Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[VoidSlayer]

Crystalclad for expense credit.

While I dislike the Equalizer in general, I think it will always be too expensive to be worth it and it amounts to trying to crush our enemies with expensive diamonds, working on different round types will be useful knowledge.

SO2-AM Equalizer

REVISION
4 - SO2-AM Equalizer: Andres, Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, voidslayer
1 - Giant Mutant Falcons: Kadzar

MYARK
3 - Jungle: Andres, Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Kadzar

EXPENSE CREDIT:
2 - Frost Towers: Andres, Chiefwaffles
2 - Crystalclad: FallacyofUrist, voidslayer

[Chiefwaffles]

Again, the Crystalclad is just a temporary design. We know that we'll always have the frost towers.

Also, some notes for what to do to improve naval combat:
1.) Better HA1 firing (One of the reasons it's not on the Crystalclad is the fact that it requires 3 apprentices to fire.)
2.) Magegem Battery (Assuming it's not on the Crystalclad. Could help with above and other factors)
3.) No capsizing
4.) No slippery floors
5.) Entirely indoors. Including weapons.
6.) And more.
We should probably make a new design for all this at some point instead of doing each in a revision. That's why we shouldn't use the Expense credit on it. At least save the expense credit if you don't want it going to the Frost Towers.

@Kadzar: We should definitely do that revision in the near future.


Miscellaneous note:
Future Design: SPB2-U "Hunter"

Our boats will always suffer from being shot at. But we can remove that annoyance!
The SPB2-U "Hunter" uses an innovational chamber inside the hull filled with gases (that we have experience with thanks to all we've done with steam) or water. We can manipulate this using a smaller steam engine to pump water in/out of the chamber. By including this with an entirely-indoors interior and completely watertight hull, we can make a boat that sails underwater completely.

The design requires some kind of underwater weapon. Either torpedoes or something else that can fire underwater.

[FallacyofUrist]

Why submarines when we can have war dolphins, or war whales, or preferably dolphin men... or a kraken? Seriously, we should do a kraken.

I can see your points on the Frost Towers expense credit. Before I change my vote, though, you think we wouldn't keep the bonus if we revised the Crystalclad, and do you think we won't ever come up with a replacement for the Frost Towers?

[Andres]

Before I change my vote, though, you think we wouldn't keep the bonus if we revised the Crystalclad, and do you think we won't ever come up with a replacement for the Frost Towers?

1. We're probably going to design a new ship rather than revise the crystalclad, which is why we don't want to apply the Expense credit to it.
2. For a weather-altering apparatus, there's nothing better than the frost towers, or at the very least nothing so much better than the frost towers that it's worth using a Design on that instead of something else. Meanwhile, there are many ways we can improve the crystalclad and then many further ways we can improve the improvement.

Glory to Arstotzka.

[RAM]

REVISION
4 - SO2-AM Equalizer: Andres, Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, voidslayer
1 - Giant Mutant Falcons: Kadzar
0 - School of hard rocks

MYARK
3 - Jungle: Andres, Chiefwaffles, FallacyofUrist, Kadzar

EXPENSE CREDIT:
3 - Frost Towers: Andres, Chiefwaffles, RAM
2 - Crystalclad: FallacyofUrist, voidslayer

[/quote]

[evictedSaint]

Revision: SO2-AM Equalizer [4]

The new SO2-AM fixes multiple complications with the previous design.

We can't exactly make an anti-magic crystal large enough to make an entire shell, but we can fix the design of the shell into one that won't break and jam or cost ludicrous amounts of cash.  The new design features a number of anti-magic gems in the core of the shell, all linked together with a crystal wire to a nickel circuit.  A small AAA magegem powers the circuit, but due to the small size it must be inserted just before firing to ensure the internal juice doesn't wind down before it's sent off.  The AAA gem powers the circuit, which keeps the magegems "off" - at least, until the battery is spent.  Once the circuit is no longer keeping the anti-magic field suppressed it turns back on in full-force.  This crude "timing circuit" keeps the shell inert while being fired, only turning on once the battery runs out - hopefully down range.  If the battery is run down before firing, the field will prevent the attending apprentices from firing their PSF charges and the shell will need to go through a lengthy removal process before the cannon can be used again.  This shell is designed specifically for our HA1 artillery.

The improved, clever design cuts down on wasted anti-magic gems and lowers the cost from National Effort to Very Expensive.

[Chiefwaffles]

Huh. Cool.
The HA1 restriction is annoying but our Crystalclads should still easily win at sea. However, this revision does actually give us a ton of very useful experience. Priming mechanisms, timers, general small integrated circuitry (we have an AAA battery powering a timer circuit that we use as a priming mechanism!) and other experience needed for shells.

[VoidSlayer]

Can we make timing circuit fireball shells next turn?  We might even get more range if they are lighter but explode when they hit.

[helmacon]

We ought to use threvison next turn to make our flare wands run on magegems. It would save us a lot of apprentices, and make them more
commonly usable.

[RAM]

We ought to use threvison next turn to make our flare wands run on magegems. It would save us a lot of apprentices, and make them more
commonly usable.

And would give them to trained cavalry and scouts rather than support elements.

[Chiefwaffles]

This feels necessary, really. Either that or independently design/revise our steam engines and weapons to accept Magegems.
Future Revision: Magegem Tech
We refit all magitech - HA1, HC1-E, and the steam engine - to be able to accept power from crystal conduits and to have slots for magegems of any size (regardless of how effective that size would be). In addition, we make some minor revisions to the circuitry where necessary to be able to accept this power for all of its operation (assuming there's enough) instead of relying on a mage to cast the spell.
The desired result is all our tech being able to operate without a mage as long as they're connected to power via crystal conduit or Magegem.


You know what I also want? Giant powered artillery emplacements, with power being routed to them by a power generator. Would make our fortifications a lot stronger. Actually, on that note...

Future Design: Aethergem
We've done some research into the way our mages harness new magical power from seemingly thin air.
Their families have been compensated well.

We still have a very paltry understanding of it, but we believe it's enough to work. Through careful spells, we can imbue a Magegem with a mild power to generate magical energy autonomously. The generation rate is quite slow and is clearly beaten by the raw power of the lowliest apprentice, but it's a huge breakthrough.
With the Aethergem, our creations can no longer require mages. They work exactly the same as Magegems in every way but their ability to create power. So with an AA-sized magegem fit into a cannon, that cannon will be able to recharge without a mage present.

Of course, mages are still good things to have. With our weaponry, Aethergems don't immediately recharge - it can take quite a while for a Magegem to charge enough to power a shot or whatnot. But they can still be recharged by mages. But think of the possibilities - we can wire tons of Aethergems in series to create a kind of power plant and connect it to our weapons and magitech. We can issue our troops Aethergems to use where needed and store on their person while recharging. If we ever develop magic rifles, our troops' ammunition doesn't have to be restocked and they can use their weapon indefinitely in the field. Our Crystalclads could operate with zero mages. And much, much more.

If their prices match those of our Magegems, Aethergems shall completely phase out Magegems. Otherwise, those who can be given Aethergems shall, to allow (even more but still present) limited operation in our magitech without a wizard presence.

[andrea]

I don't believe aethergems will supplant magegems entirely for a simple reason: it really seems like they would not work within an antimagic field.
But they would be an useful addition indeed!

speaking of that, why not cheaper magegems? considering that they can be wired together to achieve better power, cheaper AAA gems might allow the fireball effect we want on shells. and while they will be revised, I don't think we will ever stop using them.
Or we could save up the expense credit until we have something that truly needs it. Crystalclad seems already at a good expense level, honestly.

[VoidSlayer]

Okay bear with me on this.

We train our falcons to cast spells.

[RAM]

Okay bear with me on this.

We train our falcons to cast spells.

I, umm, well, okay. The obvious answer is that you are being brazenly ridiculous. We have a dificult enough time training humans to use magic. But then one realises, we already have experience is explicitly training magic, with a facility, and explicitly training falcons. It would take a design, at least, but having formulated a formalissed magic curriculum, we can probably direct magic through falcons in a manner that grantes them awareness of magic, and can probably train them to behave on command in a way that manifests magic. Of course, this wouldn't be nexcessary if we had gone with the summoning route and just summoned things that laready knew how to breath fire, but the point is that we do have the correct fields of expertise...

[VoidSlayer]

I was more thinking a spell where our mages could mind bond to the falcons and take control of them directly, then draw on mage gem batteries for the power while doing like bird poses to control the magic.  As a bonus they could be used as scouts and use advanced human intelligence combat tactics.

Imagine the surprise when one of the falcons fires a mini fireball.

We would have to give up the antimagic charms on the controlled falcons though.