Jump Flares

[aramis]

I use jump flash at both ends (and visible from inside as well!) so for me the stealth aspect is simply to put one's self at a point where one's flash is not going to be seen... but then, that means, in most TL 8+ systems, far outside the habited areas... and thus defeating surprise.

And, by TL12, gravimetrics exist which can detect jump-transitions due to changes in gravitic potential sweeping across a pair of sensors. (Use 4 in a tetrahedron, and you get 3D triangulation...) Mind you, you'd need to be looking, but that's not that hard...

Jump flash on entry is canon; it exists in TNE's Regency Source Book. Wherein it also says it is readable (rather hard, but readable) for which hex is targeted.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

So...

What you're saying Aramis is that in fact Jump Flare is canon and working around it is the real hard part of surprise attacks?

I don't have any TNE (yet, I mean I don't particularly like it, but I own MT and well it kills my beloved Imperium, so if I can own that, I might as well get some TNE too.) so I don't have the data included. Grrrr. More CrImps to spend, still, after seeing all the collected Long Books I have to get, what's a little TNE?

OK, machine is getting flaky, so I have to cut this here...still thanks for the info. At least it seems that I was somewhat correct about hiding your flares, cool.

 

[aramis]

RegSB is best of the bunch, IMO. And I'm no fan of TNE.

That and World Tamer's Handbook are both worthy.

But, yes, Jump Flare ON ENTRY is definitely canonical.

 

[Icosahedron]

I'm not canon-bound and I don't have Jump Flares, but I imagine that masking them would be effectively impossible. There are only a few masking bodies in any system, and an equally small number of early warning sensors specifically targeting those few blind spots would reveal every entry into the system.

 

[Merxiless]

I've always used jump flares on entry and exit, just because it is a cool visual to imagine.

If you want to hide it, yes, go opposite side of a LGG (except there are patrols there for that purpose, and to watch the High Guard points), or outer system, then fly in on minimum power coasting.
lots of things to do, which to me adds depth.

I'm a big fan of the trek bridge style panels used in Grand Survey. We also borrow stuff from FASA's Tricorder Interactive Display.

All good stuff.

 

[Imperial Planetologist]

Wherein it also says it is readable (rather hard, but readable) for which hex is targeted.

If you're referring to guessing the destination, then that's a change from CT:

Microjumps can also confuse an observer or enemy. Because a ship's destination cannot be predicted, a microjump within a system still leaves the impression that a ship has left . . .

That said, there are some complex calculations IMTU that allow you to make an educated guess as to a ship's destination based on its departure vector.

The laws of conservation of mass and energy continue to operate on ships which have jumped; when a ship exits jump it retains the speed and direction that it had before it entered jump.

Routine jumps IMTU take place in a "box" assigned by the starport system control - think of being assigned a runway for take-off or landing. The destination or departure point of most ships can be determined by the "box" where the ship enters or exits jump space.

For "unconfined" jumps, beyond the traffic control boxes for routine traffic, one may be able to infer the destination if the departure vector is greater than zero; if a ship is maintaining a vector along a heading as it prepares to enter jump space, it may be possible to estimate a potential destination by calculating in which systems that heading and vector will be beneficial.

Say a ship is observed jumping on heading x with vector y. It would be possible, if difficult and time-consuming, to calculate the relative motions of different planets in systems within jump range and look for a best-fit course: vector y on heading x will allow a ship to decelerate from jump to orbit around Planet A.

So while the jump destination cannot be inferred from the jump itself, the ship may offer clues as to its destination depending on its departure.

 

[Ambassadore G'car]

I tend to have jump flares both ways but slightly differently.

Jumping in, the ship glows brighter and brighter as the engines warm up, chug in the 90% of the fuel for a jump and builds up the charge. The jump only takes a fraction of a second but emits a painfully bright flash.

The jump into J space also takes you where you need to go and the seven days is just spent waiting for the engines to cool, recharge and allow 'jump drag' to wear off.

Thus it only takes 10% of the fuel (and power) to punch back out. This provides only a comparatively small flash as the ship emerges but there is literally no warning at all.

I also don't agree that the ship maintains velocity in jump space. Ships re-emerge at a dead stop and have to fire up thier normal space engines to move.

 

[aramis]

Note that, in TNE, preserved vectors are normative, in order to save fuel.

 

[shadowdragon]

with all due respect gadrin, using the t20 rules and working with the assumption of 1 EP = 250 mW, by extrapolation of the amounts of fuel used (based on fuel burned per minute by a fusion plant and disregarding jumpdrive inefficiencies of fusion and input power) for a 100dTon ship i calculate that the jump initiation for j1 to be approximately 80 tW and for j6 to be approximately 483 tW. this is based on the "80% of jump fuel is burned to open the jump portal".

power generation for the duration of the jump is 2000mW for j1 and 12000mW for j6, per min, again disregarding inefficiencies.

even with the stated "extremely inefficient" fusion process, i dont see a reduction in power below 1 tW at j1 likely.