Monodirectional Sensors

yobeefjerky

So i just kind of need to jot this down quickly before the idea self destructs in three seconds...
what was i talking about?

Alright seriously though this has sort of spawned in my head when i needed to use the bathroom, what if there was a smaller, monodirectional scanner, it would be, like i said, smaller, so that's a plus, but maybe it is an external part, basically it would act like a sensor array but with one difference, it would only point in one direction, making it less useful for large ships, it would be good for a starting ship, it would have the range of the normal scanner, or possibly a bit less, but it could run without being manned.

Pros:
Unmanned (needs no crew, still requires power though)
Small (because the sensor array is really awkward to place)
Less power intensive
Cheap (cheaper than the sensor array at least)

Cons:
Small degree of... "vision" (it would project in something like a 5 or 10 degree arc, so its a narrow scanner)
Low resolution (maybe it cant give you an accurate picture of the enemy) (the enemy would be pixelated)

What do you think?

Walt

I like the idea of directional sensors. The only reason they don't exist right now is due to performance issues they would cause. (Circles are nice and fast.)

Arilou_Laleelay

Different types of scanners come to mind, such as a danger indicator (relative to your ship): yellow (easy), orange (competent), red (hard).

A probe, a sort of single-use mine that you can send in a certain direction. It will scan the immediate area for threats. Advanced probes may have a cloaking device installed. They have to be rebuilt and cost money.

Walt

Arilou_Laleelay I like these ideas! Maybe the "danger scanner" could just be a scanner that tells you how big the enemy is.

Lafiel

Instead of complex calculation wouldn't just using a mask onto the circle sensor field work as fast?

One problem in terms of usefulness is range. If range of anything (e.g. weapons) vs. sensor isn't large enough and ships can cover the distance in seconds it's not useful. Time is needed to gain an advantage in tactics, strategy, planning or decision making, and well, escaping. So imho small ships are fast making short range sensor not that useful as defense. But I do see a need for probes.

Walt

Lafiel Instead of complex calculation wouldn't just using a mask onto the circle sensor field work as fast?

It's more than just a visual mask. There's a lot of logic calculations that would become much less efficient with anything but circles.

warbird100

Well, It has to be circles...
What if you have it where it displays a circle in the distance?
Like, a separate view zone?
It could look weird, but it might work, and could be explained.
Maybe a fixed scanner that identifies an area.

Walt

warbird100 Maybe a fixed scanner that identifies an area.

Kind of like the scanner sweep in Starcraft? I like that idea!

Lafiel

I see dynamically updating calculation is a major problem...

Detached field isn't reasonable but moving it off-center does indeed sound like a good idea.
It would be more like an active phased array with good range, too.

warbird100

Walt
Yeah... like the scanner sweep in starcraft... (keyboard clicking) Yes. like that, but instead of a cooldown ability thing (I'm assuming) It would be a permanent spotlight attached to the rotational position of the spaceship.