>his space opera setting doesnt have at least 1 space elevator on every planet
>in his space opera setting large capital ships can make planetfall
when you disbelief can be suspended only so far
for more info on space eleveators:
https://youtu.be/qPQQwqGWktE
ok
>>46544407
>His space opera isn't constructed using space fountains
>He doesn't have amazingly beautiful semi-mobile space ports that can tank weeks of maintenence on nothing but inertia.
>He doesn't have a super-highway of mass packets and payloads flying up and down at all times.
>He didn't build his elevator from the ground and extend it segment by segment.
>His elevator isn't virtually immune to debris/damage by nature of actually being built of something more significant than a ribbon of high-tensile strength super-material.
Well what's the transportation capacity of a space elevator? A dozen people going up every hour? Maybe in modern times/combustion rocket era that's more feasible.
But with technology past that it seems way more feasible to have small landing craft that a capital ship can use to reach the surface.
>>46545096
In a future space opera setting you would most likely have multiple elevators to a planet, and each would have a tether, and each could run 2, maybe 4 elevators, running at different intervals.
Sure personal spacecraft would still be a thing, but the cost benefits of using the elevator for passengers or cargo would outweigh going all grount-space craft all the time. Then at the end of the tether would be a spaceport for arrivals and departures for interstellar ships docking.
Think airlines vs private jets.
>>46545096
>Well what's the transportation capacity of a space elevator? A dozen people going up every hour?
Hard to say since we have never seen one, but it would most likely be far more than a dozen or so people per hour.The point behind a space elevator is the ability to move bulk cargo from the surface to orbit, or vice versa. In current terms the space elevator would be like a rail system, while rockets are like air cargo.
>But with technology past that it seems way more feasible to have small landing craft
The cargo per trip ratio would rule out multiple small craft being able to compete. On a freshly discovered planet sure you need landing craft, since you won't have any infrastructure. But if you intend to be there for any length of time or move large quantities of material to or from the surface, and you have the capacity to build an elevator (or other bulk transport system), you'd do that. It's the same reason why oceanic cargo moves on massive ships rather than a bunch of little ships. Little ships are just inefficient.
>>46545864
And there's a reason why freight trains are still in use today.
>>46544407
>his space opera setting doesn't use giant cannons to launch cargo into space
>his space opera setting doesn't also use giant cannons to launch people into space
Get a load of Captain Slow over here.
>>46547089
>>his space opera setting doesn't also use giant cannons to launch people into space
Wouldn't they, you know, burn up in the atmosphere?
>>46547144
It's space opera. They have forcefields and shit.
>>46547298
>>46547144
Regardless of being in a protected pod or some shit, the inertia alone would turn them into jelly. It's a terrible idea only anime would explore.
>not using laser propulsion for all of your surface-to-orbit needs
>not having the same ground laser facilities double as planetary defenses
>not lasing the shit out of laserless enemy warships with your nuclear pumped lasers
>not shaving your beard with a laser razor
>not putting lasers on your lasers so that you can lase while you lase
>>46547089
Reminds me of Zone of the Enders. Which basically mechanised weeaboo flash stepping and turned it into a transport mechanism.
Do enough weird shit to the setting phlebotinium and you can teleport forward so long there isnt anything significant between you and your destination. Something with mass and moving outside of time. It's handwavium so you can have teleporting super robot battles.
Reminds me because space ports had a giant flash step cannon you loaded stuff in and it was shot out at high speed.
>>46547089
Better yet.
>>46545903
Because the ocean and giant cargo ships don't reach my front door?
Why would I want such obsolete tech when in my setting we have antigravity?
>>46544407
>setting not based on
>popular mechanics issues
>from the 50s
Fornicating Space Magic, how is operate?
Mine does, actually. I'm on the lookout for space elevator pictures since my HD got wiped, as a mater of fact.
>>46544407
>his space opera doesn't have teleportation circles
>his space opera doesn't have cyber-wizards
>his space opera setting doesn't use atomic bombs to propel spacecrafts
>his space opera setting doesn't use atomic bombs to propel spacecrafts that then also shoot atomic bomb
>his space opera setting doesn't use atomic bombs to propel spacecrafts that then also shoot atomic bomb, then also serve as a mothership to smaller spacecrafts shooting atomic bombs
Stay pleb
>>46547144
>What is ablative shielding.
You actually lose mass as you leave the atmosphere.
Ran a homebrew Space Opera setting a while ago where a type 2, well on their way to type 3 race once existed.
They all vanished, leaving behind their great works.
There was evidence to suggest they didn't die out but simply moved away.
They were slowly returning and they were pissed off that squatters had moved in in the 500,000 years they'd been on vacation.
Players never once gave a shit. They were to busy having fun playing police of Space Vegas.
So I has the war play out in the background and the rise of another group of heros that went on to save the day.
The closest they got to my intended plan was when a group of the aliens ransacked Space Vagas for the McGuffin the group came here to find originally.
The PCs stood back and let the military and navy handle it while they went around rescuing civillains and stopping looters.
They really enjoyed it in the end and want me to run a follow up campaign.
I don't know how I should feel about this.
Read this article guys
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/microwave-power-beaming-for-launching-satellites-into-orbit
something like this could probably be used as the main mode of transporting people into orbit in a near-future space opera
>his space opera doesn't combine planets and capital ships into one
>>46552410
>Why would I want such obsolete tech when in my setting we have antigravity?
That is a valid point, working antigrav would negate the need for space elevators, assuming the AG tech could be put in something roughly the same size as the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin (pic related).
>No grappling arms.
Shit taste.
