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[Sheb]

Hehe, if that is all you require for a resident rocket expert, we're in deep shit. Granted, rocket science isn't exactly rocket science, but still. 

Spoiler: BDB-1 (click to show/hide)

Mass-produced, simple, large rockets. Each stage got a single, large engine and make use of simple technologies. (Pressure-fed engines instead of turbopumps). The first stage is RP-1/Oxygen, the second stage is Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen. Every component is build with large safety margin so it can be made from cheaper, industrial-grade materials rather than spce-grade component.

It can carry 120 tons to LEO, allowing to be used for Moon missions, or launching bunches of sattelites at once.

I wonder iw we should go full Sea Dragon and asked for sea launches.

Edit: Of course BDB don't go to the moon. They just put a crapton of stuff in orbit. Like a spaceship to go to the moon, orbital missile platforms, or whatever.

[notquitethere]

From the OP "Get espionage points by monitoring your enemy."

Gunin clarified in pms:

You need intel before you can perform espionage actions. Take pictures of the enemy's territory, capture his latest comsats and learn his radio frequencies and radar wavelengths, take astronauts and pilots prisoner.

Still, I'd rather have men on the moon than sneaky spies.


Rocket looks good, Chief Rocket Designer Sheb. Fast design turnaround is what makes our nation great.

[Happerry]

Hehe, if that is all you require for a resident rocket expert, we're in deep shit. Granted, rocket science isn't exactly rocket science, but still. 

Spoiler: BDB-1 (click to show/hide)

Mass-produced, simple, large rockets. Each stage got a single, large engine and make use of simple technologies. (Pressure-fed engines instead of turbopumps). The first stage is RP-1/Oxygen, the second stage is Liquid Hydrogen/Oxygen. Every component is build with large safety margin so it can be made from cheaper, industrial-grade materials rather than spce-grade component.

It can carry 120 tons to LEO, allowing to be used for Moon missions, or launching bunches of sattelites at once.

I wonder iw we should go full Sea Dragon and asked for sea launches.

Edit: Of course BDB don't go to the moon. They just put a crapton of stuff in orbit. Like a spaceship to go to the moon, orbital missile platforms, or whatever.

Right, changing vote to this, the BDB-1.

[10ebbor10]

I don't really agree that the Big Dumb booster is what we need, or is usefull.

1) This game's resource system will make it very expensive or worse simply because of it's size.
2) Our bonus helps us reduce expense, but we can't change the expense caused by the rocket's size.
3) One big rocket means one big target for the enemy. Multiple smaller rockets are a safer option

Also, a minor issue, it doesn't follow the naming convention

A few more issues with designing a rocket now :

1) We have nothing to launch
2) Anything big we launch will be shot down by more numerous enemies

[notquitethere]

I thought we were the more numerous ones?

Also, unless we can modify our capsules in a clever way, we can't build something to land on the moon and something to send it into space at the same time so we'll have to pick one.

Alternative would just be to focus on spying and let Oceania waste turns on moon plans that we can later steal, but knowing them they'll waste their design time on an even shinier handgun.

[Sheb]

Well, to be honest, it makes sense to go after something else, I don't think launch is a bottle neck. What is our objective right now?

[notquitethere]

Ultimately we need to keep our eyes fixed on the overall goal. It's no use winning battles if we can't win the war. Here's how we stand in each of the zones of control, I'd appreciate any added input from my fellow designers here for things I've missed.

East Upper Atmosphere (1-4): 1 Chemical, 1 Ore / West Upper Atmosphere (5-0): 1 Chemical, 1 Ore
We now have air superiority which will allow us to slowly gain ground here but they are likely to think of counter measures to our current weapon-set. Right now, their surface-to-air missiles are giving us the most trouble and our jet fighter surveillance powers are weak.

Short Term Solutions: A counter to the surface-to-air missiles, better climbing ability/a fix for the disintegration issue

Long Term Solutions: Next generation jet fighters or jet fighter weapons, cameras for the jet fighters

East LEO (3-0): 3 Chemicals (1 resource/CP) / West LEO (1-2): 3 Ore (1 resource/CP)
Our ASAT weaponry is good at taking out satellites but it needs work to be able to effectively target capsules. The missiles fired from their Sunrise sats are giving us problems. Our ASAT's are doing a good job but it's likely they'll find a counter to them in time.

Short Term Solutions: Improvements in manoeuvrability and targeting systems, radio jamming technology to prevent the sunrise sats being activated, weapons for our military satellites.

Long Term Solutions: Advanced LEO satellite defence and offence systems, new kinds of satellites that they aren't currently thinking of ways to counter

Moon (0-0): 2 Ore (1 resource/2 CPs)
Nobody has the moon yet. We need to get there and also prevent them from getting there and hold it when we get there. They've got a rocket interceptors and fancy handguns.

Short term solutions: We need (at minimum): a rocket, a space ship

Long term solutions: moon bases, moon-based weaponry, anti-interceptor tech


We've got a lot to work on and it makes sense to prioritise developing:

- Broadly useful technologies over specialised fixes
- Technologies that help us achieve superiority in multiple zones of control simultaneously
- Novel technologies that exploit the hardest-to-fix weaknesses of our enemy

Currently we currently have momentum in this war, Oceania will be acting reactively. We need to act proactively, with tech that develops on our current advantages, counters their advantages and creates new advantages.

[10ebbor10]

On a side note, would moonprobes count as lunar control?

[Sheb]

Could be...

What if we design some kind of missile sattelite. Then we can always revise some kind of bus to take it to lunar orbit.

[notquitethere]

Oceania have all their eggs in the radar basket, so we exploit this with a proactive measure:

Spoiler: Type 30 Stealth Attack Aircraft (click to show/hide)

An attack aircraft with an unusual faceted shape designed to minimise its radar cross-section. Instability of design is controlled for by extensive use of GNC for fly-by-wire flight. It is armed solely with an large payload of Type 600 ARM, relying on its anti-radar features to avoid in-air combat. It is also equipped with the high-power photographing technology originally developed for the USSA spy satellites.

[Sheb]

Not a bad idea, but won't help outside the atmosphere.

If we totally control the atmosphere, can we "cut them out" of LEO?

[notquitethere]

Not a bad idea, but won't help outside the atmosphere.

If we totally control the atmosphere, can we "cut them out" of LEO?

Sure, we'd need to do something for LEO in the revision phase if we went with the bomber. Would any of our current missiles work for our military sats or would we need to develop yet another type of missile?

[Sheb]

Well, if we had a space-borne platform, we could I guess use the latter stages of the ASAT 700

[notquitethere]

If we take enough of their control points, their tech will be too expensive to deploy/replace. They're already suffering due to the high expense of their systems. We have 3 zones to capture in the atmosphere and two in LEO. If they spend all the turns getting to the moon, then by that time we will be able to gain decisive advantage elsewhere which will functionally lock them out.

We could revise our military sats to shoot (modified?) Type 700s in much the same way that Oceania's sats can shoot their Crowmurder missiles.

[10ebbor10]

Not much point in making our sats fire missiles. We have way more jet fighters than we have rockets to launch sattelites.