Vote up a Space Opera

[CraigR]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Dominance of Humanity

This is how Powerful humanity is, not how prevalent. I will give examples of settings that I think are at the level given. These aren't neccessarily space opera, but they are sci-fi.

2 votes each, one at 2 points, and one at 1.

Options:

Humanity is alone:
Humanity owns the stars( road not taken):
Humanity is dominant in space (star wars):
Humanity is the first among several competitive powers:
Humanity is equal to many others (star trek, old man's war)
Humanity is a minor or junior power (Mass effect):
Humanity is a set of upstarts (early SG, Uplift universe):
Humanity is irrelevant: (UFO sightings, Hitchhiker universe):

Humanity is equal to many others (2), Humanity is first among several competitive powers.

[vicky_molokh]

It's not that I want hypersail much. It's more that having 'flat' hyperspace is boring. Some sort of natural, difficult-to-predict phenomena that influence travel and can become hazards make things fun.

As for the heavy trend towards hyperspace, I think this comes from (a) wish to remove FTL from combat consideration (b) wish to provide some sort of 'sense of gradual movement' to FTL.

BTW, a Hyperdrive Suppressor may or may not be available in the setting.

[CraigR]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Time to habitable Planets

2 votes of equal strength.

This is not the time between planets, but the time between habitable planets, and this choice will have a major effect:

options:

Months to closest :
Weeks to closest :
Days to closest :
24 hours to several Planets:
6 hours to several Planets:
1 hour to several Planets:

"Weeks to closest" and "1 hour to several planets"

I like the idea of the former for regular warp, and the latter for the "expressway". It makes the regular warp empires have large ships, but the expressway users could use smaller one or two-man "cars".

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

As for the heavy trend towards hyperspace, I think this comes from (a) wish to remove FTL from combat consideration (b) wish to provide some sort of 'sense of gradual movement' to FTL.

This is why it's important to nail down your terms beforehand. I don't think of either of those when I think "hyperspace".

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

It's not that I want hypersail much. It's more that having 'flat' hyperspace is boring. Some sort of natural, difficult-to-predict phenomena that influence travel and can become hazards make things fun.

BTW, a Hyperdrive Suppressor may or may not be available in the setting.

The reason why I went with either Hyper (w/encouners) or Warp was to avoid drives where FTL travel constituted "downtime". Same for short voyage times.

Space Opera probably should be defined as "fast-paced space adventure" and we don't want long periods when nothing si happening.

If hyperspace is not an invulnerable refuge where nothing ever happens then there is no particular need t bar access or yank people out of it.

[ericthered]

results for FTL:

Hyper Drive: 15(21)= 3+3+(3)+3+3+(3)+2+1
Tachyon Drive: 0
Hyper Sail: 1(7)= 1+(3)+(3)
Warp Drive: 8= 2+3+3
Inertialess Drive: 0
Blink Warp Drive: 5= 2+3
Space Highways: 10= 2+1+1+(1)+1+2+2
Wormhole Drive: 1
Jump Drive: 5= 2+2+1
Probability Drive: 0
WormGate Network: 1

I think we can call this one one for Hyperdrive. We have people asking to make Hyperspace interesting as well, and space highways took second place, followed by a smattering of others

[ericthered]

Dominance of Humanity:
results of first round
Humanity is alone: 4= 1+1+1+1
Humanity owns the stars:
Humanity is dominant in space:
Humanity is the first among several competitive powers: 1(3)= (2)+1
Humanity is equal to many others: 9(11)= 1+2+2+2+(2)+2
Humanity is a minor or junior power : 8= 2+1+1+2+2
Humanity is a set of upstarts:
Humanity is irrelevant:

OK, I'm going to refine the voting on this one: one vote for if humanity is a junior power or if they are considered equal. I will vote for junior power

Travel times:

results of first round:
Months to closest :
Weeks to closest : 5
Days to closest : 5
24 hours to several Planets:
6 hours to several Planets: 1
1 hour to several Planets: 1

Ok, it looks like we want either days or weeks. please put the time you would like to be average down. When we get all the input I'll drop the highest and lowest and then take the logarithmic average. If you don't understand that, don't worry, just give the time you want. Feel free to say anything between 24 hours and 12 weeks

I'm going to go with an average of 36 hours between worlds.

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Dominance of Humanity:
OK, I'm going to refine the voting on this one: one vote for if humanity is a junior power or if they are considered equal. I will vote for junior power

I vote equal, one of several powers in the first rank.

Originally Posted by ericthered

Travel times:

Ok, it looks like we want either days or weeks. please put the time you would like to be average down.

6 days strikes me as about right.

[ericthered]

HyperSpace Questions!

This vote is a series of yes or no questions. you can answer yes, no, or nothing to each issue, and you have one big yes and one big no (worth 2 each)

suggesting other qualities hyperspace can is welcomed.

Are distances in hyperspace roughly the same as real space?
Are their multiple hyperspaces?
If there are multiple hyperspaces, do they behave radically differently?
Does Hyperspace have currents and paths?
Does Hyperspace have "weather"? (do conditions change?)
Do things live in hyperspace?
Can hyperspace be changed through construction (or rather, is it?)
Can humans survive being exposed to hyperspace?
Can ships in hyperspace detect/communicate with each other?
Can ships in hyperspace fight each other?


my votes are as follows:
distances -
multiple ++
differences --
paths +
weather +
life +
construction +
habitable +
vision +
combat -

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by ericthered

HyperSpace Questions!
Are distances in hyperspace roughly the same as real space?

Is this referring to relative distance, or absolute?

Edit: By relative I mean, if a world is equidistant from two others in realspace, will it be equidistant from them in hyperspace too, or might it be a shorter jaunt to one than the other?

---------
Two more questions, relevant to space opera:

• Can ships in hyperspace detect/communicate with each other?
• Can ships in hyperspace fight each other?