Megastructure Worlds

[Capt JT Kohonez]

A while ago I put together for the following premise for an M-World (megastructure world). Just wondering what you guys think of the idea. And what you may have put together yourselves.

 

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Long ago someone or something built IT.

No one knows why, though they can guess.

And no one knows how, but again they can guess.

 

Welcome to ZoneWorld, a huge cylinder in space powered by, some suspect, zero point energy. It is over forty thousand miles long and a little over ten thousand miles in diameter. Contains over three hundred and fifty levels each level zoned off into ten to sixteen fully self-contained environments. The inhabitants, most of them, have no clue as to the true nature of their world. Some have attained “space flight” only to discover the “ceilings” of their environments, but are later silenced by the “illuminated” ones of their zone in one fashion or another. Of these there are about fifty zones. Some have gone over the brink into nuclear war, which as you may have guessed will not harm the zone world, or some would guess. These “nuked” zones range from the sterilized to the mutant vs. “human” lands and everything in between. The center of the cylinder contains a long tube containing water in unimaginable quantity floating in zero gravity created by what seem to be a series of gravity nullifiers, which run the length of the immense tube. Even this is a zone for all kinds of aquatic life, most very strange and alien. The variety of zones even includes what appear at first to be fantasy environments where magic exists (actually in these zones the “magic” is believed by some to be the zoneworld’s energy that the inhabitants have found a way to tap into). This energy can also be used to summon “creatures” from the genetic vats deep in the ship’s bowels that then teleport the summoned “creature” to the requested location, or some would guess. In some environments the inhabitants have found ways to use the zoneworld’s energy in other ways. Including some with so-called “superpowers”. In at least a couple of the zones the energy that powers the great vessel has interacted strangely with some element or virus causing the dead to walk again. These places of horror should be avoided by any traveling zoneworlder as the cause behind the dead rising is thought to be infectious. With hundreds of intelligent races and beings of low and great power the zoneworld is one hell of a ride for anyone of the inhabitants who discovers the true nature of their “world”. It is even believed by the few who know the actual nature of zoneworld that somewhere on it there’s an actual Chamber of Worlds, with gates which lead to other worlds or dimensions, some would guess. It is believed that the inhabitants may have been brought to the zoneworld by the original builders using the Chamber of Worlds. Zone 302 is the newest and was activated just before builders vanished. It bears a striking resemblance to a small blue planet orbiting third form it’s yellow star on the edge of a minor galaxy. The inhabitants believe they have been there from the beginning of time and believe that their world is spherical in nature. Their original world however is now dead and has been for some time.

[Susano]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

The Well of the Worlds

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/worldbooks/well/well.html

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Something similar, albeit a little less grand (two hundred miles long, fifty miles in diameter), appears as the "Vivarium" in one of much-missed science fiction writer Catherine MacApp (C. C. MacApp)'s 1960s page-turners, Recall Not Earth. Worth a look in if you ever see it in a used bookstore, and a worthy plot seed in its own right.

[Kristopher]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

There's always Niven's Ringworld.

[Susano]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Or Rama.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Just remember that if you're going to make something a cylinder, tube, etc. etc., basically anything BUT put it on the outside of a sphere, the denizens are going to be able to see 'the distant rise' of their world. The curvature means that the horizon doesn't fade down and away, but instead comes up into their view -- and with a 14-mile gap between layers, they will see the ground rise, distant lakes/seas glittering, etc.

 

Just be aware that any illusion of 'the world is round' or 'the world is flat' is going to auto-fail. 'The world is a bowl' will be the most obvious (and closest to being correct) thought.

[Capt JT Kohonez]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Just remember that if you're going to make something a cylinder' date=' tube, etc. etc., basically anything BUT put it on the outside of a sphere, the denizens are going to be able to see 'the distant rise' of their world. The curvature means that the horizon doesn't fade down and away, but instead comes up into their view -- and with a 14-mile gap between layers, they [i']will[/i] see the ground rise, distant lakes/seas glittering, etc.

 

Just be aware that any illusion of 'the world is round' or 'the world is flat' is going to auto-fail. 'The world is a bowl' will be the most obvious (and closest to being correct) thought.

 

Well the tube is divided into levels so the worlds are actually "flat".

I think at some point the inhabitants might discover that kind of like their "Columbus" or "Magellan" running into a massive wall instead of falling off the edge or the walls could have massive transport gates which draw objects moving toward them in and place them back on the opposing side giving the effect of a globe/sphere.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Well, the biggest red star in the observable galaxy has a radius of about 2100 solar radii and it would take light about 8 hours to travel around it. What if what was being observed was actually the exterior of a Dyson Sphere, radiating out its excess heat?

 

That'd give you a living surface of 53,361,000,000 x that of Earth, enough to comfortably hold 5 x 10^20 people, or possibly up to a septillion very uncomfortably.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Well the tube is divided into levels so the worlds are actually "flat".

I think at some point the inhabitants might discover that kind of like their "Columbus" or "Magellan" running into a massive wall instead of falling off the edge or the walls could have massive transport gates which draw objects moving toward them in and place them back on the opposing side giving the effect of a globe/sphere.

 

That's another way of doing it, yes. Small 'worlds' towards the upper/lower curved part, though. Well, in any case. I suggest that they don't have transport-gates -- just high impassable mountains. Through caves in which you gain access to the next zone over...

[Drhoz]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

Well, the biggest red star in the observable galaxy has a radius of about 2100 solar radii and it would take light about 8 hours to travel around it. What if what was being observed was actually the exterior of a Dyson Sphere, radiating out its excess heat?

 

That'd give you a living surface of 53,361,000,000 x that of Earth, enough to comfortably hold 5 x 10^20 people, or possibly up to a septillion very uncomfortably.

 

as long as they don't mind living in a red-hot environment.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

as long as they don't mind living in a red-hot environment.

 

well, the waste heat is going completely out of the ecosphere, so depending on circumstances, it may be pretty tolerable inside.

[Zeropoint]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

If you live in a large enough ring, the ground will still seem flat, and the ring will be visible as an arch in the heavens, vast and incomprehensible, touching the earth in the impossibly distant east and west.

[Drhoz]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

well' date=' the waste heat is going completely out of the ecosphere, so depending on circumstances, it may be pretty tolerable inside.[/quote']

 

but the energy source is *inside* the sphere... so they're trying to live in between a hot place - the exhausts- and an even hotter place - the star

[megaplayboy]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

but the energy source is *inside* the sphere... so they're trying to live in between a hot place - the exhausts- and an even hotter place - the star

 

The temperature on the inside surface could still be in a tolerable range. Solar panels could cover half the inside surface(and consequently reduce the re-radiation/heat buildup by converting it into useful energy). The distance from the star could be considerable.

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

but the energy source is *inside* the sphere... so they're trying to live in between a hot place - the exhausts- and an even hotter place - the star

 

Don't confuse 'hot exhaust' with 'hot intake'. Remember, the 'red-hot exhaust' is EXPELLING heat, drawing it AWAY from the 'living surface' and thrusting it into the great Beyond. Don't pay attention to the hot exterior of the window air conditioner; that isn't where the people are. Pay attention to the inside cool fan part ...

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Megastructure Worlds

 

I doubt anyone here cares, but sparked by curiosity I tracked author C. C. Macapp down on Google and learned two things. First, that my posting appears pretty darn high on the search, which means, interest or not, I should post the second thing I learned, which was that "Carol" was actually Caroll Mathers App (1913--1971), a guy, and, if it matters, a Bay Area chess player.