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

[Ärjylä]

I knew it! Charlie is our friend. Analyze that, Fleet Command.

*dance*

Oh, you liberal alien loving traitors! They're just trying to lull us into trusting them, before they strike!

[enkhuush]

You researched a project... +10% to turret tracking speed?... and are now researching the same again, but on the back burner. I can only actually push about three projects at a time, since we have only 40 labs.

Nice. Can I see list of possible research projects? Also is there any information regarding current 3 research projects?

[TheLoneGunman]

I believe our Great Blue Avian Autocrat has everything well in hand thus far.

Good to know our fleet is right on schedule. I fully support upgrading the shields of all our forces.

Hopefully, trading with the Charlies will improve the financial situation on Earth.

[A_Dane]

I don't trust the charlies. But as long as they act peaceful, we should see what we can possibly gain from them. I'd like for fleet command to consider the following: if we get friendly with the charlies, we will have an easier time infiltrating their systems, and learn of their strengths and weaknesses, once this is done, we should be able to much easier squash them beneath our mighty heels!.

[Deamon]

Good, the Charlies will make good trade partners! And if we ever start a trade delagation to one of their planets. I volunteer me and my ship ESNA Red Dwarf.

[Lord Martin]

The alien situation is pretty clear atm. Charlie is somewhat friendly and moves around, and the Prix are hostile and still hasn´t showed themselves in more then one system. As long at the current situation stands, and no new aliens appear, it looks fine.

Do we gain anything from constructing some kind of Space Stations really or are they just a money and resource sink?
The buoys seems to do acceptable job of spotting aliens (even if the details could be better). But wouldn´t it be better with movable ships instead of stationary stations? If the needs arise in the future we could always use the first generation of ships, who sooner or later became outdated as guards.

[TheLoneGunman]

The alien situation is pretty clear atm. Charlie is somewhat friendly and moves around, and the Prix are hostile and still hasn´t showed themselves in more then one system. As long at the current situation stands, and no new aliens appear, it looks fine.

Do we gain anything from constructing some kind of Space Stations really or are they just a money and resource sink?
The buoys seems to do acceptable job of spotting aliens (even if the details could be better). But wouldn´t it be better with movable ships instead of stationary stations? If the needs arise in the future we could always use the first generation of ships, who sooner or later became outdated as guards.

Stations can pack much more defenses and weaponry than a standard ship since they forsake engines and jump drives. Plus we can move them around with tugs if we still need to relocate them.

[BlueAngel]

The alien situation is pretty clear atm. Charlie is somewhat friendly and moves around, and the Prix are hostile and still hasn´t showed themselves in more then one system.

The whole thing feels like playing an African minor in Vicky, desperately trying to avoid machine gun wielding European forces.

Oh, and regarding the space station - would it make sense to accompany the station with a sensor buoy in some dozen million km distance? This would mean that the space station could turn off its active sensors and remain undetected, since it should not have a heat signature (what with no engines). Or is the idea that the station sits directly on the jump point and fires everything she has at a hostile just when it comes through and is disorientated, in which case being stealthed would not help?

[Lord Martin]

Staions can pack much more defenses and weaponry than a standard ship since they forsake engines and jump drives. Plus we can move them around with tugs if we still need to relocate them.

I guess they can be useful to locate enemies and maybe take down a smaller fleet of weaker enemies. But I don´t think they can be useful against an enemy as strong as the Prix.

Edit: Oh I forgot the sensor blindness at jumps.
Maybe that will help to get a few missile hits for free? In that case it may be worth it?
Edirt 2: But I still think there is better ways to spend the resources.

[Stuckenschmidt]

I`m against space stations. We should concentrate our resources on colonization, research and, if our budget allows it, expansion/modernization of our fleet.

[FelisSilvestris]

I`m against space stations. We should concentrate our resources on colonization, research and, if our budget allows it, expansion/modernization of our fleet.

You got your priorities wrong, with the fleet supposed on top of the list. But I agree, space stations will just strain our strained budget.

[Galleblære]

I`m against space stations. We should concentrate our resources on colonization, research and, if our budget allows it, expansion/modernization of our fleet.

Colonization and research are important yes, but not before we have the means to defend ourselves in a reasonable manner. If the current sentry/mine project at the jump entry points is a success, we can probably ramp up our expansion once again. I am just worried that if we expand too fast and spread ourselves thin, we will be easy pickings for an aggressive alien race we are bound to run into sooner or later. If we are to go venturing further into the void, we need some teeth.

[Nabobalis]

Well we need to see how expensive a space station is to build and then maintain for several years then compare that to building more combat ships.

[Richard Nixon]

Space Stations could be a good way to establish defenses for forward colonies. Our fleet can't be everywhere at once. And even if it could moving it around a lot ensures that it will need to spend a lot of time in dock repairing maintenance failures.

My proposal 1) Use the fleet to screen initial colony ventures.

2) Establish defensive space stations around the new colony.

3) Have the colony field its own defensive structures such as missile bases etc.

4 Establish a new colony

5) Have a tug move the space station from our well developed and defended colony to the newly established colony

6) repeat

[blue emu]

Exploration of a new jump point in the Gliese 687 system by Commander Hellvink of the ESN Avernum has led to the Stein 2051 system. A distant binary with a D5-VII White Dwarf and an M4-V Red Dwarf, it has one somewhat-habitable planet (not as good as Mars), one uninhabitable rocky planet, one super-Jovian, four gas giants, 95 moons and no asteroids.

Known Space as of August 1st, 2029:



82 Eridani (bottom center) is where we encountered those nasty Prix.

[Cabezaestufa]

Mr. emu, you are a gentleman and a scholar. I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to this awesome game and to congratulate you on an even awesomer AAR. I must warn you though that you have inspired me to start my own AAR in the Spanish forums, so you'll probably be held responsible for whatever might come out of that

Good luck with those Prix, I'm sure they are no match for Ärjylä and his brave men!

[Comrade Chaos]

"Charlie is my homeboy" shirts are now in space ports near you!

[blue emu]

... you have inspired me to start my own AAR in the Spanish forums...

Thanks, and good luck with your game.

EDIT:

The ESN Maxwell under Commander Arnold Kiwi Rimmer has determined that the DX Cancri system is another dead-end star system... only one jump point. This is the first "pocket" system found that is not adjacent to Earth.

Mars is now over 12 million inhabitants. I haven't sent any infrastructure there in quite a while, but the "population support limit from infrastructure" keeps expanding... presumably, Mars is now buying the infrastructure needed to support their growth on the civilian market.

[trajan]

Mr. emu, you are a gentleman and a scholar. I just wanted to thank you for introducing me to this awesome game and to congratulate you on an even awesomer AAR. I must warn you though that you have inspired me to start my own AAR in the Spanish forums, so you'll probably be held responsible for whatever might come out of that

Good luck with those Prix, I'm sure they are no match for Ärjylä and his brave men!

Oh dear the Spanish OT has arrived in the thread. Perhaps hilarity will ensue!

[blue emu]

The fifth Nexus Expedition is now leaving Earth for the Struve 2398 system. Up until now, I have been reluctant to risk more than about one-third of our Merchant ships at any one time... unless escorted by the entire Battle Fleet. However, the route to the Nexus is by now familiar territory, traversed at least ten times without incident, and the distance to our new colony is so great and travel-times so long that I have decided to send two of our five Colony ships and five of our nine Freighters on this trip, in order to speed up the establishment of the colony. We all pray for their safety.