User blog:Blackfire667/Quick notes on FTL and the galaxy


 * FTL
 * Faster-Than-Light movement is achieved through the use of "Jump Drive" technology, which creates a (semi-)stable wormhole between two points.
 * Average FTL: 24 hour charge, 24 hour cool; 12 for new ships;
 * On average, Jump Drives require a 24 hour charge-up period and a 24 hour cool-down period.
 * Brand new, top-of-the-line ships can reduce this to two 12 hour periods.
 * 8 mill ly galaxy; 10 jumps to cross the KG
 * 10% maximum per jump: 800,000 ly
 * 48 hours total downtime per jump; 10 jumps; 20 days to cross the KG
 * Little to no travel time, arrival is near-instant,
 * Sensitive to EM radiation, necessitating sublight/light-speed travel to system edge for jumps, average of 4 hour travel,
 * Emergency jumps, bypassing charge-up and cool-down times, are possible but extremely dangerous, liable to cause power surges, reactor overloads, Jump Drive destruction, general explosions,
 * FTL Communications are a complex and expensive affair, requiring large, dedicated power sources, numerous support systems and considerable resources, in terms of both materials and highly skilled personnel. Most capital cities have an FTL Comms array for sending and receiving messages at FTL speeds, even enabling real-time conversations between two arrays.
 * Only major cities of wealthy, stable nations could possibly afford to build an FTL array, though large space stations are generally able to support FTL relays, which enable them to receive signals and/or pass them between arrays.
 * Large capital ships are unlikely to be able to contain an FTL array, as this would severely strain their resources, both in terms of power and personnel. They can hold FTL relays, but this is also a considerable strain.
 * It is technically easier to communicate with one's neighbours than it is with one's own fleet.
 * The Galaxy
 * Total Galaxy: 8.1 billion squared light-years, 180,000 ly diameter,
 * 600,000,000,000 stars
 * Known Galaxy: 8 million squared light-years, 3191 diameter