Topic: [We] Empire Thread | Hivers | GalactiRace (Read 24845 times)

Talion · « **Reply #225 on:** April 06, 2019, 08:34:46 am »

I have some worries about the Flashfire, but it does serve a useful purpose in protecting our ships and hopefully increasing the number of fighters we can use offensively. The question is more if we can afford to research it now while our resource situation is still up in the air, but on the other hand, we seem to be doing well in terms of the initial land grab. I'd like to see a salvager design sooner rather than later and we really need to keep hitting logistics designs as often as we are able to until we have a working set (although just functioning metal would go a long way).

Currently, it feels like an advance into enemy territory that we can hold will require two or more fleets to account for travel distance and the need to retreat and repair after a battle. Likewise, this applies to the enemy, so we may be looking at a lot of stalemate build-up for the moment. Although that is subject to the Liir having some tech surprise we're not ready for in that area.

Quote from: Smote Sox

(3) [OUR] (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion
(3) [OUR] (PPPD) <Flashfire> Gen A.1.0: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

(3) Spend 6 dice: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

Retroactive Repair&Refit Plan:
(3) This one: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #226 on:** April 06, 2019, 08:49:18 am »

That's a good point, we also need to be thinking about our industry. A new Metal industry design should wait until next turn, when the Hivemine will be past 50%, but we could start an Energetics one now. Both designs up currently are definitely useful defensive tech. I'd be quite surprised if the Liir have absolutely nothing that we'd want PD against (and obviously we want it against the Gaians), whilst the Watcher would do a good job against the Gaian's main weapon. Might not be so good against the Liir, though, depending on what they bring to the table. Maaaybe we could put off the Watcher in favour of an Energetics industry?

Alternatively, we could guess that the Flashfire wouldn't take as long, and do the Watcher+Energetics this turn. I dunno.

E: Actually, you know what, we have Alate, which is fairly decent armour already. The Watcher isn't as high a priority as being able to afford ships. I'm changing my vote to the Cinder Spire.

Quote from: More like SmoKe Sox

(2) [OUR] (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: eS, Talion
(3) [OUR] (PPPD) <Flashfire> Gen A.1.0: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion
(1) [OUR] (LEC) <Cinder Spire> Gen A.1.0: NUKE9.13

(3) Spend 6 dice: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

Retroactive Repair&Refit Plan:
(3) This one: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

Talion · « **Reply #227 on:** April 06, 2019, 11:53:01 am »

Quote from: More like SmoKe Sox

(1) [OUR] (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: eS
(3) [OUR] (PPPD) <Flashfire> Gen A.1.0: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion
(2) [OUR] (LEC) <Cinder Spire> Gen A.1.0: NUKE9.13, Talion

(3) Spend 6 dice: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

Retroactive Repair&Refit Plan:
(3) This one: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion

dgr11897 · « **Reply #228 on:** April 06, 2019, 12:53:28 pm »

Quote from: More like SmoKe Sox

(1) [OUR] (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: eS
(3) [OUR] (PPPD) <Flashfire> Gen A.1.0: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion
(3) [OUR] (LEC) <Cinder Spire> Gen A.1.0: NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR

(4) Spend 6 dice: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR

Retroactive Repair&Refit Plan:
(4) This one: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR

evictedSaint · « **Reply #229 on:** April 06, 2019, 01:50:15 pm »

Quote from: More like SmoKe Sox

(3) [OUR] (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: Nuke, eS, Talion
(0) [OUR] (PPPD) <Flashfire> Gen A.1.0:
(4) [OUR] (LEC) <Cinder Spire> Gen A.1.0: NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR, eS

(4) Spend 6 dice: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR

Retroactive Repair&Refit Plan:
(4) This one: eS, NUKE9.13, Talion, DGR

Draignean · « **Reply #230 on:** April 06, 2019, 07:18:46 pm »

Cinder Spires
[Time: 5 Progress: 4 Cost: 1]
While work to renovate the existing functionality of <Our> existing facilties continues at a furious pace, it is not without some... consequence. The optimization employed is iterative, and the constructive chaos from which it is born is not without the occasional misstep. And matching toxic explosion. Design, build, identify inefficiency, destroy, rebuild. The process is costly, but the princes in charge are unanimous in their belief that the same destructive iteration that allowed them to survive this long will serve equally well as an architectural design plan.

Cinder Spires: 0/12 [3] | 220O +150M + 25E| Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 3]
The resulting sludge factories are surprisingly baroque affairs, their structure individualized to the native thought patterns of drones in the regions, and this does give them a particular edge in allowing the simple creatures to navigate the installations almost by instinct- an uncanny ability that causes small disruptions to even visiting Hiver and liable to drive any other species insane. The greatest weakness of the Cinder Spires is, however, one that's rather difficult for [We] to see. The pollution from the factory is accepted as one more killing fact about the planet- like the sun, occasionally radiation storms, or leftover munitions from the war. The corrosive smog that surrounds the tower is a classic example- its effects require the many aspects of the spire feature increased resistance to corrosion or considerably thicker construction. This additional effort to defend the tower from itself is done efficiently, but the expenses add up, and a significant portion of the drone activity within goes to maintenance repairs that keep the tower from dissolving into a pool of explosive acid.

(LEC) <Cinder Spire>: | 0T 200O 90M 0E 0S | Great Hexagonal structures, complex hives of industrial activity designed to take in raw material and produce energetic compounds and scads of toxic waste. Increases Energetic accessibility of a planet by 7.5% per rank. Decreases Organics accessibility by 1.5% per rank, down to 0. Replaces normal LEC towers, and only the difference in cost must be paid to upgrade.

(EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0
[Time: 3 Progress: 4 Cost: 5]
The project to improve and overhaul the <Watcher> is met with suspicion by some princesses. Veterans of the <Relentless> process, they pay little mind to the prince's promises of a low cost project, or to their projections of completion ahead of schedule. Such things matter little to them if the princes cannot, in the end, produce results.

Watcher Gen 2.0: 0/14 [3] | 120T + 70O + 100M + 150E | Rushed 0 Times | Nothing Invested

Prototype
[Efficacy: 6]
~And my children shall capture the Sun, and from its caged fury they shall craft new a new carapace. They shall be ablaze, and they will not burn by any lesser flame...~ -Slate from the archive of <Prophecy>, written more than a millenia ago.

In the deep places of Regalis, buried under rock and stone in a place where a sudden uncontrolled fusion detonation would cause no harm, a prince earns his right to lie with the highest of princesses and be considered as a queen consort. From his male mind was born an entirely new method of plasmatic compression, one that implies new theoretical lower bounds and shatters previous practical limits. Using his techniques, the Watcher's dedication fusion reactor is able to self-compress during its warm-up phase, its reaction fuel topology designed to create a self-completing magnetic manifold that tightly restricts the reaction as it fuses in proportion to the reaction's own released energy. In essence, the plasma volume is self-containing. This self-compression requires a very special fuel cell to initiate the reaction, and the Prince *did* completely devastate one research lab after pushing a prototype reactor's compression to the point that the plasma overwhelmed and collapsed the magnetic manifold- resulting in the reaction going from maximum heat to zero containment nearly instantly. Thankfully, the prince had the presence of mind to delegated that experiment to his subordinates, and this his mind and breeding ability was not lost to nuclear fire.

Using the self-bottling reactor technique, the effective scale of the <Watcher> system has been reduced massively- as all subsystems related to generating the containment field have been stripped out. Replacing them is electro-magnetic 'unbottler' that allows the manifold to be non-destructively breached so that it can channel the charged plasma outwards. The internal shielding of the reactor is likewise diminished, both due to the fact that the physical space required is greatly reduced and the new Alate-based shielding being modestly more effective. While the new psionic filter takes up a considerable amount of the freed space, the complete redaction of the original filament system frees up considerable space and all but removes fragile external components.

The psionic filter itself is surprisingly effective at controlling the emitted plasma shroud, and can manipulate the shroud's behavior at the interface layer with remarkable control. It can't forcibly extend the interface layer (approximately 15 meters from the outer edge of the hull) but it can retract it and both compress and void sections to allow systems to fire and perform directed scans.

The effective power of the shield has been vastly increased by both the new reactor design and the elimination of the channeling filaments. EM attacks will be absorbed by the plasma shroud, with the super-energized particles generally self-ejecting from the shroud and dissipating harmlessly. Lightly massed kinetic ordinance will likely be destroyed completely by the barrier, and heavier ordinance will likely be tumbled by the field- though it will still pass through. Explosive weapons that haven't been considerably hardened will likely detonate within the shroud, which will likely cause a brief breach before the shroud seals itself.

The filter is also capable of both increasing shroud density in a particular region for added strength, or altering the plasmatic resonance frequency to partially counter the wavelength of an EM attack- greatly reducing the plasma volume lost at the cost of losing more plasma volume to attacks with a different resonance frequency. Ironically, the only thing that hasn't made it from the original design plans is the overdrive system, due to the fact that the primary reactor plasma is too cool to provide any significant improvement. If sustained fire has caused the <Watcher> shroud to bleed off enough plasma, then additional reaction gas can be channeled into the <Watcher> reactor for heating and use- but that's about it.

As far as drawback go, she inherits some issues from the original design. She absolutely needs to be retracted before traversing a bore, and will slow down nearby bore calculations just by virtue of being active. While holes can be made to send and receive information from the outside world, such sensor pictures will be limited by the size of the opened section.

OUR (EBM) <Watcher> Gen A.2.0: | 150T 120O 125M 200E 0S | Capacity -16 | Power -0 | A self-bottling fusion reactor attached to a psionic filter which creates a plasma shroud tethered to the local psychic shadow of a Hiver ship. Can completely absorb EM and lightly massed energy weapon attacks, bleeding off super-energized plasma gas particles as a result. Kinetic attacks of signficant mass will likely still penetrate the shield, but will have their velocity reduced and the projectile tumbled. Explosive ordinance will be detonated by the shroud, unless hardened, and in the former case will very briefly disrupt the shroud before it flows back to conceal the hole. The field can extend out to 15 meters, and can be retracted, focused, or voided freely within that zone. The field controller can attempt to match frequency with incoming energy weapon attacks to reduce their damage in exchange for making the shield more vulnerable to other types of energy weapon. Interferes with sensors and bores. A ship with the shield engaged should not traverse a bore unless it wants things to go very badly. For full strength, a destroyer would require 1 generator, 2 for cruiser, 4 for a battleship, 8 for a dreadnought, 16 for a leviathan.

Revision Phase of Year 3
Resources
Dice: 2
T: 9967 + 2500
O: 34665 + 7500
M: 7977 + 7500
E: 6140 + 5000
S: 2399 + 500

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

[We] Technology List
[We] Empire Planner

Spoiler: Current Deployment (click to show/hide)

evictedSaint · « **Reply #231 on:** April 06, 2019, 11:01:15 pm »

Quote from: Revision

[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.1.1

The sheering issue with layered Alate armor was an unexpected side effect, but one that [We] are eager to take advantage of. By increasing the length of the synthetic protein chains in the armor, we can force the sheets to cross-bind to one another. This cross-binding occurs despite the sheering stress that the armor exhibits when hit with sufficiently high-velocity impacts, but that stress does not go away. Instead, the outer layers will "erupt" outward when this stress reaches critical levels, such as when struck by a ship-killing kinetic weapon. This eruption decreases the velocity of the kinetic object and artificially inflates the amount of material it must penetrate to get through to the hull. Because the synthetic protein chains are cross-bound throughout the entire surface of armor, this "eruption" is localized to the damaged area.

Essentially, we turn the Alate armor into Explosive Reactive Armor to take advantage of this natural sheering phenomenon.

"Why fix the problem when we can just make it better?"

I think we should do one revision this turn, and save the extra die. This will allow us to drop two more designs next turn, which we will need since we wanna do a new Hivemine, PD, a Frigate, and a Repair Module.

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #232 on:** April 07, 2019, 01:26:43 am »

My proposal for a fix to the Sunbeam's vulnerability issues:

Quote

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals):
Previous efforts to improve the structural integrity of the entanglement crystals used in the Sunbeam were unsuccessful; indeed, it was concluded that the crystals are inherently unstable and no amount of effort could fix the issue. However, the princes responsible for this conclusion were thinking in a distinctly three-dimensional manner. It may technically be physically impossible, but so is travelling faster than light- yet the word of the Queens is law, and even physics must bend the knee.
In other words, the solution to this problem is (a small amount of) Synthetics. Specifically, polydimensional metamaterials- substances that exist in more than three dimensions, allowing for atomic bonds that defy normal spatial constraints. This allows us to design a crystal lattice which on a three-dimensional level is functionally identical to the entanglement crystals already used in the Sunbeam, but which has an unseen extradimensional structure that reinforces it, making it significantly stronger compared to the original.
This will, in turn, allow for Sunbeam cannons that can track much faster and sustain much more damage without failing- although, of course, it also means adding a (hopefully relatively small) Synthetics cost.

Anyway, here's the tentative plan: do the Sunbeam revision. Manually build a combat cruiser, and a whole bunch of infantry. Drop 12 on Sierra (accompanied by a large fleet to ensure a safe landing), 4 on Quebec, and have 12 standing by in Quebec orbit to be dropped on Tango next turn. Maybe drop 4 on Oscar, just to be safe?
Next turn, start a new Metal industry design (scrapping the Hivemine A.1.0), and another design, dependent on what we see this turn. If we see nothing new, I'd suggest an improved reactor (see below).

Quote from: Date Dox

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals): (2) NUKE9.13, eS
[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.1.1 (Blood Eagle):

Spend 1 die: (2) NUKE9.13, eS

E: A proposal for an improved reactor, using the experience of the Watcher:

Quote

[OUR] (PGCR) <Queen’s Glory> Gen A.2.0:
The prince who invented the self-bottling reactor earned the greatest reward a prince could earn- the right to breed with a high-ranking princess. Of course, this also deprived us of his intellect (seeing as how breeding is lethal for princes), at least until his descendants are mature. He will be remembered, held up as an example for all princes to aspire to, for his work has major implications for more than just shielding. Most obviously, the venerable Queen's Glory reactor now looks a bit pathetic.

Version A.2.0 is an overhaul of the Queen's Glory reactor, employing a form of the self-bottling technology (and Alate-esque containment) used in the Watcher to substantially improve the power:capacity ratio. Whilst doubling output may be somewhat ambitious, a 50% increase should be quite feasible.
Whilst we're at it, we can finally solve the failures that can occur when the crew's morale breaks. The self-bottling reaction is far more stable- even a very basic failsafe system can prevent a total shutdown. Being simpler and less intrusive, such a system will instil far less doubt amongst the crew. It will still instil some, however, to which end filters that siphon doubt from the psionic network will be added- not removing doubt from individual crewmembers' minds, but preventing a feedback loop in which the doubt is magnified as it bounces around the ship.

The Queen's Glory A.2.0 will primarily be available in a version of equal size to the A.1.0 version (~20 capacity), but with a higher output (~210 power (hopefully)). If possible, some thought should be given to the potential for scaling the reactor down (or up), but only if the primary goal has been met.

If we want to make a smaller frontline ship, a more efficient reactor is an important step, I think. A single QG A.1.0 just doesn't provide enough power to run everything we'd want it to, and two would just take up too much space.

Talion · « **Reply #233 on:** April 09, 2019, 01:21:23 pm »

It would be nice to fix the Sunbeam.

Quote from: Date Dox

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals): (3) NUKE9.13, eS, Talion
[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.1.1 (Blood Eagle):

Spend 1 die: (3) NUKE9.13, eS, Talion

Madman198237 · « **Reply #234 on:** April 09, 2019, 03:42:54 pm »

Quote from: Date Dox

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals): (4) NUKE9.13, eS, Talion, Madman
[OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.1.1 (Blood Eagle):

Spend 1 die: (4) NUKE9.13, eS, Talion, Madman

A proposal for a design sometime in the future, meant to do such small things as pop dreadnoughts and boil off planetary surfaces:

Quote

<The Cycle Eternal>
[We], as one, know what it is to die. [We] have felt many die, over and over again. But [We] continues to live. It is a cycle. Parts die, parts are born. But [We] are eternal. In the face of eternity, even [Our] planet matters little, for [We] expand, [We] conquer, [We] thrive. Where [Our] enemies have taken root, [We] must root them out, no matter how strong.

It is well known amongst those of [Us] that are bred to study bore drives that they rely on complex calculations, possibly only by making assumptions that remain valid only for a short amount of time. However, if one can truly know the space between two points, the assumptions can be replaced by certainties. Bores will, perhaps, never be truly eternally stable, but perhaps [We] can make them stable enough to do things previously thought impossible. <The Cycle Eternal> is the greatest leap forwards in Bore technology ever made, since all other races' inferiority ensures that their creations are nothing compared to those of [We].

This ship is barely a ship, it is more a huge space station. It has only the bare minimum of propulsion provided by a single <Queen's Will>, a rather unimpressive RCS complement, and generally moves through space at a pace best compared to that of a drone missing most of its limbs. The ship is very long, comprised of a large aft section that includes the engines, a ludicrous amount of power generation provided by several <Queen's Glory> reactors, thousands of drones, a cadre of Bore Princes, and many computers, plus two massively oversized and immensely powerful <Queen's Path> Bore generators. Then there is a very long vacuum chamber, which ends at the front of the ship. The vacuum chamber is surrounded by the components of several more <Queen's Will> drives, not meant to power the ship.

<The Cycle Eternal> seems, on the outside, to be some form of gigantic tanker. Someone studying the design drawings would probably be immensely perplexed. Who puts a vacuum chamber in space? Why have such a terribly slow vessel in the first place? [We], however, know the truth. <The Cycle Eternal> is a huge accelerator cannon. The internal <Queen's Will> drives can perfectly clear the space between the front and back of the vessel of all matter, the immense computational capacity of the Bore Princes, their attendant drones, and the computer arrays allows for basically the most perfect possible Bore calculations to be made between the front and back of the vacuum chamber. After the chamber is cleared, this allows for an immensely powerful yet still small in actual size (so as to fit inside the chamber) charging Bore to be placed such that a projectile accelerated straight down the chamber will enter the Borehole before striking the forward end of the pressure chamber, before popping out of the Borehole at the back of the chamber to be accelerated further down the chamber. The larger-than-normal Bore drive allows the still "slow" (not really slow but just slow compared to the intended ludicrous operating velocities of the full system) projectile to make many loops through the system before the first Borehole comes to the brink of collapse, and the computational power allows for the system to then project a second charging Borehole with its ends located roughly 1/4 of the vacuum chamber's length away from the fore and aft ends, i.e. a total distance between origin and terminus of 1/2 the vacuum chamber's length. As the second Bore rapidly comes closer to destabilization, a third Borehole is created by the first (hopefully now recharged) generator, with the terminus of this firing Borehole being aimed at any enemies in the entire system. The projectile then enters this second Borehole before being "shot" at [Our] enemies at incredible fractions of the speed of light.

The velocity will turn a single shot from <The Cycle Eternal> into a sure kill if fired at almost any enemy vessels, as well as being capable of evaporating fleshy or soft targets on a planet's surface. The projectile will, sadly, fuse into a superheated high-velocity plasma on the way through any atmosphere, so it's use against hard targets is likely to be limited, unless somebody leaves a window open. It is also possible to fire after any arbitrary number of acceleration runs, meaning that the power of the shot can be finely tailored to the needs of the present situation. Or you can just say "screw this" and blow away entire fleets with your solid-projectile-that-acts-like-a-massive-fusion-bomb. Whatever works, right?

In addition, this ship will of course be capable of moving entire fleets via its immensely powerful Borehole system, allowing it to be a powerful logistical asset as well as an immensely powerful weapon.

~~I think I have properly understood everything involved in this game, and that this is actually a physically possible design, even if it would of course be mind-numbingly expensive.~~ Edited with some Draignean insights. It would be a Leviathan due to the sheer power of the weapon system, not capable of planetary devastation (darned balance) and also not a world-endingly-powerful superweapon. Just, like, a REALLY powerful superweapon.

Deployed with the Bore-scrambler tech to nullify enemy shielding or escape attempts, this device is capable of sitting so far out the enemy will likely never detect it, before firing an incredibly powerful projectile hopefully very close to the enemy fleet, using its immense computational ability to drop a Borehole closer to the enemies than the interference of a battle may otherwise suggest.

EDIT 3: The above proposal needs to be adjusted to clarify the scale. We don't really have the resources right now to go spending them all on a 30km long vacuum chamber of doom, so it needs to be clarified that the intent is a battleship-scale (approximately) weapon, amongst other things.

For now, have an alternative proposal which also fills a need we don't really have:

Quote

<Directive>
The <Directive> is [Our] solution to the problem of highly mobile enemies and effective defensive measures. It is a cruiser-sized vessel, similar to the <Wrath> class, but without any large mounts or hangars. It also loses its four medium mounts for eight additional small hardpoints. Instead of carrying powerful weaponry, the ship is designed to be a highly effective command-and-control ship capable of commanding a very large fleet. The rest of the space is taken up by immense arrays of drones and computers, psionically linked together and controlled by a princess, necessary when commanding such a large fleet. The drones' presence allows the ship's psionic communications systems to be much more powerful than normal. This, combined with the large number of computers and drone brains available for calculations allows the ship to calculate precise Borehole maneuvers even through moderate noise for other ships.

This allows the ship to not only bring [Our] tactical prowess to incredible heights, but also allows the use of new strategies requiring Boreholes directed into noisy space....such as the space in or close to knife fight range near enemy warships. This allows us to position small craft unexpectedly close to enemy warships, with a much shorter warning window as the final steps of Borehole calculations are much faster when performed using the <Directive> class's immense computing power.

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #235 on:** April 10, 2019, 10:00:15 am »

If we're proposing superweapons, I have one:

Quote

[OUR] (GAB) <Divine Word> Gen A.1.0:
When a Queen [terminates] a prince, she sends him a powerful psionic pulse that burns out his psionic organ, rendering him all-but deaf and dumb; an animal, essentially. However, data collected from experiments conducted on convicted princes has revealed that, for the brief moment between receiving the pulse and it severing them from the psionic network, the prince actually experiences a sensation of enlightenment and ecstasy unlike anything any Hiver could ever experience. This is sometimes referred to as the [Divine Word] phenomenon- the explanation given to the public is that exposure to the untainted divinity of a Queen overwhelms the senses, yet more evidence that they transcend mortality.
We don't know if the victims of the (Gravitational Annihilation Beam) <Divine Word> experience enlightenment and ecstasy. If so, it must be incredibly fleeting, even compared to the already sub-second duration of the 'normal' [Divine Word].

The (GAB) <Divine Word> is, for many purposes, overkill. It requires a massive, dedicated mount, ludicrous amounts of power, and a considerable wind-up period. But when it fires, it can crack Cruisers in two like twigs, warp Battleships into a barely-functioning wreck, and put a serious dent in anything larger. Best of all, no known shielding or armour can be tailored against it, as it operates on neither a kinetic or electromagnetic level- the <Divine Word> works on the other side of physics: gravity. Yes, the famous science-princess [PS.One-Rock] (a nickname, bestowed in light of her accomplishments), whose theories of gravity have brought us so far, would be rolling in her grave if she had one, because [We] have literally broken her models to pieces, and used the pieces to destroy our enemies.
See, the (Gravitational Annihilation Beam)... annihilates gravity. It abuses gravitons (the fundamental particles responsible for the phenomenon) until they break. This unleashes an incredible amount of energy, as is often the case when physics gets broken, and with proper care this energy can be directed- into enemy ships/planets. Propagated through the gravitational field, the 'beam' cannot be stopped, cannot be slowed, until it runs out of energy of its own accord- which can be a million kilometers later. Meanwhile, anything it passes through gets to experience what it's like to have one's gravitational field disrupted- stretched, squeezed, twisted, all in the blink of an eye-, with predictably devastating effects. It is a rare spaceship that is designed to withstand such intense (and rapidly fluctuating) gravitational forces, and as mentioned, no typical armour or shielding will save you. Indeed, dense armour will only make things worse, increasing the gravitational potential that can be disrupted. Planets, meanwhile, have of course much more impressive gravitational fields, although they are also typically of a somewhat sturdier build. The Divine Word will not destroy planets... but it will cause devastating earthquakes and volcanic activity, as the entire planet is squeezed and stretched.

In terms of mechanics, the Divine Word can be thought of as two incredibly powerful Queen's Will drives which butt heads. By pushing our gravity-manipulation technology to the limit, they create (in a wide hollow tube running the length of the ship), two intensely powerful gravitational fields- artificial ones, considerably limited in scale-, approaching the gravitational pull of a neutron star at their deepest points. Generating these fields takes a while- one cannot simply jump from 0 to neutron star in an instant; the fields must start off weak, and gradually be made deeper and deeper, a process which may take some time. Once they have reached full strength, they are- very carefully- brought together, but in opposing configurations. The moment the deepest points of both fields overlap, the conflicting forces are sufficient that the gravitons themselves are torn to pieces, unleashing the aforementioned beam (which must, obviously, be aimed straight down the tube, so as not to intersect with the ship at all- and even then, the ship has to be designed to flex and compress, lest the stress of firing even once renders it in need of maintenance).

Draignean · « **Reply #236 on:** April 10, 2019, 11:32:04 pm »

<Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals)
[Efficacy: 3]
The science of poly-dimensional crystals is a young one, and it takes the focused effort of one of the most brilliant (and eccentric) princesses to create useful integration with the Sunbeam weapon system. While several of the Princesses' self-fractured personalities expressed disappointment in the quality of the bonding, most are in assent that the modifications make the sunbeam many times more durable. It does, however, come with a hefty price tag.

[OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3 (Polydimensional Crystals): | 0T 0M 0E 45S | Native to Large Mount | Capacity: -0 | Power: -0 | An upgrade kit for the existing sunbeam, greatly strengthening its crystal array by twinning it with a polydimensional analog that is capable of bracing it without impeding function in the slightest. Decreases the chance for the turret to be damaged and increases turret rotation speeds by a quarter.

Production and Tactics Phase of Year 3
Resources
Dice: 1
T: 9967 + 2500
O: 34665 + 7500
M: 7977 + 7500
E: 6140 + 5000
S: 2399 + 500

Spoiler: Projects (click to show/hide)

[We] Technology List
[We] Empire Planner

Spoiler: Current Deployment (click to show/hide)

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #237 on:** April 11, 2019, 02:36:16 am »

One plan, fresh from the oven. Critique welcome.

Quote from: Plan A

Infrastructure:
(None)

Production:
Production Capacity:
33750(+4820 from previous turn)/33750: 4xHeavy Fighter Destroyer (7835PP each)(7230PP carried over)

Manual Production:
1x Combat Cruiser (see design in this post): | 1055T 1676O 4268M 2423E 227.5S |
32x Takers: | 960T 8960O 3520M 2880E 0S |

Total Cost: | 2015T 10636O 7788M 5303E 228S |

Deployment:
Doctrines:
Early Standard Doctrine V2: IF Enemy detected: Carriers stay in the near field, not getting too close to the edge of engagement range, and moving back if the enemy displays particularly long-ranged weaponry. Cruisers close to effective Sunbeam-range. Heavy Fighters are deployed in the ratio of: One part defend cruisers (intercepting faster ships attempting to attack them); one part attacks enemy ships directly; three parts without Tremor torpeodes intercept hostile fighters if present, otherwise attack enemy ships directly. Cruisers's own fighter complements defend cruisers.
ELSE: Stay quiet, reducing chances of being detected first.
WHEN Retreating from combat: Boreless ships should screen ships equipped with bores as they prepare to escape. No attempt should be made to rescue boreless ships if doing so would endanger other ships.

First Contact Doctrine: IF Enemy detected: Carriers immediately each scramble one wing of fighters armed with Tremor torpedoes.
{IF the enemy scrambles fighters in response: Carriers scramble remaining fighters armed with anti-fighter missiles.
ELSE: Carriers scramble remaining fighters armed with Tremor torpedoes.}
Once carriers have scrambled all fighters, Cruisers close to effective Sunbeam-range, accompanied by 1/5th of fighters (non-Tremor equipped if any were deployed). Remaining fighters are split into two swarms, and are deployed in a pincer formation. If non-Tremor fighters were deployed, these focus on engaging enemy fighters, whilst any Tremor-equipped fighters attempt to launch torpedoes at larger enemy ships. Carriers stay in the near field, and move back if the enemy displays particularly long-ranged weaponry. Cruiser's own fighter complements defend cruisers.
ELSE: Stay quiet, reducing chances of being detected first.
WHEN Retreating from combat: Boreless ships should screen ships equipped with bores as they prepare to escape. No attempt should be made to rescue boreless ships if doing so would endanger other ships.

Transport Doctrine: IF deploying troops is totally impossible or extremely risky (<10% chance of success): retreat to safety.
ELSE: Drop ground troops and retreat to safety. Prioritise survival of ground troops over survival of transport.

Transport & Orbital Fire Support Doctrine: IF deploying troops is totally impossible or extremely risky (<10% chance of success): retreat to safety.
ELSE: Drop ground troops. Prioritise survival of ground troops over survival of transport.
IF orbit is mostly or entirely secure: provide orbital bombardment in support of ground forces as necessary.
ELSE: retreat to safety.

Universal Doctrine (Applies to all fleets unless otherwise noted, in addition to given doctrine): IF Capture of vessel seems likely (successful enemy boarding action in progress or all weapons and propulsion disabled): Self-destruct.

Fleet Movement:
SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO ECHO
Fleet 1 @ECHO:
3x Heavy Fighter Destroyer
2x Boreless Heavy Fighter Destroyer
1x Command Cruiser ("No Fair Fight")
Orders: Defensive positions around planet. Expect attack/attempted landing. Attempt to make psionic contact and warn foreign ships not to approach. If that fails, interdict transports.
Tactics: First Contact Doctrine

SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO QUEBEC
Fleet 5 @QUEBEC:
3x Heavy Fighter Destroyer
3x Boreless Heavy Fighter Destroyer
1x Command Cruiser ("Ahab")
Orders: Defensive positions around planet. Protect friendly transports. Expect attack/attempted landing. Attempt to make psionic contact and warn foreign ships not to approach. If that fails, interdict transports.
Tactics: First Contact Doctrine

Transport Fleet 1 @ALPHA:
1x Transport Destroyer, carrying
4x Takers
Orders: Move to Quebec System via Bravo. Deploy all forces.
Tactics: Transport Doctrine

SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO BRAVO
Transport Fleet 2 @ALPHA:
3x Transport Destroyer, carrying
12x Takers
Orders: Move to Bravo. Stay quiet and avoid enemy contact. Do not deploy ground forces.

SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO OSCAR
Fleet 6 @ALPHA:
3x Boreless Heavy Fighter Destroyer
1x Command Cruiser ("Free Trade") [+5 Alate Sections, + Belief Engine, -All Small Tremors]
2x Heavy Fighter Destroyer (new)
Orders: Move to Oscar via Papa. Expect resistance. Protect friendly transports. Interdict enemy transports if possible.
Tactics: Early Standard Doctrine V2

Transport Fleet 3 @ALPHA:
1x Transport Destroyer [+2 Tremor Mount with bombardment caps], carrying
4x Takers
Orders: Move to Oscar via Papa. Deploy all forces. Provide orbital fire support if possible.
Tactics: Transport & Orbital Fire Support Doctrine

SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO SIERRA
Fleet 3 @ALPHA:
4x Heavy Fighter Destroyer (of which 2 new)
2x Boreless Heavy Fighter Destroyer
1x Command Cruiser ("Nauk") [+5 Alate Sections, + Belief Engine, -All Small Tremors]
1x Combat Cruiser ("Pulsar", new)
Orders: Move to Sierra via Papa. Expect resistance. Protect friendly transports. Interdict enemy transports if possible.
Tactics: Early Standard Doctrine V2

Transport Fleet 4 @ALPHA:
3x Transport Destroyer [+2 Tremor Mount with bombardment caps], carrying
12x Takers
Orders: Move to Sierra via Papa. Deploy all forces. Provide orbital fire support if possible.
Tactics: Transport & Orbital Fire Support Doctrine

SHIPS AT OR MOVING TO ALPHA
Transport Fleet 5 @ALHPA:
1x Transport Destroyer
Orders: Sit back, relax. In the event of enemy contact, panic, since apparently the Liir have actually developed a perfect stealth drive.

Ground Tactics:
SIERRA: O4 D1
ALL OTHER PLANETS: O2 D2

Quote from: Combat Cruiser

Hull: [OUR] (SAC) <Wrath> Gen A.1.0

Systems: 1x [OUR] (PRAY) <Belief Engine> Gen A.1.0 (Prototype, 150% cost)
4x [OUR] (CCL) <Alate> Gen A.1.0 (Prototype, 140% cost)

Weaponry: 2x [OUR] (WEB) <Sunbeam> Gen A.1.3
12x Sunbeam Modular Radiator
2x Sunbeam Polydimensional Crystals
2x [OUR] (SF) <Relentless> Gen A.4.3 (Wing Size: 7)
3x [OUR] (NAST) <Tremor> Gen A.1.2 - Medium

Spare Capacity: 2
Spare Power: 18
Final Resource Cost: T:1055 O:1676 M:4268 E:2423 S:227.5 (including 228O, 106M, 106E, 12.5S in extra prototype costs)

Talion · « **Reply #238 on:** April 11, 2019, 10:35:48 am »

Seems okay. We should really get into the habit of writing Alpha->Bravo->Echo rather than @Echo.

NUKE9.13 · « **Reply #239 on:** April 11, 2019, 10:39:16 am »

Quote from: Talion on April 11, 2019, 10:35:48 am

Seems okay. We should really get into the habit of writing Alpha->Bravo->Echo rather than @Echo.

The @Echo (or whatever) indicates where they start the turn, so Draig knows where to look to remove the fleet, whilst they are organised into groups by where they end the turn, so Draig knows which fleets will end the turn in the same system.

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