Fleeting Physics

[Captain Jordan]

A rather quick question as I do some research for a naval-type character. What's the general consensus on physics usage in fleet combat here on Chaos?

Any use of Newtonian physics (either strong or weak)? Or do people mostly stick to surface-style naval maneuvers for capital ships and aerial-style dogfighting for starfighters?

 

[Lok Jorunn]

[member="Captain Jordan"]

We tend to keep it simple enough for newer fleeters to easily grasp things, though the more advanced fleeters are avid users of strong Newtonian physics. Since this is all a roleplaying game, most players find it much more entertaining to stray away from hard logic rather than letting Star Wars take its course and let things happen.

 

[Kitty]

Only 2 things you need to know for anyone who want to sound sciencey in your space flying. Burn prograde if you want to get away from gravity and burn retrograde if you want to land. ^.^

 

[Captain Jordan]

[member="Kitty"]

Unless you're trying to rendezvous. Then you burn prograde (in relation to the target) to get away from the target and retrograde to dock. But that's the kind of strong orbital mechanics that most science fiction stories abstract away with the assumption that their engines have enough delta-V to travel in a brachistochrone trajectory and ignore most of those technicalities.

 

[Kitty]

[member="Captain Jordan"]
The funny thing is it doesn't even seem that complicated. I mean I'm not smart but is soon as you learn what the big words mean it suddenly makes sense. Also KSP FTW!!!!!

 

[Captain Jordan]

[member="Kitty"]

It doesn't when you're immersed in it, like playing KSP. When you're writing fiction for someone who may be unfamiliar, it's important to make sure that the other writers have the same resources to make for a level playing field. That's why my question was so important, especially when dogfighting against another writer, I think it would be useful to ensure that both writers understood the general mechanics of what was going on.

It's certainly easier for us writers to understand aerial dogfighting. We saw those kinds of maneuvers in Star Wars, and in any period film/video game surrounding World War II. It's much harder to understand Newtonian-style maneuvers unless you've watched plenty of Battlestar Galactica/Babylon 5, or played enough video games that use it to understand the dynamics.

I'll wait for more writers to chime in, but it sounds like mostly a more casual approach with the ability to sneak in some harder physics when no one is looking.

 

[Gir Quee]

I'll wait for more writers to chime in, but it sounds like mostly a more casual approach with the ability to sneak in some harder physics when no one is looking.

Pretty much this.

My use of physics depends on who I'm fleeting with. Most of the time I keep the physics pretty simple if I don't know the other player very well, just because I don't want it to be the cause of OOC drama. This is also true for a lot of terrain, like asteroid belts, as strongly as I like to use it to my advantage.

 

[Ellie Mors]

[member="Captain Jordan"]
Depending on whom you are writing with is generally what defines what you should be thinking about when fleeting, or any form of combat in general. For example, if I was to duel [member="Alric Kuhn"]'s writer I would probably be dishing out every last detail of relative importance (with lightsaber strikes) rather than a rough outline of blocking or striking, whereas while dueling with someone such as [member="Corvus Raaf"] I'll probably spend most of the time trying to antagonize her (if I'm writing Silara, of course). As far as fleeting goes, most physics come into play when movement does, not quite as much when firing turbolasers as most people neglect the use of counter-thrust to stay steady when firing off such a volatile force, although some might. You'll find people tend to forget about the details that aren't common sense, myself included.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Fleeting is complex. A complexity added to by the fact that no one (especially not the majority of SW authors) treat it the same way as anyone else.
Since the movies have a lot of conceits to make things more cinematic, hard physics are not involved here.

My style of writing is a mix of three basic elements:

• WWI dreadnaught combat ala Jutland.
• WWII naval battles as far as attack craft are concerned.
• Star Wars battles from movies and books with some extrapolation.

What one ends up with is a 3D battle where large capital ships hammer each other whilst smaller attack craft vie for dominance.

Fleeting isn’t easy, and there’s a hundred ways to do it, none of it ‘right’. However, bear in mind that the more complex you go and the more ‘realistic’ you try with the physics the harder it is for others to participate.

 

[Sheila]

^ this and I have fleeted against Val and Larraq they are great but I get lost halfway through their posts sad to say. I like fleeting with guys like Walsh and Ashin. One because he will go out of his way to be kind when you make a mistake. Just have fun with it and leave it open and fair you'll do fine. The other writer will depenfing work with you. Also Ayden is a great teacher to help you get from basic to moderate or advanced.

 

[Jsc]

I have a brother who rides bicycles. He's ridiculously good at it. He wins competitions and can race for miles up a mountain. However, when he grabs a team mate he rides at their pace. He says it's more social that way. They can stay together, talk, eat, and he never gets tired. Does it inspire him? No. not much. He loves the razor's edge. But when riding with a partner or two, he doesn't mind keeping a slower pace.

That's how I see good Fleeting. Aim to be the best, know everything, and grind mountains into powder with your teeth. But when you thread? Play at the level that the other can keep up with you. Even if it's small. Otherwise you've already lost them.

 

[Cyrus Tregessar]

Generally speaking, given Star Wars' general disregard for physics in its 'science,' there's not a lot of emphasis on proper Newtonian movement and the like. A little spatial awareness helps, of course, and the knowledge that in space, something really simply cannot stop on a dime, but otherwise you can't really go wrong by just sort of imagining things like battleships broadsiding each other in 3d. The devil is in the details, of course, but since canon is so wonderfully inconsistent, a lot of that is subject to personal interpretation. We've had pages-long discussion on the actual effects of ion cannons, with several sides all citing sources, all of which say different shit.

Do what seems right to you, and if there's a problem talk it out with your opponent. Hard to mess things up that way.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Slightly off-topic but still relevant (I hope). I always state when it comes to PvP that Corvus is a better fighter than I am a writer of fights. She has over two decades of daily practice. I don't!

So sometimes you have to go with flavour and fluff over crunch. As long as the other writer(s) are fine with that, you're going to have fun. But if I fight someone who is detail conscious, that's when I struggle - because the writer will commit mistakes the character never would.

So be up front about your 'limitations' as a writer and as long as you don't do anything too daft, you should be fine

 

[sabrina]

A little of topic, but there's one aspect of fleeting I never got. Speed calculator for starwars. The reason being is han solo boasts in the film how fast the Falcon is compared to the big ships. This to me always meant the Falcon was exception not the rule.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Fleeting is a highly technical art. You need to know your ships, their weapons, and their uses, and you sure as hell need to know your enemy ships.
After a half dozen battles with the One Sith I know both theirs and the Republic ships pretty damn well. Strengths, weaknesses, weapons, how to make fun of the Immortal….

It’s very different from writing an RP since 99% of the time your post is a highly technical movement of big ships, and occasionally your admiral chortles something like ‘We’ll crush the Republic dogs!’ to break up the walls of text.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but I do enjoy it.

On a side note, I am looking for fleeting employment now I’ve left the Republic, probably with a new character. Any offers will be considered.

 

[Alva Calvarona]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

*uses adorable puppy dog eyes*

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Alva Calvarona"]
Major factions only, I've got a couple of minors I do it for already. But you can't have epic fleet battles with a 1000m limit.

 

[Captain Jordan]

Oh [member="Valiens Nantaris"], teach me your ways!

 

[Ellie Mors]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]
I still remember the time when you were a budding padawan.

And the time where I totally made the weird and coincidental foreshadowing of that duel on Prakith.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Captain Jordan"]
Sure, come to this faction: http://starwarsrp.net/forum/1873-the-warmongers-reborn/and join the greatest* minds on the board!

*Greatest is entirely subjective.