It is Year 4, First SemesterI'm going to say, going forward, no loans. For convenience all ship purchases are upfront, so your only limit in manufacturing is demand. However, during the design turn, you can only take as many actions as you can afford, or use money you gain on that turn through other means.
Now, you've probably noticed that if you can sell old ships this makes it pretty hard to lose. Currently you could be delivered the killing blow by some saboteur, but I'm also considering some system in which players could actually benefit from this instead of just having their enemy replaced with a new, possibly stronger competitor. I think some sort of hostile corporate buyout would be neat, which would give the person who does the buyout all the tech and designs the bought-out company had. I'm just thinking about how to make it fair. Thoughts?
Edit: Also, new title format should make updates more obvious and let me say interesting things. Hopefully people don't lose track of the thread and mistake it for some other spaceship manufacturing thread.
RESULTSWraith's Riders, CEO Brood of the free planet JuraseFunds: Funds: Ж26,600
First off, you receive Ж10,000 from Raven's Ships in exchange for your Improved Ion Engines technology.
*Ж14,000
You attempted to build a flagship with Extra Large Liquid engines, and Improved Ion Engines for backup. You went for a Titanium structure (no value in doubling structures, it's either reinforced with the same material or not), as well as a two-person cockpit and AI. You also added two docking bays, your tracking system, long range scanners and five Particle Lasers. Your crew named your flagship the Frogship, since you didn't propose any other name.
Cost: Ж30,000
Size: X-Large
Weight: X-Heavy
Speed: 5 (medium)
Armor: 13
Weapons: Particle laser (3)(1)(1) (three particle lasers in one bank, two to be fired separately)
Tools: Docking Bay (2), Long-Range Scanners, Hidden Tracker
Mutations: Something weird happened when copying over your Improved AI and setting it up to manage the ship's various functions. Either that or someone messed with your design. Either way, now the AI talks back like a smartass.
-Positron Laser: You figure it's not a bad idea, but your R&D team doesn't get it ready this year.
Unity Shipyards, Inc. CEO Nirur Torir, of Swadian planet Achilles IIFunds: Ж5,250
Your guards shut down two attempts at fraud on your accounts, but a third is successful taking Ж30,000, even though the odds were in your favor with the security you had set up.You attempted to design a large mining ship with Ion engines, reinforced steel structure, its own cargo, and a cannon for protection. You decided on a one-man cockpit.
You attempted to reduce the price by cutting down on armor and removing the cannon. Later, you decided to try to up the armor and switch to the Improved Mining Laser.
Cost: Ж4,000
Size: Large
Weight: Medium
SPEED: 2 (Low)
ARMOR: 4 (medium)
CARGO: 40 (medium)
TOOLS: Improved Mining Laser, Scoop
Mutations: Neigh.
The changes go smoothly, but it ends up being a little more expensive to manufacture than you would hope.
You attempted to build a light, two-pilot steel ship with small engines, a small passenger space and a TV. Later, you decided to make a scout craft by cutting out the TVs and passenger space for extra fuel, and long range sensors.
Cost: Ж3,000
Weight: Light
Size: Small
Speed: 9 (Medium)
Armor: 4 (Low)
Tools: Extra Fuel, Long Range Sensors
Mutations: This ship's frame includes a bit of empty space that could be used for so-call "smuggler's compartments".
You smoothly switch out the features without changing the original price or performance.
You attempted to make a small ship with a single cockpit, liquid engines, a steel structure, cannon and cloaking device, with a focus on speed.
Cost: Ж5,000
Size: Small
Weight: Light
Speed: 12
Armor: 3
Weapons: Cannon
Tools: Cloaking Device
Mutations: This ships is especially maneuverable, even among other small ships.
-Missile Weaponry: You have no problem researching missiles. They'll hit harder than a cannon, and are about as accurate. The main downside is they're heavy. They'll cost Ж5,000 to finalize.
Raven's Ships, CEO scapheap of the Promian planet Gaia 1Funds: Ж39,800
Just R&D this semester, eh? You also spend Ж10,000 buying Improved Ion Engine technology.
-Improved AI: You work on an improved AI, but you don't get it this year.
War Finch Enterprises, CEO IronyOwl of the free planet Venom 8Funds: Ж49,500
A slight monetary bonus, for pointing out that I somehow forgot to charge you entirely.
You attempted to build the first proper spacefaring cruise ship, with space for 100 passengers, dual cockpit, improved ion engines, a reinforced steel frame, as well as a food court, bar and TVs. Also, heck an onboard pool!
Cost: Ж23,000
Size: X-Large
Weight: X-Heavy
Speed: 3
Armor: 8
Passengers: 80
Cargo: 5 (token space for your food and booze selection)
Tools: TVs, Food Court, Bar, Onboard Pool
Mutations: The ship's a little slower than it ought to be. There seems to be something off, as well...
V.N.C., CEO 10ebbor10 of the free planet VraxusFunds: Ж3,500
You attempted to convert your existing tug design into a drone carrier with a hangar and distributed AI, as well as long-range sensors and more engines.
Cost: Ж6,000
Size: Small
Weight: Heavy
SPEED: 3 (Low)
ARMOR: 6 (medium)
WEAPONS: Laser
TOOLS: Tugging Rig, Extra Fuel (For drones), Hangars (2 small craft)
Mutations: The Titanium is prohibitively expensive right now.
You succeed in removing the extra weight, but the addition of hangars means that it doesn't make much of a difference. You barely manage to to tack hangars onto the small-size craft, it looks like it's more hangar than body.
Based off your old, cheap drone model, you decide to make a simple probe with solid thrusters for one push out and one push back. Again you switch to the Distributed AI.
Cost: Ж1300
Size: Small
Weight: Light
Speed: 8, But only for a burst
Armor: 2 (Caution)
Tools: Long-Range Sensor
Mutations: Removing extra systems for its narrow purpose, you've made a pretty damn cheap ship.
-Ion Weapons: You get a prototype for the Ion Disruptor, which has a chance to disable systems, especially AIs and sensors. It'll cost Ж15,000 to finalize.
-Advanced Sensors: Your research team doesn't doesn't make any progress this year.
-Distributed Sensors: Based on your distributed AI tech, you come up with a design for sensors that take communicate and take advantage of multiple data points. It will only cost Ж5,000 to finalize! Works best with at least three ships, some distance apart.
You also spend Ж5,000 finishing your designs for Hangars, of course.
Kingfisher Ships, CEO Kingfisher1112 of the free planet CrudofFunds: Ж25,500
You attempted to design a light, fast scout ship with long range sensors. You decided on aluminum
structure, a one-man cockpit and liquid thrusters.
Cost: Ж2,500
Size: Small
Weight: Light
Speed: 16
Armor: 3
Tools: Long-range sensors
Mutations: For standard engines, this ship is unusually fast.
-Larger Coilgun: Luck strikes! You'll be able to scale the existing coilgun up significantly, for the Extra Large Coilgun, even without dallying in that "large coilgun" business. It'll cost Ж10,000 to finalize.
SHIP PERFORMANCE-Wraith's Riders: The Promian Czarship is happy with the Wraithrider-2A, although those in civilian hands are becoming feared as bandito fighters. The Promians claim to have successfully downed a squad of alien craft without being forced to retreat, and that they have gathered together the wreckage of their enemies. However, they aren't showing it to the public. The Wraithrider-1B needs escort or it's easy and valuable prey for banditos, but without competition it remains very popular.
-Unity Shipyards: With its famous race-winning performance, the few Lamprey owners mostly use them as joyriding craft, since they don't really carry passengers or cargo. The Swadian Empire says they have suspicions that some smugglers are using a Lamprey, but they haven't been able to prove it. The Minnow remains popular as the faster passenger craft on the market.
-Kingfisher Ships: You didn't sell many ships last year, and people are becoming a little less familiar with you brand. The Simpleton is seen as a good, reliable fighter for its price, but it's obviously not able to take on more expensive ships.
-Raven's Ships: The Raven-2 often finds itself coming to blows with the Simpleton, between banditos and civilians. Debate persists about which is better, people claiming that either the Raven's speed (it's often able to reliably outmaneuver a Simpleton) or the Simpleton's firepower (a Simpleton can down a Raven-2 in one volley, where the Raven takes 2-4 hits to down its competitor) are more advantageous.
-V.N.C.: The Swadians are very satisfied with the new Sniper drones. Their cheap firepower and relatively competent flight behavior pretty much spells the end of banditos using outdated ships altogether, and a few of them in one place can outmatch the low-price manned ships.
-War Finch Enterprises: The old Warfinch-1A passenger craft are reliable and currently the most affordable transportation available to passengers, but some are starting to show their age. The new Egrets, despite their cost of ownership, are popular as you have the luxury transportation market completely to yourself- Zapp Brannigan's movie PR doesn't hurt either.