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

[blue emu]

Cool... The next level (strength 9) is where particle beams start being useful.

Cool, I get to play with soap bubbles and get vaporized.

For reference, I tried armoring one of my FAC designs. On a 800t ship, 5 layers of armor don't do much. Got pulverized by 3 strength-6 missiles.

BTW, is there a naming theme for FACs already? I haven't noticed one.

So far, FACs just have serial numbers... like Fighters.

For the FACs working with the Fleet, I'm hoping to prevent or reduce FAC casualties by keeping them within the PD screen... typically only launching them in order to fire, and landing them immediately afterwards. That gives a Carrier thirty-two or more ASM tubes, compared to six for a Heavy Cruiser of the same tonnage!

[blue emu]

I think I missed the part where the Seals were tech-sharing. I think it proves the concept of a galactic federation though (led by us, of course). We just need to specialise in a few fields, and the others can pick up the slack in other areas. We haven't paid much attention to offensive beams, but our allies will make sure we aren't too far behind. The only catch will be making sure we remain the dominant force, by expanding as quickly as possible.

I haven't yet found a single colony world of either the Charlies, the Seals or the Chix... they seem to be ignoring colonization and expansion. Or maybe I've just missed them.

Are we giving the Charlies and Seals all these techs we discover in El Dorado?

As far as I know, they get the non-incremental techs (eg: they wouldn't get the +Research tech)... but whether the techs do them any good is another question. If they aren't colonizing, then the two +terraforming techs are rather useless to them, for example.

In any case... if we are going to have allies, they might as well be strong allies. Weak allies can only get you into trouble.

[blue emu]

Yet another research lab discovered on El Dorado... this makes at least fifteen, although I admit that I've lost track completely. It might be as many as twenty.

[Mattabesta]

Then I'd like my ship named Nístíngur, Cold wind.
Make sure to skip the commas and use an i instead.

[blue emu]

Then I'd like my ship named Nístíngur, Cold wind.
Make sure to skip the commas and use an i instead.

Done. You command the Storm class GPD Frigate ESN Nistingur.

Yet ANOTHER research lab excavated, and this one came with a free tech... Construction Rate +20%.

EDIT:

We have now excavated about 420 of the 1747 archeological sites on El Dorado... somewhat less than a quarter of the total.

EDIT:

We had fifty Labs in operation when we fought the battle of Wolf 294. We now have 65 operating, plus at least four more in transit to Earth, plus four more in our build-queue. Our research efficiency has also improved by +20% since then.

[Mattabesta]

I now have the Coolest ship name in the fleet.

[blue emu]

Holy crap-doodle... ANOTHER free research lab, and ANOTHER free tech! This one's Capacitor Recharge Rate 4.

One thing that Lurkenius, Rockingluke, and the other diplomats can take credit for is the improvement in our financial situation, which allows us to SUPPORT all this research. Before relations with the Charlies, Chix and Seals improved, our trade represented less than 1% of the budget. Now it represents 4% of a greatly expanded budget... an increase in trade revenues of perhaps a factor of seven times... and it is growing larger every year.

[blue emu]

We have recovered another Genetic Modification Center, and another free tech... this one is a genetic modification that will allow colonists to withstand a greater degree of heat or cold (+/- 1 degree C).

EDIT: And speaking of Colonists... the terraforming project on Mars has raised the average global temperature up to PLUS two-and-three-quarters degrees Centigrade, more than fifty degrees higher than it was in 2025. Now all we need to do is to finish adjusting the Oxygen balance, and Mars will be a class-0 world.

[Capt. Kiwi]

If we're already a quarter of the way through El Dorado, it probably is time to start looking for the next dig site. Especially if we're going to spend more time gathering intel first.

What's the plan? Is there a system you have in mind?

[blue emu]

If we're already a quarter of the way through El Dorado, it probably is time to start looking for the next dig site. Especially if we're going to spend more time gathering intel first.

What's the plan? Is there a system you have in mind?

I've just finished overhauling the fleet, and I was planning to first send it to Wolf 294 and try to destroy those two Prix pests. Whether that's successful or not, the next Prix target should probably be in the same general region... there are five or six Prix-dominated systems within three jumps of the Nexus, and I'd like to get rid of them, one by one.

EDIT:

Found a vault containing 28,000 tons of Duranium. This is quite handy, since Duranium is our scarcest mineral at the moment, relative to its (high) rate of consumption.

[Capt. Kiwi]

What I was thinking that while the fleet is chasing down the Prix remnants in Wolf 294, the scouting elements of our forces could be off checking out the next target to get an idea of enemy dispositions and numbers. Unless we intend to walk straight in with the fleet and just use our scouts as early warning?

All we'd need is to send one recon drone carrying ship in to get a general idea, as long as we have recon drones good enough to scan before getting destroyed.

[A_Dane]

You are commanding a Division (26 ground units).

am i still on the nexus? (Star Dane in game)

[blue emu]

What I was thinking that while the fleet is chasing down the Prix remnants in Wolf 294, the scouting elements of our forces could be off checking out the next target to get an idea of enemy dispositions and numbers. Unless we intend to walk straight in with the fleet and just use our scouts as early warning?

All we'd need is to send one recon drone carrying ship in to get a general idea, as long as we have recon drones good enough to scan before getting destroyed.

Unfortunately, our recon capability is still rather limited. Our Spy ships have fairly decent passive sensors, but they are also rather conspicuous, especially to Thermal sensors. Our Engine Thermal Reduction tech hasn't kept pace with other developments, such as engine power (which increases your signature). Our sensor drones work well for what they were designed to do, which is to scan a planet from orbit. The sensors only have a range of a few million km... which certainly won't see Prix ships before they fire. It won't even detect Prix AMM PD PDCs on a planet before they fire.

I was planning to use the Spy ships to outpost the flanks of the fleet, after we enter a Prix-dominated system. Their job would be to prevent tactical surprise, not to gather pre-battle intel. We still need to design a decent ship to do that.

am i still on the nexus? (Star Dane in game)

Yes. Every single Ground Forces player character is, in order to share in the combat experience for fighting robots.

[Bjering]

I was planning to use the Spy ships to outpost the flanks of the fleet, after we enter a Prix-dominated system. Their job would be to prevent tactical surprise, not to gather pre-battle intel. We still need to design a decent ship to do that.

When such a ship exists I would like a transfer.

[blue emu]

When such a ship exists I would like a transfer.

Sure.

I just spent about 45 minutes swapping in the new model missiles for all of our ships and fighters, and resetting all the fire controls to use the new ammo. This is one unanticipated drawback to a missile/fighter-heavy strategy... the logistics load on the player whenever new models of missile and fighter are produced and distributed to the fleet.

EDIT: Box Launchers have been completed... now researching the associated hardware techs.

[Capt. Kiwi]

Unfortunately, our recon capability is still rather limited. Our Spy ships have fairly decent passive sensors, but they are also rather conspicuous, especially to Thermal sensors. Our Engine Thermal Reduction tech hasn't kept pace with other developments, such as engine power (which increases your signature). Our sensor drones work well for what they were designed to do, which is to scan a planet from orbit. The sensors only have a range of a few million km... which certainly won't see Prix ships before they fire. It won't even detect Prix AMM PD PDCs on a planet before they fire.

I was planning to use the Spy ships to outpost the flanks of the fleet, after we enter a Prix-dominated system. Their job would be to prevent tactical surprise, not to gather pre-battle intel. We still need to design a decent ship to do that.

That's a big gap in our capabilities, considering it was our biggest lesson from the first battle of Wolf 294. What range would a resolution 100 sensor have with your tech if it was about 100 HS in size? We really need something on a solar sytem scale, able to ping a large area from safety then go silent while it gets out of there.

[blue emu]

That's a big gap in our capabilities, considering it was our biggest lesson from the first battle of Wolf 294. What range would a resolution 100 sensor have with your tech if it was about 100 HS in size? We really need something on a solar sytem scale, able to ping a large area from safety then go silent while it gets out of there.

If we design it specifically as an anti-Prix sensor, tuned to detect 7,000-ton targets, then 50 Hull Squares will give us a range of about a billion km. Actually 993,900,000 km.

Like this:

Eyeball class Recon Frigate 5,100 tons 497 Crew 1680 BP TCS 102 TH 336 EM 0
6588 km/s Armour 1-26 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 2 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 104% IFR: 1.4% Maint Capacity 412 MSP Max Repair 1050 MSP Est Time: 0.38 Years

Magneto-plasma Drive E7.7 (8) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 42 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 200,000 Litres Range 91.7 billion km (161 days at full power)

Active anti-Prix Sensor 2045 MR993-R140 (1) GPS 147000 Range 993.9m km Resolution 140

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

Making it able to outrun a Prix Cruiser isn't easy, though... it doubles the mass and extends the build-time to over three years:

Blink class Recon Frigate 8,550 tons 839 Crew 2537 BP TCS 171 TH 840 EM 0
9824 km/s Armour 1-37 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 4 PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 146% IFR: 2% Maint Capacity 742 MSP Max Repair 1050 MSP Est Time: 0.48 Years

Magneto-plasma Drive E7.7 (20) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 42 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 400,000 Litres Range 109.4 billion km (128 days at full power)

Active anti-Prix Sensor 2045 MR993-R140 (1) GPS 147000 Range 993.9m km Resolution 140

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

The development of Box Launchers has allowed us to design (but not yet build) a new class of Fighter... smaller and faster than ever, and carrying a missile with a range of 42 m-km and a strength-9 warhead.

Streak class Fighter 175 tons 4 Crew 52.8 BP TCS 3.5 TH 25 EM 0
14285 km/s Armour 1-2 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0.9
Annual Failure Rate: 2% IFR: 0% Maint Capacity 19 MSP Max Repair 24 MSP Est Time: 7.54 Years
Magazine 6

FTR Magneto-plasma Drive E770 (1) Power 50.4 Fuel Use 7700% Signature 25.2 Armour 0 Exp 35%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres Range 1.3 billion km (25 hours at full power)

Size 6 Box Launcher (1) Missile Size 6 Hangar Reload 45 minutes MF Reload 7.5 hours
Missile Fire Control 2045 FC45-R100 (70%) (1) Range 45.4m km Resolution 100
Size 6e 2043 ASM (1) Speed: 30,700 km/s End: 23.3m Range: 42.9m km WH: 9 Size: 6 TH: 204 / 122 / 61

[Capt. Kiwi]

1 b-km is a bit further than the distance of Jupiter from the sun, and would give us about a day's warning of Prix coming at us (in which we'll have travelled from wherever we pinged from), so it might be worth looking at.

Those fighters look good, I make it that we'd fit 28 to a carrier. Of those we'd probably do well to have a couple of sensor versions (Flash class?), and it'd be looking like a pretty formidible force.

[blue emu]

Check my edit.

[Quift]

About the fighters and the FAC. I really like the new fighters BTW. You should be able to churn them out really quickly. But I fail to see the difference, and the point, of the FAC as they currently are. Aren't the fighers our FAC (and damn, thats fast)? Maybe the FAC:s should instead be designed to be used as interceptors? I fail to see the point of something with barely any ammo, and yet big and slow enough to be hit, without defenses, that is just a firing platform. Gnats/streakers should fill that role aswell.