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Author Topic: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace  (Read 24849 times)

Shadowclaw777

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #105 on: August 16, 2018, 07:19:15 pm »

Quote from: A ”Unanimous” VoteBox
(2) Relentless A.3.0: eS, SC
(1) Queen's Will B.1.0: eS
(1) Final Thought A.1.0: eS
(2) Sun Beam: Talion, SC
(2) Causeway: Talion, SC

« Last Edit: August 16, 2018, 08:21:04 pm by Shadowclaw777 »
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evictedSaint

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #106 on: August 16, 2018, 11:30:00 pm »

The Sunbeam is a good design; if it gets tweaked to specify the size of the weapon, then I'll switch from Final Thought to it.

The Causeway, though, leaves a lot to be desired.  It runs counter to our "cheap but endless" design methodology - it features armor and the Queens Will, which requires Synthetics (AKA the rarest resource in the game).  The Relentless better matches our design process.

Talion

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #107 on: August 17, 2018, 01:12:34 am »

Sun Beam updated to reflect the original intention to build a weapon for larger craft.

The logistic concern of the Causeway caused by the Queen's Will does seem like an issue. This is also a good reason why we should not be further tinkering with the Queen's Will when we have so many other issues we need to solve to create an effective fighting force. Production improvements are an integral part of producing swarms for example.

Inclusion of armour on the other hand does not automatically negate the value of the Causeway as a swarm. Front loading the armour minimises the amount needed while avoiding the structural issues of the Relentless and enabling the craft to directly block weapon attacks against an escorted vessel.
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NUKE9.13

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #108 on: August 17, 2018, 03:32:43 am »

Quote
[OUR] (GSD) <Queen's Freedom> Gen B.1.0:
Gravity is not a constraint that [We] should be bound by. [Our] vessels should be free to flit through the sky, unhindered by atmospheric concerns.
The (Gravity Spike Drive) Queen's Freedom is somewhat similar to the Queen's Will in function. However, where the QW requires the terminus of the generated boreholes to be outside of the ship, the QF uses a convex pattern of boreholes that generates a smaller (but deeper) gravity well that affects a smaller area around the drive, but which allows the boreholes to have their genesis and terminus both within the drive's internal vacuum.
In addition, the Queen's Freedom is specifically designed to counteract local gravity. Firstly, a simple process takes care of many of the calculations required (inverting the space-time-form of the local gravity well allows for easy creation of a generation matrix that will precisely counteract it, which can then be tweaked). Perhaps more importantly, by routing energy through the boreholes passing through curved space-time, the energy out exceeds the energy in, 'cheating' the universe out of energy, which can be used to supplement the running cost of the drive (in fact, this energy is claimed from the gravitational force itself- using the QF over a planet will actually make said planet weigh (an all-but imperceptible amount) less)(also, before anyone asks, no, this cannot be used to generate power- the energy required to open the boreholes exceeds the energy gained by definition. However, since we're opening the boreholes anyway, we might as well gain some energy from them). Combining these two phenomena results in the Queen's Freedom being more effective in a gravity well than outside- eg, in open space the drive might provide 10m/s^2 of acceleration, whilst in a gravity well that exerts 8m/s^2 on it, it might provide- for the same amount of energy and computational power- 14m/s^2 (of which 8 is spent counteracting gravity, of course)(example numbers only).
The Queen's Freedom is smaller than the Queen's Will, meaning that complete coverage of larger vessels would require more QF drives than QW drives. It is not anticipated that the RA will replace the QW in all situations, as the QW is more efficient for purely space-bound craft; QF only makes sense on craft that are intended to enter planetary atmospheres.

So, I'm all about having some atmosphere-capable ships- see the Shrine attachment I suggested earlier, for example- but I think we can get a suitable drive more easily by tuning it to work better in-atmosphere. Essentially, this would have (roughly) the same performance in-atmosphere as the QW B.1.0, but a worse performance in open space. Hopefully that (combined with the smaller size) will make it more affordable.

Anyway, we need a better fighter, and eS is right- we can't afford to give fighters QW drives, and even if we could, the QW drive is too dang slow for a fighter.
We also need to start working on weapons, and the Sun Beam (why not Sunbeam?) is the more interesting of the two options presented.
Also, we musn't forget to scrap the original Relentless. We've gotten all the useful experience we're going to get out of it- it'd be a waste to let it autocomplete. By scrapping it we get more revisions.

Quote from: A ”Unanimous” VoteBox
(3) Relentless A.3.0: eS, SC, NUKE9.13
(1) Queen's Will B.1.0: eS
(1) Final Thought A.1.0: eS
(3) Sun Beam: Talion, SC, NUKE9.13
(2) Causeway: Talion, SC
(1) Rising Apple: NUKE9.13



(1) Scrap the Relentless A.2.0 project: NUKE9.13
« Last Edit: August 17, 2018, 12:34:43 pm by NUKE9.13 »
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BBBence1111

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #109 on: August 17, 2018, 03:55:52 am »

Can't votebox, on phone.

+1 on Relentless, Sunbeam and scrapping
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BBBence1111

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #110 on: August 17, 2018, 11:47:56 am »


Quote from: A ”Unanimous” VoteBox
(4) Relentless A.3.0: eS, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB
(1) Queen's Will B.1.0: eS
(1) Final Thought A.1.0: eS
(4) Sun Beam: Talion, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB
(2) Causeway: Talion, SC
(2) Rising Apple: NUKE9.13, BBB



(2) Scrap the Relentless A.2.0 project: NUKE9.13, BBB
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NUKE9.13

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #111 on: August 17, 2018, 12:37:32 pm »

Quote from: A ”Unanimous” VoteBox
(4) Relentless A.3.0: eS, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB
(0) Queen's Will B.1.0:
(0) Final Thought A.1.0:
(5) Sun Beam: Talion, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB, eS
(2) Causeway: Talion, SC
(3) Queen's Freedom: NUKE9.13, BBB, eS



(3) Scrap the Relentless A.2.0 project: NUKE9.13, BBB, eS
Rising Apple renamed to Queen's Freedom. Also moved eS's votes as per his request.
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Talion

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #112 on: August 17, 2018, 01:20:24 pm »

I don't think we should be focusing on the drive this turn, so I'll offer another alternative.

Quote
[Our] (SGC) <Larval Former> Generation A 1.0
[Our] (Seed Growth Construction) <Larval Former> Generation A 1.0

If correctly shaped, the simplest grain of dirt may be grown into the most complex of technologies. Seed growth construction builds from the inside out, one layer at a time. Each time bathing the seed in a liquid broth of elements at varying temperatures to best form a single complete whole. Each layer is understood as a precise mix of elemental ratios, cooking time and detailed shaping instructions to properly grow the device to be produced from a seed into a finished product. It is even possible to combine multiple such seeds during the layering process in order to connect them together properly when more complex constructions are called for. This construction method can create durable high complexity parts but does have some issues when equipment breaks as it can often be easier to melt down the device and start again. One of the key advantages of this process is a reduced need for specialized tools in the forging process, allowing a factory setup for Seed Growth Construction to create a wide range of products without requiring significant retooling.


Quote from: A ”Unanimous” VoteBox
(5) Relentless A.3.0: eS, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB, Talion
(0) Queen's Will B.1.0:
(0) Final Thought A.1.0:
(5) Sunbeam: Talion, SC, NUKE9.13, BBB, eS
(1) Causeway: SC
(3) Queen's Freedom: NUKE9.13, BBB, eS
(1) Larval Former: Talion



(3) Scrap the Relentless A.2.0 project: NUKE9.13, BBB, eS
Sun Beam renamed Sunbeam as I can't remember the reason I changed it.
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Draignean

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #113 on: August 17, 2018, 04:47:06 pm »

[OUR] (SF) <Relentless> Gen A.3.0
[Time: 3 Progress: 4 Cost: 3]
It is with determination that the new Relentless is made, with the flaws in the original carefully noted and designed around. While this care induces slightly more expense than our previous iterations, [We] believe that the cost will be worth the benefit.

Relentless: 0/8 [3] | 55O + 100M + 65E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 1]
Perhaps its time to retire some of the Princes, and make way for newer blood. The Relentless 3 is an improvement, but it's a thin one. Structural reinforcement is made so that she can stand up to her own engines, the weight increase isn't accounted for in the RCS. The deficiency makes her a bit more sluggish to respond, which is at least a more minor problem than breaking up during maneuver. The weapons system is similarly plagued with minor problems in the improvements. The maximum power of the lasers is significantly improved, but the subsystem responsible for power routing is unreliable. Fighters may produce a high power burst when they want a low power one, and vice versa. The doubled missile mountings are cheap and distribute weight (though it's recommended to fire both torpedoes at the same time), but the frequently fail to disengage fully and clip ordinance on the wait out. Only one such incident in testing resulted in premature detonation, but it's often enough to damage control surfaces. The missiles themselves are serviceable, with good range and fair tracking, but their limited warhead yield may be insufficient to destroy armored fighters.

As for the psionic integration, it isn't much to write home about. The systems involved were minimized in scale to make room for potential future components (which will either have to be peculiarly shaped or quite small) and the psionic link generated is weak and frequently conveys insufficient information for synchronous maneuvers. Its existence provides some small benefit to our pilots in the vague awareness of their wing- but it's not at all what [We] had desired.

[OUR] (SF) <Relentless> Gen A.3.0: Wing Size 8/20/50 | Wing Cost: (5O+12M+10E)*Wing Size | Capacity -8/-20/-50  A second generation fighter, technically. The Relentless 3 features and upgraded pair of built in laser cannons, running off internal capacitor banks kept topped off by chemical engines.  In addition, she can mount a pair of reduced size pod of missiles that would fit in a small slot- however this attachment must by paid for separately. The Relentless, however, (Relentlessly) remains a beast of many flaws. She's fragile to the point of hazard, incapable of taking a hit, and has somewhat soggier RCS handling than expected. Her lasers technically have the ability to swap between high and low power modes, but it's an unreliable subsystem to say the least. Lastly, her missile pods  tend to clip their ordinance on the way out, damaging control services and introducing the chance of a critical malfunction. A nascent psychic interconnection gives fighter wings the ability to sense one another, but the weakness of the link makes the bonus to coordination quite small.



[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.0
[Time: 3 Progress: 4 Cost: 2]
A harsh sun beating down on a harsh world teaches many lessons to the strong. And [We] are strong. The Sunbeam shall be a divine sword, a weapon to split our foes asunder, to prove them unworthy of the very light we were born in. The price of such divine power is never small, but [We] have always paid that gladly. 

Sun Beam: 0/16 [3] | 100T + 200M + 125E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 4]
The Sun Beam is a weapon befitting the Wrath. Powerful, fast, and with range, the Sunbeam should provide an excellent defensive and offensive asset against enemy large vessels. The Maser beam itself is potent enough weapon, burning into enemy vessels like an invisible lance and chewing through their structure- but the gamma pulses are the truly destructive force. To the naked eye, the beam target appears to burn, and the burning point then seems to spontaneously explode with deadly rhythm. This wracks the target with shockwaves, plays hell with electrical systems, and adds its own wave of devastating energy to the attack.

However, the beam cannot be maintained for long periods with risking overheating damage, and the sensitive crystal internals require a sophisticated (and slow) turret assembly to maintain functionality. This same weakness means that the Sun Beam can be temporarily disabled more easily than other weapons when damaged, though field repairs will usually be sufficient to put it back into operation.

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.0: |75T 150M 125E 0S | Native to Large Mount | Capacity: -18 | Power: -55 | A continuous Maser beam entangled with a pulsed gamma emitter via Hiver crystal technology. The maser beam provides continuous damage, while the gamma pulses wrack the target with rhythmic and ruinous explosions. Powerful, but requires enormous energy. The advanced turret required to direct the beam only provides relatively slow tracking, and continuous firing will rapidly cause the weapon to overheat and require an extended cooling and re-calibration. Fragile nature of the entanglement crystals means that direct damage to the weapon can force the crew to perform field repairs before risking another shot.



[OUR] (GSD) <Queen's Freedom> Gen B.1.0
[Time: 3 Progress: 1 Cost:4]
This a difficult problem, and one that bears much deliberation. The intricacies of gravitic manipulation involved are complex, and a small mistake in the conception of this project could lead to grave misfortune later.

Queen's Freedom: 0/14 [1] | 30T + 150M + 50E +15S | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 5]
Yet, with a good foundation, much is possible. The Queen's Freedom is a significant step forward, allowing both terminus and genesis to be generated and destroyed internally, but allowing the space-time anomalies thus generated to be channeled several meters distant. Field reclamation is surprisingly successful in reducing input energy, defraying input needs when operating near a gravity well. The primary issue with the system is that the short range of the anomaly makes it difficult to smoothly or rapidly accelerate with this technology. Combined with atmospheric resistances, we can't expect a maximal in-atmosphere acceleration of more than 6 m/s^2 at best, and that will sharply taper as we increase our speed. Likewise, the limited range the field means that, unless carefully balanced with the ship's geometry and center of mass, a single drive will cause a ship to tip unless aligned with the ship's center of mass.  However, these sins can all be covered by the addition of thrusters designed for in-atmosphere operation- which is likely where this piece of technology will shine.

Ships equipped with this will be able to slowly enter and escape atmosphere, though larger vessels may need several carefully spaced units, but it will truly shine when incorporated into our ground forces as an assistive technology.

[OUR] (GSD) <Queen's Freedom> Gen B.1.0: | 100T 0O 100M 75E 20S | Capacity: -20 | Power: -20 |  A second generation reactionless drive, specifically designed to allow a spacefaring vessel to make a controlled descent into a gravity well. It's unique placement requirements increase its space needs over a standard drive, but energy reclamation allows it to be extremely efficient when operating in a gravity well. In space, it's capable of a sustained max acceleration of 6 m/s^2, but that strength increases proportionally to an antagonistic gravity well- up to doubling its initial power. That is, if a ship is experiencing 9.8 m/s^2 of planetary gravity, this drive can exert 12 m/s^2 to resist it.  The bores used in this gravity drive are entirely self-contained. Larger vessels (Cruiser+) will likely need several of these drives to maintain even flight, unless specifically designed otherwise.



You have regained 1 die from salvaging the Relentless A.2.0



Revision Phase of Year -2

Resources
Dice: 2
T: 10000 + 2500
O: 30000 + 7500
M: 30000 + 7500
E: 20000 + 5000
S: 2000 + 500

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)
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NUKE9.13

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #114 on: August 18, 2018, 09:11:53 am »

I don't think the Relentless is worth salvaging. Scrap it next turn and start over. Again.
For now, the Sunbeam could use some upgrades:

Quote
[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.1 (Crystal Reinforcement)
Our early forays into weaponised crystal technology have revealed unacceptable weakness. Fortunately, [We] have only scratched the surface, and there is room for improvement.
A modification of crystal manufacturing methods results in a less fragile crystal, allowing for the turret to rotate more quickly and the weapon to take more damage before breaking down.

Quote
[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.2 (Improved Radiators)
The Sunbeam has proven to generate more heat than expected. In order to improve firing rates, increased cooling is required.
Cooling lines are routed throughout the weapon, linked to radiators all over the vessel. A small increase in capacity required is acceptable.
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evictedSaint

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #115 on: August 18, 2018, 02:02:36 pm »

I say we keep it two more turns, THEN scrap it. Get the experience, at least.

But yeah, we do need to design a new one next turn regardless.  It's a Major Disappointment.

Additionally, we should design some picket ships next turn to fill in the gaps around the Wrath. Corvettes or Frigates; small, cheap screening ships.

Aaaand Medium scale weapons, too.

Quote
(2) [OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.1: Nuke, eS
(2) [OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.2: Nuke, eS
« Last Edit: August 18, 2018, 07:20:31 pm by evictedSaint »
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Talion

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #116 on: August 19, 2018, 12:22:44 pm »

Quote
(3) [OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.1: Nuke, eS, Talion
(3) [OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.2: Nuke, eS, Talion
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Draignean

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #117 on: August 19, 2018, 12:51:34 pm »

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.1
[Efficacy:1]
[We] have not yet succeeded in being able to construct a crystal beam filter that is both capable of entangling high energy EM emissions and withstanding substantial shock forces. The attempts, while they've providing us with more experience in working with the material, have revealed that this would be quite difficult indeed- and our efforts might be better focused fixing this problem via a different means.

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.2
[Efficacy: 4]
The addition of more radiators is a simple task, but the trick is in how they should be added. Creating larger Sunbeam module might preclude its use on smaller vessels or one day remove space required for a critical component. The solution is a system of modular thermal radiators, capable of being placed across a vessel's hull and sinking heat from the Sunbeam's coolant lines.

Sunbeam Modular Radiator: | 0T 0O 50M 20E 0S | Capacity -3 | Power: -1 | A fluid radiator designed to hook into the coolant system of a Sunbeam cannon, dispersing heat to allow the cannon to fire more quickly. Each radiator increases the maximum time a beam can be maintained, by approximately 16%. Up to twelve such modules can be effectively utilized per Sunbeam cannon.



Design Phase of Year -1

Resources
Dice: 10
T: 12500 + 2500
O: 37500 + 7500
M: 37500 + 7500
E: 25000 + 5000
S: 2500 + 500

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)
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evictedSaint

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #118 on: August 19, 2018, 04:42:22 pm »

Quote
[OUR] (NAST) <Tremor> Gen A.1.0

Our Nuclear Anti-Ship Torpedo, "Tremor".  Generation A, Version 1.0.

Essentially large-scale smart missiles, the Tremor is designed to convey a high-yield nuclear warhead to a target ship at subluminal speeds.  Typically launched in volleys to overwhelm countermeasures, the Sunspot torpedo launcher fits into a Medium or Small weapons slot (with correspondingly varying torpedo numbers).  The weapon is intended to be fired from Range Section B, Engagement Distance.  The warhead can be adjusted to detonate within a certain distance of the target, on contact, or after punching through the outer hull.

The tracking sensor can isolate targets through a wide array of sensory subsystems and adjust lead to compensate for moving targets.  On the standard Sunspot, chemical thrusters can accelerate the torpedo at 50 G's for upwards of five minutes (reaching speeds of 150 km/s).  Lateral thrusters move the torpedo in a rapid semi-random pattern to help baffle countermeasures.  A slightly smaller Sunspot can be fitted to the Relentless's hardpoints for even longer-ranged anti-ship operations.  It is also possible to cap the torpedo with a heatshield for re-entry, allowing it to operate as an orbital nuclear weapon system.

Notable advantages this system has is the lack of power requirements, lack of Synthetic components, bombardment capabilities, and a relatively high destructive payload for the cost.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2018, 11:37:45 am by evictedSaint »
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Talion

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Re: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace
« Reply #119 on: August 19, 2018, 05:34:57 pm »

Quote
[Our] (JUS) <Lemonlime> Gen A 1.0

Our Jamming Unblockable Semisolid “Lemonlime” Generation A 1.0

A small mount weapon that uses a high-pressure gas release to propel an organic material produced by a plant as a by-product of the breeding process. The material itself must be stored in a sealed container with a carefully balanced atmosphere mix for reasons that will become obvious. When applied to the hull of a vessel, this material can mysteriously penetrate straight through to accumulate on vulnerable surfaces within. Naturally, this can cause electrical circuits to burn out and mechanical surfaces to be clogged. Sensors are usually the first system to be disabled, but the lower surface area of smaller craft can quickly lead to more dramatic system failures. It also tastes delicious, although possibly those with extensive mechanical implants would disagree.

The simple release mechanism enables the weapon to be fitted to a high-speed turret system that can strike reliably out to the edge of knife-fighting range.
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