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[RedKing]

Seconded (thirded?).

Some comparisons of how a simple task (building a laser-armed scout ship) work in various 4x space games:

Imperium Galactica: Choose "Build", choose "Scout".
Master of Orion 2: Choose "Design", choose Scout Hull, choose Laser Cannon. Construct design at any planet.
Space Empires V: Research Energy to get Laser Cannon module, research construction to get Scout Hull, research propulsion to get Engine module.
Go into ship designer and place however many modules you want in the hull (within the limits set by the hull class). Build final design at any planet with a shipyard.

Aurora: Commit an energy weapons researcher to researching Infrared Laser and/or an increased Laser Focal Size technology. Also, have a Sensors researcher researching whatver kinds of sensors you want. And an engine research researching engine technologies (propulsion type, fuel efficiency, power/efficiency ratio differentials. Optionally, have a Defensive Systems researcher researching lower thermal signatures.

Once all this research is complete, go into tech designer, and design the individual laser cannon (tweaking focal size, spectrum type, capacitor recharge rate, and miniturization level). Design the engine (balancing a whole variety of factors). Design active sensor suite and passive EM and thermal sensors. Then research all these designed components.

THEN go into the ship designer, and stick all your components together. Unlike most every other 4x that constrains your designs by "hull slots" within defined ship classes, you are fettered only by the laws of Aurora physics. Want to build a 400,000-ton "scout" behemoth with 1000 laser cannons? You can. But at early levels of tech development, your behmoth is going to take 50 years to build, require a crew of tens of thousands, consume more minerals than you have on Earth, and will travel slower than the average commercial tugboat.

Once you've arrived at a design that you're happy with (balancing the needed components, overall weight, speed, armor protection, maintenance duration, fuel range, etc.) you find a shipyard with the appropriate type (Civil or Military) and a sufficient capacity for that weight of ship. Then you tool the yard for that design (or retool if you already had a design in place), and commence to building. If you're smart and have the extra industrial capacity available, you build most of the components before you build the ship, to speed up construction. Then you actually start building (and name your ship). Anywhere from a few months to several years later, your ship is done.


It's a much more realistic model of ship construction--often by the time your vessels are complete, they're partially obsolete. And there's enough time for things to happen to change the mission requirements of your design.

[lastverb]

Wall of text

And you have still forgoten about modules:
power generators in addition to laser - so your ship can reload those nasty lasers
targetting sensors in addition to active sensors - so you can actually shoot at something

That's about it. Easy comparison of 4x "accessibility".

[RedKing]

True dat. I lost track of how many designs (and even games) I had to throw out early on before I understood everything that was required in a design. Even now I find myself making derpy design errors, like my unarmed carriers that have an ECCM module on them (because at one point they did have some limited firepower before I removed it during the design process but forgot to remove the ECCM).

[Karlito]

and will travel slower than the average commercial tugboat.

To be fair, a decent tugboat design will go pretty fast.

[Flying Dice]

Yeah, my tugs tend to be faster than pretty much anything larger than a frigate.

[RedKing]

Hmm...good point. My one tug design is actually the fastest thing in the fleet (nearly 10,000 km/s). I have no idea how slow it's going to be when towing my orbital megahabitats, though.

[Kanil]

It's kinda embarrassing to admit, given how long I've been playing Aurora... but I've finally managed to destroy my first enemy ship. Most of my games end in boredom and most of my battles end in pathetic failure.

I just sent out three new Purifier destroyers which laserzapped a precursor vessel into wreckage! At least, I think it's a precursor -- was pretty fast for a 12,000 ton vessel. I can't be actually bothered talking to the aliens and find out though, as why bother talk when you have lasers?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Purifier class Destroyer    6,000 tons     550 Crew     1069 BP      TCS 120  TH 1040  EM 240
8666 km/s     Armour 7-29     Shields 8-300     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 20
Maint Life 0 Years     MSP 0    AFR 1200%    IFR 16.7%    1YR 408    5YR 6113    Max Repair 77 MSP
Magazine 24   

MPD-M2 Plasma Drive (13)    Power 80    Fuel Use 80%    Signature 80    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 85,000 Litres    Range 31.9 billion km   (42 days at full power)
IHI-DS-25 Shielding Unit (3)   Total Fuel Cost  60 Litres per day

KEC-PBiV Particle Beam (2)    Range 100,000km     TS: 8666 km/s     Power 10-4    ROF 15        4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Seeker/PB-64K (1)    Max Range: 128,000 km   TS: 8000 km/s     92 84 77 69 61 53 45 37 30 22
1/6 Fusion Reactor (2)     Total Power Output 12    Armour 0    Exp 5%

KEC-6/75 OS Launcher (4)    Missile Size 6    Rate of Fire 4500
Shrike-9 TC (1)     Range 20.5m km    Resolution 35
Shrike-9 Anti-Ship Missile (4)  Speed: 40,000 km/s   End: 7.8m    Range: 18.8m km   WH: 9    Size: 6    TH: 200 / 120 / 60

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/sParticle beams are cool, yo.

[Drago55577]

is it possible to have a ship but no planets?

i might start playing just to build a star sized ship that cant have the shields taken down

[Flying Dice]

The way construction works currently, it is impossible to have a functioning ship-based civilization, as you need some sort of colony for your industry to operate on.

[PTTG??]

What are Particle Beams anyway?

[Tarran]

Like lasers with overall less range and significantly less damage, but they have no dropoff in damage from range and the size of the beam does not effect the range and vice versa, meaning at high tech levels you can have very small, long range Particle beams. The strength of the gun effects the size. They cannot be fit on a turret.

[FritzPL]

-snip-

Nevermind, I can't read.

[Kanil]

What are Particle Beams anyway?

Ever play Sword of the Stars? I imagine them as being like the Blazers in that game.

Therefore, particle beams are awesome.

[JWNoctis]

The way construction works currently, it is impossible to have a functioning ship-based civilization, as you need some sort of colony for your industry to operate on.

Actually it's at least theorically possible to base your civilization around a massive orbital habitat with a fleet of supporting freighters, fuel harvesters, asteroid miners, defensive ships and a few gate constructers, and lead a nomadic life among the stars as Dr. Hawking envisions.

Not exactly ship-based, but close enough.

[Flying Dice]

The way construction works currently, it is impossible to have a functioning ship-based civilization, as you need some sort of colony for your industry to operate on.

Actually it's at least theorically possible to base your civilization around a massive orbital habitat with a fleet of supporting freighters, fuel harvesters, asteroid miners, defensive ships and a few gate constructers, and lead a nomadic life among the stars as Dr. Hawking envisions.

Not exactly ship-based, but close enough.

Actually, that is still imppossible, as you need a designated colony for your factories, research facilities, academies, GFTCs, etc. to sit on. The mechanics of the game physically prevent a functioning >fully< shipboard civilization, and will continue to do so unless and until there are modules which replicate the functions of every installation, which we probably won't see, except possibly (hopefully) in Newtonian Aurora.