NationStates Jolt Archive

all ooc:

Well, i have recently started playing FT and the first thing that hit me was the sheer multitude of... well... stuff. The main annoyance was the dimensions thing, like 'the warp' in w40k or hyperspace in star wars, and the sheer ammount of varieties and new 'dimensions' that cause all sorts of problems between comparing technology.

Therefore, i have started to write this proposal to make a dictionary, for use in RPs, to explain how any 'dimension' is on of three realistic dimensions but renamed. Hopefully, these three will cover all the tech from a vast variety of sources so no-ones stuff is rendered impossible, but everyones stuff is easily comparible.

Space
This is space. Not much more to it, really, this is simply the 'normal world'

Hyperspace
This is an empty dimension that correlates directly to 'Real' Space. It is packed full of unknown atoms called 'Tachyons' that constantly travel faster than light. To travel FTL, a hyperspace drive must put the ship into hyperspace, as by the theory of relativity, it is impossible to accelerate to the speed of light.
In this dimension, there are 'Tachyon Currents', three dimensional tubes that hold tachyons moving many times FTL. These would allow much faster travel, but to enter the current the ship must be at the same co-ordinates in real space.

Sub-Space
This is the strangest of the three and has earnt its nickname as 'The Warp'. Intelligent entities have been briefly analysed, but are only actively researched by a select few races. Storms within 'the warp' frequently block FTL travel through it that would normally work by either maze-like tunnels called 'the webway' by some that work similar to tachyon currents, and by simply flying by the Sub-Space's twisted physics you can go many times FTL. Traveling by 'webway' is no faster, but impervious to storms and entities.

AKA

Hyperspace is also known as;
Foldspace
Superspace
Jump Space
Slipspace

Sub-Space is also known as;
The Warp

So what do you think? I believe that every 'dimension' featured in any sci-fi can be categorised by the above with very little or no alterations. I am merely looking for an alternative to hundreds of n00bs making words up to outdo far superior galactic powers.

If you have any new additions of information/properties for the above 'dimensions' feel free to add them below.

Foldspace

Clicky (http://www.nastidyne.com/aif/technobabble/babble-foldspace.html)

It's funny, because I had the very same idea just last night.

But I felt that people are just using different names for the same thing.
To make a standard list mandatory might be a little extreme, (For any kind of RP. Even public ones.) as people chose to call whatever they call sub-space, "sub-space" because they prefered that term to any other.

I think that if we have main categories and list what each person calls it, then we can avoid confusion without requiring them to abandon their particular style of terminology.

Foldspace is simply Hyperspace. gates have been known to create a rift between Real Space and Hyper Space to create instant FTL travel between any two points. since all tachyons in hyperspace are constantly traveling many hundreds FTL, it would be almost instant through gates as they would be most likely set up between Real Space and a Hyper Space Tachyon Current, so speeds have been known to regularly exceed 1 million times FTL within these currents.

good enough?

in that case, mr second poster-man, i shall add an aka section, where people can look for the equivalent of their dimension.

everything you ever wanted to know about science fiction "space" and more can be found here...

Tough Guide to the Known Galaxy
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/lyonesse/spaceguide.htm

Atomic Rocket Space War
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/index.html

both sites talk about feasibility, storytelling ease, and are full of Future Tech jargon...

also fun
Starship Dimensions (from practically every book and movie most people have likely heard of)
http://www.merzo.net/index.html

hope those help

not exactly what i was looking for, but the ship thing is cool. i have decided to not make this mandatory but simply to provide a 'dictionary' to help people who are confused with different names for the same things, as Kayanges said.

a really good list of ways to travel outside of 'normal' space can be found here..

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3v.html

along with the examples from whatever story they are used in.

Personally, I like jump space for 'folding space' technologies (examples are Star Wars, Dune) , and warp space for 'Star Trek' style travel

thats very good, but is actually just methods of breaching the 'barrier' and getting into another dimension (or at least the bit i read). i am mainly looking for any variant of the above found in anything that i can list in the aka section.

New thing for you: the Mobius Continuum. It's another dimension, sorta, where time and space do not exist. And since space-time does not exist there, it exists everywhere and everywhen. Very hard to get into, though...

If this gets enough support, then I hope to make regulation to the three dimensions mandatory in public RPs.

I like the idea of working defining these technologies better and covering them in detail, perhaps even coming to the conclusion that they use the same travel only in different ways...

However, I don't feel that making it "mandatory" for people to only use these three transport methods is in the interest of nationstates RPing. Afterall, there are thousands of different nations who each have their own ideas on how everything works, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some nations who use magic spells like "Teleport" only on a larger scale to do their FTL travel, which could use damn near any explaination for their travel.

You won't find a moderator willing to enforce any ruling this thread came up with and "enough support" is really hard to say as there are thousands of players who use the forums for RPing and many many more who use the main site... the best you could get is a group of RPers who agree to use this interpretation, but beyond that there isn't really a way of forcing your view of how space travel works on to another nation... it's all down to their opinion.

Personally Iuthia is just about developing Hyperspace, personally I wouldn't agree to mandatory limits on how many forms of FTL travel there are as it seriously undermines Freeform roleplay.

Foldspace

Clicky (http://www.nastidyne.com/aif/technobabble/babble-foldspace.html)

I didn't know this thread existed, nor even was looking, and it still sounded a heck of a lot like what I've been using all along, minus the limitation factors, and use the Ascendant Star Maps to plot a coordinate literally at will.

But I've been thinking even before I saw this thread of the limiter factors (The bending twig theorm was a new thought..) that it could be defeated by a system targeting such a Fold point, 'if they knew where to target'. The most likely canadite would be near a strategic point or important planet.

...hmm, might begin thoughts on a counter Fold system of my own for the White Diamond Homeworld System. =^^=

As you can see, I'm not one for limiting anything. I just did a thread with the Celsanid nation where they used wholly organic vessels that traverses a form of foldspace through magical means.

So I don't sit well with limiting anything, but rather let the user make their own rules, and try to let them set their 'own' limits. There's more vectors to an rp besides warships, space travel and wars.

Rps can be as varied as the stars themselves.

I didn't like the limitations either, but those aside, I thought that was a very well written description of Foldspace.

Here's one: Slipspace. I believe there are variations of this that allow for travel THROUGH realspace matter, as if it doesn't exist. You slip through celestial objects, making it easier to calculate a jump.

Sounds like the Wing Commander jump system used to go through gravity jump points like their quasars.

But that's moi.. =^^=

i said clearly later in the thread that instead of making it mandatory, i just want a dictionary for people to see what someones tech does, if i get enough AKAs

And slipspace is hyperspace, as there is no 'matter' in hyperspace, only tachyons

Personally, I would suggest worrying about dimensions on a case by case basis, rather than trying to catalog them all at once, or not really concerning yourself with them at all. The nature of the dimension an entity has just exited from is rarely an important part of an RP.

That being said, Balrogga and I seem to be the only nations I know of that utilize Dimensional Tech in any real measure beyond travel. So chances are, if there's anything you need to know about the things we can do in an RP, we'll tell ya.