Droyne Architecture

Jeff Zeitlin sagt:
>   Actually, I would tend to think that Droyne architecture would
>   tend to triangles and hexagons in the plane (such as in the jump
>   grid on their starships), and geodesic domes and icosahedra in
>   threespace (the ships themselves, buildings, and so on).
>   Structurally, this kind of construction minimizes material while
>   maximizing strength and area/volume.  There is also the example
>   of their own "rib" structure; I've read suggestions that body
>   structure will have a large influence on the way that a species
>   would "design" its environment.  Notice, for example, that the
>   human rib cage is a series of arches, with the sternum as the
>   "keystone" of the arch.

Hum.  I don't see much of human anatomy in something like say:  The
Space Shuttle.  Nor do I see it in a Saturn V.  Nor do I see it in a
Sapwood ICBM...  Ariane...  Mir... Skylab... Abrams MBT... F-14 Tomcat
Nimitz class carrier...  Los Angeles class fast attack sub...  MiG-29
Fulcrum...

The laws of engineering don't change, vertibrates need a good internal
structure, and so are governed by those laws.  But the things we build
are not constrained to only those solutions which have been solved by
evoloution.  Humans and other advanced alien societies do not adapt
themselves to fit their environment, they adapt their environment to fit
themselves.  (For the most part)  A space ship is not bound by evolution.

Cubic structure, most commonly found on earth, is nicely easy to build,
but I don't think that there is anything intrinsically cubic about human
beings.  (Though I Do know humans who are best described as squares...)

But yes, body structure Will have an influence on the design of
environment.  If you are only 1.5 meters tall, you don't need 2.6 meters
of head room on your decks.  If you have wings, you will design spaces
in such a way that flight is comfortable.  If you have a tail, you will
cartainly have a space for said tail designed into your chairs.  But
these differences will primarily be shown in how work stations and
floor plans will work out.

The only real descriptions we have to work from are the descriptions of
the Ancients stuff as found in, Twilight's Peak, Secret of the Ancients
and DGP's little thing on Antiquity.  Now the interesting thing about
those, I would say, is that the function of Ancient Artifacts should be
a lot more self evident to a Droyne than it would be to a human.  Think
about THAT.  Also, in Secret of the Ancients, we have a good descrption
of an Ancient's starship.  THAT is an example of Droyne Architecture.
So maybe Droyne Architecture IS completely weird from human (Imperial)
eyes.

I would suggest that the Zhodani seem to know a lot more about the
Droyne than the Imps do.  Their jump grids are similar.  Zhos use
triangles, while Droyne use hexagons.  The patterns are very similar.
Take 6 triangles, glue em together and you've got a Hexagonal Droyne
grid.  (Maybe theres something weird psionically about a hex or triagonal
grid).

Speaking of Jump drives, I haven't got Brilliant Lances yet, but I hope
that it was NOT a misprint about a 2 cubic meter jump drive being the
minimum rather than 2*(whatever a displacement ton is).  A 2 cubic meter
jump drive will now allow such a drive to be installed into the enlarged
TNE missiles, so we can now build Jump torpedoes again.
- --
Scott 2G Kellogg
"Kellogg is just plain nuts!"  -- H. Beam Piper