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EVE-Online RP Discussion and Resources => CCP Public Library => Topic started by: Ken on 08 May 2011, 14:13

Title: Stationside
Post by: Ken on 08 May 2011, 14:13

(http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3865_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3866_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3867_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3868_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3869_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3870_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/57_128.png)
(http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3871_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/3872_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/1529_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/1530_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/1531_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/4024_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/54_128.png)
(http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/2496_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2497_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2498_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2499_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2500_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2501_128.png) (http://evemaps.dotlan.net/images/Station/2502_128.png)
(http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1927_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1928_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1929_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1930_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1931_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1932_128.png) (http://e.dotlan.net/images/Station/1926_128.png)

"Space stations" in New Eden only notionally fit the term.  They are in fact massive space-bound colonies unto themselves, taking many forms, some of which very clearly emphasize stylistic rather than functional architecture.  Their appearance is obviously attributed to their value as game art and scenery rather than any attempt at hard (or even squishy) sci-fi explanations, and yet we have learned many interesting things from PF about the special requirements and oddities of life aboard New Eden's celestial cities.  Soon, a great deal of our own RP may take place inside of them in new ways.

With Incarna in mind, I'd like to explore the setting and context of New Eden's space stations.  Who builds these places?  How do they pull it off?  Who was the daring (and possibly insane) soul who built the first of the modern stations?  What do we know about baseliner life on board?  What sort of subcultures have or might stations foster?  How do stations integrate economically and politically with the planets near to them and with the cluster in general?  There are plenty of answers to these questions.  I think I know a few.  I raise the topic and these questions not necessarily to get answers (sure, we can just say: "cities in space /thread"), but to focus our attention on the place that EVE is about to explore like never before: stationside.

What sort of stationside adventures have you imagined or RPed in the past?  What do you hope to see as we finally get to interact therein in 'real' terms?  How will Incarna change your EVE?  Oh, and I'm curious... which station model do you enjoy looking at the most?  :)

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Casiella on 08 May 2011, 14:17

I've always really liked the Gallente station with rotating rings.

And most of my past stationside adventures about which I've written now strike me as particularly implausible, so I'm sort of re-imagining all of this myself. But I do think of extensively hyper-urban environments and all the implications thereof.

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Esna Pitoojee on 08 May 2011, 15:31

I'll start by explaining that I tend to imagine space station design in 2 basic categories: The "giant high-rise" model, and the "city in a bubble" model.

The "giant high-rise" model is the one I find more realistic in terms of construction - here we see decks stacked one atop each other like pancakes, each one holding a "cross-section" of living quarters, various stores and shops (think shopping mall, minus the outside parking lots...), storage areas... we could consider it the equivalent of many small towns stacked one atop each other, each 2-4 floors high, after which there would be a blast-barrier and then the cycle would begin again. On important thing to clarify is that under this model, there are no "open streets" - everything is hallways of varying size, with doors to whatever happens to be lining that particular hallway.
Advantages are primarily the highly efficient use of space inside the station's outer shell - assuming the construction of such a shell to be a momentously expensive and resource-consuming venture, you wouldn't want to be just handing out space unless you had to - and the ability to seal hazardous sections off by simply closing airtight doors.
Disadvantages are numerous, but include the difficulties of piping water and air around such a densely populated environment, the maintenance of systems when they break down ("Jeffries Tubes (http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Jefferies_tube)" would be an absolute must if you didn't want to be constantly ripping up someone's cieling or floor), and the potential for limiting hallways to become prime territory for stampedes and choke-points (or worse yet, sections rendered completely inaccessible due to damage).

The second class, the "city in a bubble", is far easier to be described. It's a shell, the "bottom" of which is flat or flat-ish and is used as the "bedrock" for anchoring buildings on to, the end result of which is a planetside-like city under the station's protective bubble.
Advantages are the nice, open spaces to work in for emergency services, maintenance, and general mental health.
Disadvantages are the awesome difficulty in containing danger - you'd face all the issues you would in an open city on a planet, with the additional dangers of cosmic radiation leaks, unstable high-energy systems in the station's shell, and the specter of an air leak all hanging over you - with absolutely no way to reliably seal one section of the "city" off from another, unlike the "giant high-rise" model.



In all reality, I think EVE stations would likely be a blend of the two - i.e., the "floor" of the city-in-a-bubble may have several more "high-rise" levels below it, as may the cieling (since nothing dictates the cieling actually has to be thin, it could theoretically be many layers thick, or even have another "city bubble" built on top of it).

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Seriphyn on 08 May 2011, 15:55

As I brought up in this thread (http://www.youtube.com/user/klaatu42#p/c/040AC7C9087AC9CD/0/nGeKSiCQkPw), I'm wondering if CCP will design each racial station not just with different designs, but different themes (that said, being set in the capsuleer areas of station could just go down the proof of generic space station route). I would say Gallentean stations are full of artificial skies, Amarr have their cavernous grand halls, and Minmatar/Caldari don't care and pick the most practical option.

When a station is owned by, say, Astral Mining Inc, there's going to be numerous other companies and organizations that are present. But there are questions...

- Police...local security/paramilitary or Federal/district authority?
- Healthcare and education...Federation has universal healthcare and education, are private schools/hospitals thus subsidised to provide this, or is the Federal Health Service (or w/e) and Federal schools present? Or is it a matter for the local district/government?
- Political authority. Who represents them? If a Senator represents them, how does decisions affect them at a Federal and district level?

The question is, how much of the station is controlled by Astral Mining, and how much is controlled by district/Federal government?

From Jita 4-4, we know that even though the station is Caldari Navy, a large part of it is civilian, with lots of Quafe too.

You know what, fuck it, it's just going to hurt!   :lol:

 :psyccp:

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Vieve on 08 May 2011, 15:55

Quote from: Ken on 08 May 2011, 14:13

What sort of stationside adventures have you imagined or RPed in the past?

There was this one time in Jurlesel...

[spoiler=Mild edits, and names omitted to protect the guilty.]

Quote

Yes, they both have datapads.  They won't do them a hell of a lot of good as far as pulling up a station map and plotting a course out.   While the Jovian station's wearing the facade of one of the Federation station-types, the similarity ends at that facade.  The interior layout of these stations also routinely change according to no rhyme or reason other than the whims of the Jovian landlords.

It must play hell with any research center here conducting long-term projects, but maybe that's the point.

...

Looks like workers are putting up a construction barricade ahead, through a section of corridor they'd passed through before they retraced their steps.   They couldn't go back to the clinic that way if they wanted to, unless the workers were inclined to let them cut through the area before it was closed off entirely.

They look hurried.

Likely it'd take a bribe.

Fortunately, the second intersection's before they get to the barricade.

...

"This place is weird," he mentions as they hustle down the sloping, nigh-featureless hallway. The lighting seems to be changing hue and intensity on a long, eye-straining cycle. "I feel like a rat in a creepy maze."

He dodges a heavily-loaded hovercart moving at a probably unsafe speed out from the docking ring, gives the driver a glare, and pulls up at the transparent sliding doors. They don't open automatically. He looks around for controls. "Uh..."

"Uh..."  She echoes.  "Uhm.  Uh.  Oh!   Maybe they're locked to ship owners."  She waves her hand in front of them, while hopping up and down.

That doesn't seem to do it, as hilarious-looking as it is.

He scowls, then squeezes his eyes shut. He yelps and puts a hand over his face when he opens them again.

"No, not that one." He tries again, and looks around tentatively.

"Oh, goddamn Jovians," he remarks after a moment. He glances at her and points up at the space over the doors. "Your optics got a UV filter?"

"Yeah.   Do I want to know what made you make that sound?"  She looks up at the inside of her skull for a moment, then at where he's pointing.

'Exit Only', the non-visible spectrum notice reads.
 
She blinks. "What, are they trying to make us evolve?"

"You wanna know what made me make that noise? Try IR and find out. Actually, don't. We just fixed your brain... Anyways. Must be one of the more popular genehacks they're using around here. Why they couldn't put a visible one up too, who knows. Goddamn Jovians, right?"

[/spoiler]

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Akrasjel Lanate on 09 May 2011, 01:22

This a game in the space, and CCP had to have some stations and they look how thay look, and the interior didn't matered when they designed them. Each empire has few stations that look good but not all (Gallente, Amarr, Caldari and Minmatar the least).

Title: Re: Stationside
Post by: Saede Riordan on 09 May 2011, 13:02

I had a few interesting adventures in Station. I sort of ran an RP scenario where some people had to break into an Amarrian holder's apartment. I took them through service areas, a tram through the service areas, to a damaged section that was frozen over, and slowly venting atmosphere, out to the Shell, the hollow space between the external armour plates and the internal structure, held up and together by structural braces the size of a fightercraft. It was cool, dunno if it was realistic, but it was cool.