WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Discussion regarding the Outsider webcomic, science, technology and science fiction.

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Arioch
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Arioch »

Thus:
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dragoongfa
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by dragoongfa »

Nice...

No! bad dragoongfa! bad!

It's still underage!

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

That looks very shiny! :)

It certainly looks like they're not trying to take their time. Makes it seem like this transport was sort of a last minute bargain or something.

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Grayhome
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Grayhome »

/whistle

Absolutely amazing!

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Mr Bojangles
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Mr Bojangles »

Very slick, Arioch. :)

And, yeah, ice, there is no hesitation on that throttle. Running like they stole something! Or, getting away from a really angry warship captain on a hair-trigger.

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Absalom »

Is the circular bit centered on the back of the shuttle a cargo hatch?

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Siber
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Siber »

Honestly, when your top acceleration is 40g, that level of drive plume might just be taking it easy!
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

I suspect we'll get some kind of confirmation about what is going on in the comic, eventually. But at first glance, I simply think it looks like they're putting the pedal to the metal, as it were. The drive plume, with streaks extending longer than the shuttle itself, reminds me visually of how the Winter Tide looked while it was struggling to get clear. (In contrast to the other capital ships, without similar plumes.)

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Krulle »

You do know that a drive plume is a very bad indicator of speed, or acceleration?
A drive plume tells you only something if you already know the speed.

If you're fast, even a low output from your engine will give a long drive plume.
If you're slow, the drive plume will be short, no matter how strong the engine is throwing photons and reactants around.

Now, the intensity of the drive plume does tell you something.
A very intense drive plume tells you that the engines are likely working a strong levels.

There are things you need to keep in mind though. A shuttle that is braking may even have a negative drive plume (the shuttle being faster than the expulsed drive plume when taking the solar wind pushing the drive plume away). This may lead to a total falsification of observed engine levels.

Now, in a visual media again comes the "I want to transport this message" into the game, totally falsifying the results once more.
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Grayhome »

I've been looking through NASA articles about plasma, fusion, ion & other thrusters for their future spacecraft, does anyone have any opinions on which is going to be the thruster of the future? Anyone else geeking out over all of this amazing sci-fi space ship tech becoming reality?

Has anyone seen any technological breakthroughs concerning artificial gravity, inertial dampeners, or radiation shielding? You know, the technologies that would allow us to explore the solar system unhindered by the current hurdles.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs21grc.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs23grc.html
http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacet ... lough.html

Krulle
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Krulle »

For long travel distances, if no FTL shortcut is found, photon drives will be the only viable solution. But they have a terrible low output, but by far the best propulsion/energy ratio.
For combat-like situation, chemical rockets will remain important. Not as efficient, but high output density, thus much better in causing direction changes.
With new technology drives this may change, but the drive output volume necessary to use only photon drives would mean docking procedures of such a ship would take days.
For the moment ion drives are a good compromise for probes within our solar system.
Plasma will likely never become a good solution, as you have to throw away large masses to get any propulsion, so for short distances you can carry enough fuel, but long distance travels?

Fusion is an energy creation process, not a drive system. The ions, plasma, ... can be created using fusion...

Artificial gravity, and inertial dampers will likely be indeed two different implementations of the same technology.

I'll read the documents later, but thanks for providing them. (Also, I might change my opinion once I've read them, and if they disclose what has been reached by now I will reconsider of what I've read so far regarding theoretical limits of the different drive systems.)
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

Whether drive plumes are a good or a poor indicator of velocity or acceleration, the fact remains that unless we get a statement, they remain our only indicator.

So let's break it down without using ambiguous terms like "slow," and "fast."

Now normally there is a somewhat inversely proportional relationship between thrust and exhaust velocity. The higher the thrust, the lower the exhaust velocity and vice versa. As long as a vessel is in a relative vacuum like the interstellar medium, a ship with a high exhaust velocity will have a long drive plume, and a ship with a low exhaust velocity will have a short drive plume.

One would have to be extremely close to the sun in order for solar wind to have a significant impact on the drive plume of a ship. At 1 AU, the pressure is measured in nanopascals.

However, the ships is the Outsider universe use super science semi-reactionless drives, which have both a high exhaust velocity and a high thrust. Also, we as the viewers are not scientifically analyzing the drive plume's total characteristics, rather we are only seeing the visual spectrum.

It is entirely possible that under normal operating conditions, the drive produces exhaust that is not within the human visual spectrum, but as it reaches the limits of its operational capacity it becomes less efficient to the point where more of the exhaust is emitted in the visual spectrum.

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Siber »

@Krulle: Speed relative to what? I feel that question alone should show the holes in your statement, but to elaborate: drive plume shape should be dictated by exhaust velocity, which won't change(at least from the ship's perspective) no matter how fast your ship is going. I can't imagine how the speed of the whole ship-plume system relative to anything else would change the visible shape of the plume. In an atmosphere you'd have something, but...

More generally, yes, it's a visual medium, the panel appears to have been drawn to look fast, so the shuttle is probably going fast.
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by GeoModder »

Why, hello Rosanrer. You seem to be nicely hatched? :mrgreen:
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Arioch
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Arioch »

As far as I'm aware, in the vacuum of space, an exhaust plume will look exactly the same regardless of orientation or current velocity. In the comic, the plumes sometimes bend to indicate change in trajectory, but I think that's more visual convenience than strictly realistic.

The whole point of allocating such a large shuttle to transport such a small number of passengers is, as Tempo mentions on page 105, to get them to their destination quickly. The Highland is large enough to mount inertial dampers, and so it can accelerate at its maximum capacity of 20 gees without harm or discomfort to the passengers. A standard shuttle would have to limit its acceleration out of concern for the passengers, who would still be very uncomfortable, and would take several days to make the transfer instead of 6 hours. So yeah, the Highland is meant to look like it's going fast.

In Outsider, most primary ship drives routinely operate very close to their maximum output, unless there is a specific reason to do otherwise. The Highland can get some extra acceleration from its conventional auxiliary engines, but the fuel for these is limited.
Absalom wrote:Is the circular bit centered on the back of the shuttle a cargo hatch?
Yes.
GeoModder wrote:Why, hello Rosanrer. You seem to be nicely hatched?
That's Rosanrer-Rotor to you. :D

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by GeoModder »

Arioch wrote:That's Rosanrer-Rotor to you. :D
Mmm... Rotor isn't to be found in the Trade lexicon, so I'm unsure whether or not I was soshrallal with my remark. :?
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Arioch
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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Arioch »

GeoModder wrote:
Arioch wrote:That's Rosanrer-Rotor to you. :D
Mmm... Rotor isn't to be found in the Trade lexicon, so I'm unsure whether or not I was soshrallal with my remark. :?
It's "seven." It's in the numerals section but for some reason the numbers weren't all included in the recent lexicon dump.

Small craft usually don't get unique names, so they're typically identified by the type name and a numeric designation, so "Highland-Seven," "Arrow-104," etc.

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by icekatze »

hi hi

It is true that Alex, and ourselves as the readers have already been briefed on what is going on. Still, Tempo makes it sound routine and unremarkable, but seeing it in action gives it a sense of immediacy. Routine may well be intense for the Loroi, but it still makes me wonder about the situation.

The Frigate Clearbrook, is it not part of the 51st strike group? I assume it wasn't, but I don't know for sure. (If we were told somewhere on the forums, I've forgotten.) If it was part of the 51st, I would think that they'd have made the transfer when they decided to split up, rather than when they were already far apart, unless the decision to offload Alex wasn't made until later.

If the Clearbrook wasn't part of the 51st, I guess that brings up other questions about who is in command on the other side, and if that commander has different methods than Stillstorm when it comes to strange aliens who may or may not be Umiak tricks.

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by JQBogus »

Depending on how the Loroi military organizes itself, it is possible that the Clearbrook is part of the 51st Strike Group, but just not part of the strike element.

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Re: WIP Discussion (Part 1!)

Post by Arioch »

icekatze wrote:The Frigate Clearbrook, is it not part of the 51st strike group? I assume it wasn't, but I don't know for sure. (If we were told somewhere on the forums, I've forgotten.) If it was part of the 51st, I would think that they'd have made the transfer when they decided to split up, rather than when they were already far apart, unless the decision to offload Alex wasn't made until later.
Clearbrook is one of the escorts from the supply convoy, which arrived from the direction of Azimol. Strike Group 51 arrived from Sala 128 (from the direction of Naam) on the opposite end of the system. Clearbrook has been diverted toward the vector to Gora (which is the beginning of the leg path to Seren), which is essentially perpendicular from the Azimol-Sala 128 path, and the Highland shuttle was dispatched to catch up with Clearbrook and transfer its passengers before she jumps to Gora. Meanwhile, SG51 and the convoy are matching velocities nearer the center of the Leido system so they can refuel and resupply.

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