Mist is a great idea.
The high speed low torque problem is easily solved as well by a system of pulleys and belts. should not require too advanced technology.
as for the mean of converting energy, I suppose paddlewheels? screw propellers seems a fair bit harder to design, while watermills already have wheels with paddles.
It is taking a while to make it, but it will have wide ranging applications. We could also make things like steam cannons.
edit: Azzurro, nice report for the fight. Fits more with the "interview people from the battlefield" part. Maybe I should rewrite my one to match. Just one question, what are those black phantoms? I forgot them.
The Black Phantasms were mentioned all the way back in the second update, they're the elite unit of black-robed Moskurger cavalry accompanying al-Mutriqa and presumably getting boosted by the Wand of Heroism.
Also, no need for cumbersome pulleys and belts, RPM-torque can be converted via just two gears with a suitable gear ratio. And paddlewheels sound good, easier to make and retrofit onto our existing ships than screw propellers, which are perhaps better saved for a future revision if needed. It's even period-appropriate, as gears and paddlewheels were known about since antiquity!
I guess we're going to be spending our next design phase on this as well, barring the ever-present threat of Hypothetical Moskurg Magical Superweapons. So a preliminary writeup:
Design: Arstotzkan SteamshipArstotzkan designers return to their great dream: to propel a ship with nothing more than fire and water! (And some poor apprentice, of course.) This will allow Arstotzkan ships to catch up with those cowardly Moskurgian vessels and fully exploit their superior firepower.
The greatest change is the
recycling of steam, rather than being allowed to freely escape and turn the boiler rooms into a steamy mess, the secondary container is enclosed in a cylinder to capture the escaping steam, which is then directed into a series of pipes around the inside hull of the ship, cooling it down and condensing it back into hot water, which is collected and reintroduced into the original boiler at intervals. The steamships are thus designed to be 'fueled' once at port with a load of fresh water to continuously run their engine, although replacement seawater may be used in an emergency in case too much escapes. As a bonus, Arstotzkan steamships are warm-hulled, and any Moskurg boarder may find a cloud of hot steam in his face if he unwisely strikes the hull.
The spinning of the secondary container within its cylinder is used to drive an axle and small gear, which in turn turns two far larger gears and
a pair of massive paddlewheels on either side of the ship, made of wood with a thin covering of metal. The enormous paddles displace far more water than oars, allowing our ships to move that much faster. In battle, one of the paddlewheels may be disconnected from the gear to execute a sharp turn.
Finally, the Cardinal Order of Mathemagicians have helpfully transferred the runework for
Automagical Control from the Tower of Frost to the boiler, allowing the apprentice on duty to regulate the strength of the fire spell, and thus the heat and pressure generated.
Author
Topic: Wands Race - [Arstotzka] {COMPLETED} (Read 376931 times)