Unfotunately, there is no way to determine the speed of a ship from the hull, or to set a cloak level depending on the number of engines
And it
does sound like any sort of temporal defense would require temporal technology
quote:
Was that in the original P&N and I just didn't see it?
No, I'm just thinking of adding it now... if I can figure out what to do with the temporal bit.
What about totally changing the temporal sensor to... a generic sensory thing.
It would have a little bit of all three standard scan types.
The larger the ship, shinier the hull, the bigger the effect it has on objects around it, leaving larger "causality ripples", detectable by the temporal scanner. Just filter out the background static, and known objects like planets & asteroids & visible ships.
I could then use the temporal ability to make a whole new cloak type, perhaps a Computer Security vs Hackers system?
Remove computer viruses, and use a biotoxin weapon to destroy both people & the organic bits of the MC.
Now, if you have an elite team of hackers aboard, you can spy on the automated systems aboard ships, unless the MC (Level 1 protection only) or E-security (Levels 1, 2, 3 & 4) teams block you.
If Destroyers are the first to be notices by top-level grav sensors, then we have 200KT to pack in the other cloaks on a Frigate.
20 for MC, 30 + 50 for EM.
That's half the hull space to provide enough cloaking to avoid All detection except by Temporal-?->Hackers.
That leaves 100KT for Engines, Defenses & Weapons, to be used when the ship decloaks.
At best, that might be an unshielded Plagueship, easily wiped out by platforms or sats, roasted in bunches by a ship, or invalidated by a medical ship.
As a long range scout, if equipped with solar panels and engines only, it might be useful.
Or, as an undetectable sensor buoy, if given grav sensors as well...
While awaiting comments on the temporal to multisensor, and temporalcloak to electronic security...
on to sensor packages!
Cost, size & platforms
Restricting sensors to maintenance-using platforms...
In order to make maintenance of your sensor nets an important issue, and thus enabling the cost & size to factor into buying decisions, only ships and bases should be allowed to carry sensors.
We can justify this for ship by requiring the sensor to be moved around in order to get a reliable reading. For bases, we can allow a much larger Version to be used, which works while stationary.
By now, you should be thinking that everybody will have to carry a grav sensor by default, since it can always see ships destroyer or above.
So, it will be a very expensive and large piece of hardware
Perhaps 600KT, and $20K for the ship-mount, and 1200KT/$10K for the base mount (1/4th maintenance of the ship-mount). Mostly radioactives, but a few thousand minerals too.
These sensors will only become mountable once ships large enough to be detected arrive, so it all works out OK
The next thing: everybody already uses stealth armor for the 15% defense bonus, and the armor is only 30KT and dirt cheap. We can allow passive sensors on anything, though more powerful Versions should be larger.
30KT/50KT/90KT, say. You can fit even the biggest passive on a medium sat, or a small sat if you "think big"
Mineral cost all the way, but under $1000 for the level 3. Except, add $1000 rads, $250 organics and $9000 minerals for the self-powered, and self-maintaining sattelite Version
The other standard tech sensor: Active EM.
You're breaking through a 50KT lump of crappy armor that used to be of little use. 15% ECM in a 50KT space that is almost always better used for an additional shield generator or gobs of armor.
We can throw this one in between the others.
?60KT/120KT/180KT?
$3000 radioactives, plus $1000 minerals, and a bit of organics.
We can pack a level 1 onto a sat, 2 if we think big, and the level 3 can only be used on a ship/base.
OOh, the psychic sensor!
We get to go wild on organics cost, $5000, with $500 mineral/rads.
Space requirements should be in crew quarters/lifesupport... 2/4/8? (thats 40/80/160KT)
Only allowed on Ships/Bases, since sats can't support people permanently.
(This may seem harsh, but we'll see about the defenses later
)
And, the Hackers.
They need some decent hardware, and lots of power to run it. They also need lots of snack food and coffee. Gobs of maintenance for the salaries.
100KT/40KT/20KT, since we start working better, not harder.
Cost still goes through the roof to get these people...
$1000 (all 3) up to $10,000 (all 3)
Defenses
Grav cloak is a basic part of the hull, no extra cost.
- Battlemoons and other bigboys block nothing
- 1599KT to 600KT block Level 1 (BattleStation)
- 599KT to 300KT block Level 2 (Cruiser/Space Station)
- 299KT to 1KT block Level 3 (Frigate/Any unit)
Both EM cloak types:
Armor tech alone Blocks Level 1.
Cloaking tech levels then upgrade the armor to block levels 2 and 3.
Prices may be increased.
Master Computers:
All MCs provide block Level 1 Hacking attempts
MC I/II/III, block psychic scans at Level 3/2/1.
IE: the more compact the computer, the easier to detect as a thinking lifeform!
E-Security:
Say, 30KT continuous, but rapidly increasing in mineral/rad cost.
PS: one more note, incase you've read this far
How about labelling the various scanning/cloaking levels with something meaningful.
IE: instead of "Level 1 Hacking" use "Script Kiddies"
Level 1 Passive is "Visible-band EM"
Level 2 Passive is "All-band EM"
Level 3 Passive is "Actively suppressed EM"
I need some suggestions for the hackers, psychics and active EM.
PPS: if you don't like the hackers idea, please suggest something else.
PPPS: in fact, any suggestions are welcome.
Re: A pirates life for me...
Asteroids Champion!
Linear Mode
