Shuttle version 2a
our soldiers are tired of being cramped and unequipped.
The newest drop shuttle is a simple enlargement of our previous design, using more modern technologies to aid - For example, the higher structural needs are helped by the presence of insalloy, which also surprisingly finds its way in the heat shield, and the old chemical engines are supplemented by our existing fusion thrusters, as long as they don't interfere with nominal operations (basically: do they have the thrust? if not, keep for orbital manoeuvers only). In this case, bigger IS better. Overall, it should be able to transport 3 TC, although 4 is also a noble goal.
Shuttle version 2a (Easy): (4+3)+1=8: Unexpected BoonWe set out to build a better shuttle. We were successful, to say the least. The new 2a shuttle can carry 4TC loads quickly and efficiently. And for surprising distances... in fact, whilst interplanetary travel is beyond them, intra-orbital travel is well within their capabilities. This allows them to take off from their mothership quite far out from their destination- and a single shuttle has a much better chance of reaching a planet undetected than does a big, bulky ITC. And even if detected, they move Fast enough that it would be hard to catch.
It is a delta-shaped craft, with wings providing extra lift and agility in atmosphere, though it primarily relies on its Hermes-style thrusters. It looks
sort of like
this (image found by Draignean).
The Insalloy construction makes it quite sturdy, capable of handling its own large size. The limit on its size lies more with the ITC, which is not designed to carry such large shuttles.
The 2a shuttle is not free, unfortunately. It'll set us back 0.5SPP per ITC equipped with them.
It is now the Strategy Phase of SY106.
Ships
ITC (Interplanetary Transport Craft): The ships that carried colonists to your homeworld, now repurposed as military transports. They use rocket shuttles to ferry things to and from the surface. These shuttles have a limited capacity, meaning that with the exception of troops, the ITC cannot carry any equipment of a size greater than 1TC. It has 4TC. It uses chemical engines for propulsion. It has no armour or armaments. It is Very Slow, and quite large.
Cost: 2SPP
2a Shuttle: A substantially larger shuttle, capable of carrying 4TC. The Hermes thrusters and Caduceus reactors provide thrust, and remarkable range, letting its mothership park well away from the planet, outside of commonly patrolled orbits. It is delta-shaped thanks to its wings, which provide a little extra thrust and agility in atmosphere.
Cost: +0.5SPP
ESC-FS 1 'Cuttlefish' laser corvette: A medium-sized spaceship. The Cuttlefish's hull vaguely resembles its namesake. The 'beak' is a "Hermes" variable-water-injected fusion thruster, which draws plasma from the Helios-S reactor. It has very light armour, and has three AX5-Spear turrets, which are automatically aimed by the Athena RL System, which also handles evasive manoeuvres. The more ships in the fleet, the better Athena performs, due to her distributed computing. Its speed is Moderate, though it can inject extra water into the thruster for a temporary speed boost.
Cost: 2SPP
Insalloy Armour: A few plates of Insalloy, formed into a basic armour covering for the Cuttlefish. Despite being thin, they increase survivability by as much as 100%.
Cost: Negligible increase.
Equipment
Printed Pistol: Issued to security guards before the war, the only real weapon both colonies started with. They are 3D-printed out of plastic, a process which is not entirely reliable, meaning the gun has a tendency to break after prolonged use... or any use, really.
Cost: Cheap
X100 Space Suit: A civilian space suit, totally unarmoured and cumbersome to walk in. At least it works well enough, and has a self-sealing lining meaning a single shot isn't an immediate death sentence... most of the time. Necessary for deployment to worlds without breathable atmospheres.
Cost: Cheap
X100-I: Literally just a few plates of Insalloy bolted onto the outside of an X100.
Cost: Cheap
EAF-X1 "Ranger" Laser Rifle: A big, bulky firearm, weighing in at 15kg- just barely wieldable whilst standing. Works best against stationary targets. Can fire 30 shots in pulse mode before reloading, or 15 seconds in beam mode. Beam mode has pretty good armour penetration against conventional armour. Comes with basic scope and bipod. With the scope it is accurate at Long range.
Cost: Cheap
EAF-PX3 Raider: A variant of the Ranger, using the new Picasso Pattern. Weighs a 'mere' 7.5kg. Fires shorter pulses, and deals more damage against moving targets. Does not have a beam mode.
EAF-PX4 Raider: Superior in every way to the PX3, the PX4 deals twice the damage, weighs a far more reasonable 5kg, and can switch between three preset laser frequencies (although the non-default ones deal less damage). It also has cool holographic sights, which can link to a nearby Athena node to provide better targeting information.
Interplanetary Radio: Essentially just a very big radio set, capable of reliable communication between planets. Too big to fit on an ITC. Currently only useful for taunting Quillus.
Cost: 2GPP
Weight: 2TC
Vehicles
EAC-TML1 Sarissa Missile Launcher: A nuclear-missile launcher consisting of three shuttle-loads worth of stuff: a small electric truck, a launch trailer, and the missiles themselves. The launch trailer loads 8 missiles, tipped with extremely small nuclear warheads for maximum 'tactical' performance. The missiles are controlled by Athena, who is now capable of flying missiles and identifying ground targets. Their range isn't great, and the launcher misfires (harmlessly) about 25% of the time, the guidance system is a bit wonky even under Athena's capable control, and the truck+trailer is slow and unwieldy, but still, nuclear-missile launcher!
Cost: 2GPP
Weight 2TC/1TC in shuttle.
EAF-ACD1 "Aegis": an Athena-controlled drone with an Insalloy frame. It has some trouble walking, shooting straight, and possesses sensors that aren't great, but it is not totally incompetent. Due to a lack of on-board processing power, they require a nearby Aegis Commander- just a big Athena node with an antenna, carried by two Aegis drones- to do anything useful. Do not say "Roger roger" repeatedly.
Cost: 1.5GPP
Weight: 0.2TC for a 100 drone complement. (Units may equip an unlimited number of drones)
EAF-HDW1 "Alke" Spider Tank: a (counterintuitively) six-legged vehicle, clad in Insalloy armour, armed with a downsized AX5 Spear, and entirely Athena-controlled. It moves at a Moderate pace, can clamber over most obstacles, and is reasonably accurate. In addition to its main armaments, it has two turreted Raiders providing anti-infantry support- not amazing, but a whole lot better than nothing.
Cost: 4GPP
Weight: 3TC
Infrastructure
Colony Defence Grid: The reason you can't instantly invade the enemy homeworld. A series of surface-to-orbit missile launchers, the only real concession to self defence the planners of the colony made. How they work is a mystery, and no one wants to risk taking them apart to find out.
"Helios" Fusion Reactor: A large, Tokamak style reactor. Performs He3-He3 fusion, though it does not take full advantage of this. Provides 2SPP and 2GPP.
Helios-S: A variety specifically designed for use in spaceships. A 'twisted' plasma flow allows for plasma to be siphoned off without disrupting the reaction.
"Caduceus" Compact fusion reactor: A Polywell-style reactor, available in far smaller sizes than the Helios- as small as 1m3. Also performs He3-He3 fusion, and takes advantage of this. Can easily have plasma siphoned off for use in Hermes drives.
Loose Parts
EAC-AX5 Spear: A large laser. Respectable engineering gives it a very reasonable damage output and range, whilst the special nature of the Vasarely pattern lets it switch between three preset wavelengths. Does require quite a bit of power, of course.
Misc Tech
Nanoquantum Capacitor Cells, Escher Pattern Mk2: AKA NQ Cells. About 15 times better than chemical batteries. Palm-sized, weigh about a kilo each. Despite their apparent complexity, manufacture and usage is simple.
Libum-265K: A near-room temperature superconductor. Manufacture is complicated.
Hephaestus Synthesis: A complicated process that produces small amounts of Insulanium- an isotope of a certain element that resides in the "Island of Stability"; it is very heavy, yet relatively stable. Produced in too small amounts to make anything practical out of it, it is instead alloyed with more common metals, which substantially increases their strength even with only 0.25% Insulanium added.
Hephaestus Mark 2: A new method of Insulanium production, that uses fusion reactors to fuse up to the desired element. Substantially lowers the cost of Insulanium-using designs.
Ships
ITC (Interplanetary Transport Craft): New shuttle spotted:
QS-RAS-00 'Dove': A heavier shuttle for the ITC, powered by a Loki-class Stardust reactor and fitted with Apollo thrusters. It has light armour and two 30mm Hayks. Can carry 3TC. Adds 1SPP to the cost of an ITC.
QS-CA-99 'Odin': A heavily armoured medium-sized spaceship. Her hull is all slope, the front being a point, from which slopes lead up to the widest point, then slopes lead down at the same angle, before being cut off, leaving a large flat area in the back, where the main thrusters are. Aforementioned main thrusters are three Apollos. She has five smaller thrusters mounted pointing in other directions, providing excellent manoeuvrability. Her powerplant is a Stardust reactor. She is armed with four Mjolnir turrets providing excellent coverage, and a single spinal-mount extra-long Mjolnir. Her weapons are aimed by the Huginn System, which automatically collects data from her improved radar. Her armour consists of a layer of Heavy titanium with faraday insulation, with a layer of Light ceramics mounted a full three meters away from the main hull. Despite her bulk, she moves at a Moderate pace.
Can be given Mirage Plating for an extra 0.5SPP
Cost: 3SPP
QS-SF-00 'Loki': A small-ish fighter, capable of independent operation for a few days before needing to resupply. A substantially downsized Stardust reactor provides power to the Apollo thrusters, as well as the singular Mjolnir coilgun. Has light armour, and a radio capable of same-orbit communication. Requires a transport to act as 'mothership'- two Lokis take up 1TC. They are now equipped with Mirage Plating.
Cost: 1SPP for two.
Equipment
Printed Pistol: No differences noticed.
X100 Space Suit: No differences noticed.
QS-PIA-05 'Heimdallr': A great big suit of powered armour, providing atmospherically sealed protection for infantry where ever they may go. It uses Eitr batteries to provide 3-4 hours of operation before needing to recharge (it can be plugged into a Hrungnir, or a generator at a camp). The armour plating is not especially thick, and somewhat awkwardly designed- slightly less awkward than the X100, though. It has Mirage Plating... but whilst it protects reasonably against visible-light lasers at all times, the 'invisibility' only works when standing perfectly still in the correct pose, otherwise light gets redirected in, uh, interesting ways, turning it into a wild light show. Fortunately, the plating can be turned off if desired.
Cost: 3GPP (up to two sets may be equipped by a single unit)
Weight: 1TC (0.5 in shuttle)
Interplanetary Radio: No differences noticed.
QS-IRW-99 'Hayk': The Hayk is a micromissile-firing rifle. It is magazine fed, has a reasonable rate of fire, and is accurate at a surprising distance- theoretically out to Long range, although few are capable of such superhuman feats. There is an ammo variant which explodes on contact, though it is less accurate and in shorter supply.
Cost: Cheap
QS-GL-02 'Fog Machine': The Fog Machine is a simple grenade launcher, basically nothing more than an oversized Hayk with a shortened barrel. It fires either smoke/chaff or explosives. Range/accuracy is a bit of an issue.
Cost: Cheap
Vehicles
QS-MBT-02 'Hrungnir': The Hrungnir is a big tank, with fairly heavy armour in the form of a layer of ceramics atop a layer of titanium (all sloped). It is powered by a Stardust reactor, basically the same one used by the Loki. The energy is used to drive electric motors which in turn drive the treads upon which the Hrungnir sits. It is equipped with a 50mm stabilized auto-loading Mjolnir coilgun, the barrel of which can also be used to fire upsized explosive Hayk rockets. It has an electronics package that handles fire control and sensors. It also has smoke/chaff dispensers, which automatically cloud the vehicle in smoke/chaff (for atmosphereless planets) when sensors detect unusual heating.
It has an Ullr system mounted on the roof, and can be made mostly invisible with Mirage Plating for an additional 1GPP.
Cost: 4GPP
Weight: 3TC
Infrastructure
Colony Defence Grid: No differences noticed.
QS-CPP-96 'Stardust': A fusion reactor, copies of which can be found across Quillus, powering industry. Utilises powerful niobium-tin superconductors, cooled by liquid helium, to contain plasma in a Tokamak-style. The "Brokkr's Forge" improvements have made it slightly more effective, to the point where it reaches ignition. Grants 2GPP and 2SPP. A smaller version designed for use in spaceships also exists.
Loose Parts
QS-MAC-97 'Mjolnir': A coilgun (and definitely not a railgun) capable of firing 150mm slugs at considerable speeds. Requires a substantial power supply. Ground installations cost 1GPP for four. Ship mountings cost 1SPP for eight.
QS-MHD-98 'Apollo': A magneto-plasma-dynamic thruster of exceptional efficiency. Uses hydrogen plasma by default; heavier elements can be injected into the mix for a boost in thrust.
QS-MAMG-04 'Ullr': A highly effective CIWS system, using a miniaturised coilgun firing 6mm slugs, using Huginn-based aiming assistance. Excellent at shooting down missiles and enemy infantry alike.
Misc Tech
Optical Metamaterial 3 'Mirage Plating': A miracle substance that defies what were once considered laws of physics. OM3 consists of complicated (yet not impractically so for production purposes) layers of materials that together can redirect light in essentially arbitrary ways. It is not perfect, and can only affect 90% of light, and requires a small amount of power to function. OM3 must be created to affect a specific wavelength of light, and only works on light in a band around that wavelength. Only wavelengths from near-X-Ray to the lower end of microwave can be affected.
Shrouds of OM3 can be constructed for your vehicle of choice, offering either a degree of invisibility, or pretty good protection from lasers, or both.
Ship Production Points: 16+2+2(E)
4 Points: 1xITC, 1xITC (Destroyed)
Locations: Ertex
14 Points: 7xCuttlefish
Locations: Ertex
2 Points: Unassigned
Ground Production Points: 16+2+4(E)
0 Points: 4xX100-I
4 Points: 2xSarissa
9 Points: 6xAegis Drone
9 Points: Unassigned
Units: 5
1 Unit on planet A (X100-I (using PX3 rifles))
2 Units on planet D (X100-I, Sarissa, 6xAegis Drone (using PX3 rifles))
1 Unit on planet F (X100-I (using PX3 rifles))
1 Unit Regenerating
Don't even worry about this looking nothing like a solar system. Its, uh, optimal transfers or something. Look, it's dumb, but what do you want from me?
Key:
A: A volcanic world. Constant eruptions and earthquakes result in a thoroughly unpleasant environment. 4SPP, 2GPP
E:1/6, Q:5/6
B: Rocky world. (Almost) no atmosphere, no major tectonic activity, this planets is... boring. The most notable terrain features are the craters that litter the surface. 2SPP, 2GPP
C: An ocean world. Covered in 94% water, with a breathable atmosphere, and a few inhabitable islands. Prepare for lots of island-hopping. 2SPP, 4GPP
Q:6/6
D: An earthlike world. Covered in 69% water, with a breathable atmosphere, most of the surface being inhabitable. Terrain varies wildly, from open plains to thick jungles- and of course vast seas. 5SPP, 5GPP
E:3/6, Q:3/6
E: A frozen world. Almost entirely covered in ice, with an atmosphere too thin to breathe. Ice sheets make for treacherous terrain, with snow-covered mountains being not much better. 2SPP, 4GPP
E:6/6
F: Rocky world. (Almost) no atmosphere, no major tectonic activity, this planets is... boring. The most notable terrain features are the craters that litter the surface. 2SPP, 2GPP
Q:5/6, E:0/6
G: A desert world. With a few salty 'seas' covering a mere 12% of the surface, the majority of this planet is dry as a bone. Vast sandscapes dominate, punctured by low, rocky hills, and the ocassional oasis. The atmosphere is breathable. 2SPP, 4GPP.
Ertex&Quillus: Earthlike worlds. Capturing the enemy homeworld results in victory. Yield no Production Points. I mean, they do, but those are already accounted for in your basic industry.
Author
Topic: Ertex Design Bureau - Battle for Aljadid - Strategy SY108 (Read 48447 times)