Advice Thread OOC Future Tech Only

[The Drone Empire]

A population un the septillions also seems a little...excessive. but at least your militry size doesn't sound totally unreasonable. Millions of top of the line 14km ship does sound like a severe case of technowankery though.

Well, half of that is our vast network of Artificial Intelligence's that live basically in massive Hubs of processing, the other Half would be divided into 4 Quarters, Construction Drones, Vehicular Drones [Basically AI's that control a vehical], The actual Ground Forces, which is only used to keep a newly captured world under control rather than actually invade, and then the Civilian Drones that serve many purposes, from working on Ship bridges to Factories.

To add, we've built all 15,000 vessels over the course of a million years.

Also, 14K is the size of an Escort vessel, a mere frigate is 25km [Ludicrous!], and his largest is 60 km,

Any advice from you guys for what to tell him? He's very stubborn..

[Ularn]

Ah, so you're basically geth, with the majority of your population living in computers as opposed to walking around as actual robots? That seems far more reasonable.

As far as advice is concerned; my first reaction would be to ask yourself if a technowanker like this is really someone you want to RP with?

Failing that, aske him where he's getting the resources to build ships like these. And try pointing out that for the same cost as one of his 60 km ships I could build...(tries to do maths I've not used in four years without a calculator)...about five or seven-thousand of my 800m Vengeance class Superdreadnoughts. That's more ships of that class than I have in my entire navy.

Being smaller, these ships will probably be more manoeuvrable and, since I've given all of them a stupidly powerful ship-killer weapons that can throw lumps of tungsten around at appreciable fractions of lightspeed, they'll just as capable of killing his ship as that ship is of killing them. In fact, altogether they'll be better armed in general because, putting it in purely simplistic terms, six-thousand small ships will have so much more surface area just to cover in guns.

[The Drone Empire]

Ah, so you're basically geth, with the majority of your population living in computers as opposed to walking around as actual robots? That seems far more reasonable.

As far as advice is concerned; my first reaction would be to ask yourself if a technowanker like this is really someone you want to RP with?

Failing that, aske him where he's getting the resources to build ships like these. And try pointing out that for the same cost as one of his 60 km ships I could build...(tries to do maths I've not used in four years without a calculator)...about five or seven-thousand of my 800m Vengeance class Superdreadnoughts. That's more ships of that class than I have in my entire navy.

Being smaller, these ships will probably be more manoeuvrable and, since I've given all of them a stupidly powerful ship-killer weapons that can throw lumps of tungsten around at appreciable fractions of lightspeed, they'll just as capable of killing his ship as that ship is of killing them. In fact, altogether they'll be better armed in general because, putting it in purely simplistic terms, six-thousand small ships will have so much more surface area just to cover in guns.

I'll try that. I really will, thanks. Hopefully now he can see the errors of his ways.

Or not, and we may eventually just end the war. He claims to be a hyper power yet he spawned the 11's, and says hes just as powerful as my allies in the war, my region. He only has 1 other military ally, who is also a bit.. less than average.. at the RP-ing skills. I mean, the person I'm talking about, hes smart OOCly, he knows alot, but he doesn't put his knowledge to good use when he RPs.

[Ularn]

Where's the discussion going on, out of interest?

[The Drone Empire]

Where's the discussion going on, out of interest?

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=150323

[Ularn]

Where's the discussion going on, out of interest?

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=150323

Ah - I didn't realise he was basing his nation off of the WH40K Imperium. At this point I'd seriously be thinking about saying ignore; those guys seldom RP well. I often see a general lack of imagination and refusal to admit that their retardedly designed ships are vulnerable to anything outwith their fandom's canon.

[Vocenae]

Chronosia and khandosia are the only full time 40k players worth doing anything with. There are several others about that i know have 40k puppets that are good rpers but the vast majority of people that play with 40k stuff are bad.

[Vetokia Prime]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=150323

Ah - I didn't realise he was basing his nation off of the WH40K Imperium. At this point I'd seriously be thinking about saying ignore; those guys seldom RP well. I often see a general lack of imagination and refusal to admit that their retardedly designed ships are vulnerable to anything outwith their fandom's canon.

Chronosia and khandosia are the only full time 40k players worth doing anything with. There are several others about that i know have 40k puppets that are good rpers but the vast majority of people that play with 40k stuff are bad.

Clearly I must stand against the oppression of people who hate Warhammer 40k simply because, which in a way makes them the bad-guys of the piece. /goes to reactivate Caragonia.

[Ularn]

Ah - I didn't realise he was basing his nation off of the WH40K Imperium. At this point I'd seriously be thinking about saying ignore; those guys seldom RP well. I often see a general lack of imagination and refusal to admit that their retardedly designed ships are vulnerable to anything outwith their fandom's canon.

Chronosia and khandosia are the only full time 40k players worth doing anything with. There are several others about that i know have 40k puppets that are good rpers but the vast majority of people that play with 40k stuff are bad.

Clearly I must stand against the oppression of people who hate Warhammer 40k simply because, which in a way makes them the bad-guys of the piece. /goes to reactivate Caragonia.

I don't hate them just because - I used to play Orks and Space Marines and I have pretty legitimate gripes with the fandom as it's represented on NS:

WH40K is not science fiction; it is fantasy; magic; their starships run on skulls and pixie dust!

This wouldn't be such a big problem if it weren't for the fact that they are also generally used by poor RPers who use the aforementioned point to justify fifty mile long ships that make no sense and are yet somehow invincible. Although there are probably some people out there who use it well, the WH40K universe is bad sci-fi, largely used by bad RPers.

[Vetokia Prime]

Clearly I must stand against the oppression of people who hate Warhammer 40k simply because, which in a way makes them the bad-guys of the piece. /goes to reactivate Caragonia.

I don't hate them just because - I used to play Orks and Space Marines and I have pretty legitimate gripes with the fandom as it's represented on NS:

WH40K is not science fiction; it is fantasy; magic; their starships run on skulls and pixie dust!

This wouldn't be such a big problem if it weren't for the fact that they are also generally used by poor RPers who use the aforementioned point to justify fifty mile long ships that make no sense and are yet somehow invincible. Although there are probably some people out there who use it well, the WH40K universe is bad sci-fi, largely used by bad RPers.

There is no 40k fandom on NS as there are, say, bronies on it. Any n00b using 40k technology in that way can't be a fan, since they show they don't understand it, just as you do. Yes there is an element of fantasy in 40k. It's still science-fiction.

[Sskiss]

WH40K is not science fiction; it is fantasy; magic; their starships run on skulls and pixie dust!

Ularn, anything can be used (though I'll admit, I do have limits) if its played well enough. But I will agree with you in that WH40k is basically 'fantasy in space'. At the very least, it has a heavy fantasy element.

This wouldn't be such a big problem if it weren't for the fact that they are also generally used by poor RPers who use the aforementioned point to justify fifty mile long ships that make no sense and are yet somehow invincible. Although there are probably some people out there who use it well, the WH40K universe is bad sci-fi, largely used by bad RPers.

I know of two good RP'ers who play WH40K nations. Since they play well I will RP with them. I've RP'ed with one of these two in the past and his name is Chronosia, a chaos nation.

[Sertian]

Makes me want to bust out my Tau puppet again... Even though I don't know much about their fluff besides what I can get from the wiki. But they're probably the least Fantasy of the WH40k races (well, except maybe the Tyranid... And maybe Necrons, but they're more like scifi undead now). Also gives me a lot of justification to play around with their technology once introduced to NS-Galaxy. "A form of FTL that DOESN'T rely on ancient demon infested hell and tortured souls? RETROFIT EVERYTHING!" (Of course, all I can remember of Tau FTL is a drive that only skims the Immaterium, rather than going full fledged into it like SOME ships. xD).

[Ularn]

I wasn't trying to say all players using WH40K nations were bad RPers - just a fairly significant majority of them which gets higher still if you look exclusively at those based on the Imperium alone. I know there are some great WH40K players out there - I do some RPing with The Ctan through CoPS. They're just a few gems in what's otherwise a big mire of poo!

[Sertian]

And on another topic I'm pondering~! (This one, at least is easier/smaller in scale than the economy of an entire science fiction nation!)

I'm thinking of using an electronic crystal hologram sort of device for consoles in warships (and maybe civilian ships too); essentially, it's an electronic crystal which can house three dimensional images within its volume (rather than free floating holograms). This would project the image of whatever interface is needed at the time, giving an adaptable and even adjustable interface for officers, and can also access a lot of information with reasonable degrees of error for input (less chance of inputting a typo in a command prompt, like a last second decision to try and avoid the self destruct from going off!). Interaction is detected from electron-whatever sensors embedded within the surface of the crystal, to detect fingers or specially designed gloves tapping along the surface to interact, and perhaps even administers an insignificant electrical 'zap' to the user's fingers (so mild, in fact, that its only felt as tactile feedback, rather than an actual shock).

Basically, I'm trying to do something ala Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within or Mass Effect but a bit hardier, while not being like Star Trek. Seem like it could work, or is there a better system a competent FT Empire should utilize?

[Ularn]

Sounds like a higher maintenance version of a keyboard and monitor

I was trying to imagine some sort of hologram projector that involved a box of tiny glass cubes the size of pixels on a computer screen, with some sort of light or laser projectors in the top and bottom of the tank. Wherever two laser beans crossed the "pixel cube" would be lit up, and by illuminating thousands of pixels a second an image could be created like in a CRT TV screen. To me this seems like a relatively feasible method of projecting holograms (you might be able to think of a better/more realistic way to make the pixels light up) without the Star Wars style air-projections. Ships would have one in the centre of the bridge giving a 3D display of the surrounding space, though individual terminals would probably just stay as screens unless there was a significant benefit to them having their own smaller holo-tank.

The input system with the tactile response thing just seems like too much complication though and I can imagine hellish amounts of maintenance work for some reason. There's not reason not to just use a keyboard, or a touchpad.

[YellowApple]

WH40K is not science fiction; it is fantasy; magic; their starships run on skulls and pixie dust!

Yeah, and I run my spaceships on reverse-engineered MLP:FiM unicorn magic. Problem?

And on another topic I'm pondering~! (This one, at least is easier/smaller in scale than the economy of an entire science fiction nation!)

I'm thinking of using an electronic crystal hologram sort of device for consoles in warships (and maybe civilian ships too); essentially, it's an electronic crystal which can house three dimensional images within its volume (rather than free floating holograms). This would project the image of whatever interface is needed at the time, giving an adaptable and even adjustable interface for officers, and can also access a lot of information with reasonable degrees of error for input (less chance of inputting a typo in a command prompt, like a last second decision to try and avoid the self destruct from going off!). Interaction is detected from electron-whatever sensors embedded within the surface of the crystal, to detect fingers or specially designed gloves tapping along the surface to interact, and perhaps even administers an insignificant electrical 'zap' to the user's fingers (so mild, in fact, that its only felt as tactile feedback, rather than an actual shock).

Basically, I'm trying to do something ala Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within or Mass Effect but a bit hardier, while not being like Star Trek. Seem like it could work, or is there a better system a competent FT Empire should utilize?

That sounds relatively reasonable. I would make it a two-handed interface, with one hand per face of a cube so that the device could receive perpendicular inputs; that would enable the user to select items in a three-dimensional manner.

Sounds like it'll be similar in appearance and nature to a plasma globe.

To be honest, though, you'd be better off with using something like the Kinect, along with a three-dimensional display like you've described.

[Sertian]

It essentially is a bit more complicated than a keyboard and monitor, but it has the advantage of not being grounded into a set interface... For example, with a standard keyboard, no matter how you arrange it, you're going to be working around the interface to get as much flexibility and control over whatever you want. By having something along the lines of Mass Effect's holographic interface (or this, just compressed into a semi-two dimensional manner for most things, and capable of utilizing a cube like interface at times) you can change, adjust, and do whatever with what you're working on, and if you need to switch to a different task its a quick motion away and you've got the interface best designed for that situation. And it can all be customized to your input.

And while, yes, it might require some maintenance, it wouldn't be as much as the typical holographic projector, especially since this is pretty solid crystal and hard to damage. No fragile holo-projectors that might get dislodged from battle damage! And if worse comes to worse, slide out the crystal block and insert its replacement.

And I'm not sure about the Kinect system... I mean, I think its a great idea, the Tactical Assistant Computers my ship commanders utilize responds to the Commander's actions via their motions in a similar (albeit, much more advanced) system. Usually combined with a three dimensional free air hologram to interact with (how that's done, I'm not quite sure. So far I'm leaning towards electro-plasma suspended in a magnetic field and excited with precision to excite the plasma and release photons, which when done all together creates a three dimensional image... Probably pure handwavium, but I've at least limited such free-air Holograms to being expensive, especially compared to the solid ones). I'm just not sure the Kinect system would be a worthy investment for everyone ELSE on the ship.

[YellowApple]

It essentially is a bit more complicated than a keyboard and monitor, but it has the advantage of not being grounded into a set interface... For example, with a standard keyboard, no matter how you arrange it, you're going to be working around the interface to get as much flexibility and control over whatever you want. By having something along the lines of Mass Effect's holographic interface (or this, just compressed into a semi-two dimensional manner for most things, and capable of utilizing a cube like interface at times) you can change, adjust, and do whatever with what you're working on, and if you need to switch to a different task its a quick motion away and you've got the interface best designed for that situation. And it can all be customized to your input.

And while, yes, it might require some maintenance, it wouldn't be as much as the typical holographic projector, especially since this is pretty solid crystal and hard to damage. No fragile holo-projectors that might get dislodged from battle damage! And if worse comes to worse, slide out the crystal block and insert its replacement.

And I'm not sure about the Kinect system... I mean, I think its a great idea, the Tactical Assistant Computers my ship commanders utilize responds to the Commander's actions via their motions in a similar (albeit, much more advanced) system. Usually combined with a three dimensional free air hologram to interact with (how that's done, I'm not quite sure. So far I'm leaning towards electro-plasma suspended in a magnetic field and excited with precision to excite the plasma and release photons, which when done all together creates a three dimensional image... Probably pure handwavium, but I've at least limited such free-air Holograms to being expensive, especially compared to the solid ones). I'm just not sure the Kinect system would be a worthy investment for everyone ELSE on the ship.

Well, combining a Kinect-like system and an air-projected three-dimensional image, both of which are synchronized to one another, would actually be a brilliant approach even for your standard crewman; even a smaller-scale system (maybe one looking at the hands only) would work for a computer terminal, while large-scale systems (like the actual Kinect) would be suitable for those needing a larger workspace like captains / medics / engineers / etc.

[Sertian]

Well, combining a Kinect-like system and an air-projected three-dimensional image, both of which are synchronized to one another, would actually be a brilliant approach even for your standard crewman; even a smaller-scale system (maybe one looking at the hands only) would work for a computer terminal, while large-scale systems (like the actual Kinect) would be suitable for those needing a larger workspace like captains / medics / engineers / etc.

Then it's essentially the Mass Effect/Spirits Within interface style... Which I like, but I was seeing if there was any point to doing anything a bit different (or at least,a reason to support doing things differently!). I could perhaps keep the crystal interface idea for civilians and old generation warships if I ever revisit the LMC, and have the holographic/motion control systems be standard order in current generation battleships... With the crystalline interface kept as a back up, just in case.

[Sertian]

Also, probably would be a good idea if I wrote all this stuff down... So on that note, next wiki/factbook project will be one of my warships! Ranging from technical information to cultural/life aspects on board the ship... Anyone got a good wiki layout for an FT battleship? D:

[Khandosia]

Somebody rang?

[Rethan]

Somebody rang?

IT LIVES

[Ularn]

Somebody rang?

My bad. I went on a rant about how most WH40K nations are run by poor roleplayers so apparently every exception to the rule's showing up to feed me my words

[Sskiss]

As a curious side note. We Sskiss had no recorded records (books, tapes etc...) until we invented holographic technology! This was largely due to the fact that a significant portion of our language is reliant on various body movements, such as posturing, gestures, signalling and so on which could not be translated into a written form.

[Arthropoda Ingens]

As a curious side note. We Sskiss had no recorded records (books, tapes etc...) until we invented holographic technology! This was largely due to the fact that a significant portion of our language is reliant on various body movements, such as posturing, gestures, signalling and so on which could not be translated into a written form.

Pictographs?