Author Topic: Bad population numbers for the OA?  (Read 11552 times)

Talen5000

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #30 on: 18 February 2018, 16:02:26 »
Well the problem is with small populations--well, let's take a look at Remora. According to the sources I have, it's population is 81,000 (3079). But it is also listed as:

"A warm, semi-tropical world, in 3025 Ramora was host to one of two United Outworlders Corporation major factories and was a prime target for raiders and pirates. The UOC factory on Ramora manufactured the LTN-G15 Lightning and the SYD-21 Seydlitz fighters, as well as machine guns. Between the joint Draconis Combine/Outworlds Alliance AeroSpace Fighter project running through the UOC factory and the other weapons factories and facilities located on this world, Ramora was the site of the largest weapons producing facility in the Outworlds Alliance in 3025. Up to 15,000 technicians and specalists worked on Ramora at the time, and Ramora was the engineering site for space parts and machinery vital to the long-term defence of the Alliance.[43][44]

In addition to it's importance to the Alliance as a military production world, Ramora is also the nexus of the Taoist faith within the Alliance[44] as well as being the birthplace of Herodias Ap Gwynn, founder of the Pan-Humanist faith,[45] although Taoism remains the dominant faith on Ramora.[46]"

You have a world with sub-100K population that builds two ASF's, plus machine guns, plus having 15,000 *workers*, oh, and it's also a major religious center.

All on a population smaller tahn Corona, California.

In comparison--the Boeing assembly line for 777s, not all the subcontractors, just the assembly plant, employees more than 30,000 people.

So even if you assume parts are being shipped in, which mind you, makes no sense given the utter catastrophe that is the OA's infrastructure (thanks Omniss), the population of hte world is utterly insufficient for pretty much everything listed in its description.  If for no other reason, you can't support 15,000 workers on a population of 80 odd thousand, not unless you consider the living standards of Stalin's Russia to be the height of decadence.

And you are assuming modern day technology. A lot of factories are extensively automated.

But yes...population figures are weird. In many other cases they are far too high
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glitterboy2098

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #31 on: 18 February 2018, 19:11:24 »
A census means meddling bureaucrats are coming, along with their laws, regulations and worst yet, taxes. The people of the OA have had a long history of self sustaining agrarian, do-it-yourself, rugged individualism. I could easily see some OA or COMSTAR census taker bugging out after one or two "Get off my land" incidents. As for a Clan census taker, I don't think that would work as well.
especially if that census was done right after the phone-company became a bunch of religious wacko's who sold your home to a bunch of murderous pirates, followed by the Clan killing both the pirates and the religious wacko's and rescuing you.

BrokenMnemonic

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #32 on: 19 February 2018, 16:08:55 »
Given the general lack of government oversight in the Outworlds Alliance, and how much of the local economies work on barter, I'd not be surprised to find that the early population numbers are a reflection of the number of people bothering to complete a census or tax return out of the actual overall population, revised down further by ComStar's vested interest in making everyone think the Periphery is a desolate barbaric wilderness and that you should all be happier working in the Inner Sphere on worlds with a benevolent phone company nearby to offer divine guidance.

It's more interesting than optimal, and therefore better. O0 - Weirdo

Øystein

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #33 on: 21 February 2018, 16:04:04 »
Population numbers are neither too low, or too high.

They are exactly the number they were intended to be, as a author actually did write it. Call it the ultimate Author Fiat.

Kovax

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #34 on: 22 February 2018, 11:23:28 »
Population numbers are neither too low, or too high.

They are exactly the number they were intended to be, as a author actually did write it. Call it the ultimate Author Fiat.
I feel sorry for the poor author who has to drive a Fiat.

Orin J.

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #35 on: 28 February 2018, 15:30:46 »
isn't the outworlds effectively the place where people go to no be noticed? odds are the clan census was the first time anyone went to the trouble of trying to count people actively trying to not be counted. kinda wondering how many times the clanners had to deploy armed forces for that headcount....

I feel sorry for the poor author who has to drive a Fiat.

i feel wonder at the concept of a rich author.
The Grey Death Legion? Dead? Gotcha, wake me when it's back.....
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Korzon77

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Re: Bad population numbers for the OA?
« Reply #36 on: 28 February 2018, 22:37:01 »

i feel wonder at the concept of a rich author.

J.K. Rowling, patron saint of poor authors who want to make it big  ;D

 

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