What's new
Star Army

Star ArmyⓇ is a landmark of forum roleplaying. Opened in 2002, Star Army is like an internet clubhouse for people who love roleplaying, art, and worldbuilding. Anyone 18 or older may join for free. New members are welcome! Use the "Register" button below.

Note: This is a play-by-post RPG site. If you're looking for the tabletop miniatures wargame "5150: Star Army" instead, see Two Hour Wargames.

  • If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 January 2025 is YE 47.1 in the RP.

The Parking Brake

Blizzard

Blizzard

Inactive Member
Submission Type: Starship Systems
Submission URL: Link

Faction: Star Army of Yamatai
FM Approved Yet? (Yes; @Wes , 1-7-2017)
Faction requires art? (No)

For Reviewers:
Contains Unapproved Sub-Articles? (No)
Contains New art? (No)
Previously Submitted? (No)

Notes:

This idea was based off of an earlier thread I saw for a weaponized inertial amplifier which involved launching a web of probes which would slow or stop an enemy ship completely. I can't seem to find it anymore, and I forget if it was abandoned or rejected, or for what reasons, but here is my submission regardless.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You either capitalize both words (ie Parking Brake) or capitalize just the first word (ie Parking brake). Can you fix that to capitalize both words?

Can you also make History, How it Works, How to Use it, and Appearance their own headers? This way, a handy little index of the article will show up on the right. Such as:

=== History ===

Correct me if I'm wrong, but saying "Simpler is better, right?" is second person language.
Submission Rules said:
Articles submitted to the site must not contain:
...
Second-person language (you, your), unless specifically talking to the reader/player (i.e. instructions).
Click to expand...

You asked in chat how to make a new wiki article. Is this your first submission? It's pretty nifty.
 
That's close, but now every header is a header that is specifically reserved for the beginning of the page. Make the headers three = not four.

Also, you need text underneath "More About..."

EDIT: I can do the formatting for you really fast.
 
Nah, don't worry, I got it. I also went ahead and deleted the "More About" section. It was just there as part of the template, and I thought the history and ect. was part of that.
 
As I have some time, and this is a quick one --

You imply that this isn't unique to SAoY starships, but it is a device of some sort. Even though it appears that one need only reverse the inertial dampening mechanisms of a selected starship to affect the "parking brake."

Reason for asking: This doesn't feel like an approvable submission, but not because there's anything wrong with it. Rather, it seems like this is something that any starship could do right now, so long as a PC knows how to do it and can affect the change. It then leads to a battle of "which is stronger, the starship being pulled or the starship doing the pulling?" An added "device" feels superfluous in that case.

I'd also question the idea, ICly, of broadcasting the ability to do this. I haven't seen or heard of it being used elsewhere, and it's a clever counter to graviton projectors.

@Wes?
 
@Doshii Jun

I did mean for it to be unique to the Star Army. Could you tell me where I implied otherwise so that I could go change that?

You do make a good point, however I still think it's necessary to keep it as a separate component, though with a few tweaks. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I would assume that reversing an inertial dampener as it is would involve opening the module itself and physically modifying it to become an inertial amplifier, since an inertial dampener is meant to be a dampen (IE: light switches go on or off, but not "reverse".). Since this would take precious time in a combat situation, and it could be done by any knowledgeable engineer, rather than only the acting captain of the vessel. Would it not be more efficient and safe to just have an amplifier unit along with the dampener unit?

The point I'm getting at is: what if we spun this as an add-on to an existing inertial dampener, rather than a stand alone unit?
 
Upon closer inspection of the inertial dampeners in use on many contemporary starships, Jackson discovered that if the same equation used to lessen a ship's inertia were to be reversed, one would create an inertial amplifier. This would artificially increase a starship's inertia, thus making the craft more resistant to outside forces, including its own engines.
Click to expand...
This implies that it can be done on many contemporary starships. It also implies that you could "create" an amplifier just by reversing how the unit operates, without any outright modification.

Once activated, the inertial dampener deactivates, and vice-versa.
Click to expand...
This also implies it's as simple as deactivating a dampener and "reversing" it.

Blizzard said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I would assume that reversing an inertial dampener as it is would involve opening the module itself and physically modifying it to become an inertial amplifier, since an inertial dampener is meant to be a dampen (IE: light switches go on or off, but not "reverse".).
Click to expand...
The dampener, as we're vaguely describing and referring to it, seems to have this amplifying function by its nature. It might only be meant to do one thing, but it has the capacity to do the opposite on its own. Especially in this setting of unfathomably powerful quantum computers, the computer might be able to "recalculate" the dampener by itself and make it reverse.

If you want to make it an add-on, hook-up, whatever, you can do that.

However, if you want to make this SAoY only, it needs to be justified as such. Why can't anyone else do this? They have pretty powerful computers, the same dampening technology, etc. What's stopping them?
 
@Doshii Jun

Fair enough. I think you've made a great argument.

So instead of creating a whole separate unit, the MEGAMI of a ship could do it on its own. I agree with this. I could have my character inform his captain of this tweak IC. However, Jackson would want this information to reach other ships in the Star Army. Is there a category for submissions of new starship tactics?
 
Not in so many words, no. However, even if there was, I don't think it answers my core question: what is stopping any other starship in the SARPverse from being able to mimic this same tactic?

Are Yamatai's military vessels simply equipped with supremely robust dampeners? Are IES-grade computers more intimately familiar with the calculations, and thus have kept them secret for years? How did Nepleslia's military not obtain this during its time as part of the YSE?

Etc. Bottom line, I don't see how this can be SAoY-only without more justification in the article.
 
Well, if it's not going to be a stand alone unit, then it doesn't seem to need an article. I guess the answer to the question would be: nothing.

As for the equation part, once during a space battle, my engineer was ordered to input an equation which would allow MEGAMI to predict points of impact for incoming fire, and strengthen the shield in that specific area. Other ships can do this as well I assume, but the only mention of it I've seen was in the Engineering Tactics Manual, written and compiled by a Star Army officer.

What if I scrapped this submission entirely, and created a similar article to Toshiro's, since they seem to have been inactive for over a year?

@Doshii Jun
 
Last edited:
@Blizzard: That's a great idea! That will get it out to everyone.

If you want to update the Manual with some of your own pieces, please do so and let me know when it's ready to look at.
 
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top