New Carrier module - Tritium Synthesiser - converts regular hydrogen into Tritium

[VR Jay Le Chardon]

I've been thinking on the upset explorers are expressing about carriers since the reveal stream last week, their greivances split into two categories, no universal cartographics onboard to enable them to offload exploration data, and carriers potentially being a pain to refuel on longer journeys. It is this second concern that I'm addressing with this suggestion.

I'm suggesting a new carrier upgrade be created, as an additional expansion of the carrier, which would be a Tritium Synthesiser. As its name suggests it would make Tritium. How I propose this would work is if an explorers ship transferred hydrogen fuel from its tank to the carriers Tritium Synthesiser's feed tank, the synthesiser would then slowly convert raw naturak hydrogen into its Tritium Isotope by means of partial fusion reaction. This new module / carrier would prevent explorers / expeditions from having to work on mining, or load their carrier to the maximum. It would also offer a new playstyle for Player Carriers, where an enterprising CMDR could configure their carrier with a Synthesiser, to make tritium for sale to other players available through the carriers commodities market.

Controls / Parameters that could be used as controls to "balance" the Tritium Synthesiser include:

• Yield / Hydrogen to Tritium Ratio- how much tritium is generated from a given amount of hydrogen fuel
  • I'm thinking as a starting point 3 tonnes of Hydrogen to one of Tritium, given that Tri denotes 3
    • although this could be balanced up or downards based on internal and or beta testing & feedback
• Time / Speed of synthesis- How long does it take to synthesise a tonne of Tritium from its feedstock of Hydrogen Fuel
  • make it too slow at producing Tritium and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too fast and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Purchase price - don't want to make this too expensive that noone will use it, or so cheap it will be the meta for carrier load outs
• Maintenance costs - As this is a new facility on the carrier, it would need a crew member, thus incut crew costs, and add to the carriers up keep but:
  • make it too expensive to maintain and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too cheap to maintain, and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Consider "Stacking" synthesisers: there could be a case for stacking multiple synthesisers within the game for certain gameplay such as a new division fo the fuel rats, and or a new player to player economy, where this comander or that squadron has a carrier that produces tritium, which could be used as currency in diplomacy between playergroups.

Find the sweetspot in these parameters and the Tritium synthesiser will be a useful but not overpowered tool, and create something that explorers can and will use, but not something that breaks the balance of carriers.

 

[CMDR Big Mike]

I was trying to think of a good mechanic to synthesize tritium. This is a really good idea. A
Carrier module like this is a cool way to do it.

I think the conversation would have to be at least 3 to 1 (hydrogen to tritium). Maybe 6 or 10 to 1

 

[TheHarbinger]

Well, main point is that we need to take the grind out of it so you can expect someone out in the black to be able to refuel the carrier within a reasonable time.

 

[metatheurgist]

If you're going on an expedition with a carrier you should have multi commanders with you. 100T/hour between 5 commanders gets you fuelled before the cooldown and spinup. I don't think taking an FC solo on an expedition and having it turn around quickly is a realistic expectation.

 

[Nadreck]

I like it!

Conversion rate would be a fudge, as we measure quantities in ED by mass rather than volume. So, assuming perfect efficiency, 1t of hydrogen would make 1t of tritium, even though there would be 3 times as many atoms in 1t of hydrogen (as tritium is 3 times the density) and 3 times the volume. Presumably you'd need extra hydrogen to power the converter/reactor though.

To make it not a no-brainer to fit one of these, let's assume 10 to one conversion and a converter using up 12,000t of space: but 10,000t of that would be a big hydrogen tank. You can donate hydrogen on the same screen as tritium donation, but only if your ship has extra fuel tanks (so the donor doesn't drain his own tank). Typically you'd use a T9 with an 8A scoop and all other internals filled with tanks.

Conversion would be slow (not sure how slow), but that 10,000t of hydrogen woud eventually refill the 1,000t tritium tank. If Frontier don't want to create a revenue stream from selling tritium, assume it only goes into the tank and can't be extracted to the cargo hold for sale.

 

[C'tri]

I've been thinking on the upset explorers are expressing about carriers since the reveal stream last week, their greivances split into two categories, no universal cartographics onboard to enable them to offload exploration data, and carriers potentially being a pain to refuel on longer journeys. It is this second concern that I'm addressing with this suggestion.

I'm suggesting a new carrier upgrade be created, as an additional expansion of the carrier, which would be a Tritium Synthesiser. As its name suggests it would make Tritium. How I propose this would work is if an explorers ship transferred hydrogen fuel from its tank to the carriers Tritium Synthesiser's feed tank, the synthesiser would then slowly convert raw naturak hydrogen into its Tritium Isotope by means of partial fusion reaction. This new module / carrier would prevent explorers / expeditions from having to work on mining, or load their carrier to the maximum. It would also offer a new playstyle for Player Carriers, where an enterprising CMDR could configure their carrier with a Synthesiser, to make tritium for sale to other players available through the carriers commodities market.

Controls / Parameters that could be used as controls to "balance" the Tritium Synthesiser include:

• Yield / Hydrogen to Tritium Ratio- how much tritium is generated from a given amount of hydrogen fuel
  • I'm thinking as a starting point 3 tonnes of Hydrogen to one of Tritium, given that Tri denotes 3
    • although this could be balanced up or downards based on internal and or beta testing & feedback
• Time / Speed of synthesis- How long does it take to synthesise a tonne of Tritium from its feedstock of Hydrogen Fuel
  • make it too slow at producing Tritium and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too fast and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Purchase price - don't want to make this too expensive that noone will use it, or so cheap it will be the meta for carrier load outs
• Maintenance costs- As this is a new facility on the carrier, it would need a crew member, thus incut crew costs, and add to the carriers up keep but:
  • make it too expensive to maintain and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too cheap to maintain, and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Consider "Stacking" synthesisers: there could be a case for stacking multiple synthesisers within the game for certain gameplay such as a new division fo the fuel rats, and or a new player to player economy, where this comander or that squadron has a carrier that produces tritium, which could be used as currency in diplomacy between playergroups.

Find the sweetspot in these parameters and the Tritium synthesiser will be a useful but not overpowered tool, and create something that explorers can and will use, but not something that breaks the balance of carriers.

I love it. Having a small manufacturing capacity on your carrier would be great, and is something I'd love to see in the New Era, should the player owned bases rumour be a thing.
The ability to turn several useless things into one useful thing is an excellent idea and should be implemented in a far reaching and flexible fashion, not just limited to this.
Let us have an actual manufacturing capability!

 

[skuggi3860]

I've been thinking on the upset explorers are expressing about carriers since the reveal stream last week, their greivances split into two categories, no universal cartographics onboard to enable them to offload exploration data, and carriers potentially being a pain to refuel on longer journeys. It is this second concern that I'm addressing with this suggestion.

I'm suggesting a new carrier upgrade be created, as an additional expansion of the carrier, which would be a Tritium Synthesiser. As its name suggests it would make Tritium. How I propose this would work is if an explorers ship transferred hydrogen fuel from its tank to the carriers Tritium Synthesiser's feed tank, the synthesiser would then slowly convert raw naturak hydrogen into its Tritium Isotope by means of partial fusion reaction. This new module / carrier would prevent explorers / expeditions from having to work on mining, or load their carrier to the maximum. It would also offer a new playstyle for Player Carriers, where an enterprising CMDR could configure their carrier with a Synthesiser, to make tritium for sale to other players available through the carriers commodities market.

Controls / Parameters that could be used as controls to "balance" the Tritium Synthesiser include:

• Yield / Hydrogen to Tritium Ratio- how much tritium is generated from a given amount of hydrogen fuel
  • I'm thinking as a starting point 3 tonnes of Hydrogen to one of Tritium, given that Tri denotes 3
    • although this could be balanced up or downards based on internal and or beta testing & feedback
• Time / Speed of synthesis- How long does it take to synthesise a tonne of Tritium from its feedstock of Hydrogen Fuel
  • make it too slow at producing Tritium and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too fast and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Purchase price - don't want to make this too expensive that noone will use it, or so cheap it will be the meta for carrier load outs
• Maintenance costs- As this is a new facility on the carrier, it would need a crew member, thus incut crew costs, and add to the carriers up keep but:
  • make it too expensive to maintain and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too cheap to maintain, and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Consider "Stacking" synthesisers: there could be a case for stacking multiple synthesisers within the game for certain gameplay such as a new division fo the fuel rats, and or a new player to player economy, where this comander or that squadron has a carrier that produces tritium, which could be used as currency in diplomacy between playergroups.

Find the sweetspot in these parameters and the Tritium synthesiser will be a useful but not overpowered tool, and create something that explorers can and will use, but not something that breaks the balance of carriers.

I agree that tritium should be something that is synthesised as well as mined.
The above could all form part of a thread to weave into the game. Keep mining an option, but you can add extra dimensions with, e.g. a Carrier/large ship module that synthesises the fuel from scooped Hydrogen (the scoop forming part of the overall module) & mined Lithium (or a few other materials / more abundant elements) that can effect the quality of the end product, which might affect range or time to power up the jump, etc. This allows you to vary the resulting synthetic, similar with other ship manufactured material, and adds to the heat management dynamic via the exothermic consequences of production.
Depending on what you wish to do, you can convert you Carrier into a large tanker (a VLTC?) and transferring to Fuel Rats or other Commanders away from a supply, or use it as part or a rescue mission to recover stranded Carriers on the Rim / support damaged stations / service campaigned against alien intrusion.
For those who want to explore the edge of known space, they have the ability to stay out longer though collective collaboration & exploration (finding mineral bearing rocks & scoop-able stars is all part of the exploration process).
You could consider introducing a new Engineer thread to allow the module to be upgraded so that a fully engineered unit could offer the production via an endothermic reaction & reduce heat problems not only from production, but also from the Carrier itself (with the right materials this is real-world stuff). Engineering of this could be via a specialist based on an 'abandoned' Carrier away from the Bubble, which moves; & exchanged for goods / services that need to be imported for their survival as well as for the adaption of the module for the Commander. To get to the Engineer, you could include the elimination of Bounty Hunters engaged by factions who want the Engineer for their skills for the faction's benefit (either player/NPC/or both if you want to encourage PvP(?) - accepting the faction's contact is acceptance that you're happy to take on all comers).

 

[Snoopy3]

I've been thinking on the upset explorers are expressing about carriers since the reveal stream last week, their greivances split into two categories, no universal cartographics onboard to enable them to offload exploration data, and carriers potentially being a pain to refuel on longer journeys. It is this second concern that I'm addressing with this suggestion.

I'm suggesting a new carrier upgrade be created, as an additional expansion of the carrier, which would be a Tritium Synthesiser. As its name suggests it would make Tritium. How I propose this would work is if an explorers ship transferred hydrogen fuel from its tank to the carriers Tritium Synthesiser's feed tank, the synthesiser would then slowly convert raw naturak hydrogen into its Tritium Isotope by means of partial fusion reaction. This new module / carrier would prevent explorers / expeditions from having to work on mining, or load their carrier to the maximum. It would also offer a new playstyle for Player Carriers, where an enterprising CMDR could configure their carrier with a Synthesiser, to make tritium for sale to other players available through the carriers commodities market.

Controls / Parameters that could be used as controls to "balance" the Tritium Synthesiser include:

• Yield / Hydrogen to Tritium Ratio- how much tritium is generated from a given amount of hydrogen fuel
  • I'm thinking as a starting point 3 tonnes of Hydrogen to one of Tritium, given that Tri denotes 3
    • although this could be balanced up or downards based on internal and or beta testing & feedback
• Time / Speed of synthesis- How long does it take to synthesise a tonne of Tritium from its feedstock of Hydrogen Fuel
  • make it too slow at producing Tritium and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too fast and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Purchase price - don't want to make this too expensive that noone will use it, or so cheap it will be the meta for carrier load outs
• Maintenance costs- As this is a new facility on the carrier, it would need a crew member, thus incut crew costs, and add to the carriers up keep but:
  • make it too expensive to maintain and it will be unviable for explorers to use carriers on expeditions
  • make it too cheap to maintain, and noone will use any other source for tritium negating a lot of gameplay mechanics
• Consider "Stacking" synthesisers: there could be a case for stacking multiple synthesisers within the game for certain gameplay such as a new division fo the fuel rats, and or a new player to player economy, where this comander or that squadron has a carrier that produces tritium, which could be used as currency in diplomacy between playergroups.

Find the sweetspot in these parameters and the Tritium synthesiser will be a useful but not overpowered tool, and create something that explorers can and will use, but not something that breaks the balance of carriers.

Or, just runs on hydrogen only but can only jump 250 LY and has to refuel hydrogen over a 15 min 'star orbit' (just sits in orbit around the star that is scoopable). Player can choose to switch to Tritium to jump farther (but tritium is still way too expensive and scarce). To solo mine Tritium should be 800 tons an hour....yeah...it should. Hydrogen is extremely abundant throughout the universe. It is just radio active isotope version of hydrogen. So, where is Tritium found in game? In space...where there is a plethora of radiation and radio active isotopes. As a matter of fact, why can't it just be scooped with a bought module? Just needs to have a carrier orbit a star that still burns hydrogen, for 15 mins....call it a refuel phase. Mike dropped...