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Our scientists have completed the tech that adds another +20% to our research rate. With this tech, plus the labs that we've found on El Dorado, plus the labs that we've been building, our overall research output is now about 50% higher than it was just three years ago, when we fought that confused but lucky battle against the Prix battle fleet.

On top of that increase, we have gained seven free techs... six from the Prix ruins and one from our allies.
 
Looking good!

Of course, this would be an impossibility without my nigh-unbelievable cross species "diplomatic" skills...
 
Scientist Elise Mueller has completed research into Electronic Warfare, the entry tech for ECM and ECCM. By the end of this year, we should also have Jump Drive Efficiency 6 (Bo Mosberg) and the last Missile Launcher Miniaturization tech (Amadeus) completed, which will allow us to begin research on Box Launchers.
 
It is now July 2044. In about seven more months, the first four of our new Gauss PD Escorts will be ready, and with them in hand I intend to go Prix-hunting again.

EDIT:

Dravar XV in the Procyon system has finished assembling its FAC Base PDC, and the Combined Fleet is now ferrying the FACs out to their station guarding the colony. This leaves only the colony worlds of Draco in Sigma Draconis and El Dorado in Wolf 294 un-guarded... and Mars as well, but it can usually count on Earth for support.

EDIT:

The last of our 20-year-old survey vessels have been scrapped, and they have been replaced by smaller, faster, multi-role survey ships. Nine of these new vessels are already in service, with the last three building now.
 
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calestos said:
What are your plans now?
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1) Continue excavating El Dorado... we are about 1/5th done.
2) Continue building and deploying Automated Mines and Mag Catapults, to improve our resource situation.
3) Build a class of Asteroid Miner civilian ships, and start scattering them around. Also more Sorium Harvesters.
4) Build a class of larger, faster Tankers, intended to operate with (or at least near) the fleet.
5) Continue to plug the remaining holes in our defenses... Gauss Point Defense, anti-Fighter and anti-FAC defense, colony defense, PDCs, etc
6) Re-start the campaign against the Prix.
 
Scientist Amadeus has completed his research into the last Missile Launcher Miniaturization tech, and has begun studying Box Launchers... due to complete in less than a year. When this capability is developed, it will represent a large increase in the alpha-strike capability of our Fighters, FACs and purpose-built bombardment ships. The Box Launchers are not suitable for general-purpose warships, however, since they can only be reloaded in a hangar or on the ground... not in-flight.
 
I wouldn't use box launchers on bombardment ships, stick to miniaturised reloadable launchers. Maybe even the 0.33/x25 rather than the 0.25/x100, if it lets you fire multiple volleys in a way that will time on target the planet. But for fighters and FAC boxes will make a huge difference - we'll probably be able to get multiple missiles on a <200 tonne design.

Good to see we're starting to pick up speed, with both resources and tech. El Dorado is probably a better prize than we had any right to expect. Are there any plans to take on a new Prix system as soon as the new frigates are ready, or are we waiting for something else?
 
Another Research Lab, and another free tech!... our seventh from El Dorado (plus one from our allies). The new tech is a product of Genetic Research, allowing any specially mutated colonists to tolerate 5% higher gravity.
 
Capt. Kiwi said:
Good to see we're starting to pick up speed, with both resources and tech. El Dorado is probably a better prize than we had any right to expect. Are there any plans to take on a new Prix system as soon as the new frigates are ready, or are we waiting for something else?
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I'm a bit ambivalent about that.

On the one hand, re-starting the war against the Prix would add a bit of interest and excitement to the game, and would allow us to get some more use out of our old-model fleet before it becomes hopelessly obsolete.

On the other hand... what happens if we find another El Dorado system? Just dismantling this one stretches our Engineer, Ground Troop and Freighter resources to the breaking point. We couldn't possibly run two of these operations simultaneously, not without spending a few years building up for it first. So if we kill off the Prix in another El Dorado system, what stops some third party (such as our allies) from just waltzing in and making off with the rewards? Right now, the Prix are guarding their treasures for us, until we are in a position to take them away. Should we kill off the guardians, and leave the treasures unguarded?

What to you think?

EDIT:

In other words... it's possible to look at Prix-held systems as a valuable resource, which shouldn't be wasted. It's a bit like Sheep: you're supposed to shear them, not rip the whole skin off in one go.
 
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Will any one steal our loot if we dump a few moisture farmers on the rock and leave the vaults unopened? A minimal colony could then be removed when we bring in the engineers later. Our salvagers and fleet aren't doing much, so better to use them is what I say. There may not be a planet, or it may only have a couple of low tech vaults. If it is another El Dorado, we've only got to sit on it for a few years, and then we can move on to it with minimal interruption. We could even get a bit of terraforming done, if we're talking more on the order of a decade, and remove the infrastructure before cracking the seals on the ruins.

But you're in the best position to weigh up the options.
 
blue emu said:
I'm a bit ambivalent about that.

On the one hand, re-starting the war against the Prix would add a bit of interest and excitement to the game, and would allow us to get some more use out of our old-model fleet before it becomes hopelessly obsolete.

On the other hand... what happens if we find another El Dorado system? Just dismantling this one stretches our Engineer, Ground Troop and Freighter resources to the breaking point. We couldn't possibly run two of these operations simultaneously, not without spending a few years building up for it first. So if we kill off the Prix in another El Dorado system, what stops some third party (such as our allies) from just waltzing in and making off with the rewards? Right now, the Prix are guarding their treasures for us, until we are in a position to take them away. Should we kill off the guardians, and leave the treasures unguarded?

What to you think?

EDIT:

In other words... it's possible to look at Prix-held systems as a valuable resource, which shouldn't be wasted. It's a bit like Sheep: you're supposed to shear them, not rip the whole skin off in one go.
Click to expand...

First destroy all of the Prix fleet in El Dorado's galaxy (Chakhar 001, ...) and next attack another system.
 
calestos said:
First destroy all of the Prix fleet in El Dorado's galaxy (Chakhar 001, ...) and next attack another system.
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If we can get fighters fast enough to do it, that might not be a bad call actually. I'd be interested to see what the Chakhar class are, and it's never great having an unknown on your flank. It'd take a design able to chase down a 10,000 kps target with a billion km lead, though.
 
blue emu said:
I'm a bit ambivalent about that.

On the one hand, re-starting the war against the Prix would add a bit of interest and excitement to the game, and would allow us to get some more use out of our old-model fleet before it becomes hopelessly obsolete.

On the other hand... what happens if we find another El Dorado system? Just dismantling this one stretches our Engineer, Ground Troop and Freighter resources to the breaking point. We couldn't possibly run two of these operations simultaneously, not without spending a few years building up for it first. So if we kill off the Prix in another El Dorado system, what stops some third party (such as our allies) from just waltzing in and making off with the rewards? Right now, the Prix are guarding their treasures for us, until we are in a position to take them away. Should we kill off the guardians, and leave the treasures unguarded?

What to you think?

EDIT:

In other words... it's possible to look at Prix-held systems as a valuable resource, which shouldn't be wasted. It's a bit like Sheep: you're supposed to shear them, not rip the whole skin off in one go.
Click to expand...

As much as I'd like to see another deprixification your analysis is most sensible. If you cleanse a prix infested system only to have it lay out there in the open then someone else might come in and take the riches. Assuming we share stellar and planetary information with the Charlies there would be a good chance that our well meaning friends would swoop in and start developing the ruins for themselves (after all who wouldn't if they saw such an opportunity :)).
 
You do have a point that we shouldnt start another war without considering what happens next, any campaign we make should make sure that any gains can be kept and exploited. So if we start looking for another planet, we should make sure we have the men and the transports to sucessfully keep another escavtion going.
 
Well... I'll start building an army now to occupy any future planet. I can build the engineers after that. I'm already building several more Freighters... thirty isn't enough!
 
blue emu said:
EDIT:

In other words... it's possible to look at Prix-held systems as a valuable resource, which shouldn't be wasted. It's a bit like Sheep: you're supposed to shear them, not rip the whole skin off in one go.
Click to expand...

When you have a bunch of sheep you keep track of them, fence them in, and shear them when needed. Otherwise they can go missing and go wild. In civilised parts where everyone follows the law, no one is going to come rustle up your sheep when you've stamped your (colony) mark on them.

Not that I know anything about sheep, honest... :eek:o
 
Capt. Kiwi said:
If we can get fighters fast enough to do it, that might not be a bad call actually. I'd be interested to see what the Chakhar class are, and it's never great having an unknown on your flank. It'd take a design able to chase down a 10,000 kps target with a billion km lead, though.
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Now that we have six (!) deep space tracking stations on El Dorado, I can see a long way past those two Prix ships. I was thinking of sending the fleet, split into two groups, and having one circle around behind them with their active sensors off... then charge them from both sides at once.
 
I see a great use of the boxed launchers on our general purpose ships. If we keep the size 4 missiles as standard loudout, and keep these in say 3 varieties, we should use the boxed sets to use bigger sized missiles, and more specialized missiles. Huge boomers, recon drones, etc. This might be enough to scrap the mine-layers/bombardment designs, since we wont need a specialized platform anymore.

It gives us to ability to use more multi-use ships, which can adapts to several tactics more quickly. If we can decrease the number of ship-classes we can increase our production since we can specialize and tool our shipyards for only a few classes.

I recommend:
Heavy Cruiser, jump capable
Light cruiser, general purpose missile platform
Carrier,
recon (might be switched for recon drones)
Ammunition tender
Active sensos (only 1 sensor to use for this)
PD intermediate pd

Thus we should be able to scrap the rocks, the spy ships, the bombardment ships and the mine layers, and replace their functionality with boxed missiles. Since the fleet is in general not aimed at fighting several engagements in a row, boxed launchers should be enough.
 
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