Really the generation ships associated colonies don't even need a singularity to be sufficiently divergent to be interesting, they were isolated communities for a thousand years, a thousand years ago in the eleventh century is when the manuscript for beowulf was written in old english. While we are speaking modern english here, one thousand years evolved from the contemporary english of the scribes who wrote that manuscript, it sounds NOTHING LIKE our modern english, check this video of the olde english manuscript being read to see what I mean, and bare in mind that was written as far back from now, as the generation ships launches were from current in game date.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=_K13GJkGvDw
What if.... A generation ship actually started a colony rather than ending in tragedy?
- Thread starter VR Jay Le Chardon
- Start date
Generation ships were slow compared to our current means of travel.
All the colonies would be in the known bubble.
Not found because the generation ships are pootling along in normal space, not broadcasting a signal (why would they be); whilst we are hell for leather blasting around in supercruise and FSD, blindly passing basically inert objects in a different 'mode'.... they would not show up on the FSS. The abandoned generation ships found, were found, because they were wide-band broadcasting their last or ''stay-away'' messages which our current systems have picked up. The bulk of the 'lost' generation ships or 'arks' are in interstitial deep space which we just don't currently traverse. (I am very sure and agree with you commander; that FDev have NOT put any of these 'lost' (slow) ships into the game (why would they); for us to ever find one would be like stumbling over a needle in a haystack, we'd have to sit on it first!..... Ouch! What was that?)
o7
The problem is, anywhere that a gen-Ship could have gotten to would now only be a 10 minute hop in a Sidey away.
For all we know, half the colonised systems in ED might have been started by Gen-Ships but you're not going to find any remote, undiscovered colonies on the far side of the galaxy 'cos a Gen-Ship couldn't have got there yet.
Having said that, from a gameplay POV it'd certainly be very cool to find surface outposts that lookes like they'd been constructed from re-purposed mega-ships (a fairly simple task for the graphic design team) and finding such outposts in far-flung locations would make a nice precursor to the introduction of any new FSD technology.
And, having said that, I'm not sure I want our regular ships to be able to jump much further.
Maybe it could be set up so that when Fleet-Carriers finally arrive they have sucky jump-range (and other sucky components) and then there could be a whole year of "story" related to finding ancient Gen-Ships that have upgraded components which a Fleet-Carrier could visit in order to learn their secrets and be copy?
For all we know, half the colonised systems in ED might have been started by Gen-Ships but you're not going to find any remote, undiscovered colonies on the far side of the galaxy 'cos a Gen-Ship couldn't have got there yet.
Having said that, from a gameplay POV it'd certainly be very cool to find surface outposts that lookes like they'd been constructed from re-purposed mega-ships (a fairly simple task for the graphic design team) and finding such outposts in far-flung locations would make a nice precursor to the introduction of any new FSD technology.
And, having said that, I'm not sure I want our regular ships to be able to jump much further.
Maybe it could be set up so that when Fleet-Carriers finally arrive they have sucky jump-range (and other sucky components) and then there could be a whole year of "story" related to finding ancient Gen-Ships that have upgraded components which a Fleet-Carrier could visit in order to learn their secrets and be copy?
I always assumed that quite a few of them made it to their destinations, stripped the ship for parts for the colony and now are just regular inhabited systems in the Bubble. It'd be a nice touch if some of such systems preserved the skeleton of the original ship in orbit as a museum piece, or built a replica later on. We could go look at them and read the tourist beacon.
The gen-ship colonies don't need to be distant, just different. they set off a thousand years ago at walking pace, and developed in complete isolation from the rest of the bubble, I'd envisage them being space faring sub-lumial civilisations confined to their one star system but with numerous ports contained therein. I'd also imagine that the new FSS would pick up the emmissions of the exclaves ships, like we can detect ships sitting in slow space with the former "strong signal source" now rebadged to (cannae mind what).
See, that is exactly the sort of thing that would really enhance the "lore" of the game.
FDev shouldn't be afraid of sticking new stuff in which is supposed to be "historic".
We're all grown-ups, here, and we're capable of suspending our disbelief when things get retconned in order to improve something.
I'm well aware of the speed difference's ( see my earlier post). But I don't see why them not broadcasting a signal would make any difference. Asteroids, stellar phenomena, boddies, larrange clouds etc don't broadcast signals either. Signals are naturally emitted from everything and the fss can target those signals
Even if a ship is completely switched off, powerplant 0% integrity and output, that ship, which could be a derelict hulk in a combat aftermath, as long as it is in star light, will be absorbing light and heat from the solar winds of the star at the heart of the system, and re-radiating a large portion of that as infrared.
A possible scenario, granted a bit stereotypical, is one generation ship arriving right now at a place that's already been colonized and some conflict arises over it. The generation ship has the older right for the place but the other colonists have lived there for generations already. Factions and superpowers pile in and a mess is guaranteed.
DeletedUser191218
D
Just a happy story would suffice for me. I've had quite enough of searching for these things just to feel depressed at the story!
Can tell you one thing though, all these generation ship stories has made me decide, no flipping way am I going on anyones mission to mars.
We know for a fact that some of them successfully started colonies, because the logs confirm it. For example the one where all of the crew left the ship when they found an inhabitable world the ship was about to overshoot, and only one crew member was left behind, due to being off the ship at the time, only finding out what had happened when he rendezvoused with it, as it was accelerating out of the system.
Sadly, when it comes to generation ships like this however, we have no way of knowing where the world they settled on is, because we cannot say with certainty which systems they passed through along their route to their current location.
Sadly, when it comes to generation ships like this however, we have no way of knowing where the world they settled on is, because we cannot say with certainty which systems they passed through along their route to their current location.
Think Frontier are missing a trick to have some ruins where colonies were started with the idea to terraform, but ultimately failing on planets we can land on now.
Be amazing to come across primitive style buildings with a shattered Dome they used for artificial atmosphere and records.
Of course this would be great gameplay for space legs too. investigate rumours of human ruins in such and such sector.
You could start by tracking down an old spacer who claims to have been to the ruins, buy him drinks to get the approximate location. Fly out and search for it. walk around in a space suit exploring buildings and using the records you find to piece together what happened.
Go back and report back to get your reward. Rewards will be superficial, the key here will be to make the experience memorable.
Maybe have some colonies last a few years before they ended up doomed, and have some primitive tech that could be recovered. for example, and not a great example as I'm making this up on the spot, a cannon that has explosive damage, but a slower velocity and lower range than existing cannons, more power draw too. I'm sure better things can be thought of.
They wont be neccessary or even competitive items but people will find ways to have fun with them for sure
Be amazing to come across primitive style buildings with a shattered Dome they used for artificial atmosphere and records.
Of course this would be great gameplay for space legs too. investigate rumours of human ruins in such and such sector.
You could start by tracking down an old spacer who claims to have been to the ruins, buy him drinks to get the approximate location. Fly out and search for it. walk around in a space suit exploring buildings and using the records you find to piece together what happened.
Go back and report back to get your reward. Rewards will be superficial, the key here will be to make the experience memorable.
Maybe have some colonies last a few years before they ended up doomed, and have some primitive tech that could be recovered. for example, and not a great example as I'm making this up on the spot, a cannon that has explosive damage, but a slower velocity and lower range than existing cannons, more power draw too. I'm sure better things can be thought of.
They wont be neccessary or even competitive items but people will find ways to have fun with them for sure
Pretty sure I recall one of them that kind of did.. at least, the crew all left to colonize somewhere... but it's been a supremely long time since I went looking for those things.. like pre hacking limpets long time.
Of the 70,000 generation ships launched, the vast majority of them - I'd guess at least 90% - successfully Arrived at their destination; those ships would have either been diassembled to provide the necessary basic infrastructure for the colony, or evacuated en masse with the derelict left to drift in space forever (like the Spear of Hope). Those founded colonies are all now part of the Bubble.
A 10% failure rate still leaves 7000 gen ships "unaccounted for". Many would have suffered an accident in deep space, far from any star system. The probability that a lost, dead ship would have entered a solar system and be still sitting there now, where we can find them, is astonishingly low - so 15/7000 seems pretty good odds to me.
As for the main thrust of the OP's question: a "lost colony" is one of three scenarios I can imagine may be playing out inside a permit-locked system or a permit-locked sector (the other two scenarios being "rogue AI remnant" and "friendly aliens"). I f any on of those thre scenarios develop, I would imagine that trade between humanity and the exclave to be a significant component of interaction: bring them X, get given some Y.
A 10% failure rate still leaves 7000 gen ships "unaccounted for". Many would have suffered an accident in deep space, far from any star system. The probability that a lost, dead ship would have entered a solar system and be still sitting there now, where we can find them, is astonishingly low - so 15/7000 seems pretty good odds to me.
As for the main thrust of the OP's question: a "lost colony" is one of three scenarios I can imagine may be playing out inside a permit-locked system or a permit-locked sector (the other two scenarios being "rogue AI remnant" and "friendly aliens"). I f any on of those thre scenarios develop, I would imagine that trade between humanity and the exclave to be a significant component of interaction: bring them X, get given some Y.
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What about a colony ship just at the age of Jump? And like Jacques Station had a mis-jump. Very few would follow.
Or a colony slow ship that is still moving but very far from the closest star, kind of like, how Hutton orbital is a bit of a haul. Like the Voyager probe, it is only found if you know it is there or run over it. It would not respond to the FSS.
FDev would have to give hints as to the location. Once found, we could begin ferrying people and materials from and to the ship as it travelled along.
Think of the people that would want to get off. Think of the tourists that would want to see what the life was like. Think of the rare artwork and foods for sale or the requested stuff to upgrade the ship.
Or a colony slow ship that is still moving but very far from the closest star, kind of like, how Hutton orbital is a bit of a haul. Like the Voyager probe, it is only found if you know it is there or run over it. It would not respond to the FSS.
FDev would have to give hints as to the location. Once found, we could begin ferrying people and materials from and to the ship as it travelled along.
Think of the people that would want to get off. Think of the tourists that would want to see what the life was like. Think of the rare artwork and foods for sale or the requested stuff to upgrade the ship.