Pardon the rambling style, still recuperating from head trauma, so the faculties are somewhat...erratic.
A while back, I ran a thread regarding the effects of automation on a hi-tech society. Now I'm looking at ship automation. It'll help you follow this if you've read my wiki page about the Varan campaign. See my sig.
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This initial segment applies to necessities - foodstuffs, materials, and "normal" consumer goods.
In my Varan campaign, set at around TL-16, most "cargo" ships have no human crew at all. They are fully automated, autonomous, and fully self-contained. They make set runs, and for the most part have automated loading/unloading systems. Shipping is essentially computer-controlled, and minimal human intervention/control is needed. The Winnowing made this a necessity, and the system works extremely well for the necessities of life - food, water, clothing, and materiel.
Unmanned ships have fully automated repair bots doing the maintenance, repairs, and so on. If expected operating conditions are exceeded, there is limited flexibility - or maybe limited creativity is a better word. Everything is, for practical purposes, pre-programmed.
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There is a second segment, somewhat more recent, for freelance cargo. These are usually non-essentials, including artworks, specialty goods, and the like. Passenger traffic is starting again, and like air travel in the '30s, it is starting to expand.
These ships do have human crews, and are a positive sign of recovery from the effects of The Winnowing.
A typical crew consists of the Captain/Owner, Pilot/Astrogator, Comm/Sensor Specialist, Medic, and Engineer. Some crew may have dual roles, but IMTU the norm is 5 crew for the baseline.
Added crew may include Steward(s), Loadmaster, and Weps/Security specialists, depending on the ship type. Comm and sensors may split out; other roles may be added as well. There is a learning curve, but automation is making it easier.
On manned ships, there is typically a single Engineer, and the majority of the drudge work is done by bots. The ability of a human to think outside the box can significantly affect efficiency under normal conditions, but possibly EXCEED what a bot can do when it comes to creative use of equipment, material, and so on. (An eng-bot would never think to cross-link a thingummy with a frangit to get the wazzit functioning again, if only at partial efficiency, for example)
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Personally, by TL-15 I'd think virtually ANY ship could be automated, and run efficiently, within set guidelines. The human creativity factor, and ability to intuit, are what would make or break a ship in unexpected conditions.
In a hi-tech environment, how much engineering crew is really necessary? Where is the break point for how well a computer and bot system can maintain a ship? Even battle damage may be repaired more efficiently by bots that by a human. The big thing is a ability of a human to adapt, where those bots are limited by programming/logic.
How do you do it in YTU? How much do you automate? How much is needed?
I've got a good baseline in mind, but other ideas and thoughts are welcomed.
A while back, I ran a thread regarding the effects of automation on a hi-tech society. Now I'm looking at ship automation. It'll help you follow this if you've read my wiki page about the Varan campaign. See my sig.
---
This initial segment applies to necessities - foodstuffs, materials, and "normal" consumer goods.
In my Varan campaign, set at around TL-16, most "cargo" ships have no human crew at all. They are fully automated, autonomous, and fully self-contained. They make set runs, and for the most part have automated loading/unloading systems. Shipping is essentially computer-controlled, and minimal human intervention/control is needed. The Winnowing made this a necessity, and the system works extremely well for the necessities of life - food, water, clothing, and materiel.
Unmanned ships have fully automated repair bots doing the maintenance, repairs, and so on. If expected operating conditions are exceeded, there is limited flexibility - or maybe limited creativity is a better word. Everything is, for practical purposes, pre-programmed.
---
There is a second segment, somewhat more recent, for freelance cargo. These are usually non-essentials, including artworks, specialty goods, and the like. Passenger traffic is starting again, and like air travel in the '30s, it is starting to expand.
These ships do have human crews, and are a positive sign of recovery from the effects of The Winnowing.
A typical crew consists of the Captain/Owner, Pilot/Astrogator, Comm/Sensor Specialist, Medic, and Engineer. Some crew may have dual roles, but IMTU the norm is 5 crew for the baseline.
Added crew may include Steward(s), Loadmaster, and Weps/Security specialists, depending on the ship type. Comm and sensors may split out; other roles may be added as well. There is a learning curve, but automation is making it easier.
On manned ships, there is typically a single Engineer, and the majority of the drudge work is done by bots. The ability of a human to think outside the box can significantly affect efficiency under normal conditions, but possibly EXCEED what a bot can do when it comes to creative use of equipment, material, and so on. (An eng-bot would never think to cross-link a thingummy with a frangit to get the wazzit functioning again, if only at partial efficiency, for example)
---
Personally, by TL-15 I'd think virtually ANY ship could be automated, and run efficiently, within set guidelines. The human creativity factor, and ability to intuit, are what would make or break a ship in unexpected conditions.
In a hi-tech environment, how much engineering crew is really necessary? Where is the break point for how well a computer and bot system can maintain a ship? Even battle damage may be repaired more efficiently by bots that by a human. The big thing is a ability of a human to adapt, where those bots are limited by programming/logic.
How do you do it in YTU? How much do you automate? How much is needed?
I've got a good baseline in mind, but other ideas and thoughts are welcomed.
