THE CATCH ALL QUESTION THREAD

[serpentxi]

My computer's been broken, and I fixed it, and now my character's been moved to inactive-pending,
How do I get it out?

[Dutch]

PM the mod of the section your characters are in with their names and ask for them to be moved to active again. Simple as that ;D

[P.L.U.R.]

I understand that all the mods have lives, as we all do, but maybe the site could consider bringing on some more mods into the team? I've had a application in the fringe section waiting to be reviewed at least, and it's been a whole two months. Personally I think waiting two months for even a review from a mod is a bit ridiculous. Like I said earlier, I understand that mods have their own lives, but perhaps more help is needed to help lessen the load?

[Dutch]

Oh, I fully understand you there PLUR and I can't say much, but the staff is currently working on getting things workin' smoother as we speak ^_^

In the mean time I'd PM Tal and ask her to take a peek when she gets the chance, maybe she just accidentally glanced over it *nods*

[Reven]

As most of you may not know, I'm working on my character's profile so that I can spend as much time as I'd like on it. You see I'm working on a force sensitive character who is a slave, and has had no training in the ways of the force and I plan on having him trained IC. So my question is would he be considered a civillian because of his status as a slave or a fringer(Gray Jedi force sensitive) because I plan on having him trained?

[Rugs]

I would imagine that, in his current state, he could start off in either category, but since you plan on having him trained, I'd go ahead and start off in Fringe, since he'd have to move there eventually anyway.

[Reven]

Thanks for answering my question, Rugs.

[somedude]

A question/suggestion/request I came up with when I stumbled across the Galaxy Map:

Could the staff, when they get a chance, possibly list the planets with their classification (Republic, Sith, etc.)?

My reasoning is three-fold:
1. It can be difficult to find a specific planet on a map like that
2. Sometimes the category of a planet isn't clear (i.e. is Tatooine brown or grey? Is Bespin blue and Varonat grey, or vice versa?)
3. Many planets have no colour at all (A prominent and familiar example is Hoth)

Just an idea

[Jenno]

It was something that was toyed with and maybe if the staff has the time on an occasion it would be an option but there are a lot of planet names to put down. Because to make them easy to find on the map from the list you have to have the colour/controller and then the position on the map as well (grid referrence) before you then organise them into which rim they are in.

As for the points made:

1. Also got to come up with the best way for the list to then referrence to the map as well, which is more just a question of time.

2. I made sure to colour the grey planets (those that are undiscovered/uninhabitable in our time frame) with only a small dot whereas all the others are coloured with circles that move beyond the initial planet marker (to signify the reach of territory into space, if you will). So yea, Tatooine is brown, controlled by the Hutts, not an undiscovered planet. Bespin and Varonat were sadly positioned like that from the off (and since I only have limited photoshop abilities that had to stay that way). But Bespin is not discovered until 3000 BBY, so it is the grey one.

3. An extra note has been added regarding the uncoloured planets, it's noted in the faction creation and when the announcement from when the map was initially introduced, though a new note has been added on the Map page itself. Planets without any colour represent planets which are inhabitable but do not have any owner, whether that means faction or Independent government. They have no real power/settlement in that respect and mean that if a faction has the money they can start building/developing a base there without too much trouble.

Thank you for pointing those things out and also, i hope that clears some things up. Though like I've said, the main factor is time.

~Jenno

[somedude]

I totally understand; there's never enough time. I'd consider moving to the 30 hour day, but I hear that it eventually causes complete insanity o.0

Thanks for clearing those things up Jenno, those really stood out for me.

It's a shame, but I totally understand

[Reven]

What lightsaber form or combination would be best for a Jedi or Sith that uses speed and doesn't use Ataru's acrobats other than Juyo?

[Cadyren]

Reverse gripped Shien might work, Or maybe Form 2. Most forms can be used if you want to focus on speed, but these kinda focus on it a little more I think.

[Rugs]

Makashi springs to mind. Perhaps Niman, since it's a very versatile form.

[Kella]

Dude, Rugs, you stole my answer. xD

Rug's is right -- though I suppose I can delve a bit into how speed would be applied to both forms. Makashi is an artistic form, more in light with fencing than anything else. The focus is on quick, deliberate movements, and agility. A user of Makashi never uses more energy than is necessary to perform the needed manuever, and it's a somewhat intellectual form, as the user has to find the best way to apply their saber, to get the most leverage.

Niman is waaaaaaaay under-appreciated. Most people figure it's just a form for Jedi who can't do anything else, but it's not. In reality, Niman combines all the forms, with the strengths of none and the weaknesses of none, so it's a very solid form to know. It's the most customizable for any Jedi, because they can chose what components of it they're going to emphasize. Niman combines the basic moves, maneuvers, style, and mindset of all the forms, so it is a very versatile technique, and can lead to some unexpected application.

So yeah, Rugs's answer was probably all you needed, but I do so love to run my mouth. xD

[Foxfire]

Is it allowed to focus kinetic energy into the claws of the hands and feet with the force?

[sparrow]

umm... isn't that just swinging your arms/legs?

[Foxfire]

What I ment it as is having kinetic force energy focused at the tips to give further damage. like how a force user can focus the energy at the tip of a pin to create a light source. This way the claws are enhanced with kinetic power to aide in greater slashing ability. Like having light sabers as claws.

[sparrow]

Sounds like you are describing Force Weapon, which is used for inanimate, rigid objects, not body parts.

[somedude]

What about this as an alternative (I know I'm not involved, but now I'm curious):

Theoretically, could you channel force energy into a body part and convert it into kinetic energy, so that you have a greater impact force when you hit something?

[Kella]

h'okay, hang on here, I'm going to try and explain this properly. xD Let's see what I can do.

What I ment it as is having kinetic force energy focused at the tips to give further damage. like how a force user can focus the energy at the tip of a pin to create a light source. This way the claws are enhanced with kinetic power to aide in greater slashing ability. Like having light sabers as claws.

Greater kinetic energy would not make your claws light lightsabers. Really, all kinetic energy is, is an equation of mass and momentum. For example, the faster something's going, the more momentum it has, so the more force it imparts. So I can take a baseball bat, swing it once, and hit a dummy with 2 pounds of Force -- this is a transfer of kinetic energy. I can swing it again, and swing it faster, so it has more momentum, and then I hit the dummy with 15 pounds of Force. So the kinetic Force has increased. But, no matter how quickly I swing that bat, it's not going to cut through the thing -- it's going to smash it.

Next, let's consider a club. If I swing a ten pound club, and a five pound club at the same speed, at the same target, the ten pound club is going to have more kinetic force when it hits the dummy, because the ten pound club has more momentum, and therefore more mass, and therefore more force.

Make sense?

Okay, now let's apply that to claws. Even the SW universe stays close to real physics (unless we're talking star ships) So the same principle is true. Mass times momentum = force. So, for a Jedi to increase the Force of his punch with a skill like body, he's either increasing its practical mass* -- giving it more momentum and more force -- or, he's increasing its speed, giving it more momentum and more force. Probably both. But, this isn't going to change the surface of his fist.

Now take your claws. A force power is only going to do two things to those claws -- it's going to increase their practical mass, or increase their speed. So, if they're sharp enough, they'll be able to tear through flesh and muscle as well as a Knife blade would. Of course, physical claws will be affected by tougher hides, tendons, and, of course, bone. A very sharp, swiftly swung sword-blade can cut through bone. However, no Claw would be the right shape, or the right temper to do this, because in order to support themselves, the claws have to be thick. So, it would not cut through bone like a saber -- it would fracture the bone, or perhaps crush its way through.

Also, the claws will not be able to cut through things that are harder than them. For example, if your claws are durasteel, and they're cutting through mandalorian armor, then no matter how fast you swing the claws, they're just going to get squished. Also, cutting through anything the same hardness as the claw would damage the claw as much as the surface.

Let's contrast this to the way a lightsaber blade works. A saber blade is a focused beam of plasma. It has no mass, and so it has no momentum, and so, it's technically not imparting Force on anything. Rather, the blade deflects the force of the blow into the emitter, which has mass, and can therefore impart force. So, if you draw a saber through flesh, it does not -cut- the flesh, it -burns- the flesh. So a saber does not have to impart force on flesh to cut it -- it simply burns the flesh, consuming the energy without imparting any kinetic force. This is why it can cut easily through bone, and through metal. Anything that can be melted by the heat of the blade can be penetrated, because the blade doesn't actually need to put forth kinetic force to make the actual cut. (But the hilt is providing the energy the saber needs to move, so there's still force at work here.)

So, no physical thing is going to imitate the effects of the lightsaber, because the forces, effects, and physics are completely different.

If any of that didn't make sense, please let me know. X) Of course, this is a sci-fi site, so certain skills/technologies may be allowed at the Admin's discretion. However, know that under current SW precedent and tech... the above is (I hope mostly) true.

*practical mass -- It probably won't feel heavier, but it'll act like it is.