OBT Forum

Unknown, as far as I can tell. The Blackout would appear to drop the standard HPG network (which would generally consist of non-mobile planetary stations), so I doubt that such shipbound cores are counted as part of the "standard" network.

From what I remember on a recent thread over on the BT forums, viruses (virii?) were only a tiny part of the attack. Considering that cores were replaced from scratch, loaded on non-infected systems, and brought online...only to still fail, it's not a virus causing the Blackout.

Unlike the Blakist Whiteout, the Blackout appears to be a fundamental flaw or change in hyperspace itself. The medium is the problem this time, not the machinery that delivers through said medium.

Quote from: Dread Moores on April 04, 2014, 12:14:56 AM

Unlike the Blakist Whiteout, the Blackout appears to be a fundamental flaw or change in hyperspace itself. The medium is the problem this time, not the machinery that delivers through said medium.

Then no HPG should be working, even those on WarShips or JumpShips.

Covered in a Dark Age novel, the way the WORKING HPGs were specifically tuned to their region of space bypassed the problem.  Harwell hypothesized that something about thier respective regions of space is inherently calm.  he managed to tune another HPG into working condition, but no one can replicate his results, and if I remember right from ER 3145, even that HPG on Wyatt went down after a few days.

Some were physically attacked, but that wasn't the majority by any stretch. The HPGs went down in a wide variety of ways (physical attacks, some just failing, bombings, viruses). What kept them from coming back up is another story (and covered by what Sir Arbiter mentioned).

Here's the BT forum thread, in case it would help: http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,37780.0.html

another thing that doesn't make sense about the Blackout.  The main theory on the forums as to the Blackouts is some sort of interference affecting hyperspace on a wide scale.  Where the interference effect is weakest (for reasons we don't know) is where the physical attacks on HPG stations took place. 

One problem with that.  Since the HPG network went down, there haven't been any more attacks on HPG stations in an attempt to take down the network.  There have been attacks by Clan and Great Houses attempting to control functioning stations but not deny service.

So, the question is....if whomever did the initial attacks in the first place cared enough to attack them in the early 3130s, why have they not attacked again since then?  What has changed? 

You guys have any ideas?


edit:  And if I remember correctly in the 25th anniversary hardback book the short story there has Tucker's sister at an installation that is not functioning and attacked in person. 

It doesn't make sense.  If they wanted to take out ALL of the stations, why stop at the initial attack.  If the intent was just to cause chaos, why bother with the physical attacks at all? 

Those responsible wanted to soe enough confusion to end The Republic but not enough to cause a Succession War

Crippling communications did a decent job of that causing conflict and discord but not providing anyone with an edge to win.

That's a great way to put it, and it makes sense; no one wants the succession wars to happen again, but the republic is dumb, so bam - kill the HPGs - problem solved.