Posted by: The Forbidden
« on: October 19, 2019, 06:52:45 AM »After starting to dig into plausible technologies for the next century (the current pet project of mine) I feel that somehow the tech tree of Aurora C# could use a some refreshing. For example Nuclear Pulse propulsion, I now realize that is based on the Orion project and the torchships sci-fi trope. Perhaps there is room for improvements or at least alternatives, like adding solid core nuclear thermal propulsion?
That's just an example, but there are others. What about the various FTL means of travel? Will we always be restricted to use wormholes, or a FTL propulsion, Alcubierre-style can also be added to the game?
I see you coming ... "the game is defined by nodes, which are wormholes, no way Steve can add another mode". Can he? Yes I believe that's easy to do. Just have the FTL ship disappear from the game during the time he travels to another system. Factor its speed, check the distance in light years between the 2 system (a distance already in the game, right), and then once the time is elapsed, makes it "pop" into the new system, in some plausible spots. No need for a new "map" or much new coding ...
But that's just two examples. My main point is that perhaps Aurora C# can benefit from a kind of face lift on the tech tree ...
For the FTL thing ? No. I don't think so. Aurora is heavily inspired by Starfire, at least it's early editions, and one of the key features of jump points is that they have few, if any, relation to realspace distance. A jump point in sol could take you to Alpha Centauri, Barnard's star, the center of the galaxy or even in one of the outer clouds. And so far from what I've seen Aurora ascribe by that philosophy. Not only that but having to actually make a realspace map of the galaxy around sol would be an absolute pain in the ass, and basically the other FTL would create another new game, where defending jump nodes or point is utterly meaningless and jump shock means nothing. So no, I don't think so.
