MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
As much as I argue against you on many things big and small (including how to go about said anathema), you are completely right on this one.
An Alternate Take On Fabrication Rules
- Thread starter Terry Mixon
- Start date
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
I use the difference between cost of materials and the mass of the materials as a multiple for the time it takes to fabricate the product.
Using your Fabrication Unit (0.6 ton of material is valued at KCr9.75), building a 1dton end product that costs 48 MCr would take two fabrication units, but instead of only 8 hours (Average), it would take 1D weeks(10E-3 difference or three downshifts on the table). I flex this based on the TL difference of the fabricator to the product (add an upshift for each TL the Fabricator is above the output product or if the have "special instructions" available)
Using your Fabrication Unit (0.6 ton of material is valued at KCr9.75), building a 1dton end product that costs 48 MCr would take two fabrication units, but instead of only 8 hours (Average), it would take 1D weeks(10E-3 difference or three downshifts on the table). I flex this based on the TL difference of the fabricator to the product (add an upshift for each TL the Fabricator is above the output product or if the have "special instructions" available)
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
And some Fabricators are manufactured to be faster at a premium cost.
And they can use their excess capacity to be faster (a 10-dton can reduce the time to make 1dton)
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Thank you.
I was never disputing it, just frustrated at the blanket statement without examples.
Some of those are addressable; TL9 is the staring tech for M-Drives, not gravitics. Air/Rafts are and always have been TL8. You don't see Air/Rafts listed in this High Guard (previous ones have included vehicles), but that doesn't change the CRB listing (p.144). G-plates (as opposed to G-compensators, which are linked to M-Drives) are pretty much an undefined tech. It really isn't clear if they come in at TL8 or TL9, though TL8 seems reasonable. And WBH even lists M-Drives specifically at TL9, so whatever it is referring to at TL8 is something else (almost certainly G-Plating so that space stuff doesn't have to spin anymore when their reaction drives are turned off).
So... just solar power? Fair enough. Ground based solar does appear to be lagging behind space based solar. Probably use High Guard for a Vacuum World.
Limpin Legin
Emperor Mongoose
It does say in CRB,pg7, "the defining element of TL9 is the development of gravity manipulation, which makes space travel vastly safer and faster."
Yah. At TL8 it's mostly a novelty. The TL9 developments mean reactionless drives and G-compensation.
There's a similar thing in the TL tables with Jump Drive - J-Drive comes in at TL9 but most cultures that actually developed it have some flawed version until TL10. TL9 is still considered Pre-Stellar:
TL9 (Pre-Stellar)
The defining element of TL9 is the development of
gravity manipulation, which makes space travel vastly
safer and faster. This research leads to development of
the jump drive, which occurs near the end of this Tech
Level. TL9 cultures can colonise other worlds, although
travelling to a colony is often a one-way trip.
TL10 (Early Stellar)
With the advent of commonly available jump drives,
nearby systems are opened up. Orbital habitats and
factories become common. Interstellar travel and trade
lead to an economic boom. Colonies become much
more viable.
(also CRB p7)
There's a similar thing in the TL tables with Jump Drive - J-Drive comes in at TL9 but most cultures that actually developed it have some flawed version until TL10. TL9 is still considered Pre-Stellar:
TL9 (Pre-Stellar)
The defining element of TL9 is the development of
gravity manipulation, which makes space travel vastly
safer and faster. This research leads to development of
the jump drive, which occurs near the end of this Tech
Level. TL9 cultures can colonise other worlds, although
travelling to a colony is often a one-way trip.
TL10 (Early Stellar)
With the advent of commonly available jump drives,
nearby systems are opened up. Orbital habitats and
factories become common. Interstellar travel and trade
lead to an economic boom. Colonies become much
more viable.
(also CRB p7)
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Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Technological level seven early prototype will get you orbital ranged manoeuvre drive, which even at eleven times cost, would get you:
Indeed.
Point being, whatever Pre-TL9 gravitics can do, it's good for planetary and orbital use but not interplanetary travel (although it would help get reaction drive based ships or the resources to make them up out of the gravity well). Use the Air/Raft as a guide, I guess.
Point being, whatever Pre-TL9 gravitics can do, it's good for planetary and orbital use but not interplanetary travel (although it would help get reaction drive based ships or the resources to make them up out of the gravity well). Use the Air/Raft as a guide, I guess.
In the Cepheus setting I'm working on fabricators can use specialty feedstocks to produce items at half cost, or bulk raw materials (in prices purchased by the ton) at a quarter cost.
So you're paying more if you don't have cargo space.
I also made spaceship manufacturing centers able to convert raw materials into manufactured trade goods at a 2-to-1 tonnage ratio.
So you're paying more if you don't have cargo space.
I also made spaceship manufacturing centers able to convert raw materials into manufactured trade goods at a 2-to-1 tonnage ratio.
Logically, sometimes the fab production path is going to be cheaper overall, sometimes the regular one will be. Times will vary but fab is *likely* to take longer. Production time may or may not be a critical factor in final cost; if everything is just robot factories anyway, the capital and raw material extraction and delivery costs vs output are what ends up mattering.
As well as that, if you can fill the daily demand for something, it doesn't usually matter if production time was 5 hours or 10 hours. A pipeline has two ends, as the old Fred Pohl short story "The Midas Plague" pointed out.
As well as that, if you can fill the daily demand for something, it doesn't usually matter if production time was 5 hours or 10 hours. A pipeline has two ends, as the old Fred Pohl short story "The Midas Plague" pointed out.
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
I like the idea of feedstocks as another refinement that increases the density of cost/displacement for Fabrication units.
The 3D printer refuses to print anything once it runs out of carbon.
ProfGrizzlyJon
Cosmic Mongoose
Ah yes, those CYMgK* cartridges are the worst
- C = Carbon
- Y = Yttrium
- Mg = Magnesium
- K = Potassium
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