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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: Unified Flux Theory  (Read 18306 times)

Alrenous

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Unified Flux Theory
« on: April 12, 2012, 03:53:48 PM »

My hypothesis explaining three puzzling aspects of Starfarer. Forgive me if these have already been explained.

The idea is that flux is specifically gravitational fluctuations. The ship's reactor provides power by transmitting spatial manipulations across gravitationally shielded conduits. Normal transmission is in the form of solitons. 1. Entropy builds up in the system through the creation of standing waves at various harmonics. When these standing waves at peak push more energy into the capacitors than they can handle, they short out. Flux vents are specialized grav-wave dissipation devices, and the visual effect from full-on flux blowing is due to ragged space warps. Perhaps quantum foam amplification.

The reactor also uses this space-warping capability to travel.
2. Fleets slow down near planets because the space is already warped; there's backpressure.
Fleets slow down near other ships for exactly the same reason; the space-warping reactors interfere with each other.

Ships use a different engine for combat manoeuvring. 3. This is why travel speed and combat speed aren't simply proportional to each other. Also, it is how enemy fleets entangle each other - they intentionally emit gravitational noise to short out the delicate transportation space-warping process. (Similarly, the contrasting planetary slingshot interaction.) Perhaps defenders turn on the noise at the last moment, whereas attackers aggressively fire up the noise, interfering with their own space-warp manoeuvring, and thus part of the reason they have fewer ships available to deploy.


Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading the idea as much as I did coming up with it.
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Catra

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2012, 05:39:43 PM »

i dont know what it is you just said, or the context they were used in,

but i agree and approve of it.
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cp252

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2012, 06:47:33 PM »

...That sounds... Legit.
We need Iscariot here.
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Iscariot

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #3 on: April 12, 2012, 06:51:14 PM »

Nu-uh, I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole.
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The idea is that the various tech levels represent different - not "better" - ways to do things.

Cryten

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #4 on: April 12, 2012, 07:53:57 PM »

Argh! technobable my arch nememsis you have dont it to me again!
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CrashToDesktop

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #5 on: April 12, 2012, 08:07:09 PM »

Nu-uh, I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole.
Got that right.  Left it on the word "spacial." :D
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Note: please sacrifice your goats responsibly, look up the proper pronunciation of Alex's name. We wouldn't want some other project receiving mystic power.

Nori

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2012, 08:14:18 PM »

Sounds awesome. I approve...
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Kommodore Krieg

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2012, 09:25:32 PM »

It sounds as reasonable as the rest of quantum mechanics, so why not? 
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Anysy

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2012, 12:41:59 AM »

3. This is why travel speed and combat speed aren't simply proportional to each other.
dont be silly, travel speed (Ts) and combat speed (Cs) are related as such

Ts = 100 + Cs/2

Im pretty sure thats some sort of proportion. Cant figure out which type at 4am though

edit
Unless of course you are referring to actual travel speed (as a function of how fast you are moving between planets) and how it doesnt relate at all to how fast you are moving around the battlefield.. Blame time. Time screws it up
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Alrenous

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2012, 02:36:41 AM »

/bow

Nu-uh, I'm not touching this with a ten foot pole.

/bow at this too.

i dont know what it is you just said, or the context they were used in,

Just a thinking thing I do. I could try to stop, but it wouldn't work.

dont be silly, travel speed (Ts) and combat speed (Cs) are related as such

Ts = 100 + Cs/2

Im pretty sure thats some sort of proportion.

Huh, I didn't know that. It is a kind of proportion. It isn't a simple proportion. Though it is the very next simplest.
My problem is that you can't fly at {100+Cs/2} in battle. So there's something different about battle as compared to travel.
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xanderh

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2012, 02:58:58 AM »

Read it all. Understood parts of it. What I understood made sense. I think Alex (or someone else) should try to incorporate this into the official lore, it fits pretty well with what I've read of it.
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SwipertheFox

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2012, 12:35:30 PM »

Read it all. Understood parts of it. What I understood made sense. I think Alex (or someone else) should try to incorporate this into the official lore, it fits pretty well with what I've read of it.

I agree that it should be placed in lore....  Somewhere   :-\
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CaptanSpudsy

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2012, 01:37:38 PM »

The sad thing is that I understood 90% of it.

Spudsy
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UrbanGiraffe

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2012, 01:45:15 PM »

My hypothesis explaining three puzzling aspects of Starfarer. Forgive me if these have already been explained.

The idea is that flux is specifically gravity wave thingies out of whack. The ship's reactor provides power by transmitting these wave thingies across shielded conduits. Normal transmission is in the form of independent gravity wave thingies forced out its tailpipe. 1. Gravitational vibration 'n' junk builds up in the system through the creation of waves at different frequencies than the the other gravity wave thingies being used to power the reactor. When these standing waves at peak push more energy into the capacitors than they can handle, they short out. Flux vents are specialized gravity wave thingy dissipation devices, and the visual effect from flux venting is due to space distortion from all the gravity mucking about. Perhaps due to it amplifying the jiggling of super tiny particles between waves and particles.

The reactor also uses this space-warping capability to travel.
2. Fleets slow down near planets because the space is already warped; there's backpressure.
Fleets slow down near other ships for exactly the same reason; the gravity wave thingies they're emitting interfere with each other.

Ships use a different engine for combat manoeuvring. 3. This is why travel speed and combat speed aren't simply proportional to each other. Also, it is how enemy fleets entangle each other - they intentionally emit gravity wave thingies to short out the delicate transportation process of the other ships. (Similarly, the contrasting planetary slingshot interaction.) Perhaps defenders turn on the noise at the last moment, whereas attackers aggressively fire up the noise, interfering with their own space-warp manoeuvring, and thus part of the reason they have fewer ships available to deploy when selecting 'all out attack' as opposed to 'defending'.


Auf Englisch.

You're welcome.
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BillyRueben

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Re: Unified Flux Theory
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2012, 01:46:13 PM »

Only problem I can see is that explanation doesn't say why ships slow down in nebulae, or why the space is "warped" around planets, causing the ships to slow down while traveling.
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