Battlezone Forums

I feel it is probably a wise idea that we come up with a specific set of rules as to the physics of Battlezone in all aspects. In the past, we have discussed the physics of biometal, such as EDD and anti-gravitation.

Now I would like to discuss FTL travel and technologies related to it and how it functions.

So, lets first take a look at all the canon notions of FTL and related technologies in BZ. The first occurrence of FTL appears in The Red Odyssey with the use of the Pegasus device. This device works through a combination of dimensional translation and handwavery. Similarly, the Chinese cloaking devices work on a similar principle with minimal dimensional translation (just enough to disappear and need constant energy input to fight returning). So, we have our first canon information "dimensions". I added the word "translation" here, but if you think about it, traveling from 1 place to another though a different "dimension" required you to translate first into, then out of, that "dimension". Furthermore, the fact that cloaking works by partially exiting our "dimension" the "translation" term applies again.

Now, let’s look at BZ2. In BZ2, we have the Blink weapon, which appears to convert the craft into energy, project that energy, and then revert it back to its original form. This conversion is common for biometal but uncommon for the biology inside (pilot), so while I believe this is the canon explanation it uses a bit of handwavery as well.

Finally, wormholes link one location to another directly. We can see that in BZ2 there is a "wormhole generator" though in both cases the wormholes are quite close to Core planets. Furthermore, the generators are massive.

FE adds ships with Blinkdrives and Wormdrives, but never does much to explain either. The idea of a Blinkdrive is not a hard leap from the Blink weapon, but the Wormdrive is far more confusing. Once one considers all the documentation however, it is pointed out that the Wormdrive in FE does in fact not create wormholes but only open them. The question has to then be asked, what does the generator on the Dark Planet do? Does it create the wormhole, or only open it?

When you consider the reason for the Hadean invasion plans, the critical space/time nexus near both the Sol and Mire systems, it becomes more and more likely that either the wormhole always existed (or at least formed naturally some long time ago) or that the area has all the needed properties to facilitate the creation of the wormhole as needed. The second option gives us the most useful rules, but both can be true.

Finally, we can look at Hadean and Cerberi Portals. Both of these function without a defined aperture, though for the Cerberi portal you could probably define an event horizon at some distance from the core of the static anomaly. The Hadean portal has you disappear and reappear with an effect similar to the way Blink operates, but external to the craft and over far vaster distances. It is probably safe to assume that the portals work on principals similar to both Blink Drives and the Pegasus device, allowing travel in the form of energy (like blink) though an aperture of immeasurably small size (thus reducing power requirements and complexity of the normal Pegasus Device).

So, now comes the unification of these disparate methods and their implications. The most logical notion for the wormholes is that they must have specific conditions to exist and may form naturally on occasion in these areas. For this I would like to put forth the idea of "spatial density". The term itself is flawed because it used a term of mass/volume to explain the amount of something which itself defines mass and volume, but it is the best term we have to describe the idea. Basically, I propose that the areas around Biometaloids (such as the Core Planets) contain less space-time than those areas of 'normal' space. Furthermore, I propose that not only biometal, but ultra-high gravity and ultra-high energy can create the same results, thus O class stars should also be surrounded by "thin space", sites of large battles, sites of current or past spatial anomalies, and portals should all create "thin space". (Portals would do so artificially in a tiny area through the use of high energy.)

The last question is what is it about "thin space" that allows this? Is it at the point it is thinnest or at the point of change that such things are possible. I think it seems reasonable that utilizing "thin space" as the entry/exit point of a wormhole or similar construct can only be done giving a significant enough gradient in "spatial density". That is to say, at the point where the spatial density is reducing beyond a minimum rate per relative distance, the resulting "wall" (read, slope) can be pushed through to another "layer of space" (that being the different "dimension" mentioned in the Pegasus Device explanation). Now, trying to describe this in terms of distance is again, flawed, given that distance is part of space. It is probably easier to think about the spatial density along a single line that bisects a biometaloid with respect to a parallel line that does not for distance and comparative "spatial density".

This explanation can be extended to portals though the idea of high-energy creating a small area of "thin space" on the edge of which the actual portal is formed. Wormholes may even be a case not of punching to another layer of space or dimension but punching through one gradient and out of another with no time between as space between those two locations folds together.

Furthermore it works with every given example of FTL in all canon and extended universe while still creating limits and logic that disallow "magic".

Other forms of FTL possible include but are not limited to:

• Tears in space that can be lined with normal space and run parallel (to the XYZ of normal space, but off to the side on the W axis). If these tunnels contain more or less space than normal space, you would get to your destination slower or faster respectively.
• Alcubierre drives
• Drives that punch from one layer or dimension to the next (basically a short distance blink that works outside of just XYZ).

(I have a feeling Wormholes and the first bulleted item above might be nearly the same with the difference being that wormholes have no space in them other than the little bit that warps inward from both ends and the list item has lots of space in it, allowing it to go far more distance but with far longer travel time.)

Thoughts?

The "One Basic Untruth" rule means the thin-space principle you outlined above (in basic form, I shall add for those reading; the full principle is much more fleshed-out) is more than sufficient for explaining all forms of instantaneous travel we've seen yet - Pegasii, Blink, WormDrive, StarPortals, etc. By extension TRO also bases the cloaking technology of the CRA (and by further extension, the White Foxes) on this principle.

It's the real-space FTL that's a problem at the moment, which from what I gather (at 12pm) is what you're saying above. The Alcubierre drive seems the most promising at the moment (must read the old CP2 submissions again, thanks for reminding me), but whatever we do we'll have relativistic time travel to deal with - or avoid - as a result.

Will read OP again in detail when I'm awake tomorrow morning.