Anthony Neal sez:
> In the midst of sorting my thoughts out about the Computer Thingy, I have
> come to a question that I have been skirting around for a while. In
> the case of
> future Tech Level advancements on technology, how should I deal with the
> miniaturization issue? For certain, we have seen advances in our lifetimes
> of epic proportions in computer hardware and even common domestic equipment.
I think that one of the basic assumptions in a lot of Trav's technology
is something along the lines that objects remain about the same size, but
their capabilities increase with advancing tech level.
Why? Well, a TL 15 hand computer with the same capabilities COULD Be made
as a bulkier TL 11 hand computer. And indeed it could be made a lot smaller.
But one thing that won't change is the hand that operates it. The person
using the TL 15 computer still needs it to be big enough so he can hit the
keys (or jack in or whatever) Basically, things have an optimal size.
As you go higher in tech you still have to retain that size, but you can
pack MORE capabilities in there.
Of course this only holds for hand held technology really. But if you
look at other Traveller technology, it holds out across the board. No one
wants to worry about items that take up a lot less volume than a single
liter. (.001 M^3) Anything smaller than that might prove a pain to
replace. (Imagine fitting your hand under the hood of a Japanese car to
get at the oil filter and you get the picture)
I remember something similar coming up with Bertil's hand gun designs.
Ordinarily, you needed a certain weight of hand gun to keep recoil
under control. He found that at TL 14-15, the superdense barrel and
trigger mechanisms of his gun weighed in at less than the optimal weight.
Solution? He put lead in the handles to make it weigh more!
> This would yield advances in the size of Robot Brain components also.
> The
> idea that Linear CPU's, for instance, do not change in size from one
> tech level
> to another is simply ludicrous! The Linear CPU and Storage Module
> would have the following stats at TL 11:
Ah! But you're forgetting something! If you build one brain at TL11,
and another brain at TL 12 using identical components, the TL 12 brain
will get a +1 to its apparant intelligence that the TL 11 brain won't
have.
As to storage medium, you are right! The 'standard' storage components and
'synaptic' too remain the same capacity and so forth all across tech levels.
10 storage units will have an education of 1 no matter what TL you're at.
:-(
> I eventually want to be able to extend these rules to the handling of
> hardware add-ons. I kinda like the idea of actual computer construction rules.
> I'm working in that direction.
Sounds good! I'd like to see 'em.
Scott 2G Kellogg
- --
"We are Space Guys. We know what we are doing." -- The Space Guys
(Guys in Space) D. Pinkwater