Aw jeeze. Blood, Rock, at the very least we should vote for a space-oriented design this turn. We can utilize next turn to improve our infantry. Right now there's the space theater that we need a presence in immediately or else we're going to need to rely on rolls to get ahead of them there. It took them ages to utilize a new field we started, and they paid for it badly. Let's not make the same mistake.
To sum up, ah, "discussions" on Discord for those who want a tl;dr or are forum-bound. I'll try to do so as unbiasedly for the others as possible, save for my opinions in brackets:
BL wants to make their own plasma rifle because there was time put into writing it up. [Ensorceler's Albatross is the better of the two, but I think is only there as a "if people really want to go plasma rifle instead" option] BL also made their Infinite Grid for the purpose of providing us with experience in creating sealed environments. [Useful, sure, but if we don't do anything to actually secure Orbit and defend ourselves on other celestial objects then what's the point of being able to devote the resources necessary to start let alone sustain them?]
Ensorceler wants to create the Nova as a way to fully utilize the Guardian's abilities. It's intended for combat in orbit and intercepting Skyrangers as well as providing ground-support. [This means the Nova will only be usable by Guardians, tying it to their expense, while also making them fit for fighting in orbit and in-atmosphere. I've seen enough arms races try to make an all-rounder aircraft only for it to not really deliver in any one role. If we do our work on the plasma rifle next turn then decomplexifying the Guardians could be pushed off even further, meaning our numbers in space would stagnate while Mereth produced things for space last turn, is likely going to do so again to secure themselves, especially since they held us off in one theater and won in the other, and then next turn while we work on our infantry. Even if we revise cheaper Guardians they probably won't be able to provide much effectiveness against multiple turns of space advancement.]
I want to create the space elevator for our civilian design to make construction of extraterrestrial vehicles much easier. It also gives us a foundation to work with in regards to megaproject-size facilities. With the space elevator I proposed the STOP as a means of providing defense, acting as a blockade, and occasionally providing orbital bombardment. They're built more like ships than aircraft, meant for extended deployment times as opposed to short patrols or scrambling. I'd suggested perhaps we use our military design to build some sort of mothership and revise the lantern to be space-worthy (and have a little more punch), but it was kind of swept under the rug? Nobody really commented about the idea.
If we do plasma rifles this turn that means Mereth has two turns of building shit for space and controlling territory on the moon unopposed. If they solidify their control of Orbit then we're going to have issues doing anything to combat them effectively enough to put them on the back foot barring some good luck for us/bad luck for them. This is our opportunity to seize the initiative, and is the only time we can be sure they won't horribly outnumber us. I personally believe that the ANGEL Complex and STOP will provide enough breathing room in Orbit for us to work on our infantry in-depth next turn, or at least keep Orbital control contested evenly. That'll mean they'll have to spend another turn trying to create an orbital design while we do what we want. We need to be proactive and dictate the direction of the war. Even if we lose another turn on the ground we'll have put our stamp on Orbital combat. We cannot let Mereth go uncontested somewhere. They're like rats, or Orks. More like Orks, but only because fungus.
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Topic: Mad Arms Race - Aratam Design Bureau (Fall 1965 - Final Design Phase) (Read 61464 times)