A idea occurs X plus a fraction Jump Drives.
- Thread starter infojunky
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kilemall
SOC-14 5K
Not really new several ships have been designed with multiple jumps in the fuel tanks.
I was going to go there, but the idea of combining sequential jumps with compound-fraction Jump Numbers is a novelty.
Fractional jump numbers don't work (unless they're microjumps with a J-1 or higher drive), but compound-fractional ones might.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
As I understand game mechanics, it's all or nothing.
The exception was factor zero jump drive, with a maximum range of a quarter parsec.
The exception was factor zero jump drive, with a maximum range of a quarter parsec.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Rate your fractional jump drives for light years jumped rather than parsecs...
limp drive 1 1ly
limp drive 2 2ly
limp drive 3 4ly
limp drive 4 5ly
limp drive 5 8ly
limp drive 6 11ly
limp drive 1 1ly
limp drive 2 2ly
limp drive 3 4ly
limp drive 4 5ly
limp drive 5 8ly
limp drive 6 11ly
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
One problem with fractioning it is the necessity for a more precise idea of the actual distances involved.
Yes, I know.. But the idea was for a jump three route and having a ship with drives to finish half of the trip.
Spinward Flow
SOC-14 5K
What you're looking for is something called a Spinward X-Courier ...
Rig it up with L-Hyd drop tanks and you could do J2+2 with 40 tons of internal cargo and 5 tons of mail (or more cargo). That's basically a 45/194=23.2% revenue tonnage fraction on a 4 parsec range via double jumping. Not bad for speculative cargo runs around the boonies ...
See: X-Range Starship (wiki link)
Krikkitone
SOC-12
I think it would have to be J2 drive with fuel for 3, 2+1. (same fuel as 3 J1 or 1 J3, but in between for speed/jump drive size)
Honestly I was Mini Maxing for a route.
Spinward Flow
SOC-14 5K
Use a collapsible fuel tank so as to be able to "flex" your cargo hold for extra jump range when you need it. You aren't going to be needing more than J2 fuel in the main fuel tanks anyway. For ships that are 500 tons or less, a collapsible fuel tank for J2 fuel is going to 1 ton or less (when not filled with fuel and occupying cargo hold space), which hopefully your ship design can afford.
Even the bog standard 200 ton TL=9 A1 Free Trader (82 tons cargo) and 200 ton TL=9 A2 Far Trader (61 tons cargo) can afford to retrofit a TL=9 Fuel Purification Plant (9 tons) and a collapsible fuel tank (40 ton capacity, 0.4 tons while stored) to add +2 parsecs of range to either ship for "long haul" transits through deep space. Sure it will reduce your cargo capacity when you do that ... but it does allow you to "go" where you otherwise couldn't (moat and drawbridge effect) due to fuel limitations inherent in the basic design.
Bargain really, as far as conversion costs go ... basically pays for itself in just a few jumps.
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
The only reason for a one and a half factor jump drive is to shrink the engine, and save some money.
Or in a LBB2-only CT universe, tech level constraints on drive size. This requires allowing direct calculation of drive rating by size and ship tonnage instead of rounding up to the next hull size on the table before calculating.
TL-9 lets you build drives up to Size F. Table says it's only factor-1 in an 800Td hull, but math says it should be factor 1.5 (it's 6 in a 200Td hull).
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Spinward Flow
SOC-14 5K
I've always referred to LBB3 for this (with a preference for .81 over .77) where TL=9 is A-D drives and TL=10 is E-H.
Yep...
Good catch. I misread the note I scribbled in the margin there thirty-some years ago.
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