Multifunction workstations/consoles?

[vutpakdi]

How multifunction are the various workstations/consoles on a typical merchant ship's bridge? Is there a console for each specific station (astrogation, sensors, communications, piloting, etc), or are the stations filled with configurable multi-station consoles/workstations?

My idea is that pilotting stations are pretty specific and you can't pilot the ship from another station, but the other stations are multi function. There are primary stations where the work is best done, but the stations can be configured as a secondary station and perform other functions (but at a slight negative modifier to checks).

What do you think?

Ron

 

[Uncle Bob]

It depends on the designer. AFAIK, cannon has no preference.

I assume all workstations are interchangable, but the physical arrangement on the bridge can help define what the stations are used for. For example, my "Clipper" class merchant can be piloted from a stateroom terminal, but is usually piloted from the seat in front and to the left of the Captain.

 

[Zutroi]

Megatraveller seems pretty clear that higher tech panels are 'dynamically reconfigurable' so you can pretty much set up any panel in any way you want it...

 

[Jame]

I would expect most panels to be reconfigurable, but having a few dedicated consoles would make sense (e.g. having a piloting or engineering station set for that primarily).

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

Dedicated boards are would have to be fairly common, inasmuch as I can't see how one board could operate the whole ship in normal space outside of catastrophic emergencies. There is just simply too much to DO.

This of course doesn't stop the crewman at that station from configuring the board as he likes. Generally this will be a more efficient layout, but we've all had the game with guy that goes around the ship with his ACR at all times and configures his board so that a green light means emergency and requires a retinal scan to get access to.....

I assume that the Imperial services have the Imperial Default on all control boards accepted into Imperial service. Things like "green light= good, red light= bad" would be default simply for commonality of training. But once on active duty, most commanders would allow the workman to set up his tools as he likes.

 

[Tom Schoene]

Other than flight control, dedicated stations seem very unlikely, IMO. Even today, the trend in ship control systems (and especially combat systems)is toward multi-function consoles that can assume any function in the system, from engine room monitoring to navigation to weapon direction. Sometimes you need to swap disks and reinitialize the console, but newer designs allow hot-swapping of tasks.

 

[Zutroi]

There's a joke about the products made by a certain European manufacturer of passenger jets -

"I'm an @!rbuS pilot. I don't remember how to fly a plane, but I can type 90 words a minute."

I'ts become quite common on modern aircraft to have 'multifunction displays' as the primary means of displaying information to the pilot, with dedicated indicators preserved as a back-up. It's only one step more to the 'reconfigurable control panel' of traveller. There would probably be a 'standard' layout to the controls, and it's just as likely that no one uses it.

 

[Scarecrow]

The way I've done it in mine so far is like Trek. Whilst I love the look of good, solid analogue controls on the bridge - even if they are built around Multi-Function Displays - when it comes to computer workstations I have a flat-screen monitor and a keyboard that consists of another screen built into the desk. You can then load up different keyboard configurations depending on what you're doing. Examples of this can be seen in the Florian Scout and the Rhino deckplans.

Scarecrow

 

[Andrew]

For warships IMTU I have had most workstations be configuarable to any role authorised for that user. The workstation themselves are fairly simple I have msot of the visual imagery holographically projected onto the retina by a headset or monocle system to allow large displays without them clashing with another users work top

This is part of my write up of ship systems for players

Command access to ship systems is otherwise only available from the Bridge. Bridge workstations include back up visual displays and there is a forward screen for tactical holographic or visual imagery , backed up by a transparent canopy. However Bridge work stations normally use a virtual control interface and display, the command headsets project holographic imagery onto the retina allowing the necessary command interfaces to follow the users perception and avoiding the confusion of multiple holograms on the bridge.

Workstations on other areas of the ship are limited to controlling and accessing specific systems, the turret gunners can operate weapons but not if the Bridge overrides. Engineering does have control over power and drive systems but do not have navigational data or control.

 

[vegascat]

Multifunction workstations can be very useful, but in MTU certain fuctions are locked out in the computer to specific stations or areas.
Comercial vessels are handled this way;
- Piloting and jump controls are locked into the bridge only.
- Turret controls are locked into the turret control station, but can be shut off from the bridge.
Military vessels
- Piloting and jump controls are locked into the bridge, aux bridge, and engineering consols
- Weapon controls are locked into the weapon control stations, and require a weapons free comand from the bridge or aux bridge.
Scout ship control consols are set up so any fuction can be run from every work station.

To allow a crewman to swap safe/danger colors as personal prefference on a ship with more than 1 person is a certain setup for disaster. Go/NoGo lights are used for fucntions where instant discisions are used. To make any changes in these lights should cause the GM delight, for all the havok he can throw at the PCs.

 

[Hecateus]

I saw story on TV on how this sort of thing was being tested at one company. Employees wearing a radio tag (BlueTooth?) would walk up to any station and their own personalized desktop configuration would popup. This requires a dedicated server/client arrangement.

IBM is working on something similar called Personal Servers; essentially a protable hard drive which is Wi-Fi enabled. Walk up to any compatable terminal anywhere and relevant persoanlized desktop is uploaded from your PS.

So those star trekkie com-badges aren't there just to talk to other peeps, they allow your crewbies to get their tasks done with minimal hassle.