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

[Quift]

FAC pop like soap bubbles. They're only 1000 tons or less... like a heavy Fighter. You really can't put point defense or armor on them (at our tech level) if you want them to be useful for anything else.

Is it possible to build a smaller FDC? Fast defence craft. A point defence ship small and fast enough to accompany them with some beam defence?

[blue emu]

Damned, that's highly worrying. We'd better not lose more ships in battle... And we should find a nice deposit of 0.8 or higher Duranium in the solar system or a neighbouring one Still, I'd be worried as soon as the Duranium reserves go below 50.000 tons...

Well, it's increased by 3000 tons in the couple of months since I posted that. Our major mining facility on Procyon A-I is really getting into gear.

[joebthegreat]

FAC pop like soap bubbles. They're only 1000 tons or less... like a heavy Fighter. You really can't put point defense or armor on them (at our tech level) if you want them to be useful for anything else.

All the more reason for me to lead a PD vessel in defending our brave comrades!

[blue emu]

Is it possible to build a smaller FDC? Fast defence craft. A point defence ship small and fast enough to accompany them with some beam defence?

In order to have a 95%-or-so chance of stopping a full salvo of Prix missiles, you need about 4500 tons of Gauss Cannon turrets and Fire Control. Not including the mandatory active sensor for paining your targets. Difficult to fit all that within a 1000 ton displacement.

EDIT: Ah, you weren't necessarily talking about a FAC. As stated, even if another ship carries the needed active sensor (which is how I'm doing it now), you still need about 4500 tons of gear for a reliable GPD. Plus life support. Plus fuel tankage. Plus engineering sections, so it doesn't break down on the way to the battlefield. Plus enough engines to bring it up to fleet speed. I felt that I was doing pretty well to fit that all into a hull smaller than 9000 tons. More than half of the displacement is Point Defence!

[blue emu]

Jeeze... one of my Freighters carrying crap from El Dorado out-system to the neighbouring world is trying to carry a bit too much. It gave me a loading error ("cannot load such-and-such") and when I checked, it was already so full of junk that it said "Available cargo space: -3950 tons". That's MINUS 3950 tons. It must have strapped half of the stuff to the outside of the ship. It did manage to take off successfully, though.

[blue emu]

Our first two Storm class GPD Frigates have been launched, ESN Storm and ESN Typhoon. Four more, ESN Hurricane, ESN Monsoon, ESN Tornado and ESN Cyclone, are all under construction, with two of them due out within two months.

[TheExecuter]

Jeeze... one of my Freighters carrying crap from El Dorado out-system to the neighbouring world is trying to carry a bit too much. It gave me a loading error ("cannot load such-and-such") and when I checked, it was already so full of junk that it said "Available cargo space: -3950 tons". That's MINUS 3950 tons. It must have strapped half of the stuff to the outside of the ship. It did manage to take off successfully, though.

...all in the service of the emu...

"He who dares wins."

[GaiusC]

FAC pop like soap bubbles. They're only 1000 tons or less... like a heavy Fighter. You really can't put point defense or armor on them (at our tech level) if you want them to be useful for anything else.

On the other hand, big 20.000 tons enemy ships have close to no chance of succeeding when trying to ram a fighter
Yes, this actually happened to me last weekend; one fighter left, nearly wrecked, and a massive anti-ship behemoth trying to ram it, failing every turn, until some anti-missile ship managed to get into range 15 minutes later...

"Available cargo space: -3950 tons". That's MINUS 3950 tons. It must have strapped half of the stuff to the outside of the ship. It did manage to take off successfully, though.

Blue Emucracy's motto: Yes we can?

[hebelecan]

Sign me up if there are any openings on those PD ships, please.

[blue emu]

Sign me up if there are any openings on those PD ships, please.

Is this a new character, or are you already in the game?

January 1st, 2045. Twenty years have passed since Humanity first ventured beyond the cradle of the Solar System. Our progress seems satisfactory, and the exploitation of the ruins on El Dorado should kick-start us into a new age.

Scientist Bo Mosberg has completed Jump Drive Efficiency 6, and will finish Minimum Jump Engine Size 10 in three more months. Box Launchers should be finished by summer.

[blue emu]

Our first two Storm class GPD Frigates have been launched, ESN Storm and ESN Typhoon. Four more, ESN Hurricane, ESN Monsoon, ESN Tornado and ESN Cyclone, are all under construction, with two of them due out within two months.

Not sure what I'll call the seventh and eighth ships of the Storm class. I could probably get away with ESN Gale... but ESN Partly Cloudy With A Thirty Percent Chance Of Rain doesn't sound like a very impressive name for a warship.

[hebelecan]

Is this a new character, or are you already in the game?

New character.

[Culise]

Not sure what I'll call the seventh and eighth ships of the Storm class. I could probably get away with ESN Gale... but ESN Partly Cloudy With A Thirty Percent Chance Of Rain doesn't sound like a very impressive name for a warship.

Downburst, Derecho, Squall, Waterspout, Haboob? I might have gotten a bit lazy.

[Forgiven]

I was going for Downburst too, but seems I'm ever too slow

[joebthegreat]

This is Joeb of the ESNS Galileo II, respectfully requesting transfer to either the ESN Storm or ESN Typhoon, my great blue avian overlord.

[joebthegreat]

You have: "Storm, Typhoon, Hurricane, Monsoon, Tornado, Cyclone, Gale"

My additions (some are lazy), you could add: "Twister, Flood, Whirlpool, Tidal Wave, Tsunami, Surge, Overflow, Torrent, Deluge, Downpour"

EDIT: and at some point you're simply going to have to name a ship "Partly Cloudy with a Thirty Percent Chance Of Rain"

[SteveW]

Not sure what I'll call the seventh and eighth ships of the Storm class. I could probably get away with ESN Gale... but ESN Partly Cloudy With A Thirty Percent Chance Of Rain doesn't sound like a very impressive name for a warship.

Tempest and Whirlwind?

[BwenGun]

Could always just start using the names for storms in different languages.

[fnt]

Not sure what I'll call the seventh and eighth ships of the Storm class. I could probably get away with ESN Gale... but ESN Partly Cloudy With A Thirty Percent Chance Of Rain doesn't sound like a very impressive name for a warship.

How about Buran, Blizzard, Boreas, Khamsin, Haboob, Kona, Purga, Simoom or Suracon .

Edit:
Great Red Spot or Great Dark Spot for extraterrestrial examples

[billy bob]

Firestorm, blast, blizzard, blow, cloudburst, disturbance, downpour, gust, raining cats and dogs, snowstorm, squall, tempest, twister, whirlwind, windstorm, hail, meteor shower, etc.