In Capital Command's universe, ships can "jump" between distant locations, allowing astronomical distances to be covered quickly and efficiently. But the story doesn't end there.
Space is big. So big, in fact, that, in order to get anywhere before the crew dies from old age, ships need to move at extremely high speeds. This poses a huge practical problem, since the propellant and fuel needed to accelerate has to be carried along, making the ship heavier, which means it needs even more propellant and fuel, and so on. The result is ship designs where over 90% of the launched mass is expended during the voyage, and they still can't get very far (in astronomical terms).
In Capital Command, however, ships have a way to cheat the Rocket Equation. It's called the jump drive, and it allows them to cover vast distances at the speed of light, without actually having to accelerate and brake at all! The technical details, and the science behind them, aren't really important to ship commanders. What matters are the capabilities and limitations of jump technology, and their huge impact on the tactics and strategy of space combat.
The most important fact about jump tech, is that you can't jump if you're moving.
Of course, in space, movement is relative. What "not moving" actually means, is that the ship must have near-zero velocity relative to nearby astronomical objects. Next to a planet, the ship must be immobile relative to the planet. Next to a star - relative to the star. For a ship in interplanetary space, the jump velocity is influenced by all nearby bodies, but heavier and nearer ones have far greater "pull" than those which are lighter and more distant. That said, distance counts far more than mass: a distant planet has less influence than a nearby asteroid. While the local star has a lot of influence anywhere in its solar system, the nearest body is usually what matters most.
The second vital fact about jump tech, is that you're not moving when you come out of jump.
"Not moving" has the same meaning as when starting a jump. The fact is, that no matter how far the ship has jumped, after it arrives it won't be moving at all, relative to nearby astronomical objects.
Why It Matters
The two basic facts, that you can't start a jump while moving and that you're not moving after you've jumped, mean that most battles are fought at very short range, between ships that are more or less at a standstill.
The short range is caused by the ability to jump relatively accurately, to within a few hundred kilometers of the target, usually much closer. The technology exists to build weapons that can strike at astronomical distances. However, this gives no advantage when an enemy can jump into point-blank range. This means weapons are designed to provide heavy firepower at ranges on the order of a hundred kilometers or less. This is next to nothing in outer space, but it's where most battles happen.
The other big consequence is very low velocities in combat. No ship wants to accelerate too far from the jump velocity for its local area of space, since to do so would prevent it from jumping, denying it an astronomically faster and more efficient way to move. Basically, nobody wants to accelerate from jump velocity, and jumps end exactly at jump velocity. So, ships will usually be immobile when the shooting starts. Of course, tactical maneuvers and positioning are extremely important, so ships won't be standing completely still. They just won't (usually) boost beyond a few kilometers per second.
This means that weapons can't assume they'll be impacting at astronomical speeds, so kinetic energy is unreliable at best. Instead, projectiles (both guided missiles and ballistic artillery) use warheads that detonate on impact. Even so-called "kinetic" ordnance uses speed mostly to get through point defenses, with warheads doing most of the damage to the target.
Finally, another consequence is that lasers aren't practical space weapons. At short range, their superb accuracy isn't much better than solid projectiles. Meanwhile, the cumbersome beam generators, vulnerable optics, and the enormous power requirements, all mean laser ships are much less effective in the savage, close-quarters battles that are the norm in Capital Command.
That's it for the first of (hopefully many) "First Principles" posts, where I'll be providing an in-depth look at the technology and world behind Capital Command. The next First Principles will explain in more detail the setting of the game's campaign, why you're there, what your job is and what might happen if you fail.
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Thanks for reading, and good luck out there!
The dev