Future Tech Advice and Assistance Thread [O.O.C.]

[Vorkova]

Not a direct counterpart. There's the RPing Questions thread in this forum for general issues, and the Military Realism thread in FB&NI.

But I daresay 90% of all questions asked on this thread are military-related. There are just too few diplomatic RPs in FT.

Who needs diplomacy when you have star destroyers?

Seriously though, I agree. I haven't come across many of them with my FT nation.

[The Ben Boys]

But I daresay 90% of all questions asked on this thread are military-related. There are just too few diplomatic RPs in FT.

Who needs diplomacy when you have star destroyers?

Seriously though, I agree. I haven't come across many of them with my FT nation.

I've participated in only one that actually got off the ground, and it was only exiciting because there was about three assassination attempts happening at once.

[Vocenae]

That is because diplomacy threads typically don't go anywhere and usually devolve into 'talking heads'. Military or some sort of combat occurs because more stuff is happening and allows for cool stuff like a squad of power armor soldiers racing across the hull of a starship, possibly while the starship is falling out of orbit.

[New Tauri Republic]

If one were going to use a rotating blackhole as a source of power generation, how would you keep it rotating?
Would shooting matter into it in a controlled fashion, such as two carefully aimed particle beams fired in opposite directions right at the edge the event horizon work?
Would this allow one to utilize a blackhole that is as small as possible to generate power via the rotating magnetic field and the thermal radiation generated by it as the black hole then anhilates the matter being put in?
Could the exact frequencies, ( such as visible light on upto whatever one can harness the energy into effectively and efficiently ), be controlled via the size of the black hole?
Could the gravity (and potentially the heat) from the blackhole, however it is contained, also be used with antigravity fields to generate a secondary fusion reaction in order to also harness that aspect of the blackhole?
Would it also be possible to flash to hydrogen and helium in the outer secondary reaction for even increased power generation (albiet in short periodic bursts)?

[Kyrusia]

If one were going to use a rotating blackhole as a source of power generation, how would you keep it rotating?
Would shooting matter into it in a controlled fashion, such as two carefully aimed particle beams fired in opposite directions right at the edge the event horizon work?
Would this allow one to utilize a blackhole that is as small as possible to generate power via the rotating magnetic field and the thermal radiation generated by it as the black hole then anhilates the matter being put in?
Could the exact frequencies, ( such as visible light on upto whatever one can harness the energy into effectively and efficiently ), be controlled via the size of the black hole?
Could the gravity (and potentially the heat) from the blackhole, however it is contained, also be used with antigravity fields to generate a secondary fusion reaction in order to also harness that aspect of the blackhole?
Would it also be possible to flash to hydrogen and helium in the outer secondary reaction for even increased power generation (albiet in short periodic bursts)?

You're talking about the utilization of a non-Schwarzchild (a Kerr [uncharged, rotating] or Kerr-Newman [charged, rotating] black hole, if I recall correctly) black hole - specifically exploiting its ergosphere. Utilization of any possible black body radiation and/or Hawking radiation due to particle pairing and/or annihilation at the event horizon - while sufficient to result in black hole evaporation - is simply not an efficient way to generate energy for use. If we're going with the, "You are trying to exploit natural theory involving black hole mechanics, rather than 'Black holes for power, yay!'", I would suggest researching the aforementioned Penrose process.

Without going too much into it, the Penrose process involves permitting a lump of matter to fall into the ergosphere (the section of spacetime subject to frame-dragging by the immense gravitational force of the inner singularity of the black hole; i.e. spacetime is tugged-along in the rotational velocity of the rotating black hole), it undergoes a shift necessarily predicated by the model of the universe we utilize (spacetime) as dictated by Einstein's Theories of Relativity. Specifically that for any two particles and/or particle separated by sufficient distance, a period of time between the actions/reactions of the particle(s) permitting a causal relationship must exist: this is a time-like interval. Time-like intervals (and thus, time-like coordinates of those intervals and associated particles) relating to massive particles traveling slower than the speed-of-light must have only one direction (one tensor, if you will), as for massive particles at subluminal speeds, time only travels in one direction: forward. If we... And this has really gotten more technical than I desired.

In effect: the Penrose process allows an individual to, theoretically, sling lumps of matter into the ergosphere of a Kerr or Kerr-Newman black hole (a rotating black hole of significant mass, whether charged or uncharged) in order to extract (more correctly convert) a little bit of the net angular momentum as energy of one of the paired lumps of matter being shot-out of the ergosphere, resulting in a slowing of the rotational speed (and, over time, the conversion of the black hole to a non-rotating, Schwarzchild black hole).

As for your other questions: Heat will not escape from beyond the event horizon of a black hole, as it is a form of electromagnetism - though it is conceivable (for a sufficiently advanced civilization) to capture the resulting energy spun-out from the hyper-surface of the event horizon, as seen in quasars. For sources of reaction energy to generate fusion, merely heating and compressing a fusion fuel, such as through inertial confinement, is likely far-more efficient; as for fuel sources: most of the visible matter (atomic matter) in the universe is composed of hydrogen, so you are never in want of fuel.

[The Fedral Union]

That is because diplomacy threads typically don't go anywhere and usually devolve into 'talking heads'. Military or some sort of combat occurs because more stuff is happening and allows for cool stuff like a squad of power armor soldiers racing across the hull of a starship, possibly while the starship is falling out of orbit.

I've done quite a few diplomatic rps with quite profitable outcomes, they only dribble if they drag on for more than a while though. And it also lets you display on how your governments foreign relations works, and how your people interact with one another. It is a lost art in most II FT.. ON NS though, yeah I've seen some pretty neat ones.

[The Torogian Collective]

Not a direct counterpart. There's the RPing Questions thread in this forum for general issues, and the Military Realism thread in FB&NI.

But I daresay 90% of all questions asked on this thread are military-related. There are just too few diplomatic RPs in FT.

*Sigh* I know. But some of us just have to rise through the ranks to get to those types of Roleplays. So for now, it's military action. Which is getting rather repetitive.

[Jovian Lunar Empire]

But I daresay 90% of all questions asked on this thread are military-related. There are just too few diplomatic RPs in FT.

*Sigh* I know. But some of us just have to rise through the ranks to get to those types of Roleplays. So for now, it's military action. Which is getting rather repetitive.

Alternatively: you go for a nice, mellow "stretch our wings and fly" RP and wind up invaded all the same.

[Themiclesia]

But I daresay 90% of all questions asked on this thread are military-related. There are just too few diplomatic RPs in FT.

*Sigh* I know. But some of us just have to rise through the ranks to get to those types of Roleplays. So for now, it's military action. Which is getting rather repetitive.

There are no ranks. I am confident that a competent RPer will be admitted to most "open" RPs.

FT isn't a good example of this because of the highly regional (therefore closed) nature of the RPs.

[The Rhustarim Hegemony]

*Sigh* I know. But some of us just have to rise through the ranks to get to those types of Roleplays. So for now, it's military action. Which is getting rather repetitive.

There are no ranks. I am confident that a competent RPer will be admitted to most "open" RPs.

FT isn't a good example of this because of the highly regional (therefore closed) nature of the RPs.

Regional isn't quite the right word. There are very few RP regions in FT, unlike MT. The closed nature of threads is due to them typically being organised OOCly beforehand between participants, either through IRC or TGs.

As JLE said, a cursory glance at what open FT threads there are typically shows them devolving into invasions/combat in short order regardless of the intent of the OP. This happens for a variety of reasons I can hypothesise, but the end result is pretty consistent. Closed (or semi-closed) threads stop this from happening. It's unfortunate, and I do wish there was a larger amount of Open threads to participate in, but I can understand why why.

[Themiclesia]

There are no ranks. I am confident that a competent RPer will be admitted to most "open" RPs.

FT isn't a good example of this because of the highly regional (therefore closed) nature of the RPs.

Regional isn't quite the right word. There are very few RP regions in FT, unlike MT. The closed nature of threads is due to them typically being organised OOCly beforehand between participants, either through IRC or TGs.

As JLE said, a cursory glance at what open FT threads there are typically shows them devolving into invasions/combat in short order regardless of the intent of the OP. This happens for a variety of reasons I can hypothesise, but the end result is pretty consistent. Closed (or semi-closed) threads stop this from happening. It's unfortunate, and I do wish there was a larger amount of Open threads to participate in, but I can understand why why.

By "regional" I mean a geographical (or, more accurately astro-graphical) arrangement already determined; so, indeed, I agree with you.

[Vernii]

what would people on this site think of the following idea? What would be wrong with it? What would be the good about it?

Okay here it goes.

Mckendree Cylinders:

My nation would be a spacefaring people that mostly resides in ftl capable mobile mckendree cylinders with land area equal to a terestrial planet. Each would have five layers of rotating habitats, organized into two sets of counter rotating sections, all surrounded by a outer multikilometer thick armoured shell. Attached to this behemoth would be massive inertialess drives, ftl engines, defensive weapon emplacements, defensive shields, and countermeasures, and massive antimatter drives. Powering it would be massive fusion reactors ( some as big as twenty kilometers in diameter), massive folding ( approximately 60 the legth of the station, folds for ftl transit ) 90% efficient full em spectrum solar collector arrays/ cooling vanes, with the equipment to collect fuel from stars nebulas etc..

Each would be capable of building starships, cityships, and oniel cylinders, with heavy industry, hanger space, shipyards, and massive cargo capacity. Each would have two massive internal wormhole generators for transfer of materials and cargo ( point to point transit between two generators, intense gravity prevents activation, ala blockholes ), more on that later.

Going back to this real quick, you do realize how much internal surface area that would require, yes? If you are using only Earth's landmass surface area for comparison, then that would be ~150 million km^2, which would require a cylinder (at single layer) of about 3,000 km diameter x 15,000 km length (other diameter/length proportions will work, but either way the result is absolutely huge). Even nesting four smaller cylinders inside it will still require something that's probably several thousand kilometers long to hold it all in, and that's not even getting into the energy requirements to move it.

I mean, I love the hell out of megastructures, but making something that big mobile and more importantly, weaponized is pushing the boundaries of acceptance I think. Particularly since if its shields and weapons are at all proportional to the energy required simply to move it, then what you've actually built is a warship that makes superdreadnoughts look like space fighters in comparison, and multiple of them at that.

Anyway this brings me to another topic I'd like to talk about in general: arming civilian craft and how its generally a bad idea. Sure there's pirates and wars and all, but basically there's very few situations where anti-starship weaponry on a civilian craft would come in handy, and quite a number where it would actually be a hindrance.

Basically, having anti-shipping weaponry (essentially anything beyond shields and maybe a few PD lasers) means that the ship is going to be taken much more seriously in any situation, but since its still not a proper warship, would still be on the receiving end of the stick, so to speak. Basically it comes down to the fact that to be a credible deterrence, a merchant needs armor, internal hull bracing and compartmentalization, decent shields, and enough weaponry to dissuade most attackers, to the point that its basically the starship equivalent of a Spanish galleon or East Indiamen. So the operating company is paying for 1. the capabilities to be installed, 2. maintenance for both parts and labor, 3. the fuel expended to haul the added mass, and 4. increased port fees, delays, and inspections by suspicious port authorities, and time is of course, money.

But let's say that the local pirates that haunt whatever backwater your nation resides in aren't very well armed so that's all easy to do and worth it, but then your nation gets into a war with a state that has a proper navy. Are your armed merchants able to stand up to whatever their usual commerce raiders are? I'd guess not, since its likely those are proper warships, and given most nations seem to use anywhere from destroyers up to battlecruisers for the role, it stands to reason that any space galleon stupid enough to take a potshot at a battlecruiser is going to have the battlecruiser piss all over it with a nice hot stream of laserdeath.

Just as an example, an enemy merchant is actually safer from my navy if its unarmed than it is with weapons. Commerce raiding doctrine is generally to take out any escorts, then demand the surrender of any civilian craft, allowing ample time for evacuation if possible, attempting to ensure that the crews/passengers have rescue coming, and taking them aboard if not (and if operational requirements provide the time/capacity). If a merchant tries to run, it gets a warning shot and then a steady escalation of force applied until its either surrendered or been destroyed. Sucks for the owner either way, but unless the crew was stupid or unlucky they aren't dead.

But if the warship runs into a merchant that's armed? It's not considered a civilian craft anymore, its classified as an auxiliary combatant instead, and it gets immediately engaged. If it surrenders, that's fine, but procedure from there isn't going to be as gentle or forgiving because the IVN isn't going to expect any captain to go out of his way in dealing with something that can potentially threaten his or her ship.

Finally, having weapons on civilian craft highly complicates dealing with port authorities run by any sensible civilizations. Any starship in the wrong hands is a deadly weapon, but a starship that already has deadly weapons onboard? Have fun with Customs!

To use my own systems as an example, no warship of any state that isn't part of the League, allied with the Imperium, or closely associated with it is allowed into the inner volume of any Imperial system*, and armed merchants/freighters/liners/whatever fall into the category of being considered "warships" by System Traffic Control. Have a contract that specifies delivery must be made by a certain time or there's a penalty? Too bad, stay in the allowed volume that System Control put you in and hire a contractor or use your own shuttles for delivery and God help you if those are armed too. Need to make repairs for departing? Better hope there's a station that can do it in the allowed zone that Control stuck you in, or a repair ship willing to visit. If there isn't, and your ship isn't spaceworthy, chances are its going to get impounded.

*Or within a certain distance of civilian habitats & industrial centers, which in some systems like Gregor and Erewohn, means nowhere near just about every planet and moon in the system.

On a final note, all this applies to civilian stations (including cityships) as well. Sticking weaponry on an otherwise civilian station or habitat is a good way to get it destroyed if the system is ever invaded. Anyway already inclined to blow it up isn't going to be dissuaded from attacking it, and nations that would otherwise have more scruples would probably be forced to engage it simply because its a threat.

[The Torogian Collective]

*Sigh* I know. But some of us just have to rise through the ranks to get to those types of Roleplays. So for now, it's military action. Which is getting rather repetitive.

There are no ranks. I am confident that a competent RPer will be admitted to most "open" RPs.

FT isn't a good example of this because of the highly regional (therefore closed) nature of the RPs.

But seeing as I'm small, most will think that I'm not competent. Even though I am a puppet.

[Themiclesia]

There are no ranks. I am confident that a competent RPer will be admitted to most "open" RPs.

FT isn't a good example of this because of the highly regional (therefore closed) nature of the RPs.

But seeing as I'm small, most will think that I'm not competent. Even though I am a puppet.

Well, I'm not one to judge anyway.

[The Torogian Collective]

But seeing as I'm small, most will think that I'm not competent. Even though I am a puppet.

Well, I'm not one to judge anyway.

I guess. But even when I was Canuckland, I felt unbelonging. I joined three groups, and all both fell and were fairly unsuccessful. But I think it was my fault, because I felt as if I wasn't bringing enough to the table, and some of the stories I was a large enough part of. Mind you, this was in the summer.

[Shannra]

Well, I'm not one to judge anyway.

I guess. But even when I was Canuckland, I felt unbelonging. I joined three groups, and all both fell and were fairly unsuccessful. But I think it was my fault, because I felt as if I wasn't bringing enough to the table, and some of the stories I was a large enough part of. Mind you, this was in the summer.

Canuck, those three groups were going to collapse anyway. Everyone there told you that it wasnt your fault because it wasnt your fault.

-ali

[The Torogian Collective]

I guess. But even when I was Canuckland, I felt unbelonging. I joined three groups, and all both fell and were fairly unsuccessful. But I think it was my fault, because I felt as if I wasn't bringing enough to the table, and some of the stories I was a large enough part of. Mind you, this was in the summer.

Canuck, those three groups were going to collapse anyway. Everyone there told you that it wasnt your fault because it wasnt your fault.

-ali

Alidina? Whoa man.

But still, I just felt so unbelonging. With people like Prem and TNF there, I just felt inadequate. I just...I just felt inadequate. It's as simple as that.

[Shannra]

Alidina? Whoa man.

But still, I just felt so unbelonging. With people like Prem and TNF there, I just felt inadequate. I just...I just felt inadequate. It's as simple as that.

It would have helped if you had not insulted the the people helping you. But those threads did not collapse because of you I cannot stress that enough.

Also who is this Alidina your talking about my name is in the conner and I signed it as Ali, a stereotypical arabian name that matches my arabian esque nation. Interestingly enough I only got back from an arabian country 24 post ago and a few weeks.

[The Torogian Collective]

Alidina? Whoa man.

But still, I just felt so unbelonging. With people like Prem and TNF there, I just felt inadequate. I just...I just felt inadequate. It's as simple as that.

It would have helped if you had not insulted the the people helping you. But those threads did not collapse because of you I cannot stress that enough.

Also who is this Alidina your talking about my name is in the conner and I signed it as Ali, a stereotypical arabian name that matches my arabian esque nation. Interestingly enough I only got back from an arabian country 24 post ago and a few weeks.

I only insulted them because they didn't take me seriously. They thought of me as a static character, even though I was kinda a big part of the plot.

Sorry, I thought you were an old friend who's long gone.

[Kyrusia]

And most of this discussion isn't related to assisting, advising, or requesting either/or in relation to FT. Back on topic, please; if you want to discuss individual relationships one may have with another player, or any particular grievances one may have with another player, please take it to TG or add them to your foe list. Thank you.

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To The Torogian Collective

But seeing as I'm small, most will think that I'm not competent. Even though I am a puppet.

While I understand where you're coming from, this is not (necessarily) true. While I cannot say the Date of Foundation of a given nation is not looked at, that initial inspection is just that: an initial inspection. How long one has been around within the FT community does not dictate (directly) how one is treated or how many individuals might seek to interact with you. Things of far greater concern to most members of FT (at least of greater concern than how long you've been around) are how you conduct yourself - both In-Character and Out-of-Character; is your O.O.C. personality approachable and generally showing a willingness to cooperate and work with others; is your writing (and the content of that writing) decent or otherwise acceptable and enjoyable.

These are things far more concerning than the little date under your flag. If you're curious about interacting with FT'ers on an O.O.C. basis further, you might want to check out the IRC channels mentioned in the original post.

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To Shannra (And Anyone Else)

It would have helped if you had not insulted the the people helping you. But those threads did not collapse because of you I cannot stress that enough.

Also who is this Alidina your talking about my name is in the conner and I signed it as Ali, a stereotypical arabian name that matches my arabian esque nation. Interestingly enough I only got back from an arabian country 24 post ago and a few weeks.

While not a direct response to you, Shannra, I feel this bit (of an otherwise rather off-topic discussion) is worth highlighting.

As it says in the original post of this thread, if you want assistance, while you're not obligated to follow it, agree with it, or even like it, you should respect it in the context it was given. You don't need to follow it if you don't like it (though, following the conventions of the community does increase the likelihood of participation in that community); you don't even have to read it - that's your prerogative. Even so, in FT, a lot of what goes into determining whether someone is interesting and cooperative comes from how they conduct themselves in an O.O.C. manner. The rule of "Not being a dick" goes a long way - both I.C. and O.O.C. If you come-off as abrasive, insulting, arrogant, or otherwise just unpleasant - especially if you are newer to the community (though greater experience is by no means a shield against complete and total unpleasantness, as it were) - it's very likely that few, if any, members of the community will seek to try and interact with you, bring you into roleplaying ventures, or even want to keep you around.

It's always best, when you come into this community, to keep some degree of an open mind while still making sure your brains don't fall out of your skull; yes, a part of it is a judgement call. Yes, there are abrasive individuals in this community - just as there are any any community. Even so, that does not give an individual a carte blanche entitlement to perpetuate it toward individuals who, more often than not, are trying to do the same thing you are: have a good time.

[New Tauri Republic]

what is the maximum density a plasma can be before turning into quark gluon pasma?

[SquareDisc City]

Temperature factors into it also. But certainly the 15 million K, 150,000 kg m^-3 core of the Sun is a regular plasma, as are the still hotter and denser cores of the most massive stars.

[Vorkova]

I was thinking about using lasers as my main weapon in FT, and plasma as artillery/flame-throwers.

Sound good so far?

[Themiclesia]

I was thinking about using lasers as my main weapon in FT, and plasma as artillery/flame-throwers.

Sound good so far?

I don't see any objection on grounds of physical possibility.

[New Tauri Republic]

So a reactor with a plasma density of 1000 kilograms per cubic meter would be possible, albeit with highly advanced technology. With this I could have a fifty kilometer reactor with a maximum power output of eighty teratons utilizing a combinaton two stage He-3+He-3 and p+p+p+p reaction. Maybe those mobile mckendree cylinders are possible after all. Heck a single cubic meter reactor volume would yield 154 megatons of energy, albiet with the penalty of massive weight when fully fueled. Is helium-3 abundant in stars, or would deuterium "breeder" reactors need to be utilized ( although they would generate energy unlike most breeder reactors )? Is it available in gas giants?
Although the power generated would be lower, "flashing" it (compressing the reaction even more for short periods of time) could raise it closer to the maximum energy output.