2320 Hard Sci-fi

[macaroni]

Thanks a buch for the comments and the critique guys, it really helps when someone other than the friends i play with can can me an opinion.

About the small arms in the game, i think that came about because i am an avid shooter in real life and i have quite a large knowledge base about 20th century firearms to apply to a this setting. Energy weapons to me would give the setting a cartoony feel, while using 20th century weapons (albeit a super high-tech version) seems to give the setting a more gritty feel. I have a hard time imagining the noise and effect of a laser pistol, but i cant easily imagine the loud report of an automatic rifle.

As to the question of AI, not to get metaphysical, but every human is programmed from conception both through genetics and life experiences to become the person they are currently, so that same argument could be applied to humans as well, for the purposes of the game i dont think that is a major concern, as someone playing a thinking machine would play their character as they see fit, but it is something to think about

The idea about a concepts document is also a very good idea. I had been trying to explain each technology in the document it was presented in, but having all the basic concepts in a single document would probably wrok alot better.

Thanks again

[Ancient Gamer]

I agree with macaroni on the small arms issue. Energy weapons do indeed smack of cartoons. That is why Aliens will always rank before Star Wars in my opinion; they have a much cooler ambient with "adult" weapons, among other things.

[Kinslayer]

It's all in the compression of energy. Beam weapons are impractical in a hard-science setting, not because they cannot be configured to do large amounts of damage quickly, but because the energy involved isn't readily available.  Either very large batteries or an equally large generator are needed, even for a hand-held weapon.  Standard firearms have a very real advantage in that the energy required to kill someone can be stored chemically in a rather small space.

Of course, something can be hard-science and still have a very "fantasy" feel.  The best example of this is probably the x-ray laser.  It's a very powerful beam weapon powered by a nuclear explosion.

[Rob Lang]

Ah, the power source issue. That would not be a wise route to follow to explain why there are no energy weapons. There are plenty of other things in the game that require very high density power sources and so they certainly must exist. From an active prostethics point of view, the only reason there aren't people walking around on fully powered prosthetic legs is because of the huge amount of power required to perform the rather delicate control.

Not wanting the technology for feel/desire/design reasons is perfectly valid I just feel the power source issue is not the right way to resolve the in-game reasons behind omitting them.

Perhaps another reason for not having laser/energy weapons is the ease of creating armour that reflects it. You could argue that any weapon based on photon energy is easily bounced off super-reflective materials. Shine up your tank and your laser proof. You could also state that the laser is poor in bad weather, as light tends to scatter when going through moisture. Scattering might also explain why laser's aren't used because of damage attenuation at long range.

These sorts of reasons (and others like them) will serve you better in the long term because your restrictions are laws of nature, which can be bent but not broken. If you decide to cap the yield of power sources, you're restricting the technology and thus tying your hands. I had similar problems in the 'olden days of Icar', which lead me to create the Technology description.

As for magnetically accelerated weapons, these might serve your purpose well, as they are industrial, fire slugs and might offer something a bit more high-tech.

[Mourngrymn]

By that same token Rob, would a laser weapon work in the void of space farther from a light source as abundant as stars?

The further out you go from a system, the less light available in order for the laser to theoretically work. Am I correct or is my ideas and knowledge on how lasers work?

Which if the latter is the case, I am not versed in science of technology very fluently.

[Rob Lang]

I think I see where you are coming from there but you don't need starlight to create lasers. Most modern lasers are created by exciting semi-conductors and them emitting certain wavelengths of coherent light (laser). An LED is similar to this. A solid lump of semiconductor that emits light when you put a voltage across it.

In space, you don't have many particles to disperse the light, so it should go further. However, for a laser to be strong at a distance (in space, this is normally considered as 1000s of km) you need to make sure the beam is not very wide. If it is, then it reduces in strength really quickly.

To conclude, being in space is better of lasers (less stuff to get in the way) and they are not dependent on starlight to function. They can be created artificially.

[Mourngrymn]

So right concept just reversed order...

[macaroni]

The concerns of energy comsumption ive explained in documents that i now realize  i havent posted here yet. Most small high-energy devices in 2320 use what i call soft power "soft power". The concept is that the device is equiped with a special type of antenna which can recieve beamed power in the form of low frequency microwaves. This works well aboard a space craft for many machines including thinking machines where the soft power emitters are scattered throughout the ship, it is even a consideration for urban areas where a public grid of soft power emitters power all manner of electrical devices with a wireless power supply billing the recipiant for their power use each month, but the doctrine of small arms design requires a weapon to function in any area and adverse conditions, yet another reason for a chemically based weapon.
  The science behind such chemically based weapons is also a proven platform, with plenty of room for advancement. The amount of kinetic energy released from a 500 grain metal slug(say for instance in a .50BMG round,  fired by the american M2 browning machinegun) is mind boggling, and when the round is induced to deform inside the target in a predesigned manner , the effect would be hard to reproduce with an energy weapon in as small, compact, and reliable a package with as low a manufacturing cost. The chances that such a weapon would exist given these factors are in my opinion as good as not . And from my experience "good enough is the opponent of perfect" in that if the technology works and is cheap to produce, its more fiscally logically to research it than to spend the same amount of money on new technology.
  Dont get me wrong, someone WILL spend money on it, new technology requires risk, but there is a good chance that 300 years from now, combat medics will still be treating gunshot wounds.
  I hope this helps explain my logic on the subject, if anyone else has any ideas or comments on the material id be happy to hear them. Thanks guys

[Kinslayer]

I see I'm not the only one familiar with Tesla's theories.  The idea of an indirect power grid where you don't have to plug anything in nor use batteries, is an intriguing one.  The usual decry of "too dangerous to life" holds about as much merit as the "cellphones cause cancer" argument.

I agree that firearms will still be used in the forseeable future.  The reason for this is the same as the main restriction on indirected power:  money.  Also, technology doesn't suddenly stop working just because something better is developed.  For example, people still use a variety of materials to make things, even after plastic was invented.

[CaptainPenguin]

For example, people still use a variety of materials to make things, even after plastic was invented.

Well... I imagine that wearing a shirt made from plastic might be just a tad uncomfortable.

[Kinslayer]

Nylon, gortex, acetate, acrylic, lastex, spandex, polyester, fibranne, & rayon are all manufactured cloth.  Admittedly, rayon & fibranne aren't exactly plastic, as they are made from cellulose.

[CaptainPenguin]

Man, all my good jokes get shot full of holes by people like Kinslayer....

[Kinslayer]

Well, plastic clothes are still better than wearing clothes out of tree bark & stones...

[macaroni]

This document is a work in progress

Common Technologies and Terms used in 2320

This document is meant to describe many of the prevailing technologies and scientific breakthroughs which have shaped the course of human destiny among the stars of up to the current era. Each technology is listed with the year it was discovered and a brief description.

2010      PF Chemical Fusion Reactor      
The PF reactor garners its usefulness from operating at relatively low temperatures. A “hot� fusion reaction creates enormous amounts of heat from the pressure the reaction mass must be subjected to in order to induce fusion of the atoms. The reaction mass reaches temperatures that transform it to super-hot plasma, which would instantly vaporize any material used for a reaction chamber. Thus a magnetic field must be produced to repel the plasma from the chamber walls. This magnetic field requires an amount of power proportional to the size of the reaction. A requirement of a fusion reactor is that it provide enough power to sustain its own magnetic field while still producing enough excess power to justify its construction and the cost of the reaction mass. The point where a reactor is producing enough power to sustain itself and still providing a surplus of power is known as “Ignition�. The PF reactor operates in such a way as to not need the immense pressures needed in a “hot� reaction.
The PF reactor operates through electrolysis of “heavy water� into a platinum or palladium electrode. Heavy water is simply water with its hydrogen replaced with deuterium. By applying a small amount of energy to the electrode, ever growing amounts of deuterium are forced into the platinum until a critical mass is reached, and the deuterium atoms begin to fuse. The energy released applies more energy to the solution forcing more deuterium into the electrode creating even more energy, thus ignition is reached very quickly with a low power cost.
   Another feature of the PF reactor lies in the radioactive waste or lack of waste it produces. In a hot reaction, the fast moving neutrons bombard the walls of the reactor, eventually eating away the material and leaving a highly irradiated chunk of slag, which must be disposed of. In the PF reactor, these excess neutrons are trapped within the platinum core, leaving only the core itself irradiated, while these neutrons can be resolved by several chemical reactions to recycle a hot core by adding the free neutrons back to common hydrogen to make more deuterium.
   Over the last century even this is no longer a problem, as the use of deuterium/helium-3 reactions release few excess neutrons.  


2018   Miguel Alcubierre Warp Drive    
 The Miguel Alcubierre Warp Drive commonly known as the MAW Drive or Jump Drive is the only means known to humans to cross interstellar distances at relative speeds faster than light. The Mexican Physicist Miguel Alcubierre first documented the concept of such a propulsion system in 1994 in his paper "The Warp Drive: Hyper-fast Travel within General Relativity," [Classical and Quantum Gravity, 11(5), L73-77 (1994)]. Alcubierre suggested in his paper that if a gravitational fields could be manipulated, then space-time at the rear of a vessel could be made expand, moving the craft away from the point of departure, while simultaneously in front of the vessel space-time is made to contract bringing the destination closer while leaving the vessel itself in a locally flat region of space-time bounded by a "warp bubble" that lay between the two distortions. So the vessel would travel at multiples of the speed of light without breaking any physical laws because within the “warp bubbleâ€?, the vessel would be at rest in its moving section of space. This effect would render the crew of the vessel immune to both the devastating effect of inertia, as well as the relativistic effects of time dilation.
   At the heart of the device is a gravity field generator. This generator focuses immense gravitational energy at both the front and rear of the vessel to create the distortions as needed. In practice another technology is needed to initiate the drive. A field is needed to establish the perimeter of the “warp-bubbleâ€? which stays at rest as the ship advances between points in space. This field is created from a substance called “Cold Plasmaâ€?. This Cold Plasma field encloses the vessel and must be active for the space-time disturbances which propel the ship to be enacted.
   A feature inherent in the MAW drive is the general instability of the gravity field generator. As the fields grow, propelling the vessel faster, the tendency of Space-Time to return to its regular state, creates a sort of gravitational back pressure, causing the field to spike, collapsing to field. This is generally known as the “Hoch Effectâ€? as it was first experienced by Major Thomas Hoch who piloted the first manned FTL flight in the ship “Solar 1â€?. This effect makes the act of interstellar travel a stop and go affair. The drive will fire up, jumping a number of light years towards the destination, then powering down, needing to be recalibrated and reinitiated. Most travelers use this time to ensure they are traveling on the right course through the star patterns visible from their location. The “Hoch Effectâ€? is also a well known and often exploited weakness in space travel. Many unsavory types wait on trade lanes at distances where common models of drive will power down and waylay ships between jumps.


2018   Cold Plasma Shield
  A spin-off technology developed for the MAW Drive, the cold plasma shield device is used not only for engaging the drive but for other star-ship means as well. The science of plasma physics has been studied for centuries, and cold plasma has been used in the manufacturing and processing fields for as long, though the use of cold plasma as a defensive shield was only made possible by the large power output of the PF reactor. Plasma is simply a high energy gas state of matter. When the atoms of a gas are excited by applying energy, they lose their outermost electron, becoming ions. The ions and the free electrons interact differently from a gas in a neutral state. The typical plasma which makes up some 99% of the known visible universe in stars and other stellar bodies exists in an ultra hot state, making hot plasma hard to use and dangerous to create. When plasma exists in a state with only about one percent of the high energy ions per volume, this is called “low temperatureâ€? or “low energyâ€? plasma. This cold plasma has many of the same features of “hotâ€? or “high energyâ€? plasma without the dangers. An increase in the frequency of cold plasma increases the density of the substance, allowing a field of cold plasma to be used as a point defense shield against attacks from high energy particles as well as kinetic energy from projectile weapons impacting on its surface. By increasing the energy applied to the surface of the field the frequency may be increased, thus the density and its ability to deflect or absorb an impact may be increased. The cold plasma field is typically used in low energy mode when moving at slower than light speeds, as a ballistic shield against micro meteors and space borne particles which would otherwise erode the hull of the vessel. The cold plasma generator uses a high frequency laser to ionize ambient gas particles around the ship, particularly light gases such as hydrogen and helium carried throughout space by solar winds.  
   

2031   Gravity Device
  Yet another spinoff of the Maw drive is the gravity device. This device is able to produce a gravitational field through which a ship or habitat in space may be given a 1g earth like atmosphere without using conventional concepts based on centripedal forces. The devices functions by exploiting the “Casimir Effectâ€? discovered by Dutch physicist Hendrik B. G. Casimir of Philips Research Labs in 1948. Casimir stated that two uncharged plates held extremely close together (less than a few atomic diameters) would restrict the possible wavelength of any particles existing between the plates, creating negative energy and pressure. From this region of exotic matter existing between the two plates, gravitons are produced which can be directed. This allows a gravity devices equipped space vessel to be programmed for the desired gravity, as well as creating waves of gravitons to negate the effect of inertia by creating a gravitational field opposite the direction of the natural gravitational force. By means of the device, a inertia dampening field can be produced which will negate up to 10 positive or negative g’s, making intersystem slower than light travel much faster and more comfortable.

[macaroni]

Starship Technologies

Many of the mechanics of starships operation and combat I use in the 2320 setting are adapted from materials from the d20 modern/future engine so that material I will omit, however what follows are the items specific to 2320 space craft.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE UPGRADES

A ship may be built with a variety of materials giving it remarkably different characteristics. Older ships may also be refit with structural reinforcements to strengthen the ships internal structure. The weight of a ships internal structure is usually at 5% of the ships Operating Mass.

Advanced Polymers     A wide variety of man made materials including carbon fiber and advanced fiberglass are used in the construction of starship frames and offer a high strength to weight ratio. Many older ships are refitted with an advanced polymers structural reinforcement.    Cost: 400CR per ton.

Ferrous Alloys   New super alloys composed of exotic metals such as cobalt and cadmium are used quite often in ship production. The metals are homogenously rolled in order to orient the ferrous strands and eliminate microscopic weaknesses across the expanse of the object surface, effectively eliminating the chance of catastrophic failure from inclusions and manufacturing defects   Cost: 800CR per ton

Thermal Steel  This new age alloy incorporates a ceramic mixture bonded into the fibrous matrix of high carbon steel at a molecular level, combining the  excellent heat dissipation qualities of ceramics and the high tensile strength of modern steel. As a by-product of the manufacturing process, the aligned nature of the ceramic molecules into the steels molecular structure also reduces overall weight without sacrificing the metals tensile strength. Because of the special equipment needed to generate the level of heat required to make this material the price is rather high.         Cost: 1000CR per ton.

Cast Resin Composite   This material is composed of a several layers of powder composite which are added to a liquid resin hardening agent and then cast into the desired shape. The process of casting produces an item of exact uniform hardness, which reduces the stress on any one load bearing member. This uniformity better distributes the ships weight load across its entire surface.         Cost: 1200CR per ton.

Diamond Weave   Diamond weave is the common name for “Oriented Strand Carbonâ€?. This substance is composed of oriented strands of carbon aligned into a basket-weave formation, maximizing the materials already high stress tolerances.        Cost: 1600CR per ton.

Spun Filament   This material utilized billions of miles of micro filament wire wound around a thin metal core to create the desired shape then laminated with a high strength resin to produce a finished product with high lateral strength characteristics.                  Cost: 2000CR per ton.

- Honeycomb Polyfill   This option incorporated a honey-combed core to all load-bearing structures filled with dense polymer foam as a weight saving measure. Cost: +250CR per ton.

- High Stress Latitude   This option adds reinforcement to the ships internal structure at key points to increase the overall lateral strength of the ships frame.     Cost: +250CR per ton
 
- Stress Layer Management    This option installs a system of shock absorbing braces into the internal structure of the ship. This system is computer controlled and allows the ships structure to flex or bend in areas where a possible hull breach would otherwise occur.    Cost: +200CR per ton.

- Engineered Failure Zones   This option incorporates bolts and panels predesigned to fail at a set pressure. When the ship takes a potentially catastrophic amount of damage these areas fail first, diverting the damage away from the ships vital systems and venting the explosive force into space.     Cost: +150CR per ton.


ARMOR UPGRADES

Blown Resin Fiber Composite   This armor type incorporates a mixture of composite fibers and a resin compound which is blown as a paste onto the hull of a starship. This type of armor is cheap to manufacture and install but lacks the uniformity of conventional plates.     Cost: 150CR per ton

Alloy Composites    Sheets of high tensile alloy armor are added to the ship, increasing its ability to absorb damage.          Cost: 300CR per ton

Thermal Steel   The same material often used in the internal structure of ship, the material can be rolled into plates and used as an effective armor.            Cost: 360CR per ton

Advanced Polymers     Many manmade polymers used in the construction of starships can also be used as armor plating   Cost: 400CR per ton

High Tensile Ceramic   This armor type makes use of common high strength ceramics for their heat and concussion resistance.                     Cost: 560CR per ton

Diamond Weave    This armor incorporates oriented strands of carbon woven into a strong mesh   Cost: 700CR per ton.

Ring Carbon Laminate    This armor is composed of laminated layers of ring carbon, chains of carbon molecules arranged similar to benzene. These layers have an extremely high strength to weight ratio, which makes it perfect for damage resistance   Cost: 1000CR per ton.

- Ablative Reactive Hydrogel    This armor incorporates a layer of gel suspended between the layers of armor plate. When an incoming round penetrates the surface layer the gel vaporizes, defeating the kinetic energy of the incoming round.   Cost: 120CR per ton of ship.

- Reflective Layering    This option adds a highly reflective surface to the ships armor, reducing the damage of laser based attacks.  Cost: 120CR per ton of ship.

- Balanced Resonance    This option equalizes the density of the ships armor plating , allowing the damage of explosives to spread across a larger surface area.  Cost: 320CR per ton of ship.

- Cast Plates   The addition of plates of armor which have been cast to the ships contours allows the plates to be seamless, giving the plates a uniform hardness with no particular weak points.   Cost: cost of armorx2.

SUBLIGHT ENGINE UPGRADES


Thrusters    This type of engine vents waste products directly from the ships reactor core as a means of thrust. While not very fuel efficient for larger craft, this means of propulsion is common for small craft and fighters, who can achieve high speed and maneuverability with this propulsion system. Several types of thruster options are available for craft.        Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 400CR
 - Repulsion thrusters uses a device to create a magnetic field which further accelerates the charged particles propelling the craft, allowing for higher speeds but requiring a greater power supply.   Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1000CR
- XL or extra light thrusters are created with weight and space saving materials to produce an efficient system with a lower operating mass.    Cost: Original engine mass(tons) x 2000CR
- HE or high efficiency engines use an extensive system of dedicated computers to regulate fuel consumption to maximize fuel efficiency.    Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 800CR

 
Plasma Drive    This type of engine uses a large chemical laser at the peak of a reflective cone. The laser is directed at the peak of the cone and streams down to laze ambient material which collects at the trough of the cone through a weak magnetic field, turning the material to plasma.     Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1000CR
- Multiple laser systems make use of several small laser to more efficiently laze the reaction mass.  Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1200CR
- XL or extra light engines are created with weight and space saving materials to produce an efficient system with a lower operating mass.    Cost: Original engine mass(tons) x 2200CR
- Magnetic Inducers may be added to the drive to increase the output of the magnetic field used to attract ambient matter, increasing the reaction mass.    Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1000CR


Gauss Drive   This engine type uses a magnetic field generator which creates a strong magnetic field localized to the rear of the vessel, while simultaneously magnetizing ambient particles in the same vicinity with an oppositely charged field, thus propelling the ship by means of polar repulsion.          Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 800CR
- Multiple Field Generators may be used in a gauss drive which increases the power of the polar repulsion by applying more energy to the magnetic fields.  Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1000CR
- HE field generators make use of dedicated computer systems to actively regulate power consumption and increase power efficiency.   Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 2000CR
- XL or extra light engines are created with weight and space saving materials to produce an efficient system with a lower operating mass.    Cost: Original engine mass(tons) x 2000CR


Ion Drive   This engine type uses waste gases expelled from the reactor (He, O) and charges them , creating ions. These ions are expelled by means of an electromagnetic field to propel the craft. Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1200CR
- XL or extra light engines are created with weight and space saving materials to produce an efficient system with a lower operating mass.   Cost: Original engine mass(tons) x 2400CR
- HE or high efficiency engines use an extensive system of dedicated computers to regulate fuel consumption to maximize fuel efficiency.   Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1200CR
- Particle Flash Beds may be added to the Ion Drive. These grates are placed in the stream of particle flow helping to maximize power efficiency by insuring the particles which pass over the grate are charged before passing out of the craft into space.   Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1600CR


Gravity Drive    This engine uses artificial gravity devices to create a gravity field in the direction the ship needs to go, and the ship essentially “fallsâ€? towards the field, propelling the craft forward.     Cost: Engine mass(tons) x 1800CR
- XL or extra light engines are created with weight and space saving materials to produce an efficient system with a lower operating mass.    Cost: Original engine mass(tons) x 2600CR





POWERPLANT UPGRADES
 
PF Reactor     All ships must be equipped with a reactor to power the ships electrical devices. Most space-going vessels use a variant of the P-F chemical fusion reactor.  Many companies make variants of the P-F reactor in almost any size desired. Common models generally have the same basic output per ton. Ships typically come equipped with a reactor large enough to run all the ships systems plus 30   Cost: Reactor mass(tons) x 4500CR
- Magnetic inducer    By means of a magnetic field generator, the reactor may increase its efficiency by lowering the amount of energy lost to thermodynamic design flaws    Cost: Reactor mass(tons) x 2500CR


Batteries      Most ships carry a number of battery banks as a means of emergency power. If a problem occurs with the reactor , the ship can run on the supplemental power stored in these batteries for a short time.     Cost: 800CR per E point.


Photon Net    These large sails are sometimes added to a ship as a means of securing emergency power. When not in combat , a ship may deploy its sails to capture photons from nearby stars. These photons are then converted into energy by the fabrics high efficiency solar cells. These sails must be extremely large and are extremely fragile, usually only a few microns thick. Any attacks against a Photon net will destroy it.   Cost: 1000CR per ton of net


Fuel Tanks     Fuel tanks are necessary to carry the reaction mass used in the ships reactor. This fuel is most often deuterium extracted from heavy water.   Cost: 100CR per ton of capacity.

Fuel    The largest commodity in the universe, deuterium makes up 30% of all goods sold in Sapient Space. Thousands of refineries and tankers have set up shop. Fuel is most commonly sold by the ton or portion of ton. Cost: 500CR per ton



FTL ENGINES UPGRADES

All faster than light craft built by humanity use some version of the Miguel Alcubierre Warp Drive , or MAW Drive. A ships Jump drive is called this because of the way the engine must regularly stop to realign so making short “jumps� of speed through space instead of a continuous flight to the target destination.

MAW Drive Type 4     These are the oldest model drives still in production today, and though they are relatively slow compared to todays newer devices, the decades since its introduction have judged it if not fast, at least an extremely dependable drive. Type 4 drives are still commonly found throughout sapient space, though rarely on newly commissioned vessels. Many private operators who are unable to afford a refit to a newer, faster drive guard them with their lives , as a working MAW drive at any speed is a gateway to the stars.         WT:3    Cost: 200,000CR new

Kymer Version A6 Drive      The Kymer A6 drives are basically upgraded type 4 MAW drives. At the beginning of its production the kymer drive was the state of the art in star drives. Even today the A6 enjoys the reputation for dependability of the type 4 series.      WT:2                      Cost: 260,000CR new

MAW Drive Type 5     The design of the type 5 was the first drive since the introduction of the type 4 that wasn’t simply an upgrade or modification of an older drive design. The Type 5 drive more than doubled the relative speed a vessel could make while also lengthening the distance the vessel could make in a single jump. This revolutionary new drive cut travel times and allowed the ships lucky enough to be equipped with them to undercut those who weren’t.           WT:1    Cost: 450,000CR new

Shepard-Nokamora Type 5L Drive     An upgrade over the original type 5 drive, the SN-5L is probably the most commonly used drive today. This workhorse has logged more flight time in its career than any other design. The reasons for its popularity are the increased performance statistics coupled with the reliability of older type 4 series of drives. Because of the widespread use of the SN-5L drive most people refer to them as MAW type 6 drives.             WT:1    Cost: 700,000CR new

Westinghouse  G4800A9      This drive is a further refinement of the SN-5L drive and is produced under license by scores of companies. The West G48 as it’s called in engineer circles has been around for about 20 years. The current A9 version is the pinnacle of design for the G4800 series. A number of problems in early versions have all been worked out to produce a reliable drive with reasonable times between refits, though those early problems earned the drive a bad reputation in many areas, the current build (depending of course on the licensee who produced it) is an exceptionally well designed device with few operational malfunctions.          WT:1    Cost: 1,200,000CR new


SENSOR UPGRADES

Omni-Directional Infrared(ODIR)       These sensors function by seeing in the infrared spectrum, seeing through an objects heat omission. IR sensors can see through smoke and fog. IR sensors are passive only. Ships equipped with this system are capable of detecting the following within their sensor range: Location and size of all ships, the temperature of a planets atmosphere, Size, type, and location of all life forms not aboard a ship or on a planet.         Range Increment: 2000m    Cost: 15000CR  

Ambient Particle Spectrascope(APS)     This system allows the sensor operator to detect particles in space and their source. An APS system can be used in active or passive modes. Ships equipped with this system are capable of detecting the following within their sensor range: Identify and ascertain the location and trajectories of all natural hazards in space, determine the chemical makeup of a planets atmosphere, determine the trajectory and engine type of ships, determine the type and size of any active weapons, powerplants, engines, drives, and shields      Range Increment: 8000m    Cost: 20000CR  

Laser Seismic Microphone(LSM)    This system uses a system of lasers to detect minute vibrations on a ships hull caused by noise inside a ship to determine the presence of equipment and living organisms onboard a ship. These systems may be used in active mode only. Ships equipped with this system are capable of detecting the following within their sensor range: Ascertain the number and location of any medium sized or larger creatures aboard a ship or object, detect any seismic activity on a planets surface, determine the size and type of any active equipment inside a ship or object.     Range Increment: 8000m    Cost: 10000CR



SHIELD UPGRADES

Most ships carry a cold plasma shield generator, and all ships capable of faster than light travel must possess a shield device to create the warp bubble in order for their drive to be activated. The density of the shield created is determined by the size of the shield device.
Ships of different sizes require a number of shield generators to create a continuous bubble. These shield generators act in concert to protect the ship from not only attacks but from the small particles which would otherwise erode away the ships hull. Because of the characteristics of the cold plasma shield, energy applied to the shield is equalized across its surface. If the shield fails at any one point, the entire field collapses, and must be reset

Shield Generator            Cost: 2000CR per .1 ton
Note: mass can be added in the form of more shield emitters to increase the power economy of existing generators.




Missile Tubes          Missile tubes are a highly valuable item in ship combat. Though they more expensive per round fired than other weapon types, they make it possible for a relative small vehicle with a limited power supply to deliver massive damage to a vessel many times its size.

MISSILES    
  Though more expensive, missiles offer a higher damage to weight ratio than any other weapon type, and the configurable nature of missiles make them a highly valued  task specific weapon. A missile acts as the launch vehicle for a warhead. Warheads must be purchased separately. Unused missiles may be configured with any appropriate sized warhead the user possesses. The launch  vehicle will have different options which may be bought with the missile at the time of purchase. These options cannot be changed after the missile is acquired.

Class1 Missiles    WT: 2 tons each              Range:10,000 m            Cost: 5000CR
Class2 Missiles    WT: 1 ton each       Range:5,000 m               Cost: 2000CR
Class3 Missiles    WT: .5 tons each       Range:2,000 m            Cost: 800CR
Class4 Missiles    WT: .25 tons each       Range:1,000 m             Cost: 500CR
Class5 Missiles    WT: .1 tons each       Range:500 m                   Cost: 200CR

-Guided Vehicle       This option may be added to any missile. Guided missiles may add a computer targeting bonus to the attack of these missiles.  Cost: +20%
- Radar Guided Vehicle      This option may be added to any missile. RG missiles home in on a radar wave bounced off the target.    Cost: +30%
- IR Guided Vehicle       This option may be added to any missile. IR guided missiles have an internal IR sensor system and once a lock is achieved the weapon may be launched as an attack action and will proceed to the target unless destroyed or the targets heat pattern significantly changes.   Cost: +25%

WARHEADS    
 The warhead is the heart of a missile system, and the key to their task specific effectiveness. Missiles may be equipped with a number of different warheads to increase their damage potential for different actions.
High Explosive(HE)     These warheads are simple cone types filled with an amount of explosive, with a crush tip detonator. HE missiles are most effective against a ships bare hull or hardened position to do maximum structural damage. HE warheads inflict no radiation damage.  Cost:2000CR

High Explosive Armor Piercing(HEAP)     These warheads use a hollow space in the nose to tamp the force of the explosives on a very small area. The huge amount of energy directed into a small space vaporizes the surface of the target area sending a stream of molten material into the crafts interior. HEAP warheads inflict no radiation damage. Cost:3500CR

Soft Point Concussive(SPC)    These warheads have a soft nose composed of memory plastic and zinc. Their do damage by impacting the ships hull and do not penetrate , but break pieces of the internal structure by concussive force and induce the pieces to spawl, causing internal damage to the ship structure and components. SPC warheads inflict no radiation damage. Cost:1500CR

Breaching Round    These warheads use a hardened tungsten tip tapered to a needle point as a penetrator to focus energy onto a small surface area. After the hardened tip of the round has breached the surface of the hull, the main charge explodes, widening the breach.  Breaching rounds are primarily used to create holes in a ships hull to be exploited as entry points for boarding parties or to evacuate the ships atmosphere so that a ship may be taken intact by only harming the crew. Breaching Round warheads inflict no radiation damage. Cost:2000CR

Cluster Round    These warheads, generally referred to by the archaic name “GrapeShotâ€?, consist of a package of small high explosive warheads. When the missile is launched it tracks to the target and an instant before impact releases a volley of small warheads onto the target maximizing the damage per round fired. Cluster Round warheads inflict no radiation damage. Cost:4000CR

Electro-Magnetic Pulse     These warheads do practically no structural damage but instead generate a pulse of electro-magnetic radiation which shorts out a ships electronic systems. EMP rounds cause EMP radiation. Cost:6000CR

Nuclear       Nuclear warheads use some fissionable material, usually P239 or enriched uranium to generate a nuclear explosion. Nuclear rounds are highly destructive and are highly illegal to own by non-military personnel in most every system in sapient space. The emissions of nuclear weapons are easily detectable by an APS sensor array, even when stored in the ships magazine. Targets struck with a nuclear weapon are afterwards and for the next several days highly irradiated in the area of the attack. Radiation shielding equipped on all ships will protect the occupants unless a hull breach occurs. The trouble comes when the occupants must exit the ship after a battle to affect repairs on the ship or when they must pressurize a docking tunnel , and be exposed to the outward hull. This isn’t a problem if the proper amount to radiation shielded clothing is worn.        Cost:15000CR

RADAR Countermeasures(Chaff)      These warheads, available only in size tiny, are fired in the close proximity of the ship during an attack by radar guided missiles. They explode and expel thousands of small reflective metallic strips, which confuse radar guided missiles into tracking the chaff instead of the target ship.       Cost:300CR

 4inch Plasma Countermeasure(Sunburst)     These warheads when fired travel a short distance and explode into a super hot plasma, causing any active IR missile to track to it.       Cost:400CR

Target Designator Round    These warheads, upon impact, attach themselves to the enemy hull through a magnetic field and begin to transmit a signal.       Cost:500CR


RAILGUNS

The theory of railgun systems is centuries old, and in the last 200 years the science of magnetic acceleration has been near perfected. The principle of a railgun is to propel a ferrous metallic projectile down a barrel by means of magnetic fields, the velocity of the projectile is proportionate to the amount of energy used to create the magnetic field. The railguns strong points are the fact that the weapon can be fired in a vacuum unlike percussion rounds which require oxygen to burn their powder charge, and the ease of manufacture of ammunition, which can be milled or cast from any ferrous material in 1 piece. A railguns rounds are completely inert and do damage by the effects of their velocity and mass. Railguns sizes are measured by the weight of their firing coils, called “mass drivers�. The larger the mass driver, the stronger the magnetic field the weapon can produce. The weight to damage curve for a railgun reaches the point of diminishing returns at around 10 tons when the amount of velocity produced is not substantial enough to create a larger mass driver. Thus 10 tons is the reasonable limit to the size of a railgun. Railguns cause no radiation damage to their target. Railguns are available in 3 basic calibers: Light, medium, and heavy. The caliber of the projectile coupled with the velocity produced by the magnetic field determines the amount of terminal energy produced by the round.

Light Railgun          Base WT: .25          Range: 400m      Cost: 4000CR per .25 tons
Medium Railgun         Base WT: .5          Range: 800m     Cost: 7000CR per .5 tons
Heavy Railgun         Base WT: 1          Range: 1200m      Cost: 18000CR per 1 ton

-Double Driver Coils     This option can be added to any railgun. Railguns can be augmented by adding a second layer of driver coils which increases the strength of the magnetic field. Thus a double driver coil can do an equal amount of damage as a larger weapon, making this option a weight saving measure. Railguns equipped with a double driver coil may reduce their weight by ¼. Cost: +30% weapon cost

RAILGUN AMMUNITION

Railguns may fire a number of different types of ferrous metallic ammunition, which do various amounts of damage.

Nickel-Aluminum      The standard round for a rail gun is a mixture of nickel and aluminum. This combination has good penetrating qualities while remaining light weight.
Rounds per ton: (L)50 (M)20 (H)5      cost per ton: 400CR

Depleted-Uranium     This type of round uses a depleted uranium core, which is much denser than lead, as an armor piercing characteristic. The weight of the core lowers the round count per ton of ammo.  Rounds per ton: (L)30 (M)10 (H)2      cost per ton: 1000CR

Tempered Tungsten Sabot    These rounds encase a small diameter round in a plastic case which is discarded in flight. This allows the weapon to fire a smaller mass with the same force achieving greater velocities and thus greater impact energy. The body of these rounds is typically composed of hardened tungsten which prevents the round from deforming under the stress of velocity despite its lower firing mass. Rounds per ton: (L)60 (M)25 (H)8      cost per ton: 1200CR


BEAM WEAPONS

Beam weapons, including the many types of Lasers and Particle Accelerators, have a definite and secure role in naval combat. Though a man-portable beam weapon has never been produced because of the great amounts of energy required to make such a weapon combat effective, large crew served and ship mounted versions are the standard for offensive and defensive naval weapons. Beams weapons have the advantage of an unlimited amount of ammunition so long as the weapon has a viable power source but they usually do less damage, ton for ton, than projectile weapons.

Lasers    Lasers use a compressed beam of coherent light to create heat in the target, vaporizing the targets surface. Lasers are available in three sizes light, medium and heavy. The base weight of the weapon determines its damage while additional masses of lensing surfaces and lasing material increase the operational power range of the weapon. Lasers also have the advantage of a broader weight to damage curve, so that the maximum effective weight of a laser is 12 tons while that of a railgun is 10. Lasers produce no radiation on their target.
 
Light Laser          Base WT: .1          Range: 700m       Cost: 3000CR per .1 tons
Medium Laser         Base WT: .25       Range: 1200m      Cost: 6500CR per .25 tons
Heavy Laser         Base WT: .5       Range: 1600m      Cost: 15000CR per .5 ton

Pulse Firing Switch       This option may be added to any Laser weapon. A pulse firing switch is a device which modulated the weapons firing cycle allowing it to operate at a higher rate of fire.   WT: +10%      Cost: +20% weapon cost


Particle Accelerators     These weapons fire charged particles, usually electrons or hydrogen nuclei. The advantage of these weapons is the massive damage the weapon can achieve, the disadvantage is the fact that the weapon requires waste products of the vehicles reactor to operate and so cannot be operated from batteries. Also these weapons required large masses of radiation shielding to protect the operator and leave a target irradiated. Targets attacked with a particle accelerator become highly irradiated in the area of attack. Particle accelerators are available only in one type and have a maximum effective mass of 8 tons

Particle Accelerator       Base WT: 1      Range: 2000m      Cost: 20000CR per ton

[valadaar]

This is really, really great stuff...

[MoonHunter]

Long abandoned by its creator.  Feel free to add things.

[dark_dragon]

Whoa! just found this... will take me weeks to read it all (ok, maybe not, but there is a helluva lot)

thought i might add a new technology:

Shredder projectiles
The advances in medical technology have made many conventional gunfire wounds easily treatable by novel modes of medicine, especially tissue reconstruction using stem cell matrices. At first, the projectiles were poisoned, but soon, once again, medical advances made poisons a veritable arms race.

A new solution was needed.

Explosive projectiles were attempted, but the resulting accidents, both in training and combat, made them highly unpopular with the troops. These could also be conteracted by using bioengineered spider's silk beneath conventional personal armor plates. This would prevent the explosion from sundering the flesh and would allow for cleaner reconstruction.

By accident, a researcher in ceramic nanotubules hit upon the solution. While he was working on making a tightly wounded coil of these tubules to create a nano-chemical factory, one of his samples was struck by a minute electric discharge. immediatly, the tightly wound coils became unbond, and flew out in all directions. the result of this, was that, along with everything in the room, this illustrious researcher was shredded into minuscule pieces by the nanoshrapnel.

The military was immediately interested.

Further refinement allowed all the filaments to remain attached to a central point, so that once inside the body, the filaments uncoil violently, shredding everything within half a yard of the detonation to nothing more than a gory soup. this technology allows even glancing hits to be lethal, and since the projectile uncoil regardless of material, hitting any surface in close proximity to a target will send millions of nano-shrapnel into them at supersonic velocity. Since the  tubules are so small, they either shred or pass straight through current armor technology, making them a brutally efficient tool.

Needless to say, sometimes the mention of such projectiles in war propaganda is enough to turn the tides of a campaign.

[Pariah]

GENEVA CONVENTIONS!!!! GENEV... *ghack!*

I like those d_d, you're my newest hero in a long line of them, congrats.

[valadaar]

Truely nasty, though irreversibly killing ones opponents is more a socio-political concern rather then a military one (unless we are talking about some massive attrition-based war).  A wounded solider hinders one's enemies far more then one that's been converted to goo.

However, in a war of extermination or as a propoganda tool this would be a perfectly valid weapon.

[dark_dragon]

This tech works well when you have some sort of technological resurrection, eg upload and clone sleeving (bodies). That way, it becomes a weapon of battlefield terror that might be used, rather than simply some cruel ammo.

Pariah:

2125 Geneva Conventions ammendment:
Clearly states that the delimiting territories regarding the conventions excludes extra-terrestrial space. Non-terrestrial planetary warfare conventions were  ratified in 2234, and allow the use of all non-dynamic weapon systems, which exclude only weapons which may change in their nature over time, such as biological and nanotechnological weapons. They does not exclude Nuclear or chemical warfare, although the use of nuclear weapons over a certain yield is restricted to a very strict code of usage, which excludes civilians centers of populations with a population density greater than 5000/km²

*tongue in cheek:* surely you must've forgotten about that for a moment Pariah

for reference:(new york~10,000/km², paris~21000/km², manilla~41000/km²)

[Pariah]

  Touche.

Actually, I'm kinda picturing them as 40mm grenades fired from a 30 round clip at about 900 rounds a minute, for the standard assault rifle variant.  The shrapnel, being nanoparticles, are extremely hard to stop, except by the densest of alloys used in heavy power-armor suits.

[valadaar]

Am of two minds on that - nano-particals would actually need to be incredibly dense to have the desired effect - from a boring science perspective. 

If on the other hand, the nanoparticals bind with living cells and mechanically distrupt every single DNA strand, then that could have the desired impact as well - behaving more like a rather nasty chemical agent.


As for cloning, they could just keep backup copies of the DNA on file :p

[dark_dragon]

Nano-particles would indeed have to be dense.

But, the shrapnel is actually nano filaments, which act as so many atomic scalpels. Projected at high speed, they should be able to pierce trhough most materials.  The conventional Kevlar/woven armour should pose no problems, since the nanifilaments can easily go through the mesh of fibres.

For the ceramic armour, it doesn't really matter, since the ceramic plates are designed to break to absorb the kinetic energy of the collision with the round. That way, some filaments still get into the body through the cracks created in the armour. If you really wanted, you could have them poisoned, but there is no real need.

[dark_dragon]

[---LATEST NEWS JUST IN---LATEST NEWS JUST IN---LATEST NEWS JUST IN---]

Recent experiment by Dr Kaistumi Miramomoto confirmed possibility of digitising human
consciousness. STOP. Experts predict immediate expansion of human space as digital
human streams are sent over existing networks. STOP. Politicians confirm immediate
need for legislation on the matter. STOP. Miramomoto corp. to begin as indenpendent
company within a year. STOP. Protests on new tokyo over announcement reach planet-
wide riot. STOP. Terrorist group "Order of Gaia" publicly vows to destroy the new technology.
STOP. Price on Dr Miramomoto's Head estimated at 120.000.000 new yens. STOP

[--------PROTECTORATE NEWS, THE NEWS, FOR YOU, WHEN IT BREAKS--------]