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

[blue emu]

If past trends hold, this is either where we meet the Prix for the third time, or where we encounter the Soon-to-be-Dix.

That's entirely possible... good Nitrogen/Oxygen worlds are often already claimed. We can hope, though.

EDIT: February 5th, 2031. One of our dockyards has finished retooling for Reptiles, and we have laid down the first three Mine-layers.

EDIT: I have re-activated the Fighter and Missile factories, since our new Fighter and Missile designs should be completed by August (it takes 180 days to re-activate the factories, so they should be ready just in time to start producing the new 3rd-generation designs).

EDIT: ESN Agassiz is headed for the newly discovered system of Kuiper 41, to check out that class 0.5 Nitrogen/Oxygen world. Hopefully, we aren't about to lose yet ANOTHER scout ship...

EDIT: One of our Commercial Yards has finished retooling for Orbital Sorium Mining Stations, and two of that class have been laid down.

 

[trajan]

EDIT: ESN Agassiz is headed for the newly discovered system of Kuiper 41, to check out that class 0.5 Nitrogen/Oxygen world. Hopefully, we aren't about to lose yet ANOTHER scout ship...

I regret that I have but one life to give for my planet.

 

[Stuckenschmidt]

And another brave young Officer murdered while courageously performing his duty. The Officers and Crew of ESNA Hansa have unanimously decided, that the largest toilet aboard will be renamed to "Guillaume HJ Memorial Site". I know, a little bit odd, but it`s the place on this ship that is frequented by the most people per day. And frankly speaking: ESN Schoch was in kneedeep doo-doo.

 

[Capt. Kiwi]

A new jump point has been found in the barren Groombridge 1618 system, adjacent to the Nexus. ESN Copernicus is investigating.

I hope to re-establish contact with Rear Admiral Arjyla, so that he can distribute the new Carriers and make appropriate promotions and re-assignments. Possibly he might decide that since Guillaume HJ has already served his hitch in the Scout-force, he can take over a warship whose Captain has moved up to a Carrier or Cruiser.

I'd be honoured to hand over the Sirius to the descendent of a fallen fellow member of the geo-survey corps, if it meant getting my hands on a nice new cruiser Doubly so since we'll soon be moving into action. So I'll put my name forward once Rear Admiral Arjyla gets back.

I'm also rather concerned that the new habitable world will be already claimed, but we still need to check it. Habitable worlds like that are valuable, we need to take what we can.

How long do you think it will take to get the fleet through refitting? 16 significantly sized ships could take a while, I'd imagine.

 

[blue emu]

I'd be honoured to hand over the Sirius to the descendent of a fallen fellow member of the geo-survey corps, if it meant getting my hands on a nice new cruiser Doubly so since we'll soon be moving into action. So I'll put my name forward once Rear Admiral Arjyla gets back.

I'm also rather concerned that the new habitable world will be already claimed, but we still need to check it. Habitable worlds like that are valuable, we need to take what we can.

How long do you think it will take to get the fleet through refitting? 16 significantly sized ships could take a while, I'd imagine.

I expect that it will take a while, yes... I won't really know until the yard finishes tooling up for the new models in July.

 

[Nabobalis]

Bad times with the loss of another scout. We must be able (attempt) to engage the Prix soon so we can carry on exploring unhindered.

So that makes it two systems with the Prix in, are they close by?

Also are their any cargo holds on those salvagers, I made the mistake once to not have any and when they went to salvage a wreak I didn't get anything

 

[von Sachsen]

Perhaps a class of shuttle is in order, essentially flying engines. Cheap to build and we can stick a EM or thermal sensor on it when we are exploring places where we don't want to loose something valuable, and in other times it can shuttle teams to the necessary places quickly.

 

[GaiusC]

Do the Prix-like NPCs have limited ammo? If so, could we build decoys of some sort that are cheap to make, and send them that way to empty their magazines?

They might have ammo reserves in the local outpost. Happened apparently in another AAR.

By the way, our valiant Guillaume HJ got hit by 16 missiles at the same time? There might be more than one single Prix ship left, which explains why some NPR got punked despite sending several big warships. They met a handful of Prix ships and couldn't take all of them down before being destroyed.
Which leaves 2 questions: Can Prix ships repair themselves - otherwise, their surviving ships might be severely damaged? Will the other aliens come back to take revenge?

 

[Gen.Schuermann]

They might have ammo reserves in the local outpost. Happened apparently in another AAR.

By the way, our valiant Guillaume HJ got hit by 16 missiles at the same time? There might be more than one single Prix ship left, which explains why some NPR got punked despite sending several big warships. They met a handful of Prix ships and couldn't take all of them down before being destroyed.
Which leaves 2 questions: Can Prix ships repair themselves - otherwise, their surviving ships might be severely damaged? Will the other aliens come back to take revenge?

What i love is that that poor scout was vaporized by 16 NUCLEAR missiles. Or are all missiles nuclear? We have a german saying which sounds fitting: "Mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen". Shooting at Sparrows with cannons...

 

[Thirdfain]

What i love is that that poor scout was vaporized by 16 NUCLEAR missiles. Or are all missiles nuclear? We have a german saying which sounds fitting: "Mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen". Shooting at Sparrows with cannons...

Considering the difficulties you'd face in landing hits at the ranges combat is taking place at, it would be stupid NOT to arm your missiles with nuclear warheads.

 

[GaiusC]

Any missile you develop is superior to what you begin with in conventional start, and you have dozens of ICBMs. The techs and design make it also clear it's nuclear warhead we're speaking of.

And I agree that 16 missiles for that poor GillaumeHJ was quite the overkill.

 

[stamasd]

It's precisely this overkill factor that makes me think that a decoy strategy may work. Unless their magazines hold 2000 missiles each.

 

[henkalv]

It's precisely this overkill factor that makes me think that a decoy strategy may work. Unless their magazines hold 2000 missiles each.

I think I read somewhere that AI ships have endless ammo and fuel

 

[dublish]

All missiles are nukes. What's curious is that you start the game with a single-stage fission device in the warhead, i.e. a Hiroshima bomb.

 

[stamasd]

I think I read somewhere that AI ships have endless ammo and fuel

Hmm. But is it the ship's magazines themselves which are endless, or can it resupply at a bottomless depot?

In the first case, decoys won't work.

In the latter case you could still employ a tactic of sending decoys ahead, followed immediately by the main force.

 

[Iche_Bins]

I think I read somewhere that AI ships have endless ammo and fuel

I'm pretty sure thats not true, otherwise you would get creamed in every battle...

Edit: also when I conquered the enemies home planet he had several different missles stored there

 

[ForzaA]

i.e. a Hiroshima bomb.

While Hiroshima was a single stage fission weapon, the implication doesn't really work the other way round.

For one thing - even if we look at pure fission weapons, the Ivy King test was a 500kton explosion (rather than the 15kton or so that was Hiroshima)
And I would still count fusion boosted fission weapons as single stage. (and those get quite a bit more violent than Hiroshima)


--

Still, some regression can't be denied.

 

[Iche_Bins]

Do we have asteroid mining stations?

If not I vote for building some as fast as other more pressing tasks allow it.

We'll desperatly need them when Earths duranium runs out

 

[stamasd]

While Hiroshima was a single stage fission weapon, the implication doesn't really work the other way round.

For one thing - even if we look at pure fission weapons, the Ivy King test was a 500kton explosion (rather than the 15kton or so that was Hiroshima)
And I would still count fusion boosted fission weapons as single stage. (and those get quite a bit more violent than Hiroshima)


--

Still, some regression can't be denied.

I have assumed that the nuclear warhead techs in-game refer to the weaponization of existing nuclear designs, rather that the development of the 1-2-3 stage warheads themselves. 1-stage devices are pretty small and easy to fit in missiles (Teapot Bee and the like) but 2-/3- stage warheads can be pretty big and cumbersome.

 

[Lurken]

Do we have asteroid mining stations?

If not I vote for building some as fast as other more pressing tasks allow it.

We'll desperatly need them when Earths duranium runs out

It is either building the mining stations or not using the civilian slipways at all, I think that the Grand Avian Mastermind (GAM) sooner see all of his slipways in full action all the time with the limited amount of slipways that he has.