This is the thread for submissions and stipulations concerning the idea that one or two boxes on an X2 vessels should hava multi role capasity and be capable within a turn of any one of a list of functions.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 05:32 am: Edit

I think the Multi-Function Poly-system or M.F.P. should be limited to only a few mechanism and none of those should be a weapon except in the case of the system being able to function as a decato weapon ( specifically the T-bomb function of trnasporters and the Anti-matter bomb function of the Probe launcher ).

The MFP should be required to transform taking a full turn to do so and costing an entirte point of power per box ( written into the tranporter line of the EAF ). It should only be able to be order to transform during EA. The MFP is filled with nanite that reconstruct the equipment in the SSD box into the kinds of systems they have been programmes to build.

The MFP should be able to transform into one of the following system boxes and opperate as that system box. It is destroyed on Hull hits ( at the ownling players discression ).

The following lists are the kinds of system boxes it maysubstitute itself for.
• Lab.
• Probe Launcher...it's mounted close to the regular probe launcher and feeds from that probe launchers supply ( if there are two then the MFP boxes is markered with the same number as the Probe launcher is is supplied by ).
• Tractor Beam...with mechlink.
• Transporter...it is supplied by the ships supply if T-bombs like every other transporter.
• Repair box.

By Kenneth Jones (Kludge) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 07:08 am: Edit

You know we might want to look at the Andromedan Emulator device from SSJ (iirc) as a guideline. To doing the MFD (Multi Function Device).

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 07:33 am: Edit

I draw the line at NWO. This is silly IMO.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 08:18 am: Edit

I won't immediately dismiss this idea, since it was something that Steve seemed interested in. Indeed, he went so far as to say it was something he "always wanted to see." I do think it ought to be limited in some ways, though. For example, the following limits might apply:

• It can't be a system the ship doesn't already have.
• It can't be a power or weapon system.
• It must be a "contained" system, so it couldn't be a probe launcher or shuttle.
• If it is two adjacent boxes, both boxes must be the same system (i.e., two hull, two tracs, two control, etc.)
• It has to have a combined repair cost; sort of like interest on your home. A base cost for the system itself, plus the cost of whatever system it's currently being used as.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 08:32 am: Edit

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Quote:

Say I make my box a photon. What arc is it? Questions like that are best avoided.

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By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 11:44 am: Edit

Is the "Any Box" a Holo deck by another name?

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 04:12 pm: Edit

SVC's proposal breathes new life into Loren's self-recharging batteries.

Say we define a box called an "emitter box". Suppose there's a hard-wired transporter network within the ship going to an emitter and both tractors and transporters are cabale of using the conduits?

That wouldn't be so bad.

By R. Brodie Nyboer (Radiocyborg) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 07:50 pm: Edit

D****T John! You got there before me! I was going to suggest the EMITTER (SSD: EMIT) box. This box would be an energy emitter that generates a tractor/pressor beam (do we have pressor beams?), a transporter beam, or a POWER beam. The function can change once every 16 or 32 impulses (pick one).

The Power Emitter function could supply non-warp as well as warp power (via the batteries or allocated?) to a designated unit within X hexes (e.g. 3 hexes). I'm not so sure about using it to emit warp movement power. The supplying unit would have to have a lock on the receiving unit (no recharge under cloak).

Would this box obviate the TRANSPORTER and TRACTOR boxes or would a ship be built with a couple of "back up" TRANS and TRACT boxes?

Also how about giving each LAB box its own Probe? Maybe Fed ships/otherwise-survey ships get two probes per lab box, etc.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 09:41 pm: Edit

John,

I agree. Self-recharging batteries might not be a bad idea. Maybe that should be moved to another thread, though.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 09:56 pm: Edit

RBN,

We can invent a pressor beam if we want...

What do we want it to do?

Perhaps as some kind of "stiff arm" that won't allow ships to close but doesn't grab them the way a tractor does.

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 11:29 pm: Edit

We discussed the self-recharging battery before. It doesn't work. It is just the equivalent of an APR that gets killed every time a battery is hit. Since every turn after turn 1 the Captain will find a way to spend the auto-regenerated power there is no functional difference between this and simply adding an APR box.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 11:40 pm: Edit

re: Self Charging Batteries.

Any idea where I posted my original proposal? I have is in my files and I can repost it.

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 04:58 am: Edit

Self recharging BTTY or for that matter self recharging Caps are little more than extra APRs added to the system...I'ld rather not go there.

Now some kind of unused energy shunting system, such as passing GSReo back to make negative tractor or tractor energy being rerouted to make transpoter energy, well that might be different adn do-able...we'ld have to limit it, say 3 times the MC of the vessel ( rounded off ) being the number of point of power that can be rerouted, and only from some systems to other, specifically from constant systems ( like movement and tractors and holding weapons ) to instantainious systems ( like Transporters and GSReo ( although with the existance of ED being around for so long, the capabilities of SSReo and GSReo may be more advanced than other systems ))

By R. Brodie Nyboer (Radiocyborg) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 12:06 pm: Edit

Yeah the Pressor Beam would keep two units "at arm's length." It pushes instead of pulls. I'm still thinking about it because the name itself smacks of TNG and I'm trying to avoid things like that.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 12:40 pm: Edit

Actually the term "pressor beam" has been used in sci-fi a lot. It's not Trek-specific.

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 12:44 pm: Edit

Don't you mean Repulsor beam?

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 01:24 pm: Edit

Actually no, but if web casters gave us Spider-man in space, I can do with adding Iron man.

By R. Brodie Nyboer (Radiocyborg) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 02:11 pm: Edit

Good call, Jeff. TNG calls is Repulsor so I'll call it Pressor. Still working on it but it would be a Tractor Beam/Emitter mode.

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 02:16 pm: Edit

But the Andromedans had a lock on the name "Tractor-Repulsor" long before TNG.

By Steven E. Ehrbar (See) on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 02:56 am: Edit

Well, no harm in speculating, but when I sent in a multi-system box proposal (six or seven years ago) I was told it was already designed. One might note that P6 says it's a rule SVC "always wanted to use" (emphasis added), which also implies that it's already written.

By Kenneth Jones (Kludge) on Sunday, August 03, 2003 - 02:12 pm: Edit

Who Knows what EVIL lurks in the minds of game designers.

By R. Brodie Nyboer (Radiocyborg) on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 11:55 pm: Edit

Okay, I'm sticking with the Emitter concept. A box that can be a tractor/pressor beam, transporter beam, and "energy transfer" beam. Could it also be used as a Scout Sensor? Perhaps a "buckler" type last-ditch (emergency powered) shield generator?

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 12:56 am: Edit

Some time ago I posted a similar idea about transfering power via tarctor beam. I still think it workable but perhaps there should have to be a working tractor on both ships.

By R. Brodie Nyboer (Radiocyborg) on Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 02:01 pm: Edit

I agree Loren, in fact I suggested a "back-up" box or two for Tracs and Trans. But the bulk of the work would be done by the Emitter boxes.