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Ship systems explained

Nyton

Nyton

Well-Known Member
Okay another question on ship functions for which I cannot find any info besides the standard "Hey the cloaking system does this."

Do shields still function while a ship's cloaking system is running? My guess is no but I need to ask just to be sure. Any ship that does have functional shields while cloaked?

Also with not finding info is the gravitonic beams. It always says they don't work on systems using gravitonic shielding but I never am able to determine which systems use gravitonic shielding. Usually just info on CFS and stuff. Nothing ever states it exactly.

These questions and others that pop up later when I think of them always stall me out when trying to determine how to manage a full ship.
 
Miharu plot-specific answers:

If Sekkou would have its shields on, it'd show up a lot more because of the power required to operate them, along with the spacetime-bubble itself. In effect, the ship would be completely invisible and would not really exist within the area of space it would normally occupy (a pocket plane deal - assuming CFS-stealth).

But in our case, Sekkou ended up only using thermoptic camouflage and going into silent running, with only anti-gravity systems working to keep it moving. Seeing its currently in silent running and needed to avoid a power up sequence which would have been detected to operate high-energy systems like shielding and propulsion drives, you're likely looking at a target which is unshielded.

A ship going in silent running could use shields, though it'd hinder its ability to remain unseen. Such being the case, you're likely looking at a target without defensive energy screens up.

A ship in CFS stealth doesn't physically exist, so shields are largely irrelevant. In effect, you could consider CFS stealth in the fashion of a double-blind phase cloak. Dealing with that would require either to be ready to attack once the 'invisible' ship sheds CFS stealth (upon which it'd be fully protected by its CFS-based shielding), or approximate the position of the CFS-steathing vessel and use transphasic-style weaponry (not easy, but we do it today with our warships dumping dept charges to try to disable/destroy submarines they otherwise have no access to).

The Graviton-beams Hoshi and Miharu are equipped with grab, push and pull with the same sort of versatility the human arm could with the elbow-straight and a fixed wrist (you cannot pivot the target). While lacking the versatility of robotic arms (which is why you still see them around), you can still get some inventive uses out of it.

For example, even if you make a push on an object - like pool, if you just push without grabbing at a certain angle an object will react differently to it.

Another example could be how Yukari used one beam to grab a Mindy power armor and another from a different source to catch the power armor's head and push. We're talking starship moving push-pull power here. Nasty.

Graviton-beams tend to be useless on a shielded target too.
 
Try and remember physics is in effect please, graviton beaming a power armor that is moving at any significant fraction of the speed of light (common occurrence here) would transfer a lot of kinetic energy directly into whatever is generating the tractor beam.

By a lot, I mean high yield nuclear explosion followed by the projector being ripped from its place on the ship and being fired through the hull like a cannon shot.

If you really want to get a feel for how ship systems would work go here and read everything: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/

Yes, its a lot to read but it has pictures! The nerdier you are the more enjoyment you'll get from it.
 
Uso does offer valuable advice and a nifty link (which I have pored through and am sad to admit most of it goes over my head, though I will keep reading and gradually chip away at it), but I'll admit that his comment is not something I can really work with with our present circumstances.

I mean, honestly, it'd make more of the cool uses of a tractor beam-like apparatus void because if you'd use it on more than just a stationary target that the device would just tear off or something. In this instance, it's likely more fun for my present players to go for the 'rule of cool'.
 
It would have to be a stationary target relative to your frame of reference. The following link is the previous link I gave's mathing of the tractor beam which basically states if there is speed involved something is probably going to break.

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3x.html#tractor

If you want to use a tractorbeam to kill something then it needs heavy bracing, shock absorbers, and probably some specialty software to ensure that to much power isn't used. Basically you need to start using NDI style vibrocannons.


And while I'm here I might as well segway into Shields, after all they would have to have physics apply to them as well. Single shield generators that take damage and need to be recharged don't make much sense. The more likely reason for an energy shield loosing strength is because its absorbing energy which is transferred directly to the shield generator which would physically damage it or knock it off its mounting entirely.

Which in turn lets me segway to another site about science and sci-fi:

http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tec ... ature.html
http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tec ... mpact.html
http://www.stardestroyer.net

I don't agree with the webmaster's interpretation on Star Trek vs Star Wars but his kung-fu is strong when it comes to applying science to what sci-fi series show.
 
RPG-D RPGfix
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