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Thanks for the reply. That should help a bunch on the weapon description.
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Ah, fusion pulse cannons. They're all I ever use, and I never bother to buy anything else. I just buy six of them and go out and disable pirate carriers in thirty seconds (counting the time I take to destroy their vipers and wait for them to run out of EMP torps)
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I agree that the stars should not be included in systems because they present lighting difficulties, gravity would get too hard, and they would be too easy to use to kill stupid AI enemies.
One of my pet peeves in all the EV games is ship ratio. You've got the Shuttle, where you can sort of see where the person sits. Then you put it next to a Leviathan, and the people in reality would be much, much smaller, given the crew size told to you by Nova.
Another thing I hate about ratio is planet-to-ship size. I mean, I've seen Fed cruisers "land" on planets that are a quarter their size. People really need to make their planets much bigger.
And what's up with the Kand Band? That has got to be the most unrealistic thing in Nova. To build that, you'd have to wipe out farms, cities, and roads just to put a big metal ring around your planet. If they must do something like that, it should NOT have been on Earth, but on Mars or the moon, where no one lives (according to the game).
I agree that you should be able to run into asteroids, but they shouldn't be done in the way that they are now, There should be asteroid belts, not just random asteroids flying everywhere. Each system should have fields for asteroid belt size and thickness, and more of those to accomodate more than one asteroid belt. Going through an asteroid belt would severely damage shields.
And asteroid mining is just...no.
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I'd definitely put a star of any kind: "normal" (i.e. similar to sun) stars, red giant stars, dead stars, little stars, enormous stars that might even go hypernova at some point in the game via a crön, binary or ternary stars, etc... in every system center if I was making a TC, and more uninhabited stellars you can land on or not. Unuseful, yes, but it adds some atmosphere.
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Actually Arther Clark explained the Kane Band very well in his writing. First off it is not made on the Earth itself other than a terminal to accept passengers from the bands dropped from a sychrones orbit. While the idea is fictional Clark does explain the basics well and in a manner that is very grounded in science. While I have to grant that we do not yet posses the materials to build such a bridge there is no saying that over the next several years we won't as we start to understand better how to make long chain molecules and new crystal growth in low or no gravity environments. That kind of stuff is currently being looked into more and more and major breakthroughs may actually prove this to be more technically feasable than continuing to lift payloads out of the atmosphere.
Definitely not the version in Nova- the diameter of each pillar (and there are a whole bunch of them) is about the width of Panama (if not larger). I doubt that anyone would take that much raw material and build something so big compared to the planet- the Kane Band should have been much thinner.
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Too true. Yet that is clearly where they got the idea. At the end of Clarks book he did envision more of them and a ring to connect then at the geosynchrones orbit band.
A single tower/bridge to space would be a huge boost to curent space exploration though but at the time of Nova who knows what would be needed.
For those that are interested, the reference to Arthur C. Clarke refers to his book "The Fountains of Paradise." It explains space-elevators that at the end of the book are linked to a ring around the planet. That said, such a ring would be invisible unless the planet were tens of thousands of pixels to a side.
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Originally posted by Tiresmoke: **As light is able to have a frequency and can be measured in wave lenghs, can another wave be modulated to it such as a sound or radio frequency? I know that high decible sound can be used as a weapon and ultrasound can be used to break down kidney stones. How about a microwave modulated in frequencies that could heat and cause hull damage? **
Visible Light, Microwaves, Radio waves, Infrared, ultraviolent, xrays, gamma rays etc are all the same type of rays, they just have different frequencies. Google "Electromagnetic Spectrum" for more infomation
Originally posted by Zacha Pedro: **I'd definitely put a star of any kind: "normal" (i.e. similar to sun) stars, red giant stars, dead stars, little stars, enormous stars that might even go hypernova at some point in the game via a crön, binary or ternary stars, (...) **
I'm not being pedantic or anything, but our sun is type G if i remember, and type M is the most "normal" in the galaxy. Just thought that might be useful to anyone
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Interesting topic, too bad I don't really have the time to go into some of the things that are being discussed right now... I agree that we should have more of these topics, they're a great source of information and inspiration to plugin-developers.
I've spent quite some time looking for similar (Hyperion-related) material on the net, and the best I could find was (url="http://"http://kier.3dfrontier.com/forums/")3DF: Spacebattles(/url), where the amount of useful information is still depressingly small...
Originally posted by UE_Research & Development: **the Kane Band should have been much thinner. **
It was supposed to be much thinner, but that made it extremely difficult to render properly at the relatively small scale used in Nova. If it had been done the way ATMOS originally wanted, it would have been almost invisible (or at least look very bad), so they had to compromise.
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I'm still not (totally) convinced. It's obscenely obese in the landing pic as well, and they could have made it a lot thinner there. After all, not much in the EVN universe is to scale anyways.
Originally posted by Diordna2: One of my pet peeves in all the EV games is ship ratio. You've got the Shuttle, where you can sort of see where the person sits. Then you put it next to a Leviathan, and the people in reality would be much, much smaller, given the crew size told to you by Nova.
There's a perfectly good reason for this. If they were to scale, a Viper could be like, five pixels long, while the Auroran Carrier would not fit on a 1280x1024 screen. Matt, Peter, Chris, Adam, and ATMOS have all done them totally off-scale because some ships are too damn big. You see, they have put gameplay first.
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Originally posted by UE_Research & Development: ** And what's wrong with packeted weapons? They don't have to be lasers- has that possibility ever become apparent to anyone?
**
I don't know if my suggestion was taken, but in Sephil Saga I proposed that the energy weapon wouldn't really be a laser, but used photon packets.
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I admit I haven't read the whole topic-maybe the first 1/2. But I got to the part about shields and I decided I had to pipe up. I just want to put in my 2 cents on sci-fi tech, specifically how I've imagined and designed it for Sephil Saga.
The technology in SS is, I think, as close to actual technology and physics as is achievable in EV. Everything has been meticulously thought out and even researched. Of course, certain assumptions were made- 1. Fusion reactors are small, cheap, and obnoxiously common. 2. Room-temp superconductors are the same 3. Ships still have to obey Newton's 3rd Law.
Alot of the technology we're using is designed to explain the game engine as it stands (which is why we still have Shields-more later). Speed limits in space were the biggest hurdle, and one I'm still not sure we/I adequately bridged. My current "solution" is based on particle clouds and micrometeorites. SS takes place in the solar system, meaning everything is considerable scaled down from normal EV- you never get out of the influence of the Sun, meaning you have quite a bit of crap to deal with out there. Crap that would tear you ship to shreds at the velocities you are moving at. So I invented Velocity Shields. Basically, magnetic shielding that forms a funnel around your ship, allowing greater efficiency (less drag-because their is quite a bit of dust and particles this close to a star) and protection from the elements of space, up to a given max velocity. To add realism, I added a "velocity override" outfit, which supposedly lets you break your speed limit temporarily. It's a fatal bomb, though, of course, but while "active" it gives you almost unlimited top speed. Now, the most realistic thing to do would be to make top speed dependant on your engines, because of relativity. This was not practical in the context of the game, unfortunately. There were a variety of considerations which I forget, but they were quite important. Fortunately, it is not absolutely too late to change this. This is something I'd like input on, though. I think it is possible that the reason we couldn't do it strictly with the engines may have disappeared- something about detaching cargo pods. Hmm... This system allows better variability, though.
Shields are a really basic element of EV, so realistic systems explanations for them were found. We use two kinds of shielding, which combined form Combat or C-shields. Magnetic and Particle shielding, which have already been mentioned as the best candidates for shielding, much to my surprise. C-Shields are an outer skin of superconducting coils and ion ejectors. It works, and the effects of different types of weaponry on these technologies was considered. For example, as far as I know, 1. Lasers would pass through both, and hence, in SS, do. 2. Railguns/Massdrivers, since they MUST use ferrous/magnetic slugs, would be stopped dead by the mag-shield, and hence are. 3. Particle Beams would still manage to zap and short circuit the onboard electronics, even though most of their energy would be diverted. In SS, this electronics damage is Ionization. P-Beams ionize like crazy, but do very little shield or armor damage. Electronic Shields, E-Shields, are one of the basic components, and serve as Ion Absorbers. They do not recharge by themselves, though, as we are talking about DAMAGE to the electronics. Like the ship's armor, they don't fix themselves. However, Redundant Systems do, another basic component. 4. Missiles: Damage both shields and armor, depending on warhead type. 5. Cannons: conventional guns, damage both shields and armor. 6. Plasma Lance: Giant goll-durn welding torches. Cut ships to ribbons, but are used at close range. Ignore shielding. 7. Antimatter Weapons: Damage both + electronics. BTW, I have a buddy who works at Northrop Grumman right now at the skunkworks. I have it on good authority that Antimatter weaponry is on the horizon. Apparently, they have found a very stable way to store the stuff. When a positron and an electron are about to collide, they enter a "death spiral". When the correct magnetic and E-field is applied, they will orbit eachother forever in a stable configuration. So, to make it into a bomb, turn off the containment field. (He also says they have a handbook called something like "Antigravity for Beginners", given to new engineers)
Mass and Size have been very distinctly separated. Size is physical size, and is Nova's normal size stat. Weight, however, simply subtracts acceleration. This is always something to think about in SS- most outfits weigh something, and also use energy. You have to find a balance. Weight also affects your turn rate, BTW.
Where the normal game mechanics were irreconcilable, we put in different and new systems, such as the way energy and fuel have been redefined, or V-shields, at least as I consider them.
Hypergates and Hyperspace are essential to SS. They are very important, but notably unscientific. This was solved in a convienient way: by ignoring the Science. However, you don't know that, and what they are really is going to remain one of the best-kept secrets. Suffice to say, they exist, and aren't even attempted to be explained in conventional terms.
There are no Aliens in SS, so that aspect hasn't really been talked about. However, I think it really comes down to this: who discovers who? If the aliens come to us first, it's probably because we can't go to them, and I think it's a good assumption that they are more advanced than us. What they do then is anybody's guess- there are plenty of motivations possible for any course of action. It works vice-versa, of course. If we find them first, odds are we are the more advanced race.
Now, I'll admit, I'm not sure if this post has any relevance whatsoever to the topic at this point. I was just reading through and there were times when I wanted to say "No, this is how it is". Well, this is how it is, or at least to the best of my knowledge and implementation ability. I didn't mean for this to be more SS spoilers/hype/whatever, but if you have any comments on any of this that is SS-specific, please post over on the ev-nova.net board. You'll know which topic. I'd appreciate it. If there is any way we can refine our physics, the sooner the better!
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Originally posted by orcaloverbri9: **I don't know how well this will go over, but this is how I weapons should work. There's also a couple questions. I'd appreciate any criticism, added opinions, etc. That's why I made the topicfor people to comment on it. Note that I am not saying this is a great approachjust the most realistic.
I'm kind of sick of all this plasma and laser and stuff. They're ridiculous. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, found in stars, lightning, and neon signs, among other things. We don't understand it. Lasers are beams of light. They do not kill people. They can burn, but not kill, unless they are really powerful. I think someone should actually do something with this, instead of reusing the pathetic old "this is a laser cannon, blah blah blah, blah blah blah...". I personally think plasma cannons should be screwed altogether. Blasts of light are unrealistic. It makes more sense to have a laser that's a beam, and scorches a hull rather than just doing damage to shields. In fact, I think shields are unrealistic. We'd more likely have just heavily plated armor. Also, I don't know how much we know about antimatter, but I'm quite sure it's very little, if we know about it at all. It may not even exist. Guided missiles are stupid. We can't target a missile to a specific target. The best we have is heat-seeking, and heat-seeking missiles probably can't exist in space. Any mechanical waves you can think of, save sound for effect, should be completely removed. I forget...is heat an electromagnetic or a mechanical wave?
In summary, I think the most realistic approach, while not the most interesting, would be to have only physical weapons, i.e. rockets and guns, and laser beams that scorch armor, and to have no shields, only armor. Sensors are bad, too (not the one in the sidebar interface, as that can be justified as a quick-and-easy reference of what's around you), but that's a rant all on its own.
I once found an explanation of how explosions should look, but don't remember and can't think of what to search for. Can anyone explain how an explosion would really be?
I hope you found this rant interesting, if nothing else.
This is related to plug-in development, right?
I think what you are doing is understandable and quite possible, however I must say I cannot think of why to go through that trouble just to make the game more WW2 style. In my opinion as the game is based a long long time in the future laser cannons and shields and plasma guns are fine for the game.
Although I agree that ships can't be to scale all the way, I do think that carriers and such should be MUCH bigger than they are now. A Fed carrer should be twice its current size, at least.
Originally posted by Pod: **I'm not being pedantic or anything, but our sun is type G if i remember, and type M is the most "normal" in the galaxy. Just thought that might be useful to anyone:) **
Thus the quotes around normal in my post.
Here's my 4 cents. I'm somewhat lazy in reading through all of those responses. But I'm sure it would of been mentioned before. I agree with someone talking about the powerful plasma. Like mentioned, I think. Theoretically, an engine using plasma energy would have to actually have somekind of energy field to hold the plasma because its just as hot as the sun and no known physical matter is known to be able to hold it.
As for realistic explosion, ever see movies that show big firey balls of explosion? Well, in real life that would never happen, you could try to justify that ship containing aiir would of fueled the fire. In real life, a small rupture is all it takes to blow things up, but more like a balloon type of pop, no firey death at all.
First things first, in outer space, air pressure is virtually zero. What does that mean? It means that any liquid will just evaporate into air in a matter of nano-seconds, outer space may be hundreds of degrees below zero but it would not be enough to freeze liquid to solid. Imagine a large container filled with liquid oxygen floating in outer space, what would happen if something ruptured it? Answer, the container would pop like a balloon, and if you went to inspect the wreckage, you will not find any frozen solid of oxygen, nothing will be there except the remains of a container.
Finally, about sounds. Obviously there is no sounds, but movies like to use sounds in outer space to make things dramatic. Theoretically however, a nebula could exist where perhaps certain regions may have enough pressure to equal that of earth, and so it just might be possible for sound to be emitted that way. This was something I was pondering when I was writing a story about a habital nebula suitable for all forms of life.
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Originally posted by Coraxus: Here's my 4 cents. I'm somewhat lazy in reading through all of those responses. But I'm sure it would of been mentioned before. I agree with someone talking about the powerful plasma. Like mentioned, I think. Theoretically, an engine using plasma energy would have to actually have somekind of energy field to hold the plasma because its just as hot as the sun and no known physical matter is known to be able to hold it.
Depends on what you mean by plasma. You can make relatively cool plasma as it is simply a cloud of charge particles. To quote Nasa:
'Plasma is not a gas, liquid, or solid - it is the fourth state of matter. Plasma often behaves like a gas, except that it conducts electricity and is affected by magnetic fields. On an astronomical scale, plasma is common. The Sun is composed of plasma, fire is plasma, fluorescent and neon lights contain plasma.
"99.9 percent of the Universe is made up of plasma," says Dr. Dennis Gallagher, a plasma physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "Very little material in space is made of rock like the Earth."'
Prototypes for plasma propulsion already exist: here(/url, here and here.
It's only a 1 atmosphere pressure. Spaceships wouldn't go pop and it would take a few moments for all the air to rush out. If you have small elaks between compartments you could fuel a fire for quite a while.
As long as the temperature is at or below the substance's triple point, it will solidify. Space is around 3K, though it would be higher where exposed to sunlight. A few triple points can be found (url="http://"http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/phase.html")here. As you can see, Oxygen's triple point is around 54K, so it should freeze.
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Originally posted by Jonathan Boyd: **It's only a 1 atmosphere pressure. Spaceships wouldn't go pop and it would take a few moments for all the air to rush out. If you have small elaks between compartments you could fuel a fire for quite a while.
It's one atmosphere pressure inside the container in the assumption that it's totally sealed, but when a breach makes an opening exposing liquid oxygen to outer space, the pressure is radically compromised and has no choice but to escape the container and the quickest way is to litterally rip out of the container in a matter of seconds.
Having small leaks between compartment can only happen within a container having two compartments, but leaks going out to outerspace will result the total destruction of the container. Now, I'm not saying that you could have a leak the size of a pin on a NASA space shuttle to wreak a devastating result, I'm sure it would hold together, you would just have a super suction. But a breach doesn't need to be big, it just barely needs to be big enough depending how big the object is to do damage.
**As long as the temperature is at or below the substance's triple point, it will solidify. Space is around 3K, though it would be higher where exposed to sunlight. A few triple points can be found here. As you can see, Oxygen's triple point is around 54K, so it should freeze.
Changes in pressure is too far greater, you would not even have time for it to freeze over to a solid matter. If what you say is true, how long would it take for oxygen to respond to solidifying in this dramatic change?
(This message has been edited by Coraxus (edited 12-30-2003).)
Originally posted by orcaloverbri9: **Guided missiles are stupid. We can't target a missile to a specific target. The best we have is heat-seeking, and heat-seeking missiles probably can't exist in space. Any mechanical waves you can think of, save sound for effect, should be completely removed. I forget...is heat an electromagnetic or a mechanical wave?
In summary, I think the most realistic approach, while not the most interesting, would be to have only physical weapons, i.e. rockets and guns, and laser beams that scorch armor, and to have no shields, only armor. Sensors are bad, too (not the one in the sidebar interface, as that can be justified as a quick-and-easy reference of what's around you), but that's a rant all on its own.**
I'm kinda surprised that no one has really commented much on this yet and it's an area that used to interest me quite a bit so here's my quick comment. Pod mentioned it briefly about missle guidance systems but the truth is that there are already way more advanced means of guidance systems available. Why do you think that IR is the only one around. Radar and television guided missles (such as the AIM-120 Sparrow, AIM-54 Phoenix, AIM-65 Maverick) have all been in use since the 70's. Radar guided technology is vastly superior to IR and TV and wire-guided systems are better than that in some instances - capable of choosing a specific target and being guided in either by hand or by it's AI. (There's a challange for mrxak - user guided missles). Today's weapon systems can target and track multiple instances and any IR or Radar missle is fire-and-forget.
As far as sensors go, if the one in the sidebar is ok, then what's the problem? The most common radar in use by aircraft and air defense systems picks up on the tranmission of other radar systems in use. And all radars/sonar essentially work the same by sending out a transmission and waiting for a response. The only thing that changes is the frequency and the angle. Fighter aircraft primarily use FLIR (foward looking infrared) radar systems that only look ahead of the aircraft since it's the most passive and undetectable radar trasmission. Other support aircraft use radars that actively scan 360 (those ones with the large rotating disk on top). Submarines use a forward sonar system that actively "pings" for objecs that are ahead of it. A towed array can be dragged behind that provides 360 coverage. Course submarines still rely on a person to hear what's being returned and interpret it - something not feasible in space, but the application still applies and when the time comes we'll develop radar systems for space that suit our needs.
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