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Old 11-26-2016, 10:59 PM   #1
Minuteman37
 
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Default A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

So let's say I have a glowing blue crystal that exists at least semi naturally in the world and technology that incorporates this crystal can be steampunk in nature. What exactly does the crystal need to be able to accomplish?
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Old 11-26-2016, 11:22 PM   #2
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Default Re: A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

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So let's say I have a glowing blue crystal that exists at least semi naturally in the world and technology that incorporates this crystal can be steampunk in nature. What exactly does the crystal need to be able to accomplish?
That depends at least a little on the style of steampunk, but if the crystals can make coal burn hotter, thus liberating more energy per pound of fuel, they would help with a lot of things. Butterflies from this could lead to something like Babbage's Analytical Engine becoming commonplace, either by getting Babbage a business or marital partner who can get him to finalize and build a design before trying a new one (this is an oversimplification, and the issues were not all Babbage's fault), or by getting en engineer who is better about such things than Babbage to invent it.
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Old 11-26-2016, 11:27 PM   #3
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So let's say I have a glowing blue crystal that exists at least semi naturally in the world and technology that incorporates this crystal can be steampunk in nature. What exactly does the crystal need to be able to accomplish?
If it's a nigh perpetual heat source then it can be used to dispense with the need for coal. That would make for example steam powered automobiles and motorcycles practical. It could also provide perpetual lift for hot air vessels.
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Old 11-27-2016, 12:03 AM   #4
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Default Re: A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

The problem with steampunk is not that steam went out of fashion. We still burn coal and we use uranium to create steam with vastly greater efficiency, and then we use that steam to turn great turbines that generate electricity. It's the electricity that ends the steampunk world, not the lack of steam.

EDIT: Thus, to be constructive: It might not be enough for this magical material to make steam more productive. Perhaps it should also inhibit the flow of electricity.
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Old 11-27-2016, 01:02 AM   #5
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Default Re: A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

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So let's say I have a glowing blue crystal that exists at least semi naturally in the world and technology that incorporates this crystal can be steampunk in nature. What exactly does the crystal need to be able to accomplish?
Just to throw a wrench in the works, Deadlands uses Ghost Rock in this way - as a single source of energy for all things steampunk. It's similar to coal in appearance and density but has 100 times the power of coal when burned.

Of course it's supernaturally "assisted" (semi-natural may be pushing it) by tormented souls and drives mad scientists crazy as it whispers inspiration in their ears. It also can cause miners to spontaneously combust after prolonged exposure, so there's that.
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Old 11-27-2016, 01:08 AM   #6
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Electricity replaced steam largely because it was easy to transport. You could easily convect power along simple lines. And a device that used electricity could be radically smaller then one that used steam. you could have one large generator for dozens of small devices. Thus of your magic crystal could:
1. Capture steam for later release.
2. Really create easily interlocking, safe, steam capable transport tubes.

It would at the very least radically extend the 'steam era'.
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Old 11-27-2016, 01:20 AM   #7
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Default Re: A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

Put Sol in a persistent flaring state, so that "Carrington Events" are considered a weekly occurrence. Large-scale electronics are not possible.

The crystals are the handwave that prevents the side effects of constant solar flares from doing bad things to earth. The majority of the crystal material on Earth is distributed in the soil, but large crystals do exist, and they have stronger effects -- deflecting and absorbing ionizing radiation, maybe.
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Old 11-27-2016, 02:05 AM   #8
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Two options:

1) The crystals mean that for a given unit of weight coal gives better millage or something along those lines, with the crystals coal is the better choice then hydrocarbons.

2) The crystals means that society has better uses for hydrocarbons then powering vehicles, so everyone has to use coal.
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Old 11-27-2016, 02:40 AM   #9
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Default Re: A Single Material Justification For Steampunk Technology

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Put Sol in a persistent flaring state, so that "Carrington Events" are considered a weekly occurrence. Large-scale electronics are not possible.

The crystals are the handwave that prevents the side effects of constant solar flares from doing bad things to earth. The majority of the crystal material on Earth is distributed in the soil, but large crystals do exist, and they have stronger effects -- deflecting and absorbing ionizing radiation, maybe.
I agree that the key to keeping steampunk viable is to make electricity suck, and this seems like a fine way to do it.
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Old 11-27-2016, 04:59 AM   #10
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It's not just electricity; internal combustion doesn't require electricity, though it helps. The problem is that steampunk-style steam engines are open cycle (closed cycle doesn't have massive hissing gusts of steam coming out of things), and open-cycle steam engines use an enormous amount of water. Thus, you need to replenish water supplies quite frequently, which is a problem for land transport (much less for ships).
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