Communication Means

Jermus

Jermus
We can type text messsages (or voice if you like) to the friends we know, even if they are on the other end of the Galaxy.

For human interaction this is fine (wouldn't want it to be otherwise), but does it fit within the lore of the E : D universe?

So for humans playing the game it is possible to do this, but is it possible for commanders in the E : D universe to transfer messages between ships, no matter where they are in the Galaxy?

just wondering...

Has FDEV made a statement about this? And what do you think about what should be possible for transferring messages between commanders within the game's universe?
 
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Allen Stroud

Allen Stroud
Jermus said:
We can type text messsages (or voice if you like) to the friends we know, even if they are on the other end of the Galaxy.

For human interaction this is fine (wouldn't want it to be otherwise), but does it fit within the lore of the E : D universe?

So for humans playing the game it is possible to do this, but is it possible for commanders in the E : D universe to transfer messages between ships, no matter where they are in the Galaxy?

just wondering...

Has FDEV made a statement about this? And what do you think about what should be possible for transferring messages between commanders within the game's universe?
Click to expand...

No, but I did post a communication proposal in the DDF about how spaceships could effectively act as message carriers, updating each system with news and trade information, etc, with direct hyperwave messages being more expensive.

Unfortunately, for that to work, it would mean comms delays in some systems and a lack of information simulated in the game in frontier systems, which is and was realistically too complicated for very little gain, other than a bit of realism.

Ultimately it might have led to the commodification of information if the right modules were installed (long range broadcasting, player news channels etc), but that would be very complicated to create.
 

drew

drew
FTL Comms have always been part of Elite and thus Elite Dangerous. Precisely how they work is less clear. :) They do seem to be limited to relatively low bandwidth however.

Cheers,

Drew.
 
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Genar-Hofoen

Genar-Hofoen
I can think of a way to do that, in congruence with Elite lore and technology.

Comms tunneled through Hyperspace.

If in the Elite universe we can get a multi-tonned ship to travel 30LY in mere seconds via Hyperspace, then surely we have the technology to open a tiny Hyperspace 'tunnel' just enough to squirt a data packet through - hence the low bandwidth.
 

Retrograde

Retrograde
I'm fairly sure that one of the works of official fiction - I can no longer remember which - explained that only ships with FSD drives are able to travel faster than light. All information, including Galnet, was propagated via ships carrying data packages encrypted so that the pilots cannot read it. So instant communication between remote systems was out of the question.

When FD moved Galnet access from stations into our ships, that bit of lore went out the window. Since ships in the farthest corners of the galaxy can access Galnet, I assume that information can now just be instantly transferred everywhere.
 

Jermus

Jermus
Thanks for all the answers! :)

I'll settle for FTL, low bandwidth communication. I forgot we had access to GalnNet in our ships, but now that it has been mentioned I do remember being surprised that I could receive GalNet articles while traversing the outer rim...

Strange universe, this Elite Dangerous universe :).
 

V'larr

V'larr
drew said:
FTL Comms have always been part of Elite and thus Elite Dangerous. Precisely how they work is less clear. :) They do seem to be limited to relatively low bandwidth however.

Cheers,

Drew.
Click to expand...

Quantum entanglement network, perhaps? Using entangled particles to transmit 1's and 0's? Of course, beats me if that stuff holds true with galactic distances involved....
 

drew

drew
V'larr said:
Quantum entanglement network, perhaps? Using entangled particles to transmit 1's and 0's? Of course, beats me if that stuff holds true with galactic distances involved....
Click to expand...

As good a suggestion as any - in fact, I rather like that. :)

Cheers,

Drew.
 

V'larr

V'larr
Shadowdancer said:
That's the good old sci-fi version of A Wizard Did It :p Don't know how to do something that ostensibly violates the basic laws of physics? Quantum and strings :D
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It's not all hocus pocus!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
(and there's LOTS more reading that you can do, it's pretty cool how much info is being made available these days and it's clearly an exciting field of research...if you can wrap your head around all the big unfamiliar words!)

Now, I confess, I started by only linking that page, but then I noticed this and started reading....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light#Quantum_mechanics

So you are right in that, as far as we currently know in 2017 (barring the cutting edge of research that isn't publicized yet), there is no way to send 1's and 0's via a pair of entangled particles faster than the speed of light - but Elite exists in a setting that is more than a thousand years ahead of our time and where humanity has mastered faster than light travel (and that's been a part of life for several hundred years)...compare 2016 to 1016 in terms of human technology, for instance - it's not out of the question that they'd find an answer!

(edit: I'm still doubting my self that I have even this much right about quantum concepts as a whole, but what I'm getting out of reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation is that instantaneous[FTL] changes in quantum state do occur and this can be observed.)

edit2 (See the reading rabbit hole I mentioned earlier?) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superluminal_communication mentions wormholes on the scale of atoms, which seems pretty cool to me! (And heck, it would deal with all the people asking for ingame wormholes for ships to travel through: "But it already exists ingame - just on the atomic level, permitting you to read Galnet instantly no matter where you are!" :p)
 
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Shadowdancer

Shadowdancer
I am vaguely aware of those basic concepts, but any actual use is still so far out into the speculative realm that it'd be appear as wizardry, that's why I'm (currently) filing it under handwaving. It's not bad handwaving though, and can easily be adapted to allow for a wide range of capabilities.

Note that any time a word stemming from "observe" is used related to quantum anything, it involves destruction of the useful properties too.

I'm still partial to an entirely sub-light society as depicted by Vernor Vinge, but of course that'd be entirely unsuitable for a game like Elite since all but your most ridiculously overblown actions would be utterly meaningless :)
 
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