Alternate jump time

[RandyT0001]

I was thinking (yes, I get these light bulbs in my head, most die of loneliness) about a new variation on the ol' jump drive. In the OTU a ship with a jump drive 6 takes a week, 168 hours +/- 10% to make a jump, even a jump of one hex (or parsec). Now suppose that the time a jump 6 drive takes to make that jump of one hex (one parsec) takes only 1/6 the normal time, one day, four hours +/- 10%. To make a jump of three parsecs, a jump 6 drive would take half the normal time, 3.5 days +/-10%.

So what you do is divide the number of parsec hexes actually jumped by the jump drive number, for example, 1/6 = 0.16667. That factor multiplied by 168 hours gives the new travel time (still with the 10% variation). So jumping two parsecs with a jump 5 drive takes 0.4*168=67.2 hours or 2 days, 19 hours, 12 minutes (+/- 10%).

Any thoughts, comments?

 

[far-trader]

Changes things lot. Which can be good or bad depending on thinking it out. So would a misjump fuction similarily? Like a 10 parsec mis-jump on a J1 drive taking 10 weeks?

I think something like this came up in an old discussion on fuel use in jumps. Like a J2 drive doing J1 in half the time but having to use the full J2 fuel to get the time savings. Or something like that.

 

[RandyT0001]

No sir! You must pay me $200,000 to use that idea! I sometimes can't believe you CotI people. A guy makes a post on a public forum and you people think it's free. Sheeze!

Of course you can.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

According to all the OTU sources (not all of them canonical), the week thing is immutable. The J6 comes because you are using a higher band of jumpspace - and all jumpspace lets you in for a week, then kicks you out.

Of course, its YTU. But, it really does make an impact on the whole "all news is a week old" paradigm.

 

[Badbru]

Depends....

If I'm on Terra then any news about Sylea is more than a week old whatever system you use (wink)

Might make an equally interesting Alternative Traveller universe.

 

[RandyT0001]

Across sector and multi-sector government entities there isn't much difference in the time lag on the arrival of news. The ability of criminals and PC crews skipping out on the ship's mortgage becomes more difficult. Unless the PC ship has jump 6 drives (highly unlikely) they won't be able to outrun the law.

The PC's having stolen items for a patron one parsec away depart in their free trader, jump, spending a week in jump. Of course by the time they get to the final destination the law has beaten them utilizing a jump 6 drive courier ship by five days and twenty hours. Instead of meeting the (now arrested) patron they walk into a trap set by the law and are arrested.

And it changes the meaning of express cargo service. Instead of express relating to distance it now becomes shortened jump time for delivery to nearby systems. The PC's making speculative trade buys computer parts for delivery to the next system one parsec away. The load and jump in their free trader. A day later the competition realizing the PC's huge potential windfall in their spec cargo fill their jump 4 drive ship with the same computer parts. The competition jumps a day later but only spends about two days in jump space. The competition arrives and sells the computer parts for the profit four days before the PC's even arrive in system. The PC's jump in and now have a cargo hold full of less than needed computer parts and can't get the premimum price they expected.

Any comments?

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Randy Tyler:
Any comments?

Randy,

You've covered most of the basics and a fellow here named 'Spank' posted a similar idea last year.

Such a jump drive will not work in the OTU because of the vast amount setting change baggage it carries. OTU assumptions about commerce, government, and communications must all be swept away.

Don't get me wrong, your idea not working in the OTU is a good] thing!

Here's a twist... Have you though about how much fun it would be to play the introduction/development of such jump technology in the OTU? Imagine the ships of a lost Terran Confederation 'bolt hole' colony far from rimward suddenly showing off Earth, or a new sophont race arriving in Foreven or the Beyond, or some 'mad' Vargr researcher stumbling across the idea!


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Fritz_Brown]

I took an approach (mentioned some other spots on CotI) of creating a micro-jump drive for TL17+. It allows you to turn (a limited angle between micro-jumps) or to stop and go back the way you came - would be very handy for a pirate or such. For playability balance, I made it equivalent to a J1. Invasion fleets, etc. still need a regular J-drive.

I would say that a limitation like that would need to be included to keep things from getting out of hand. But, I agree with Bill and say, it's YTU!