Origins needs to make a new WC game. It could be based on Forstchen's novel Fleet Action. The game should let the players design their own fleets and how they're constructed. For example, I had designed a type of "bopper" transit drive -- it uses 2 parallel balls that are shot crosswize away from each other in relation to the ship's length -- they each go through the same "U" shaped tunnel, then hit bop into the ship amidships bulkhead. Then the ship goes forward. Note this not perpetual motion, but it is very close. Disadvantages: Weighs more than thrust expending ship drive, requires optimum construction so ship is balanced and can stay on course, else it'll bop itself off course. Advantages: Needs no fuel supply (so no risk of fuel tank explosions), just needs electric power (which should be infinite given the WC power plants of fighters). Gives no visible energy trail (great for not being detected). Put a cloaking device on this ship and you'll be virtually undetectable (save for a laser trip line detector). You can sneak in, bomb something, then sneak out before anyone knew what hit 'em.
When will new WC game be out in stores? Part I
- Thread starter Chip
- Start date
When will new WC game be out in stores? Part II
Then we need other types of units -- like mecha units for general support (like for boarding actions). I'd love to take a shuttle and deliver a few mechas onto the hull of a ship and let them hack it to pieces. And then have the civillian craft kamikaze the big slow ships. Then I'd like to use a cloaked shuttle with that bopper drive to sneak up with a manipulator arm and steal a few turret mines or deliver a few boarding parties. And let's not forget alot of decoy fighters to keep the foes distracted from the real units. We'll also have our capships assembled in close formation providing close support fields of fire to annihilate incoming fighters. And of course we'll have gigantic screens to block LOS from the enemy forces to our ships and huge gigantic lights to blind ship visual sighting systems. We'll have decoy capships as well. Anyone got any other ideas?
Then we need other types of units -- like mecha units for general support (like for boarding actions). I'd love to take a shuttle and deliver a few mechas onto the hull of a ship and let them hack it to pieces. And then have the civillian craft kamikaze the big slow ships. Then I'd like to use a cloaked shuttle with that bopper drive to sneak up with a manipulator arm and steal a few turret mines or deliver a few boarding parties. And let's not forget alot of decoy fighters to keep the foes distracted from the real units. We'll also have our capships assembled in close formation providing close support fields of fire to annihilate incoming fighters. And of course we'll have gigantic screens to block LOS from the enemy forces to our ships and huge gigantic lights to blind ship visual sighting systems. We'll have decoy capships as well. Anyone got any other ideas?
"Origins needs to make a new WC game."
Origin needs to make a profit & they've decided Ultima is the best way to do it.
"(save for a laser trip line detector)."
Um space is rather a big place, you couldn't possibly put up enough laser trip wires to ensure complete coverage.
"I'd love to take a shuttle and deliver a few mechas onto the hull of a ship and let them hack it to pieces."
That's why capships have turrets & defensive fighters
"civillian craft kamikaze the big slow ships."
Since when have CIVILIANS started doing kamikazes? They are non-combatants the last time I looked.
"And let's not forget alot of decoy fighters to keep the foes distracted from the real units. We'll also have our capships assembled in close formation providing close support fields of fire to annihilate incoming fighters. And of course we'll have gigantic screens to block LOS from the enemy forces to our ships and huge gigantic lights to blind ship visual sighting systems. We'll have decoy capships as well."
How about some REAL fighters & capships for destroying our enemies?
"gigantic screens" & "huge gigantic lights"
That sounds really goofy
OK enough sarcasm - its all well & good but I think you're getting a little far afield from what WC is about - flying cool fighters, raking in enormous but unrealistic kill tallies, saving humanity, giving a damn about your wingmen, really disliking people like Seether & Thrak & so on & so forth.
[Edited by Penguin on 11-18-2000 at 22:57]
Origin needs to make a profit & they've decided Ultima is the best way to do it.
"(save for a laser trip line detector)."
Um space is rather a big place, you couldn't possibly put up enough laser trip wires to ensure complete coverage.
"I'd love to take a shuttle and deliver a few mechas onto the hull of a ship and let them hack it to pieces."
That's why capships have turrets & defensive fighters
"civillian craft kamikaze the big slow ships."
Since when have CIVILIANS started doing kamikazes? They are non-combatants the last time I looked.
"And let's not forget alot of decoy fighters to keep the foes distracted from the real units. We'll also have our capships assembled in close formation providing close support fields of fire to annihilate incoming fighters. And of course we'll have gigantic screens to block LOS from the enemy forces to our ships and huge gigantic lights to blind ship visual sighting systems. We'll have decoy capships as well."
How about some REAL fighters & capships for destroying our enemies?
"gigantic screens" & "huge gigantic lights"
That sounds really goofy
OK enough sarcasm - its all well & good but I think you're getting a little far afield from what WC is about - flying cool fighters, raking in enormous but unrealistic kill tallies, saving humanity, giving a damn about your wingmen, really disliking people like Seether & Thrak & so on & so forth.
[Edited by Penguin on 11-18-2000 at 22:57]
Reply to Shane & Penguin
Shane: Part os what he was talking about sounded like parts of Fleet Action.
CB: I was referring to Fleet Action's Battle for Earth. I was not imposing that civillians do kamikazes, just program their ships to autokamikaze Thrak's ships.
Penguin: That's why capships have turrets & defensive fighters
CB: Remember, using my virtually undetectable shuttles, those turrets & defensive fighters might not have enough time to react and when they do, it'll be all over for the targeted ship.
Penguin: gigantic screens" & "huge gigantic lights" That sounds really goofy.
CB: Yeah, but better to have goofy stuff to block LOS than allow yourself to get hit by more shots. Use forward nonscreened scouts to relay information to your units hidden behind screens. And yes, we'll have our real fighters and capships.
Penguin: a little far afield from what WC is about
CB: I think that Origins did create a WC game called Armada -- wasn't that the PC game in which you could position fighters & ships where you wanted them (all classes)? In my original message, I was referring to a new type of WC Armada game.
Shane: Part os what he was talking about sounded like parts of Fleet Action.
CB: I was referring to Fleet Action's Battle for Earth. I was not imposing that civillians do kamikazes, just program their ships to autokamikaze Thrak's ships.
Penguin: That's why capships have turrets & defensive fighters
CB: Remember, using my virtually undetectable shuttles, those turrets & defensive fighters might not have enough time to react and when they do, it'll be all over for the targeted ship.
Penguin: gigantic screens" & "huge gigantic lights" That sounds really goofy.
CB: Yeah, but better to have goofy stuff to block LOS than allow yourself to get hit by more shots. Use forward nonscreened scouts to relay information to your units hidden behind screens. And yes, we'll have our real fighters and capships.
Penguin: a little far afield from what WC is about
CB: I think that Origins did create a WC game called Armada -- wasn't that the PC game in which you could position fighters & ships where you wanted them (all classes)? In my original message, I was referring to a new type of WC Armada game.
Confed had the edge in fighters, and pilot training for the better part of the war, however, the Kilrathi were never behind us when it came to warships. Let's not forget the many dreadnoughts they had, then the Hakaga class during the BoT, and finally, the WC3 dreadnoughts, which were a clear demonstration that towards the end, the Kilrathi were far superior when it came to capships. And after McAuliffe, they had the strength in numbers.
Even better, Confed had a non-computer controlled pilot.
Chip: About the u-shaped ball thing. Wouldn't work. I think you have the directions wrong too. First you want to propell the craft forward. So you shoot the balls backward (or in any direction such that they have a 'backward' velocity vector component). Momemtum is conserved, the craft is given a velocity opposite to the momentum of the balls. All good and well until you need your balls back. By using a 'u-turn' method of retrieving your balls you reverse the momentum of the balls, so you loose velocity. You'd be moving forward, then grinding to a halt, then moving forward again ... not good ...
Chip: About the u-shaped ball thing. Wouldn't work. I think you have the directions wrong too. First you want to propell the craft forward. So you shoot the balls backward (or in any direction such that they have a 'backward' velocity vector component). Momemtum is conserved, the craft is given a velocity opposite to the momentum of the balls. All good and well until you need your balls back. By using a 'u-turn' method of retrieving your balls you reverse the momentum of the balls, so you loose velocity. You'd be moving forward, then grinding to a halt, then moving forward again ... not good ...
Re: to steampunk
I suppose you're correct in that the balls would cause the ship to move backwards (or rather forwards if the U ends were eventually rotated 180 degrees). I had hoped that the balls would provide sufficient momentum to shove the ship forward (much like another ship pushing a derelict ship forward). That is the other thing I did not mention is that the entire U drive is positioned inside the ship as a ball turret to enable the ship to alter course to assume any new direction. I am not theorizing that the ship should grind to a halt because there should not be enough deacceleration created to grind the ship to a halt. When the balls come close to meeting each other, they're still separated by the ramming rods in the base curve of the U -- the balls' opposite and equal reactions should utterly cancel each other out. At least we know the U drive is capable of what would be considered limitless acceleration which would enable the ship to eventually acclerate past any fuel expending ship. Build a ship big enough and you could use this U drive to ram that ship into a planet.
I suppose you're correct in that the balls would cause the ship to move backwards (or rather forwards if the U ends were eventually rotated 180 degrees). I had hoped that the balls would provide sufficient momentum to shove the ship forward (much like another ship pushing a derelict ship forward). That is the other thing I did not mention is that the entire U drive is positioned inside the ship as a ball turret to enable the ship to alter course to assume any new direction. I am not theorizing that the ship should grind to a halt because there should not be enough deacceleration created to grind the ship to a halt. When the balls come close to meeting each other, they're still separated by the ramming rods in the base curve of the U -- the balls' opposite and equal reactions should utterly cancel each other out. At least we know the U drive is capable of what would be considered limitless acceleration which would enable the ship to eventually acclerate past any fuel expending ship. Build a ship big enough and you could use this U drive to ram that ship into a planet.