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[Ringmaster]

Aurora: The Only Game With A Learning Curve Steeper Than Dwarf Fortress

Succession Game: The First Galactic Human Empire

Alternatively: "Shipmurdered", "Honey I Killed The Precursors", or "How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Wormholes"

Spoiler: Rules (click to show/hide)

• Turns last 3 days, if you don't post your save after that, then you get passed over and placed at the end of the turn list. If you are active and doing the turn but require an extension, ask in the thread.
• One turn is equal to ten years in-game (E.g. Start in 2025, Turn 1 takes us to 2035)
• Write-ups are not mandatory, but they help.
• Inexperienced Fleet Penalties are on. If you don't want a possibly fatal mistake to occur when your ships take far too long to respond to an order, make sure you train them before deploying them for actual work.
• SpaceMaster will be used and passworded. I'll make a note of it and if anyone encounters something so impossible that SM would be required to save you, PM me and I'll give it you.
• Remember to take screenshots, people will probably want to see how our fledgling Empire is doing
• Feel free to name a character after you. Remember, Civilian Administrators and Researchers tend to live far longer then Military Commanders.
  

Spoiler: Story (click to show/hide)

 (This deviates from standard Aurora canon somewhat)

On July 5th, 2010, a new scientific hypothesis was formed. A scientist in Sweden postulated that the Newtonian laws of physics could be 'transcended', the idea received little initial approval, but after extensive testing was carried out by a dedicated multinational team of scientists it was declared that 'Trans-Newtonian Physics' were completely possible. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration took an immediate interest in this, the American government invested heavily in to a project involving a spacecraft based around this new interpretation of physics. They realised, however, that to build such a craft would require it to be built in space. Therefore, plans for a shipyard were made. The launcher module was completed in 2011, shortly after the International Space Station was constructed. Help was enlisted from the European Space Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency after it was launched.

Construction on the first low orbit shipyard began on July 5th of 2011, a year after Trans-Newtonian physics was hypothesised.

Sensing that the Human Race was about to start exploring the stars in earnest, the superpowers of the world began to plan. American, European and Russian diplomats met to discuss the uniting of the world's governments. Asia's scientists began to take a much greater interest in astronomy, several new celestial bodies were discovered and some scientists used existing data to predict a possible 'First Contact Event'. As these developments began, news gradually broke of treaties and agreements in the Middle East and in Africa, shortly afterward, Middle Eastern diplomats approached Western countries with the aims of negotiating peace between the two entities.

In 2023, two years before the first Shipyard was due to be completed, Asian scientists discovered a new element in Jupiter's atmosphere. The new element, dubbed 'Sorium', gave rise to ideas about new elements that may be required for constructing 'Trans-Newtonian' structures. Soon, 10 other elements were discovered, several of which were on Earth. Due to the lack of knowledge about these elements, manual mines were re-introduced to try and obtain the elusive substances. Hundreds of new manual mines were opened, generating jobs for thousands as the minerals were dug up from the mantle. Research began on ways to automate these processes, along with intense examination and evaluation of the new elements.

2025, present day, after 14 years of construction, the first low orbit Shipyard was built. American scientists began work on schematics for the first ship design that used Trans-Newtonian physics.

Download and Installation Instructions (Any questions, PM me)

• Go here, follow the download instructions very carefully.
• Now go here, again, the instructions are in the thread.
• Then here, there's an important instruction in the post, make sure you read it.

Spoiler: Turn list and Summaries (click to show/hide)

1. Ringmaster
Summary: First turn. Got things started. Researched better sensors, mining modules and engines. Found out Mars had no resources. Then found out it has 100,000 tonnes of Boronide but nothing else. Made a few ships. Began mining an asteroid after running out of some things on Earth.

2.
Summary:

3.
Summary:

4.
Summary:

5.
Summary:

[Ringmaster]

Turn 1: 2025-2035

And so begins my stint as the Governor of Earth, I, Tom Houghton, am prepared to start our race off on a long journey across the stars.

But first, I need to decide what we need to research and build before we can get up there:



Our priorities are refining the way we can survey other planets. In the past, our probes could only take a few basic pictures of the surfaces of Mars and other planets or moons with near-safe atmospheres, with gravitational and geological survey sensors, we can find minerals on the surfaces of every single planet (Barring gas giants), moon, asteroid and comet in our solar system. Along with this, I've ordered a project started on a new way of propelling our ships through the cosmos, an ion engine should be very helpful in this regard. Finally, I've ordered a small group of scientists to begin working on expanding the civilian economy, the increase in wealth would be very helpful.

On top of these research projects, I've ordered that more factories be built and the total conversion of all manual work mines in to automated mines be started.

Schematics were completed for the new geological survey ship.

Code: [Select]

Tribal class Geological Survey Vessel    1350 tons     133 Crew     325.8 BP      TCS 27  TH 120  EM 0
4444 km/s     Armour 1-10     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/2     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 7%    IFR: 0.1%    Maint Capacity 302 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP    Est Time: 8.6 Years

Ion Engine E8 (2)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 83.3 billion km   (217 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes

Work is currently underway on the civilian variant of the Ion Engine E8.

Our existing Shipyard has been kitted out to begin construction on the first GEV Tribal class ship. Construction is estimated to be completed some time in June, 2026.

Schematics were also completed on three other classes of ship, the GSV Pack class Gravitational Survey Ship, the FT Agincourt class Freighter, and the SS Ark Royal class Luxury Liner.

Code: [Select]

Agincourt class Freighter    13350 tons     103 Crew     211.4 BP      TCS 267  TH 300  EM 0
1123 km/s     Armour 1-50     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 10 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Cargo 10000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 10   

Ion Engine E0.8 (2)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 84.2 billion km   (868 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Code: [Select]

Ark Royal class Luxury Liner    13200 tons     428 Crew     561.8 BP      TCS 264  TH 600  EM 0
2272 km/s     Armour 1-49     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 27 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Passengers 750   

Ion Engine E0.8 (4)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 85.2 billion km   (434 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Code: [Select]

Tribal class Geological Survey Vessel    1350 tons     133 Crew     325.8 BP      TCS 27  TH 120  EM 0
4444 km/s     Armour 1-10     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/2     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 7%    IFR: 0.1%    Maint Capacity 302 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP    Est Time: 8.6 Years

Ion Engine E8 (2)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 83.3 billion km   (217 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes

It is now 2026, and in the past year, using improved construction techniques, we have managed to build one more shipyard. This one has been tasked as a 'civilian' shipyard, and has begun to build the first Agincourt class freighter.


June 2026, the first GEV Tribal class ship was built, Commander Anthony Parkin was assigned as its captain. Training has begun with its crew, and at the end of the year it should be deployed to survey Mars. It's a small beginning, but before long we shall have every body in the system surveyed completely.

It's now been 24 months since I began my tenure as Governor of Earth, all military personnel's tours of duty have ended and new officers have been assigned. The Geosurvey Task Group has been taken off of training and has now been deployed. First order: Survey Mars for minerals.

Spoiler: Geosurvey Report: Mars (click to show/hide)

Duranium: 0.00
Neutronium: 0.00
Corbomite: 0.00
Tritanium: 0.00
Boronide: 0.00
Sorium: N/A
Uridium: 0.00
Corundium: 0.00
Mercassium: 0.00
Vendarite: 0.00
Gallicite: 0.00

This turned out to be something of a bust. Out of Mars and its two moons, only Deimos had any resources worth surveying (And even then, there were only 2, Duranium and Mercassium). This has been chalked down to something lacking in the sensors we used. It has been decided that we will need a geological survey team to go down to Mars' surface and survey manually for minerals.

Commander Sean Wells has put together a team of four men skilled in geological survey. He is leading them, the Geosurvey Task Group has transported them to Mars and we are waiting for the first geological survey to begin.

While this survey is being carried out, we have finally found a body in the system with minerals worth surveying.

Spoiler: Asteroid #12 Survey Report (click to show/hide)

Duranium: 933
Neutronium: 729
Corbomite: 441
Tritanium: 159
Boronide: 0.00
Sorium: N/A
Uridium: 0.00
Corundium: 0.00
Mercassium: 1,568
Vendarite: 2,421
Gallicite: 117

In light of this discovery, I have ordered construction to begin on a mass driver on earth. If we also build a freighter, we can send automated mines to asteroids that have minerals on them, these mines can then use mass drivers to propel the minerals to Earth, where we can make use of them.

I should also point out that minerals on asteroids have an accessibility rating of 1. Earth resources max out at 0.43 accessibility. This means that the minerals are on the surface of the asteroid, compared to deep in the crust and mantle of Earth. The asteroid's minerals are ready to be claimed almost instantly. With this in mind, I estimate that it won't take long for the asteroid to be mined hollow, but the quick boost in resources will be very helpful.

Unfortunately, a member of Sean Wells' team has fallen seriously ill, forcing his retirement. Their geological survey had yet to be complete, this makes me unsure of how well it will turn out once the report is complete.

On the 20th of October, the survey team completed the survey of Mars. They only found one mineral deposit, fortunately, it was huge. 100,000 tonnes of Boronide, ready to be mined, however it has an accessibility rating of 0.1. I have now ordered that they survey Asteroid #12 in the hope that they might find some new mineral deposits there.


(The two colonies are there because of my geosurvey team)

I've ordered mining modules to be researched, hopefully we can get a bit of those resources on Asteroid #12 before my term ends.

It's 2029 now, the tour of duty has finished once more and new officers are assigned. Not much planned for this year, most of the projects I have going are set to be completed some time in 2030. But hopefully the geological survey of Asteroid #12 will be finished this year.

Problem, Earth's stockpile of Corundium just hit rock bottom. Upon examining the mineral report, I also notice that we're set to run out of a few vital minerals in a couple of years. All of sudden, those mining modules became much more important to me.



I'm particularly worried about Corbomite. However, there isn't much I can do for our research project, since all of our labs are in use.

It's 2030 now, the time's gone by pretty quickly, I can barely believe it was five years ago that I became the Governor of Earth. Mining modules have been completed. Schematics for a ship that uses them have been complete and construction has commenced.

2031, construction has yet to finish on our first Illustrious class Miner ship. The only thing that worries me is that the mining module requires Corundium to be constructed. I've ordered the conversion of mines to be stopped so that we can build up our stockpiles again. Corbomite has run out on Earth. I'm getting rather worried right now.

2032, Gallicite has run out and still no mining ship. It's set to be constructed in November, then I can dispatch it quickly to the asteroid and get us some new resources.

2033, the first Illustrious Miner has been completed and is currently digging about on asteroid #12 for minerals. I've ordered our Agincourt freighter to ferry resources back to Earth once some have been found. I have attempted to place a mass driver on the Asteroid, but the plan failed when the mass driver sustained damage during drop-off. The officers have, once again, been reassigned after another tour of duty this year. I am reminded that there is only 1 year left before my term comes to an end.

As a final act, I've ordered that a Gravitational Survey Ship be constructed, it'll be finished around July in 2034, hopefully I can get it working on some of the survey locations in the solar system before my term finishes.

14th March, 2034. This is the Vice-Governor of Earth, Jacob 'Ringmaster' Gibson (Nickname courtesy of my healthy interest in Tolkien's literature). Max's latest entry spoke of his 'final act' as Governor of Earth, unfortunately, he doesn't know how right he was. Yesterday, he was killed in a car accident on his way to work. I've taken over in his stead and will be attending his funeral later this week.

The first Gravitational Survey Ship, christened 'Houghton' in remembrance of my predecessor, was completed today. She has been set on training until the crew can work as a good unit together. And hopefully can be deployed by my successor after I have left the office.



Ah, the 1st January, 2035. Time to end my term in office. For my successor, I'll leave a list of future goals they may or may not wish to invest in:

Spoiler: Possible future goals + Download Link (click to show/hide)

• Colonisation of Mars. There's a nice amount of Boronide available if you want it, however the lack of other resources could present a massive roadblock.
• Mining and extended surveying of other asteroids. The solar system doesn't appear to be rich in minerals at all, you may want to consider exploring other systems for more mineral rich worlds.

Download here (Full folder is included. Unzip to a location different to C:/Program Files/Aurora/): http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?odkozetunjq

[Tarran]

Posting to watch. Hope this doesn't die off like the others.

[Ringmaster]

My turn is up. Need more (than one) player to continue, though.

[Pwnzerfaust]

Sure, I'll play.

[Pwnzerfaust]

First entry: 1st January, 2035:

My first day in office. Certainly feels strange, being governor of Earth. Surreal-ish feeling. Pretty great. Relieved Governor Gibson this morning, and though he seemed a bit disappointed to be leaving his post, he also seemed to have felt a great weight taken from his shoulders. I wonder if I'll feel the same way in 2045.

Initial Statistics:

Human Population: 645.67 million (all on Earth)
Infrastructure:
3 Commercial shipyards:

• W. Simons & Co.: 1 Slipway, 72000 ton capacity per slipway, tooled for Agincourt class Freighter.
• Karstensens Shipyard Ltd.: 3 Slipways, 64000 ton capacity per slipway, tooled for Ark Royal class Luxury Liner.
• Al Zora Dockyard: 2 Slipways, 48000 ton capacity per slipway, tooled for Illustrious class Miner.

1 Military shipyard:

• Govan Shipbuilding Co.: 2 Slipways, 6000 ton capacity per slipway, tooled for Pack class Gravitational Survey Vessel.

Level 1 Military Academy
Level 4 Deep Space Tracking Station
65 Maintenance Facilities (3.25 million employees; 13,000 ton ship capacity)
1 Mass Driver (5,000 tn/yr capacity)
733 Construction Factories (36.65 million employees; 8820 construction capacity)
120 Ordnance Factories (6 million employees; 1440 ordnance construction capacity)
60 Fighter Factories (3 million employees; 720 fighter construction capacity)
200 Fuel Refineries (10 million employees; 4,800,000 liters of fuel produced annually)
320 Mines (16 million employees)
160 Automated Mines
20 Research Labs (20m employees)
4 Ground Force Training Facilities

Government-owned Ships:
Commercial:

Spoiler: 2x Agincourt class Freighter (click to show/hide)

[/list][/list]

Code: [Select]

Agincourt class Freighter    13350 tons     103 Crew     211.4 BP      TCS 267  TH 300  EM 0
1123 km/s     Armour 1-50     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 10 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Cargo 10000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 10   

Ion Engine E0.8 (2)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 84.2 billion km   (868 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Spoiler: 1x Ark Royal class Luxury Liner (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Ark Royal class Luxury Liner    13200 tons     428 Crew     561.8 BP      TCS 264  TH 600  EM 0
2272 km/s     Armour 1-49     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 27 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Passengers 750   

Ion Engine E0.8 (4)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 85.2 billion km   (434 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Spoiler: 1x Illustrious class Miner (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Illustrious class Miner    27150 tons     548 Crew     763.4 BP      TCS 543  TH 150  EM 0
276 km/s     Armour 1-80     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 18 MSP    Max Repair 120 MSP
Asteroid Miner: 5 module(s) producing 50 tons per mineral per annum

Ion Engine E0.8 (1)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 41.4 billion km   (1736 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Spoiler: 1x Resolution class Geological Survey Vessel (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Resolution class Geological Survey Vessel    4200 tons     208 Crew     654.4 BP      TCS 84  TH 300  EM 0
3571 km/s     Armour 1-23     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/5     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 195 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP

Ion Engine E0.8 (2)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 267.8 billion km   (868 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (5)   5 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes


Military:

Spoiler: 1x Pack class Gravitational Survey Vessel (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Pack class Gravitational Survey Vessel    3150 tons     98 Crew     240.2 BP      TCS 63  TH 300  EM 0
4761 km/s     Armour 1-19     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/1/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 79%    IFR: 1.1%    Maint Capacity 48 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP    Est Time: 0.6 Years

Ion Engine E0.8 (2)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 357.1 billion km   (868 days at full power)

Gravitational Survey Sensors (1)   1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes


Spoiler: 1x Tribal class Geological Survey Vessel (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Tribal class Geological Survey Vessel    1350 tons     133 Crew     325.8 BP      TCS 27  TH 120  EM 0
4444 km/s     Armour 1-10     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/2     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 7%    IFR: 0.1%    Maint Capacity 302 MSP    Max Repair 100 MSP    Est Time: 8.6 Years

Ion Engine E8 (2)    Power 60    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 60    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range 83.3 billion km   (217 days at full power)

Geological Survey Sensors (2)   2 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes


First order of business was to go over the administrative staff, and look into any changes that could be made. Jennifer Johnston, a talented administrator, was assigned to the governorship of the Asteroid 12 mining colony by my predecessor. A worthy choice, however after poring through the files on the other administrators available, I made the decision to replace her with Louis Iqbal. Iqbal, though he lacks the administrative talent of Ms. Johnston, has far more experience and expertise regarding mining operations.

Upon review of the current ship designs, I found the Agincourt class freighter to be woefully inadequate in the long term. With a mere 10,000 cubic meter carrying capacity, it would not even be able to carry a single automated mine to a colony. As such, I ordered the design of a new class, christened the Atlas:

Code: (Atlas) [Select]

Atlas class Freighter    30000 tons     149 Crew     334.8 BP      TCS 600  TH 450  EM 0
750 km/s     Armour 1-86     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 7 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Cargo 25000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 10   

Ion Engine E0.8 (3)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres    Range 112.5 billion km   (1736 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes
With two and a half times the cargo space as the Agincourt, the Atlas could carry one of almost any facility currently in use. The increased size came at the expense of speed, but the increased carrying capacity and greater range make it worth it.

Next, in anticipation of future Martian colonization efforts, I commissioned the design of a new colony ship. The new design, christened the Mayflower, was produced within weeks.

Code: (Mayflower) [Select]

Mayflower class Colony Ship    20000 tons     236 Crew     880.4 BP      TCS 400  TH 750  EM 0
1875 km/s     Armour 1-65     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 28 MSP    Max Repair 38 MSP
Colonists 50000    Cargo Handling Multiplier 10   

Ion Engine E0.8 (5)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 350,000 Litres    Range 393.8 billion km   (2430 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes

The design of the Mayflower was based upon that of the Atlas. The five cargo holds aboard the Atlas were replaced by five cryogenic transport modules, each capable of transporting 10,000 hibernating colonists, for a total capacity of 50,000. Additionally, two more engines were added, along with capacity for an extra 200,000 liters of fuel. Its high speed would make it ideal for transport between Earth and any future colonies.

As a last modification to our ship line-up, I ordered a modification to the Illustrious class miner. By adding a pair of additional engines, plus 200,000 more litres of fuel, it was possible to nearly triple the speed, as well as increasing the range by more than 4 times. The new ship was named the Amber.

Code: (Amber) [Select]

Amber class Miner    30000 tons     620 Crew     914.8 BP      TCS 600  TH 450  EM 0
750 km/s     Armour 1-86     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Capacity 19 MSP    Max Repair 120 MSP
Asteroid Miner: 5 module(s) producing 50 tons per mineral per annum

Ion Engine E0.8 (3)    Power 150    Fuel Use 8%    Signature 150    Armour 0    Exp 1%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres    Range 187.5 billion km   (2893 days at full power)

This design is classed as a commercial vessel for maintenance purposes

I ordered the W. Simons & Co. shipyard facility to retool for the construction of Mayflower class vessels, while the Karstensens Shipyard retooled for the Atlas, and the Al Zora Dockyard began switching production to the upgraded mining ship. Retooling for the construction of the Atlas would take just over 4 months, while retooling for the Mayflower would take more than a year. Retooling for the Amber would complete between the former two.

Finally, I looked over a proposal from the Chiefs of Staff of the Terran Federation Armed Forces to create a unified designation system for missile ordnance and electronic systems, to simplify and unify identification of these systems.

Spoiler: Designation System (click to show/hide)

Terran Federation Vehicle Designation System (VDS)
Vehicle in this context refers to a any unmanned missile, drone, buoy or mine in use by the Federated Nations. The VDS allows easy identification of the type and purpose of each vehicle. The required format is as follows:
(Primary Launch Platform)(Mission)(Vehicle Type) - (Design Number)(Series Letter)(Popular Name)

Primary Launch Platform
A - Spacecraft powered by fighter engine
B - Multiple Launch Environments
C - Captor Mine
G - Planetary Defence Centre
L - Box Launcher
R - Spacecraft
U - Stealthy Spacecraft

Mission
D - Decoy
E - Special Electronics
G - Spacecraft Attack
I - Interception (of missiles or perhaps fighters)
L - Detection or Reconnaissance
M - Scientific Instruments (e.g. geosurvey buoy)

Vehicle Type
B - Booster or First Stage
C - Captor Mine
M - Guided Missile
N - Probe or Recon Drone
R - Submunition
S - Unarmed Satellite or Buoy

Design Number
Each vehicle type will have a design number based on chronological order of design. It is possible there could be multiple versions of the same vehicle type intended for different purposes or with different launch options. These versions would use the same design number with different letter combinations. For example, the RGM-1A might be a spacecraft-launched spacecraft-attack missile while RLN-1A is a spacecraft-launched reconnaissance drone, which replaces the warhead of the RGM-1 with a sensor package but is otherwise identical.

Series Letter
Variants of a basic vehicle type are designated by a suffix letter. The first model always receives suffix "A" and subsequent series letters are assigned in strict sequence (omitting "I" and "O" to avoid confusion with numerals "1" and "0"). The series letter is a mandatory component of the VDS and therefore 'plain' designations such as 'RIM-12' always designate the general type of vehicle and never a specific model.

Popular Name
Most vehicles receive a 'popular name' or acronym early in the planning or development phase. While the name is not part of the official designation, many missiles and other vehicle types are almost exclusively referenced by their name, both in the popular press and in official government news releases and documents.

Examples
RGM-1A Falchion is a Spacecraft-launched (R) Guided-missile (M) intended to attack other Spacecraft (G)
RLN-2A Raven is a Spacecraft-launched (R) Recon Drone (N) used for reconnaissance (L)

Electronics Designation System (EDS)
The older US Joint Electronics Type Designation System provided a basis for the Terran Federation's naming scheme for its electronic systems, known as the Electronics Designation System. All designations are proceeded by TF/ for Terran Federation.

Platform
A - Spacecraft powered by fighter engine
B - Stealthy Spacecraft
F - Planetary Defence Centre
G - Spacecraft powered by gunboat engine
S - Spacecraft powered by military or commercial engines

Equipment Type
A - Invisible Light
D - Radioactivity Detection
G - Gravitational Survey
L - Countermeasures
M - Geological Survey
P - Active Sensor
Q - Thermal Detection

Purpose
D - Missile Detection
G - Fire Control
N - Navigation
Q - Special or Combination
R - Receiving or Passive Detection
S - Active Search
Y - Surveillance (used for particularly large active sensors)

Examples:
The TF/SPS-7 Active Search Sensor is a Spacecraft-mounted (S) Active Sensor (P) used for Area Search (S)
The TF/SQR-1 Thermal Sensor is a Spacecraft-mounted (S) Thermal Detection sensor (Q) used for Passive Detection (R)


(all credit goes to Steve Walmsley, head developer of Aurora, for devising this system. From here: http://aurora.pentarch.org/viewtopic.php?f=93&t=1709)

Impressed, I approved of the system immediately. It was put to immediate use as I put in a request for a new active sensor system, meant to become integral to future survey vessels, along with a line of passive thermal and electromagnetic emission detectors.

21st February 2035

The previous military tour period has come to an end, and the officers were shifted around. Three were deemed surplus and retired, hopefully opening up their positions for new talent.

In other news, the geological survey of the asteroid belt is proceeding swimmingly. One asteroid in particular, number 135, has proven to have an abundance of several resources.

Spoiler: Asteroid 135 Survey Report (click to show/hide)

Duranium: 123,495 tons, Accessibility 1
Neutronium: 4,259, 0.9
Corbomite: 101, 1
Tritanium: 25,005, 0.9
Mercassium: 3,629, 0.9
Vendarite: 23,443, 0.9
Gallicite: 19,058, 0.9

The presence of so many high value resources came as a blessing to our resource-strapped economy. Plans are being drawn up to transport some automated mines there, once the new Atlas class freighters are constructed. The Duranium in particular is of interest, considering the enormous quantity and high accessibility of it, and its ubiquity in ship construction. This asteroid could fuel ship construction for years to come.

Also, the Federation's income fell into the negatives over the past month. The culprit was the retooling of the shipyards begun in January. It's only a loss of two credits every five days, but it warrants attention.

1st March 2035

Colonel George Griffin, commander of the 1st Heavy Assault Battlion, was killed in a training accident today. He was a skillful commander and will be sorely missed. His replacement, Colonel Eleanor Young, is nowhere near as skilled as he is. But any commander is better than none at all, I suppose.


6th April 2035



Karstensens Shipyard Ltd. sent word today that they've successfully retooled for construction of Atlas class freighters. I immediately authorize production of three new ships, filling all their slipways. They are scheduled for delivery in early November. Included in Karstensens' message was an announcement that they had begun construction on a fourth slipway, due to be finished in roughly three years.



In anticipation of the freighters' addition to the fleet, I order the production of construction factories to cease, and order a new mass driver and 40 new automated mines.

16 June 2035

Ashley Ferguson's research team announced the development of a next-generation propulsion system. Called the magneto-plasma drive, it is essentially an amped-up ion drive. More powerful control computers and electromagnets allow large amounts of more massive ionized plasma particles to be shunted backwards, generating greater amounts of thrust than the present-generation ion engines can boast. New designs for military and commercial vessels are immediately ordered. They'll be incorporated into new and updated designs at the first opportunity.

11 December 2035

With the finalization of the new long-range active sensor system and magneto-plasma drives, the final touches are put on a new survey vessel long in development. Designated the Leif Ericson class Science Vessel, it is more than twice the size of previous survey vessels, and boasts a suite of geological, gravitational, and active sensors superior to any ship in the fleet.

Code: (Leif Ericson) [Select]

Leif Ericson class Science Vessel    3000 tons     278 Crew     978.6 BP      TCS 60  TH 320  EM 0
5333 km/s     Armour 1-18     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/4/4     Damage Control Rating 2     PPV 0
Annual Failure Rate: 36%    IFR: 0.5%    Maint Capacity 408 MSP    Max Repair 150 MSP    Est Time: 3.39 Years

Rolls Royce Magneto-plasma Drive E8 (4)    Power 80    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 80    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 225.0 billion km   (488 days at full power)

TF/SPY-1 Surveillance Sensor (1)     GPS 8000     Range 48.0m km    Resolution 100
Improved Gravitational Sensors (2)   4 Survey Points Per Hour
Improved Geological Sensors (2)   4 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes

Govan Shipbuilding Co. is immediately commissioned to retool for production of the new ship. They give a time frame of roughly a year for the retooling process. When completed, two ships will be built, with a further two possible as circumstances dictate.