Ad Astra! ... an Aurora Forum Game, run by blue emu

[stamasd]

This calls for another beer.

[Lord Martin]

This calls for another beer.

Can´t argue with you on that!

[GaiusC]

Actually, correct me if I'm wrong, but the last ship to fire missiles at us fired on first one Rock, then the other, then switched to other available targets before even its first missiles hit. Which is exactly the same pattern as when Bandit-I fired its long range missiles at us.
My best guess is that the AI estimate how many missiles it needs to take down a ship, fire that, then switch target. The ridiculous armoring of the Rocks is what messes up with them - they underestimate what they need to take us down, and by the time enough salvoes hit the rock, they fired most of the rest of their salvoes at other ships.

That sounds like a logical assumption of how these droids work.

I'm sure you know who your flagship is named after... "I have not yet begun to fight!".

Still, in this battle, the flagship has to suffer the company of ships who don't sail fast

At what range did bandit 1 begin launching their PD missiles at us?

Something like 45 to 50m km. At first, when Blue Emu said time shifted to a few-seconds increments, I thought "weird, that's way too far, they can't fire antiship missiles from that far", and I was wrong (of course, since then, I've met my own Precursors in my game, and the fire at 120m km)

If the prix are anything like the ones in my game they will capture the pods and eat.........BRAIIIIINS

Do they capture them during the battle or right after it, or several days later?

[blue emu]

Second 40-missile salvo on the way, targeted on the Genghis. Cease fire. I'd rather not fire the third salvo at the other Temujin until I find out whether that class has lots of PD. We'll learn that when salvo #1 finishes running out to range.

[Hraban]

Do they capture them during the battle or right after it, or several days later?

while passing them when they run towards you. judging from the pics i think thats what going to happen.

[Pal]

<collect transmission - cost C 95 - accept/deny receipt?>
<accepted>
<encoded message>
<relaying via Central European Civilian Communication Hub>
Dear Mom and Dad,

thanks a lot for those credits you sent me, I really need them to get started.
Geneva is a beautiful town, certainly more so than Chicago. I really should have studied here in Europe! would have been cheaper, too, but that's a moot point now.
Anyway, my new job at the Imperial Terrestrian Research Nexus will start tomorrow, and I'm so nervous I can't sleep. Of course, my neighbours going "whoooohooo" every few minutes could also have to do with that... I'd really like to know what they are getting so excited about. First thing tomorrow, after work, I'll buy a telemedia device. It sucks being cut off from the universe.

Kiss the girls from me,

I love you!

- Pal (Junior Research Officer! I love the ring of that!!!)
<end of message>
<security scan - clear>
<end of transmission>

[GaiusC]

By the way, any plan to name some future warships "ESN Robert Plant" and "ESN Jimmy Page"?

[blue emu]

Tactical:

By the way, any plan to name some future warships "ESN Robert Plant" and "ESN Jimmy Page"?

I was thinking of a "Hero" class, named after traditional heroes from Human myth and history... Agamemnon, Achilles, Alice Bryant...

[Lord Strange]

This is Johnny Khan reporting live from the flagship.
The last hour and a half have been the most stunning, horrific and jubilant of my career and my life.
The silence of the command deck as each salvo homes in on both us and our for is truly total. as the proud ship agincourt takes each blow and still remains triumphant and vengeful or when Earth's new heroine Captain Alice withstands nuclear hell in order to fire one more shot, I can truly say, this is mankind at a turning point.

[Guillaume HJ]

I was hesitating between suggesting that and Pilot-class - ENS von Richthofen, ENS Billy Bishop, ENS Saburo Sakai, ENS Alice Bryant...

Perhaps if and when we get a fleet carrier (rather than light carrier) design up and running.

[blue emu]

In the above tactical display, the spacing between the two blue dots represents 40 seconds running time, because I fired those two salvos exactly 40 seconds apart.

[Capt. Kiwi]

Good to see nothing has gone too badly wrong in my absence Here's hoping these two salvos are effective.

[blue emu]

Salvo #1 is half-way to target.

Good to see nothing has gone too badly wrong in my absence

One minor glitch in the plan was that we were only able to recover half of the life-pods before the Prix drove us off.

If you want to hope for something... hope for no PD fire.

[blue emu]

Salvo #1 about three-quarters of the way to target. Salvo #2 about two-thirds of the way there. No PD fire yet.

[Lord Martin]

Good, no mid-ranged PD means that more of the ASM will hit.

[Mattabesta]

i think 25 missiles will hit, it will have massive effect.

[blue emu]

Salvo #1 runs out to range and slams into Temujin 001. No PD fire at all. Twenty-five hits out of forty missiles. His active sensor switches off and his Thermal signature drops by 250 points. Obviously, we got some internal damage on the first salvo.

Since the class has no PD, we are now opening fire on his buddy, Temuchin 002, with a 40-missile salvo.

[Count Lake]

Looking to the future and assuming our triumph over the remaining forces arrayed against us, will you begin salvage operations of the ships that were destroyed at once? What effect does the fact that one ship got away and could be rearming at an in system base mean for our future plans in this sector?

[stamasd]

It can now be revealed that our two spies - yes, those two that were "eaten" by friendly aliens - were in fact disappeared on purpose and have been running deep and silent behind Prix lines.

They were able to successfully plant a virus in the mothership, and it disabled shields and PD.

Fire at will.

[blue emu]

Three more explosions five seconds later on Temujin 001, and his Thermal drops further, by another 250 points. Was that us? Or was it an on-board explosion from a burning engine? I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as he gets waxed...