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

[blue emu]

I assume the savings will be returned to me in the form of increased hazard pay.

Don't claim too much credit... check my original post:

I'm thinking of dumping the ECCM and just using over-sized FCs instead.

[Hearth]

I volunteer to lead the Marine force to 82 Eridani!

[GaiusC]

Tokamak on Qara? Reinforces our suspicion it was a bean ship.

About these Prix populations, the first is 15 thermal. What level are the others? Wondering if it's similarly low thermals. I don't yet dare to make a wild guess, though I'm sorely tempted.
By the way, didn't you already find a Prix population with similarly very low thermal in a totally different system?

[blue emu]

I volunteer to lead the Marine force to 82 Eridani!

Sure.

Here's the tweaked version of the Star-III Destroyer Escort conversion:

Star III class Destroyer Escort 8,000 tons 794 Crew 2166.6 BP TCS 160 TH 440 EM 450
5500 km/s Armour 5-35 Shields 15-250 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 6 PPV 30
Annual Failure Rate: 85% IFR: 1.2% Maint Capacity 1016 MSP Max Repair 294 MSP Est Time: 2.35 Years
Magazine 286

Magneto-plasma Drive E8.4 (10) Power 88 Fuel Use 84% Signature 44 Armour 0 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 380,000 Litres Range 101.8 billion km (214 days at full power)
Delta R250/17.5 Shields (6) Total Fuel Cost 105 Litres per day

CIWS-200 (1x6) Range 1000 km TS: 20000 km/s ROF 5 Base 50% To Hit
Size 6 Missile Launcher (4) Missile Size 6 Rate of Fire 45
Size 1 Missile Launcher (6) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Missile anti-FTR Fire Control 2049 FC69-R4 (50%) (2) Range 69.3m km Resolution 4
Missile PD Fire Control 2049 FC14-R1 (50%) (2) Range 14.8m km Resolution 1
Size 6e 2043 ASM (36) Speed: 30,700 km/s End: 23.3m Range: 42.9m km WH: 9 Size: 6 TH: 204 / 122 / 61
Size 1e 2043 AMM (70) Speed: 48,200 km/s End: 3.5m Range: 10.3m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 305 / 183 / 91

Active anti-FTR Search Sensor 2049 MR43-R4 (50%) (1) GPS 784 Range 43.1m km Resolution 4

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

... Dumping the ECCM and replacing it with over-sized FCs has allowed us to enlarge both the magazine and fuel stowage, and also add one more layer of armor.

[blue emu]

About these Prix populations, the first is 15 thermal. What level are the others? Wondering if it's similarly low thermals. I don't yet dare to make a wild guess, though I'm sorely tempted.

15, 15 and 10.

By the way, didn't you already find a Prix population with similarly very low thermal in a totally different system?

Yes.

[Capt. Kiwi]

Thoughts:

Perhaps ditch the CIWS and increase speed to what I thought was the fleet speed of 5600kps? We've got no CIWS on the Storms either, the theory being that it's only needed on high value targets, not non-jump escorts.

Also, if there are no archaeological finds in Eridani I assume that as soon as the fleet refits we can go hunting in a new system?

[Mattabesta]

I'm rather suprised that we have not run into any hostile alien races yet you'd think that there would be some REAL nasties in those 100+ systems with an assembled battle fleet.

[Hearth]

Give it another year or two, we'll probably have met another empire, who will be actively hostile to us.

[Iamwinterborn]

Thanks for getting me into this game Blue Emu! And to think I thought I had no life BEFORE...


Anyways, I am read up to about page 120.

Are there any summary pages since then? Also, what are your biggest colonies, and can you do a screenshot of their summary pages (and Earth's)?

I'd like to see how many installations and stuff you have on them all at this point in the game. And a screenshot would probably be easier than typing it out...

I have to say, that screenshot in the first post looks impressive. 114/48 systems? Dang. It's 2037 in my game, and I only have 6 colonies in 3 systems and a galaxy map of 46/22. You have more surveyed systems than I have discovered ones. :tripleshock:

[fnt]

Comments:

- Replace the CIWS with a single Turret Gauss cannon
- Add a 4x TS 1x Range FC for the Gauss Cannon (4HS)
- Increase speed to fleet standard (5600 km/s)
- Do you need 2 anti fighter missle FC? Depended on the missle design two missles will be not enough to ensure a hit on target.
- The range of the active search sensor is far to low. It should be at least 60-70 m km to detect a fighter early enough.
- Size 6 missle tubes are fleet standard but their reload rate is a bit high for a anti fighter use.
- Remove 1-2 layers of armor and 1-2 shields to free HS for the changes.
- If possible increase the magazine space. Especially if you replace the size 6 tubes. Even if not, they will carry special missle ammo.

Edit:
How does the game calculate target size? Are your 175 ton fighters a size 3 or 4 target? Perhaps you need to increase resolution to 3.

Edit:
Do you really need those AMM missle tubes and FC? Your anti fighter missle tubes and FC should be able to handle that as a secondary role.

[Capt. Kiwi]

Comments:

- Replace the CIWS with a single Turret Gauss cannon
- Add a 4x TS 1x Range FC for the Gauss Cannon (4HS)
- Increase speed to fleet standard (5600 km/s)
- Do you need 2 anti fighter missle FC? Depended on the missle design two missles will be not enough to ensure a hit on target.
- The range of the active search sensor is far to low. It should be at least 60-70 m km to detect a fighter early enough.
- Size 6 missle tubes are fleet standard but their reload rate is a bit high for a anti fighter use.
- Remove 1-2 layers of armor and 1-2 shields to free HS for the changes.
- If possible increase the magazine space. Especially if you replace the size 6 tubes. Even if not, they will carry special missle ammo.

How does the game calculate target size? Are your 175 ton fighters a size 3 or 4 target? Perhaps you need to increase resolution to 3.

-(Still) agree that escort doesn't need CIWS
-That gauss cannon setup would have a 46.4% chance of hitting a single ASM missile with pessimistic range assumptions, and 77.9% with optimistic ones. Our current eight dedicated gauss PD ships could together handle 62 missiles with similar probability of success. Gauss cannons become much more effective in bulk, and I suspect that a single turret and single FC would have too much overhead in the 14.8 HS taken.
-Agreed on speed
-With only four tubes using ASM missiles, probably no need for two FCs. But I don't think he's had a chance to design AAMs yet - the size 6s shown there have a size 9 warhead, while I'd expect an AAM to go down to size 4 warhead in exchange for speed.
-We've not seen Precursor fighters or FACs yet to know engagement ranges or sizes
-Six destroyers handling two targets each... It depends how many hits it takes to down a Precursor fighter or FAC as to whether that's a high enough rate of fire
-Armour could be reduced if necessary
-More missile storage is always good, especially if using dedicated AAM.

Edit: The AMM tubes are needed, they're part of the fleet's interlocking defences. More likely that the AAM tubes and FCs are ditched and oversized resolution 1s are put in place, than losing the PD capability.

[Hearth]

-What if we face a fighterbased enemy?
-Didn't really understand that, but gausscannons as CIWS replacements?
-Speed is good.
- Not yet, but soon enough we might, or a new empire might get them, and then we need to be ready to handle them and not have them go Halo on our asses.

[fnt]

-(Still) agree that escort doesn't need CIWS
-That gauss cannon setup would have a 46.4% chance of hitting a single ASM missile with pessimistic range assumptions, and 77.9% with optimistic ones. Our current eight dedicated gauss PD ships could together handle 62 missiles with similar probability of success. Gauss cannons become much more effective in bulk, and I suspect that a single turret and single FC would have too much overhead in the 14.8 HS taken.
-Agreed on speed
-With only four tubes using ASM missiles, probably no need for two FCs. But I don't think he's had a chance to design AAMs yet - the size 6s shown there have a size 9 warhead, while I'd expect an AAM to go down to size 4 warhead in exchange for speed.
-We've not seen Precursor fighters or FACs yet to know engagement ranges or sizes
-Six destroyers handling two targets each... It depends how many hits it takes to down a Precursor fighter or FAC as to whether that's a high enough rate of fire
-Armour could be reduced if necessary
-More missile storage is always good, especially if using dedicated AAM.

Edit: The AMM tubes are needed, they're part of the fleet's interlocking defences. More likely that the AAM tubes and FCs are ditched and oversized resolution 1s are put in place, than losing the PD capability.

- I agree that the gauss cannon is not that effective. I just wanted to use the hullspace of the CIWS for something more useful in their escort role. I expected all 6 Stars combined a little bit less effective than 1 Storm. I know that this idea needs twice the hullspace of the CIWS.
- The anti fighter missles needs much range and speed. They probably need a range of at least 50 m km and a speed of 50000-70000 kps. I agree that we probably need a size 4 missle to match those requirements. Size 6 tubes would have the advantage to be able to fire standard fleet ASMs as secondary role.
- I based my suggestions on the fighters emu uses. They have a firing range of 42 m km. So we need at least something that is capable of detecting and destroying figthers before they close in to ~45 m km.
- I don't think, that we can design something at the moment, that is capable of fighting missle based Precursor fighters.
- There are enough other ships in the fleet with AMM tubes. I don't think they are necessary. The AAM tubes and FC can assist in that role, if needed. A FC that is capable of painting a size 4 target at 69 m km should be able to paint a size 1 target at 10 m km.

[GaiusC]

We didn't investigate that other Prix signal, or did we? If so, was it something like 15 or 20? Because I'm seeing a pattern here.

15, 15 and 10.

[Jos de trol]

I'm not sure if responding to a heat signal with fire is founded in proper logic, but other than that I say kill it, kill it with FIRE!!!


are the WASP "heavy fighter" platforms transported with the fleet for combat or are they providing defence? The latter I suppose?

[Gwalcmai]

-What if we face a fighterbased enemy?

IIRC, fighter engines are a humanity racial tech. Unless we run into the lost tribes of Kobol the only way for aliens to get fighters is for them to capture wrecked fighters.

[TheExecuter]

I think, at this point, designs for anti-fighter or anti-FAC craft are being made in the event we run into an alian race that is using them (not the precursors), or Blue Emu turns on the Swarm.

[Lurken]

I think, at this point, designs for anti-fighter or anti-FAC craft are being made in the event we run into an alian race that is using them (not the precursors), or Blue Emu turns on the Swarm.

What is the Swarm more exactly?

[TheExecuter]

What is the Swarm more exactly?

As far as I can tell, from stories on the Aurora website (my attempts to play the game have been hampered by the fact that to play it I need to borrow my wife's larger monitor...and she is usually using it to check facebook!):

The swarm are a highly advanced, biological/mineral race. Their ships are 'alive.'

General fleet composition: 1 large, heavily armored mothership, speed 1000 km/s. This mothership acts as a massive carrier for a fleet of fast-attack-craft with varying functions. The two I've read about are 'drones', which mine minerals and create 'wrecks' for the mothership, and meson armed attack craft, whose tactic is to 'swarm' any fleet that gets close.

The mothership has the capability to 'lay eggs' in wrecks that, when mature, form more drones, fast-attack-craft, and motherships. If you lose the battle, the swarm will infest your wrecks and create more ships to fight you. If you win the battle, but don't clear the wreckage from the system...a mothership may use the wrecks to create more ships to fight you. The drones can use minerals from wrecks or planets to form more wrecks.

The swarm can jump systems (unlike the precursors) and so can expand and 'breed' their way into a serious opposing force.

[blue emu]

Here's another try at the Star-II => Star-III DE conversion. Removed the CIWS and one layer of armor. Increased speed and magazine space. Designed a size-6 strength-4 AFTR missile. Increased sensor and fire control ranges.

Star III class Destroyer Escort 7,850 tons 814 Crew 2329.4 BP TCS 157 TH 440 EM 450
5605 km/s Armour 4-35 Shields 15-250 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 6 PPV 30
Annual Failure Rate: 82% IFR: 1.1% Maint Capacity 1113 MSP Max Repair 420 MSP Est Time: 2.08 Years
Magazine 336

Magneto-plasma Drive E8.4 (10) Power 88 Fuel Use 84% Signature 44 Armour 0 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres Range 95.5 billion km (197 days at full power)
Delta R250/17.5 Shields (6) Total Fuel Cost 105 Litres per day

Size 1 Missile Launcher (6) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 10
Size 6 Missile Launcher (4) Missile Size 6 Rate of Fire 45
Missile PD Fire Control 2049 FC14-R1 (50%) (2) Range 14.8m km Resolution 1
Missile AFTR Fire Control 2049 FC92-R4 (50%) (2) Range 92.4m km Resolution 4
Size 1e 2043 AMM (72) Speed: 48,200 km/s End: 3.5m Range: 10.3m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 305 / 183 / 91
Size 6e 2049 AFTR Missile (44) Speed: 39,300 km/s End: 25.3m Range: 59.6m km WH: 4 Size: 6 TH: 262 / 157 / 78

Active AFTR Search Sensor 2049 MR61-R4 (50%) (1) GPS 1120 Range 61.6m km Resolution 4

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes