X-Boat Stations
- Thread starter Patron Zero
- Start date
Patron Zero
SOC-13
Thanks robject, posting a WIP of a XBS-Type 2.
many secondary worlds are going to be needing sufficient tankage for 100-1000 Tc (Cargo Tons, 1Tc=1Td or 10 mt, whichever gives more) per day.
Note that a Type R is about 200 Tc and 50Td fuel, and a Type A about 80Tc and 30Td fuel.
(This is based upon a nominal 1Tc per 10 persons in the service area per annum - which is about the rate for smaller commercial ports on earth at present, about double the major late medieval ports, and about 1/10 the rate of certain major service ports, like Seattle, LA, NYC, London).
So, for example, Wypoc, with 900K people, should have a nominal 90KTc per year, or a nominal 245Tc per day. That's either an R and an A, or 3 A's. Either way, it's about 90 Td fuel per day - enough to require daily refuels for a single XBT, and every other for a dual XBT. (Note that an XB requires 20Td fuel per jump under Bk2.)
Throwing a collier on the same frame as the XBT, changing only the bay to fuel-as-cargo, and you have a 600Td fuel store, enough to fill an 800Td J3 ship (which, under Bk2, is able to make a profit at book rates on subsidy, and needs 270Td fuel).
Patron Zero
SOC-13
Perhaps a sidestep of a sort but I also see X-boat Stations serving much in the way as did chartered inns-taverns in Medieval England and Europe. The crown, in this instance The Imperium, establishing way-stations or roadhouses along the main routes of trade and commerce, then later 'handing-off' such to private investors and in so promoting a local tax-base.
Of course, the presence of an XBS isn't a guarantee that a system or sub-sector will flourish but having a well or oasis of sorts along an otherwise lonesome road is a good indicator of potential nonetheless.
Of course, the presence of an XBS isn't a guarantee that a system or sub-sector will flourish but having a well or oasis of sorts along an otherwise lonesome road is a good indicator of potential nonetheless.
This is possible, but not guaranteed as you say. It's also possible that that role is typically filled by the Traveller's Aid Society -- for example, if and where they supply the void left by the defunct Octagon Society.
Also, I can see these two different organizations trying to cooperate at times. And other times, perhaps they are mildly antagonistic -- but maybe then only when egos are involved, as I can't see them philosophically opposed.
BlackBat242
SOC-14 1K
Unless the OS is a cover for the much older organization to use that building shape - The Octagon.
http://foreven.com/libdat/libdat/o/OctagonSociety.htm
There is an flaw in this plan. The sector capitals also need to be connected to each other. An extreme, but not only, example of this would be Usdiki (Gushemege 1015), the sector capital, and Vland (Vland 1717), both sector and domain capital. There is no direct connection between these two. The official route runs Vland -> Capital (59 parsecs, 10 jumps), then Capital -> Usdiki (75 parsects, 13 jumps). Whereas the most direct route is 58 parsecs or 10 jumps.
Quite right. I've held off on replying to your previous post because I wanted to improve the plan first, but I suppose I might as well do it on the fly. Yes, the plan is quite obviously inadequate. Not only must the sector capitals be connected with neighboring sector capitals BTFRP1, subsector capitals should also be connected with neighboring subsector capitals BTFRP. Also, I would want to designate a lot more worlds as important. For instance, in Regina subsector both Roup and Feri IMO rates an X-boat connection in their own right (as do Efate and several other worlds), and Special Circumstances qualifies Kinorb for a link as well2.
1 By The Fastest Route Possible. 
2 My explanation for why a world with 6 million inhabitants has an X-boat connection is that Kinorb is a vacation and retirement world for multi-millionaires and billionaires.
2 My explanation for why a world with 6 million inhabitants has an X-boat connection is that Kinorb is a vacation and retirement world for multi-millionaires and billionaires.
As I said, the plan needs elaboration, but even so, problems of this nature are likely to crop up anyway. One answer, though sadly not one that's any use for your automation purposes, is that once a problem with the generic instructions is spotted, those responsible for the implementation of the project can apply to the emperor, or his designated representative with an Imperial Warrant, and apply for leave to amend the scheme to fix the problem. After all, it's not like these routes will be generated by an automatic process.
Hans
This isn't a difficult to add. I'll work on the eight surrounding sector/subsectors for these links
I took a quick stab at picking the important worlds. There are a number of reasons why the T5SS Importance rating is good, but not sufficient.
As I said, the plan needs elaboration, but even so, problems of this nature are likely to crop up anyway. One answer, though sadly not one that's any use for your automation purposes, is that once a problem with the generic instructions is spotted, those responsible for the implementation of the project can apply to the emperor, or his designated representative with an Imperial Warrant, and apply for leave to amend the scheme to fix the problem. After all, it's not like these routes will be generated by an automatic process.
The automated process is only as good as the data it is fed. If you think that Roup, Feri, and Kinorb should all go on the "important" list, you need to be able to either justify that by specification of data already in the T5SS data set, or by adding additional data into the set. One suggestion would be to add a Base Code (e.g. J) to worlds that are politically, but not economically, important.
(Side note: With the latest T5SS Update, Base codes are no longer limited to a single character, but may be two or more characters long. So what previously was "A" base code for combined navy/scout base is now "NS". Therefore adding a code is easy, rather than having to come up with a whole host of combinations.)
The downside of too many worlds on the list is you start violating the "by the fastest route possible" requirements. My thought for this would be that the links between the capitals are more aggressive about the BTFRP, and the Important worlds links are less so. Because the latter are over a smaller space, it is less likely that you will end up with badly designed routes.
Why? X-boat routes are not tracks laid in jumpspace. They are just X-boat stations witin four (or six) parsecs of each other and the expressed intention to send an X-boat from one to the other at certain intervals.
Let's take the region between Regina and Efate as an example. You want to connect Regina to Efate, Roup, and Feri. So you connect Regina to Roup (average four boats per day), Roup to Efate (average four boats per day), and Roup to Feri (average one boat per week). And then the multi-millionaires on Efate puts political pressure on and get a link from Efate to Feri (average one boat per day) and between Feri and Kinorb (average one boat per day). And then the multi-millionaires on Regina puts on a bit of political pressure of their own and get the link from Roup to Feri upgraded to a boat per day.
And then the lobbying to get some of these links improved to J5 and J6 links can begin.
The thing to remember is that for all practical purposes all X-boat stations within four parsecs of each other are linked to each other, unless you think that TPTB feel that the few extra X-boats that would take is too great an expense.
Hans
Assuming each link is served daily - each link is thus 14-16 (depending upon safety margins) craft. If connect each point to all within range, adding one point to the side of a linear route adds not one ship, not 14, but at least 28. Adding a second, adds another 42. (we're now up to 110 ships minimum for daily service on 5 worlds). Very rapidly, you MUST stop doing "all in range" and go to exploded star networking as a simple function of cost control due to the exponential nature of network node increases.
But I'm not assuming that every link is served daily. I'm assuming once per week for the least links (tertiary? quartenary?).
Hans
Not exponentially. There's a fairly low limit to how many "un-connected" X-boat stations there will be within four parsecs of any single station.
Hans
Patron Zero
SOC-13
I'm still partially stunned by the amount of time information takes to cross within the borders of The Imperium, also somewhat impressed such distances are traversed so quickly.
Compared to hub-and-spoke, yes, exponentially. In a hub and spoke, each world generally has one link; the system has one fewer than the total worlds. It's MUCH more efficient for distribution.
If you have a hub and spoke with 3 worlds served from the hub in reach of each other, a hub needs a total of three links. With a web, you have 6 links; add a 4th, it goes to 10..
An interconnection web has a number of links that is an exponential function of the density of nodes. A hub and spoke has a number of links that is linear by density; same for a ring and spokes.
Last edited:
(Emphasis added).
The underscored is where your assertation fails. Only a few stations will be within reach of other stations that are not already on your hub-and-spoke network.
Hans
Even 2 is 3 links in web vs 2. And, given a median range between significant worlds of 3Pc, a J5-J6 web is going to have an average of 18 worlds.
At 4 Pc distance, it still is running about 10-12 worlds. DO THE MATH.
It gets real ugly really quick.
A hub and spoke does mean the occasional world makes 4 hops instead of 2... but it's the most cost effective distribution for governance, and for dissemination of central information, provided the arms of the primary level run to major points of importance, and then the spur hubs come off of those.
Umm, compared to the cost of a single dreadnought squadron, either option is still small potatoes.
A dreadnought squadron is about GCr1000
The J4 X-boat is MCr70. It requires tenders costing MCr274
The J6 Fleet Courier (CF) is MCr255
A Kokirrak DN is GCr120.
A 30 link Xboat service with daily service is at least 16 ships per link, probably 18, plus at least 33 tenders (3 to cover for the other 30 during annual maintenance, as it's going to mean time off service - 3 weeks, minimum, if not in an A-Port). So 480*MCr70=GCr33.6, and 33xMCr274=GCr9. So, about GCr 42 for a daily X-boat run in a sector.
Covering the same sector with J6 in place of most J3 links on the will reduce it to about 20 links... and need still the same 16 per link minimum for daily service so about 320 ships at MCr255, or GCr81.
It's well more than a "drop in the bucket."
Adding the spoke service to the other 300 worlds, even if only weekly, still requires 4 ships per link - coming off the x-boat hubs, you're looking at at least 2400 ships, and assuming Type S's as is canon, GCr42 or so additional.
It's about the same cost as a dreadnought to field a J6 network and a supporting J2 network.
Now, add adding additional links for those couriers, in standard density, and the average world goes from 1 to at least 4 links; it's liable to be 6, but we'll halve it to account for them sharing the load... so 3 unique links per system... so now the scout courier net at weekly departures is as much as a dreadnought.
Similar threads
