collins355
Emperor Mongoose
Yes, I did see the point made in arguing for retcon-ing, but you can't work out craft speeds in the atmosphere in MegaTrav craft design without the table.
FFW doing it my way
- Thread starter collins355
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Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
I think there was a correction in a digest magazine, it was certainly changed for COACC.
The MT errata document has this:
"Page 86, Top Vacuum Speed (correction and addition): For flying vehicles, especially those that can go outside the atmosphere, top vacuum speed has no real meaning. Other than the speed of light, there really is no such thing as “top speed” in a vacuum. The craft can accelerate as long as it wants, and can attain any speed desired—limited only by its duration and acceleration. Therefore, acceleration in Gs is a more sensible and useful number than top vacuum speed, since it tells you how quickly the craft can change its speed. Once you know the craft’s maximum acceleration rate, you can compute the travel time using the basic travel time formula found in the Referee’s Companion. Therefore, Top Vacuum Speed should be replaced by MaxAccel in craft profiles.
Top Speed applies to craft operating in a standard atmosphere only. Note that wheeled, tracked, and legged vehicles are subject to the same top speed restrictions as flying craft, based on their streamlining. For example, an unstreamlined wheeled vehicle can never exceed 300 kph in a standard atmosphere. If the wheeled vehicle needs to go faster, it must be streamlined, just as any flying vehicle."
The MT errata document has this:
"Page 86, Top Vacuum Speed (correction and addition): For flying vehicles, especially those that can go outside the atmosphere, top vacuum speed has no real meaning. Other than the speed of light, there really is no such thing as “top speed” in a vacuum. The craft can accelerate as long as it wants, and can attain any speed desired—limited only by its duration and acceleration. Therefore, acceleration in Gs is a more sensible and useful number than top vacuum speed, since it tells you how quickly the craft can change its speed. Once you know the craft’s maximum acceleration rate, you can compute the travel time using the basic travel time formula found in the Referee’s Companion. Therefore, Top Vacuum Speed should be replaced by MaxAccel in craft profiles.
Top Speed applies to craft operating in a standard atmosphere only. Note that wheeled, tracked, and legged vehicles are subject to the same top speed restrictions as flying craft, based on their streamlining. For example, an unstreamlined wheeled vehicle can never exceed 300 kph in a standard atmosphere. If the wheeled vehicle needs to go faster, it must be streamlined, just as any flying vehicle."
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
As I recall, current practice is that for spacecraft within a local gravity well, minus local gravity, and if remaining acceleration is factor one plus, hypersonic.
Gravity motored vehicles would probably depend on altitude, acceleration minus felt gravity.
Gravity motored vehicles would probably depend on altitude, acceleration minus felt gravity.
collins355
Emperor Mongoose
Yes, but that errata never addressed the issue of how one is meant to calculate the top speed of a flying craft inside the atmosphere if the chart is not kosher. The design sequence in RM is very clear in its intent, the designer determines the craft's Man. Thrust, looks up the top vac speed for that thrust on the chart provided and then multiplies it by 0.9 if streamlined to get max speed in a standard atmosphere (and cruise speed and NOE speed in turn). Note the different multipliers for different atmospheres.
I'm very comfortable if the chart remains valid, but is re-named to something like Top Notional Speed. That would take away the insinuation that triggers people that there is a speed limit less than the speed of light for craft in space.
(BTW, the speeds of ground vehicles were always completely bonkers in MegaTrav and remain so with this errata. The idea that by streamlining my truck I can have it capable of speeds 400kph plus is wild)
