So I like the idea of this game, and I feel like it would be fun to participate in. But I've had issues consistently having enough time to participate in such games in the past. Is this a game where it would be acceptable to come and go as I have time? If so, I'm in.
Also, I'm new to writing designs (or arms race games in general), but I think I have a good solution to offer. And since this is only one thread, where I wouldn't unfairly advantage a team, I don't feel bad posting it even if I can't continue playing. Critiques of my designs desired.
SeaHorse Rideable Diver Vehicle
In World War 2, Italy made use of a rideable torpedo (non-kamikaze) to attack shipping at Gibraltar. While not effective at capturing Gibraltar, it was very effective at crippling their navy for a while. The SeaHorse attempts to emulate and improve on this. Further, it's a semi-defensive weapon. In an Island war, navies are crucial to offense. If a navy is seriously impeded, so too is that nation's ability to land forces.
The SeaHorse is a electrically powered diver and equipment transport. It is designed to carry 2 divers and 300 lb of explosives (in the form of limpet mines / demolition charges) on external mount points to the 10 ft by 24 inch diameter torpedo shaped hull. The vehicle is steered by the divers, and includes mount points for extra dive bottles, which are used by the operator to control ballast. The vehicle is designed to be mounted to the bottom of a fishing boat using a rack and be launched and recovered to that position. It uses lead acid batteries for power storage, and is recharged by the ship it is launched from. A typical mission would involve launching at night from the bottom of the fishing boat, either inside or close outside the harbor, traveling up to 5 mi round trip for the divers to attach demolition charges to one or several ships, and returning to remount the transport on the fishing boat to be rearmed and recharged. Maneuverability and speed are secondary concerns, so long as they do not impede the ability of the vehicle to perform it's mission. (go so slow that the divers will run out of air, be unable to maneuver to re-dock, often crash into the bottom or unexpectedly surface, etc.) Additional demo charges are mounted on the rack with the vehicle, to allow rearming and evade detection by individuals searching the boat.
Once again, critiques desired. I'm not sure I've got a good feel for the tech level or realism we are going for, or how to write one of these. It's at least an attempt to produce a reasonably effective and realistic weapons system that accomplishes our goals without being [broken]. On the other hand, I do love the ridiculousness behind the bats, and this design is kind of boring that way.
Alternately, a [broken] landing craft might be hilarious if someone wanted to do a design. I would think naval designs will likely be important at first until one island or the other gains a foothold on land.
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Topic: One Thread Arms Race Turn 1 Revision (Read 2658 times)