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Re: Kra'vak Railgun & Technology!!!!

From: Tony Wilkinson <twilko@o...>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 02:27:29 +0100
Subject: Re: Kra'vak Railgun & Technology!!!!


	In my campaigan I was/am/wishful thinking planning to run each
player
conducted research through Labs which had to specialise in one of 5
areas.
There is a sixth area but this is alien (UN too) tech that a player can
only research upon capturing an example. Each new device (I've pinched
quite a lot from the web and here) needed a random number (d100
typically)
of research points to develop. A large heavily populated planet should
only
be able to support 1 of each Lab. Work from Labs proceeds at a random
rate
each turn (with a max limit). If you capture tech from another player
(Human) the research rate is doubled and there are no zero results.
	Now if the players came across alien tech, they could research
it, but
only at the original rate, there is no accelerated rate for alien tech.
The
amount of research was random (d100) but I have been thinking that
perhaps
there needed to be a modifier here (say +50) to make it even harder.
	I'd say that if you captured an entire ship, you should be able
to
replicate the preformance of most of it's systems pretty quick. (Button
A
activates protrusion F which makes bloddy great hole in space dock
door!).
Notice I have said performance here. You won't make the same (or
identical)
components but you will make something very much the same that does the
same thing (see "This A batt is as good as..." posts). I wasn't thinking
that there would be much difference between Human and Kravak railgun
preformance (fleet commanders would insist that they be the same if not
better).
	As for metallurgy that is another question. I very much doubt we
would
make much sense of these quickly. And if we did understand them we may
not
be able to duplicate the result. Take for example submarines (this is
probably going to start something by itself). Why aren't American subs
made
of titanium? It is afterall the strongest metal know. It is also very
expensive but that is sometimes not a consideration in defence matters
(ie
B2 stealth bomber). The Soviets used to make a number of their attack
sub
classes out of titanium. To cut costs the same design would be made in a
cheap version out of steel and the other a top of the line titanium
model.
The Soviets did this because they were able to manipulate titanium in
much
the same ways as the rest of us do with steel, but that no other nation
was
able to do with titanium in the nessecary amounts.
	So back to the Kravak. I don't think the Humans would be able to
make
Kravak type hulls for a very long time (no Kravak type armour for the
Humans) nor copy their drive technology which would probably be reliant
on
their metallurgy (I am thing reaction/rocket engines here). Besides
while
the Kravak tech is different it isn't supposed to be too far in front of
the Humans (or have I misread MT) who already have MDC and Gauss rifles
(which are basically railguns as I see it).
	As for UN priorties, I think they would focus on communicating
with and
understanding the Kravak (language, social structure, etc), where they
were, weapons and armour, drive systems. Most nations however would put
weapons and armour first and then reverse everything else ("Does known'
their language help me kill 'em doc?").
	Hope this all answers you questions.

	Tony.
	twilko@ozemail.com.au	

At 10:12 22/04/98 +1000, you wrote:
>Tony, Tom & co.
>
>Given that you have a whole Kra'Vak ship intact, how long do you think
>it would take humans to identify and duplicate a component within the
>range of Kra'Vak technology?  Do you think our guys could easily
>identify components? Would you think in terms of months, years or
>decades?
>
>What priority do you think the UN etc. would put on each of the ships
>components (power, drives, weapons, armor, nav, blah blah blah)?
>
>Is there a precedent for complex system duplication in recent years.
>IRAQ's nuclear program? How would that compare with duplication of an
>ancient alien races metallurgy?
>
>Robert.
>

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