Underwater Sensors ?

[rust]

The main planet of my setting, Pharos IV, is a water world with a surface area
of ca. 660 million square kilometers and an average ocean depth of ca. 3,500
meters. It is (currently) inhabited by ca. 72,000 human colonists, who can im-
port and use technology up to TL 15, but who do not have the means to buy
truly expensive equipment.

One of their problems is their inability to explore their new home world properly
within a reasonable time frame. With their current equipment (some few sub-
marines and scoutbots with short-range Lidar and long-range Sonar) they will
probably need about 3,000 years eek to map most of the sea bed ...

This is especially annoying because I did hide some adventure hooks and ad-
venture sites "down there", and it seems that my players - the explorers -
will hardly continue mapping the planet's sea bed for another 3,000 years of
game time.

Well, I painted myself into a corner by forgetting that orbital mapping would
not produce detailed sea bed maps, and now I am looking for an escape hatch
from this situation that does not require me to introduce some alien super-
science.

So, if someone has any proposal for a fast(er) way to produce sea bed maps
than by conventional sonar, such an idea would be most welcome.

Thank You !

 

[far-trader]

Depends on what type of ship the PCs have I guess. A mission equipped Type S would have sensors capable of doing it. Not the type of gear one would find on a Detached Duty Type S, usually, but the space is there to install it and all the fittings and connections to use it still operational. A few cases of good alcohol to the right person at an IISS base in the boonies might see them look the other way while some DD Scout "borrowed" the sensors.

I'm thinking (high TL) densitometers. Simpler (low TL) gravity sensors would be less accurate but still enable mapping the general seabed contours from low orbit. I think.

 

[Supplement Four]

I'd look at two sources, first. One is the underwater combat article in the JTAS. The second is that GDW LBB adventure set on the water world (forgot the name, but I'm sure someone will post it soon).

 

[far-trader]

I'd look at two sources, first. One is the underwater combat article in the JTAS. The second is that GDW LBB adventure set on the water world (forgot the name, but I'm sure someone will post it soon).

The first applies to fighting in water for the most part, with limited close combat between surface and low flying craft engaging submerged targets. Nothing to help or apply for orbital except vague references to armor of water and sensor shortfalls.

A quick look at the second (presuming you mean "Adv 9 - Nomads of the World Ocean") finds nothing appropriate. It's mostly surface driven searching and such. Conventional sonar iirc.

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for the information !

I really had forgotten about the scout ship densitometers - seems that nasty
Alzheimer has begun to creep in ... o:

Unfortunately there is no detached duty scout among the colonists - at least
none of the right nationality.
But an adventure to "beg, steal or borrow" a high-tech densitometer plus the
electronics and software to use it from the scout service of a neutral country
would definitely be more interesting for my players than another 3,000 years
of sonar duty on a submarine.

And if they manage to return without the densitometer, I can always send
them back to the submarine - it is then their fault ...:devil:

 

[Supplement Four]

And if they manage to return without the densitometer, I can always send
them back to the submarine - it is then their fault ...:devil:

You might find these simple rules useful for your game...

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=11103&highlight=Special+Supplement

 

[rust]

Thank you very much, these sensor rules are very interesting !

Until now I have used a variant of the GURPS Traveller rules, but I have
always considered them to be far too complicated and often "clumsy".
Your rules seem to be much simpler and much more "elegant", so I will
copy them and see how to fit them into my setting's rules.

Edit.: Yep, it works fine for me, and I especially like the way you connec-
ted the sensor roll with the computer model and the software.

 

[shadowdragon]

keep in mind that we did not take 3,000 years to map our ocean floor, and we have fairly detailed oceanic maps. i am not sure as to the resolutions available, but any anomalies may leave clues that would guide your players to focus on a few potential sites. i am fairly sure radar mapping the ocean surface, adjusting for wave motion, gives a macroscale view of the seabed, and gravity sensors can also show details. look into oceanographic technologies to get an idea, i will link some if i can find any since you just reminded me i am about to suffer a similar fate....

edit: if any of your adventure hooks are city sized, they will show up as anomalies in the surrounding seabed, but may require either luck or great skill to see as such, or simply an energetic lab assistant who is CONVINCED there is something there, but no one else seems to agree so (s)he brings it to the players. not too much of an escape hatch, and the players may think its cool to have a new contact in a rival scientists lab........

edit redux: especially if said rival decides the discovery should have been his after all......beloche comes to mind...........

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for the information and a very good adventure idea.

Currently my water world colony has only one research institution, but there
are a number of independent prospectors looking for valuable resources to
sell to the colony's administration, and one of them could easily discover
"something" and ask the players for help to identify his discovery.

 

[tjoneslo]

If you have access to satellites, the current method of producing undersea maps is to use longwave radio waves from an orbiting satellite system. Read Synthetic Aperture Radar to see how current technology maps the surface of Venus from Earth, and the sea beds. Add some TL-15 computer processing and you could have undersea maps to almost any resolution you desire.

Bathymetry From Space is another source of depth mapping. Also mentioned upthread. But add in more computer processing power from a TL-15 computer and a dedicated satellite system, and you have all the resolution you need.

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for the information and the links !