Elite: Lore
25 May 2020, 7:11am
Early 22nd century - FTL drive first developed
2151 - Said FTL used to reach Tau Ceti
"The hyperdrive quickly rendered Generation Ships obsolete and spurred a wave of colonization in the Core Systems."
3125 - Quirium drive developed which used Qurium fuel, which was produced by GalCorp. Most FTL had limited jump range, but allegedly the drives could be used to jump across or even between galaxies. Rumoured to be reverse engineered from Thargoids.
3174 - GalCorp collapsed and took the secret of Qurium production with them. Most spaceships quickly ran out, making their FTL inoperable, and more primitive methods for FTL had to be used.
3270 - The Alliance manage to develop the FSD rom GalCorp knowledge. The Club prevented Alliance from using this to their advantage, and Sirius Corporation spread the technology to all powers and factions. This FSD reduced hyperspace travel from hours to mere seconds, same as for Quirium drives.
3290 - FSD unveiled to the public
3297 - FSD available for retail.
All this is from:
https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Frame_Shift_Drive
Last edit: 25 May 2020, 7:18am
25 May 2020, 8:26am
Synthya Wylder
I'm trying to adhere to E:D canon & lore, at least, remaining plausible, without creating a 10+? year disconnect (how long would it likely take for someone in E:D to learn all that's needed to pilot a ship using the canon/traditional methods?).
I think one of the things to bear in mind is that the fundamental principles of most things remain more or less the same throughout time. Believe it or not, we build modern buildings in a very similar way, broadly speaking, as to how we built the Pyramids.
At its core flying a Sopwith Camel is not fundamentally any different to flying an F22, in fact in some instances flying an F22 is easier.
So Synthia, I think, would perhaps be more learning new systems to do the same old job.
I use my own Elite experience as an example. I played in 1986, so learning the new way just required study of the new buttons, not a rework of the whole thing! LOL
I see your character as a very interesting one that is facing almost exact opposites of what mine is. Where yours is coming to terms with "skipping a gen" mine is dealing with having been around for a few gens.
Synthya WylderI a form of Bussard RamScoop drive augmentation... her crew being mainly scientists & engineers. Trying to figure out just how far & fast such a ship might have been able to achieve...
To be totally boring, I think calculations done on Bussard Ramjets resulted in drag exceeding thrust
Hello everyone, by the way, I hope you don't mind me popping my head up, I've been reading for a while and thought I'd "surface"
Last edit: 25 May 2020, 8:34am
25 May 2020, 7:43pm
The interstellar ramjet at 60
I think in terms of plausibility, especially for long-term travel & distance ships, such an idea seems at least feasible, especially considering the estimated level technology of the era of E:D Generation Ships.
Other, smaller ships, particularly shorter-range needs in that era, & more agile ships like the ones commonly in use in E:D, a FTL drive such as the current Alcubierre concept, might be used instead due to the needs & limitations of a RamScoop-type. I can't imagine that such a ship, large enough to incorporate such a design/device & mounting weapons & life support for a crew, or even one, would be anywhere near agile enough to be used in combat in any manner similar to current E:D ships.
Not that we have the necessary means, in today's level, to design & build ships of either type, but in E:D lore, combined with the habit of wartime accelerating technological R&D during the E:D's WWIII, & post-war conditions which spurred those Generation ships, IMO it seems within plausibility that such a ship might have been designed & built; if not when launched, then in the time during its generations of travel.
The devil, as they say, is in the details. These are my thoughts & I welcome yours in comments. As always, I take them under serious consideration & have spent a ~couple days researching & reading on just this topic, all for my own edumacation & ofc, your reading enjoyment.
25 May 2020, 9:34pm
26 May 2020, 6:30am
26 May 2020, 5:19pm
Isaiah EvansonThey're moving through witchspace.
Thing is, the Witchspace from original Elite still made CMDR to travel in a matter of few seconds between two systems but "outside" it could be even a few days.
26 May 2020, 6:22pm
26 May 2020, 7:39pm
26 May 2020, 10:01pm
A C EnderNot going into the feasibility of the drive at this time, the generation ship would have been launched between 2097 and 2151, so that's the level of technological gap she would face.
Would you be so kind as to offer a source or quote for the latter date?
While I can confirm a date for the former, a specific date or even time period for the latter eludes me.
I did find this, although I'm unsure whether this is canon, or mere speculation/musings. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/generation-ships-all-you-need-to-know.407558/
27 May 2020, 10:51am
Synthya WylderA C EnderNot going into the feasibility of the drive at this time, the generation ship would have been launched between 2097 and 2151, so that's the level of technological gap she would face.
Would you be so kind as to offer a source or quote for the latter date?
While I can confirm a date for the former, a specific date or even time period for the latter eludes me.
I did find this, although I'm unsure whether this is canon, or mere speculation/musings. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/generation-ships-all-you-need-to-know.407558/
Sure. Here's the quote, from the history section of the wiki on FSD
"The first primitive hyperdrives capable of propelling ships to faster-than-light (FTL) speeds were created in the early 22nd century by a team of engineers led by Li Qin Jao. In 2151, this innovation allowed humanity reach Tau Ceti and establish its very first extrasolar colony on a planet that would later be renamed Taylor Colony. The hyperdrive quickly rendered Generation Ships obsolete and spurred a wave of colonization in the Core Systems."
27 May 2020, 10:59am
GalNet on foundation of the Federation
I can't check myself right now, but reading on Tau Ceti I found this quote:
"Tau Ceti was the first colony established outside of Sol. Tau Ceti 2 (now called Taylor Colony) had long been determined viable for habitation with life already present (due to free oxygen detected in the atmosphere via absorption spectra) - though observation and probe data confirmed this. By 2159, the settlement was largely self-sufficient and able to elect a civilian administrator."
The source is mentioned as "Data taken from Tourist Spot 0167, Tau Ceti system" - so that would make it official. Assuming that information does mention 2159 as self sufficient, the timeline of 2151 as first colony establishment sounds believable.
I will also check out Drew Wagars "Lore Tour" on YouTube and see if I find any more information. He's one of the authors of Elite books, so he's been in contact with Frontier directly, and I would trust him as a source.
Last edit: 27 May 2020, 11:15am
27 May 2020, 12:12pm
GalNet on Generation ships
"The first was launched in 2097, and in the centuries that followed, many more was launched"
This indicates that at least during some of the 23rd century generation at least some ships were still launched, as you otherwise wouldn't really say centuries.
Last edit: 27 May 2020, 12:21pm