Nephilim Tech

[Dragon1]

What was the Nephilim's true level of technology? How far off would Confed be from creating large, fleet-scale plasma weapons in the latter 27th Century(that is if they wanted to do it to begin with), individual external shield emitters, and artificial long range portals? Would the plasma weapon on the Midway be incorporated into newer carrier designs?

I was always curious as to how the shield emitters themselves worked. I believe that they project a secondary shield over a sensitive area that is already protected by the ship's phase shield. An incoming torpedo might phase-lock and penetrate the first layer, but then detonate on the second, thus protecting the actuall hull of the vessel. How would a system like this work in ship to ship battle. In a destroyer-vs.-destroyer scenario, would a Nephilim ship with external shield emitters have double the shield strength in sensitive areas? Something like this would prove to be extremely valuable.

The ability alone to create the vortexes that the Nephilim did would radically change the face of warfare. Entire Nephilim fleets were able to cross thousands of light years very quickly to enter Kilrathi space. Could this be used on the small scale, could groups of fighters cross one or two star systems (effectively reducing the need for large carrier based fleets)?

Could we expect to see incorporated Nephilim technology in the fighters and capships of the Privateer Online/ Wing Commander Online universes if they had ever come to fruition?

 

[Dundradal]

What was the Nephilim's true level of technology? How far off would Confed be from creating large, fleet-scale plasma weapons in the latter 27th Century(that is if they wanted to do it to begin with), individual external shield emitters, and artificial long range portals? Would the plasma weapon on the Midway be incorporated into newer carrier designs?

We really don't know. We know they use organic tech. They already have shield emitters, they are mentioned many times in the novels (especially in FC when the strakhas attack the Vorgath). I doubt the plasma weapon will become some primary superweapon. It was in WCP to basically do one thing.

As for jump tech, I don't think confed is too close to nephilim level of tech, although with the capture of the stellar acceration device they could be making leaps ahead. They are still a long way off from Steltek tech of being able to jump where ever they want to.

I was always curious as to how the shield emitters themselves worked. I believe that they project a secondary shield over a sensitive area that is already protected by the ship's phase shield. An incoming torpedo might phase-lock and penetrate the first layer, but then detonate on the second, thus protecting the actuall hull of the vessel. How would a system like this work in ship to ship battle. In a destroyer-vs.-destroyer scenario, would a Nephilim ship with external shield emitters have double the shield strength in sensitive areas? Something like this would prove to be extremely valuable.

I think it's simply the emitters for the phase shields. They may help increase the amount of area protected, but I don't think they add another layer of protection.

The ability alone to create the vortexes that the Nephilim did would radically change the face of warfare. Entire Nephilim fleets were able to cross thousands of light years very quickly to enter Kilrathi space. Could this be used on the small scale, could groups of fighters cross one or two star systems (effectively reducing the need for large carrier based fleets)?

Not with Nephilim tech. Their tech required certain prerequisites (not sure why kilrah, but proxima because of the 2 stars). The only race we know that can jump point to point with no jump point is the Steltek and they are presumably well ahead of the Nephilim.

Could we expect to see incorporated Nephilim technology in the fighters and capships of the Privateer Online/ Wing Commander Online universes if they had ever come to fruition?

I doubt it. Nephilim wreckage is toxic to humans and I don't see it become part of the confed tech tree until they can understand it more.

 

[LeHah]

Could we expect to see incorporated Nephilim technology in the fighters and capships of the Privateer Online/ Wing Commander Online universes if they had ever come to fruition?

I think theres a much better chance of a Wing Commander game coming out long before any type of MMP game

 

[Dragon1]

I think it's simply the emitters for the phase shields. They may help increase the amount of area protected, but I don't think they add another layer of protection.

If this is the case, then why can't torpedoes get a phase-lock through them? What is different about the externally emitted shield as opposed to the shields where the emitters are located internally?

Also, we know that we can only lock torpedoes onto sensitive areas. Does this imply that in 2681 Confed construction ability or armor technology has effectively decreased the destructive potential of the modern torpedo through most non-essential areas of the ship? For the purposes of a fan-fiction story, could torpedo hits to non-essential areas of the Midway potentially destroy the ship? If so, how many torpedoes would do it?

 

[Dundradal]

If this is the case, then why can't torpedoes get a phase-lock through them? What is different about the externally emitted shield as opposed to the shields where the emitters are located internally?

I don't know if any shield emitters are internal. We may not see them modeled in all the games, but the novels tell us they are mounted on the outside of the ship.

The Nephilim emitters could possibly be another layer of phase shields that is simply to thick for current torp warheads to lock through.

Also, we know that we can only lock torpedoes onto sensitive areas. Does this imply that in 2681 Confed construction ability or armor technology has effectively decreased the destructive potential of the modern torpedo through most non-essential areas of the ship? For the purposes of a fan-fiction story, could torpedo hits to non-essential areas of the Midway potentially destroy the ship? If so, how many torpedoes would do it?

I would say this is more a product of WCP than any advance in torpedo tech. If enough torps hit a capship, she's going to go down. Most vessels appear to be able to take no more than 4 or 5 torps before being destroyed, only a select few capships have the staying power to handle more. I wouldn't want to throw a number out for amount that would take down the Midway but a few in the same general area should be enough.

 

[Dragon1]

I don't know if any shield emitters are internal. We may not see them modeled in all the games, but the novels tell us they are mounted on the outside of the ship.

This kind of makes sense now that I think about it. I am going to do a little experiment. I'll blow up a bridge shield emitter on an Orca, then shoot at the bridge area. Of course my guns won't cause any damage, but I wonder if I'll still see a shield impact effect.

Was there any elaboration on the Nephilim anti-capship capabilities? At one point I remember them using capship missiles (Hellespont, losing track I think). Also, I had heard that the prong things at the ends of the ships were plasma weapons of some kind. The WCP strategy guide states that a Hydra-class CC is a bit larger than a Confed cruiser (meaning the Plunckett I would guess). Would 1200-1300 meters be too big?

 

[Lt.Death100]

This kind of makes sense now that I think about it. I am going to do a little experiment. I'll blow up a bridge shield emitter on an Orca, then shoot at the bridge area. Of course my guns won't cause any damage, but I wonder if I'll still see a shield impact effect.

Already tried doesn't work and doesn't change the effect.

 

[ChrisReid]

How far off would Confed be from creating large, fleet-scale plasma weapons

Confed had the ability to build a planet destroying ship in 2669, so a fleet-scale thing in 2681 is certainly not beyond their technological means. Now, if they actually did so, it'd ruin the Wing Commander aspect of Wing Commander, so such things should probably be avoided.

artificial long range portals?

Artificial jump gates are in use by the 2790s. They might simply be something that leverages preexisting jump points, but the Nephilim wormhole gate also did something like that.

The WCP strategy guide states that a Hydra-class CC is a bit larger than a Confed cruiser (meaning the Plunckett I would guess). Would 1200-1300 meters be too big?

Yeah.

For the purposes of a fan-fiction story, could torpedo hits to non-essential areas of the Midway potentially destroy the ship? If so, how many torpedoes would do it?

There's no benefit to trying to quantify that kind of thing here. Despite any gameplay mechanics that made certain games the way they are, for the purposes of fiction, ships didn't magically change in the 2680s so that they're invincible except in a few areas.

 

[Dragon1]

Any estimation on the size of Nephilim capships?

 

[Death]

Bigger than a breadbox.

 

[t.c.cgi]

Smaller than a planet.

 

[Dundradal]

So about the size of 1,000 city buses

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Any estimation on the size of Nephilim capships?

VF-2 Squid class Interceptor - 21/17 meters
CF-3fd Remora class Interceptor - 21 meters
SK-3a Lamprey class Shield Killer - 21 meters
CF-1a Stingray class Interceptor/Cap Ship Interdiction - 24 meters
CF-2b Skate class Interceptor/Anti-Bomber - 24 meters
CF-2t Skate class Interceptor/Torpedo Launcher - 24 meters
CF-2m Skate class Interceptor/Miner - 24 meters
FA-6a Moray class Fighter - 24 meters
SF-8a Manta class Heavy Fighter - 26 meters
SF-9a Devil Ray class Space Superiority Fighter - 26 meters
CF-3fd Ray Node Cluster class Interceptor Cluster - 34 meters
FF-4a class Barracuda - 130 meters
T-1 Triton class Transport - 230 meters
DD-4 Orca class Destroyer - 600 meters
CA-2 Hydra/Marlin class Cruiser - 750 meters
CV-5 Leviathan class Carrier - 960 meters
SSK-1 Kraken class Cap Ship Killer - 1,200 meters
DN-6 Tiamat class Dreadnought - 3,200 meters

 

[Dragon1]

Excellent. Thanks LOAF.

What is the source of the alpha-numerical designations of the ships?

 

[Bandit LOAF]

They all come from an internal document - I just copied and pasted it from an earlier thread. The lengths are as-simulated in the game... the designations haven't appeared in the continuity and so aren't official.