The World of The Gunny

I hope you folks do not mind if I post any Q's asked in emails, here on WoTG. That way everybody can learn from them.

If needed the questions will be carefully reworded to prevent any details of a Director's orders from getting out.

Below is a question Mav asked me in a recent email:



Mav, Strap Ons are only good for boosting the CC ability of the Main Lifting Body.

For example, if you were using a LEO Rocket to boost a mission package that weighed 90 CPs, you could use Strap Ons to accomplish the task. Otherwise the launch would be scrubbed for the mission package being overweight.


Cheers, Thor

Would kickers work for that instead of strap-ons? Or do they need to get into a stable orbit first before the kicker can engage?


EDIT: Also, can you only plan one mission for each launch pad at one time? Or, so long as they don't launch in the same month, can you order a launch a month from each pad? That is, if you order a launch for February from Pad A, can you also order a launch from Pad A in March? Or do you have to wait until the launch goes ahead before scheduling a new one, say in June?

If a pad is damaged by a faulty launch, can the scheduled launch be relocated to an empty pad?

1.) Kickers are only good once in LEO.
Example: Say you are gonna do a Lunar Flyby. And all you have is a LEO rocket and Kicker handy. You can use the LEO Rocket to boost the Probe and Kicker motor into LEO. Then the Kicker will push the probe into a TLI, Trans-Lunar Injection trajectory. But the kicker cannot work until it has been deployed into orbit.

2.) You can order an enitre year of launches for each Launch Pad you have constructed. So if you have all four Pads built, you can orders 48 launches for that year. The only constraint is that it takes four months, after the order, for the launch to be scheduled.

Example: You have all four Pads constructed and wish to schedule a full year of launches. So, to be able to schedule launches for January of the next year, you need to schedule the launch in September, October for February, etc. etc.

3.) Unfortunately, no. Once scheduled they cannot be moved. It is a time-consuming process to set up a launch. And moving it on a whim is not done. So if a pad blows up, all missions that would have been launched from that pad while it is being fixed, or rebuilt, will be auto-scrubbed. But any missions that have been scheduled after the repairs are finished can be launched. So it behooves you to fix any damage ASAP.



Cheers, Thor

Mav, I still feel really bad about that. Sorry.

Hey, I know! We can blame Haegan! He made the die rolling program I used.



Cheers, Thor

The program was made to Kens exacting specifications.... Ahem.

In case you folks were wondering what I have been doing today, instead of processing turns, I present the following:

In anticipation of the players getting their space stations going I have been working on the Orbital Facilities Sheet for the game.

The POV is a direct overhead 'look' at the station. I tried many different setups, but this was the best way to highlight the trusses, as well as the modules.

In the attached pic is a very basic space station, although there is room for growth. It has space for 5 more astronauts, but, as you will note, the Heat Rejection Capacity of the PTCS is nearly maxxed out. Which should give you an idea as to what would need to be attached next!

And as to be expected, I am also needing of comments on whether you all approve, or disapprove of the way it is being done. And any suggestions are heartily requested!



Cheers, Thor

Shiny.

Might want to use lines to link them together to help decipher some of the bigger space stations though.

I am not quite following what you mean. Can you provide an example?



Cheers, Thor

Like this, but not made out of ASCII

OCM-Truss-OHM

With the -'s showing that they are linked together.

I think you may be misunderstaing what is displayed.

Let's take an example.

The OCM (Orbital Command Module) requires 4 contact points worth of trusses. Each OTS (Orbital Truss Structure) provides 2 contact points.

Notice in the pic that the OCM has 2 trusses attached. Then the OLSM (Orbital Life Support Module) also requires 4 contact points, which is then attached to the OCM. So they are already connected by their attached trusses. Each module must be attached to enough truss structures to equal the required contact points.

Each module in the game, in their descriptions, will have a number of required contact points listed.

And trusses can only be attached to other truss structures. So, in essence the trusses are the lines you are requesting.

As an FYI example, the cells labeled OCM on each side of the truss sructures are the same module, not 2 different ones. Think of the pic as you are looking down from above. What you are seeing is the trusses with their attached modules.

If I am misunderstanding what you are requesting, please let me know.



Cheers, Thor

I realized what the problem may be when my brother commented it looked like two different modules on each side of the truss structure.

Does the attached pic fix that problem? Please ignore the labelling mistake on the lower HEM in the rightside example.



Cheers, Thor

A quick question about the orbital research module. It says that they have racks to mount study packages, but what does it actually do?

In this game, nothing. But in the next game of the series, BTS! The Race for Mars!, the concept of 'slots' will be introduced, along with actual Technology Research.

In essence, for example, the Orbital Research Module (ORM) has 23 Standard Payload Racks (SPRs). What bthis means is that in the next game the player can configure the ORM any way he wishes. He can have itn be a generalist or a specialist type of research module.

The Categories of Technology introduced will be familiar to any player of BTS!, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics/Mathematics, and Psychology. Then each actual discovery will require one or more of those categories to be a certain level to go through the R&D cycle.

So, if for example, you wanted an ORM dedicated to Chemistry you will fill the slots with the requisite slots with the required Payload, such as required for the lab to function and storage, while all the rest of the slots are filled with Science Experiments dedicated to Chemistry.



Cheers, Thor

Still waiting on the PRC and UK turns. All others processed and next turn sent out.



Cheers, Thor

The reason for the turns being processed late is due to the fact I have been waiting for the input from my playtesters on something I NEED input on. I must say I am underwhelemed by the responses so far.

The graphical representation of a space station is not required for me to process the turns. All I need is the numbers. This is for the players, to help with immersion.

So, to me, just one tester who responded so far indicates I may be wasting my time on this. It is up to you testers and your responses to my requests for input as to whether or not something gets into, or taken out of, the game.



Cheers, Thor

Latest SS example attached.



Cheers, Thor

Thor,

I do not know a lot on Space Stations, so I can not make much of a comment. Anything that spices up the game turning it from numbers to something you can see is more than welcome. How practical it it and wheter it becomes to much of a burden to the GM ... You .. we will not know until the later stages of the game. If I feel that its not working then I'll stamp my feet and hammer the ground with my fists. So basicly, anything you introduce , lets playtest it and see if it works.

I really love space stations (You would know just by watching me play any space RTS with them in it...), and the graphic representation would be nice to decode/make a mental picture of what things actually look like. The space stations seem to be lacking something, but that will probably be fixed once we get a game with real research rather than improving safety levels of tech.

All in all, the stations seem semi-useful for this scenario due to it being the start, with not much going on, but I think they will be invaluable later on.

Gav, once I had the basic shapes down it took me 15 minutes to build that entire station, and that is with about ten minutes of thought into what configuration I wanted it to look like.

With the shapes down, and most players are not going to go crazy with module launches, at most it would take 5 minutes to update. The onl;y way I can see it being any problem is if a GM tried to build humongous stations to create scenarios. With slow construction, as in a new game, no probs at all.

@MR. Anderson, what is prolly missing is the 3-D look of real stations in space. Unfortunately, excel has not went 3-d, so I have to work with a 2-d environment.

Attached is the pic I based this example on.



Cheers, Thor

I think I saw that station before...

ISS

MrAnderson, yep, that is a different version of mine.

@Mav, fair enough. The way I have the 'parts' done up in excel a player can pretty much design his station how he wishes.



Cheers, Thor

All October orders processed, and November turns sent out.

I have to commend MrAnderson for his concise and very readble orders for this month!



Cheers, Thor

Gav, you sent me October's sheet instead of November! Mav, are you going to submit a turn? All other November turns have been processed and December sheets sent out.



Cheers, Thor