Graviton Wave Projector
Abbreviation: GWP
By Eric Jimerson

V1.1 V1.2

The Graviton Wave Projector creates a gravity pressure wave, focuses it, and then directionally projects it forth into space, damaging everything in its path. The wave front widens as it moves away from its point of origination; the wider the wave spreads, the less damage it causes. This weapon is designed to be used in concert with the Momentary Singularity Generator (see concurrent proposal) but can stand alone.

Designation:
A Graviton Wave Projector is labeled GWP in the SSD. Each has an associated firing arc, as shown ion the SSD.. Each GWP box on the SSD represents one GWP; all GWPs on a ship are armed and operated separately.

Note that because of its nature and operation, the firing arcs for a GWP differ from standard firing arcs in that GWP arcs designate a shield direction (1,2,3,4,5,6) rather than a normal (LF, L, LR, RR, R, EF) arc. A GWP may fire through any of the shields designated as being within its arc.

GWPs are hit as drones on the DAC

Limitations
The number of GWPs a ship might mount is determined by size class:
SC4: 1
SC3: 2
SC2: 4
SC1: 6
SC5 and smaller units may not mount a GWP


Operation:
Arming:
-The GWP requires 2 points of warp power over each of two turns.
-The first turn of arming may be started and/or completed with reserve warp
-The second turn of arming must be allocated
-The GWP cannot be held; if not fired on the second turn of arming, a rolling delay is needed to keep the GWP ready to fire.

Firing:
The GPW creates a directed gravity wave that moves away from the point of firing, causing damage to most things in its path. As it moves, its wave front widens; as the wave front widens, the damage is causes is lessened.
-While not really direct-fire weapons, GWPs are fired during the direct fire weapons fire segment of the sequence of play, like most other DF weapons
-When fire is announced, the firing player notes the hex of the firing ship and the direction in which the GWP is fired. On the impulse the GPW is fired, it has no effect on anything. (Note that this will make it virtually impossible to damage a unit at R0 to the ship at the time of firing).
-GWPs from the same whip (or different ships in the same hex) may be fired at the same time in the same direction, but they will travel as separate waves in the same hex. These are referred to as ‘ripples’ (see below).
-GWPs cannot be fired under EM. They require AFC, but as they do not fire at a target, they do not neel lock-on to anything. They are unaffected by EW. Firing an GWP will void a cloak and a WW. The wave they generate ignores a cloaking device.

Movement of wave
-Every impulse after firing, the GWP wave front will move one hex in the direction of launch. As it moves, it behaves exactly as a Gravity Wave (P9.0), except as modified by these rules, and that it does not change the facing of units it hits.
-The center point of the wave is the ‘lead point’.
-As the GWP moves, its wave front widens. Every 4 hexes, the front will widen one hex on both ends, spreading from the lead point, trailing any existing wave endpoint, (example: ware traveling direction A, wave would grow in direction C and E).
-Waves expand before as they move- they damage objects in the hex they enter, but not the hex they leave.
-The wave will always travel in the direction it was projected- the ‘lead’ point of the wave will never turn or sideslip.
-The movement of a wave cannot be voluntarily stopped. Once projected, the wave moves until it dissipates.

Wave overlap
-Waves that cross to not affect one another. Units in a hex where 2 or more waves cross are damaged by all such waves.
-Since the timing of the wave(s) and the relative position of the units in a hex are variable, determine the order of impact for each wave onto each unit randomly.
-This random determination does not in any way specify the relative positions of units in a hex, except for the purposes of determining the order in which waves strike a unit. This may result in unusual or illogical situations where units may seem to be struck out of order, but this can be attributed to random variations in the shape of the wave front.


Effect:
Damage
-The GWP wave damages everything in the hex it enters, exactly as a Gravity Wave, except as modified in these rules.
-The wave will damage the two shields facing it with a number of damage points equal to its strength (see table). Note that this damage is per shield, not total damage divided over 2 shields.
-Should a unit be struck by the ‘lead point’ of the wave, the damage to the single facing shield is as per the table below; each of the adjacent shields will take ½ damage (see table). This procedure applies to any unit struck by a 1-hex wide GWP.

Wave Strength
-Wave strength is a function of the breadth of the wave, which is a function of the distance the wave has moved.

Range Width Strength 1/2
1>3 1 36 18
4>7 3 12 6
8>11 5 7 4
12>15 7 5 3
16>19 9 4 2
20 11 3 2


Ripples
-Ripples are 2 or more parallel waves traveling in the same hex. These can de created in any number of ways - by a ship firing one or ore of is GWPs at the same time in the same direction, 2 or more ship sin the same hex firing 1 or more of their GWPS at the same time in the same direction, or a ship firing a GWP in the same direction as a wave in its hex (presumably having just taken damage from it), of any number of other possibilities.
-In all cases, these ripples are tracked and handled separately – while moving in the same hex, they are far enough apart that they will impact on a unit at different times. The net effect is that their sequenced impacts will have no adverse effect on shielding, but the repeated hammering on a ship’s hull will resonate and will ‘magnify’ the effect of the wave on said hull.
-Damage inflicted by ripples are resolved in the order the waves were launched, oldest first. If multiple waves were fired at the same time, their order of launched must be specified at the time of launch, even if from separate units.
-Internal damage caused by ripples are treated as separate volleys; phaser restrictions as usual.

By Daniel G. Knipfer (Dgknipfer) on Wednesday, March 02, 2005 - 10:04 pm: Edit

Let me get this strait, 4 points of power to do 72 total points of damage to every ship it hits within range 3? 36 points of damage to the facing shield of every ship within range 3? And it auto-hits? Do I have that right? Is this a serious proposal?

By eric jimerson (Lord_Errock) on Wednesday, March 02, 2005 - 10:56 pm: Edit

Not just every ship, but every thing.

And it doesnt auto-hit - you can get out of its way.

Of course, power requirements / damage output can be adjusted. Too much damage? Cut it back. Too little power? Increase it. IMHO, the fact you can dodge it at close range necessitates the high damge output.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, March 02, 2005 - 11:09 pm: Edit

Eric Jimerson;

Drones can't get out of the way. Like a T-bomb, this technology can sweep an unlimited number of drones. But a T-bomb can only do it if the drones are all clustered together. One GWP can sweep huge numbers of drones even if the drones are string launched. And unlike T-bombs, this could also be used against plasma torpedos (P9.312), which also won't move out of the way.

In short, the technology is death to races that depend heavily on seeking weapons.

By Jeff Tonglet (Blackbeard) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 12:36 am: Edit

Takes the same energy as a single photon, moves at speed 32, and causes 36 damage at range 1-3?
If it starts out as an 8 point wave, instead of 36, you might have the start of something here.

Refit a fleet, replacing 2 of the heavy weapons on each ship with one of these.
Now try cracking a retrograde when 10 ships fire one of these at the same time....

Range 8 (from the firing point, not where the ships are now), 10 waves cause 70 damage. Plus the cruisers still have 2 heavy weapons each to work with.

By William Curtis Soder (Ghyuka) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 12:39 am: Edit

Eric:
I have to agree with Alan. This weapon, as stated, with blast everything else to shreds. You can't dodge this weapon as well as you state. Especially since you link it to your other proposal which limits movement. All ya gotta do is ground some poor fool with the MSG and then its over. This will whipe the map of drones at a range of 15 to 19 over an area of 7 to 9 hexes across. Let alone what it will do to fighters.

By David Slatter (Davidas) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 05:51 am: Edit

This is a tremendous weapon. It is so massive in output and damage that it would require a dreadnought to mount just one of them and then probably not have much else in weaponry. If you looked at it in that manner, it might just about be legit. I would think of it as an alternative to a mauler weapon, probably costing something like 6-8 power for each of three turns to arm, and having 3-4 boxes on the SSD (it's that big).
As for "dodging", bases can't dodge, and this would really be a base's nemesis. No EW can help the base. Fighters supporting the base get blown away unless the run off (exposing the base).

Note that having driven off all the supporting fighters with your gravity wave, your drone wave that immediately follows is that little bit more exciting for the base. ( a WW is more or less forced if the drone wave is significant).

By Daniel G. Knipfer (Dgknipfer) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 07:00 am: Edit

Type R torps are bad enough. They cost 9 points for up to 50 damage but can be avoided, phasered, WW'ed, affected by EW, but they only affect one target (except shotguns) and they take 3 turns to arm.

Your GWP takes less than half that power, does more than half that damage, takes only 2 turns to arm, and affects everything in its path. If you nail a fleet of 10 ships at range 15 you do 50 points of damage to ships plus he can't launch drones, shuttles, fighters, or PFs. And that's from one GWP. The more units your opponent has the more powerful and cost efficient your weapon becomes. Sorry but that's just insane.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 09:41 am: Edit

I have a problem with the concept... (yeah, I cant beleive I'm typing this!)

The only "thing" we know of that creates a gravity wave is a black hole (and infact if you look up the definition of a "singularity" you will find a reference to the effects of a black hole)...

so... a ship equipped with this device, (the graviton wave projector) is creating a minature (sic) black hole singularity from inside the ships hull that projects a directional gravity wave of a specified force level (based on range in hexes from the ship) that has the ability to affect ships which presumably are equipped with artificial gravity and warp drives similar to that of the launching ship, while at the same time the launching ship is unaffected by that same singularity/minature black hole....

I'm seeing a disconnect here...either the GWP is so strong that the target units are affected... in which case the firing ships should also be susceptible to the weapon... or the ship systems of the GWP firing ship are strong enough to prevent the "artificial" black hole singularity from having any effect which would imply that the targets should also be uneffected.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 09:41 am: Edit

A world of no.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 09:45 am: Edit

I'd have to agree.

Too powerful and not balanced for "nice Game playing".

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 10:17 am: Edit

Fire the Wave Motion Gun!

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 10:41 am: Edit

What's a Wave Motion Gun?

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 10:50 am: Edit

YAMATO, HASSHIN!

We're leeeeeeaving Mother Eeeeeeearth, we're saaaaaailing into spaaaaaace, to saaaaave the human raaaaaace...

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 10:59 am: Edit

Michael Powers;

Ummm... I was hoping for an answer a bit less cryptic. Although IIRC there was an anime series (movie?, OVA? - not really sure which) in which the Yamato was raised and somehow turned into a space ship. Never saw it so I'm not sure of the details. Was the Wave Motion Gun something from that series?

By Martin Read (Amethyst_Cat) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 11:01 am: Edit

Yes. Space Battleship Yamato; the WMG was one of the pieces of equipment added to the Yamato.

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 11:08 am: Edit

Captain Avatar, nooooooo!

(I thought everyone knew about Star Blazers! Apparently not.)

The Wave Motion Gun was the original super beam cannon that destroyed entire battlefleets with one shot. The concept became a staple of sci-fi anime (and, like most things, it was eventually a cliche.) I'm not sure, but it could have been one inspiration for SFB's mauler.

By William Curtis Soder (Ghyuka) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 11:18 am: Edit

One possible way this weapon could be integrated into the game system is to treat it much like the SFG. Very limited availability (one ship per fleet), replacing multiple mounts on the ship (at least 3 or 4) and very power hungry (5 points per turn or more). Even then, I'd lower it's damage range to at least half of what you've got. That's just for starters. I'm sure it would get gelded far worse during playtest as it's full potential gets noticed by players, who always seem to find novel ways to fully take advantage of a weapons usefulness.
Jeff: Ya know, I remember typing something along the lines of 'having a problem with man-made objects creating an effect like a force of nature like the black hole' in the Gravity Mine thread and I second that here. This weapon can have potential, but just like the gravity mine, needs to be toned down to fit within the constrains of the damage system for playability.

By Dale Lloyd Fields (Dylkha) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 11:48 am: Edit

This has nothing to do with the mechanics of this proposal, I just thought I'd break in with a physics note. Gravitational waves actually come from everything. The Earth-Sun system produces gravitational waves. Just very weak. Interactions between various categories of black holes and other dense objects are just the typical producer of powerful gravitational waves in nature. So if you observe the universe in gravitational waves, the first thing you will be able to see are black hole (supermassive or stellar) mergers or neutron star mergers, etc.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 12:19 pm: Edit

William Curtis Soder:

Yeah, I remember...

The difference (I think) is generating the Black hole effect remotely (as in the case of a mine) and creating one within the confines of a star ship...

To have a Black hole onboard ship, you have to have some way to contain it...say a force field of some sort...

then you say you want to direct it out in a specific direction, shield facing or weapons arc... but not have the now released black hole affect the ship that it is located in (on?!?) but never the less have a directional aperture for the black hole to "Spill" out its gravitational / graviton wave infuences to...

shades of Wesley Crusher doing advanced Nano technology experiments in the comfort and privacy of his quarters while working on a school assignment...

Which takes me back to my point... if a ship based force field is strong enough to contain the black hole...why couldnt the target ships force field (shields) keep it immune to the GWP in the first place?

the Gravity mine was not intended for ship board use... its sort of like the early expermentation that went on back in the 1950's with nuclear weapons... at one point the us army designed a hand held grenade for infantry use... knowing that there was no human arm capable of throwing the device a distance that would have been far enough to provide a safe margin for the soldier "pulling the pin".

I agree that such a device is conceivable in SFB terms... but I question whether it could be safe enough for use aboard a starship.

I could see it as another mission for the venerable admin shuttle... instead of a staisis field holding a matter anti matter explosive stable for a suicide shuttle attack...substitute a singularity into the staisis field so that when the shuttle is destroyed or the field is released a gravity wave is released...

Then again, there would be not way to revocer the shuttle after the fact... 2 BPV's down the drain...

By William Curtis Soder (Ghyuka) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 12:58 pm: Edit

Jeff: But after discussion on the gravity mine, it was decided to lower the effects to balance it for the in-game effects. Oh yeah, I agree with you about the ship generation compared to the mine. The ship has to protect itself, while the mine consumes itself with the creation of the wave. Still, even the shuttle idea should not create as powerful a wave. It would have to be at least half the detonation strength of a suicide shuttle to compensate for the advantage of the wave effect.
I remember creating a Plasma Wave Generator for a minor race like 15 years ago that worked very much like this. We had a hellova time trying to balance it with our playtesting and eventually scrapped it.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 04:21 pm: Edit

Well, I can see why you had a hard time trying to find a balance for it...the conditions change with advances in things like larger shields (such as the BATS and Starbases received during the general war with shield refits) and higher operating speeds...such a GWP would be devastating against early years ships or even (to a lesser extent) pre General War middle years ships.

I just dont see how you could make it directional without giving the defense (with supposedly a similar tech level) some way to compensate for it...

I am not sure the shuttle idea is workable...if you use the same approach we used for the Gravity Mine... you start with a 18 point force level and a 50% degradation rate you get a spherical wave (not a directional zoned weapon) that inflicts 18 points of force damage in the hex of detonation, 9 points force level damage at range 1, 5 points of force level damage at range 2, 3 points at range 3, 2 points at range 4, 1 point at range 5 and 0 at range 6.

The problem with the shuttle gets worse if you hold the theory that the stasis field is what holds the singularity back... so destroying the Gravity/Suicide shuttle simply releases the Gravity wave...which is what you were trying to prevent by destroying it... (presuming you thought it was a Suicide Assault shuttle with a 18 point warhead, in the first place.)

The thing about the gravity mine was it was assumed that the force level started at the strength of the explosive mines... the "control" was the BPV adjustment be ten times more than what mines normally cost.

If we carry the Gravity shuttle idea forward, the special staisis field equipent being so much more expensive than what was used for the suicide assault shuttle would be 20 BPV's compared to 2 BPV points and so many warp energy points over 3 turns...

By William Curtis Soder (Ghyuka) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 06:45 pm: Edit

Jeff: Originally the Plasma Wave Generator was for drone and attrition unit defense. Kinda like an expanding ESG.
As for the shuttle, I was just gonna suggest that that you'd have to give it a special BPV cost. I also think that you should limit the number of shuttles so equiped in each scenario similar to the limitation on MRS availiability.

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Thursday, March 03, 2005 - 09:47 pm: Edit

An expanding expanding sphere generator? 0.o

By David Slatter (Davidas) on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 05:21 am: Edit

An EESG seems more do-able. The Lyrans can already choose the range of thier ESG, and one could perhaps say they invent one which persistently expands and also has directionality.

Another thing about an EESG would be that the total damage is does is limited. (e.g. at R10 it might have 20 strength, while that is not EW affected, and can hit mutiple units, it still only does a total of 20 damage, and slug drones can really put a crimp in it).

By Michael Powers (Mtpowers) on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 07:19 am: Edit

Does the EESG need a PIN number to activate it?

By Conan Alexander Brodowski (Conanjaguar) on Friday, July 22, 2022 - 11:38 am: Edit

Hey Erik, do I have your permission to recycle this into something of my own creation?