The Question thread

[Heretic]

Being that a Master list of Yes and Nos of technology is needed, I thought I might take the initiative to get the discussion on what is and isn't allowed here, so that we can come up with a organized list. I know we covered much on the other thread, but this is for more specific and expansive details.


What is this universe's status on Genetic Engineering?

Is it possible for someone to artificially activate an inert eddie?

Is is plausible and practical for laser strikes to exist in ground based warfare (like the GDI's laser strike in Command and Conquer, and the Hammer of Dawn in Gears of War)?

[Artemis]

What is this universe's status on Genetic Engineering?

I would imagine it's fairly commonplace. Colonists for worlds similar but not identical to their homeworld would receive some genetic modifications in order to survive there, and the rigors of life on a high-velocity torchship would also require a bit of tinkering. Siege would be better at elaborating on this subject.

Is it possible for someone to artificially activate an inert eddy?

I wouldn't think so - not a lot is known about how graveddies operate, and even there was, you'd need some kind of device that plays with elements of space-time that we in the 21st century don't even have theoretical names for yet.

[Magister Militum]

What type of limit is there on warship size and tonnage in TSW?

[Mobius 1]

What type of limit is there on warship size and tonnage in TSW?

This. I have a couple of reasons for seconding this question, chiefly my polity (the Cevaucian Shipcrafting Conglomerate), but also how far we're reaching into the hard sci-fi territory. Old TSW capped ships under 5-8 miles, and I dug it. Since we're moving a built higher on Mohr's Scale of Science Fiction Hardness, I can imagine stuff like ships a mile long would bring a reaction of 'oh my god we're going to die and die hard' on a battlefield.

[speaker-to-trolls]

I wouldn't think so - not a lot is known about how graveddies operate, and even there was, you'd need some kind of device that plays with elements of space-time that we in the 21st century don't even have theoretical names for yet.

I considered mentioning some kind of big boy civilisations which members of the known races have seen only a little evidence of having artificially activated graveddies, the fact of which caused the explorers to discreetly retire to the organic recycling chamber.

I have a question, incidentally, Artemis mentioned a maximum polity allowance of 5 major population centres per nation, I'd guess that's basically 5 heavily inhabited systems. I briefly considerd that it could mean 5 areas which, at maximum, measured up to Kardachev type I standards, a discussion of which can be seen here, but essentially such a standard means having as much power available as modern day America multiplied by about 20,000.
Understandably this might be a bit too much, except just maybe for the Dreynar, who do after all call the shots for the entire Core.

[Heretic]

Agh, I still have an issue on Graveddies. So they are basically lanes in space, and some are one sided and such, but then what is the purpose of Inert eddies? Can you even find one? I'm thinking of eddies as little tunnels in space. If it's inert, wouldn't it be patched up with space, making it nonexistent, or am I missing the point of Graveddies totally?

[Destructionator]

I can imagine stuff like ships a mile long would bring a reaction of 'oh my god we're going to die and die hard' on a battlefield.

Hmm. I'd probably think it is a habitat being moved somewhere and thus not much of an immediate threat at all. (culture shock when it opens fire!)

As a note for comparison, my ASE 'verse notes consider ~500 meters (~1/3 mile) long to be the upper limit on what I'd consider a battleship (number based on some simple calculations based on extremely optimistic numbers for the Orion drive). Anything bigger is getting into space fortress territory - they are no longer expected to make many movements simply due to the difficulty in accelerating so much mass in a meaningful manner.

[Mobius 1]

As a note for comparison, my ASE 'verse notes consider ~500 meters (~1/3 mile) long to be the upper limit on what I'd consider a battleship (number based on some simple calculations based on extremely optimistic numbers for the Orion drive). Anything bigger is getting into space fortress territory - they are no longer expected to make many movements simply due to the difficulty in accelerating so much mass in a meaningful manner.

OTOH, TSW is a bit softer in this regard, so I imagine we can live with mile-long ships.

Anyway, perhaps we can throw up a thread that outlines the mechanics of graveddies for public edification?

[Magister Militum]

Another question has come about while working on my polity (I call dibs on Sirius, by the way). Artemis has mentioned that Earth will be a lot like the British Empire towards its eventual end, i.e., it's trying hard to hold onto its former colonies and such. Right now I have the United Colonies of Sirius being formed by a group of major nations, under UN supervision, who send out colonists there in hopes of setting up what will be the heart of a major colonial hub in that region. Now, when Earth finally makes contact wtih them, are they still going to try to keep them under their rule at all costs, or is the UN going to realize its pretty much futile and decides to let them be? In other words, is Earth going to be the type that is going to force its extrasolar colonies in line after they been de facto independent for a long time, or will they let them be and focus on systems that they can get to via graveddies?

[Destructionator]

OTOH, TSW is a bit softer in this regard, so I imagine we can live with mile-long ships.

Aye, doubly so if they are long and narrow. Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey looks fragile for battle, but something shaped like that is still ok by even my conservative standards; with our softer standards here, you could likely armor it too and be fine.

[Artemis]

Agh, I still have an issue on Graveddies. So they are basically lanes in space, and some are one sided and such, but then what is the purpose of Inert eddies? Can you even find one? I'm thinking of eddies as little tunnels in space. If it's inert, wouldn't it be patched up with space, making it nonexistent, or am I missing the point of Graveddies totally?

As far as interstellar travel and commerce are concerned, they're actually rather useless, but a lot of polities like to hold on to them anyway in the event that they become active - a fairly common occurrence. Also, some graveddies go from being inert to active and back again due to "trade winds," an as-yet-unexplained phenomena where graveddies will switch from one exit point to another, in which case the former exit point would go inert.

I do wonder though, and maybe you guys have some thoughts on this, what do graveddies look like, and how would you detect an inert one?

[Malchus]

First off: Woohoo! TSW lives again!

As for how graveddies look like, I vote that they don't look like the cliched swirly-light portals of most sci-fi. Maybe they could only be visually spotted due to some distortion of the light from the star it orbits as it passes in front of said star. Y'know, like how real life astronomers detect possible planets, black holes, and whatnot from the way light shifts around them. Or how sun spots appear black, but are actually only somewhat less brilliant than the areas around them--they only look dark because the rest of the sun's surface is so bright.

'Course, that's just my thought. Dunno if anyone else agrees.

[Artemis]

For some reason I was just now imagined them as being just slightly reflective, like seeing your reflection in an oil spill.

[Malchus]

I was thinking that it looked more like this, but less completely dark and the distortion only making a small rim around it rather than extending far from the center:



EDIT: Just a little quick Shoop. Something like this I mean

[Heretic]

Damn, that's an ugly little fucker. Good job Malchus.

[Destructionator]

I'd just say they don't look like anything. You have to find them by looking for their effects, which are very slight, so you'll probably miss it unless you are nearby already. You guess where one might be (knowing they seem to congregate around giant objects) and then focus your looking over there for the tiny effect on passing rocks or whatever.

This means they are difficult to locate, so new discoveries are all the more prized.

[Destructionator]

Does use of the graveddies require the use of any technology or can any object just fly right through them without effort?

[Artemis]

I vote nay.

[Destructionator]

SiegeTank and I just had a brief discussion in my thread where we ironed out the idea of shields (again).

The brief summary: He reiterated that they are reserved for gods, and none of us are gods, which means none of us get them. As far as everyone is concerned, shields and other magic tech like artificial gravity is simply impossible, no matter how advanced you *think* you are.

[Booted Vulture]

The prohibition on shields Would be I assume referring to standard sci-fiction magic bubble that stops anything. Star Wars, Star Trek Stargate, style bubble shields.

But how about similar devices that are slightly harder: Say electro magnetic deflectors; if I have race that mainly uses neutron cannon and defendes itself from rail gun/ electron beam attacks by generating a big ass magnetic field to deflect missiles away from themselves?

[Heretic]

Sounds probable and practical. Maybe those type of shields can be the rare ones that everyone wants their hands on?

Also, can people give me a more detailed explanation of C-Web? I want to make my Duban's government compatible with them.

[Siege]

The prohibition on shields Would be I assume referring to standard sci-fiction magic bubble that stops anything. Star Wars, Star Trek Stargate, style bubble shields.

Yeah.

Say electro magnetic deflectors; if I have race that mainly uses neutron cannon and defendes itself from rail gun/ electron beam attacks by generating a big ass magnetic field to deflect missiles away from themselves?

I'm not opposed to the ability to generate giant magnetic fields, but I'm skeptical of your ability to do anything really useful with them. Unless I'm sorely mistaken they'll be subject to the inverse square law, they won't stop a laser or a neutron beam, nor realistically a coilgun pellet, and by generating it you'll make a huge target out of yourself for any futuristic emission seeker head out there. Plus you'd have to wonder what such an immensely powerful magnetic field will do to your ship's electronics and any potential organic crew members aboard. Prolonged exposure to massive doses of electromagnetism can't be healthy even for most alien lifeforms...

[Heretic]

Concerning the health hazard: Wouldn't the layers upon layers of material walls keep the fields from the crew?

[Destructionator]

I think, not sure, but think so: if you have a magnetic ring, the field cancels out inside it but remains strong outside it.

Thus it can be used to deflect incoming charged particles without having any negative effects on the stuff inside. This might work on particle beams and would probably be useful against the solar wind.

However, like SiegeTank said, it wouldn't do anything to lasers and such, and there are easier ways to protect against the naturally occurring stuff (just some simple physical shielding around the important sections), so I don't think it would be worth actually using.

[Malchus]

The brief summary: He reiterated that they are reserved for gods, and none of us are gods, which means none of us get them. As far as everyone is concerned, shields and other magic tech like artificial gravity is simply impossible, no matter how advanced you *think* you are.

Huh, damn. Lomwun were supposed to be one of the most advanced extra-galactic races so I gave them simple shields. But they're not supposed to be god-like, just impressively advanced.

Oh well, I guess I'll change it to electromagnetic deflectors then rather than full bubble shielding.

EDIT: And I can get by since Lomwun are supposed to be much more physicaly resistant to the nasty effects of magnetism on the body.