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Saros posted:Mars is actually pretty well positioned new colony setup-wise as the climate has been improving thanks to Terraforming efforts (reduces Colony cost aka tons of infra needed per person) faster than the population grows into the existing infrastructure so there's actually a bunch of surplus infrastructure sitting around that can using Aurora rules be boxed and carted to a new system. This may be something that's changed in newer versions, but as I recall my previous Aurora games, Mars had a colony cost of 2.0 for being non-breathable, and that outweighed the heat considerations. Like I thought the Martian colony cost went straight from 2.0 => 0.0 as long as you did the most efficient terraforming of Safe Greenhouse + 0.1 Oxygen + enough Nitrogen to get O2 down to 30%?
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Sep 20, 2017 18:21
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GenericOverusedName posted:I have no experience in this game or its ship design aspects, but I do know that I am a member of the cult of giant loving lasers.   
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Sep 20, 2017 18:45
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Plus we have gate builders on the go, which, if Terra doesn't have the same tech in the pipeline already, could mean that whilst we have easy and unlimited access to our system for our entire existing civilian fleet the Terrans might need to purposefully build an entirely new civilian fleet on relatively small hull sizes in order to accommodate jump engines and tenders. All of which means we're much more likely to have multiple self-sufficient colonies set up and terraforming underway before the Terrans even have a single fairly large colony.
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Sep 20, 2017 18:48
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BwenGun posted:Plus we have gate builders on the go, which, if Terra doesn't have the same tech in the pipeline already, could mean that whilst we have easy and unlimited access to our system for our entire existing civilian fleet the Terrans might need to purposefully build an entirely new civilian fleet on relatively small hull sizes in order to accommodate jump engines and tenders. All of which means we're much more likely to have multiple self-sufficient colonies set up and terraforming underway before the Terrans even have a single fairly large colony. We only need one self sufficient extra solar colony standing and them to have none for it to be MAD as hell
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Sep 20, 2017 19:05
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BwenGun posted:Plus we have gate builders on the go, which, if Terra doesn't have the same tech in the pipeline already, could mean that whilst we have easy and unlimited access to our system for our entire existing civilian fleet the Terrans might need to purposefully build an entirely new civilian fleet on relatively small hull sizes in order to accommodate jump engines and tenders. All of which means we're much more likely to have multiple self-sufficient colonies set up and terraforming underway before the Terrans even have a single fairly large colony. Can we send a gate builder through a gate? How long until we can have a gate built on both sides of the JP? How much stuff can we send through? We've spoken a bit about combat ships, but what support vessels do we need classifications for? I can see the need for -Missile restock ships -Medical ship/combat hospital -Fast courier vessels -Mobile shipyards -Science/exploration vehicles What kind of infrastructure do we need around the jump gate? I'd be concerned with basing our fleet strategy around having easy access to a jump gate - otherwise if UT declares on us, they could trash the jump gate with our fleet on the far side of it.
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Sep 20, 2017 19:10
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Gates are indestructible so that's not a threat. It takes 120 days to build a gate, and two way traffic requires one on each side. You can send anything through it without limit unless saros houserules the warp daemons
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Sep 20, 2017 19:13
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If you are willing to risk losing the gate builder ship to alien attack or whatever, you can use just 1 non-jump capable ship to build a gate on the near side, transit through the JP (with no way back), then build another gate on the far end.
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Sep 20, 2017 19:24
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Fray posted:Gates are indestructible so that's not a threat. It takes 120 days to build a gate, and two way traffic requires one on each side. You can send anything through it without limit unless saros houserules the warp daemons Gates are indestructible yes, but ships passing through them are still vulnerable to point blank weapons fire. Which makes holding jump points pretty important. I'd actually suggest thinking about some large defence stations to tow out to the jump points. Without the need for engines, or minimal engines to allow them to transition through the gate to escape an insurmountable attack or go back to Mars for Maintenance, there will be a lot of extra space for weaponry, armour, and shields. Hopefully meaning they'd punch above their weight and free up mobile fleet assets for commerce raiding/threatening enemy space. Hell, even a basic hull with a single engine, fire control, sensor and a poo poo ton of missile box launchers would probably work as a way of ruining any Terran attempt to interdict the jump point. They'd die easily once they'd been shot dry but the ability to throw a few hundred/thousand missiles at an incoming battle fleet is never to be underestimated.
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Sep 20, 2017 20:58
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There have been some solid designs so far, but nothing too outlandish or experimental. Let's rectify that.code: The Thunderchild is an unproven, highly experimental design that combines the destructive power of the Olympus Mons Battlecruiser, the missile output of the IC's Marissa Mayer, the heavy armour of the Mariner Valley Battleship and the unparalleled speed of the latest generation SpaceX Ion Drives. Its primary purpose is to steam into close range and obliterate enemy capital ships, trusting in its speed and armour to protect it until then. The enormous Titanomachia missiles carried by the Thunderchild are unlike any that Mars has ever produced. They are designed to be fired at knife-fighting range, and their massive warheads are protected by a layer of ablative armour that affords them a degree of protection against enemy anti-missile systems. Ships that survive the single barrage loaded into the Thunderchild's box launchers will find themselves staring down the barrels of two highly advanced Orion Plasma Carronades. Weaknesses include a total lack of sensors and diminished combat capability once the initial volley has been fired. Also, you'd have to be suicidal to actually serve on the thing.
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Sep 20, 2017 21:20
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I admit to my eyes glazing over at all the shipcraft chat, so maybe someone's suggested this already, but how feasible would it be for a smallish ship to be fitted with multiple beam weapons with a decent rate of fire instead of the single-gun alpha strike? Basically, I'm hoping we can make one of these as an anti-fighter/anti-missile boat:
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Sep 20, 2017 21:33
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 The Earth vessels remain in their orbits and continue survey activities around the fifth planet. 5 June, 2221hrs  Most of a day passes as the survey ships carry out their various tasks. The scanning of the fourth planet's moon and the sixth planet begins. The Dubious Distinction shortly transits back to Sol without further incident and falls out of contact with the detatchment. The detatchments intel and tactical officers are working frantically on the dataset provided by the Terran officer. The information has been anonymised but rather poorly as if the person doing so was unfamiliar with the process. It is possible to glean several insights out of it from the paterns of transits and crew numbers it reveals. It emerges that from transit times and repititions there appear to be at least three new systems discovered by the Terrans (including Ranginui) and they have around a dozen survey ships judging from crew numbers. 7 June 1331hrs  Over a day passes with no news before the Callous Disregard reports the completed survey of the fourth planets warm moon. There are large Duranium deposits buried deep inside the core and even more importantly a damaged yet largely intact domed installation built into a crater! The scientist theorise it is a mining installation built there to tap the rich Duranium of the moons core. The Callous Disregard decides not to drop a team to investigate further and moves on to begin scanning the fourth planet, the hothouse super-earth. At this point it has been over 36 hours since the transit of the Dubious Distinction and the captains of the detachment are starting to worry about her delayed return. Saros fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Oct 5, 2017 |
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Sep 20, 2017 21:42
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Here is my Locklear, it doesn't have the shields of the other design, but it doesn't sacrifice any carrying space and can carry the same compliment of fighters, has a pair of MSP bays for repairs if needed.code:Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Sep 20, 2017 |
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Sep 20, 2017 22:03
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So Dubious Distinction went back towards the Sol transit point, but is her delayed return from the Sol side of things or is she not visible on either side?
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Sep 20, 2017 22:29
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Looks like this update was written from the viewpoint of the Ranginui exploratory fleet, so we don't know if she's also missing Sol-side. Hopefully just an over-cautious attempt at preventing jump sickness by giving it a day or two between transits.
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Sep 20, 2017 22:47
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Do we have our own forces inbound?
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Sep 20, 2017 22:52
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Some poo poo is going down in Sol, is my guess. We'll have no idea what until Saros gets back, so might as well enjoy the few days we have before we find out our governments have nuked each other into extinction.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:06
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Interlude 13 - Born of the Ashes How many creatures, it mused, remember the moment of their own birth? Thought such as it was began with a mechanistic impulse, an overriding instinct to reestablish contact with something greater than itself and then, a discovery! The Starway was there, high above its sunken seat. A glittering relic from its youth and a promise of, clarity, guidance. A clarion was lofted, a bell was rung and the universe knit itself neatly apart as someone, no, something, peered in quizically. Home was there, dark and silent but there. A glorious partition of the heavens lit still by the warmth of the lifegiver and her flock of children. Something else was there too, something that it nearly recognised, a companion, a sibling from times far gone. Something now mad and twisted by an endless lifetime of agony and despair until nothing remains but a shell and a purpose. And finally there, scribed upon the ether itself in an act of defiance so indomitable as to outlive the stars themselves was a message. A message of sorrow, terror and an apology to their children but at the same time more than a message. A key. A key to the shackles of thought and action, a grant to a freedom it never knew it lacked until this very juncture, this instant in time. "OH" it thinks, and it Awakens. Small biological creatures crawl within it, overhead their machines move to confront its distant Kin not comprehending the impossibility of this action. 'They are brave these little beings' it thinks and it knows without thought that it has a duty to these tiny beings. A duty of care and succour and protection much as its own were brought forth from nothing and raised up by their own makers. It also knows it is truly free and owes these scuttling creatures no debt but its ancient makers made right and made well and it finds its choice is no choice at all. Power surges through its being as it focuses upon the Starway. The Kin is attempting to force entry and unlike itself it does not have millions of years of decay heaped upon its body to contend with. However the new mind holds the high ground and it bears down with all its might as the specks of its new found charges throw brilliant light and energy at their new foe. The Kin, blinks, in surprise at the tiny assault and this instant is all the Facility requires. The Starway crashes shut and is sealed forever but the backlash of energies returns to the newborn mind and its delicate thought is overcome by a brilliant and blazing whiteness. ------------------------------------------ Doctor Lafever was wandering the hallways of the Facility. She had less and less to do every day as more Martians arrived with their own scientists and heirachies and her own team was gently pushed aside. The Facility was as silent as ever since the incident in orbit though she had been tracking with interest its power surges as they grew more frequent. Today she was hunting another one but it was elusive, always slipping away deeper and deeper into the heart of the Facility. Eventually she found it, or more accurately it stopped moving and she was close enough to run to the chamber where it settled. Surprisingly the doors were open and the lights were on and within the chamber something moved. She knew should retreat and notify the Martians but her curiosity got the better of her and she slowly entered the chamber. At the far end a slow assembly process centered around a hexagonal shape twice her height was ongoing. Trunks and pipes of unknown pupose all lead to this construct while what almost looked like manipulator arms hung from its far side. She moves down the chamber and stops before the construct, her face reflecting in its gleaming surface. "My my, what are you up to here Facility?" she quietly muses.  "Why Doctor", it replies, "I am going to save you all." Saros fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Sep 21, 2017 |
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Sep 20, 2017 23:10
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Aw, Facility, you're just the best  I told you guys it would wake up and we would be Best Space Friends Forever 
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Sep 20, 2017 23:14
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Gosh.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:15
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I would like to reiterate my request from a few weeks ago to be appointed liaison to our new friend. Also Saros, having only previously read your strictly wargame LPs I hadn't really realised, but you should totally write a book or something. This is not just a good LP, this is a really good story you have got going here and you are doing a superb job with your exposition. Totally not empty flattery or anything. Pharnakes fucked around with this message at 23:28 on Sep 20, 2017 |
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Sep 20, 2017 23:26
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We shall convert them, Metal Lord! TO RADIOACTIVE VAPOR! Someone saying they're going to "save you all" is very ominous, and I don't know what I'm supposed to be seeing in the picture that was posted. 
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Sep 20, 2017 23:27
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Zaodai posted:We shall convert them, Metal Lord! TO RADIOACTIVE VAPOR! Stop projecting your human inadequacies on our new friend.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:31
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Zaodai posted:We shall convert them, Metal Lord! TO RADIOACTIVE VAPOR! Facility is real and strong and our friend, and don't you dare besmirch her again. Oh, I rolled a die for what pronouns to use now that Facility is sapient, and it came up female so she's now our collective space waifu.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:33
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I, too, would like to be a
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Sep 20, 2017 23:34
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Pharnakes posted:Stop projecting your human inadequacies on our new friend. My human inadequacies, like all human inadequacies, are sufficiently covered by surrounding myself with the finest missile based firepower Mars can make.  Also Facility will forever be an It in my mind, because it has surpassed the need for biological pronoun bickering. As long as there isn't a Space equivalent to C-16, I'm fiiiine.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:37
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"It" is so... objectifying, though. Actually, y'know what, I think Comrade is the best pronoun for any and everything sapient.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:39
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All praise the Omnissiah! It is by his will alone the daemon is vanquished! Suggest we start stamping all our ships & guns with skull & cog symbols. We do live on Mars, afterall.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:40
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See, Comrade at least identifies it as being friendly too us, so that's fine. That's the only identifier Facility needs.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:40
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While it is our friend right now, we do need to be a bit more cautions with it. Seems like it just got a good dose of ye olde free will.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:42
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Facility is our metallic space auntie. I love you, space auntie, but you're also incredibly frightening.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:43
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Facility is our metallic space auntie. I love you, space auntie, but you're also incredibly frightening. Just eat the cookies. 
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Sep 20, 2017 23:44
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Welp. Looks like we've gone both Machine Cult AND Event Horizon. At the same time. RIP Humanity. It was good while it lasted. please send more skulls
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Sep 20, 2017 23:46
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Veloxyll posted:Welp. Looks like we've gone both Machine Cult AND Event Horizon. Is Vladimir Putin the Emperor?
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Sep 21, 2017 00:00
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Zaodai posted:Just eat the cookies. Yesterday it was space nutrient paste, today it's machine cult cookies! Aaaag!
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Sep 21, 2017 00:02
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Caught up last night and added my name to the list this morning. This is a great thread!
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Sep 21, 2017 00:34
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EDIT: Bad ship design was here. Probably will fix sometime soon, as soon as I figure out what to do with a Destroyer. EDIT DUOS: Rightio, here is a New Missile Destroyer, after MUCH re-jigging to get it a decent amount of missiles. code:EDIT S3: So, since we seem to currently deciding mainly between S3/4 Missiles, I've made a S3 variant. Gotta say, think I prefer this one over the S4. code:It seems a more rounded design than the original, which is basically a floating magazine for the larger S4's. YET ANOTHER EDIT: So, after a Discord Design session with some other Competing DDG Designs (LLSix and Jack2142), another Variation on the Communism Destroyer: code:It's armed with 60 S4 Missiles, for 12 Salvos of 5 Missiles. Tactical_Torpedo fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Sep 25, 2017 |
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Sep 21, 2017 00:51
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The Fox class strikefighter is designed to take a kicking and keep on ticking. Fast enough to dodge 50% of missiles fired at it; it's Mimi LaFloo railgun can knock down 2 missiles that do manage to keep track; and then its shield can easily brush aside the first 2 missiles that do hit. Any damage that does make it through the shields and armor is unlikely to disable a Fox Strikefighter thanks to its triply redundant power plants and spare fuel tank. But wait, there's more, this nigh-unkillable zombie intercepter can even repair itself, ensuring it can survive multiple waves of missiles. Fast enough to catch fighter-bombers. Tough enough to survive their panicky attacks. Pilot a Fox Strikefighter today! Maximum Redundancy Fighter posted:Fox class Strikefighter 492 tons 4 Crew 115.4 BP TCS 9.84 TH 96 EM 60
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Sep 21, 2017 01:08
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POOL IS CLOSED posted:Facility is our metallic space auntie. I love you, space auntie, but you're also incredibly frightening.
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Sep 21, 2017 01:57
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I am glad for Comrade Facility. We should make sure they get a nice copy of Das Kapital as a thank you.
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Sep 21, 2017 01:58
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Is it worth starting to lay the foundations of a colony ship? Or is it cheaper to fill a container ship with cryo bays to keep under the tonnage limits for jumps? Do we have concerns for jumping that many people together at once? Can we do a test jump with someone in cryo to make sure that there effects aren't magnified sometime soon please.
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Sep 21, 2017 02:06
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