Trains, planes and telegraph lines.

[DylPickle]

ANYWAYS

From what I understand these things are light reflectors used to send messages, right? You build the mirror (Or whatever it is) then when you use it you're asked how many times you want to blink it. Maximum... 5 maybe? It'll be visible to anyone within a certain radius of the aparatus, such as very near towns, people nearby on roads, and to nearby ships (not buildings though, obviously). Then you can make out a VERY SIMPLE code.
Eg: 1 Blink, "We're under attack, send help"
2 Blinks, "We're calling a meeting, get your asses over here"
3 Blinks, "Come back to town"
Etc. Etc.

There we go.

[The Industriallist]

So, your principle transmits data with sets of linked flashes? That would work. And for those of us with ambition of complexity, you can code up text messages in that easily.

Though you might consider that a mirror reflects light mostly in one direction. Or you might not...omnidirectional isn't bad.

[Schme]

I was thinking some sort of repeater in each station. However, telegraph lines runing through desserts and such, I suppose, would be tricky, but I am sure you could get someone to take a year shift or so, if you paid them enough.

I dunno just how much distance you could get between stations...but on a road that stretched over the horizon from a high tower, you might need one. Between towns.

Perhaps.


You mean industriallized empires, as in britain?! That's not even remotely relevant to cantr scales. In cantr, any empire that stretches farther than you can see (past the edge of town) is pretty great. We have some decent vehicle technology in some places, but at best we're on a city-state level of civilization as a rule.

Not as a rule. They are mostly city states or loose de-centralized empires using puppet kings.

But it could be so much more.

And that way, two city states could communicate with great speed over great distance.

As I just finished proving, they transmit exactly the same complexity and type of information.

Tell me, how does one churn out a poem through heliograph?



I doubt that they sent very complex messages. I don't even know how complex you could send with that and be sure of accuracy. But neither of us was talking about smoke signals...

Same idea, really. Not in the sense of mirrors and whatnot, but in communication.


Do you not undestand that symbols aren't transmitted by telegraph? It's just one wire, either carrying or not carrying current. At best, you could have it carrying pulses of current in one of two directions (which would make one usable in cantr). But any symbols are interpreted from the coding. THEY AREN'T ACTUALLY IN THE TRANSMISSION!

I know that! Listen, your not getting what I mean.

A for dash.

B for dot.

K for a pause.

Not complex, really.
Sure, if you want to grant massively complex electromechanical technology,

I do indeed.


That's about what a teletype machine is, I think. But you don't need all that garbage...

I beg to differ.

[DylPickle]

Hey, in my opinion, if you can't kick a guy off a bike then stab him with a sabre, then light can reflect however it wants.

[Schme]

ANYWAYS

From what I understand these things are light reflectors used to send messages, right? You build the mirror (Or whatever it is) then when you use it you're asked how many times you want to blink it. Maximum... 5 maybe? It'll be visible to anyone within a certain radius of the aparatus, such as very near towns, people nearby on roads, and to nearby ships (not buildings though, obviously). Then you can make out a VERY SIMPLE code.
Eg: 1 Blink, "We're under attack, send help"
2 Blinks, "We're calling a meeting, get your asses over here"
3 Blinks, "Come back to town"
Etc. Etc.

There we go.

Yes, but that's not what I meant at all.

Those are all well and good (the town drum saved countless Japanese villages) but that's not what I'm talking about.

[Anthony Roberts]

This is the Suggestions thread, not a debate thread. Don't make me split this so you guys take it elsewhere. I will!

[Schme]

He started it!


No, but that's all I was trying to do. Suggest a telegraph line. I suppose, technically, he should have started another thread for heliograph suggestion, but I don't really mind all that much. It's a fun debate.

But I suppose it should be in another thread.

What an honor to have the guy with the blinking light thing post in my thread!

[The Industriallist]

This is the Suggestions thread, not a debate thread. Don't make me split this so you guys take it elsewhere. I will!

If ncessary, but I thought that suggestions included discussion of suggestions...

If you want to boot that part of it elsewhere, go ahead...

Tell me, how does one churn out a poem through heliograph?

The same way as by telegraph. Write it down, figure out how it codes to flashes, and flash it out. The only difference from telegraph is that you use light in atmosphere rather than voltage on a wire.

That really is the only fundamental distinction.

I know that! Listen, your not getting what I mean.

A for dash.

B for dot.

K for a pause.

Not complex, really.

I must not be...because as far as I can see you're talking about using letters to form the code that you use to transmit letters...

[Anthony Roberts]

Discussion of suggestions.

Not debate of what an item really is or should be. That, for suggestions, is critism (Err, I spelt it wrong, I'm assuming.), and such actions are done MODERATELY, and not out of control like this debate is...

[Schme]

If you want to boot that part of it elsewhere, go ahead...

Hey, not so fast there! This is a suggestion, and I would like it to remain as such. It shouldn't become a debate just because you like heliographs better.

Tell me, how does one churn out a poem through heliograph?

The same way as by telegraph. Write it down, figure out how it codes to flashes, and flash it out. The only difference from telegraph is that you use light in atmosphere rather than voltage on a wire.

That really is the only fundamental distinction.


Pshaw! Balderdash.....It would be infinitly more complex.



I must not be...because as far as I can see you're talking about using letters to form the code that you use to transmit letters...[/quote]

I meant as appose to creating new buttons! Lord man, it's not so hard to piece together.

[Schme]

Discussion of suggestions.

Not debate of what an item really is or should be. That, for suggestions, is critism (Err, I spelt it wrong, I'm assuming.), and such actions are done MODERATELY, and not out of control like this debate is...

..................................................he started it!

[The Industriallist]

Tell me, how does one churn out a poem through heliograph?

The same way as by telegraph. Write it down, figure out how it codes to flashes, and flash it out. The only difference from telegraph is that you use light in atmosphere rather than voltage on a wire.

That really is the only fundamental distinction.

Pshaw! Balderdash.....It would be infinitly more complex.

Can you tell me why, or is this some kind of religious tenet?

Telegraph you push a button to close a circuit, heliograph you tilt your shiny thing to catch the light. That's all. Beyond that you could do the exact same thing

I must not be...because as far as I can see you're talking about using letters to form the code that you use to transmit letters...

I meant as appose to creating new buttons! Lord man, it's not so hard to piece together.

...I can't piece it together...maybe it's just me...that would involve making telegraphs directly transmitting text, wouldn't it?

[Schme]

No, no!

As apposed to creating a new button, typing "A" in the text box would be dot, B dash, K, pause.

Anything else would come up with an error message.

Or you could create new buttons. But I had not thought of it.

However, direct text transmission (Faxmachine type of thing) would be more practicall, as I have no intention of learning morse code for a video game, and I am sure many people would have likewise sentiments.

[Schme]

Likewise.

[The Sociologist]

Let me have some fun here...

Semaphore signals.

Object: watch-tower machine (wood, iron nails, aluminium, etc)
Tool: semaphore flags (needs wood & cloth)
Project: send signal (a one hour project)

Object: watch-tower machine.
Tool: telescope (needs iron, ground up glass, same as spectacles)
Project: observe signals (can be long project)

You can only send a very limited length of signal per hour, comprising only capital letters and numbers. Somebody must be manning the observing watch-tower at the same hour the signal is sent. The receiving party gets the message as a usual "you see" line under events.

Very interesting opportunities for collaboration, social cohesion and empire-building here, especially since the people manning the observing machines need to be supported by the community.

Problems: in some parts of the map, distances may be too great to justify this unless they somehow include the cost of "manning a string of watch-towers" as part of the project of setting up the watch-tower machine initially.

I agree with The Industriallist that Cantr is in no way ready for electricity yet.

The above is one of the technologies which would allow us to move beyond the city-state level of development.

By the way, see:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/flags/semaphore.html