Pioneer - Get Ready for Launch!

[OriginalCaruso]

I have always thought the UWP was the result of a survey therefore fixed at a point in time, and stats change, they could even have been mis-recorded on the survey. Stuff changes dynamically and IMTU we don't pay too much attention to the trivial detail - there's a whole galaxy to explore so I'm not getting hung up on a broken stat.

As a general observation: I affirm the good and critique the not-so-good but only to move the dial to "good". Critique alone can be seen as unduly negative and imbalanced.

As for writing ability - I would contribute more but personally feel my lack of Lore / Historical knowledge is an impediment - to the above point, I welcome critique to bring any contribution to "good", but there are some on this forum who are absolute in their perspectives which I find disheartening. So I stick to the small and almost trivial vignettes instead.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Calling people "lesser minds" and "idiots" isn't really having a conversation about definitions - it's just being hostile.

This will be my last word on this so as not to derail the thread further.

If you go to a restaurant and order a hamburger and they give you a pile of fake meat and nothing else, you won't have some choice words to say? How about if you point out to them that this isn't a hamburger, but they keep insisting that it is? Even the picture they have up on their menu for the hamburger doesn't match what they call a hamburger, but they keep calling a pile a fake meat a hamburger?

What conversation? People would rather jump on me than just use the correct definitions. I am not always right. Often on here I am corrected, especially on my math. I do tend to screw up my math embarrassingly often. When I am incorrect though and someone shows me that I am incorrect, I usually change my viewpoint to one the is correct.

For example, I used to think that ships had to go to a shipyard for their yearly maintenance, but people on here showed me that that is no longer required after SOM came out. This is one of many examples.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I have always thought the UWP was the result of a survey therefore fixed at a point in time, and stats change, they could even have been mis-recorded on the survey. Stuff changes dynamically and IMTU we don't pay too much attention to the trivial detail - there's a whole galaxy to explore so I'm not getting hung up on a broken stat.

Yeah. In universe, you are correct, but what happens when you have to use those in-universe stats for out of universe formulas?

As a general observation: I affirm the good and critique the not-so-good but only to move the dial to "good". Critique alone can be seen as unduly negative and imbalanced.

I do usually try and come up with a solution, but it is difficult when people can't even agree on what a stat means.

As for writing ability - I would contribute more but personally feel my lack of Lore / Historical knowledge is an impediment - to the above point, I welcome critique to bring any contribution to "good", but there are some on this forum who are absolute in their perspectives which I find disheartening. So I stick to the small and almost trivial vignettes instead.

First off, I love your vignettes! They are always amazing! I do okay on most of the lore, but I am not on the level of people like @Sigtrygg . I do not write stuff to be published because I am a horrible writer. I wrote a 300+ page short story once. Great adventure but so poorly written even I couldn't read it. lol. In games, as in my former career, I take to rules for something, poke at it to determine it's weaknesses, and see how they can be improved or exploited so then that issue can be resolved.

 

[OriginalCaruso]

Yeah. In universe, you are correct, but what happens when you have to use those in-universe stats for out of universe formulas?

That's where 30+ years of working with data helps. There are always outliers, bad data and inconsistencies to address. Data cleanup is a huge issue.

Most organizations accept 70% data quality as sufficient for decision making, I find the OODA Loop useful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

Focussing on a single data point is the way to madness, identifying and correcting each data point just isn't viable. Whatevery your formula is doing, with bad data, expect poor outcomes. I'll go one step further: For AI to be effective, the data must be clean which precludes the public Internet which is a polluted source. Unless you curate your own data, then all bets are off.

 

[Grognardia]

Well, I'M excited for this. In its own right but also as a resource for other games. I'm unsure if *anyone* has done a proper RPG treatment of realistic space stuff. Maybe GURPS?

GURPS Transhuman Space is a great resource. Well-written and some great illustrations. There's like 20 supplements for it.

 

[Endie]

well, that escalated

I've signed up for the KS.
Fingers Crossed there's real life inspired ΔV numbers for the space craft and fewer brachistochrone transfers

He does this in just about every thread that gets past 2 pages.

Not many Traveller authors exist and those who do have my utmost respect. Each author has particular interest in a subset or "variant" of Traveller so it is natural we see different themes emerging. Personally I applaud the diversity of content being published despite having zero interest in some - and I'll continue to purchase all content because I collect Traveller "stuff" and want to support Mongoose.

I would prefer Mongoose concentrate on what I consider mainstream content, but not every author has the same perspective. The alternative is to either wait and cherry-pick books which pique my interest, or write something that I would like to see published. I have always thought that if there is a problem, I'll have a go at fixing it, complaining creates division, is antagonistic and IMHO less likely to receive attention.

A publisher without content to publish will quickly go out of business. If the only content is near/adjacent then that will do, it "feeds my goat" whilst supporting Traveller

Like you, I will back the Pioneer kickstarter despite having some doubts as to whether I'll ever actually play it (or even want to play it). I've said it before, but I will back it for the same reasons as I support artists even if a specific show or concert of theirs is not to my particular taste: I enjoy much of what they do, I feel it has value, and I want to help them continue doing it.

 

[DeepSpaceAdventures]

GURPS Transhuman Space is a great resource. Well-written and some great illustrations. There's like 20 supplements for it.

Transhuman Space is fantastic, I love it.
I'm also looking forward to the Terraforming Mars RPG

 

[Michael S]

Well, I'M excited for this. In its own right but also as a resource for other games. I'm unsure if *anyone* has done a proper RPG treatment of realistic space stuff. Maybe GURPS?

I think it depends on how RPG you want to get, GURPS does not for me add any of the basics.
My interest in gaming is a haulage/trading campaign in Cislunar space and NEAs - YMMV-Considerably.
While it would be easy to add Mars and its moons too, the travel times become really stretched at a near future TL.
Delta V maps show approximately how much ΔV is needed to get from the surface, to an orbit, to another orbit or back again. The numbers apply in both directions, but Aerobraking will reduce the amount of ΔV required to lower an orbit or enter and atmosphere.

for my gaming interest i have a simple Android based ΔV spreadsheet: Ship Dry Mass, Ship Reaction Mass, (Alleged) Cargo Mass, ΔV is calculated on your Cargos actual mass minus the reaction mass you are using to change orbits.
I just want to worry about fuel use keeping a ship maneuvering, with the occasional screw up when your Contractor lies to you about his cargo Mass. Just an added detail for role playing, and to drive fuel exploration for world development. Not much different than keeping track of Ammo types in the Aftermath! game for encumbrance.
The Rocket equation fits into a Google Sheets cell easily:
=Sum((C2*D2)*LN(H2/I2))
Cell;
C2 is your engines isp
D2 is the gravity constant
LN is the Natural Log
H2 is Initial Mass (Ship, Cargo, Reaction Mass)
I2 is Final Mass (Ship, Cargo, remaining Reaction Mass)
if the sum equals or exceeds the ΔV needed to get that orbit, congrats, now you only need to circularize, then dock.
Could certainly add a few more details like RAAN, and True Anomaly, for detailed RPO and D operations but likely not - and just leave those to scenario plot use only.

EDITED -
Apologies - the image comes from ProjetRHO - this is a very crunchy location

Careful it is a massive and deep source of Rocket Stuff - But it is so good!