Designed computers Vs. Ships Computers

[Norinn]

I am clearly playing Traveller again. I can remember sitting down with two honor students, the MegaTraveller rules, and a toy deathstar. The two honor students went away to something simple (like theoritical calculas) long before we were finished. Here is my latest traveller headache.

I'm designing a ship, and to give it a little personality, I decided to put on a sentiant computer (with a nasty attitude). Trying to corilate the Computer Design rules to the Ship Design rules is driveing me nuts. I assume that the Drive, Sensor, and Comm commputers are "hardwired", so only the main computer can run gunnery software and the like. But in the computer, how much processing does running the ship take? And what type of computer does the master need to be?

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening Norinn,

The table at the top of p. 263 lists the minimum required processing total and max power required by a ship's computer. My view is that the avionics, sensors, and communications are three independent computers that share the processing power of the main or core computers central processing units. With that in mind let's build a Model/7 Ship's Computer.

According to the Spacecraft and Starship Design Sequence (SSDS) Processing Power (2nd edition)/Ship's Computers (1st printing, which has different Free CPU Output data) on p. 263 requires the following: Minimum TL of 13, a core that supports up to Model/7 avionics, sensors, and communication computers, each with a minimum Total processing power of 57 and Max (skill related programs) of 13. Flipping back to the Computer Design Sequence Computer Cores and Computer Type and Model Tables on p. 224 we can start the design process.

From the Computer Cores table the best type that can be selected is Advanced Synaptic, the next best is Synaptic, which can use either the Miniaturization or Standardized rules option. Keeping it simple we'll go with Advanced Synaptic.

Moving to the Computer Type and Model Table, bottom of p. 224, and cross reference the Processing Power (Total/Max)of 57/13. The type Master computer Model 5 at the top of column 2 of the table meets the minimum requirement for one of the 4 systems that make up the Ship's Computer. To meet the Total/Max Processing Power requires 15,000 Advanced Synaptic core units for one of the 4 computers. To have a Model/7 Ship's Computer requires at least 60,000 Advanced Synaptic units or 4x15,000. This means that core, avionics, sensors, and communications computers each get 15,000 core units. To achieve a total of CPU Output of 60,000 requires 6,000 Advanced Synaptic core units (1 Advanced Synaptic unit provides 10 units of CPU Output). Of course you could also use an Expert Compter Type Model 1 (E1) as the core. Sharing the E1 cores CPU Output between avionics, sensors, and comms effectively make the computer a Type Master Model 5 (M5).

Since you are going to have an AI the minimum TL would be 15 for a Low AI system or TL 17 for a High AI. Tl 17 allows you to use a Positronic core.

Hopefully the above helps you out.