Thought we could use a thread to discuss suspension of disbelief in the Thrive Universe, as well as what is and is not overpowered. Granted, @StealthStyle has the final say on things, but discussion helps achieve consensus and avoid disputes.
To get things started, here are some techs I was interested in the Directorate at least making some headway into, both of which assume FTL communication is possible:
Spacetime Radar: This attempts to use one-way FTL energy projections to detect the presence of vessels in systems where the only surveillance is distant telescopes (by the time light reaches them, the vessels would have left). This could theoretically be done by using streams of “tether” particles to bring the transmitted waves back to the transmitter, allowing an image to be obtained from how quickly the waves were reflected.
Warp Artillery: Large weapons need large ships to hold them. However, having to share room, power, and heat dispersal with equally-scaled FTL drives, sublight thusters, and other systems makes fielding them difficult. Instead, high-intensity beams could be transmitted by the same principles as FTL communication, mounted onto immense artillery batteries that, unlike warships, are most effective when not present in the actual battle. If using the above “radar” is infeasible, then ships in the battle itself could serve as spotters, sending the firing coordinates to the battery directly. Alternatively, unique “spotter drones” could grip the target’s hull, then relay their own location (i.e. the target’s) to the battery.
The question is though, which FTL-method are we going to use? Because things like these will not work for something like the warp-drive (The FTL-method used in Star Trek, which works something like this: When activated, the warp-drive will teleport the ship to a different dimension, where going FTL is possible (I think, might be wrong))
Actually, warp manipulates spacetime around a mass so that it can travel faster than light without actually breaching lightspeed, since speed becomes relative (more than usual, at least). Or you can be like the Glinderrac and just bring the destination closer to you (again, relatively), AKA use wormholes.
What you’re thinking of is hyperspace, the kind of FTL used in Star Wars. Ironically, it’s called “the Warp” in Warhammer 40k, which can be slightly confusing.
Wait… if the hyperspace idea comes from Star Wars, then how was the FTL-ram scene possible? it would be pretty difficult to ram someone while being in another dimension. Was it just one of those “screw physics” moments?
It could be due to an overlap of warpspace and realspace created by the drive, which would separate on a longer journey.
However, these tactics are hindered by the ranges at which spacecraft fight, and if we’re going with mito’s “warp artillery” concept, you might not see it except in late in the stage, where ships are much more profuse.
I think the use of large artillery batteries in space would be possible, but not for ship on ship fights. Imagine using a Barret .50 Cal to try and kill a fly. You aren’t going to hit it directly but the shockwave coming from the bullet might kill the fly and if you did manage to hit the fly with the bullet itself that bug is just completely gone. Not to mention the fact that in order to move something of serious mass in space you would need a lot of fuel just to aim the damn thing let alone fire it. And if you were to set up the battery at a long enough distance to compensate for this downside you would be so far away that by the time your shot hit its mark the ship would be long gone or would have changed course. So while something of this magnitude would be possible to make it would mainly be effective as an orbital cannon that can annihilate any target on the planet’s surface or used on other “static” objects like a mothership’s mothership. (things that can’t avoid the shot) No matter what you do this type of weapon would be more like a bomber in WWII and be surrounded by fighter planes because it can’t fight them on it’s own.
Summary
This tech would only be useful for species that want to conquer other advanced creatures’ planets
What about something like Minecraft’s Nether, where if you go inside, you travel farther distances in the overworld if you hook up portals around the map.
So this could essentially be done in a FTL situation, you enter another dimension where distances are different compared to each other, and then drop back into the main dimension and there you have it.
KikyGames
(The Collector Of Useless Information)
10
U described warp travel and us humans have done it but with a single atom
Anyway, I was thinking of making a creature for TU; however, I am too lazy to do so. Therefore, I’ll present my little vewy vewy simple concept of xeno-reproduction.
LAWKI suggests that most species have two biological genders : male and female. The male individual is the one generating the male gametes (spermatozoids) and the female individual, the female gametes (ova). Both gametes have to fusion with each other to form the zygote, which will become the embryo. It should be noted that both gametes possess 50% of their generator’s genome.
Alternatively, there could be the “same” genders but with different types of gametes or reproduction units. The male individual could have a reproductive needle that would inject different strands of nucleic acids instead of spermatozoids. The female’s equivalent of an ovum could be just an empty shell, waiting to receive one of the strands. Once it is received, the zygote has been formed. In other words, the male is the only generator of the gene, probably relying on mutations for diversity.
I haven’t given any details on what nucleic acids would be used as I want to give creators the liberty of using this idea in their own way.
I like this idea! I MIGHT decide to try and make a creature like this, but considering that the TU is essentially dead right now it might not happen.
1 Like
Deathwake
(i nuked zenzone and will never let him forget it)
14
RANDOM NECROPOSTING!
That would make the female sex evolutionarily selected against because they cannot pass on their genes.
A variant that could work would be to h have the egg lacking 80% of the required genetic material, and have each male input 20% more DNA, allowing for the interesting notion of biological forced polygamy.
I see this as also causing sexual selection in the males to trick the females into letting them mate more than once, and the female’s resisting the change. This could result in scarily effective olfactory senses to the point that they could in effect read ones mind and near mind control based on chemical means.
I think that this would work quite well, but, it is possible to use your original idea, if the females contribute the endosymbiots; chloroplasts mitochondria and the like.
An interesting concept then arises: what if we combined the female endosymbiotic inheritance from your idea with the partial genome forced polygamy idea i had?
Imagine now that after a female received DNA from four males, she implants her zygote into a third sex, the receiver, which contributes nothing to the genes of the offspring but supplies all the parasites.
Anyways bye, this thread is dead, (hey, that rhymes!) but whatever.
