If we are able to produce warp-feul in reasonable quantities, we would likely travel and skip to stars we think might have habitable worlds and travel until we find one. If the fuel of the warp drive is really expensive to create, we may not use it to expand, but rather to simply travel between pre-existent colonies light-years away. In this scenario, humanity would travel as fast as the warp drive lets them. I am currently going to define warp-drive as an FTL tech that has a speed limit but no need to travel along specific routes. But if FTL does have a certain speed, if it even has a sort of geography, the answer is much different and more interesting. The question is how fast would we fill out the territory we take? basically forever, but it doesn't matter.
we will travel from the milky way to 13 billion lightyears in months because there would be nothing stopping us. The only answer is that we will spread out as fast as possible in whatever system we lay our eyes on. This analysis isn't very sophisticated, but it doesn't need to be to give rule of thumb estimates.īasically, with instantaneous FTL, there isn't a question.
Adjust your suit, and the answers for different rates of settlement in different epochs will fall out out of the equations. In conclusion, it is economic and political factors that will ultimately determine the settlement of solar systems. if a civilization is less committed to settling other solar systems, the rate of colonization will decline proportionally. Therefore, to settle another solar system should take less than one century or roughly fifty years.Įconomic factors aside, there is a matter of political will. Therefore, the settle any number of solar systems will be derived from considering the two major settlement parameters, mentioned in paragraph one, against the amount of economic growth.įor example, if it takes two centuries to settle one solar system, then economic growth will have quadrupled over that time span. This is, from memory, the long-term economic growth rate for the human rate over human history. Basically it is the time and resources it takes to build FTL vehicles, and the time it takes to transport sufficient personnel, materiel and equipment to settle a solar system.Įssentially assume a long-term economic growth of around one percent (1%) per annum. This event is called "TERRAFORMING_SCAN" in the datafiles.Since travel is instantaneous, the real question is economic. They shut off communications, but you can tell they have begun an evacuation procedure.Power your weapons and demand they leave at once.
#Ftl terraforming upgrade
The station scientists have a unique talent for life support units and offer to upgrade your oxygen system as an apology for their behaviour. Offer to pay them to at least delay until the mold can be studied."But our livelihood depends on this job! Who cares about some silly mold? We'll pay you to look the other way!".The terraformers claim their terraforming plans are only hindered by intelligent life they can begin their work. A complete scan of the planet reveals a simple mold as the only life present.Fight a Pirate ship ( default rewards).Just as you're about to jump away, the ship takes off and attacks, it's a pirate! The terraformers thank you for your help, and attempt to contact the ship. A complete scan of the planet reveals no life signs other than a single ship on the surface.The station scientists have a unique talent for life support units and offer to upgrade your oxygen system as thanks. The team is grateful and ready to get to work. After a complete scan of the planet, you find no life.(Zoltan) Send your crewman to overcharge their systems.(Improved Sensors) Set sensors to maximum and scan.You find if you modulate the feedback signal of your sensors to just the right frequency, you're able to get through the atmosphere and perform a complete scan!.It seems your sensors are no more powerful than the terraformer's.We've got a schedule to keep, any chance you could help?" "Thank you! We need to scan this planet for life before we can begin terraforming, but our sensors can't get the necessary power to scan through this atmosphere."Captain, we are Federation Terraforming Team C12 and are in need of assistance. You receive a hail from a station orbiting a nearby planet.
The Long-Ranged Scanners will detect no ship presence. Can also occur as a filler event in any sector.