Re: Real Real Real Thrust (Was: Re: Lunar combat )

On Fri, 8 May 1998 alun.thomas@cbis.com wrote:

> This doesn't cater for rotating and thrusting during the same turn, 

Exactly... that's when the fun really starts...

>unless
> you allow rotation to be instantaneous.

I thought we were talking about real physics. Rotation is not 
instantaneous, and neither is angular acceleration.

In any case, as I've told before, I tried something essentially your 
simplified "real" thrust for campaign movement last year. With only 
vector addition and "s=0.5*at^2" to worry about, guess how many players 
used the system (to reach relatively FIXED points like planets)?

None. Zero. Nobody. Not a living soul. They simply refused to.

Until I wrote a program to handle the math.

If it had been my kid sister, I wouldn't have wondered, but 75% of the 
players were technology students, supposed to be able to handle far 
harder stuff for a living...

> I'm not sure what you mean by ditching discrete time - do you mean
> abandoning the structure of fixed length synchronous turns ? This
> would allow ships to perform actions of varying lengths, but might be
> awkward to play. Could be interesting though.

Yes. Though it doesn't add much from the physics standpoint.

-- 
maxxon@swob.dna.fi (Mikko Kurki-Suonio) 	   | A pig who doesn't
fly
+358 50 5596411 GSM +358 9 80926 78/FAX 81/Voice   | is just an ordinary
pig.
Maininkitie 3C14 02320 ESPOO FINLAND | Hate me?    |	      - Porco
Rosso
http://www.swob.dna.fi/~maxxon/      | hateme.html |