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Old 06-16-2018, 01:10 PM   #3
RedLeif508
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ID, USA
Default Re: Triplanetary: Movement ?

If the 'spend one fuel to enter orbit' is only applicable to launch (which I agree I misunderstood), I'd argue that the rules don't specify exactly how to enter orbit from space. Your quote from the paragraph titled "Orbit" says "Ships may enter orbit around any body with gravity hexes." It doesn't say how that is done. Here are some procedures I think mostly obey newtonian physics and the rules:

Landing rules/procedure:
To land on a standard gravity planet, without crashing, a ship must enter orbit around the planet, at least one turn before attempting a landing. If a ship’s vector indicates it touches a planet without being in orbit first, the ship has crashed. If the ship attempts to ‘land’ in a hex side without a friendly starport/base it will crash.

To enter orbit from space:
1. Approach a planet and enter a 1 gravity hex with a 1 hex velocity vector.
2. On the next turn spend one fuel and draw a one hex vector to an adjoining gravity hex (either clockwise or counter clock wise). It is now ‘in orbit’.
3. On following turns continue to move the ship one hex along its orbit (from gravity hex to gravity hex around the planet). These motions do not require fuel. The ship may continue to move in the same direction until the ship leaves orbit by spending 1 fuel to either land or exit into space.

One actually has to plot the ship moving into the hex ‘above’ the adjacent gravity hex, then the gravity that the ship began its turn in ‘pulls’ the vector down into the adjacent gravity hex. It plots out like a six pointed star if one follows the astrogation rules. It’s really quite cool. One can see why an orbit was called a free fall in the old days.
If the ship is at 2 or higher velocity it won't be able to enter orbit


To land on a planet:
1. On a following turn (after entering orbit) the player must spend one fuel point. the ship may then move to any hex side to land on the planet.
2. If the hex side the ship lands in does not contain a [friendly] base the ship has crashed.

Launching rules/procedure:
To leave a planet or re-land at a different base on the same planet a ship must launch into orbit first.

To enter orbit from a friendly base on the planet’s surface:
1. On the turn of launch draw dotted vector line from the planet’s surface containing a friendly base to the adjacent gravity hex. Mark the turn of launch in that hex.
2. On the next turn spend one fuel point; draw a one hex solid vector line to an adjoining gravity hex, adjacent to the planet. It is now in orbit.
3. On following turns continue to move the ship one hex along its orbit (from gravity hex to gravity hex). These motions do not require fuel. The ship may continue to move in the same direction until the ship leaves orbit by spending 1 fuel to either land or exit into space.

Achieving orbit from the surface of a planet is accomplished with boosters, thus no fuel is used to attain altitude from the surface. If the ship fails to spend a fuel point and plot to an adjacent gravity hex in the next turn it falls back to the surface and crashes. It crashes because it was not in orbit yet. Ships may not enter orbit unless launched from a hex side with a friendly base/port.

To exit orbit into space:
1. Spend one fuel point.
2. Plot a 2 hex vector based on the starting vector's direction, adjust it by 1 hex in the direction of the gravity arrow the ship started the turn in.
3. The ship has left orbit for deep space.

I'd appreciate any feedback on these.
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Last edited by RedLeif508; 06-17-2018 at 09:34 AM. Reason: fix the procedure
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