Roleplaying Communications

[Maltay (OP)]

How do people roleplay communications?  For example, I could conceive of jump gates as providing real-time communications between solar systems, though only if both sides of the jump point have a jump gate.  Otherwise, I imagine utilizing a jump capable starship as a courier, jumping back and forth between solar systems to carry communications.  What do other players use as standards and assumptions?

[UnLimiTeD]

You pretty much named the two most common approaches.
If you you really want to RP, keep in mind light speed is probably the fastest a message can travel innersystem (for the cracks)

[praguepride]

What are couriers supposed to be used for?
What does the "send message" fleet order do?

[Hawkeye]

What are couriers supposed to be used for?
What does the "send message" fleet order do?

Jump capable couriers are just that - couriers. I.e. carrying messages (or officers) from system A to system B.
Not jump capable couriers can transport officers or teams geo-, xenology, for example within a system or through a jumpgate network. Messages can either be assumed to be send through the jumpgate net, or you can assume the jumpgates are not capable of such a thing and you still need a courier to deliver a message.

Send Message can be used as a tool to reminde you of something.
What I do often is, when I order a jumpgate builder to build a gate, he will get a a send message "Jumpgate Sol-Alpha Centauri finished" This message will be displayed in the log, so I know which gate has been finished. (you only get a "Construction ship XXX has finished its order" otherwise)
Also in a communication roleplay situation, like, a survey fleet of mine gets ambushed by precursors and some manage to escape. I sent the fleet home and once they reach either Sol or a system within the jumpgate net, they send a message like "hostile aliens in system XXX". From that moment on I know "officially" that there are aliens there.

[welchbloke]

Also in a communication roleplay situation, like, a survey fleet of mine gets ambushed by precursors and some manage to escape. I sent the fleet home and once they reach either Sol or a system within the jumpgate net, they send a message like "hostile aliens in system XXX". From that moment on I know "officially" that there are aliens there.

This what I use the send message command for.  I use it to let me know when I can react to an event such as combat, alien contact etc

[Maltay (OP)]

I was thinking further on  how the physics should work per my own interpretation.

A starship with a jump drive or a jump gate can create a one-way portal from a jump point in a solar system to the corresponding jump point in a connected solar system.  To that effect, if starships with jump drives or jump gates are situated at both the jump point in a solar system and the corresponding jump point in a connected solar system, it does not create a two-way portal.  Instead, it creates two one-way portals.

This mechanism established, provided there is a starship with a jump drive or a jump gate on a jump point in a solar system, communications can then be sent through the resultant portal to the connected solar system.  However, communications cannot also be received from the connected solar system barring a similar portal creation mechanism in place on the connected solar system's corresponding jump point.

This would allow one to setup one-way, or even two-way communications chains between task groups and headquarters through judicious placement of starships with jump drives on jump points in connected solar systems.   I believe a one-way version of this was demonstrated when Steve roleplayed the campaign against one of the NPRs during his Trans-Newtonian game.

In my mind, this clearly delineates multiple roles for jump drive equipped starships.  For example, one could design starships for the purpose of opening portals large enough for task groups to travel to connected solar systems, courier starships for the purpose of carrying communications from distant solar systems to more civilized areas or to transport personnel between connected solar systems, or even very small starships for the sole purpose of establishing communications chains between task groups and headquarters during military campaigns.

Any thoughts or interpretations from other players?

[sloanjh]

In my mind, this clearly delineates multiple roles for jump drive equipped starships even outside the realms of surveys and the military.  For example, one could design starships for the purpose of opening portals large enough for task groups to travel to connected solar systems, courier starships for the purpose of carrying communications from distant solar systems to more civilized areas or to transport personnel between connected solar systems, or even very small starships for the sole purpose of establishing communications chains between task groups and headquarters during military campaigns.

Any thoughts or interpretations from other players?

This is what I do, although there have been two rules changes that make this simpler:

1)  The new "standard transit" rules.  From my point of view, a jump ship now holds open a 2-way wormhole - this is because it doesn't matter which side of the wormhole your jump ship is parked when you're using it in "bridge" mode (see the recent "automating jumps" (or whatever it's called) thread over the last day or two in this board).  Jump gates are still 1-way (in my opinion), though, because you need one on each side.

2)  You can now build "single ship standard transit" small jump drives - this allows one to make small (1kton) "jump scouts" (or even jump if you replace the sensors with an engine).  It used to be that the smallest jump engine you could build was for roughly 3kton ships, so it didn't make sense to build small jump ships.

So what I used to do is park a jump ship on the WP, that acted both as a "bridge" and as a link in the communication chain.  I then pretended that the jump ship was jumping back and forth across the WP on some sort of regular communication schedule that I wasn't tracking (e.g. every few hours).  I now do the same thing, except that I pretend that it's simply keeping a wormhole open.

I also like to park a small, cheap, picket on the "inside" (closer to homeworld) side of every warp point.  These jump ships accumulate messages from the pickets and relay them in to the HW.

John

John

[Maltay (OP)]

So a starship with a jump drive creates a two-way portal across corresponding jump points between connected solar systems.  This allows one to place a starship with a jump drive on either of the corresponding jump points of two connected solar systems and effectively enable two-way communications between the connected solar systems.

On the other hand, a jump gate appears to be one way.  You must have a jump gate on each of the corresponding jump points of two connected solar systems in order to enable two-way communications using jump gates.  Thus a jump gate creates a one-way portal.

I suppose the argument could be made that a jump gate is a permanent one-way portal.  Whereas a starship with a jump drive creates a temporary two-way portal.  However, there is no delay in retrieving starships from a connected solar system when using a starship with a jump drive.  To that effect, a starship with a jump drive stationed on a jump point must keep a two-way portal open at all times between the corresponding jump points of the connected solar systems.

Only if the starship with the jump drive were to move off of the jump point would communications be lost with any forces in the connected solar system.

The down time for active sensors is the first artifact.  A jump gate must create a much more stable and calm one-way portal than the two-way portal created by a starship with a jump drive.  While this does not impact communications, it does impact starship movement between corresponding jump points of connected solar systems.

A commercial jump drive being incapable of moving a military starship between corresponding jump points of connected solar systems is the second artifact.  Once again, this does not impact communications.  However, while I cannot think of a viable reason for this restriction off the top of my head; I trust thinking on it for a few minutes would provide a plethora of theoretical reasons that are probably better left undefined for the sake of enjoying the game.

[The Shadow]

Since jump drives can be small now, could one even imagine a jump-capable buoy?

[UnLimiTeD]

2nd
Though then it's possible on missiles, too.
I would honestly love jump capable missiles with a little sensor to clear jump points before an assault, or atleast keep their beams busy^^.

[The Shadow]

2nd
Though then it's possible on missiles, too.
I would honestly love jump capable missiles with a little sensor to clear jump points before an assault, or atleast keep their beams busy^^.

Hrm, good point.  That's probably why it isn't done.

[AndonSage]

What does the "send message" fleet order do?

This function sounds very useful, but I can't find where it is located

[sloanjh]

What does the "send message" fleet order do?

This function sounds very useful, but I can't find where it is located

Go to the 1st tab of the F12 screen, and select a location (e.g. Mars).  "Send message" or "send message at" or something like that should show up as one of the orders.  This will tell your TG to move to that location then send the message.

John