Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- technology [2017/04/06 22:25]
gm_michael created
+++ technology [2017/04/13 22:01] (current)
gm_michael
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Technology ======
-Technology is much more advanced than in the present, with almost all unskilled labour in central areas of the empire performed by various robots. Unfortunately the prison is not such a well-off area, and beyond what the inhabitants brought with them built-in, access to any remotely new or expensive technology is severely limited.
+Technology is much more advanced than in the present, with almost all unskilled labour in central areas of the empire performed by various robots. Unfortunately, the prison is not such a well-off area, and beyond what the inhabitants brought with them built-in, access to any remotely new or expensive technology is severely limited.
 ===== Cybernetics =====
-Cybernetics are an extension of one's body. They are broken down into two categories; Body and Senses. Physical enhancements can include weaponry, but facility inmates are likely to have advanced weaponry disabled and ammunition confiscated.
+Cybernetics are an extension of one's body. They are broken down into two categories: Body and Senses. Physical enhancements can include weaponry, but facility inmates are likely to have advanced weaponry disabled and ammunition confiscated.
-Although cybernetics could in theory do anything machinery is capable of, there are several practical restrictions beyond just cost. If the amount of power drawn is greater than what the host's blood can provide, the implant would need regular charging, both inconvenient and risky unless you can be certain of never being stuck without a power source. There are of course also safety considerations, as being permanently attached to a piece of heavy machinery carries a high risk of injury eventually.
+Although cybernetics could in theory do anything machinery is capable of, there are several practical restrictions beyond just cost. If the amount of power drawn is greater than what can be produced internally or stored on battery, the cybernetic will not work. There are of course also safety considerations, as being permanently attached to a piece of heavy machinery carries a high risk of eventual injury.
 ===== Travel =====
-Although interstellar travel is necessary for the settlement of new territory, its uses are still rather limited by its great expense, discomfort and inconvenience. Regular trips are available for a price between many of the settled star systems, but such trips are generally taken only for very good reasons, as few can accept the isolation caused by everyone they know living several years that they didn't. Some also find it disorienting to have spent a matter of hours on a ship and disembark to find that several years have passed. The prisoners of course have little choice in the matter, and it's perfectly possible that after having served 5 years of sentence and being sent home at nearly the speed of light, if they happen to not live nearby a convict will find that they've missed decades of their family's lives.
+{{   space_elevator.jpg?300|picture by UGW }} Although interstellar travel is necessary for the settlement of new territory, its uses are still rather limited by its great expense, discomfort and inconvenience. Regular trips are available for a price between many of the settled star systems, but such trips are generally taken only for very good reasons, as few can accept the isolation caused by everyone they know living several years that they didn't. Some also find it disorienting to have spent a matter of hours on a ship and disembark to find that several years have passed. The prisoners of course have little choice in the matter, and it's perfectly possible that, if they happen to not live nearby, after having served 5 years of sentence and being sent home at nearly the speed of light, a convict will find that they've missed decades of their family's lives.
+The ships themselves don't land on the planets, but instead slow to non-relativistic speeds when approaching the planet, and drop any passengers and goods at the tether station for a space elevator((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator)) for transport down to the surface.
+On newly colonised planets, the tether station is deployed as a priority and a drop pod sent down with the resources and personnel needed to anchor the cable.  Initially, the tether station also serves as a communication hub for the planet, housing the FTL communications systems and coordinating the satellites used during the terraforming process.
-The ships themselves don't land on the planets, but instead drop any passengers and goods at the tether station for a space elevator((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator)) for transport down to the surface.  On newly colonised planets, the tether station is deployed as a priority and a drop pod sent down with the resources and personnel needed to anchor the cable.  Initially, the tether station also serves as a communication hub for the planet, housing the FTL communications systems and coordinating the satellites used during the terraforming process.
 ===== Communication =====
-All civiilizations are spanned by networks of delicate channels through which information can be sent faster than light. Although theoretically there is no lower limit on the round-trip time for such communications, it's usually kept at around a minute per link for safety. The Elysian and Tel networks currently don't quite meet in the middle, so any communication either way is subject to a few months' delay by the inconsistent radio links near the front line.
+All civilisations are spanned by networks of delicate channels through which information can be sent faster than light. These communications are point-to-point, as broadcast is possible but requires a colossal amount of energy.  Both the sending and receiving array must be outside of a planetary atmosphere in order to send a meaningful signal. The known Elysian and Tel networks currently don't quite meet in the middle, so any communication either way is subject to a few months' delay by the inconsistent radio links near the front line - though there are rumours of hidden communications relays used by agents on either side.
-In addition to this there are radio broadcasts of important information, to keep new colonies and interstellar ships in transit mostly up-to-date. This is still being received by the prison, but the information is currently 3 years behind what was already known when the faster-than-light link was damaged.
+Ships in transit can only receive simple data, which is generally limited to emergency announcements only (e.g. to avoid natural disasters in their path).
 ===== Weapons =====
-The most widely available weapons in game are likely to be equivalent to a modern level of technology, or slightly more advanced. This includes tasers (helpful both for non-lethal damage and for disrupting cybernetics), guns, and melee weapons such as knives, but does not generally include highly futuristic weapons such as laser guns. Personal weapons can be either handheld or implanted as cybernetic enhancements, with a similar level of effectiveness in either case.
+The most widely available weapons in game are likely to be equivalent to a modern level of technology, or slightly more advanced. This includes tasers (helpful both for non-lethal damage and for disrupting cybernetics), guns, and melee weapons such as knives, but does not include highly futuristic weapons such as laser guns. Personal weapons can be either handheld or implanted as cybernetic enhancements, with a similar level of effectiveness in either case.
+===== Health =====
+Short term diseases are uncommon, and generally easily treated. Most long-term diseases are manageable, either by cybernetic, prosthetic, or biological options. Medical advances both before and after the Exodus have led to a much longer life for all of humanity - people can generally be expected to live for 150 years, with their working life extending until they are around 140. With a healthy lifestyle and some luck people can live to over 200.

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools