[Space] FTL Ideas/Thoughts

scc · 03-20-2015, 05:46 PM

Well for one thing SM is already taken in GURPS meanings. And the reason I've been using FTL numbers up until now is that that's how Spaceships rates Stardrive units

Flyndaran · 03-20-2015, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scc

Well for one thing SM is already taken in GURPS meanings. And the reason I've been using FTL numbers up until now is that that's how Spaceships rates Stardrive units

It's just a name, but I have trouble seeing how players wouldn't scrunch their faces up to the idea that FTL drives aren't really FTL drives.
You can call the power level of drive anything you want. Warp Drive is nice and perfectly vague as heck. Individual companies may use their own names.
Sure Federation Limited calls theirs FTL 1, 2, 3, but their drives happen to be slightly slower than Hegemony Incorporated's Warp 1, 2, 3. With Warp 1 = FTL 0.9 or something.

scc · 03-20-2015, 06:46 PM

Flyndaran, the FTL-x system is a GAME MECHANICS one, if two ships have the same FTL number they go at the same speed

Flyndaran · 03-20-2015, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scc

Flyndaran, the FTL-x system is a GAME MECHANICS one, if two ships have the same FTL number they go at the same speed

It's not real or written in stone. But that would make it fall back on the silliness of Faster Than Light drives being much slower than light.
It would be like making jets that travel in units of 100 MPH but each MPH is really Miles Per Day.

ericthered · 03-20-2015, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

It's not real or written in stone. But that would make it fall back on the silliness of Faster Than Light drives being much slower than light.
It would be like making jets that travel in units of 100 MPH but each MPH is really Miles Per Day.

From what I understand of the drive, FTL-1 DOES enable FTL travel. Travel at .25c will give you speed that's truely faster than light. FTL-1 technically enables just under 5 times the speed of light.

Phantasm · 03-20-2015, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericthered

Travel at .25c will give you speed that's truely faster than light.

This part makes no sense. "Travel at a quarter of the speed of light is faster than light"... wut?

Anaraxes · 03-20-2015, 08:05 PM

Normal-space travel that would be .25c, but with an FTL-1 drive, means to multiply the speed by 5, so net speed is 1.25 c. It's the Fast Forward drive; everything just speeds up.

scc · 03-20-2015, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

This part makes no sense. "Travel at a quarter of the speed of light is faster than light"... wut?

Because the FTL drive system I proposed is like the one in David Weber's Honorverse, a velocity multiplier, it doesn't impart speed.

03-20-2015, 05:46 PM	#1
scc Join Date: Mar 2013	Re: [Space] FTL Ideas/Thoughts Well for one thing SM is already taken in GURPS meanings. And the reason I've been using FTL numbers up until now is that that's how Spaceships rates Stardrive units

03-20-2015, 06:46 PM	#3
scc Join Date: Mar 2013	Re: [Space] FTL Ideas/Thoughts Flyndaran, the FTL-x system is a GAME MECHANICS one, if two ships have the same FTL number they go at the same speed

03-20-2015, 08:05 PM	#7
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: [Space] FTL Ideas/Thoughts Normal-space travel that would be .25c, but with an FTL-1 drive, means to multiply the speed by 5, so net speed is 1.25 c. It's the Fast Forward drive; everything just speeds up.