[Space] FTL Ideas/Thoughts

[scc]

Wow, lots of stuff I need to answer. Feels like I've forgot to say something but

Originally Posted by ericthered

5^X is really steep!

Maybe, but my initial thought where that 5 * X would be too shallow.

Originally Posted by ericthered

The shields idea is cool -- from its description I'm hearing 'Hyperspace stabalizer', but 'shields' work too.

Well I was thinking that force screens might double as extra shields, it makes things interesting.

Originally Posted by Varyon

Sounds interesting. Some questions/thoughts.

First off, how does one get out of hyperspace? Does it happen automatically when you drop your shields, or do you need to make use of a hyperdrive? Additionally, if you need a hyperdrive, does it need to have the same FTL rating as the one that sent you into the hyperspace to start with? If so, that's going to result in a ship that enters through a portal being unable to exit except through another portal.

Yep, the shields are the only thing keeping you in hyperspace, drop them and you drop out. This means it's impossible to get stuck in hyperspace. Of course if you have a malfunction in the shields and don't have a hyperdrive, your kinda stuck where you came out.

Originally Posted by Varyon

Secondly, how much of the mass of a hyperdrive is the necessary shielding - and can you make a hyperdrive without it? Portal devices probably aren't going to be going through hyperspace under their own power and thus could save mass and cost by not mounting the shields. This will also be good for figuring out how much the shielding system(s) weigh (or are they just expensive Design Features?).

If using Spaceships a hyperdrive comes with shields sufficient for it's rating for free, while the portals are Jump Gates. Things obviously change if using vehicles

Originally Posted by Varyon

Thirdly, is combat in hyperspace possible? If so, how does it differ from normal combat? Forcing a ship out of hyperspace by taking out its shields (or stranding it in hyperspace by taking out its drive) could be an interesting strategy.

I theory, yes. There's just of problem of actually meeting up. I'm also thinking that military ships can use their force screens as extra shields, so if you take damage to the screens, you slow down.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Speed is in pc/day, as in the general hyperspace description in SS?

No, the speed produced by the hyperddrives is a velocity multiplier, so to go 1ly/year you need a velocity of at least .2C with FTL-1 or .04 with FTL-2

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

The speed is determined by the rating of the initial stargate, rather than the ship shields? (Why ever have more than shields-1? My first assumption was that the speed is limited by both systems; either the gate can't fling you through hyperspace fast enough, or if it can, your shields couldn't take it, so you ask them not to throw you so hard.)

It's a mixture of both, the rating on the FTL systems is a maximum speed multiplier it can impart, but it's also limited by your shields. I'm thinking that many early adopter ships from when FTL-3 was introduced would be limited a velocity multiplier of 100, that was a lot cheaper then 125 when refiting, at least back then.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Since you say "hyperspace" rather than "jump drive", I assume the ships can maneuver freely once they enter through the window. Do you exit hyperspace just by dropping your shields? Or do you have to create an exit window?

Yes, just drop the shields. Many interstellar freighters are retro-fitted in-systems designers because of this.