Ultra-Tech Dose size

[Henchman99942]

How large is a dose (in mL) in Ultra-tech. I refer specifically to the "Biochemical Liquid Table" and "Biochemical Aerosol Table".

I took a cylinder 4 times as long as the diameter of the projectile. For a 10mm projectile, I used a cylinder of liquid 10mm in diameter and 40 mm long and I got 3.14 mL. (Pi*Radius^2*Height) This is one dose for Biochemical Aerosols, which is most you can fit into a 10mm round.

From a web site: "Hypodermic syringes come in a variety of sizes ranging from 0.5 ml (calibrated 0.01 increments) to 60 ml (calibrated in 2 ml increments)"

So 3.14 mL is well within the limits of modern day drug dose sizes. However, experimentation has shown that this much liquid cannot coat an area of the indicated size. 'Brushing' this much water onto a counter top will not cover a circle with a radius of 1 yard (3.14 sq yards). It isn't even close. It maybe coats a circle with a radius of one foot or at most 18 inches. It may be possible that the liquid munitions don't totally cover the surface, covering it only in widely spaced droplets, or that they do so with a VERY thin film resulting from a specially shaped explosive charge. I suppose that is possible. Yes, I realize water has a high surface tension and that it's film thickness is grater than liquids that 'wet' a surface more easily. But 3.14 mL is less than a teaspoon. You end up with a thickness measured in millionths of a millimeter trying to cover a circle with a radius of 1 yard.

Whatever. I realize it's just a game and these rules are guidelines and approximations. I just want things to make sense.

[Varyon]

First off, these drugs are typically either aerosols, which are a fine mist and can thus cover a greater area than a continuous liquid could, or are foams, which expand to cover a volume much greater than how they started.

With aerosols, a single dose will only cover the target's face. Three doses are needed to cover a yard. The foams can get away with covering a yard with a single dose. Note also that covering a yard doesn't necessarily mean a cylinder with a one yard radius - it's more likely the item covers enough of a one-yard radius that anything there is likely to step in or get splashed by it.

With all that in mind, an assumption of 2-3 mL per dose may be appropriate. Note, however, that things that don't rely on being aerosols or foams are probably much more concentrated - a dose in that case may well be measured in uL (1/1000 mL), although it will typically be at least 1 mL for ease of handling.

[benz72]

Originally Posted by Henchman99942

a circle with a radius of 1 yard.

Did you mean diameter? a 1 hex area of effect has a radius of 1/2 yd, not 1 yd.

[Henchman99942]

I realize I used 'drugs' as my example. But the weapons listed in ultra-tech use the term, 'dose' in the generic sense. Various weapon items from warheads to fluid projectors use this generic 'dose'. So while I used doses of a drug as an example, I did this because I could draw real world correlation. I don't think you can simply concentrate everything. Slipspray and thermobaric warheads aren't things you can concentrate. At least I don't think you can concentrate them and have them perform the same. I would assume they pack as much 'stuff' as they can into a munition round of a given size.

I like the way they used a generic 'dose' for munitions. It makes calculations simpler and faster. I don't know if leaving out the actual size of a 'dose' was an oversight or if it was intentional. Do these doses have a uniform weight, but vary in volume? Or is their volume constant but vary by weight?

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In my own game, I am adding a sonic component fluid projectors. They use a coherent subsonic sound wave to help maintain a coherent jet for 'Streamers' and an ultrasonic wave with destructive interference for 'Sprayers' and 'Nebulizers'. I assume that the explosive charge is sufficient to disperse the liquid payloads in munition rounds.

[Bruno]

It would be "unrealistic" for a wide variety of chemicals to have the same volume and weight for effective dosage.

That said, it's just as unrealistic for there to be one universal dosage for men, women, thin, fat, short, tall, young, and old people, never mind metabolic quirks or drug interactions.

I would guess it's quite deliberate that no specific metrics are given for doses, just as no specific metrics are given for power consumption. It's a game-able abstraction, as the only other sensible approach is "lots and lots and lots of detail".