Re: Orbits, Detailed (Long!) repost

On  3 Jul 98 at 22:11, Sabmason@aol.com wrote:

[snipped]

> providing a thrust of 1/8th g per thrust point.  I'll go with that
> for now, cause that is the best observable result (I apply 1 thrust
> for 1 turn, and am then going 1 MU/turn).  Personally, I like the
> slower accelerations, 'cause I have a hard time rationalizing
> interior artificial gravity (contra-grav, a la Traveller, I can live
> with).  It also allows some extreme ship designs to exist without
> having squash-the-crew-syndrome.  A thrust of 16 is 2 gs - fast, in
> my universe.	Also, I find it easier to rationalize low-thrust
> engines with very high fuel efficiency - makes for better long
> patrols.
> 
> Finally, try out the planetary acceleration stuff - In the few games
> that I've used it in, it was a lot of fun, and became very important
> - it'll be less so, now that I'm scaling up the thrust/g ratio.
> 

You manage to rationalize FTL drives and non reaction mass normal 
drives, so give limited contra inertia (not grav) effects on ships a 
chance perhaps? 1G acceleration from purely accelerating can be 
thought of as different from the 1G force upon you from stading on 
earth. One is cause by gravity, the action of a very big mass. The 
other because of inertia. So you don't need gravity control exactly, 
just a way of divorcing the interial frame (PBS abounds). I'm not 
advocating inertialess ships just partially inertial compensated. It 
cuts down on inertial superweapons.

Hrrm, if we change 1MU=1,000km to 10,000km earth sized planets become 
an inch across :( but hey, jupiter will be 8" instead of 80", the sun 
will be 70" instead of 700" ;)

If we change the timescale to 1.5 minutes, there are ten turns per 
stargrunt/dirtside turn :(

Trouble is, at such low accelerations, it takes FOREVER to get
between planets inside a solar system. <doublecheck> um, wait, you
can use FTL inside systems with FT can't you, just as long as you
are sufficiently far from the planetary surface / gravity well. Has
that distance been quantified? 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Slattery	     richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
The fellow that agrees with everything you say is either a fool or he is
getting ready to skin you. 
     Kin Hubbard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~