
-------- TML Message #1744 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1744
Date:     Fri, 9 Nov 90 15:40:38 EST
From: "J.R.Suckling" <bobs@crdec7.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  Digest Readers and the TML (was: Mail traffic)


There should be a way to make it easier for you to skip what you do not
want to read.  If you do not like to wade through stuff in a digest,
read on. This is for you.

If you do not like some of the articles you should take advantage of the
new format of this mailing list.  I asked our Administrator

	[ traveller-request@metolius.wr.tek.com (James Perkins)]

to change the format of the digest so that people could skip (or in my
case save) special articles.  The new format separates every article
with a line starting with `--'.  Any lines in articles that are
submitted with '--' starting lines have been changed to '- -' to
ensure that mail bursters can separate them properly.

With this change you will be able burst your digest into separate
articles.  Many mail readers know about this sort of thing. My mail
reader "msg", a part of MMDF, has a command '@' that bursts.  "MH"
(Mail Handler) also has a burst program.  You could even write a
program to burst a digest and mail the articles to your self, if
nothing else would work.

Good luck!	  And let the special interest groups keep
			their share of the TML.
==========
      ___                        < BobS @ ApgEA.Army.Mil >
 __  /   ` ,    U.S. Army Information Systems Command -- Aberdeen
'/_) \_   /_    J. Robert Suckling      / The opinions expressed are
/__)_(_)_/\)    ASQNC-TAB-T  E5234     / solely my own and do not reflect
       \        APG, Md,21010-5423    / U.S. Army policy or agreement.
   \___/        Work: (301)671-3927, 671-2496

[Heh, little did Bob know but one such answer is in an earlier message
of today's TML traffic -- James]

-------- TML Message #1745 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1745
From: "Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM>
Subject: Re: weapons skill redefinitions
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 90 14:48:45 PST

In TML subject 1719, Gary Schreiber writes:

>   I have been reading the comments on redoing the weapons skills, and I
>   have a point to bring up.  Does getting a skill with a weapon also give
>   you the capability to perform maintainence on it?  If so, then you have
>   to keep the skills seperated.  If not, then there should be a
>   Gunsmith Cascade skill for the various types of weapons(archaic,
>   revolvers, semi-autos, SMG's, MG's, Gauss, Laser, Plasma, Fusion,
>   Neural, etc).  This is something that must be considered if GNU
>   Traveller gets the go ahead.

..and in subject 1725, Jonathan Clark writes back:

> Gary Shreiber asks:
> 
>    Does getting a skill with a weapon also give
>    you the capability to perform maintainence on it?
> 
> In my system the answer is yes, a weapons skill includes the
> training to perform maintenance on that weapon, which is in
> accordance with current military training. It's the PCs
> problem if they forget to actually do the said maintenance...

I agree with this ONLY TO A POINT.  In the USMC, I was trained to fully
field-strip my M-16, so I could clean it and clear serious jams.  However,
if a component were to break, the best I could accomplish is to break down
the weapon, hopefuly locate the broken part, and then say, "Yup.  It's
busted."  I couldn't fix it unless I had another broken '16 to scavenge
from.  This wasn't normally the case. :-)  Even then, replacing some of
the parts requires special tools not normally available on a battlefield.

Therefore, I'd say that a specific weapons skill includes being able to
fieldstrip and clean your weapon, AND THAT'S ALL.  If a component is
broken, you take the weapon to a 'gunsmith' or, if you're in the service,
you have the company quartermaster replace it.

For high TL weapons, this gives fieldstripping a whole new meaning.  If
you're the squad heavy weapons operator (i.e. you carry a PGMP-15 while
everybody else carries laser rifles) then routine field maintenance probably
consists of daily barrel swaps, cleaning the weapon exterior, and checking
the connections from the powerpack to the weapon for damage and wear.
There is nothing to 'break down and clean' otherwise.  For a laser, all
you may have to do is clean the exterior, polish the lens apurture, and
check that the power cable is undamaged.  And so on...

I agree with Gary's initial proposal that there should probably be a Gunsmith
(or, more generically, 'Weaponsmith') Cascade skill for the various types of
weapons.  The catagories he suggests are:

> (archaic, revolvers, semi-autos, SMG's, MG's, Gauss, Laser, Plasma,
> Fusion, Neural, etc).

I think we could lump (revolvers, semi-autos, SMG's, MG's) into a single
catagory of ('chemically-propelled slug-thrower'), and combine (Plasma,
Fusion) into 'Heavy Energy Weapons' (since they, too, work on the same
principle).

Later,

        Mark F. Cook

USMail: User Interface Technical Support
        Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
        1000 NE Circle Blvd.  Corvallis, OR 97330

INTERNET: markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.com
UUCP:     {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc

-------- TML Message #1746 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1746
Date: Fri, 9 Nov 90 23:52:16 CST
From: Roger Opperman <oppr@cardiac-ra.swmed.utexas.edu>
Subject: TDR

A point --

If we're really going to do this right, we should include design
programs/spreadsheets for any vehicle, ship and character design
systems we come up with.  Combat programs wouldn't hurt either.  For
PCs and Macs (ugh).

I disagree with the idea of using TeX.  While it is free and powerful,
it is also cumbersome, hard to read and hard to learn.  (It does do
great equations, though).

Roger

-------- TML Message #1747 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1747
Date:     Sat, 10 Nov 90 15:16:08 EST
From: "Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil>
Subject:  Legged Vehicle Skill

It occurred to me recently that there
should really be a skill for legged vehicle drivers.  If there are separate
skills for tracks and wheels, there should be enough differences to justify
a "legged" skill.

Rob

-------- TML Message #1748 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1748
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 90 04:18:43 -0500
From: Palmer Davis <davisp@scl.cwru.edu>
Subject: responses to various ideas


About weapons skills: a very simple way to break down firearms skills is 
by the last three entries in the stats for the weapon: signature, recoil,
and "difficulty as."  This gives us:

Med/Med/Handgun: All types of revolvers, auto pistol, body pistol, SMG.
Med/Low/Handgun: Both kinds of snub pistols.
Low/Low/Handgun: Gauss pistols.
Hi/Hi/Rifle: All sorts of hunting rifles.
Hi/Med/Rifle: Shotgun and autoshotgun.
Hi/Lo/Rifle: Assault Rocket Launcher.
Med/Hi/Rifle: Light Assault Gun.
Med/Med/Rifle: Carbines, Rifles, Autorifles, Assault Rifles, ACR's.
Lo/Med/Rifle: Accelerator Rifle.
Lo/Lo/Rifle: Gauss Rifles.
Energy weapons can be lumped into two groups based on recoil.

The method I actually use is to keep the "official" weapon skills, treating
the weapon actually picked for the skill as the weapon the player is most
familiar with.  If the player wishes to use another weapon in a firefight
(or has to out of necessity), I take his skill level in the other weapon,
apply any tech level modifiers to the new weapon, and then subtract one from
the skill for each factor by which the new weapon differs from the weapon
in which the player has the skill.  If the new weapon is primarily a single-
shot weapon and the weapon in which the player has the skill is automatic,
I subtract an additional skill level, and vice versa.  Switching from energy
weapons to slugthrowers (or vice versa) costs two, but in this case the
automatic vs. single-shot modifier doesn't apply.  Frequently, the skill
level will be modified to below zero; I keep the result if it's no worse
than -3 and use it as a modifier rather than just throwing it out and 
penalizing the player a difficulty level for having no skill at all.  If the
player has several gun combat skills, the one yielding the best result
applies.  I also let these modifiers apply to the character creation process;
if a player has Combat Rifleman-2 and gets a level of Shotgun skill, he can
take it as Shotgun-2 rather than Shotgun-1 since the Rifle part of Combat
Rifleman would give him a Shotgun skill of 1 already.

- - -- PTD --

-------- TML Message #1749 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1749
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 90 21:39:24 -0900
From: George William Herbert <gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu>
Subject: Fixing Maneuver Drives...

W. Dow Reider says:
>Sounds like a reasonable explanation.  However, the problem isn't
>how the drive works, but what it does.  Reactionless drive (by any means)
>equals violation of conservation of energy.  There is no way around it - I
>tried to find one, and was finally able to prove that it was impossible.
>I used to have a lot of trouble with traveller's rather cavalier
>attitude towards physics, but I think an important distinction can be made.
Some of the physics violations are intentional, such as Jump drive,
>reactionless
>thrusters, etc.  These I am happy to accept as little black Physics
>Nullifier (tm)
>boxes attached to the relevant machinery, and are part of what makes the game
>fun.  However, a lot of the problems seem to be unintentional, such as the fact
>that you can get free energy out of a system consisting of TL15 fuel cells and
>a fuel purification plant.  Those I want to fix - it will help make the
>game more
>consistent.
>	Since some of the intentional violations will let you build perpetual
>motion machines, etc, my favorite explanation for why they don't work is
>a "nullifier interference field" generated by all those little black
>boxes...:-)

Re: newtonian violations...
	There's a neat explanation for how to get reactionless drives...
some work by one Robert L. Forward into negative matter shows that with
some negative-mass nearby you can move by interaction with the negative mass
but not using exhaust.  If you want to extrapolate those results into playing
with gravity i just bet that you can get away with reactionless drives.
	If anyone objects to the above i'll go pull Forwards paper and do it
the hard way 8-)

	Robert Dean thought that a straight thrust-based system would work 
better... I agree, but pose a question: is it worth introducing incompatability
if we have means to remain compatable ?


	Other problems (like the one mentioned above) need real fixes.


- - -george william herbert
gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu   OCF Staff

-------- TML Message #1750 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1750
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 90 21:48:02 -0900
From: George William Herbert <gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu>
Subject: What's Approved?: The TML Strikes Back...

>- -bertil-
>- --
>Capitol/Core (????-???????-?)                                 312-1120
>A navy spokessophont today revealed that the publication 'Fighting Ships of
>the Shattered Imperium' has been determined to originate on Terra/Solomani Rim.
>"It's bound to be an insidious Solomani plot to disrupt the Imperial Navy's
> acquisition programs. The navy is amazed that som many loyal citizens fell for
> it. After all, there is a statement on the back of the book that clearly
> states that it was printed in an provice on Terra!"

What, now the TML is denying the authorization of GDW products? 8-)

- - -george

"In late-breaking news from the pocket universe, Grandfather admitted to
having been converted to the new human religous fad, Bertillium.  Sources 
indicate that massive changes are expected..."

-------- TML Message #1751 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1751
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Black globes revisited
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 10:17:20 BST

"Robert S. Dean" <rsdean@crdec8.apgea.army.mil> writes:
> In any case, to refer to the current Travller black globe as "the ultimate
> defense" when it will eventually overload and destroy your ship in a huge
> explosion is, in my opinion, overstating the case a trifle.

I'd refer to the MT white globe as "the ultimate defense".  Getting one is
a neat trick, though! ;-)
>							      Now if someone
> who has the books handy can tell me how much energy the globe needs to be
> overloaded on, say a 100,000ton ship with a Jump-4 drive (I think we still
> use the jump drive as an energy sink even though the Starship Operators
> Manual has disallowed jumping using the stored energy) we could make a
> considered opinion.  

>From High Guard, as far as I can remember:

Tons of capacitors available = displacement of ship * jump no. * 0.5%
1 ton of capacitors stores 36 E.P.
1 E.P. = ??? MW

I say scrap that part of the Starship Operator's Manual.  High Guard said
you could use stored energy for jumping, or anything else which needed
energy.  Which meant that when I used a black globe, I usually ran as
much as possible off the stored energy, to reduce the chances of an
overload.  The most important calculation every turn was how much energy
I'd used, how much I'd absorbed, and thus whether or not I could afford
to keep the globe on next turn.

- - -- 
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

-------- TML Message #1752 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1752
From: Adrian Hurt <adrian@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk>
Subject: Weapon repairs
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 10:37:50 BST

"Mark F. Cook" <markc@hpcvss.cv.hp.COM> writes:
>	   I'd say that a specific weapons skill includes being able to
> fieldstrip and clean your weapon, AND THAT'S ALL.  If a component is
> broken, you take the weapon to a 'gunsmith' or, if you're in the service,
> you have the company quartermaster replace it.

The way I'd handle this in game terms is, the weapons skill allows you
to strip and clean the weapon, and replace components with other parts
taken intact from another weapon or a spares store.  The nature of the
component would dictate the task difficulty level; e.g. replacing a
piece of the trigger mechanism is not as easy as replacing the barrel.

Making new parts from a piece of metal comes under Mechanical skill.
Again, the difficulty level depends on the component, but will probably
be quite high - we're talking about precision machinery here.

> For high TL weapons, this gives fieldstripping a whole new meaning.
> ...
> There is nothing to 'break down and clean' otherwise.  For a laser, all
> you may have to do is clean the exterior, polish the lens apurture, and
> check that the power cable is undamaged.  And so on...

I don't know.  The trigger mechanism is now a switch, which could fail
and need to be replaced.  The power system probably has fuses, and can
also probably be dismantled into a few replaceable parts.  I'd expect
the gun to be designed to be dismantled into a few standard parts, e.g.
beam generator, sight, stock, trigger switch assembly, power cable,
power generator, power regulator, fuses.  Going much beyond that would
require Mechanical and/or Electronic skills, and possibly Engineering.

- - -- 
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cs
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   adrian@cs.hw.ac.uk

-------- TML Message #1753 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1753
From: Dave Johnson <D.M.Johnson@newcastle.ac.uk>
Subject: Black Globes and other things
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 14:06:39 WET

This is all from memory as I don't have the old High Guard rules with me at the
time,

        Black Globe generators were designed as an powerful defense system, the
draw backs however are fairly major.
        (1) At tech 15 when they are first introduced they are prototypes,
(Imperial Navy used an High Lighting Class ship to test one)... This gives next
possiblities for worrying players .. will the ship explode when it is turned
on, will it move to a different universe etc etc.
        (2) The Black Globe absorbs all forms of energy. It places a shield
around the ship and absorbs all forms of energy (as defined by Enstein) fired
at the ship. Also all forms of energy from the ship. This means means the ship
is part a of a nasty feedback loop as the ship provides the energy sinks for
the Globe, This means the Globe must flicker to remove the energy which is of a
form that is no good for anything on board. High Guard gives all the rules for
this (40% flicker rate remove 40% of the energy stored)
        (3) The tactical problem of use with the black globe is this. When the
Globe is turned on the ship can't fire, communicate or maneuver. The Ship
maintains it present direction and speed, so the opposite ship hjust predicates
the course of the target and fires when the ship drops its Globe to fire (or
maneuver). You may be invisable but this does not help if the target knows
where you were.
        The tactic suggested by High Guard was to enter the system with the
globe on and drift past the enemy and attack them from behind. (might work)

        Now my defense screen that I would is the personal white globe.


- - -------- Now for something completely different -------------------------

        If any one writes software to aid the traveller universe (weither the
orginal rules MT or RDT) could they try to make it fairly portable. I use a
basic Atari ST. I know most stuff is written in C but I don't have access to an
ANSI C complier only K&R. This is not a flame or a major gripe as most stuff
that complies on unix complies on my machine, (mine you some stuff I got would
complie on the unix machine I use). It is just a request that the author makes
it clear if the code uses any machine specific commands.

Keep up the good work

Cheers

Dave

- - --

+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| David M. Johnson                   | Janet : D.M.Johnson@uk.ac.newcastle    |
| c/o Electrical and Electronic Eng. | ARPA  : D.M.Johnson@newcastle.ac.uk    |
|     Merz Court                     | UUCP  : ...ukc!newcastle!D.M.Johnson   |
|     Newcastle University           |                                        |
|     Newcastle upon Tyne            |                                        |
|     NE1 7RU                        |                                        |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| 'There are only three just wars in American history: The American Civil War,|
| World War II and the Star Wars Trilogy,                                     |
|       Peace Dudes'                                                          |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+






-------- TML Message #1754 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1754
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 09:52:30 EST
From: Dan Corrin <dan@engrg.uwo.ca>
Subject: Postscript Pages with errata Fixes.


As I discussed in a previous message, I have duplicated the format
of the traveller manuals for updating pages with the errata.

I have one page available (referees' guide p 29) via anonymous ftp. 
(/pub/traveller/ref29.ps). 

If any of you without network access wants a copy send me some mail 
(dan@engrg.uwo.ca) and I will send you the file. Note however that it 
is large at 33K.

(BTW This is done on a UNIX machine (Sun), not a macintosh).

				-Dan

Dan Corrin, System Manager, Mechanical Engineering, UWO, London, Ontario
TML FTP site coordinator:  dan@engrg.uwo.ca   ...!watmath!julian!engrg!dan

-------- TML Message #1755 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1755
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 09:10:03 -0800
From: "Ted Kim (Random Dude" <tek@lanai.cs.ucla.edu>
Subject: burst

Ah, someone finally wrote a burst program for the digest.
I thought people would be stuck with my clunky program forever!

> As for bursting digests, I looked at Ted Kim's digest burster earlier
> today.  I realized that it is more complex than it needs to be, so I
> came up with one of my own.  It works great on the new-style digests and
> archive bundles.

In my own defense, I wasn't really sure about the digest format when I
wrote the program. Also, it was written before the new-style format.

But I do miss one feature from my program: my program printed a
message each time it sent an article. (It gives the idle user
something to watch while the program does its thing.)

On different subject: What do people think of the MT improvement
system (ATs and all that)?

- - -ted

Ted Kim                           Internet: tek@penzance.cs.ucla.edu
UCLA Computer Science Department  UUCP:     ...!{uunet|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!tek
3804C Boelter Hall                Phone:    (213)206-8696
Los Angeles, CA 90024             FAX:      (213)825-2273

-------- TML Message #1756 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1756
Subject: TDR, TeX, character generation
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 13:40:13 EST
From: Robert P Poole <tarquin@athena.mit.edu>

I don't recall who voted "no" on TeX, but I have to say this guy doesn't know
what he's talking about.  TeX is not cumbersome.  Sending proprietary files
formatted for one word processor or another and trying to convert them is
cumbersome.  With TeX, you send the source file as plain text, and the other
person can make instant use of it.  I assume that the people on this list are
intelligent enough to see the advantage of using the net to write this thing
up.

Also, for those who are ignorant, it is possible to create a .sty file for TeX
which takes care of the messy formatting business and creates easy-to-use
macros that anyone can learn.  In other words, you can do the following:

\documentstyle{travellerbook}

\begin{document}

[stick text in here]

\end{document}

and that's all she wrote.  I would even be willing to create such a file
and distribute it on the list.

Look, let's be fair and realistic.  Fair in that everyone who wants to should
be able to work on part of the project and have input.  Realistic in that if we
only let a few select people do the actual work, it will never get done.

About automating the generation rules:  Good.  I am glad someone suggested
this.  We should make executables available to PC and Mac users for character
generation, star system generation, starship design, and world map generation.
We should also make the sourcecode available for people to port to other
systems.

Character generation: The homeworld limitations of law level and tech level are
a good idea, but their implementation in MegaTraveller stinks.  Let's fix them,
and create a chart that clearly lists the minimum Law and Tech levels for each
skill.

Robert P. Poole                       tarquin@athena.mit.edu
46 Massachusetts Avenue               MIT Course VIII
311B Bexley Hall                      "We make Idols of our concepts, but
Cambridge, MA  02139                   wisdom is born of wonder."
                                         -- St. Gregory the Illuminator

-------- TML Message #1757 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1757
Date:     Mon, 12 Nov 90 11:12:44 PST
From: Orcinus orca <jokim@jarthur.claremont.edu>
Subject:  Re: Cargo

>From: FELLOWS STEVEN B -5 CR <sfellows@slate.mines.colorado.edu>
>
>  Someone mentioned that they could not understand why it would cost 
>different amounts of money to ship different material.  100 tonnes of feathers
>as oppossed to 100 tonnes of machine parts.  Well, in my system, it would cost
>more for the feathers, since they take up more volume.

Waitasec.  I thought 100 tons referred to volume, as in equivalent
volume of 100 tons of liquid hydrogen.  The rest of the ship is
designed using volume-tons and this makes it easy to figure out
how much space you have left in your cargo hold.

Incidently, this is kinda like the way merchant ships plying the
oceans in the real world are measured--volume in tons of water.
Why?  Something to do with how much weight your ship can hold
before it sinks.

Of course, I can't think of any similar justification for using
liquid hydrogen volume-tons in Traveller.  Maybe if you wanted
to land your ship on a really cold gas (liquid) giant.
- - --
John H. Kim
jokim@jarthur.claremont.edu
uunet!jarthur!jokim

-------- TML Message #1758 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1758
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 90 12:52 EST
From: Ministry of Silly Minds - Open for Business <GDS3939@ritvax.isc.rit.edu>
Subject: Re: Weapon regroupings...


    First of all, I would like to appologize to everyone for my screwup
    with my last mailing.  I accidentally send it to the wrong address.

    As to the content, I commented that skill with a weapon not only give
    skill in the use, but skill in the maintainence.  With this in mind, we
    should also consider how this effects the groupings of the weapons. 
    The revolver or even pistol skill should not be grouped with a gauss
    pistol skill because a large part of the training is going to include
    maintainence, especially in the case of the gauss pistol.  The gauss
    pistol's maintainence regime is COMPLETELY different from maintainence
    on a pistol or a revolver.  You don't have to worry about deposits from
    explosive components, but you do have to worry about electrical
    connections, magnetic alignment and magnetic timing.

    							Jedi Master

- - ---
\  _		Gary Schreiber			| Kelson Alaric
 \ |		241 Oakdale Dr.			| Barrony of Thescorre
  \|		Rochester, NY 1461		| Aethelmearc, EK
EMAIL: gds3939@ritvax.bitnet OR gds3939@vax{a,b,c,d,e}.isc.rit.edu
	OR gds3939@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
OTHER: gds3939@ultb.isc.rit.edu

-------- TML Message #1759 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1759
From: "Brent L. Woods" <woodsb@zoo.ecn.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: (1753) Black Globes and other things
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 1:21:24 EST



 In message 1753, D.M.Johnson@newcastle.ac.uk (Dave Johnson) writes:
 >
 >This is all from memory as I don't have the old High Guard rules with
 >me at the time,

     Fortunately, my copy was just across the room.  2nd Edition _High
Guard_, Copyright 1980 (1st printing), to be exact.  If you have the
first edition, your mileage may vary.  ;-)

 >        Black Globe generators were designed as an powerful defense
 >system, the draw backs however are fairly major.
 >        (1) At tech 15 when they are first introduced they are
 >prototypes, (Imperial Navy used an High Lighting Class ship to test
 >one)... This gives next possiblities for worrying players .. will the
 >ship explode when it is turned on, will it move to a different universe
 >etc etc.

     One small quibble.  "Prototype" isn't the best word to use.  I
think that "copy" would be more accurate.  The device wasn't developed
by Imperial (or any other contemporary) technology.  To quote from page
31 of _High Guard_:

          "Black globe generators are not available commercially; they
     are recovered artifacts installed on a makeshift basis or
     experimental versions installed on tech level 15 Imperial
     warships."

     Also, the behavior of the field is fairly well known--it won't
explode or "move to a different universe."  *It* won't--the capacitors
that it's connected to are a slightly different matter.  They might
explode if you overload them.  I've been playing Traveller for ten
years, and I've never heard this "move to a different universe" rumor.
Where did it come from?

 >        (2) The Black Globe absorbs all forms of energy. It places a
 >shield around the ship and absorbs all forms of energy (as defined by
 >Enstein) fired at the ship.

     Yes.  I don't know where Uncle Albert gets into this (I assume
you mean "Einstein" above), but that's what the black globe does.

 >Also all forms of energy from the ship.

     True, if someone on board the ship is stupid enough to fire a
weapon while the field is on.  However, since I'm sure the Captain of a
globe-equipped ship would take a dim view of this sort of asinine
behavior, it's probably a rare occurrence.  ;-)

 >This means means the ship is part a of a nasty feedback loop as the
 >ship provides the energy sinks for the Globe, This means the Globe must
 >flicker to remove the energy which is of a form that is no good for
 >anything on board. High Guard gives all the rules for this (40% flicker
 >rate remove 40% of the energy stored)

     Buzz!  Wrong answer.  Well, sort of wrong.  From page 42:

          "Since a black globe absorbs all energy, a ship with its field
     on is protected from all fire.  Unfortunately, the forcefield
     works in both directions; the ship may not fire, maneuver, or even
     see out.  These limitations would make the black globe of little
     value in battle if not for the ability of the field generator to
     flicker--switch the field on and off many times per second--giving
     the ship part-time protection while still allowing it to fire,
     maneuver, and track enemy ships during the "off" intervals.
     ...
          Energy striking a black globe screen is diverted to the ship's
     capacitors will hold 36 energy points.  When the screen is
     flickering, a percentage of the incoming energy equal to the
     flicker rate is absorbed."

when it comes to getting rid of the stored energy:

          "Stored energy may be removed from the capacitors by using
     it to power the ship.  Energy may only leave the ship, however, when
     the black globe is off (or during the off intervals of its flicker)."

     I always assumed that this meant using *any* system that used
energy:  weapons, drives, computer, etc.  If you have a large computer,
it *is* possible to get rid of a small amount of absorbed energy with
the field 100% on.  This assumes that the incoming energy is less than
or equal to the amount needed by internal systems.  On page 43, we have
the *really* fun sentence:

          "If a ship absorbs enough energy to make a jump, and is
     supplied with sufficient fuel, it may jump at the end of the turn."

     Of course, this can be dangerous.  If you overload your capacitors,
your ship is destroyed (by violently exploding capacitors, I guess).  I
imagine that it's not a very good idea if you only have your jump drive
capacitors available.

     Kids, these are trained professionals--don't try this at home.  :-)


- - --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu
USNAIL:  2818 S. Sunrise Dr.  /  New Palestine, IN  46163
PHONE:  +1 (317) 861-4844 (voice)


-------- TML Message #1760 --------

Archive-Message-Number: 1760
From: "Brent L. Woods" <woodsb@zoo.ecn.purdue.edu>
Subject: Re: (1756) TDR, TeX, character generation
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 90 1:28:09 EST



 In message 1756, tarquin@athena.mit.edu (Robert P. Poole) writes:
 >
 >I don't recall who voted "no" on TeX, but I have to say this guy
 >doesn't know what he's talking about.  TeX is not cumbersome.
 >Sending proprietary files formatted for one word processor or another
 >and trying to convert them is cumbersome.  With TeX, you send the
 >source file as plain text, and the other person can make instant use
 >of it.  I assume that the people on this list are intelligent enough
 >to see the advantage of using the net to write this thing up.

     How about a controversial suggestion?  Let's not use TeX.  Let's
not use *roff.  Let's not use postscript.  Let's not use a word
processor formatted file.

     Why don't we just use ordinary flat ASCII?  It can be moved from
machine to machine with relative ease, is easily mutable for use with
almost anything else (most word processors that I know of will import
flat ASCII text without too much trouble), and is easily *human
readable*, unlike most formatter source.

 >Look, let's be fair and realistic.  Fair in that everyone who wants
 >to should be able to work on part of the project and have input.
 >Realistic in that if we only let a few select people do the actual
 >work, it will never get done.

     I agree.  If we just use ASCII text, that makes it that much
easier for *everyone* to use, and you don't need any extra software
to use it.


- - --
     Brent

INTERNET:  woodsb@gn.ecn.purdue.edu
USNAIL:  2818 S. Sunrise Dr.  /  New Palestine, IN  46163
PHONE:  +1 (317) 861-4844 (voice)


-------- End of TML Messages --------

