Inaccurate Jumps

[Condottiere]

Ten thousand schmuckers is too much.

It has to be cheaper than employing an actual astrogator, whether part time or full time.

 

[Jeraa]

Ten thousand schmuckers is too much.

It has to be cheaper than employing an actual astrogator, whether part time or full time.

The tapes weren't for replacing the navigator (who would still be used in normal space). They were for replacing the Cr800,000 Generate program which plotted the jump course. Navigators would probably still be needed to follow that plot.

 

[F33D]

The tapes weren't for replacing the navigator (who would still be used in normal space).

Real space nav is too simple to require a crew position.

 

[Reynard]

Say that the next time you're plotting that exit point next to the destination as close to the 100d as possible. The astrogator is supposed to have the extra skill to tell the pilot how to get anywhere as efficiently as he can. The pilot also makes sure you jump the first time rather than try and try again when things aren't perfect. Space isn't looking at a gas (giant) station space map and the pilot runs on visual all the way like a cartoon.

 

[F33D]

Say that the next time you're plotting that exit point next to the destination as close to the 100d as possible.

Keep saying that over and over until you realize I said, "real space". AND, until you realize that space is EMPTY and what that means to navigation and how a pilot would have to have been lobotomised to need a person to help him plot an "efficient course". :lol:

 

[Reynard]

By real space, you mean the present. Space 'exploration' today involves our immediate backyard and all the astrogation is transmitted to out spacecraft from the enormous resources and personnel on Earth. Unmanned craft shot out to deep space measure course corrections in years. Of course you don't need astrogators today.

If there was the discovery of jump and maneuver drives today and you asked anyone in the aerospace field to plot a course next to a planet in the Alpha centauri system or park a ship around Io after a few days flight, they would act as if lobotomized.

 

[Condottiere]

Perhaps astrogation involves an unconscious psionic trait.

 

[F33D]

Perhaps astrogation involves an unconscious psionic trait.

I'm leaning towards having a device a la Niven's Known Space where as soon as you enter Jump the Astrogator has to use a device that only works for "self awares" in order to adjust the final course setting. This to not be able to have crewless Jump ships.

 

[Condottiere]

I think that for Traveller, it I would prefer that astrogation can be done non-psionically.

It gets a tad too close to blinding them, to permit their third eye to open, or mutating them into large manatees.

 

[F33D]

I think that for Traveller, it I would prefer that astrogation can be done non-psionically.

It gets a tad too close to blinding them, to permit their third eye to open, or mutating them into large manatees.

You're thinking of psionic powers as in only a few people have them. I'm talking about like in Niven's Known Space stories.

"To navigate in hyperspace, one must be able to perceive it in order to safely steer around dangerous masses. To perceive hyperspace, Humans require a mass pointer, also called mass indicator or mass sensor. This is a big transparent sphere with a number of green (or blue) lines radiating from the center. It is a psionic device, requiring a living mind to operate" -- "At the Core", Neutron Star pp. 57

 

[Condottiere]

For Traveller, despite the fact I would like to retain the maximum human element, it doesn't quite feel right to me.

As regards to erasable self contained astronavigation programme(s), I'd use them to go to blacksites in jump five or six ships.

Or one way trips for such things as prison transports.

 

[Reynard]

I forget why they originally had one shots. Could be your astrogation data isn't universal so you buy these to fill in newly accessible systems or going into areas beyond what your databases has on file such as you entered a new subsector. Star charts nay actually be limited to subsectors or sectors you normally frequent.

The price can reflect the fact your computer actually adds it to your database and gets erased if not done wirelessly so you don't pass it around.

 

[Condottiere]

If it were in lieu of having an actual general purpose jump programme, it still would cost too much, even if it were a license fee to be renewed annually, since in the event of a misjump, even if you had the fuel, you'd be stuck.

 

[Infojunky]

I forget why they originally had one shots.

Because Jump Tapes were a bit in one of the Golden Age Authors books. And they only where in the 77 edition of the LBBs.

Could be your astrogation data isn't universal so you buy these to fill in newly accessible systems or going into areas beyond what your databases has on file such as you entered a new subsector. Star charts nay actually be limited to subsectors or sectors you normally frequent.

The price can reflect the fact your computer actually adds it to your database and gets erased if not done wirelessly so you don't pass it around.

In recent years this pretty much what I have considered doing. Kinda.

 

[Tom Kalbfus]

What happens if you attempt to make a jump from a planet's surface? Lets say the natives are chucking spears and the spaceship and someone accidentally presses the Jump button. What happens if you initiate a jump from inside the hangar bay of a spaceship. Lets say our heroes just rescued a princess from the detention block, they made it to the spaceship, but the hangar door is closed, the troopers surround the starship and say, "Come out with your hands up!" The pilot however remembers that the starship is over 100 planetary diameters from the nearest planet, but inside this larger starship, he decides to activate the ship's jump drive for a quick getaway, what happens then, and does any of it adversely affect the troopers surrounding the spaceship on the hangar deck?

 

[Condottiere]

As you know, interstellar technology is based on our understanding and ablity to manipulate gravitational forces, within certain limits and equations.

Trying to transition to another dimension by punching a hole through realspace to reach it while within a significant gravitational focus is close to trying to divide by zero; for a second it seems that you succeed, than the hole opens up again and spits out the starship.

Unfortunately, the starship and the passengers are now in five dimensions getting squeezed back into three, since the proximity to the gravitational focus strips out the usual forcefield the jump drive projects to protect the contents of the jump bubble from interacting with the jump dimension, so their insides have been turned out.

Inside out that is.

 

[Reynard]

If you haven't already (it sounds like you haven't), read Core Book page 141 under Preparing to jump.' if within 100d of a planet, you incur a -8DM to the Jump! check as well as any other DMs both positive and negative. On the average, with no other DMs, you will Misjump on roll of 8-. You will otherwise have an Inaccurate jump. The artificial gravity in a starship hangar is no different than on a planet surface.

When that 'button' is hit, whether of a planet surface or in a hangar, the ship's sensors will register extra material within the volume of the potential jump bubble and the process will shut down as it exceeds the ability of the rated drive. Yer stuck, my friends. Hands up!

 

[F33D]

If you haven't already (it sounds like you haven't), read Core Book page 141 under Preparing to jump.' if within 100d of a planet, you incur a -8DM to the Jump! check as well as any other DMs both positive and negative. On the average, with no other DMs, you will Misjump on roll of 8-.

If the result is 0 or less, the ship misjumps. On a 1-7 it is an inaccurate jump. With no DM's it is impossible to misjump.

 

[Reynard]

Sorry, I wrote it wrong. It should have said if no DMs other than the 100d, you Misjump with the average roll being a 7 on two dice. Obviously the engineer task EFFECT will have a good or bad influence. You need a super skilled engineer to be jumping in a gravity well and they don't exist.

Rolling a 9-12 on 2d6 with the 100d DM penalty gets an Inaccurate. Point is, don't jump from hangars and at the downport.

 

[F33D]

Obviously the engineer task EFFECT will have a good or bad influence.

That's what I thought. But, only positive Effect applies on Jump check for Engineering. Which is why misjumps cannot happen under "normal" operating procedure