Archive through November 14, 2004
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board:
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Archive through November 14, 2004
Daniel,
Ken's post seemed to indicate you might be talking about 2X. Just looking for clarification, so that we can all be on the same page; no need to get upset or anything.
Loren,
I agree. My point (as well as John's) supports that idea...namely, that as they become more settled, they won't have that refugee mentality anymore. Isolationist and paranoid, yes.
Ken,
Yeah, I sort of agree. But I think that the Neo-type hulls are significantly good enough to warrant an interest in building them if they can. I figure that's one hurdle they ought to be able to overcome, if they have a mind to do so. If, however, your approach is taken - and there is no reason whatever to not to try it - then a new type PC would have to be designed, with the other combined hulls being based on it. I wouldn't mind seeing examples of both, for those with the interest. Personally, I'm leaning toward the Archeo-style, myself, and have been playing a bit with a PC armed double-hull cruiser. Might post it later; gotta get my head back into X2 stuff, as it's been awhile since I did anything with it.
Loren,
That was just an example. Instead of grafting multiple hulls together, building larger single-wedges. Even being able to produce a MC=1/2 version of a PC hull (not bits glued together, a single, solid hull) that could be doubled and tripled would help a lot.
The Tholians are squeezed into a little corner because they have such limited construction options. Even a little change benefits them greatly.
What if the Tholians and the Federation negotiated a "co-prosperity" region?
The Tholians generally thrive on planets where typical Feds can't and vice versa. So let's say the Federation allows the Tholians to develop worlds friendly to them in a region of Fed space of equal size and adjacent to the Tholian's holdfast space and the Tholians allow likewise for the Feds within the holdfast. Neither side is allowed to block development of the other on a "treaty" world but can limit access to a "home" world in the same star system.
Maybe the treaty allows sharing of space stations or even starbases, or maybe not. Whatever. Basically the Tholian and Feds would pretty much "pass each other in space" peacefully without really having to interact with each other except in emergencies.
It would probably change Orion activity in that region. It would definitely urinate off the Klingons and Romulans since they couldn't share that space (and create a larger barrier between them thanks to the heavier patrolled space).
This is something I'm thinking would be post-OpU though it doesn't have to be.
Any thoughts?
Mike: Not upset. Just confused :D
Another thought:
If the Tholians can build a Dyson sphere they can move to another galaxy, what if they "unlocked" the secret to building a mobile starbase?
Basically the thing is a starbase (probably modified quite a bit) that can move a very slow warp speed. It wouldn't be fast enough to pose a serious threat to someone else's space but it would be fast enough to protect the Tholians' space.
If they ever built such a thing and tried to invade with it the defenders would be able to see it coming and hit it with everything they have. Likewise an aggressor might be compelled to stay out of Tholian space if that thing could appear in their rear lines.
RBN: Since you asked.
Tholians don't really thrive on planets anymore. Teir atmospheric needs are quite specific and their homeworld is very far away and I think bad things happened to it.
They can build bases on nearly any planet a human can and can be fairly comfortable (in their base) where humans would be very uncomfortable.
It sounds almost like building a Starbase in enemy teritory would be faster. 
Seriously though, Starbases a tough as nails once their possitional stabilizers are on-line but they are no designed to handle the stresses of moving (except for very short distances). Such a Starbase as you suggest would have to be an entirely different design, probably spherical and have one heck of an integrity field (such as one based of web?).
I don't expect SVC will think much on it though. Also, such a thing would/could appear as agressive on the Tholians part and invite invasion.
John: I know but I took the opertunity to share some of the logic hashed out during the creation of the Tholian BB story (between SPP and I). A lot of background had to be hashed out before making some of the simplest scenes.
Loren: Bad things happened to it, or they simply took it apart to make the first sphere.
No they didn't take it apart but I think going into detail would violate my charter. Besides, nothing is out of draft so it wouldn't be fact anyway.
Loren: Okie dokie. Just mentioned that since it's the usual example of how a race constructs a sphere. Should be intresting then to see what you came up with :D
Loren,
I've read you CL28 story.
While you're an amateur, you did something a lot of professional authors fail to do: Get me to care about the main character. It was good stuff.
Quote:By the time the Tholians reach X2, they might be able to build new forges.
By definition that's got to happen sooner or later.
Just so you know, hull plates are hot rolled into plates and then cut and then rolled into curved forms.
Fortunately steel can be rolled in more than one dimension so naval architects no longer need worry about conical and cylinderical development.
Quote:I agree. My point (as well as John's) supports that idea...namely, that as they become more settled, they won't have that refugee mentality anymore. Isolationist and paranoid, yes.
At what point did modern day Israel become an Isolationist state rather than a refugee state...I think you'll find it helps you draw the line for the Tholians.
Thanks John. That is very high praise as that is a writers ultimate goal. I need such encuragement. I hope you'll like the second story which is in SVC's hands now, which continues the life of Korgan.
Regarding my amature status, I hope to change that sooner than later. It will be a slow process but eventually...well, I hope, I hope.
(I'm sick of construction. I grew up in it and it came to me very easily. It doesn't challeng me anymore. I enjoy the adulation I get from customers but the actual works bores me to frustration these last few years.)
Loren,
I feel much the same way about the tech field. yeah I'm good with hardware and software but I want to *create*, dammit.
Bah. I'll just take a job where they don't fire me seven hours after they find out about my medical problems. Being unemployed sucks.
Tholian mobile base? You mean like this?
Yikes!
Here's a listing of the ships I'm working on and will send to Mike R in a day or two.
DXDA Stasis DXD -1 Done
T7X Tug -1 x Done
D5PX PFT -2 x To Be started
D5XDA Stasis D5XD -2 Design IMPOSSIBLITY
FXD DB SC -2 In progress
D5XS D5 SC -3 DONE
DWUX DCS RTN Hunter -3 Done
FXL FWL of FX -3 In Progress
DNX -4 To Be started
BCHX -5 In Progress
I made a new type of station to replace the SAMS. It is a 2 pod station that can accept 2 augmentation units. It also has 2 docking ports for repair and resupply freighters. It is more survivalable than a SAMS and can function as resupply and repair node.
I designed it for OpU. It would be the most forward supply and command postion; behind the fleet and ahead of the Mobile base.
While it is an X station a non-X tech repair ship could dock with it to service and resupply GW tech ships.
Also it would find use in galaxy as alot of the SBs and BATS are gone.
http://www.vorlonagent.com/sfb/x1/joecarlson/FED%20XSAMS-v3.GIF
I've written off the D5XDA as a bad idea. It's a SC DB and it wouldn't make any sense for it to close to point blank range to use the SFG.
A D5XA is do able but that falls under the obvious variant rule.
The C8X is in the same boat as being an obvious variant and probably not needed to be designed by us.
The FXD (SC DB) I'll take a stab at it, at a later time.
The bloody UDX and TGX took a LOT longer than I had time budgeted for them, so that's why the FXD and C8X haven't been done.
Some of you guys asked about when this might happen. I don't have an answer but I can tell you how the answer will be derived.
This product needs counters. Counters are printed in batches. We don't do (or need to do) a product with counters more than about once a quarter, maybe three times a year. We have counters in the warehouse now for C5 Magellanics and F2 Vudar and those will probably carry us through the spring.
We need a "big origins product" and that means printing counters. If that product is a part of the fed commander series it will use larger counters and we won't be doing a batch of counters for SFB products until August. If the "big origins product" is an SFB release then we will have to do a batch of counters in May covering probably 4 products.
Those four products come from a fairly obvious and well known list, including X1R, Y2, R11, R12, R13, Omega-5, and Omega-6. I'd say that Omega-5/6 are leading that pack but that does leave other slots.
SVC:
Just out of curiosity, did poundal drones ever get published?
If so then there may need to be a note in X1R about type VII and VIII drones using the poundal drone concept.
Even if it's just a line that type VII & VIII drones never had a poundal drone ability until after the X1 period and a post in one of the X2 topics saying we could possibly give organise a poundal-effect for an X2 drone because logically the researchers would have asked, "what was nea in the past???...can we make it happen again withg the new drone frames".
If they didn't get published then we can leave the X1 period rules for the publication whenever/if-ever they do get published ( even if it's just; "The varriable speed drone motors are incompatible with poundal drone concept and melt due to the delicate parts mating with the hire fuel-burn-rate."
I guess I'm part of the 10% this time, but what is a "poundal drone"? I did a keyword search and found several references to it, but somehow I missed the one that defined "poundal drone".
I don't have any clue what a poundal drone is.
It's a drone with a unique drive system, consisting of a burly fellow with a sledgehammer and a spacesuit who pounds on the back of the drone to drive it through space.
