Balance Issues

[redria]

Currently the game has a huge balance issue, relating to guns, ships, and even the crew.

How do we keep our balance?

Guns:
The guns are all slightly different sizes. There is no way they could possible weigh the same amount. And yet, the guns chosen never actually make the ship list to one side or the other. How can this be? There is clearly a balance problem here.

Ships:
The game does not discuss how the ships themselves are balanced. Take the pyramidion for example. It is fairly right/left symmetrical, except for the guns. Clearly it should list to the left, but it always seems flat as can be. How is this handled?

Crew:
Every time you make any sudden adjustments as a pilot, or whenever you ram into something, nobody loses their balance. In fact, other than the damage dealt to the ship it might as well have not happened. No human could keep their balance in situations such as ours. How is this possible?

The ships and guns could be balanced out by a clever system of weights attached to the ship before lifting off, but it would have to be delicate given how unbalanced some of the ships seem. I have no explanation for the crew other than gyros in their boots.

Thoughts?

(edit - I went for funny, but the questions are serious: I'm really kind of curious now. If this has a different board where it belongs, please move it there ^.^ )

[Spud Nick]

I always thought a galleon should move side to side when shooting of it's broadsides. Unless of course it uses a sky anchor.

 

[Imagine]

I always wonder why Pit material is put in non Pit sections

[redria]

I always wonder why Pit material is put in non Pit sections

To be fair, I checked the Pit, and most posts in there are games, complete silliness, or hidden gems such as this post by Sammy: https://gunsoficarus.com/community/forum/index.php/topic,3617.0.html.

I considered the Lounge, but my post is related to the game, even if not revolving around any actual gameplay.

I'm pretty sure that, aside from the intended humor of my phrasing, this does belong in general discussion. I really am curious now if anyone can come up with something creative that solves some of these questions. The pit is the closest outside of general discussion, but I want actual answers.

I need to re-check the artwork for the game and see if there are sand-bags hanging off the right side of the pyramidion.

[Thomas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0    <--- this thread


My throwaway answers would be some kind of ballast or mass damper system; similar to what they use in dirigibles and skyscrapers.

The ballast system works by having subdivisions in the balloon. This is often for rising/descending, but you could alter the system for horizontal balance. You vent or intake air (normal air) to increase or decrease lift power. You put a few sections of these in and have a system that automatically senses an imbalance and compensates for it by intaking/releasing air in one area. Such as a pendulum or such. Everyone hops on the left side of the ship, the pendulum swings left and activates the air intake on the right side and release on the left. Heavy air moves in on the right and out on the left and creates an imbalance; more lift on the left and less on the right, and you have a balanced airship.

The mass damper system is used in skyscrapers to prevent swaying in wind. I could see a modified version of this used for airship balance. Essentially it's just a mass (like a big ol' weight), and it moves to compensate for horizontal shifts. In skyscrapers the wind pushes them one way, and the damper pushes them the other; ideally cancelling out the sway, but more often just reducing it.
In airships, a similar system could be used to equalize the weight distribution. The crew heads to the left, the damper moves to the right. The crew moves forward, the damper moves back.

[Saull]

G diffusers?

[redria]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0    <--- this thread

.....Just a little bit.

My throwaway answers would be some kind of ballast or mass damper system; similar to what they use in dirigibles and skyscrapers.

The ballast system works by having subdivisions in the balloon. This is often for rising/descending, but you could alter the system for horizontal balance. You vent or intake air (normal air) to increase or decrease lift power. You put a few sections of these in and have a system that automatically senses an imbalance and compensates for it by intaking/releasing air in one area. Such as a pendulum or such. Everyone hops on the left side of the ship, the pendulum swings left and activates the air intake on the right side and release on the left. Heavy air moves in on the right and out on the left and creates an imbalance; more lift on the left and less on the right, and you have a balanced airship.

The mass damper system is used in skyscrapers to prevent swaying in wind. I could see a modified version of this used for airship balance. Essentially it's just a mass (like a big ol' weight), and it moves to compensate for horizontal shifts. In skyscrapers the wind pushes them one way, and the damper pushes them the other; ideally cancelling out the sway, but more often just reducing it.
In airships, a similar system could be used to equalize the weight distribution. The crew heads to the left, the damper moves to the right. The crew moves forward, the damper moves back.

This is interesting. I could probably look it up, but I wonder when these sort of things started being used...

G diffusers?

Seems a little too high-tech for steam punk. But I like the way you think.

I mentioned gyroscopes because they are relatively simple, and they can used for stabilization purposes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_stability#Gyroscopic_internal_stabilizers
They have been used to keep ships stable, along with all of the small scale uses like steady cameras and making level pool tables on boats.
I feel like it would be pretty steampunk for there to be a giant spinning gyroscope hidden away in the bowels of each ship, spinning wildly away. Also, hidden across everyones' outfits could be small gyroscopes that help stabilize the person. This would help with the sudden accelerations, though maybe not quite for the ramming situations.

[Chmielewski]

Ah, brilliant thread.
I'm sure that there's a ballast system in the balloon... or somewhere else.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Insert argument against realism in GOIO PVP thread here...

[Tropo]

this is the stupid post i have seen im sure you are all taking the piss

but i think its all ballast related whether that be water or a heavy gas im not use but water would be perfect because it is self leveling and always weights the same

just think of shipping vessels or even a keel principal, air spoils, wings and sails

[GeoRmr]

The galleon has sandbags along the outside