[Spaceships] Questions for Open Space

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by ericbsmith

An acre is 43,560 square feet. 0.05 acres is therefore 2,178 square feet, which comes out to 21.78 square feet per person. That's an area of 3 foot by 7 foot or a circle with a five foot diameter around you - enough to lay down and sprawl out, or if standing you could stretch your arms out and just be able to touch fingertips with the nearest person to you. On a GURPS combat map that's one person per three hexes.

To put another scale on it, a 2,178 square foot assembly space with no seating would have a maximum occupancy under the International Building Code of 435 people (possibly lower, depending on what usage categories it may fall under, and the availability of exits).

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Pectus Solentis

What does this reply mean?

It means that I think that an open area system cannot both produce food and provide recreational places.

[Pectus Solentis]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

It means that I think that an open area system cannot both produce food and provide recreational places.

Well. Thanks for your opinion.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

It means that I think that an open area system cannot both produce food and provide recreational places.

Depends on your definition of recreational spaces. You aren't going to use a garden as a soccer field, but it might be an area you use for walking or resting.

[AlexanderHowl]

Examples of either can be found in the Babylon 5 series.

[Aldric]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Depends on your definition of recreational spaces. You aren't going to use a garden as a soccer field, but it might be an area you use for walking or resting.

The definition is from the book, an area with room for up to 100 people, or an area that provides food for an entire vessel (SM+8 vessel to be precise)

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Aldric

The definition is from the book, an area with room for up to 100 people, or an area that provides food for an entire vessel (SM+8 vessel to be precise)

It's a space that provides food for the whole vessel, and it may consist of multiple areas.

Spaceships p.19 lists a farm or garden as a possible use of areas, implying a strict alternative to auditoriums, pools, or theatres. But it does not explicitly say that a farm or garden cannot both grow food and provide an area for people to congregate.

Spaceships p.47 (under the heading "food") says that spacecraft "with total life support, or with replicators, or with open spaces devoted to farms" may omit food supplies. (My emphasis.) I take it that a space devoted to one use is not available for any other use and rule that a farm is not a place to congregate in. But I admit that that is not quite explicit.