The design of my Device has actually shifted a couple of times, over the writing of this 'fic. The original idea was clunky as hell, despite being true to its namesake.
The current idea, while much more usable, actually resembles something from an entirely different franchise, which both amuses and disquiets me.
CD: I have no idea what that looks like, actually. As for the VF-27, it's entirely too new-model Macross for me. Too much anime, not enough robot... though I'm always a fan of tuning fork weapons.
**********
"...that looks just about right," I said, stifling a yawn. It'd taken a good long while to get the shape out of my head and into 3D in front of me, and I was feeling a bit worn out. Less so than I would've- if I were still my older self at this point, I'd have talked myself hoarse by now. "Is it possible?"
The doctor thought for a few seconds, rubbing his chin with one hand as he contemplated the design. Finally, he nodded. "I've never seen a Device quite like that before. The basic design is sound, though some of the alternate forms will require significant development time to create." With a superior smirk on his face, he waited a second, and then said "Might even take me a day or two."
He thought a bit more. "You won't be able to use its complete form to its fullest, you know. No Device built could handle all the calculations." I opened my mouth to respond to that, and he cut me off. "Before you say it, dividing the design into two Devices would pose its own problems. Even I would have problems making it combat-effective."
I cocked my head to one side. "So a single Device doesn't have the computational power to handle the entire design, and splitting it into two Devices would cause what, harmonization issues?
You'd have to synchronize them, and that'd limit when and how they could draw mana, right?"
Scaglietti seemed a bit shocked, but quickly recovered. "In the most basic terms, yes."That couldn't be... "So nobody's ever invented a multi-core Device, then?"I could practically see his mind racing at the concept, so I decided to expand on the idea. "Maybe use three Device cores- here, here, and here," I said, tapping three spots on the design. "This one is the primary core, responsible for machine intelligence, power management, data synchronization, and basic utility casting through this system, here. The other two would basically be modified Storage Device cores, slaved to the primary. They just handle spellcasting calculations for their respective elements, and pass information back up the chain."
The doctor gave me an odd look. "I may not know magitech, but I know computers. I used to build multi-core and multi-CPU computers all the time! The tech is different, but the principle should carry over."
I paused for a beat. "If logic is any guide, then nobody's explored the concept because it draws too much power for most mages, and doesn't really give them enough control to be worth it."This got a chuckle out of Jail. "What?," I asked, indignant.
"You really thought we hadn't tried that before? How precious!" I looked down, abashed. Should've figured. No good idea escapes invention, after all. "You're right about the drawbacks, and how they apply to you, but the basic idea dates back to Ancient Belka.
...I'm actually slightly surprised I didn't think to use it, myself." Taking another look over the design, he nodded. "Yes, that should prove most effective. It'll take some time to design, and more to program, but it'll work." With a wave of the doctor's hand, dozens of windows appeared around him, all showing technical details well beyond my skill to comprehend. "You're dismissed, Mister Prefect."
Who can argue with that? I certainly couldn't. So I left.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
The current idea, while much more usable, actually resembles something from an entirely different franchise, which both amuses and disquiets me.
CD: I have no idea what that looks like, actually. As for the VF-27, it's entirely too new-model Macross for me. Too much anime, not enough robot... though I'm always a fan of tuning fork weapons.
**********
"...that looks just about right," I said, stifling a yawn. It'd taken a good long while to get the shape out of my head and into 3D in front of me, and I was feeling a bit worn out. Less so than I would've- if I were still my older self at this point, I'd have talked myself hoarse by now. "Is it possible?"
The doctor thought for a few seconds, rubbing his chin with one hand as he contemplated the design. Finally, he nodded. "I've never seen a Device quite like that before. The basic design is sound, though some of the alternate forms will require significant development time to create." With a superior smirk on his face, he waited a second, and then said "Might even take me a day or two."
He thought a bit more. "You won't be able to use its complete form to its fullest, you know. No Device built could handle all the calculations." I opened my mouth to respond to that, and he cut me off. "Before you say it, dividing the design into two Devices would pose its own problems. Even I would have problems making it combat-effective."
I cocked my head to one side. "So a single Device doesn't have the computational power to handle the entire design, and splitting it into two Devices would cause what, harmonization issues?
You'd have to synchronize them, and that'd limit when and how they could draw mana, right?"
Scaglietti seemed a bit shocked, but quickly recovered. "In the most basic terms, yes."That couldn't be... "So nobody's ever invented a multi-core Device, then?"I could practically see his mind racing at the concept, so I decided to expand on the idea. "Maybe use three Device cores- here, here, and here," I said, tapping three spots on the design. "This one is the primary core, responsible for machine intelligence, power management, data synchronization, and basic utility casting through this system, here. The other two would basically be modified Storage Device cores, slaved to the primary. They just handle spellcasting calculations for their respective elements, and pass information back up the chain."
The doctor gave me an odd look. "I may not know magitech, but I know computers. I used to build multi-core and multi-CPU computers all the time! The tech is different, but the principle should carry over."
I paused for a beat. "If logic is any guide, then nobody's explored the concept because it draws too much power for most mages, and doesn't really give them enough control to be worth it."This got a chuckle out of Jail. "What?," I asked, indignant.
"You really thought we hadn't tried that before? How precious!" I looked down, abashed. Should've figured. No good idea escapes invention, after all. "You're right about the drawbacks, and how they apply to you, but the basic idea dates back to Ancient Belka.
...I'm actually slightly surprised I didn't think to use it, myself." Taking another look over the design, he nodded. "Yes, that should prove most effective. It'll take some time to design, and more to program, but it'll work." With a wave of the doctor's hand, dozens of windows appeared around him, all showing technical details well beyond my skill to comprehend. "You're dismissed, Mister Prefect."
Who can argue with that? I certainly couldn't. So I left.
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.