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Metric and Imperial - weird Xenonaut mix


Newfr

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There was at least one thread about it but that lead to nothing really. I mean right now game have a very strange mix of both metric and imperial measurement systems. For example, everything about aircrafts (speed, range, size, weight and etc) are in metric system but service ceiling for some reason is in feet (ft). Or vehicle speed all of sudden is in mph while everything else is in metric system.

I'm not going to debate what system is better (my opinion is metric ;) ) but i think that everything should be in one system be it imperial or metric. That a common sense. And since Chris said that game is almost ready (90-95% done) i believe it's a right time to put such things in order.

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Common sense? As I wrote at the time metrification took a very long time to take hold in my country, so it would make "common sense" for certain metric values to displace some imperial measurements, but for other imperial measurements to ccontinue to be used because that's the way it's always been done. The biggest roadblock to a new system taking effect is that everyone uses the old system and doesn't see why they can't use the bits of the new system they like while keeping the bits of the old system they like/are used to. As examples of such "common sense", take metrification in the UK, or metrification in Canada, heck, take opposition to metrification in general.

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Same in the US, we started down the metric path in the early 70's then kinda stopped pushing. Now have two liter Coke bottles and 12 oz cans! Metric and imperial machine parts. You basically have to own two entire sets of wrenches and such over here to assure you can fix anything. Of course, the scientists only use metric while engineers use both. It's crazy.

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Common sense?
Yeap it is. There even was an airplane crash (and a "Air Crash Investigation" episode about it) because guys in Canada mix up gallons and litres, got confused and end up with plane fuelled for just a half of what they needed. So after that metric system was enforced in that particular industry in Canada. And that was a sad story about how people died because some chaps prefer their very own system and pretend that using an international one isn't a common sense.

I'm glad that Britain and it's former colonies still use imperial system but your game

a) Aimed for international crowd

b) About international organization

and metric system is "internationally agreed decimal system of measurement".

Edited by Newfr
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I mean right now game have a very strange mix of both metric and imperial measurement systems. For example, everything about aircrafts (speed, range, size, weight and etc) are in metric system but service ceiling for some reason is in feet (ft). Or vehicle speed all of sudden is in mph while everything else is in metric system.

I always have heard of aircrafts flying height and service ceiling in feet, even though here in Italy we only use the metric system (which is of course better ;) ), so is it right to suppose it's some kind of international, aircraft-specific convention?

The mph speed for vehicles sounds more like an error..

Edit: mmm, reading about past episodes where even Nasa made mistakes caused by metrical-imperial misunderstanding I wonder if the vehicle's speed being in mph can be related to this or this crash. Maybe the driver was trained with vehicles showing speed in kmh, and now inside scimitars and hunters there are speedometers in mph? :D

Edited by Giovanni
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I heard tales of old pilots acustomed to old Soviet metrics in air traffic control, who several years ago had to retrain to international "feet" and "mph".

Not sure I knew all that invective turns before ;)

I always have heard of aircrafts flying height and service ceiling in feet

All my childhood and youthhood (was born in 1972) I heard of flying height in kilometers, speed in km/h etc.

But - it was soviet internal flights (not international) or soviet military aviation (my gramps was air-force major).

On the other side, soviet water-supply pipes and fixture always used inch-based range of diameters and threads, while practically every other tecnical sizes were metric.

For example, water tube or valve "3/4" is "3/4 of inch", while wrench "24" is "for nuts with flat size 24 millimeters".

Usually engineers trying to never mix two metrication in single document or scheme.

My suggestion: metrication must be:

a) standartized. "In our international project of planet defence we agreed to use [...] language and [...] system of measurement as a common standard". Means: no matter what language and measure is used by person, internal xenonauts document translated to common language and common measures

OR

b) localization-dependent.

OR

с) standartized "within the bounds of single document" ( means: game screen) and based on story-wise document origin.

Our chief scientist is British? All and every xenopedia entry use inches. Maybe some numbers he doubled with metric translation for russian colleagues - e.g. 6'6" (1.95m) - when he did not forget to :)

Our personnel officer is from Warshaw Pact? Personal data is metric - height in meters, weight in kg. Because he do not think in inches and pounds!

But never (I repeat - never) same measure in same document of same author can be in different systems!

Edited by a_beorning
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Our chief scientist is British? All and every xenopedia entry use inches. Maybe some numbers he doubled with metric translation for russian colleagues - e.g. 6'6" (1.95m) - when he did not forget to :)

I am sorry, but just no. No matter were you come from scientists do NOT use the imperial system. It may be all right to use in everyday use but scientists do not use the system.

Besides, even though imperial gets often still used in Britain, the metric system is the official measurement system of the UK since the 1960's, so your example makes no sense on so many levels.

Edited by Amaror
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Amaror, maybe you right. All scientists I spoke personaly use metrics, but none of them was from UK.

I read english tecnical books with sizes in inches and pressures in pounds per square inch - maybe these books were too old.

But example is not about it.

What I tried to say, is "Any person have a measure system he used to use. He thinks in this system, as he thinks in his language. Translation to another system is possible but not without conscious efforts, not automatically. So, single source means single measure system unless there is a reason for otherwice"

I use metrics. I made an exception when I wrote to english-speaking forum where participants of discussion already use imperials, and re-calculation isn't effortless for me.

Edited by a_beorning
too many typos and translation errors
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I am sorry, but just no. No matter were you come from scientists do NOT use the imperial system. It may be all right to use in everyday use but scientists do not use the system.

Besides, even though imperial gets often still used in Britain, the metric system is the official measurement system of the UK since the 1960's, so your example makes no sense on so many levels.

A scientist will certainly always use the metric system when doing the actual mathematics required for their task; the metric system is wonderful for scientific calculations.

However, they may use other units for writing dumbed down reports for base commanders who may not be as familiar with the metric system.

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Scientists will use the SI system because it is the international standard.

However, as national differences exist other systems will remain.

For engineers, being one myself with contacts with european, american and (other) international customers, it is usually necessary to convert to the appropriate system. May it be for reports, for understanding (because everybody thinks in the system they are grown up with) or for data exchange. Sure it is tedious sometimes, but also for those of the "other unit systems".

If I could wish, the "metrics" as it was discussed here, should be the only system.

Nevertheless some data will always be in "imperial" due to history. As an example all piping for water, gas, sewage, oil and whatelse is measured in inches (1/2"; 3/4"; 5/16" and so on).

And this I think is also the cause for measuring the altitude of jets in feet and supersonic speed in mach. The speed of ships is in knots and blood pressure in mmHg (millimeter mercury).

Yes I know some of these examples are not covered by the SI system.

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Chains are part of the imperial measurement system; the bit in the middle between yards and miles that nobody cares about any more.

Chains = 22 yards; also the gap between the two wickets on a cricket pitch

Furlong = 10 chains; still used in horse racing

Mile = 8 furlongs.

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