Topic: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth (Read 159557 times)

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #2310 on:** January 22, 2018, 04:37:01 pm »

Quote from: vote

Plan A: (4) 10ebbor10, Andrea, Tack, NUKE9.13

Sounds good.

Madman198237 · « **Reply #2311 on:** January 22, 2018, 04:37:47 pm »

Quote from: vote

Plan A: (5) 10ebbor10, Andrea, Tack, NUKE9.13, Madman

Fine, I'll stop being lazy.

Draignean · « **Reply #2312 on:** January 23, 2018, 02:30:37 pm »

Three Captains

The pirate scout sent to three captains is able to set up shop and find a good angle to observe the Kasgyrite fleet movements. It actually seems that their fleet buildup in the area has ceased and reversed, as the scout is only able to count three skiffs and two vipers on patrol.

Inside the Three Captains

The marines inside the Three captains have basically fortified their front line to the highest extend and now work to create fall back positions in the event the frontal defenses are broken. It's boring work, but it beats getting shot.

Spire Kasgyre

Once more, there is no report from the skiff sent to investigate Spire Kasgyre.

The Wrackspire

Inside the Spire

In the absence of other orders, the marines pull up their big boy (or big girl) panties and march on.

Things do not get better when the marines reach the land bridge, in fact they get much worse. How much worse is debatable, since the last report that comes back is from a common marine, not an officer. The gist of is that there was an ambush at the land bridge, perpetrated by "men of metal". The soldier waxes poetical about how ineffective cutlasses were, using profanity to emphasize the point as only marines can, and notes that most of his fellow marines were cut down by aether fire at a distance, and those few brave enough to charge were eviscerated by the metal men in close quarters.

His description are vague and imprecise, and he mostly just wants to get a transported redirected to evacuate the few remaining soldiers.

Confirmed Losses: Squad B-B, 75% of Squad B-A.

You have failed to gain ground at the Wrackspire

Burned Mountain

The expected report of the Batholith passing through burned mountain never comes, and military officials fear the worst.

Presumed Lost: WOSV Batholith

The Unfinished

The Chimera and six comets arrive together at the Unfinished, finding its airspace empty of kasgyrite activity. The Shibboleth arrives and disgorges another half-hundred marines for the Master's pleasure.

Spire Wreth

The Marge arrives home.

Two additional comets and two additional squads of ~~kibble~~ marines have been produced. In addition, the first Windrider of the new line has been brought into service.

Event: War Must End

For this event, I want you to write your most persuasive argument for why your side should give up the pursuance of war and strive instead for a quick peace. This is not an argument for "BLITZ THE ENEMY SCUM, THAT'LL GIVE US PEACE", but something more like this. This is an argument for why the war is an evil thing, and why your spire would be so much better without it.

The side with the most persuasive argument will be awarded with the ability to take an advantage roll on one design, for both the project and prototype rolls.

It is the beginning of the year 374 AR.

Spire Wreth's Production Stands At,
13(+8)/y Crystal, 29/65 Banked
19/y Ore, 33/95 banked
19(+6)/y Wood, 30/95 banked
10/y Silk, 10/50 banked

It is now the design and project maintenance phase. You have 5 dice to spend.

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Ships (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Infantry (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Misc. Goods (click to show/hide)

Current Technology

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #2313 on:** January 23, 2018, 03:30:55 pm »

Quote from: Vote Box

One die to EMERALD, spending 7C 3O: (1) NUKE9.13

I mean, obviously Kasgyr is gonna take a week to figure their stuff out, but that's no excuse for us to be tardy with our votes.

milo christiansen · « **Reply #2314 on:** January 23, 2018, 04:50:52 pm »

Quote from: Vote Box

One die to EMERALD, spending 7C 3O: (2) NUKE9.13, Milo

Sounds good.

In any case, here is my (first?) entry for the event.

Quote from: Wreth Department of Archives and Bookkeeping: Internal Memo #853850673629057

It has come to the attention of the Director that productivity is at an all-time low. Many loyal servants of the Department are now required to make and file extra duplicates in case of archive damage, forms that were formerly rarely used are now common, and the segment of the archive dedicated to the Department of Defense and Forced Acquisition is growing at an explosive rate.

Most of the sub-department heads are of the opinion that more manpower can solve these issues, but a few hold to the novel idea that peace with Kasgyre is a longer term solution. This memo explores this idea, listing pros and cons in detail.

The first and most obvious argument in favor of seeking a peace treaty, is that with peace all would go back to the way it was before. This would mean our Glorious Spire could return to the well-oiled procedures and carefully planned bureaucracy that served us so well before the war. True, a new generation is rising that is accustomed to the new order, but those who remember both agree that things operated much more smoothly before the war. To this end, peace is likely the swiftest way to return the bureaucracy to its proper path.

There is a popular argument that rather than consider peace, we should push forward and end the war more quickly. Our colleagues in the Department of Defense and Forced Acquisition would like to let the holders of this opinion know that they are already doing all that they can without risking the safety of our Glorious Spire to an unacceptable degree. Pushing for a total victory would greatly expand the influence of our departments, but not without risk. Should the unthinkable happen, and Kasgyre fields a new tech we are not able to match in time, it could be possible that the current situation would become much worse. Clearly a total victory will take a great deal of time and no small risk, leaving peace as a safe and fast option.

The volume of incoming documents from the Department of Manufacturing and Shipbuilding has reached levels unimaginable before the war. Department head meetings have brought complaints from them about constant need to replace ships long before their scheduled replacement. In a similar vein, the Department of Training and Personnel is having issues with producing enough ship crews to man the new production. These are but a small part of the problems in the entire supply chain. Constant resource shortages caused by the need to quickly make up unplanned loses are crippling the projected spire infrastructure expansion plans finalized before the war. Continuing to push Kasgyre back will only make these issues worse as time goes on, where an immediate peace would allow us to get back on track in 17.89 years (as of last calculation).

The main downside to peace that its opponents cite is the fact that it will remove our chance to bring more spires under Wreth control. This is a valid concern, however current projections are that with the current holding, we have enough resources to last 649.36 years with projected expansion in surveyed deposits alone, and many times that in unsurveyed deposits. Living space is also not an issue, as with current growth rates Wreth and the local spires will not need more residential areas excavated for 11.42 years, and at that time mining will have cleared enough area to handle further increase. It is projected that with planned mining efforts resources and population will not be a problem for at least 5000 years. At this point, more spires only provide more easy-to-reach deposits vital to increasing production as needed by the war. Without the war, all needs will be more than adequately supplied by current holdings.

In short, manpower and production are stretched enough keeping up with the needs of the war, and the increased documentation requirements are adding even more strain. More manpower would help with the latter, but only at the cost of worsening the former. Peace would neatly solve both issues, and so it is the opion of the Directorate that it should be at least attempted.

The greatest obstacle to peace is likely Kasgyre. The Spider Queen's subjects are unlikely to give up their crusade against the peaceful bureaucrats of Wreth, however, we must try.

Tack · « **Reply #2315 on:** January 23, 2018, 05:07:50 pm »

You want us to make a speech rivalling that of Chaplin's Great Dictator?
You're a terrifying human being Draig.

Draignean · « **Reply #2316 on:** January 23, 2018, 05:09:35 pm »

Quote from: Tack on January 23, 2018, 05:07:50 pm

You want us to make a speech rivalling that of Chaplin's Great Dictator?
You're a terrifying human being Draig.

No, though I'd be terribly impressed. I just want to make a very clear difference between the 'why we fight' contest that occurred earlier.

Tack · « **Reply #2317 on:** January 23, 2018, 05:36:16 pm »

Well I just finished a shift at work and currently am having trouble understanding human speech so sure let's give it a whirl.

Quote from: This Document Has Been Sealed By Order of the Wrethian High Command

Fifty years ago we took our land from the grasp of evil men and women who saw fit only to use humanity to their own ends.
The power was taken and given to the people. We did not do this out of cruelty, injustice or unfairness. We did this because we saw what was wrong, and knew we needed change.
Blood was spilled. Blood of families, of brothers and sisters and husbands and wives and daughters- blood given in service of a dream which was given unto us,
Given, fragile and gleaming as a newborn child, of shimmering gold and spider silk this dream of a world which could be better.. of people which could be better.
Which we are not. We live in the throes of a golden age. Our greatest scientists push the boundaries of our knowledge, our people unite in thought and purpose and the people develop and thrive and prosper under our rule.

Our Rule. The very evil we saw to tear down. The very lust for power which oppressed in the slaking, now wielded as a whip of cunning barbs for the purpose of our war. Paperwork and bureaucracy, our system designed to expose corruption and clarify the intentions of the wicked, used in loops and nooses to entrap and beguile, to enslave and doom.
In our fight against those we see as enemies we have stripped ourselves of humanity. Hands soaked in the blood of hopeful men, crimson hands gripping a yellow gossamer dream and we squeeze.
We squeeze the wood from our vats, squeeze them into shapes. We squeeze words into loops, so slaves of thought may squeeze themselves into kennels and be hurled across the sky to squeeze hot aether from tubes. We squeeze power from crystals- do we understand what they are? How they work? What the builders did to create them? No, we only understand power and thrust, heat and lethality.
A golden age turned red! The flourishing of science, turned to instruments of death. Art, carefully constructed for seduction and fanaticism.
We are the tyrants and we stare through the window with dry eyes, burning glares of hatred at our enemy, never understanding we stare upon a mirror!

No more! Power corrupts, and it has corrupted so absolutely. This is a war of vengeance, of conquest and bitter enmity. There are no spiders! Only scared youths with burn-scarred hands, staring with wide eyes across a spire into those self-same eyes as they follow orders and kill, burn and slay as fodder for a machine which hungers only to grow and consume. The poison rages anew within this society grown so corrupt, and we feel the heat of the stones. As a habble burns below, so too do the people boil above, and the heat is rising.
There can be no more war. There can be no more violence. Not for peace. Not to bring order to be Kasgyr but to return order to us!
We need peace, but only for the selfish sake of our very souls.

(Pending edits post-sleep & review)

andrea · « **Reply #2318 on:** January 24, 2018, 03:33:59 pm »

Quote from: Vote Box

One die to EMERALD, spending 7C 3O: (3) NUKE9.13, Milo, Andrea

10ebbor10 · « **Reply #2319 on:** January 24, 2018, 03:46:15 pm »

Quote from: Vote Box

One die to EMERALD, spending 7C 3O: (100) NUKE9.13, Milo, Andrea, 10ebbor10

Tack · « **Reply #2320 on:** January 24, 2018, 04:18:57 pm »

Quote from: Vote Box

One die to EMERALD, spending 7C 3O: (100) NUKE9.13, Milo, Andrea, 10ebbor10
Four die aether forge spending nothing: (25^!) Tack

Draignean · « **Reply #2321 on:** January 25, 2018, 02:28:46 pm »

EMERALD
Progress: 5/12 (2)

Engineers working on the EMERALD cannon attribute their lack of forward progress to a number of factors which they outline in a fourty-six page documents, with sufficient attachments and appendices to nearly double its length. While auditors are satisfied that the lack of progress was unavoidable, some of the engineers grumble that they might have been able to make more progress if they hadn't had to spend so much time justifying their lack of progress.

Spire Wreth's Production Stands At,
13(+8)/y Crystal, 22/65 Banked
19/y Ore, 30/95 banked
19(+6)/y Wood, 30/95 banked
10/y Silk, 10/50 banked

It is now the revision phase. You have 4 dice to spend.

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Map (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Ships (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Infantry (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Misc. Goods (click to show/hide)

Current Technology

milo christiansen · « **Reply #2322 on:** January 25, 2018, 02:34:45 pm »

Quote from: Aether Forge Efficiency Upgrade

The current aether forge prototype works fairly well, but there are some areas where it can be greatly improved.

The first and most obvious improvement is to make the crystal array and the crucible into two separate objects. This will allow a single array to service multiple crucibles sequentially, slightly improving the smelting rate as one crucible can be filled or emptied while the other is heating.

The second improvement is arguably part of the first: By mounting the crystals above the crucible instead of on its sides they will have a clear path into the ore, resulting in better heat transfer. Since the crystals will need to be moved as part of separating them from the crucible anyway, this is an obvious way to kill two birds with one stone.

As a result of these two changes the aether forge should be capable of smelting ores of lower purity (due to more efficient heat transfer allowing it to burn off more impurities), and with a minor investment in a second crucible per crystal array it should also cycle faster. The engineering team expects that ores that were previously considered worthless should be smelt-able with the new setup, allowing for opening new mines in areas previously though barren.

OK, I know there were some other ideas proposed, so let's get them posted so we can start voting.

10ebbor10 · « **Reply #2323 on:** January 25, 2018, 03:34:06 pm »

Quote from: Feeder Coil

While testing Emerald prototypes, we discovered that the action of one coil sometimes induced an action in another. A flurry of research into this phenomenon has shown that it's not a danger, and even discovered something new. Large amounts of power can be transferred through this sympathetic coil effect, and this power doesn't always have the same charesteristics as it's source. We've found that by varying the 2 coils involved, we can regulate the ways in which power is transferred.

Applying this principle to EMERALD, we've found that routing power through a small feeder coil creates a far stronger magnetic field and a better bolt, without melting the cannon through wasted energy.

Quote from: Impulse core

Aether behaves in peculiar ways, and the way weapons crystals generate aether through electricity is even more peculiar. Ordinarily, a crystal charges itself with electric energy, before unleashing this energy as a devastating aetheric blast. An accidental crosswiring of the firing switch and the coil in the prototype led to a destructive revelation.

The error disconnected the coil at the moment the trigger was pulled, short circuiting it with the circuit feeding the weapon crystal. Lasting but a fraction of a second, the effects where nonetheless spectacular. A short voltage pulse burst through the circuit, unleashing a far more sudden aether burst than usually the case. Further moulded by fields, the projectile proved more long lasting than usually the case without containing more energy.

Quote from: Cheaper Emerald Gun

The Emerald gun is long, heavy and generally cumbersome. In order to resolve this issue, we've shrunken the barrel by half, but kept the same amount of windings. Placed much closer together, these windings generate a stronger magnetic field which negates the effect of the shrunken barrel. This new version is thus cheaper while retaining the performance of the original design

Quote from: COIL Coils Offer Improved Layouts

Our ESP is powerfull, but excessively expensive. Careful investigation and exchange of experience from the Emerald has offered a solution that can replace many of the expensive parts in the ESP. The COIL makes it possible to easily and cheaply generate the high voltages ESP requires to operate.

andrea · « **Reply #2324 on:** January 25, 2018, 03:55:40 pm »

I got an idea for a cheapness revision.
It is very hard to find a reasonable cost cutting measure if we assume the first iteration was done well. It is easier if we assume it wasn't done optimally.

EMERALD length review
Magnetic / aetheric interaction is a new field, and understandably our engineers were both cautious and eager. Perhaps too much even. The barrel is very long to accomodate a very long coil, but it turns out that the last part of the coil doesn't actually have a significant effect, with the bolt already fully formed by that point. With a careful review of this new effect we discover, we can resize the barrel to its optimal shape, saving greatly on cost!
The barrel is also painted red.

And while we are here, lets try a performance one as well.

Tapering EMERALD
The idea behind EMERALD is that coils force magnetic aether toward the middle point of their magnetic field, compressing the bolt. However, as the bolt becomes smaller compared to the coil, the effect diminishes until it reaches an equilibrium. Going further would requiremore power... or smaller coils. Rather than a constant width barrel, the tapering emerald has a wider barrel at the base, shrinking in size across its length to accomodate the compression of the bolt and allow it to reach smaller dimensions with the same power.

Basically: beginning of the cannon, bolt is large and so is barrel. End of cannon, bolt is smaller and so is barrel. Optimal compression on all the length!

Supporting article on the use of tapered coils to expand plasma. If they can expand it, they can compress it, I will say.

Of course, there is also the ESP cheapening.

ESP reduction
With EMERALD; we gained experience with magnetis. We also observed that interactions of a coil with another can in the right conditions transfer electricity from one to the other, changing its properties. By manipulating it appropriately, we can make a much smaller transmitter with the same performance. However, why have the same performance? the current transmitter is sized for spires, but we need a ship bound version.A less range is required, and it is estimated that we can reduce both the transmitter and the range by half and not lose any actual utility.

Quote from: revision galore

Aether forge efficacy upgrade (1): Andrea
EMERALD length review (1): Andrea
Tapering EMERALD (scientific evidence edition)(1):Andrea
ESP reduction (1): Andrea
Feeder coil
Impulse core
Cheaper EMERALD gun
COIL

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Author Topic: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth (Read 159557 times)

NUKE9.13

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Madman198237

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Draignean

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

NUKE9.13

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

milo christiansen

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Tack

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Draignean

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Tack

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

andrea

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

10ebbor10

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Tack

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

Draignean

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

milo christiansen

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

10ebbor10

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth

andrea

Re: Arms Race: War of the Cinder Spires | Spire Wreth