System and Battle Maps

I was just thinking, one thing that I would find very useful while reading would be if there was some kind of animated map of the battle or the star system while the action is happening...

I try to imagine it, but it would be much easier if I had my own holotank like the characters do.

I was wondering if anyone has ever made or considered making such a thing?

Walks Alone wrote:I was just thinking, one thing that I would find very useful while reading would be if there was some kind of animated map of the battle or the star system while the action is happening...

I try to imagine it, but it would be much easier if I had my own holotank like the characters do.

I was wondering if anyone has ever made or considered making such a thing?

The geometry of some of the more recent engagements would be "difficult to reproduce". Like the ridiculous barricade and LACS stealthly moving 2 million tons of missile pods at 700g.

It would be useful in earlier books, where there was at least some effort put into making the battles make some sense. For example, THoQ, which is really well thought out.

Actually, it's the later battles I need the map for. When it's just a couple of ships, I can keep track of that in my mind.

I've just finished reading AAC... I found the Battle of Manticore very difficult to follow at times... you've got LACs, you've got something like five fleets operating, everyone's firing off missiles, I imagine there are some drones flying around too, and at least one fleet is hypering around, and I still don't know why Chin didn't do the obvious thing and sit on the junction like it was Thermopylae, and take out both third fleet and eigth fleet as they came through from Trevor's Star.

Walks Alone wrote:Actually, it's the later battles I need the map for. When it's just a couple of ships, I can keep track of that in my mind.

I've just finished reading AAC... I found the Battle of Manticore very difficult to follow at times... you've got LACs, you've got something like five fleets operating, everyone's firing off missiles, I imagine there are some drones flying around too, and at least one fleet is hypering around, and I still don't know why Chin didn't do the obvious thing and sit on the junction like it was Thermopylae, and take out both third fleet and eigth fleet as they came through from Trevor's Star.

If she was in range of the Junction, the junction fortifications with their hoards (or hordes) of missile pods will be in range of her. I suspect that the exchange of fire would not in her interests (I don't believe they were equipped with Apollo, if so, the situation would be worse).

Didn’t it say in chapter eight of “Shadow of Saganami” that the forts had been decommissioned?

Hang on, I’ll find the quote.

But there was no question of recommissioning the fortresses. Their technology was obsolete, they'd never been refitted to utilize the new generations of missiles, their EW systems were at least three generations out of date, and BuPers was scrambling as desperately for trained manpower as it ever had before.

Walks Alone wrote:Actually, it's the later battles I need the map for. When it's just a couple of ships, I can keep track of that in my mind.

I've just finished reading AAC... I found the Battle of Manticore very difficult to follow at times... you've got LACs, you've got something like five fleets operating, everyone's firing off missiles, I imagine there are some drones flying around too, and at least one fleet is hypering around, and I still don't know why Chin didn't do the obvious thing and sit on the junction like it was Thermopylae, and take out both third fleet and eigth fleet as they came through from Trevor's Star.

There is a lot of plot in the the awful book. The basic concept is all cool, but the execution of it is kind of crazy.

Like why doesn't home fleet have ANY recon drones? How come it didn't occur to anyone that maybe 2nd fleet boring in on Sphinx might be a sign that you should evacuate the orbital station in orbit around Sphinx? Why, after Kuzak and her CoS went through all the advantages that 3nd fleet had over 5th, did they then methodically throw them away one after another? Why did Kuzak and her entire staff sleep through every single briefing on Apollo where they mention things like range? I could go on....


But the junction is massively defended. It has massive LAC forces, enormous shoals of missile pods, and fortresses that are designed to chew up and spit out 3-5 times their mass in SDs. So that would not be a good plan.

Going on the attack against Manticore directly might. If Haven pops both the Sphinx and Manticore platforms the war might be over if Haven makes a reasonable offer. Kuzak wasn't going to defeat second even without 5th popping in (look at how fast 3rd was losing ships in the first few volleys), and having 5th boring in on Manticore could make plans that involve extremely long range MDM fire somewhat inadvisable if Haven can keep Manticore in line between 5th and some fleet popping out of hyper.

Walks Alone wrote:Didn’t it say in chapter eight of “Shadow of Saganami” that the forts had been decommissioned?

That Awful Book, Chapter 62

He turned from the visual display to regard the huge master plot, and allowed himself a feeling of satisfaction as he studied the icons of the new fortresses. A year ago, the Manticoran Wormhole Junction's permanent fortifications had been virtually nonexistent. In fact, they'd been so sparse he'd been forced to hang Home Fleet all the way out at the Junction to cover the critical central nexus of the Star Kingdom's economy against attack.

He hadn't liked that, but the Janacek Admiralty's failure to update the fortresses had left him no choice. And at least the Manticore System's astrography had let him get away with it for a while.

...

Which was why D'Orville was so relieved the new forts were finally operational. Much smaller than the old prewar fortifications which had been decommissioned to provide the manpower to crew new construction, they were actually more powerfully armed, thanks to the same increased automation and weapons developments which had gone into the Navy's new warships. And each of those forts was surrounded by literally hundreds of missile pods, with the fire control to handle stupendous salvos. It would take an attack in overwhelming force to break those defenses, which had freed D'Orville to move Home Fleet closer to a more traditional covering position, locating his command in Sphinx orbit.

Lol I must have missed the part about the new forts. But this is what I mean... there’s so much going on, I really can’t keep track of it at all... hence, needing an animated map!

Walks Alone wrote:I was just thinking, one thing that I would find very useful while reading would be if there was some kind of animated map of the battle or the star system while the action is happening...

I try to imagine it, but it would be much easier if I had my own holotank like the characters do.

I was wondering if anyone has ever made or considered making such a thing?

I'm feeling your pain Walks Alone, so you are certainly not walking this one alone. It is much better now, as far as I am concerned, now that maps of the galactic star systems have fleshed the larger stage out. What remains is why I so long for Hollywood to cover.

BTW, welcome to the forums. A female slant on things is always welcome. We have a few females hanging out here and they are soooo appreciated. There is another female squawking the transponder codes of Down Under. Her name is Annachie and she hangs out a lot more in the Politics forum unless something catches her fancy here. I miss her input.

But I'm getting ahead of minding my manners. Welcome to the forums. It is customary to offer a bottle of spirits. So pour yourself your own poison. If it's beer, you can get that criminal crap on tap straight from the horses ass -- the disgusting stuff. The better offerings are suffering a bit of shortage from that miserable act of Lacoon.

Anyways, welcome aboard the Honorverse.

I learnt something tonight. Always assumed Annachie was a particularly bright Aussie bloke, now I know she is an Aussie sheila it becomes clearer. Welcome indeed Walks Alone, it falls to a few others The E (German), Eyal (Israeli), and Michael Everett (UK) to keep these Americans in line.

cthia wrote:

Walks Alone wrote:I was just thinking, one thing that I would find very useful while reading would be if there was some kind of animated map of the battle or the star system while the action is happening...

I try to imagine it, but it would be much easier if I had my own holotank like the characters do.

I was wondering if anyone has ever made or considered making such a thing?

I'm feeling your pain Walks Alone, so you are certainly not walking this one alone. It is much better now, as far as I am concerned, now that maps of the galactic star systems have fleshed the larger stage out. What remains is why I so long for Hollywood to cover.

BTW, welcome to the forums. A female slant on things is always welcome. We have a few females hanging out here and they are soooo appreciated. There is another female squawking the transponder codes of Down Under. Her name is Annachie and she hangs out a lot more in the Politics forum unless something catches her fancy here. I miss her input.

But I'm getting ahead of minding my manners. Welcome to the forums. It is customary to offer a bottle of spirits. So pour yourself your own poison. If it's beer, you can get that criminal crap on tap straight from the horses ass -- the disgusting stuff. The better offerings are suffering a bit of shortage from that miserable act of Lacoon.

Anyways, welcome aboard the Honorverse.