Speculative Traders

[TheEngineer]

Just inspired by Kaladorn I recognized, that jumps might be detectable the gravitic way.

Gravitic waves are induced by changing masses, which normally does not happen on a level, which is measurable today (guess supernova events are good for that, where vast amounts of mass are turned into radiation).

Now if a jump field abruptly cuts out a piece of mass, it might be noticable by densiometers, too.
Perhaps thats a sensoring issue, there masking might be hard ?

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Jump animation including grid (no sound yet):

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/jm2.avi

 

[kaladorn]

I think a Jump ought to be visible in several ways.

Powering up for jump energizes the hull grid. With all the SFX we like that to have, that implies radiation of light and possibly other wavelengths. Hence *detectable*.

The jump itself removes some mass from our universe and nips out a bit of the space itself. That must cause a localized distortion in space and gravitic detection seems most likely, though there may be additional energy corollaries despite no 'bright flash' or 'thermal bloom' at jump, just 'being gone'. The space repairing itself may emit something or have some sort of energy state changes that are detectable. And the missing mass might cause some sort of gravitic effect.

So, densitometers might pick it up... maybe. But it would be hard to get. I think the visual and other emissions might be easier to pick up and be detectable from further away. (Of course, if you know where the detector is and arrange to setoff your jump from in front of a bright background like a star or sun, you may in fact hide your emissions that way).

 

[Scarecrow]

Andrew, I just downloaded the anim.

Beutiful, mate. Just beutiful.

How about starting the grid when it's flying past the camera?
Also, how about having the grid completely envelop the ship in light and then expanding outwards to form the explosion as it jumps?

Crow

 

[Falkayn]

Great jump animation - brilliant! What a great Christmas present for me!

 

[kaladorn]

I'm trying to figure out why this AVI won't run in Media Player... it is giving me 'unknown error'. Any thoughts? Is there something unusual about the format? What was the source program/platform?

 

[Falkayn]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
I'm trying to figure out why this AVI won't run in Media Player... it is giving me 'unknown error'. Any thoughts?

Kaladorn, it works for me on WinXP SP2 using WMP v9. If you have the DivX codec installed, then try running Windows Update and looking for WMP updates.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

"How about starting the grid when it's flying past the camera?
Also, how about having the grid completely envelop the ship in light and then expanding outwards to form the explosion as it jumps?"

I'll tweak things a bit.

"I'm trying to figure out why this AVI won't run in Media Player... it is giving me 'unknown error'. Any thoughts? Is there something unusual about the format? What was the source program/platform?"

Plays fine here in WMP10. And DivX Player. And RealPlayer 10. And WinDVD.

Have you got the latest DivX codec?

 

[clementk]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
I'm trying to figure out why this AVI won't run in Media Player... it is giving me 'unknown error'. Any thoughts? Is there something unusual about the format? What was the source program/platform?

I'd try downloading the full free package from divx if you haven't already and trying to play the file on the divx player. Some versions of WMP have problems with video files until fixed though I thought that was mainly with mpegs. >.< Worth a shot at least.

I checked the file with both AVICodec and GSpot Codec Information Application and it says the file's DivX 5.0 and no problems with the file. They're free programs that check the file and see if you have software needed to play it. GSpot's still supported and can be downloaded from
http://www.headbands.com/gspot/

Also virtualdub didn't find any errors either.

HTH.

Casey awake but still asleep

 

[kaladorn]

Originally posted by Falkayn:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by kaladorn:
I'm trying to figure out why this AVI won't run in Media Player... it is giving me 'unknown error'. Any thoughts?

Kaladorn, it works for me on WinXP SP2 using WMP v9. If you have the DivX codec installed, then try running Windows Update and looking for WMP updates. </font>[/QUOTE]Odd. I'm on Win2K SP6 and have Media Player 9 (at work, where I tried). I'm going to try at home here on MP9 on XP Pro SP2.

 

[kaladorn]

Worked at home here.

Nice! The only thing I'd have done different is a non-uniform grid pattern - giving the idea of different energy patterns for different destinations.

Pretty sweet work though. You need to marry it to a snippet of instrumental music or some SF sound effects (perhaps just a machine hum or whine and then ... silence... after the jump....). I know there is no sound in space, but it makes better theatre to have some sound with a movie!

Spiffy!

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Glad you got it working.

"The only thing I'd have done different is a non-uniform grid pattern"

Much harder, and I don't think you'd notice it.

"Pretty sweet work though. You need to marry it to a snippet of instrumental music"

Classical Gas is the one I'm thinking of. Well, the first 8s of it anyway.

"or some SF sound effects (perhaps just a machine hum or whine and then ... silence... after the jump....)."

I've found a jet idling and a crash of thunder.

"I know there is no sound in space, but it makes better theatre to have some sound with a movie!"

Yup.

 

[kaladorn]

I'd notice. I like to frame-by-frame nice renders

Mind if I vidcap a frame or two for use in illustration of the jump process to my players? With all due attributions (and of course no commercial potential whatsoever).... (I like to ask... I know I could 'just do it' but it is a wonderful little piece and I like to respect an author/artists rights....)

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Feel free. I'm glad you like it. I can do you a few higher-res renders if you want.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Now with sounds! (No music though). Not perfect, but not too bad considering it's the first time I've tried this. I can easily change the sounds if someone finds better ones.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/jm3.avi

 

[Tanuki]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
Now with sounds! (No music though). Not perfect, but not too bad considering it's the first time I've tried this. I can easily change the sounds if someone finds better ones.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/jm3.avi

Oh, that is NICE!

 

[Jame]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
Now with sounds! (No music though). Not perfect, but not too bad considering it's the first time I've tried this. I can easily change the sounds if someone finds better ones.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/jm3.avi

This is supposed to have sight with it too, right? For some reason my Realplayer says something about "unsupported streaming or other" and will only play the sounds (which are nice, but seem to need sounds...).

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Works fine here with RP10. Have you installed the DivX codec?

 

[TheEngineer]

Hi !

Great sound, Andrew.

Well, I'm sure now, that I hate this animation thing, messing around with keyframes and choreographs and NEVER its really the way you wanted it to be... :=)

Now, heres a new version with a jump bubble like this one.

And the first try to put in into a video.
The "disappearing glow" will be much more slender in the next version.
Lanthanium Jump Bubble video

Regards,

Mert

 

[kaladorn]

Mert, Andrew:

Nice works. Big salute from me. Mert, yours needs some music. May I suggest something suitably Old Europe like Mozart, Bach or the like?

Mert,

I like the result so far, I only have two comments:
Why the final elongation... I'd be interested to see what it would be like to have the bubble go from full final shape to a pinprick (sans elongation) in a very few frames.... effectively that chunk of space is gone and the rest of space tries to fill in quickly...
Also, why greyish? I'd think if you're jamming enough energy into the field to sunder space, that you'd actually have an actinic white bubble...

I still like the idea of a variable energization pattern in the lattice, but I can just *imagine* (I've worked on a MMORPG with 3d rendering) how much work that would actually be.

Still, I salute you both. You've both added to my impression of the universe. Pity we didn't have a greater collection of ship wireframes for some of the classic ships and accompanying textures.

You two plus some of the folks that do the static renders plus Scarecrow and the vargr (MadDog? SpaceDog?) sympathizer (*grin*) have really defined for me the look of some things....