Scientific Suggestions

[matheus.de.alcantara]

Hello, and welcome to the one and only, not that official, Lua-powered, Matthew's Crazy Scientific Suggestions!

Table of Contents

1. Fusion Reactors & Other Means of Power Generation
2. Ship Transportation
3. Player Transportation
   
4. Weapons
5. Misc. Physical & Relativistic Effects

1. Fusion Reactors and Other Means of Power Generation

• Nuclear Power is divided, in my form of organization, in 2 types of usable energy : Fusion and Fission. As you can guess, or know, fusion reactors use magnets or a laser to heat a certain collection of atoms to gigantic temperatures so when they collide they fuse together, adding their atomic mass together and releasing mass energy in the form of neutrons and heat. The downside of nuclear fusion is that it requires a huge amount of power to start. Nuclear fission reactors, on the other side, split heavy atoms or isotopes into smaller parts using what is known as a neutron gun. Fission reactors require the neutron gun, that can be an in-game assembly, such as a multiple blocks structure, or a handheld weapon and fuel that could be mined.
• Solar power, that uses the photons that the sun emits, consists of using photovoltaic cells ( more commonly known as solar panels ) to create energy. "Photovoltaics (PV) is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect"
• Star power . Diving into the realms of science fiction, a star power plant, or, as named after mr. Freeman Dyson, a Dyson Sphere is a giant structure built around a star to absorb all forms of radiation created by a star. In theory, you could start pushing a star arround with a powerful enough magnetic containment field.

"Pictures, Matt, Or it didn't happen!", I hear you typing in the comments, and for that I say,

Picture 1 - Tokamak (Magnetic Confinement) reactor

Picture 2 - COCRUS nuclear reactor core

Picture 3 - Solar panel, made from individual PV cells.

 

[SgtFlexxx]

Im good with sticking with the simple starmade, maybe this could work for a mod, but seems too complex for the basic starmade.

 

[aceface]

Im good with sticking with the simple starmade, maybe this could work for a mod, but seems too complex for the basic starmade.

agreed

 

[testkil]

we could maybe do the first image with the new activator blocks

 

[Elit3]

I'm especially liking the solar panels. The game's lighting is so retardedly bright one solar panel should do the trick.

 

[NeonSturm]

I'm especially liking the solar panels. The game's lighting is so retardedly bright one solar panel should do the trick.

lol. In sun sectors the light is brighter ofc.
In sun sectors 1 solar-panel should be cost-efficient. Though cooling in space is not very fast.

Plants are about 1.5 to 3 times as efficient human created solar-panels as of 2012.
Maybe we can in future use chemical energy created with molecules from plants to make more efficient and cheaper solar-panels.

Cold fusion does not require much starting power.
AFAIK Some peoples claimed a patent about nickel?-hydrogen fusion which generates 10 MW per cell with a cell being about 10 cubic centimetres and being safe because it requires electricity (water->oxygen/hydrogen) as input and produces heat as output.

Maybe in future we will be able to use heat as direct energy source. Not just pressure differences caused by heat level differences.
That would make cooling in space so much easier (not only via the slow process of thermal radiation).

 

[moontheman]

I'm especially liking the solar panels. The game's lighting is so retardedly bright one solar panel should do the trick.

I'm not sure if it's "retarded" but it is bright. Although there is not much in the vacuum of space to block the light of the suns. Solar panels would be a nice aesthetic feature for a modern space ship.
I like the idea of different types of energy sources, consumable fuel and configurable "reactors".

 

[Elit3]

I'm not sure if it's "retarded" but it is bright. Although there is not much in the vacuum of space to block the light of the suns. Solar panels would be a nice aesthetic feature for a modern space ship.
I like the idea of different types of energy sources, consumable fuel and configurable "reactors".

I'd just like the light levels lower, so I could actually see the hull of my ship.

 

[ante185]

I'd just like the light levels lower, so I could actually see the hull of my ship.

Turn down bloom a bit maybe?

 

[testkil]

Turn down bloom a bit maybe?

you can select lighten too on advanced build mode its better for your eyes ^^

 

[Elit3]

you can select lighten too on advanced build mode its better for your eyes ^^

I've just found out about this a few hours ago. It's pretty helpful. Also, I don't even have bloom on.

 

[testkil]

I've just found out about this a few hours ago. It's pretty helpful. Also, I don't even have bloom on.

yes me to

 

[RoyalWolfe]

holy derailed topic batman!

seriously guys this is a suggestion thread, about alternative power sources, and you go on about lighting. back on topic please!
I like to be open minded about things like this, you guys apparently hate originality, because the first thing you do when coming across something you don't like, is to kill it with troll comments.

I personally, do find the current power system adequate, but a bit lacking as well. it has a few problems, the one most prominent being, is that in concept it is supposed to be scalable to power requirement versus component sizes. This would work, if each block did have an even power requirement setting, one stat that never changes regardless of what is done to the block, and that setting was subject to functions of the particular block type. basically the numbers of X power blocks, versus Y component blocks, all go exponentially up, based upon this unchanging stat.

As it currently is, with the thruster system, in the public launcher current build (not in the test build, I realize it's fucking changing!), it obviously does not work this way. And that my friends, shows how obviously flawed this system is. you can in practice not theory, try it in a base unmodded build, but you could easily make a ship that has a maximum thrust that ignores the power requirement all together. essentially break it. this is shown when you have a generator that recharges so fast that it appears to flicker on the tip of the power UI on the bottom of the screen. that is by a code standpoint a broken line of code, which is not supposed to be possible by the intended systems definition. Ive done this myself several times. it is possible, and you can test it for yourself.

all that can be fixed eventually. but schema is working on that, and it takes time I get that.

I'm thinking about suggesting we start adding new parameters to that system, so that these problems can eventually be fixed all together. I suggest that we get some varied power types that provide different bonuses and disadvantages as well. the one thing that usually derails topics like this are power, VS ship size, VS Thruster power. schema is going to be changing to a new system that will fix that soon. but what I'm suggesting is maybe we need a power system that scales according to both of those factors. if you build a ship x size, use x generator type, if you build a ship with x thrust, use y generator type, and so on.

 

[matheus.de.alcantara]

About propulsion...
I'M NOT SUGGESTING WARP DRIVES!!

I'm suggestion neutron field acceleration drives.

"Wut de wut?" I hear the skepticism dripping from the comments..

WARNING
NOTHING BELOW THIS POINT IS ACTUALLY 'SCIENTIFIC'
This is just good old speculation. The idea is, you project a field of neutrons arround your ship, that can also be used to boost the shields. Once that field is in place, you can just start accelerating, and KABLAM! no speed limit.

The other thing, is, ofc, WARP DRIVES, no speed limit, better thrusters.

 

[rece ktore leczo]

matheus.de.alcantara

Please don't post anymore with font size changed every sentence, underlining and bolding random words and suggesting something You actually don't want in the game.


Even if it's a joke then at least put some effort in it, so it would be funny and readable, don't spoil the forum.

 

[Admiralkio]

Maybe A certain scientific rail gun..
Rail guns!
(+1 to anyone who gets the anime reference)

 

[Visitor]

I actually like the idea of more advanced, fiddle-able power and propulsion systems. In fact it's what drove many people away from Starmade to other, similar products. While I understand that many want simplicity, I wouldn't throw the idea away too easily since it can be solved in a way to make all parties happy - whether through introduction of alternative/pro/advanced mode or through ability for players to acquire/buy premade systems that they only need to put into their ship/station without wondering how it actually works.