Piecewise, remember that research project from before, the one about armor that needed some artifacts? Now that everythi ng is here, could we start that research? Just imagine miya put it on queue before the mission if that's allright (mostly as not to waste more time later on).
Here are the details of it:
"ARESTEVE, I have a research project I need your help with. It will consist of several stages.
Now, the main objective here is to create the next generation of cost-optimized armor, kinda like what battlesuit plate is now. It should strike a balance between defensive capabilities, cost and weight. Battlesuit plate is great and defends against a lot of damage types, but is horribly outdated. Using a combination of existing materials and alien technology that ARM has access to, such as the energy-absorbing sand or that hexagonal material from the planetoid, we might get a more cost-effective solution. ARESTEVE, if you think there are components that are theoretically possible, but would require some R&D first, you can incorporate them as well, and start the necessary research. If any of the alien tech still needs research for reverse engineering, you can begin with that as well. Note that whatever you give me as a result should be producible on Hephaestus, because that's where it'll be fabricated. Once finished, other designers can freely use it to armor their stuff with.
Secondly, I also want you to save the materials/composites that turn out not to have the optimal cost-effectiveness, but that are more potent in their defensive capabilities. Kinda like mythril, but preferably not as excessively expensive. These would used to armor those units where power and weight are more important factors than cost, such as for synthflesh shock troops. Note that if materials already exists that fill a certain niche optimally, then just give me those as a result (no need to reinvent the wheel). This also counts for the other two categories.
Finally, I'm also looking to create a better version of the civic defenders longcoat. For that, I need a material that is cheap enough to stay in the 3-token range, flexible enough to be worn over a Mk.I or standard robobody, and capable of lowering a mission-ending killing blow to something survivable. It doesn't need to make the wearer completely impervious to small-arms, but should be good enough to be useful, and thus a viable purchase for new recruits. It can be reactive armor if that turns out to work best. It should also defend against multiple damage types, unlike the longcoat that only protects against gauss weapons.
After selecting the various components you think will work best, you can start combining them in different ways. For example, one could either mix the anti-laser sand into the hard material against kinetic penetrators, or use small layers of each on top of each other, or use a fine mesh of both materials like a fabric, or whatever composition works best. There are a lot of possibilities here, so take your time.
Practically, this project will consist of three stages. First, use VR simulation to get a rough idea of what would work best, and to bring the list of options down to a few dozen for each category.
Secondly, all the remaining options will be tested in real life using the automated labs. If research into certain materials needs to be done, such as reverse-engineering that hexagonal material, it should also be done now.
Then, a final selection between the top-scoring options for each of the three categories, for which I want you to present me the top-three options for each category. Be sure to include already-existing materials and composites into each stage to test how they measure up.
ARESTEVE, please tell me if there is anything missing with this plan of action or if you foresee problems."
Could you give me the completion date using 1 science crew? And if I use 2, how much faster?
We can begin it now. I'm not sure if there are crews available, but they would speed it up.
((Okay, I ran a search of this thread using "Charles" as the search term, and all that came up was @PyroDesu's post, I am presuming that is everything that I missed and need to know for now, provided that sometime in the interim, the entire planet didn't turn into some kind of colossal manipulator overload and/or Xan-assimilatee.))
I didn't think to consider that aspect, though in hindsight it does seem to be quite a flaw. Indeed, I suppose it would be limited in capacity as a last-resort, or to forcibly override incapacitated, expendable soldiers or to control something like that turret apparatus.
As for this prisoner, is there anything you wish for me to do in particular?
Charles marches over to where the prisoner is. Or more accurately, marches over to the prisoner's general location, making sure to keep out of their cell and "definite murder radius". Remaining outside of the "probable murder radius" as well would be preferable, but past experience seems to indicate that the area covered by the average person is apparently the size of an entire damn solar system. He observes the prisoner, examining their features and current behavior if possible.
Which prisoner? Headless or our favorite suicide bomber?
Alright. We still have to work out how exactly all this rental stuff will work, but we can always set up a Booth in the Armory which would handle the attaching and such.
Yeah, we should get on that sometime. Does the Council have any input on this?
We have my original idea where there is no rent cost as such, but every module has a "tier" of a sort, and can only be equipped when a suitable tier of license is purchased. License is either downgraded or revoked if modules end up destroyed or lost, requiring its re-purchase. The suit is customizable with the use of an assembly stand that both dispenses and attaches/detaches the suit modules, costing one or two tokens per use. Modules are very hard to remove without it, tampering with the modules leads to revoked license.
We also have the system PW offhandedly proposed, where modules can be leased at half their regular token cost, with the option of full purchase. The assembly stand is still a requirement, costing a token or two per use, plus/minus the difference in lease cost between the modules selected and the modules already equipped. In this system fully purchased modules can be exchanged at no cost, and can be modified with no repercussions as long as they either remain compatible with the MACS, or aren't used with it again. Losing or destroying a module results in the user being "in debt" to the Armory, for the remaining half of the module's full cost, and cannot make any purchases there, MACS or otherwise, until that debt is paid off.
Which would be better? (or which would be easiest to modify to work best?)
So what are the maximum angles and movements the computer will allow? Will it let someone go superman or are we basically talking short leaps, hovering, everything very safe and vertical.
I'd say normally it'll keep the user safe. Jump, hover, change altitude, land. No acrobatics - that's the default automatic control. Kinda like the jumpboot upgrade for the MECs in XCOM:Enemy Within, if you played that, mostly for navigating the terrain. There should still be an "expert" option, for manual controls. For maneuvering in space, for instance, or if you really do need to fly away as quickly as possible. Can come with an extra Dex check or something, I don't know.
Does sharpening their knives count?
I'm gonna have a conversation with them for a while and get back to you, so I don't give false impressions of what is possible while they wail and gnash their teeth in the background.
Alright, that seems fine. Word of warning, it might happen where they are "Locked" in a jump from one place to another and can't maneuver during it.
*generic reminder to the council that I want to know their price for the pudgy robobody*
Also, Sean/Radio/Pyro/anyone else who can come up with good research projects and doesn't have a massively inflated post already, all three science crews are Idle now. Just FYI.
Hephaestus administration things:
1.You said we could upgrade the general production power of hephaestus if we assigned a construction crew on it, and turned off the fleshpits? We have a ready construction crew now, so start the upgrading.
2.Order a third Biochemical forge to be constructed.
3.Pester Simus with messages explaining what I'm doing and why, while asking for permission (then doing it anyway when she doesn't respond). Also tell her not to get my body dirty or damaged while using it.
4.What stuff will we need to do once the current stage of the Spess Magick facility is finished? What can we start doing now?
5.You've given a list of armor types before. Can you share that with us? I'd like to know what different grades of armor already exist.
Other stuff:
6.I've been curious about this for awhile, but can we heph people ever level up? Maybe through dedicating turns to training or something?
7.Sods- what's their str score, for wielding weapons? I'd think that they would have five, due to their description, but then we saw a sod during the defense that was using an exoskeleton to wield a cutting laser, which has a str requirement of five. Does that mean sods can't wield Sean's Spektr (str:5), or my Testament (str:4), without mechanical assistance? QQ
Done. That will take a while. Give it 3 weeks.
A month
Pestering Simus, against your better judgement.
Right now it's mostly just blasting and digging. Once a place is set, they'll build the the general building and then the more advanced stuff will need to be imported. We're going to need Human germ cells, reproductive cells. Sperm and eggs, specifically. Nothing cloned either, just good old fashion home grown ones. Preferably ones that haven't been in stasis too much or exposed to too much radiation or...general stuff like that. That should be easy.
We'll also need a fuck ton of material. Any material. Doesn't matter. Just need mass. A planet's worth at least. We could just use a planet, I suppose, but in that case we have to pick one.
Could also manufacture the spears, if you have a very VERY fine manufacturing plant.
Where did I give this before? I don't remember doing that.
Wait for it...I can't give you missions until there are things to fuck up and there's been nothing to fuck up yet besides the fleshhorror.
Their str is something pretty high. Assume they have at least 15 for the +1 bonus. They're big dudes after all. They only wore exoskeletons because, well, why not? Even if you can use a heavy weapon, why not make it easier if you can.
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Topic: Hephaestus No Longer Exists: Crater thread. (Read 190833 times)