Xavier Onassiss

Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress?

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? Hmmm...good news/bad news on that front. The Java version of chview appears to work on my Win7 machine; that's the good news. The really bad news is, all the links to data sets are giving me '404' errors. So apparently I've got a really cool star-mapping application with no stars in it.... Drat. Still, this is definitely an improvement. All I need is the correct data file. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Here are some interesting comments on the length of SF & fantasy novels from Charles Stross. If you like his novels, then you'll definitely want to bookmark his blog; not just to stay informed on his writing (he's...fast) but because some of his blog entries are as entertaining as his fiction. I'm hooked -- if Stross writes it, I read it. The paperback of The Revolution Business is on its way, as well as the 3rd 'Laundy' novel (which probably won't be trilogy) and his sequel to Halting State. So I'll have Stross novels to write up in this thread, Real Soon Now! Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Mega-scaled space combat & OCV

Re: Mega-scaled space combat & OCV @ Kraven Kor: We're pretty much on the same page here. I think that 'happy medium' is going to involve halving the velocity-based DCV; this actually yields results that look playable across the whole range of velocities I expect to see. The DCV's will match up with the OCV's of attacking craft rather well, without huge bonuses from targeting computers, skill levels, etc. This will help keep the numbers involved in space combat smaller and easier to manage, which is one of my design goals. @ megaplayboy: How to cope with high acceleration would be a good topic for another thread. Aside from artificial gravity (which doesn't exist in my campaign) there are a lot of interesting SF sources about how to deal with extreme G's. The Forever War, anyone? Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Mega-scaled space combat & OCV For purposes of the campaign I'm working on, most spacecraft will have high-tech torch drives. (High-G thrust for hours, possibly days.) I'm using 1000km hexes and five-minute turns, so one turn at one G gives a delta-V of one hex/turn. (Note this is an approximation.) On this scale, one hex per turn is 3.33km/second! That gives a velocity-based DCV of 23. It goes up from there. As far as 'relative velocity' is concerned, if you're expressing all spacecraft speeds on the same scale, then one hex/turn is the smallest difference in velocity they can have, and you're still looking at DCV 23. Unless they match vectors exactly, in which case I guess it's back to the base DCV. I could just impose the half DCV modifer for being in zero-gravity on all spacecraft, then the velocity-based DCV progression I'm working with would start at 12, and only go up half as quickly. Then things become much more manageable. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Mega-scaled space combat & OCV I've realized that using mega-scaled hexes, and five-minute turns (as well as segmented movement and cumulative acceleration!), I don't really need to mega-scale movement powers for spacecraft at all. Over the course of a turn, they're going to achieve 'mega-velocity' on their own as a matter of course. (It all adds up: five minutes at 1G equals 3km/sec!) So I'm eliminating the problem with the assumption that spacecraft are moving at their 'combat speed' by default. They get their combat OCV, and their velocity-based DCV. However, I'm not out of the woods yet. The next question is: what modifiers apply to velocity-based DCV? Is it treated the same as normal DCV for modifiers? What about conditions that halve DCV... do they also apply to velocity-based DCV? Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: The Non Sequitor Thread Alright, that does it. Next time, I'm driving.

I'm working on space combat rules for my Star Hero setting, and it's pretty much all at 'mega-scale' ranges. In fact, everything's mega-scaled: the weapon ranges, the sensors, and the movement. And it all works pretty well, from a number-crunching standpoint. The problem is that mega-scale movement in Hero is considered to be 'noncombat' movement by definition, which results in an OCV of 0, and 1/2 DCV for all spacecraft! I think the DCV issue is solved by just using velocity-based DCV, but what about the OCV? The simplest fix (I think) is just to ignore this rule, and give the spacecraft their normal OCV, because they're designed for combat at these speeds. But what other ways could this be fixed? Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Announcing Kazei 5, Second Edition Woot! I'm ordering my copy through Castle Perilous in Carbondale. Then I'll see about doing a demo or two down there.... Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Indeed!

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now?

Re: A Thread for Random Videos One of Red Dwarf's finest moments: Lister talks trash with a reject from one of those other SF shows. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Conjure One, self-titled CD. The music of Delerium with Poe on lead vocals...yes, please!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Walter Jon Williams' latest novel, This Is Not a Game. After witnessing an old friend's brutal assassination, a producer of interactive online games incorporates the real-life murder investigation into her latest online project. The problem is, most of the players can't figure out what's real and what isn't -- where the fictional content ends and the all-too-real, possibly deadly elements begin. This Is Not a Game is an interesting near-future story about where online gaming is going, and what might happen when online communities are manipulated by powerful social engineers with hidden agendas. Imagine having a million people you can call on to solve a puzzle, locate a missing person, hack a hundred computers, deliver half a million packages...they'll do whatever you ask, because they think it's all just a game. And naturally, they're playing to win. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? I'm currently checking out the list on his 3-D star maps page to find a replacement for chview.

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? Very cool. I may have to go that route, but I have to ask myself: do I really want to go through all this just to keep using chview? So far, it's the only software I haven't been able to run with Windows 7. I think if I find another program to replace chview that I can run with W7, it'll be easier to change the star maps. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Pinning a Limb To The Wall I'd consider building it as limited grab attack; the attacker's STR roll would determine how well the victim is pinned, and double as a damage roll. This would also give the victim a target number for a STR roll to escape. This build could work with thrown bladed weapons as well. (spend a recoverable charge) For the damage caused by attempting to escape, add a triggered KA. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the Win XP OS on disk to install, so that would be something of a problem. I've pretty much shot my budget on this project, so I'm not prepared to buy any more software right now. (I couldn't really afford the new computer, but I'm job hunting, and with the old machine about to puke and die, I couldn't afford to risk losing internet access during my job search. Damned if you do, damned if you don't....) Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? Kristopher: Just to be thorough, I tried compatibility modes for every prior version of Windows, but I got the same results. Ternaugh: Thanks for the link. I checked to see if my computer is enabled to run that software; it isn't. I may not have the correct version of Windows 7. I've located a list of other freeware used for 3-d star mapping on Nyrath's website, so I've got a number of possible replacements for chview. I just hope at least one of them works with Windows 7! Thanks again for your help with this. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss ps: there will be rep!

Re: Star Mapping software: You call THIS progress? Thanks for the tip, Kristopher. I've still got a lot to learn about Windows 7! Unfortunately, that didn't resolve the issue. I followed up by right-clicking and choosing 'troubleshoot compatibility' but that didn't work either. If you'd like to take a look at the software and see if you can get it running on Windows 7, you can download it here: http://members.nova.org/~sol/chview/chvc.htm I'm not sure if it's possible; will a 16-bit program run in Windows 7, under any circumstances? Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Technology marches on, two steps forward, three steps back. Or something like that. I've just upgraded to Windows 7 (my old machine was obsolete, not to mention pathetic) and overall, I'm satisfied. But I need a new star-mapping program. I was using chview on my old XP machine, but chview won't work in Windows 7. So, what should I replace it with? I'm working on a 'realistic' setting for Star Hero, and I'd like to use accurate, real-world star maps. I like chview because it's easy to use and free to download. Is there anything comparable to chview which is compatible with Windows 7? If/when I publish this setting, I'd like to be able to recommend a resource for players that won't require any additional cash beyond the price of the sourcebook. However, if there's a modestly priced software package that will do the job, that would also be good to know about. Many thanks for whatever help my fellow Herophiles can provide. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Delerium's Fallen Icons http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kghh98C6Few "No hounds to guide me, no army at my back..." Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss

Re: Jokes Then there was that really horny guy who couldn't spell. Don't look at me, Xavier Onassiss