-23T18:14:01.564-07:00Well my reasoning for the multiple walls of text i...Well my reasoning for the multiple walls of text is mostly to explain the abilities and limitations of each means of interstellar (and with the M3WD, interplanetary) travel and communications but also establish an internal logic that characters within the setting (once I finally get around to it) would have to work with in order to succeed. <br /><br />Though then again, in retrospect, it probably would have been a good idea to split each tech into its own little blog entry. I guess that's the downside of having a particular theme for a blog entry.<br /><br />As for the tech influencing the setting and vice versa, well though FTL communications does exist on an interstellar scale in this setting of mine, it's not exactly the kind that is prevalent in most science fantasy and space opera settings. Even if FTL comms do somehow deliver messages from the future, the speed of radio waves kind of negates such an advantage. <br /><br />I was also warned, from where I have no idea, that FTL communications at its core would actually omit the need for starcraft constellation since it would allow interstellar telepresence. Thus I sought to try (key word being "try") to put limitations so as to justify the existence of interstellar starcrafts.<br /><br />And speaking of FTL comms, though I already stated that stellar radiation interferes with its operation, I kinda wonder if it could be midigated if at least the receiver array could be shielded by the umbra of a celestial body. Paygrade isn't really high enough to know for certain if this would really work or not. Planetary radiation belts on the other hand....<br /><br />In the interstellar FTL tech I've set up with in this setting as it pertains to military operations, the Stellar Defense Forces (of interstellar nation-states to be exact) act like more the defensive milita who operate mainly from orbital bases and mostly use interplanetary spacecraft for patrol and logistical missions. Yet when a threat does somehow find its way past the first lines of defense, the local stellar forces would have to make due with what they have available at hand at each settlement (planet, moon, station, whatever) and must last long enough for relief forces to arrive. <br /><br />The expeditionary forces of an interstellar nation-state are an analogue to blue water navy if only because the spacers and espaciers practically live on the starcrafts. They go into any starsystem to fulfill whatever mission is given to them but if there is any trouble with interstellar communications (such as the nonexistance of one) they're practically blind. The Admirals, for lack of a better term, are able to receive orders via FTL transmissions from High Command but certain limitations means not only that they can't report back until the situation clears, but it also means that such orders must be open to a particular interpretation by the front line commanders since the usual command and control of contemporary times is practically impossible in an interstellar sense and harken to the days of Horatio Nelson (in psychology and intellect rather than strategic thinking and tactics. Space is not an Ocean and all). Not exactly "god" in a sense that s/he does have their own higher ups, but as far as stellar military and diplomatic issues are a concern, the buck stops there.<br /><br />As for the exact details of fleet operations... *shrugs* I'm sure it'll come to me in time. I'm not exactly a Naval expert (Yes I know, Space is not an Ocean) when it comes to strategic deployment. First of all, I still need to refine the basic layout of a combat starcraft. I got ideas, but I still need to draw 'em out so that others could at least get an idea of what I'm talking about. Mostly.Sabersonichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304850400062201271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323903258181732911.post-52857066195100663452012-04-23T17:42:53.001-07:002012-04-23T17:42:53.001-07:00You have a lot of material here, possibly too much...You have a lot of material here, possibly too much for one post. (I say this while looking at my own wall of text I'm working on.) <br /><br />If your story is about the technology, then starting with an explanation of how it works will then explain your setting. If your story is about the setting, you're really backing into the technology that fits the story you want to tell. You want kids trained up in war in an orbital Battle School to direct a war fleet sent out a generation ago to fight the bug menace? STL drives, FTL communications. The particulars of the wibbly-wobbly don't really matter. If you want FTL to keep the story moving at a good clip but want to preserve a pre-radio sense of isolation where the captain is God and the only thing holding civilization together on the ship, FTL drives but no FTL coms. <br /><br />I'm having trouble getting a sense of what fleet operations would look like in this setting.jollyreaperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05673007647719726846noreply@blogger.com