11.2k ThomasRoderick Comments

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VII 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Not necessarily extra parts, given this thing had four drive units by itself... That said, I'll add more levels in between for the next update to get six forward levels and a reverse. And that you only need one cannon for each level, but a baseline "Nelan" impulse thruster requires three parts (a fuselage and two gatling guns, my own designs actually use four gatling guns for each level), so cannons are much more part efficient. The reason why I don't use cannons? First, because the drive designs were there with me since two years ago so the tech is mature; and second, cannons cannot be used if you're using missiles as well: instant relock missiles like the IMPULSE and the IMPULSE PRIME would stop functioning the second you switch to a cannon-based thruster, and frantically switching between rail repeaters and thrusters is not quite my idea of fun either. The capacity to shoot on the move with a cannon-thruster means a gun-based approach, but that also meant you now need separate AGs for each and every type of weapon.

  • REALISTIC FUEL CONSUMPTION 5.1 years ago

    So, another one have found the "spef" method independently. Good.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VII 5.1 years ago

    @WrongFlyer Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VII 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Now with throttable impulse drives! Three forward thrust levels and a reverse!
    That said, the impulse cores on this craft are accumulative (Throttle > 0 on the first one, Throttle > 0.5 on the second, Throttle=1 on the third), but IIRC that won't do on a cannon-based approach, so the codes actually need to be exclusive instead of accumulative.

  • RJ EE Wasp FGR1 5.8 5.1 years ago

    First!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf
    Something like this?
    "The control softwares, originally designed by Nelan Drive Yard to control their distortion impulse drives - a design abandoned by SPE Corp after the Grounding but refined by Nelan Drive Yards, is modified to control the SPE Corp pulsed atomic thrusters."


    Also, let's just say that trig thrust is a shoddy design for anything remotely related to orbital travel.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Cannons... So a pulsed atomic drive! Looking forward to it.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Not necessarily a crossover, more like "the technology, revised by Scarlet Crimson, CEO of Nelan Drive Yard" and something like that. Note that Crimson left human space before she revised the impulse drive so actual collab between Nelan and SPE Corp is rare if not simply unheard of. And that her company makes alcubierre drives first and foremost, but SPE Corp use slipstream drives, so there's even less collab.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Also, IIRC a twenty-metric-ton starfighter is not exactly a voidframe... So you don't really need to use inertial dampeners (aka XML the mass) to achieve high speeds.
    And please make sure to mention Crimson (full name: Scarlet Crimson) and Nelan Drive Yard if you're ever to make another impulse-powered craft.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Also, the repulse drives on the Ethos of Settlement- class freighters and the Partemidon raiders are explained as "Slipstream" drives, or warp drives that "dives" into subspace/hyperspace to achieve high velocities (Starfire ships use jump drives that simply wormhole the ship through two locations, and Nelan ships use accelerated alcubierre drives). Because trust me, nobody is going to survive that much acceleration without being turned into a fine paste on the cockpit wall - assuming the craft did not disintegrate first.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @CenturiVonKikie It is an ambi-atmospheric (so fully capable both in and out of the atmosphere) starfighter with designs inspired by UFOs, built by a crazy astro-shipwright / inventor who watched too much TV and anime. Also, the vestigial tail fins are supposed to look like a vampire's collar.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf I'll try to see which works best.
    A snippet from the lore of the starfighter:
    "Never again shall the flyers of SPE Corp be chained by gravity and bound by air, forever longing for the stars they can never return to. I rebuilt the drive from ground up, and the end result is here. Ships bearing the mark of SPE shall once again soar through the endless void with majesty and grace. May SPE Corp grow ever stronger, and may the spark of human innovation never die. Your eternal friend, Crimson".

    Note that Crimson (an OC) is the one in-universe who refined the impulse drives after the "Flashout" incident (aka. the upgrade that broke old impulse drives), and her company, Nelan Drive Yard (yes, that's an OC and a star wars reference) along with her old company, Starfire Tech (another OC) are the ones building FTL drives and capital ships, and SPE Corp is the one building sublight engines for many Starfire ships along with their usual products. Vira is explained in-lore as ambi-atmospheric (fully capable both in and out of the atmosphere) scout crafts carried onboard Starfire FTL science ships when humanity first explored the stars.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Thanks. Spoiler: the lore will mention SPE Corp. A lot.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @CenturiVonKikie That massive schlong on the bow should give you a hint... Yes, that's a one-metric-ton-and-a-half HE shell fired by a 16" coil gun, capable of turning an entire convoy into scrap in three shots... Perhaps I should actually put a tactical nuke (like a dozen metric tons in yield) in that thing? I'm not sure...
    And also yes, that's a plasma shield turning incoming missiles (and probably luckless starfighters) into slag and cinders.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @ACEPILOT109 Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @Treadmill103 The part count will most likely rise when all weapons are installed... And I might actually install a custom cockpit (not gauges, but more or less indicator lights for weapon/thruster selection) inside this thing...

  • HELLkeska 5.1 years ago

    Tomek, what in the seven hells (I don't even know where I came up with that) are you trying to do?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @LucasNicky Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @TomekHellFire @Treadmill103 One question: how many shots should that massive mortar have? I'm going with five on the finished model, but do you guys have any better ideas?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @Treadmill103 Thanks, hows the flyer?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @TomekHellFire I mean the controls...

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @TomekHellFire Hows the ship?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @CenturiVonKikie Sorry the WD-40 have to go... Turns out that the new ones are barely controllable if you're actually trying to perform strafing/bombing runs.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra VI 5.1 years ago

    @Spefyjerbf With my repeat-sum functioned lights installed, and a new accumulative impulse core

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf
    like constant1 * sin(time * constant2) + (constant1/2) - (constant3 - Throttle)?
    or perhaps the same function but cosine?

  • Lamborghini Egoista (CUSTOM) 5.1 years ago

    @TomekHellFire Well, it's just that you've said that you used up your upload limit for the day so I meant I'll wait for your upload and it's looking good - at least that's what I assumed what that "T" is supposed to be used for.

  • Lamborghini Egoista (CUSTOM) 5.1 years ago

    T for tag me when it's done.

  • B47 Stratojet with JATO rockets 5.1 years ago

    45 rockets...

  • Nobody will remember me... but... 5.1 years ago

    Welcome back kiddo! (Sorry for speaking like that, I'm 19 BTW)

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf That's why I gave you that code in the first place...


    The Generic Form:
    repeat(sum(constant1), constant2) - (input)

    The code means that the each "cycle" is (constant2/constant1) seconds long, and in (input/constant2) of the time the light will not be turned on - at least on paper...

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @LucasNicky Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Ok... sorry for bothering! The point is that the time for the entire cycle is fixed but the time for the "pulse" is differentdepending on the throttle to make it looking like a pulsed plasma thrust.

  • EIGHT MINUTES OF SAUCER SHENANIGANS 5.1 years ago

    LMAO... Did you find out how my gyros work?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf How's the beacon light code I gave you? Shove it in the "input" part of the light and its flash rates should change according to the throttle input. The thing is that the beaconlight exhaust plume cannot change in length, so I'm thinking: if length cannot be changed, how about the flash rate to simulate pulsed plasma thrusters? And there is the prototype code.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Yeah, basically my thought is somewhere on three or four different forward thrusts levels and a reverse level (yes there will be reverse thrust on the final model). I'm wondering whether I should make it |0|~|100| or |0-25|25-50|50-75|75-100| (each bar a "gear")...
    Set acceleration to three-zero Gs, aye sir!

    Also, one code to simulate engine lights, although it seems to be slow motion only:
    repeat(sum(20), 1) - (1 - Throttle)

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf After extensive testing, the idea works on paper but not so much in reality, given that the impulse drive, when using graviton or tachyon reactors (aka when the muzzle velocity is well within relativistic or superluminal speeds), has some quirks like "bullets fired by the downward-firing gun does not impact anything" and the like, so I guess I'll stick w/ stuff like having multiple sets of impulse drives and shift them w/ throttle input like gears on a car. I mean, the impulse drive as of now have a power output of 3Gs of sustained acceleration, or around 646 kilonewtons. I'm thinking about having basically two (or should I use four?) "gears" on the saucer, each having an impulse drive linked to them, so that there's meaningful thrust controls between "on" and "off".

  • [1.9.202 Beta] New Features Explained + Impressions 5.1 years ago

    @SnoWFLakE0s Another question: Do countermeasures actually support funky trees? I tried to put FT codes on its activation group but it didn't work.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @BubbleLukasie Thanks, how's the plane?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Think about why I called the minelayer "Raven"...
    Hint: the spelling reminds us of something else...

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Just realized one thing: can we make Trignometric impulse drives? Like the EF2 on the singula, but with impulse drives. Also, is the Raven's dillemma solved by input = "Throttle/100"?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Sadboye12 Thanks bro! How's the plane?

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Yourcrush Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Indeed... A shield sounds cool but then I realized that an "intercipias" anti-missile shield will also be gun-based... Still, I guess it could work...

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @spefyjerbf Thanks; are there any suggestions to the aesthetics?

  • [1.9.202 Beta] New Features Explained + Impressions 5.1 years ago

    @SnoWFLakE0s Like, I mean, a counter to the actual ammo, because if you simply press down the Countermeasures button the flares will be discharged every second or so...

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @CenturiVonKikie The WD-40 as ordered!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Treadmill103 The point is that there's no "recovery", only gyro torque applied to various directions. The bow gyro bouquet, which I call "Triassic Compensator", is everything.

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Sadboye12

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Treadmill103 Thanks!

  • Per Aspera Ad Astra V 5.1 years ago

    @Spefyjerbf
    Now the torque should be fine; also, should I add random sh*t like energy shields to it?