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Old 06-16-2014, 03:56 PM   #1
Lord Azagthoth
 
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Default Aural Sensors

How much would Aural Sensors cost as an advantage?

Below is a description given on Wookieepedia:
"An aural sensor could give audio simulations of the sounds of nearby spaceships' engines and other relevant sounds while in the vacuum of space. This was done to give a spaceship's crew a rough idea of where surrounding ships were when they were not visible on a ship's screens."

Behind the scenes:
These sensors were "invented" to explain why sound was heard in space in the Star Wars films, despite the physical impossibility of that (as there is no substance that can transmit soundwaves). This phenomenon is seen in a number of science fiction films and games, not just the Star Wars ones, and although conflicting physics, is generally accepted as part of suspension of disbelief, as the audience would be left confused otherwise.
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Old 06-16-2014, 03:58 PM   #2
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Default Re: Aural Sensors

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Originally Posted by Lord Azagthoth View Post
How much would Aural Sensors cost as an advantage?
Depends on what it actually lets you do. It's probably a perk.
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Old 06-16-2014, 04:02 PM   #3
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Default Re: Aural Sensors

It will give you the ability to hear sounds in vacuum as if you were in a atmosphere.
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Old 06-16-2014, 04:03 PM   #4
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Default Re: Aural Sensors

Thing is, nothing in the cannon of Star Wars ever said sound was heard in space. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Battlestar Galactica all had sound effects simply because making half your screen time silent would be incredibly boring. If anything, you're heading into Super Science territory to blatantly disregard physics.
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Old 06-16-2014, 04:07 PM   #5
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I've read that the Millenium Falcon was equipped with Aural Sensors. It's not cannon.

It is indeed an error by the moviemakers to let the audience hear the sounds but by now, it is too late for some ghenres to correct that. They tried it however, with the new BSG series.
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Old 06-16-2014, 04:09 PM   #6
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Default Re: Aural Sensors

The "aural sensors" of the Millennium Falcon were NOT for picking up sound in space. Instead, they used the same thing Star Trek does, which is to zoom in on a planet and translate vibrations in the air into sound. All the sound effects in space were just part of the belief of the era that there should never, ever be silence on-screen.
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Old 06-17-2014, 03:16 PM   #7
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It was mentioned in: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope radio drama.

But wat if there's a sensor system capable of detecting vibrations, material build of objects in space and determined what sound it would make.

It would be easier for a pilot to hear attacking ships so he can concentrate his vision in front of him while piloting the ship and use hearing to evade attacking ships coming in from the sides or bihind.
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Old 06-17-2014, 03:41 PM   #8
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Default Re: Aural Sensors

Based on Ultrahearing, each "mode" of hearing is worth about [5]. Aural Sensors allow you to use your normal sense of hearing to hear sounds in vacuum as though you were in atmosphere. This is probably in the Adding Utility subset of Cosmic (see Power-Ups 4, page 7), for +50%. That implies the ability being worth [3] (rounded up from [2.5]) for a character with normal hearing or Ultrahearing only, [5] for a character with both. To build as a piece of technology, you could use Metatronic Generators - assuming Star Wars is around TL10, and having it as a Semi-Portable generator (300 lb; a system for an SM+3 vessel; TIE Fighters are probably SM+4 for reference), that puts cost for the system at $9375 if it works for normal hearing or Ultrahearing, or (more likely) $18,750 if it works for both.
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Old 06-17-2014, 03:53 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
Based on Ultrahearing, each "mode" of hearing is worth about [5]. Aural Sensors allow you to use your normal sense of hearing to hear sounds in vacuum as though you were in atmosphere. This is probably in the Adding Utility subset of Cosmic (see Power-Ups 4, page 7), for +50%. That implies the ability being worth [3] (rounded up from [2.5]) for a character with normal hearing or Ultrahearing only, [5] for a character with both. To build as a piece of technology, you could use Metatronic Generators - assuming Star Wars is around TL10, and having it as a Semi-Portable generator (300 lb; a system for an SM+3 vessel; TIE Fighters are probably SM+4 for reference), that puts cost for the system at $9375 if it works for normal hearing or Ultrahearing, or (more likely) $18,750 if it works for both.
Tnx. I'll have a look at power-Ups.
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Old 06-17-2014, 03:56 PM   #10
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Tnx. I'll have a look at power-Ups.
I should note Metatronic Generators are from Pyramid #3/46, not from any of the Power-Ups series.
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