
-------- TML Message #674 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 674
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 89 12:48:07 EDT
From: ("William B. Morrison") morrison@pyr.gatech.edu


Date: Fri, 27 Oct 89 09:26:09 PDT
From: Bill Morrison (Coordinator) <morrison@pyr.gatech.edu>
Reply-To: morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: Traveller System Generation Group Digest V1 #1
To: traveller@dadla.wr.tek.com

Traveller System Generation Fri, 27 Oct 89       Volume 1 : Issue   1 

Today's Topics:
                         (And a proposal...)
                          3D space and usml
                          Area of Knowledge
                           Background? Me??
                                choice
                         Computer Background
        Discussion group membership and programming workload 
                  Gensec, Mapsub and more ramblings
                  In reponse to Bill's msg (2 msgs)
                                 Maps
                           Maps, maps, maps
                          Maps and 3D space
                Maps and 3D space (And a proposal...)
                                  ok
                               profile
                        Re: What we should do
               Request for background of group members
                            Starting point
         Welcome [Comments on what we should do & background]
               Welcome [What we should do & background]
             Welcome to the Star System Discussion Group
                        What's in the works...

***************************************************************************
** STAR SYSTEM DIGEST: star system generation, storage, and display.     **
** All followups on this topic should be sent to morrison@pyr.gatech.edu **
** They will be edited for clarity and resent to the Traveller Mailing   **
** List in a following digest.                                           **
***************************************************************************

First, I would like to give *much* thanks to Dan Corrin who made this 
issue of the Star System Generation Group digest possible by supplying
me with a copy of his mailbox after I blew mine away.

- --Bill Morrison
  morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
  Traveller Star System Group Coordinator
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: (And a proposal...)
<Bill>
>    1) That we integrate existing software into one comprehensive
>       package to generate systems in accordance with MegaTraveller
>       guidelines. The existing software that (I think) we should
>       integrate are James' mapsub program (PostScript output), and
>       the "real" system generator. We would have to tweak the ...

I disagree. I have difficulty following the "real" system generator,(RSG)
plus how do we put in the data for the major planet? I was thinking of the
opposite use MegaTraveller (and WBH) then add elements from the RSG or other
systems to make it a unique product.

> 
> Right now, we need a working prototype to give us something to play
> with. ...

Yes but we need some discussion to get the right prototype to start with.
perhaps a vote on some of the issues would give us a starting point...

- -Dan

- ------------------------------

From: burdick@hpindl1.hp.com
Subject: 3D space and usml
>Last, are we going to open the 3D can of worms? It wouldn't be
>*that* difficult to doand it would be easy to implement realistic
>stellar distances, but there are a *lot* of Jump-1 shipd out there
>that could very easily get stuck in the sectors that we would generate.

I like the idea of using 3D space, but haven't been able to figure out how
to create maps that are both interesting and readable.  I don't think that
Jump-1 ships would be affected too much, since the mean separation of stars
would not be changed.

All of this hierarchical universe-building sounds an awful lot like the
Universe Simulation Mailing List (usml-request@hc.dspo.gov).  For those of
you with internet access, try ftp'ing to hc.dspo.gov (192.12.184.4) to
check out the usml archives there.

                                                -matt

- ------------------------------

From: kstclair@jacobs.CS.ORST.EDU
Subject: Area of Knowledge
(A bit late, but...)

General:  Astronomy (college level, 1 year, plus casual reading)
          System formation/planetology (basic familiarity)
          Geology (formation of continents, landforms, etc; 1
            term, plus reading)

I have two VERY good textbooks on these subjects (the system formation
subsumed under astronomy); my experience is not deep, but I can do
basic reality checks.

Programming:  BASIC (several years, casual)
              PASCAL (2 terms)

Obviously, not a heavy programmer-type.
8 )

- ------------------------------

From: morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: Background? Me??
My turn. I received my BSICS (Information & Computer Science) almost
3 yrs. ago from Georgia Tech. I've been programming for about 7 yrs.
in Pascal, Modula-2, C, and FORTRAN. Most of my background is in
networking and software engineering. The project I'm on now has
me dabbling in X11R3 and systems programming. Simply put, the only
experience that I have that will be worthwhile to the effort will be
software engineering and I'm sure everyone else has the same experience there.

- --Bill

- ------------------------------

From: violin!plb@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Computer Background
uunet!allegra!violin!plb

[ stuff deleted ]
>> 
>> Now for my questions:
>> 
>> What machine is everyone working on...I have a sun 3/60 on my desk, and

Myself I am working on a HP 9000/850 super mini but I have access to all sorts
of Vaxes and 3Bxx machines.


>> 1) Political (only useful if sector/subsector is not owned by a single
>> government as most of the Imperium was)

A lot of my frontier worlds that lay outside the imperium (actually 99% of my 
own campaign) falls into that category.

>> 2) Jump maps - There is a section of the old rules describing the
>> connectivity of stars based on their starport and distance. I take this
>> to be a transportation map, which is significantly different from the
>> usual Xboat maps
>> 3) Trade maps - A lot of worlds are good trade partners while others aren't
>> (I think the trade and commerce group would like somthing like this with
>> all the good trade routes marked perhaps as weighted vectors?)

As well, some of my worlds have import quotas and restrictions.  In one of my 
worlds, tea is a very valuable commodity.  Too much of it imported at any one
time causes enough of an outflow of cash and goods to cause problems with the 
economy.  

>> 4) Navigation maps - Stuff as much data onto the map as possible for players
>> to make visual comparison of destination worlds (This is the closest to the

Here you would want to mark navigational beacons and the like as well as post 
the frequencies that are used by the starport control authorities as well as 
transponder requirements...

>> current maps)
>> 5) Strategic Maps - (This is still a foggy concept) Presumably the military
>> would want different information on their maps than the civilians...
>> 

Pete

- ------------------------------

From: macgyver@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: choice
	Like Bill, I am also in favor of the first choice. Except the project
leader is going to be difficult to pick. And it would be hard for the leader
to decide who does what too.

- ------------------------------

From: dan@engrg.uwo.ca
Subject: Computer Background
I have been programming in C for 7 years, none for C++. I have a B.Sc from
UWO, and I am finishing my Master's Thesis in a dual concentration:
Software Engineering and Computer Graphics. My specialty is Visual Programming
I have been on 3 fairly large projects, once as chief programmer, and once
as Project leader. (Note: I don't particularly want to lead this project.)
Most of my experience is on Sun's and a Vax750 running 4.2BSD. My current
project involves me with translating a set of UNIX programs to the PC (Ick).

	-Dan

- ------------------------------

From: morrison@pyr.gatech.edu
Subject: Discussion group membership and programming workload 
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6=@ u =  u = u = u = u = u ø  .+۾Q. =~r..TCYPSQ 2BJY 3X󫺸X.>b t.>t ú2                                                                                                                                                                                                          I                        I  \      X                    \                  =   =   ]  o      l                    o                  C      p                                                                                                                                                         !                                                 @   #                                                 D   %                                                 &   &                                                   '   '                                                 (   (                                                  )   -                                                  B   .   	                                               /   /     *      *                    *                  0   0   *  *      *                     *                  1   1   *  8      8                    8                  2   2   8  8      8                     8                  3   3   8  8      8                     8                  4   6   8  J      G                      J                  7   7   J  X      X                    X                  8   8   X  X      X                     X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      WV~F  FPvW* V|	~ uV^_ 3^_    WV~F  +FFF+ɉNVىV&9Ot
3^_ FFV&E
F=tnߌ&FNFVv&LN؉V^F&^&Gt:rك F^&;Gt%vތFv&|u~GrыC̐N^&G^&GF&D+j PV
/#V|FFF^&G
F^
&ǋV^_   WV~vWV}	V^_ F&u
vv
j V|؎F&E$Pvv
$ V|vv
FPWs ^_ UVvF
Pj jFPV&&_^ UVvF
Pj jFPV&&_^ UVvF
Pj jFPV&&_^   WV~
vF&D+҉FRPvWVu)NvN^&RPj vFPW&&_VV^_ o"  WV؋^F&w&|F ~)^_ˎF&GF&G&WFV &7k^.F
Vxڹ 3^_˸o"UWV؋FF
u  ^_ˋvF&\&F ~)^_ˎF&|Wvv
&t&t'^_˸o"  WV؋vF&\&F ~)^_ˎF&|Wvv
&t&t'V}V^_3^_˸o"  WV؋^F&w&|F ~)^_ˋF
F&w&D4N&L6F&w&D:uDF&G&WV&E&UFVF
v&D4F&G&WV&]&O63^_ːo"  WV؋~+FFFFF&]&9GF~)^_ːv
 t  ^_ˎF&]&GHF= w7.t묐//F&]&3G<%&1G<F&]&G:% = ؉Ft(F&E&UȉV&_&3G<%&1G<@ t@~ u:F&E&U؉Vn & ǋV- RP"FV} ~u_ƨtYF&E&U؉V ʉFNFj j j j j j FPjjǌ- RP&&_0V}	Rv?vvvv>O#V| ^&vvWjvvTE7#Vvv%ƋV^_ːo"  WV؋FFu  ^_ː~F&]&F ~)^_ˍFPF&u&u&]&&V}	V^_ːv
vvvFV RP6EV|3^_ːo"  WV؋FFu  ^_ː~F&]&F ~)^_ˍFPF&u&u&]&&Vt	V^_ːv
vvFV RPC^_˸o"  WV؋FF
u  ^_ː~F&]&F ~)^_ˎF&]&Ht名FPF&u&u&]&&V}	V^_ːvv
FV RPd7V|3^_ːo"  W؋FFu  _ː^&_&F ~
)_ˍFP^&w&w&_&&V|8v
vvFV RP"HV|jFV- RP7#ǋV_˸o""  WV؋FFu  ^_ː~]F^ތF&&F ~)^_ˍFPF&u&ub7#VtV^_ˍFPF&u&u7#VuvvFPj j j j j vv& 7#VuFu FPvj vvO#V}FΉF ~3IFFPVj FV RP/#FV}V`FV ؋&FFN~v3+vF RPVF7#FVF^&G3ȉVFىFtfFPvjvvO#V}
FΉF/^FV &ÉFNF^&G3ȉVF둍FP^&w&7&&&VtDv
vFV R