Shared space setting

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by Frost

It remains to be seen what the setting ends up as. I consciously chose to let this setting find its own style and intend to put the final decision up to vote before we start working on small details.

Sure, I'm just explaining my reasoning. I realise at this point anything suggested could be outvoted.

I admit that I would be happy if it shakes out as a (new) space opera setting and I don't think that we are running any risk of of redundancy even if it does.

I don't think I know what's meant by "new space opera". I take it there's more to it than just being modern space opera?

[ericthered]

17: No. I admit I'm just feeling contrary, but It adds very little fuss to normal use and some interesting technical drama for non-technical use.

18) I don't see how it could function and not be used as FTL communication. Even if its just sticking courier boxes through it.

I think having a general theme and goal is fine, but yes, it behooves the runner of the polls to stay artificially neutral about the direction.

I like the habit of suggesting further, unofficial, suggestions with our votes.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

I don't think I know what's meant by "new space opera". I take it there's more to it than just being modern space opera?

What it is depends on who you ask. The term is either a marketing term or snarl word depending on where you encounter it. I only use the qualification (reluctantly) to avoid arguments with purists.

What it usually refers to is usualy modern written space opera. Many examples do have a somewhat darker tone and slightly harder or at least more consistent science than many older works and often a certain amount of transhumanist tech. Alistair Reynolds work (particularly Revelation Space) is usually the goto example that people quote, it is also pretty good.

It is also sometimes used for space opera featuring a kitchen sink approach to advanced or exotic technologies. Iain M Banks is probably the standard example for this. This usage is not as common (and may have died out) most examples do also fit the other definition.

[PTTG]

14) Are the gates/ wormholes artificial?
Artificial
They might follow natural "paths," but without artificial equipment on both ends, it's impossible to traverse them

15) Which systems have gates?
c) most/ all systems
FTL Travel is only possible to systems with gates.

16) How are the gates organized?
b) the gates form a star network centered on another system
OR
f) Other: Travel from any gate is possible to any other gate, if the destination gate's code is known.
Either of these would be interesting.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by Frost

More questions, hopefully putting FTL to bed at least for a while:

14) Are the gates/ wormholes artificial?

Since we're going to have these things, I vote "artificial." :p

They're expensive to build, but the technology exists and is widely understood.

Originally Posted by Frost

15) Which systems have gates?

I vote 15a. Only the systems with colony planets generate enough traffic to justify the cost of construction.

Originally Posted by Frost

16) How are the gates organised?

I vote 16e, to allow the players to have maximum freedom of movement, and the ability to bypass bottlenecks mandated by whomever controls the gate network.

(This is the problem with jump gates instead of engines. Whoever controls the gate controls traffic, and thus interstellar trade. That means the setting will have an overriding central authority -- unless more than one group can make gates, and collusion doesn't exist, between them. Given the small number of colony planets, and the money and power to be won through the control of interstellar trade, I find this highly unlikely, but we'll roll with it.)

Any system other than those with colony planets must be reached via starships equipped with FTL engines.

Originally Posted by Frost

17) Do ships need specialised gear to use the gates?

No. The existence of gates is already too much of a bottleneck, for me.

Originally Posted by Frost

18) Can the gates be used for FTL communication?

Only to the extent they allow the passage of message capsules, as noted up-thread. No FTL radio, but courier drones can and do use the network.

[Flaco76]

Originally Posted by Frost

Forgot two:
14) Are the gates/ wormholes artificial?


15) Which systems have gates?

a) systems with established colonies

b) most systems with human activity

c) most/ all systems

16) How are the gates organised?

a) the gates form a star network centered on earth I.e all connections are earth to colony

b) the gates form a star network centred on another system

c) the gate network has a 'tree' topology I.e earth gates connect to the closest systems, which in turn have connections to the next closest etc

d) tree centred on another system

e) the gates form a web, most systems have several connections with a certain amount of redundancy

Vote: a, gates depend upon significant volumes of traffic and the earth colony game is still the biggest game in town.
17) Do ships need specialised gear to use the gates?

18) Can the gates be used for FTL communication?

My Votes:
14) A - Artificial
15) A - Gates require capital and time to build so they will not be built until a system as a major population or significant reason to build it.
16) C - Gates can only connect to one to two other systems nearest it due to power/computer requirements
17) None - Gates take the place or FTL Drives
18) No - Gates can download/upload messages from vessels passing through but cannot beam/send messages to other Gates.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think having a general theme and goal is fine, but yes, it behooves the runner of the polls to stay artificially neutral about the direction.

Sure, but I wouldn't put it that strongly. Presumably Frost has his own interest and opinions about the topic, otherwise he wouldn't be good enough to run this exercise.

[TGLS]

14) Gates are artificial. Quantum entangled buckyballs are delivered to both gates to facilitate communication necessary to allow the gates to work. Wormholes are natural (and faster!), but do not directly connect any colonies, though one connects two colonies by wormhole.

15B) Gates are stationary. It isn't practical to build a gate to every system humans visit because that would mean bringing a construction crew. Entangled buckyballs aren't cheap either, so most non colonized systems get only one or two connections.

16E) Web topology; all colonized systems and Earth have direct connections, other human outposts are two hops away any other colony. After entanglement technology was duplicated, doubly or triply redundant connections became common.

17) Yes, ships do need special equipment to use gates. They need to be a Faraday cage. Thus, nobody builds starships out of Kevlar or rubber. Wormholes can only transfer matter, so building a starship out of radio waves is pretty foolish.

18) Yes, FTL communication is possible, gates rely on it after all. You can purchase a 20/10 baud connection between any two computers for the low, low price of 850 million dollars (including installation). And no, you can't use the gates buckyball connection, it needs to be open to connection from the other gate at any time.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Frost

Forgot two:

17) Do ships need specialised gear to use the gates?

Vote: no, gates are open to in system vessels, this is the major justification for building gates in the first place.

18) Can the gates be used for FTL communication?

Vote: yes. I don't particularly want FTL comms but I think that it is a logical consequence of having the gates and a good argument for reducing the number of systems served.

17Y. Preferably the same technology that is suitable to initially 'opening' pathways / gateways / etc. Must be installed on the ship.

18N. Not directly, that is. Of course, everyone can send a courier which will take however long it takes to reach the opposite gate, but that's not what FTL Comm usually means.

----

I'm getting the impression that the setting is turning into some miniature version of EvE.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

This is the problem with jump gates instead of engines. Whoever controls the gate controls traffic, and thus interstellar trade. That means the setting will have an overriding central authority -- unless more than one group can make gates, and collusion doesn't exist, between them. Given the small number of colony planets, and the money and power to be won through the control of interstellar trade, I find this highly unlikely, but we'll roll with it.

I tend to agree with you about this, I think we may have broken the setting and I think that it may be my fault in the way I worded the questions.

After the tie on question 13 the compromise I offered established the existence of both FTL ships and the gates although I included this with the results I didn't include a reminder in the questions intended to clarify how the gates worked. Based on the fact that I didn't mention ships the seems to have been an assumption that it was gates only.

To be honest I am tempted to rerun the poll for questions 15 and 16 with the revised wording.