An Argument in Defense of Artificial Gravity

NOTE: This is not a super serious thread. I know this is a game, and none of this matters at all whatsoever. It was just a fun thing for me to write up.


In the lore of Elite: Dangerous, artificial gravity does not exist. There is some centripetal or centrifugal force in space stations, which is how the trucks can drive on the roads, and probably how you can get a drink at the bar. There is, however, no super-science device or any other handwaivey technobabble what-have-you, and there is no artificial gravity of any kind on our space ships. The stories all talk about magnetic boots and a Zero G atmosphere. So I say again, as written, the lore states firmly that there is no artificial gravity in Elite.

And because of that, we should all be DEAD.

Certainly, we'd be terribly miserable (but then, that may explain the sourpuss holo-me faces).

Here are some reason why I have chosen to ignore the lore that there is no artificial gravity in the Elite universe:

1. The g-forces experienced in a boost are enough to crush a human body.

You can do the math. You can go from 0 to 850 m/s in a matter of seconds. You would be paste. And that's in a straightaway boost! Think about doing it while rotating to get a better shot on that Federal cop who just interdicted you! You could be going in reverse, and boost forward to 800 in a speed ship in the same time. Then you could be spread across a lightly-toasted piece of bread.

2. Better hope everything is strapped down.

You're magnetically connected to your pilot seat, but what about that pen you lost during your pre-flight check? What if that Braben bobblehead breaks as you hit boost, sending his head flying through your own at high velocity?

3. Everything would just be disgusting.

Without gravity, your sweat just pools. Maybe you fling it off every once in a while, but now it's a floating ball of salty sweat, moving around the cockpit until you boost and then it splashes you in the face. At high velocity! Like drinking sweat from a firehouse.

4. Erectile Dysfunction

This one probably doesn't matter too much, but it is true that, in space, it is difficult to get and maintain an erection. Women also have trouble getting aroused. This is because the way the body has developed with respect to blood flow, heart pumping, &c. Low gravity reduces libido, though, so maybe this doesn't matter too much. Yet another explanation for the sourpuss holo-me faces.

Probably shouldn't be having sex in zero g anyway, because of number 3 above, though.

5. Medical Problems

Of course, the bloodflow issues relate to other problems you will experience in long-term zero g as well. That can be countered in some ways with special suits and exercise, but it's still a problem. If you're a long hauler or explorer, you should be concerned. Of course, since you're already dead the moment you hit boost lined up with the mail slot, I guess it doesn't matter.

--

So what's the solution!?

Well, the lore is pretty clear on this one, so there isn't an actual solution unless FDev wants to invalidate decades of lore and stories. For me, I don't take this game terribly serious anyway, and I don't read the stories and novels and whatever.

Perhaps there are things like inertial dampeners, which gets rid of the biggest problem, but that's really a form of artificial gravity anyway.

So I've chosen to just ignore that bit of lore and pretend like there is, in fact, artificial gravity! And, if you're like me and want some kind of super science technobabble explanation? It's a function of the FSD. The same tech that bends space and allows FTL travel also works to keep the ship in a bubble of fast moving space. Or something!

If it's easier for you, you can also just assume everything you do is via telepresence - just don't carry anything like fruits, vegetables, or animals in your cargo hold.
 
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I reckon you're on to something with the inertial dampeners, a frameshift-like technology that can reduce the g-lock in a localised area.

CMDR Alonso, you absolutely can travel without artificial gravity, you would just atrophy & be unable to move without assistance (that your suit can provide) once you arrive at your destination :)
 
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I reckon you're on to something with the inertial dampeners, a frameshift-like technology that can reduce the g-lock in a localised area.

CMDR Alonso, you absolutely can travel without artificial gravity, you would just atrophy & be unable to move without assistance (that your suit can provide) once you arrive at your destination :)

Which wouldn't matter in this game since, with boost and accelleration as-is, you won't live long enough to worry about whether you're rotating or not!
 

Deleted member 115407

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Funny post, OP. Included a lot that I'd never considered.

All of my ships have artificial gravity. Weightlessness is for suckers.
 
Which wouldn't matter in this game since, with boost and accelleration as-is, you won't live long enough to worry about whether you're rotating or not!

Okay so people ask why you have boost in the game right? Why it only lasts a little while rather than being able to do it all the time.

What if your 'inertial dampener' is able to spread that burst of g-force over a longer period, so that your body experiences the same total acceleration but at a lower peak g. That'd sort of work, right?

So how big does the sphere of gel need to be? ;)
 
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Perhaps there are things like inertial dampeners, which gets rid of the biggest problem, but that's really a form of artificial gravity anyway.

Yeah, kind of a loophole because without inertial dampeners the gameplay would kill our commanders (like you said,) however if you have the tech to build inertial dampeners then you also have the tech for artificial gravity. imho.

I also read about 70 sci fi books a year and in none of them is artificial gravity impossible. Sometimes only advanced aliens have it, but it is possible.
 
Okay so people ask why you have boost in the game right? Why it only lasts a little while rather than being able to do it all the time.

What if your 'inertial dampener' is able to spread that burst of g-force over a longer period, so that your body experiences the same total acceleration but at a lower peak g. That'd sort of work, right?

So how big does the sphere of gel need to be? ;)

It would work, and that solves point number 1. I still think a full solution is better overall, but at the very least, inertial dampeners are a must (and as far as I know they won't even disrupt the lore). You can also make them adjustable, so dogfighters can feel more g-forces than others, thus feeling more like they're attached to their ship (in an old Star Wars story, this is why fat load Jek Porkins died; he liked to keep his artificial gravity lower than usual and it affected his performance).

A funny story about gel:

My senior year of high school, we had to build water rockets that would take an egg as its pilot (or 'eggstronaut'). My team decided to fill the cabin with Jell-O and put the egg inside it. The rocket went up, came back down, impacted the ground, and the teacher inspected it. The egg was fine!

My team decided we wanted to keep the rocket, but obviously we didn't want a bunch of Jell-O and a rotting egg in it. So I went to the trashcan to empty out. As soon as I touched the egg, it shattered into a million pieces. Seems the Jell-O didn't really protect the egg, so much as it kept its destroyed body in place and in the correct shape to earn us an A.

Yeah, kind of a loophole because without inertial dampeners the gameplay would kill our commanders (like you said,) however if you have the tech to build inertial dampeners then you also have the tech for artificial gravity. imho.

I also read about 70 sci fi books a year and in none of them is artificial gravity impossible. Sometimes only advanced aliens have it, but it is possible.

Precisely on point.
 
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I handwave it with our flight suits.

Even if it was some kind of technomagical pressure suit (and hell, why not?), most pilots don't wear helmets except during emergencies. So instead of your entire body being turned to paste, it would just be your head. Your decapitated body would otherwise be fine.

At least you could be an organ donor!

And it still doesn't solve the other issues with zero g.
 
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I reckon you're on to something with the inertial dampeners, a frameshift-like technology that can reduce the g-lock in a localised area.

CMDR Alonso, you absolutely can travel without artificial gravity, you would just atrophy & be unable to move without assistance (that your suit can provide) once you arrive at your destination :)
Well, yeah, you can have travel without artificial gravity, but then you need inertial dampeners that basically equate to manipulating gravity when the ship accelerates, and if you can do that then you can do artificial gravity.

We have warp drives
 
We're genetically engineered and tweaked for this kind of thing; we can take it.

That or we're in a tube of goop in the middle of the hull and our Holo-Me is flying.

And I'd like to think we're highly paid and professional enough to strap things down (and those bubblehead springs must be VERY stiff!)

For me, there is one major pro for artificial gravity and inertial dampening in ED :

It is going make space legs heck of a lot easier to implement.
 
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We're genetically engineered and tweaked for this kind of thing; we can take it.

That or we're in a tube of goop in the middle of the hull and our Holo-Me is flying.

And I'd like to think we're highly paid and professional enough to strap things down (and those bubblehead springs must be VERY stiff!)

For me, there is one major pro for artificial gravity and inertial dampening in ED :

It is going make space legs heck of a lot easier to implement.

Genetic engineering might work, but we're talking skin of steel. You can hit 80g pretty easily in a boost. Also, it doesn't help the cargo in your hold any, unless the fruits and vegetables are also genetically engineered.

I suspect for space legs (should that ever happen) they'll stick to the "magnetic boots" answer already in the lore, but frankly I think that's silly and causes its own problems.
 
Genetic engineering might work, but we're talking skin of steel. You can hit 80g pretty easily in a boost. Also, it doesn't help the cargo in your hold any, unless the fruits and vegetables are also genetically engineered.

I suspect for space legs (should that ever happen) they'll stick to the "magnetic boots" answer already in the lore, but frankly I think that's silly and causes its own problems.
It's not just skin, thew problem with these boosts is that our insides would turn to smoothies.

See this video for an example of what happens would happen. Silly me forgot to paste the link https://youtu.be/RLpsIuhTb8k?t=308
 
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Well, yeah, you can have travel without artificial gravity, but then you need inertial dampeners that basically equate to manipulating gravity when the ship accelerates, and if you can do that then you can do artificial gravity.

We have warp drives

You have shock absorbers on your car, they don't need artificial gravity to work ;)
 
You have shock absorbers on your car, they don't need artificial gravity to work ;)

My car doesn't go fast enough to turn my brain into a puddle. Bear in mind we're talking about forces no standard inertial dampening system would be able to save us from, so you need some sort of inertia negation, which is impossible, or a gravitational field opposing the acceleration of the ship, and if you have the latter then having a gravitational field acting as artificial gravity on our ships is a no brainer.
 
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