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[Chiefwaffles]

Core Thread

It is clear that Amaok's blatant actions of war require a strong reaction by Moerth.
After spacing firing off the former engineers and designers, Central Command has turned to you. Chosen from a particularly strange group of people that were still frozen, your new responsibilities are to ensure the victory of Moerth over Amaok via any means necessary. Through designs, of course.

It is the year 2206, some fairly small number of years since arrival. You are assembled at the Central Command of Moerth - a giant fortified complex placed in the center of Moerth's capital. Truly, a wondrous feat of Moerth engineering. The room is way too brightly lit, a table lies in the center and even some papers have found their way in here. Computers dot the walls and lesser staff members stand ready to satisfy your orders.

This is an Arms Race game, ripped off inspired by primarily Sensei's Arms Race and the many other games based on it. It has my own twists on it, of course. Players join a side and create designs to help them win in battles against another side with players in it.
For rules, please see the Core thread.

Spoiler: Starting Designs (click to show/hide)

Interplanetary Transport Craft: A primitive “shuttle” capable of carrying a unit and basic equipment to another planet. It’s quite large, and built completely in space. Docked to it are SSTO rocket shuttles designed with just enough fuel to carry things to/from planetside and return. However, the lack of large empty spaces in the shuttle and craft as well as limited fuel in the rocket shuttles means it can’t carry “heavy” things. The ITC relies on efficient chemical engines for thrust and powers essential systems via solar panels. While it can still carry units, the ITC cannot carry any item with a minimum weight above 1 CU.
Cargo: 4 CU
Expense: 3x
Resources: Metal, Exotics

Printed Pistol: A basic pistol that’s created via advanced 3d-printing techniques, making it very cheap. Unfortunately, its benefits stop there. It’s uncomfortable to use, inaccurate, works at short ranges, and fires very weak rounds. Fortunately, these rounds are still enough to puncture the basic suits and unarmored clothing used by soldiers on the field. Very light. Unreliable.
Weight: 1 CU = 10x
Expense: Unlimited

X112 Space Suit - A bulky space suit originally designed for the vacuum of space. It’s relatively flexible compared to spacesuits used by earlier space agencies such as NASA, but greatly restricts agility. Its complete lack of armor doesn’t help either. Luckily it’s cheap to produce.
Weight: 1 CU = 3x
Expense: Unlimited

Kevlar Armor & Uniform: Very basic thin-layered and light-weight partial Kevlar armor. Not even a helmet is included. This armor was originally used for security personnel sent with the colonies. It cannot be used in conjunction with regular armor. The facilities for producing Kevlar are still very limited in the colonies, making this armor a luxury.
Weight: 1 CU = 5x
Expense: 1x
Resources: Metal

Radio: Communications are done via basic radio systems. However, the size required means units would have to lug expensive radio systems to planets with them in order to communicate with Central Command back at their homeworld.
Weight: 2 CU = 1x
Expense: 2x
Resources: Metal

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Planets
[Unclaimed] A1 - 1 Metal
[Unclaimed] A2 - 1 Exotic
[Unclaimed] A3 - 1 Metal
[Unclaimed] B1 - Nothing
[Unclaimed] B2 - Nothing
[Unclaimed] C1 - 1 Metal
[Unclaimed] C2 - 1 Exotic
[Unclaimed] C3 - 1 Metal

Spoiler: Production Lines (click to show/hide)

Production Line 1: Interplanetary Transport Craft (3/3)
Production Line 2: Printed Pistol (Unlimited)
Production Line 3: X112 Space Suit (Unlimited)
Production Line 4: Kevlar Armor & Uniform (1/1)
Production Line 5: Radio (2/2)
Production Line 6:
Production Line 7:
Production Line 8:
Production Line 9:
Production Line 10:

Spoiler: Units (click to show/hide)

Unit 1:
Equipped: Nothing
Location: Moerth

Unit 2:
Equipped: Nothing
Location: Moerth

Unit 3:
Equipped: Nothing
Location: Moerth

Unit 4:
Equipped: Nothing
Location: Moerth

Unit 5:
Equipped: Nothing
Location: Moerth

Spoiler: Transports (click to show/hide)

Interplanetary Transport Craft 1: Unassigned
Interplanetary Transport Craft 2: Unassigned
Interplanetary Transport Craft 3: Unassigned

It is now the Design Phase of 2206.

[ZBridges]

PTW

[Shadowclaw777]

(I don't know how creative our ideas can be in a FTL setting with the factor that we may have developed interplanetary transportation, but we like basic military technologies like rifles, military coordination, basic vehicles, etc.)
Let's start with something innovative so let's try to develop; DE Pistol, where DE stands for Directed Energy

The research into Directed Energy for combative forms will start like this, by utilizing high-capacity batteries that will be modulated into a clip for the pistol. It will give us enough energy capacity to exert out directed bolts of energy that would be "laser-like" and be able to penetrate basic Kevlar armour. The energy could easily be exerted from a pistol trigger by the process and circulation of the energy from the pistol's barrel to shoot out lasers. The pistol will be designed to be semi-automatic.

[Draignean]

Err, we have difficulty making Kevlar at the moment. Directed energy weapons seems... a bit of a reach. It might not be, I'm just not sure we can go with POS pistols to blasters instantly.

They have limited infrastructure and while they have quite a bit of information and data roughly resembling today's Earth

That in mind, I'll suggest something less innovative and more basic. We'll see where this goes.

Akhsoyrtam* Printers
Refinements to 3D printing technology with existing materials to create printers capable of printing components to other, larger, printers. Thus, a printer only capable of making objects that fit in a breadbox can make a printer capable of printing bike, which can make a printer capable of printing a car frame, which can make a printer capable of printing an airframe, which can make a printer capable of printing a shuttle bulkhead. Only simple human assembly, plug and play, is required to get the new devices working.

*Matryoshka, backwards.

[Supernerd]

So let me get this straight. We can move between planets but we can't make a decent weapon? This is a horrific demonstration of a lack of imagination.

I propose the construction of Explosive Munitions. By simply re-purposing starship fuel into a compact shell and adding a small... _{3D printed}... igniter that triggers on heavy impact, we can increase the lethality of our weapons. The added explosive property to our 3D printed guns will reduce the necessity of a perfectly aimed shot, and this technology will continue to be relevant when we are able to produce better firearms.

[Detoxicated]

Akhsoyrtam* Printers (1): Detoxicated

I say we push towards A2 strategy wise, so pushing towards tech that aids this course would be neat. I say we try the explosive munitions at the revision.
Next turn we should definitely do the pistol idea. That technology of DE seems very useful to me. We could try to use it to create propulsion technology, eventually giving us the ability to have
hover jetpack space suits. In the other direction we could use it to create heavy weaponry for space combat. I still feel though, setting up a proper industry like the Akhsoyrtam Printers will boon us for everything in the long run.

[10ebbor10]

Uhm.

This is our transport.

It cannot carry any item with a minimum weight above 1 CU.

Every design has a CU level. A Unit has a CU level of 2, and 1 Resource has a CU level of 3.

Our current transports can not move our own forces. We can send guns, but not troops.

Interplanetary Military Transport

An upgraded Transport vessel, capable of deploying units with weight up to 3 CU at once to a planet. It's fairly slow, but comes with a very basuc self defense package.

[Chiefwaffles]

_goddamnit
The Interplanetary Transport Craft's individual weight limit makes an exception for Units, as that was its original intention - transporting personnel. However, the lack of proper cargo bays on the ITC means large items with individual weights above 1 CU can't be effectively stowed on board.

The ITC is essentially a civilian personnel transport craft that can fit cargo in spaces where people aren't located in. The description of the ITC will be updated to reflect this, as the omission of an exception for Units in the description was an error from editing the posts.

[NUKE9.13]

So, uh, obviously our first priority is better spaceships. Controlling the orbit of a planet is what really matters, after all.

Interplanetary Makeshift Warship (Mk I): Take the design of the ITC. Strip out unnecessary civilian systems. Replace them with launchers capable of launching guided explosive missiles. We also reinforce the hull to the point that it is at the very least resistant to small arms fire.
These 'Warships' will be capable of destroying any Amoakian ships that get in their way, allowing us to control interplanetary space. They will not have any transport capacity, as all available space is given over to military systems.

_goddamnit
The Interplanetary Transport Craft's individual weight limit makes an exception for Units, as that was its original intention - transporting personnel. However, the lack of proper cargo bays on the ITC means large items with individual weights above 1 CU can't be effectively stowed on board.

The ITC is essentially a civilian personnel transport craft that can fit cargo in spaces where people aren't located in. The description of the ITC will be updated to reflect this, as the omission of an exception for Units in the description was an error from editing the posts.

Does that mean we also cannot take our radios anywhere, since they take up 2 CU?


So anyway, about our tactics. As it stands, our current transports can move two units each- but those two units would be entirely unarmed. If I'm reading it correctly, a unit with a Printed Pistol and X112 spacesuit takes up 2.3 2.43 CU.
We could use two ships to transport 3 units at a time- the first ship with two unarmed units in it, the second ship with one unit and all the equipment (4 CU and 3.3 CU)

As I see it, what we should do tactically is move three units in two ships to capture a resource-bearing world- preferably one we reckon they might also attack, because if they send 1 unit and we send 3, we win- and 1 unit to capture the 'worthless' planet of B2. If they choose to go after resources only, we can capture B2 uncontested, after which it will take them a minimum of 4 turns to retake it. Having a planet right next to their homeworld will put pressure on them, making them act recklessly.

[Chiefwaffles]

Does that mean we also cannot take our radios anywhere, since they take up 2 CU?

Yup.
The radios strong enough to transmit/receive reliably in the required distances are too heavy to fit on the ITC. But Units are independent enough to be able to function well without direct orders, and can get by fine with messaging by convoys. Keep in mind that the radios listed in your designs are just the long-distance ones; short-range radios and similar communication means still allow Units to coordinate without a problem.

So when lacking a radio, Units shipped to other planets tend to operate via general standing orders and their own command structure.

[Felissan]

Akhsoyrtam* Printers (2): Detoxicated, Felissan

[NUKE9.13]

Akhsoyrtam* Printers (2): Detoxicated, Felissan
Interplanetary Makeshift Warship (1): NUKE9.13

So, about the printers. What do we hope to gain from them? I get that they might be able to make a bunch of stuff cheaper, but unless they can print kevlar, we have nothing to print with them at the moment. We could (maybe, if we roll well) print more ships... but our current ships are useless.

[10ebbor10]

Akhsoyrtam* Printers (2): Detoxicated, Felissan
Interplanetary Makeshift Warship (2): NUKE9.13, 10ebbor10

Half our production lines are unused. We don't need printers.

[Draignean]

For the moment, you're quite right, but I would like to make better printing as one of our long term goals.

However, wouldn't it be a good idea to design some kind of gun other than a pistol before we build a 'warship'?

[NUKE9.13]

However, wouldn't it be a good idea to design some kind of gun other than a pistol before we build a 'warship'?

Well, controlling orbit is a requirement for capturing a planet. If they don't create a warship of their own, we will be able to crush their ITCs, and possibly provide some (very basic) orbital bombardment. I'm assuming the ITC is not fast or agile enough to avoid getting caught, so setting up a blockade of IMWs will prevent them from landing any reinforcements whatsoever.

I was thinking of using our revision to improve on our pistol. And, yeah, if they design a rifle our forces are going to be outmatched. But hopefully we will outnumber them due to our blockades.

That said, I wouldn't mind if we designed a rifle this turn.