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If we're dismounting to fight in a mine or something we can just leave the Broadheads in the back of the APC's, they don't need to literally be on everyone's person at all times. I just want a plentiful supply of tubes and ammo in our general possession.
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Aug 19, 2019 19:48
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Nice update, @Khamsin,  Khamsin posted:The Standard Kit Deploy at man-level Bellringer: I motion we 'upgrade' these to the rail-gun variants as soon as we are able. Radio and Computer: I still say we stuff these into a Combat EXO and become a 'mechanized, powered-infantry' force. "Flickerflack" armour: Better than nothing, although, let's either upgrade or move to Combat EXO in the next design cycle. Ghostware system: Wasn't exactly onboard with this, and, looks like it could become a very effective piece of kit. Smoke grenades: We need grenade launchers next. Scuttlebunker: I'm willing to give these a chance to prove themselves. Khamsin posted:Broadhead Missile System Deploy at squad-level The Broadhead: Sounds like we hit gold with this one, next upgrade is to either make it general purpose so we can take out vehicles and structures with the same munition, or, design ground attack munition using the same launcher. Khamsin posted:Drone Swarm Deploy at squad-level This one is disappointing: We'll have to decide together how we want to 'fix' this one; surveillance drone capability is vital, we'll have to figure this out. Khamsin posted:Snow-Tread A3T Deploy at squad-level A ten man squad in an APC which is snow-capable: Battlefield taxis only work if every trooper has a seat. So, if a squad numbers ten, and the APC seats ten, then each squad gets this race engine snow machine abomination. This is why I proposed that GP VTOL at the start; we're going to spend a lot of 'creds' on these snow machines that are useless on the next OP (unless we're going to a cold weather biome again). Khamsin posted:Rations Deploy at man-level Food is easy: Our troops are already used to these high-end rations, can't go back now. Seriously, you'd have an easier time taking away a soldier's boots than their food. Khamsin posted:Now, time to choose a landing site. Vote: Option C: Line 2 Paramilitary Base Let's 'blood' our troops on a decent military target while we're fresh and at 100% combat effective. Taking this base will degrade the OPFOR's war materiel readiness, and, gives us a chance to gather some military intel.
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Aug 19, 2019 21:29
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CourValant posted:Nice update, @Khamsin, I vote for this.
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Aug 19, 2019 22:33
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I'd hardly call the snowcats useless, tracks are tracks they should work just fine on sand, rock, dirt, or anything else semi-solid. Need to tweak the specifics of the tread pattern and width, maybe, but the chassis should be real versatile.
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Aug 19, 2019 22:37
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After we come up with a sane drive train and armor scheme, anyways
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Aug 19, 2019 22:38
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I'm going to modify cyro's procurement votes slightly: Snow-Treads: Squad level (-30) Drone swarm: Platoon level (-7) Broadheads: Man level for one cadre, (squad level for the other cadre) (-10) Rations: Both cadres (-2) Total: -49 Time to choose a landing site: Option E: Write-in.
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Aug 19, 2019 22:53
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Trying to land three different units in three different places to carry out three different plans all while going undetected seems VERY ambitious, especially without any actual stealth hardware. We should assume that anybody with a basic radar set will see us screaming down out of orbit, spaceships are pretty hard to miss. I'd argue for just landing with both feet on one target and hitting it hard and fast, no fluff or too many moving parts.
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Aug 19, 2019 23:06
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ShuckyDucky posted:Tend to wounded, eat delicious rations in space hospital I'm telling you guys, Espace Mercenaires Sans Frontières is the way to play this setting.
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Aug 20, 2019 00:18
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 ok first of all i wanna reply 2 cryoboi i agree with the -30 all option the full-text scanner was broken and i figured u were suggesting giving each troop a sled which, lol now, more in-depth analysis and suggestions - w/r/t standard kit i think we should feel out the strengths and weaknesses with our combat doctrine and see what we need after our first test that being said i am strongly in favor of aggressive Ghostware Schema use, it's a top defensive tool and it can be a major doctrinal signature for us also note that the smokes we have are synergistic, they obscure eyeball01 and also block ir, which the Ghostware itself isn't great at yet with proper grenade discipline we should be most concerned with EM trackers conclusion: man-level, 0% cost broadheads y'all built a nice one here. got nothin' more to add than the Big K Report has in it. let's pay for quality. conclusion: man-level, 20% cost drones u hosed this one up lol. bad nodes, bad hardware, and most revoltingly, bad software, still, though, maybe we can leverage them as whisper comm relays while letting R&D work out the kinks later conclusion: cadre-level, 3% cost snow-treads as discussed above, yeeting the troops in and out are all they're good for and we need a chunk of them to do that effectively it's a lovely collorary to the broadheads conclusion: squad-level, 30% cost rations lmao if u think imma suggest taking food away from meatbags conclusion: cadre-level, 2% cost overall equipment cost: 55% operational suggestions: E cadre 1 land on the ore refinery and work our way up the line cadre 2 land on the artillery base and capture it analysis: we need to capture both ends of the a line to secure it, so do work on one of the line, starting at the less-defended end, while{ swinging the artillery away from the enemy at worse and to our advantage at best} also, capturing the refinery will allow us to extract maximum value from raw ore and wreckage - given that we're planning to have artillery support, might be what we have available to us
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Aug 20, 2019 02:47
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one other tactical note: Hannibal is to be considered expendable imo
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Aug 20, 2019 02:50
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Votes: Man Level Bellringer Slugthrower Rifle Whispernet Radio Boilerplate Computer Flickerflack Armor Ghostware Camouflage Hot Smoke Grenades Broadhead Missile System (2 Cadres: -20% Cash) Rations (2 Cadres: -2% Cash) Squad Level Scuttlebunker Snow-Tread All Terrain Troop Transport (-30% Cash) Platoon Level - Cadre Level Drone Swarm (-3% Cash) Total: -55% Cash Option C: Line 2 Paramilitary Base This is both a small mine, contributing a little, as well as a large workshop where the improvised fighting vehicles and explosives of the Paramilitaries are produced. This wouldn't contribute a lot, but every bit helps. It's a militarized target, decently defended, but it lacks pro security forces. Explanation: The OTMC's Paramiltary Base is where we need to surprise them with our initial assault. Game knows game, and this is where they come up with novel military designs. Our men will be fresh on the field and fiending to unleash some hell on the enemy. Once we've taken over the site, we can steal and load up everything that isn't nailed down that might be of use to us and either keep it or send it into space for R&D. Then we sabotage the rest of the site and get the hell out of there on the A3Ts before the enemy can retaliate. We're using long-term guerrilla tactics for this first segment. We will need explosives to destroy the rails and we need to cut off the enemy's ability to adapt and react to our technology, so stealing their tech, their bombs, and destroying their weapons and vehicles lab in one fell swoop sounds absolutely ideal. Lux Anima fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Aug 21, 2019 |
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Aug 20, 2019 02:58
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Lux Animus posted:Votes: This. Though I note that rations are man level deployed. People would get angry if only a few people get to eat.
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Aug 20, 2019 22:20
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Not Alex posted:This. Though I note that rations are man level deployed. People would get angry if only a few people get to eat. Hah. Noted. Thanks for the support!
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Aug 20, 2019 23:02
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Put me down as a C for landing site, I was into the artillery base idea but on further thought that'd be real ambitious
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Aug 21, 2019 01:20
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I'm down for Plan Lux
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Aug 21, 2019 13:12
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ShuckyDucky posted:I'm going to modify cyro's procurement votes slightly: +1 to this kit, not sure yet about the engagement
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Aug 21, 2019 22:53
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UPDATE [i]i'll edit in the image when I'm at my computer and not an iPad at 1:30 am[i] PRIVATE BELON JAMESON, 1ST CADRE You had been waiting in the dropship for about half an hour now. It was cramped. You were shoulder to shoulder with two of your squad mates in the bay. There must have been dozens in this dropship. Dozens more in other dropships. All you really had to do was to stare at the floor or stare at the person opposite you. A whistle caught your attention from the opposite seat. "Hey, kid. First deployment?" "Yep." You said, your head nodding slightly. You were one of the boys recruited out of military school. They were as common as trade schools nowadays. Thousands of planets were willing to hire foreign military experts, and mercenaries were lucrative business. You were a specialist in explosives disposal, actually. A supply ship had docked with yours in the outskirts of the system to fill you up with equipment, and you'd snagged a defusal kit in good condition. "Well, all I can say is this. Stick close to me and you'll be fine." The woman talking to you was a lance corporal. Old. Had to be at least forty. Scars denoted combat experience. You nodded, and went back to looking at the ground. Then the ramp closed with a hiss. Your stomach churned. You were about to be in combat. CEO KIMBRA MCNALEY Your ship came with a nerd's wet dream. A huge holo-table to visualise the battle taking place. Right now it was zoomed in on the area surrounding the paramilitary base. It was a mine which extracted decently valuable iron and copper veins, but production had never been ramped up due to the low ore quality. Now, however, the complex had ballooned in size. Barracks had been put in. A heliport with a couple of pads. Underground fuel bunkers, a motorpool, and reinforced concrete bunkers where all the ammo was stored. It was a military target, currently completely unaware of your existence. You'd only entered orbit about ten minutes ago and any alarms wouldn't have been raised due to a routine spoof of identification: you were a merchant ship picking up ore to them. You watched on another panel as your dropships were sent off. You frowned. Things were tense. PRIVATE BELON JAMESON, 1ST CADRE Your Broadhead, Bellringer, and the various pieces of kit you had received from the unit were all stowed in a backpack or strapped to it. Many in the dropship were already freeing their weaponry. The corporal across from you certainly was. The giant alien in the back merely sharpened their katana with a rock like some sort of savage world reject. You went over the plan in your head, one more time. The base was surrounded on two sides by impassable cliffs, and on the other two by a railway line and a road, respectively. One cadre, yours, was assigned the front, the other was assigned to the railway segment. You were going to push up the left flank, wrecking enemy fortifications as you did so, before engaging in a sweep of all the buildings. It was pretty simple, but... "What's wrong, kid? Just remember: this world is but an intro to the world beyond. What happens here doesn't truly matter." That older woman was speaking to you, again. "I.... don't think that way, corporal." "You should. Neo-Buddhism is popular for a reason. I think that's who advocates that, anyways..." she says, sighing as if her brain has chased away the memories. You merely feel more uncomfortable. The loudspeakers turning on don't help that. "ONE MINUTE UNTIL DROP. SQUAD LEADERS, ACTIVATE SYNC WITH CADRE DRONE SWARM NOW." You started to sweat. Bellringer in your hands. Broadhead between your knees. You tried to remember where you kept your ammunition. Then you heard the CLUNK of the ground being hit, and the icy wind kicked into the dropship. "GO GO GO." With a look to the right, you heard and saw those snowbuggies take off with a huge roar, kicking up snow on the ground as they raced towards the hill where the base was. There was no enemy fire, just the roar of those engines, and you realised they hadn't even realised they were under assault. Soon, the front men spilled out, and you found yourself almost trampled as you ran out yourself onto the beachhead. There was a colloidal "BANG" at that moment and you saw snow and earth fly into the air as the squad's spread out. A snow buggy had hit a mine! It had thrown a track but it was alive- allowing a new wave of men to spill out close to the enemy's fortifications! You finally got a good look at the compound, too, as you took cover among swirling snow drifts. It was barbed wire topped chain-link fences in front of concrete walls, with metal guard towers behind those walls. There were machine guns mounted in the towers which were unmanned: the sounds of rifles and the smell of gunpowder confirmed why as you saw them lit up. The gate itself was a target for the centre squads, and it was an imposing set of concrete itself. Your earpiece crackled to life. "JAMESON! HANNIBAL WANTS A PATH CLEARED THROUGH THE MINEFIELD AND I COULDN'T AGREE MORE." Your squad leader piped up, and you started running as you heard the cacophony of warfare set in. KIMBRA MCNALEY, CEO "Life signs good. Casualties light. The drone network is online and is counting small enemy numbers inside the compound. However, there appears to be heavy minefields in front of the main gate." Your intelligence officer said. You growled. "Mines, of course. Just the thing we needed." The second cadre appeared to have none of that trouble. However, you felt a lot more uneasy at the intelligence. Small amounts of defenders, static defences... this seemed like they were counting on reinforcements. Almost as soon as that train of thought left your mind, the map changed, zooming out. There were a number of large, red holograms of helicopters moving towards the base from that artillery outpost... BELON JAMESON Your squad's snow-track made an excellent piece of moving cover as you stashed each disable mine behind it. The field was thick and decently put together. The reports of these guys being mining engineers seemed to be accurate: these were modern anti-personnel mines mixed in with heavy mining charges representing anti-tank mines. Nasty and somewhat dubious legally. You kept working, you and some others almost near the wall. There were firing slits mounted in the wall, but their light fire couldn't keep your head down, leaving you to complete your task ahead of schedule, leaving you to fire a few shots up at the wall. CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK THUNK The Bellringer loving jammed! You slammed yourself into the ground and grabbed a pen, trying to get the cased ammunition out of the receiver. The fire from the wall resumed in earnest, peppering near you. Some part of you cursed that bitch sitting pretty up in her spaceship, gazing at some board and not facing the life-threatening combat you were. Behind you, the dropships started leaving, carrying a first wave of wounded back up to the hospital ship. The FWOOSH of nearby Broadheads signalled a different response to the dropships, however. You realised your escape was cut off. Flying a couple of clicks away in the clear sky were a number of fat, heavy helicopters, and your Broadheads were firing at them en masse. You also noticed smaller helicopters, sitting even further back. However, the heavier ones filled your thoughts as you heard the distant sounds of fire. Menacing buzzing and the FWOOSH of distant rockets lead to holes being torn into the earth as chaingun fire and rockets hit the ground. But clearly they were met in kind by Broadhead fire. Dropping your Bellringer, you remembered you had one too, and grabbed the lightweight tube. You slotted in an ABF warhead, brought the targeting unit up to your eye, and then you flicked it over to EM mode. By reading the screen, you quickly realised that the lighter choppers were broadcasting radio signals at a much higher rate. It quickly dawned on you they were artillery spotters! "COMMAND, THOSE LIGHT CHOPPERS ARE SPOTTING FOR ARTILLERY! FOCUS FIRE!" Kimbra Mcnaley The board's chopper holograms winked out one by one. You cracked a smile. "We've identified the gunships as modified Super Sparrow gunships.They're almost certainly produced in System by the previously identified heavy industry. The lighter helicopters are likely Super Larks. The EM mode on the Broadhead can identify radio signals, and by chance, they discovered the use of Super Larks. These helicopters are light utility helicopters normally, but the Super upgrade suite comes with laser designation and advanced avionics." You nod as you digest this. The Broadheads are making short work of enemy helicopters, not missing a single beat. Information filters in as the battle continues. The snowmobiles actually seemed to react better than expected to enemy fire, but the Bellringers have suffered from jamming in the snow. The Hexapod mobile cover has also seen good use. Soon, your men are inside the compound. But you see one signal inside the barracks, blinking in soft, green light. The nameplate is clear. "HANNIBAL." Belon Jameson The barracks is a bloody mess. Bullets caused enough suffering but that alien and his blade.... You and other members of your squad are finishing up with the Barracks now. Both cadres have met in the middle and are breaching and clearing every room of every building. Hannibal, the alien, however, took out about eight rooms of the barracks himself. The blood is everywhere. Halves of men even more so. Then, everything seems to calm down. Quick Broadhead fire had destroyed the spotters. Artillery fire had hit your position but it was poorly spotted and there was no adjustment. This operation had seemed to be going smoothly. That corporal from before split away from her squad to join yours as you approached the mines. The entire mining complex was entered through a ramp down into the earth, currently blocked by a metal door. She intercepted you at the top of the ramp. "You didn't even stick close to me, kid. For shame!" She says, slapping your back as she laughs a very strange, raspy laugh. "It's like you don't even want to sur-" She's interrupted by the sound of tearing metal. The door at the bottom of the ramp is breached by a tracked vehicle. The thing is huge. Easily ten metres tall, even taller, perhaps. What remains of the front has been absolutely plastered with armour. You think it looks like a dump truck. You don't get to look at it further before two turrets at the top turn towards your squad. Then, with twin sparks, huge gouts of flame spray towards your squad. You see one stream completely bathe your squad leader in fire. The other hoses down to the left of you. The streams begin to merge together, towards you. You're shocked. Completely unable to move as the screams begin. The corporal, the old woman, steps in front of you, arms outstretched, as the pressurised fuel hits her back and begins to cook her alive, her arms and legs wreathed in flame. "Nothing matters just yet, kid. Now take this thing down." She says, completely calmly. She looks like some kind of terrible angel as the fuel just... sprays off her back, forming a corona of blaze. She's insane. There's no way you can take it down... but, you do have those satchel charges from earlier... A: TRUST THE BROADHEAD: SHOVE A WARHEAD DEEP INSIDE THAT THING B: THE BELLRINGER CAN TAKE OUT THOSE FLAMERS IN A NICE FIREBALL C: WAIT FOR THE APC TO MOVE FORWARD D: RUN FOR IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN E: USE THE CAPTURED SATCHEL CHARGE
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Aug 27, 2019 19:26
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B, the flamethrowers are the obvious immediate threat Also lol they imported a bunch of shiny new heavy helicopters and flew them right into the teeth of our Broadheads, good job guys. The artillery just lost their eyes, too, this is going pretty drat well all things considered.
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Aug 27, 2019 19:36
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E, this thing has probably already faced down some broadheads, put down the heaviest ordnance we got.
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Aug 27, 2019 20:19
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Woot! Excited to see an update! Hope things are better on your end Khamsin. So snowflakes render our primary weapon dead weight. Bummer. quote:The snowmobiles actually seemed to react better than expected to enemy fire, but the Bellringers have suffered from jamming in the snow. And quote:The door at the bottom of the ramp is breached by a tracked vehicle. The thing is huge. Easily ten metres tall, even taller, perhaps. What remains of the front has been absolutely plastered with armour. Great a flaming  That sounds a bit too tough of a nut to crack for an anti-helicopter rocket. I kind of wish of wish Hannibal would Deus ex machina into the truck so we could ride away in it, but that doesn't seem wise to bank on. As such: Khamsin posted:
ShuckyDucky fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Aug 27, 2019 |
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Aug 27, 2019 21:18
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Oh this thing is down on a ramp below us, isn't it? If we've got enough elevation that we can throw the satchel charge onto the roof, that's probably the smartest thing to do because I doubt they bothered to put any significant top protection on their three story tall killdozer Switching from B to E
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Aug 27, 2019 21:23
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Crazycryodude posted:Oh this thing is down on a ramp below us, isn't it? If we've got enough elevation that we can throw the satchel charge onto the roof, that's probably the smartest thing to do because I doubt they bothered to put any significant top protection on their three story tall killdozer Huh. I missed that. Keen observation!
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Aug 27, 2019 21:34
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A broadhead to the dome of the thing might be a good chaser.
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Aug 27, 2019 22:56
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Khamsin posted:"Nothing matters just yet, kid. Now take this thing down." She says, completely calmly. She looks like some kind of terrible angel as the fuel just... sprays off her back, forming a corona of blaze.  Khamsin posted:She's insane. There's no way you can take it down... but, you do have those satchel charges from earlier... Vote: E: USE THE CAPTURED SATCHEL CHARGE We're an EOD specialist facing down an up-armored Vee, what else would we do?
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Aug 28, 2019 00:04
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E
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Aug 28, 2019 00:16
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E
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Aug 28, 2019 02:48
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e as the poets said, open palm slam that fucker But yeah good observation that they probably didn't properly put a roof on their dragon wagon Also it's pretty embarrassing that we didn't check on operating temperature recs for the rifle design but do note that the problem may be ammo related and investing into caseless may be an alternative viable tack if railguns turn out to be non-starters Captain Foo fucked around with this message at 03:42 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 28, 2019 03:29
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Put another vote down for E.
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Aug 28, 2019 03:43
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Captain Foo posted:Also it's pretty embarrassing that we didn't check on operating temperature recs for the rifle design but do note that the problem may be ammo related and investing into caseless may be an alternative viable tack if railguns turn out to be non-starters A Hard SciFi Mercenary Company without personal railgun rifles isn't a Hard SciFi Mercenary Company worth running. 
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Aug 28, 2019 04:16
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Railguns are so finnicky though, all sorts of capacitors and wires and magnets and who knows what other nerd poo poo. I'll take something mechanical that runs entirely off a few pieces of inert steel and springs please, much harder to gently caress up and much easier to fix when it does.
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Aug 28, 2019 04:53
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Railguns are for when you need a hole in something hardened and the next next three things behind it. Probably good for a squad deploy but not our everyday. If nothing else the level of fire discipline required with that kind of overpenetration seems problematic.
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Aug 28, 2019 05:00
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Yeah I could see vehicle-mounted or squad-level heavy railguns as support weapons, they're probably better at extreme ranges than chemically propelled weapons. For the kind of thing you give every grunt, though, they don't need to be able to theoretically snipe a tank at five kilometers when the limitations of human muscles and eyeballs and brains mean they can barely hit a man-sized target a few hundred meters away.
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Aug 28, 2019 05:14
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I can see a railgun being our sniper equivalent in later missions, but I am of the opinion that the Basic Weapon that every grunt should have should be as simple as nanotechnologically possible, to the point where if it breaks you can fix it with toothpaste and a piece of an old boot if needed. Also, modular. Everything needs to be super modular. Going in solo? Remove the long-barrel attachment, turn it 30 degrees and slide it down again on the back and now it's a fold-out stock. Staying put against waves of enemies? Take a spare Bellringer from literally anywhere, we have so many of them, and one minute of fiddling later you have a Heavy Bellringer variant, with the former long-barrels acting instead as tripods! Also, the magazines should be stackable. Kimbras Bellringers should be full on tacticlol.
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Aug 28, 2019 19:15
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I like modularity over raw power but I like reliability more
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Aug 28, 2019 19:40
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Swedish Thaumocracy posted:I can see a railgun being our sniper equivalent in later missions, but I am of the opinion that the Basic Weapon that every grunt should have should be as simple as nanotechnologically possible, to the point where if it breaks you can fix it with toothpaste and a piece of an old boot if needed. Captain Foo posted:I like modularity over raw power but I like reliability more I see the 'bow-wave' of this opinion cresting and would like to assert that just because the 'magnetic acceleration' weapons of today are problematic does not mean the same issues would apply to our Fantasy Hard SciFi Future Fiction Setting. As far as I can tell, the performance of our designs is predicated on Khamsin's dice rolls, and not the actual technological challenges of making any particular weapon system feasible nor deployable. Maintenance, upkeep, and repairability has always been an issue for firearms, if we want to be able to use 'mud and sticks' to condition our rifles, then I suggest we got back to using Atlatls. What I'm trying to say is, if we're going to be keeping to the spirit of the premise and the setting, then let's not meta-game our designs and ideas by constraining thoughts to 'oh this isn't possible for XXX due to the current limitations of YYY and ZZZ'. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for modularity and repairability; let's design future variants that allow these capabilities with 'nano-repair kits' and 'instant smart material redesign interfaces', as opposed to looking backwards to the Mark I Rock as the ultimate in reliable technology. As for why I'm pushing for 'railguns' at the individual Trooper level, the answer is simple; firepower (both in volume and accuracy of fire) wins firefights. The incidental benefits of being able to use 'railgun' Bellringers as sharpshooter and anti-material platforms is immaterial; I want our Troopers to have the biggest, meanest, most capable rifle in the room when they breach a door, because that's how you win fights, and that's how you keep your people alive. And if folks really have an issue with 'over-penetration', then we'll just put a 'switch' on the weapon that allows for adjustable muzzle energy; in fact, this is a major benefit to the 'magnetic acceleration' platforms of even today, as you can vary the amount of energy charged per shot, as opposed to the 'locked-off' amounts of powder in a bullet (or battleship main-gun 'charge-bags', although that's another discussion altogether).
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Aug 28, 2019 20:58
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We have a technology overview that explicitly states chemical guns are are cheaper and easier to maintain than any other weapon platform, and that they're the most versatile general-purpose weapon. Their main advantage besides simplicity is the ability to easily handle specialty ammo types, or if you just want regular old bullets those bullets are dirt cheap and impossible to gently caress up. Their main downside is that being the jack of all trades makes them master of none, and they can have trouble piercing high-quality armor. Lasers are good at vaporizing pinpoint targets but are heavy and draw a lot of power, the kind of thing to mount on a vehicle really. Railguns/emags are very good at throwing chunks of metal a long way, but they suffer in being more complex and "significantly more expensive" than a comparable gun, and also sound like they mainly just fire inert metal slugs rather than any potential specialty ammo types. Good for an AA gun or sniper rifle, definitely. Everything has a niche, nothing is useless, but I'm very confident in the idea that chemical slugthrowers are the best choice for a general-purpose weapon. It'll work good enough in basically any imaginable environment, will never run out of ammo or spare parts, and can be further customized for specifics with specialty ammo types. A slugthrower standard issue means you can have a single platform everyone is intimately familiar with that can be a submachinegun if you fold the stock and use lighter ammo, or an assault rifle in default configuration, or a marksman's rifle with a bipod and scope, or a shotgun if you load flechette ammo, or work in spaceship boarding if you load extra-deformable low-energy bullets that won't pierce bulkheads and catapult everyone into space, or work in hard vacuum if you load gyrojet ammo, or work underwater if you load supercavitating ammo, or even have crazy poo poo like smartbullets that can adjust trajectory in flight. It won't be as good as a theoretical custom-designed weapon for any one specific role, but it'll be good enough no matter what you put it through and that's what matters. Making everyone learn from scratch how to use an emag sniper when we're on the mountain warfare mission, and then learn from scratch how to use a custom SMG when we're on the urban fighting mission, and then learn from scratch how to use a speargun when we're on the underwater mission, and then learn from scratch how to use a laser when we're on the airless rock mission, seems like way more trouble and money than just having one thing everyone knows that we can use everywhere all the time. And slugthrowers, being the most adaptable platform, are what we can use everywhere all the time. Specialty weapons can be added on top of that at the squad level or whatever, obviously, but for the bedrock it's gotta be a slugthrower.
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Aug 28, 2019 22:25
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that's a pretty ineffecient compression algorithm you're using but your point about that guns are versatile where railguns are less so is a good one, and again, reliability in a basic weapon is very good
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Aug 29, 2019 04:26
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ok so @Crazycryodude and @Not Alex and i had a weapons development discussion, a few other people chimed in as well here's a summary: - railguns as standard loadout weapons are probably too expensive and complex to leverage well, but they have some strengths - the scuttlebunkers have already proved their usefulness - the scuttlebunkers should make for an excellent support platform - both heavy railgun snipers and light mortars could be mounted - this allows for both direct and indirect fire support - railgun snipers could also be used for anti-materiel purposes - point-defense weaponry is best-suited for an apc mount rather than scuttlebunkers
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Aug 31, 2019 20:52
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 So, time to address some points before our main update. CourValant is correct in their assertion that background dice rolls drive some design quality. However, I'd like to nip the flowing assertions from that in the bud. Designs are not just rolls of the dice. At the basic level simple designs are much easier to actually make and have better consequences of bad rolls. Your rations weren't laced with cyanide after a bad roll, they were just a little expensive. The inverse is also true. Designs can be made of bad ideas. If you roll really well on your spade throwing catapault, you'll make a drat fine spade throwing catapault. You aren't going to be beating out guns or railguns with your silly gimmick weapon. The actual design problems of particular technologies matter a lot and it'll take a good deal of effort to say, fix the expense of railguns. If you do, that's marketable to other folks. You're not a whizbang wunderkid genius who's advancing the tech level dozens of years with your designs. You're clever because you, the players, are applying your strengths to come up with innovative applications of technology. It's not a "bad idea" to choose railguns for a mainline weapon! Far from it. But it has limitations. So too do slugthrowers. You can and will be using different weapons. You're building a back catalogue of designs to print at a moment's notice. Any day the Bellringer could become unnecessary and you need air rifles instead. Or maybe everybody needs to carry baseball bats. The idea of one universal platform is great, and can certainly take you through some tough times, but it won't be that simple. Hope this didn't come across as a takedown, Cour. Disagreement is healthy and valid and I used your post to point things out about the underlying systems at play. Now, on with the show!
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Sep 1, 2019 16:27
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| # ? May 4, 2024 01:56 |
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 You're crouched over the viewscreen. At the mine entrance, suddenly a whole squad was wiped out. Drones update with a vehicle of huge size on the holographic grid. One blinking light indicates a breathing squad member. You watch intently as Private Jameson's vitals wink. Then, you finally patch through into a video screen of the event. A drone is watching from on high with thermals. You see an explosion at the base of the vehicle, seemingly damaging a track on that massive mining machinery, but then you gasp as jets of flame shoot out and land directly on top of the Private. His vitals go dark. You sigh deeply as the other squads take up defensive positions surrounding the mouth of the mine. That massive improvised tank trundles up the ramp, signalling volleys of Bellringer and Broadhead fire. It takes a number of shots, and in the meantime as the rockets tear into it, those flamethrowers get some bursts off. Men cook in their suits until finally some missiles strike the cabin, signalling a chain reaction and explosions blowing it apart. Somewhere, a file server loads Private Jameson's file. His current pay and death bonus are scrutinized in his choice of currency. 6338 Indo Inc. Scrip are withdrawn from the accounts of the CCU. A small price to pay for a human life. An automatic death message is generated and sent to Kimbra and her XO's computer for scrutinization. Subject: CONDOLENCES Dear Mrs Jameson: Your son Private Belon Jameson has perished in the line of duty. He was an honourable and [insert_suitable_adjective] soldier. His skills in [error cross-checking specialization database] kept his squad and friends safe. He died as a result of [Vital Sensor Thermal Overload.] In our files, he made it clear he wished for you to receive his Death Bonus. 5000 Indo Inc. Scrip, as well as remaining accounts, are enclosed. Best Wishes, Kimbra Mcnaley. AFTER ACTION REPORT Total Losses: LIGHT Replacement Cost: 7% Captured Equipment sold to local forces: 5% Design Report: Most designs performed admirably. Rations found to be good for morale after losses. Identified issues are as follows: Bellringer Assault Rifle: Issue with lubrication+feed mechanism causes jolts (from landing) and temperature (from environment) to increase jam likelihood. Captured Asset Report: The paramilitary base is a great cross section of enemy capabilities. First of all, the groundwork. The small mine gives a total of 5% Tonnage Shipped, making you closer to your goal. The facilities on the base are interesting. The base's armoury was not destroyed by the assault, and reveals their capabilities. First, they have rugged locally produced armaments that are decently capable, but mixed in are good-quality offworld small arms, used by security forces. They're not as heavy as the local weapons. However, the communications gear, antipersonnel mines, and mortar tubes are all finely made. It seems they anticipated an assault and invested into artillery infrastructure. Finally, the mine was partially converted into a machine shop, which frankensteined together mining vehicles, heavy weapons locally produced, and tons of armour plating. You're pretty sure the vehicle you faced was the only one they managed to produce. The barracks and facilities now give you a solid base to strike further. NEXT STEPS Your first operation is a success despite runaway mining equipment. Your first order of business is deciding what next. A: A Raid: Short, sharp assault on a strategic target. You're not there to hold ground, you're there to destroy enemy infrastructure and ore. Can target any node. B: A Heist: Swell your ore tonnage and destroy the enemy's. This will take planning to achieve. Requires no target. C: Take and Hold: The Artillery Base is now a prime target for capture. You're sure it'll be much more stiff resistance now, but decapitating serious military infrastructure is a good idea. D: Write-in. Reinforcing the base? A capture attempt on a nearby line? Oh, and you have one revision proposal. Revisions are small changes to your equipment. This could be as simple as fixing a flaw, marrying two pieces of tech together (Adding a machine gun you designed to a vehicle you designed) or small improvements. They can also cover tactics, same as designs. Vote on revisions as well as the next mission.
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Sep 1, 2019 17:12
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