Thursday, May 28, 2015

Updating Classic Traveller Computers, sort of

Check out my new Model/2 computer!

New Computer Programs for Classic Traveller


Everyone likes to make fun of CT's computer rules. It's not surprising; by today's standards, the computer aboard your average Type S scout weighs two tons and has less computing power than the laptop upon which I'm typing this. 
Yeah? Well here's my new Model/2. Loser.


 It's also not surprising that game designers in the Seventies, who were modeling their game on the sci-fi literature of the Fifties and Sixties might just be wrong on what computers were going to look like in The Far Future. My favorite example is H Beam Piper's The Cosmic Computer. (Also available as an audio book from www.librivox.org)

But that's not my point here. My point here is to introduce some new programs to the list of available ones. 

Program Name Description Spaces/Slots Price (MCr)
Auto Defense Computer controls sandcasters, will follow preset instructions 2 2
Threat Monitor Auto-loads A/E and ECM, changes course away from threats 2 1
Fleet Coordination Give the flagship control over multiple squadrons in the group 5 10
Squadron Coordination Give the flagship control over multiple ships in the group 4 8


Spectral Analysis* Interprets data on astronomical objects 3 4
Mapping* Uses visual sensors to create topographic maps 2 2
Communications Hub Allows ship to send, receive and distribute comm traffic on multiple frequencies and modes 3 4
Planetary Survey* Uses sensors to detect atmosphere and ground composition 3 3
   *  Requires an Instrument package

Scientific Instrument Packages


Classic Traveller leaves the nature of starship's sensors completely to the referee. We can assume that radar is one part of it, and later versions of Traveller specified more exactly what detection gear any give ship may have. With CT, you can handwave that Scout ships can detect rats sneezing on a moon 3 AU's away, while Free Traders can barely detect the pirate ship right in front of them.
 
Can this thing connect to my OneDrive?

On the other hand, specifying what kinds of detection equipment is available to the PCs can build detection and survey into the adventure. Why should every run-of-the-mill scout/courier have high-caliber optics that can read newspapers from orbit? If the PCs want such gear, make it an adventure to find and purchase and install it.

Generally, instrument packages displace from 1 to 5 tons, and cost from 1-100, depending on what you want them to do. Some can be carried in the cargo area and pointed out the cargo bay doors; others must be hard-installed into the ship somewhere.
 

10 comments:

  1. I always just assume that the space the computers take up is because there are redundant access points throughout a ship and they do a whole lot more than our computers. Never had any problem with "outdated" tech, as I never took for granted that technology kept progressing without interruption...has no one heard of the Dark Ages? Maybe there's an apocalypse or multiple apocalypses that we humanity back in technology in various ways during the intervening millennia.

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  2. I never worried much about the size of CT's computers, either. It was just a part of the modular starship design system that allows you to crank out ships quickly and with little math. High Guard and MegaTraveller got way more granular about ship design. That's fine by me. CT was quick and simple.
    All I'm offering is a few more options within the existing computer rules framework.
    The official history of the Third Imperium included the Long Night, a stretch of time when space travel, trade and tech all stagnated or regressed.

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  3. Additional options are always welcome.

    Wasn't familiar with the Long Night...I don't use the 3rd Imperium setting. I have my own based on Anderson's Polesotechnic League, Vance's Demon Princes, Tubb's Dumarest, Chandler's Grimes, and Norton's Solar Queen all mixed together and tossed like a salad...

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  4. I believe Traveller got the Long Night idea from Anderson's Flandy of Terra series. I've read the Solar Queen books, but not the other works. Add 'em to the reading list. My TU is not nearly as old as the 3I, so I've not worried about tech progression. A few places have TL-15, but 11 or 12 is much more common.

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    1. I've got Ensign Flandry sitting and waiting to be read. On my list of things to get through.

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  5. I wondered about this and concluded, because there wasn't any reference to sensors and communication gear in CT rules, that the "Computer" volume/mass/cost included those things. So rather than computers which were so much larger than the micros I knew about and which would obviously be improved, the other parts of the system represented most of the bulk and cost.

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    1. That's part of what I mean by their computers doing a whole lot more than just being fancy adding machines.

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  6. We don't know what tech the computers are based on. Maybe they are biocomputers that are super efficient but heavy and require auxiliary life support systems. Maybe they are quantum computers or optical computers. Since we haven't built a useful machine yet we don't know how big they are.

    Maybe they are industrial rack systems with extra shielding, redundant cpus, cooling systems and back up power. Those can easily fill a room. We have already nearly hit our size limit in 2015 so it is not reasonable to think they will get smaller. More power means bigger, and I'm guessing a starship computer will be a bit more powerful than an ultrabook. You need a bigger machine just to play The Witcher or Batman (for cooling if nothing else), to say nothing of astrogation or tactical analysis. Assuming the 2 tons includes a hundred pounds of rack hardware, a ton of supporting systems (where does all that heat go?), a dedicated closet with a chair and desk, plus cabling and terminals throughout the ship, it seems reasonable to me.

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  7. We don't know what tech the computers are based on. Maybe they are biocomputers that are super efficient but heavy and require auxiliary life support systems. Maybe they are quantum computers or optical computers. Since we haven't built a useful machine yet we don't know how big they are.

    Maybe they are industrial rack systems with extra shielding, redundant cpus, cooling systems and back up power. Those can easily fill a room. We have already nearly hit our size limit in 2015 so it is not reasonable to think they will get smaller. More power means bigger, and I'm guessing a starship computer will be a bit more powerful than an ultrabook. You need a bigger machine just to play The Witcher or Batman (for cooling if nothing else), to say nothing of astrogation or tactical analysis. Assuming the 2 tons includes a hundred pounds of rack hardware, a ton of supporting systems (where does all that heat go?), a dedicated closet with a chair and desk, plus cabling and terminals throughout the ship, it seems reasonable to me.

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  8. Computer volume = shielding, to protect the delicate electronics from the space-waves in jump.

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