Re: Galaxy transporter design

From: ninja@halcyon.com (Jonathan Roy)

Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 22:46:09 +0000

In <JCHO.92Jul30151026@dante.nmsu.edu> jcho@nmsu.edu (CHO) writes:

>I've already mentioned this to Russell...but what about transport ships
>that can carry small fighters???  That would really revolutionize
>the strategy and tactics of the game...

rwallace@unix1.tcd.ie (russell wallace) responds:

- This would be mucho hassle to implement. Also, how do you
 - distinguish between fighters and satellites?

Why should you have to? If you have cargo room for x mass, take any ship
that will fit. Large fast ships could then take small slow ships as
cargo. The space shuttle can carry satellites. If it was larger, it's
within reason to expect it to be able to carry a fighter plane to the
Moon. Larger still, it could carry a small shuttle as cargo.

I like the idea that cargo size isn't related directly to resources
or mass. I hope you saw my cardboard-box analogy. I imagine large
cargo ships to simply have a huge, open space for cargo. Resources or
whatever would simply be packed in there. (Say, all the cargo is kept
in containers that are packed closely together in a space dock...)
If you had a ship to transport, it's simply fly into the cargo area.

Another idea I had the other day was making speed/drive less a drive-units/mass
relationship. This would also make large cargo ships more realistic.

Instead of a 1 0 0 0 1 ship being teh same speed as a 10 0 0 0 10, the larger
should be faster. An engine twice the size isn't simply able to push
twice the mass. It should be somewhat more stronger overall.

You might not like any of these ideas, and if not, oh well. (grin) Just
thought I'd throw them out to the net for consideration.

I'd like to see some sort of matter-transmitter as well. (grin) First, I'll
explain why. The same function can be done with cargo ships, but with much less
convience. For example, you have two cargo ships, that can travel a distance
of 50. They are at planets A and B. They can go back and forth each turn
carrying whatever cargo. If you implement the ships-as-cargo idea, and also
the multiple-cargos-idea, it's make it a big hassle to load/unload multiple
cargos and ships each turn at each planet. It's still possible.

A matter-transmitter would do the same job, but make things much easier
for the player. You'd build a transmitter with x distance and x cargo.
You could even make the distance/cargo relationship equal to the
speed/distance a normal ship can move in one turn. The transmitter
would then "transmit" the matter to whatever destination was in range. Perhaps
you'd need a transmitter on the receiving end as well to receive the
"matter".

(shrug) Who knows? Just another little idea for the rest of you to consider.

-Jonathan (Valheru)

References

Re: Galaxy transporter design
jcho@nmsu.edu (CHO)
Thu, 30 Jul 1992 22:10:26 +0000
Re: Galaxy transporter design
rwallace@unix1.tcd.ie (russell wallace)
Fri, 31 Jul 1992 05:26:08 +0000
Galaxy transporter design
jerry@uni-paderborn.de (Gerald Siek)
Wed, 29 Jul 1992 11:46:59 +0000