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[nogoodnames]

Heh. I'm still using 5.6 for my current campaign. Conventional start with no engine scientists for 45 years meant my earlier ship designs had to use conventional engines, which gave my freighters a top speed of 13 km/s. While using them to supply my martian colony, I had to carefully aim for an interception with Mars or they wouldn't make it. The commercial shiplines are obviously too dumb to realize this limitation. I now have 5 freighters bunched up in a sort of pseudo-orbit around the sun, all of them 25+ years into their maiden voyages to Mars. I really wish you could blow up civilian ships.

Also, here's a tentative design for my planned meson fighters. They're far slower than I would like, but there's not much I can do about that without a lot more research.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Krivak class Fighter    365 tons     13 Crew     47.5 BP      TCS 7.3  TH 24  EM 0
3287 km/s     Armour 1-4     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 3
Maint Life 28.92 Years     MSP 41    AFR 2%    IFR 0%    1YR 0    5YR 1    Max Repair 14 MSP

FTR Nuclear Pulse Engine E1000 (1)    Power 24    Fuel Use 10000%    Signature 24    Armour 0    Exp 25%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres    Range 0.5 billion km   (41 hours at full power)

R3/C3 Meson Cannon (1)    Range 30,000km     TS: 3287 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fire Control S01 32-3000 (FTR) (1)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 12000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
Pebble Bed Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 3    Armour 0    Exp 5%

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes

So what do you think? Worth building?

[EuchreJack]

Also, here's a tentative design for my planned meson fighters. They're far slower than I would like, but there's not much I can do about that without a lot more research.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Krivak class Fighter    365 tons     13 Crew     47.5 BP      TCS 7.3  TH 24  EM 0
3287 km/s     Armour 1-4     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 3
Maint Life 28.92 Years     MSP 41    AFR 2%    IFR 0%    1YR 0    5YR 1    Max Repair 14 MSP

FTR Nuclear Pulse Engine E1000 (1)    Power 24    Fuel Use 10000%    Signature 24    Armour 0    Exp 25%
Fuel Capacity 10,000 Litres    Range 0.5 billion km   (41 hours at full power)

R3/C3 Meson Cannon (1)    Range 30,000km     TS: 3287 km/s     Power 3-3     RM 3    ROF 5        1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fire Control S01 32-3000 (FTR) (1)    Max Range: 64,000 km   TS: 12000 km/s     84 69 53 37 22 6 0 0 0 0
Pebble Bed Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 3    Armour 0    Exp 5%

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes

So what do you think? Worth building?

Nope.   

Consider this: You're 45 years into the game.  Assuming the NPRs haven't all died a slow mineral-drained death, they've got engines 25 times as fast as your fighter.  You need engine tech BAD.  Until then, use missiles.
And turret your guns.  You need all the target speed that your engines can't give you.

Also, you can research engine tech with non-engine tech scientists, they just don't do so 4x as fast as indicated.  So "Dr. 30 labs 30% research speed" is useful for any tech.

[LoSboccacc]

also, 30kkm for range is far too short for getting anything hit

[FritzPL]

I recommend you research at least into Ion engines and smaller components, like commanding module, tiny fuel tanks, engineering

[EuchreJack]

also, 30kkm for range is far too short for getting anything hit

It's fine for mesons: They're knife-range weapons any way you slice it.  My only real concern is that with 45 years lead, the opposing NPR might be able to travel that range in 5 seconds, thus avoiding all shots.  Realizing that the range check and minimum firing speed is 5 seconds, and that the listed range is actually double for absolute maximum range, vessels travelling at roughly 18k km/s would be able to do just such a feat, which is somewhat reasonable given the time advantage.

Again: Missiles are your friend when you're behind in vital tech.  They'll be something like pencils with rocket engines, but they'll be able to hit and you can mass them to tactical significance.

[LoSboccacc]

the problem is not meson or laser, but initiative. if they get their move after your's, you'll never be close enough for the shot.

[EuchreJack]

the problem is not meson or laser, but initiative. if they get their move after your's, you'll never be close enough for the shot.

Yeah, I was sort of saying the same thing about the range vs. opposing speed.

[Jacob/Lee]

Unless Steve fixed it, you can repo civilian ships by establishing a tractor link with them. Good luck catching the freighters.

[peskyninja]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

How I felt after I nuking 3 asteroids to get rid of those pesky ancient spoilers after months of ground combat.

[forsaken1111]

I don't see anything now but wasn't there something new about diplomacy between empires on the same planet? Is there a way to set empires on the same planet to friendly?

[Girlinhat]

I think that empires generated on the same planet are friendly by default, so that they don't insta-nuke each other.

[Jacob/Lee]

I don't see anything now but wasn't there something new about diplomacy between empires on the same planet? Is there a way to set empires on the same planet to friendly?

They automatically know each others' languages, which presumably makes them have a higher base relationship.

[forsaken1111]

I think that empires generated on the same planet are friendly by default, so that they don't insta-nuke each other.

I really hope so... I'm starting a multi-nation game soon.

I pulled wikipedia data on all countries with manned space flight capability and they're my major nations. Minor nations are any country with a space program and any kind of launch capability at all.
Everyone else is going into population pools separated by continent

So we'll have me playing the US, 3 other empires capable of space flight, 5 minor powers with TN tech but no space capabilities and then one population pool for each continent of everyone else on earth with no access to any of the new tech at all.

The non-TN populations will have their low-tech ground forces and massive populations but nothing else, pretty much just there to be conquered. Minor powers will have some up-to-date ground forces but no ability to go off-planet. I can trade with them or conquer them or whatever.

I'm hoping it won't immediately blow up in my face

USA, China, Russia and the UK all have manned space flight capability and so would be in a position to exploit the TN materials and technology and actually make ships so I'm starting each with a small shipyard and some tech. If I'm really lucky, they won't immediately murder each other.

I'm setting their industrial and economic settings based on real world data. For example china has a Per Capita of $8382 while the US is $48386, so if we use the USA as 100% of normal manufacturing and economy. China will have 17%, Russia is 34%, UK is 75%.

I'm doing that so that the sheer population doesn't blast China into the lead, and it should be fairly balanced and accurate to real world data.

[Girlinhat]

As posted above, I was wrong.  They'll know languages, so it'll be easier to make an alliance, but not assured.  This seems like a proper way to handle a real-world start though.

[forsaken1111]

As posted above, I was wrong.  They'll know languages, so it'll be easier to make an alliance, but not assured.  This seems like a proper way to handle a real-world start though.

I did notice there is a "Fixed Relationship" button in SM mode so I can keep them all neutral to each other, at least for now. I'm hoping it will preclude any immediate nuking of Earth.