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[Girlinhat]

Seconded.  Automines are the only way as far as I'm concerned.

[BishopX]

Just did the math.

For 500,000 people, you'd need 1250 infrastructures, costing 2500 duranium. An orbital habitat for 500,000 people would cost 1969 Duranium, 200 Neutronium, 500 Boronide and 1000 Mercassium. Build cost would be much higher as well. (I think it 1 BP/mineral). You also do not need a tug for infrastructures.

But anyway, 500,000 people can only man 8 mines. 8 automines would cost 960 minerals more than 8 standard mines.

Automines are the way to go on venus, not human.

Assuming 50,000 workers per mine, and an infrastructure requirement of 100 times colony cost per million populace, you would need to have a colony costs of at-least 13.7 before automated mines becomes cheaper.

X colony cost
(100*X)+2+20*120=240*20
50X=120*20
50X=2400
x=48

This assumes 100% of the workers are going to the mines, since the A&E sector requires 5%+(5*colony cost)% of the population in addition to whatever percentage works in the service sector (which is size dependent and therefore a pain to calculate).

Looking at it again

(100+(5+5*X))*X+20+120=20*240
105x+5x^2=2400
X=13.7

If we assume a service sector of 50% (a large colony) than the maximum maximum colony cost for efficient human mining drops to around 11, but that would require a population in excess of 30 million.

[Crustypeanut]

Sure, infrastructure is far cheaper than orbital habitats, but for some planets - Mercury & Venus - you won't be able to get a working manufactoring sector on the planet with infrastructure until the planet is greatly terraformed.  With orbital habitats, this allows the majority of the people in the habitats to work in the mines, terraforming facilities, etc.  A % still might be part of the service sector, however.

Another bonus to orbital habitats that cannot be replicated by infrastructure barring heavy genetic modification is that it allows essential colonization of normally unhabitable worlds, such as small moons or asteroids.  This allows those moons or asteroids to serve other purposes than just being a mining colony - you can have manned mines, factories, research labs, etc on this tiny moon if you so wish.  Unless you create an entirely new race, this is impossible with infrastructure otherwise.  In the case of mining, automated mines may be more benefitial, sure, but regular mines are often abundant and can be shipped in if a shortage of corundium (which isn't used in the construction of the habitats) is in effect.

  I like the idea of having EVE-Online-esque orbital research stations near a lonely gas giant on the fringes of the solar system.  Would be a good location for a lonely mad scientist working on genetic experimentationMedical research with a single research lab, if you want to throw in a bit of Roleplaying... 

Also, 500,000 people would be able to man 10 mines, although due to the need of a service sector, you might very well be right in the overall amount of workforce available for a habitat of that much.

[Girlinhat]

I'd love some gas giant orbital labs, but sadly you cannot place a colony on a gas giant, so you can't place any research labs.  But an orbital lab on pluto doesn't sound terrible...

[Crustypeanut]

That works too, as I didn't know you couldn't put it on a gas giant. 

[Bremen]

If you're dedicated to the gas giant concept, most of them have moons.

In fact they sometimes (though not often) have moons that can be terraformed.

[Sheb]

Yup, but Venus having a col cost of 25, it is best to send automine and slowly terraform it.

[Repulsion]

Administrator's Log: Governor Repulsion

February 2nd, 2037.

A scientist by the name of Charlie Atkins has joined our establishment. He is a specialist in sensors and fire control, and has a 10% efficiency bonus in that area. I can't say he is much use to us now, but there are always possibilities in the future.

March 12th, 2037.

Charlie Murray and Andrew Richardson have completed research into Capacitor Recharge Rate 2 and 0.5 size/20x recharge lasers, respectively. I will be working to utilize these advancements in a new laser design. I have little experience in designing weapons, but it can't be too hard.

I have reassigned our research projects a little bit. I have scrapped the research into the visible light laser, as returns were far in the future, and combat seems not to be in Earth's immediate future. There are 6 labs led by Max Summers working on improved command and control, and 6 labs led by Ellis Heath working into terraforming rate 0.0012. I have upped the amount of labs working on composite armor, as the extremely early prototypes have been extremely promising. I have also set Charlie Murray to working on improved fuel efficiency. Hopefully it will increase the flight time of our fighters, which is always welcome.

The new shipyard is also set to be built by April of this year, which is good. Hopefully we can start building some government-owned freighters soon.

April 18th, 2037.

Our third shipyard has been built. It has only a 1000 ton capacity currently, but I do hope that this capacity will grow.

Additionally, we have a new scientist. Taylor Gordon, who is skilled in... nothing?

Er, apparently he is a defensive systems expert but he doesn't seem to know much about it. I wonder how he got hired... I do indeed.

June 23rd, 2037.

5000 tons have been added to the Federal Portsmouth shipyard, a welcome improvement with the size of our current ships.

Ellis Heath has completed research into 0.0012 terraforming rate, and I have set her to research improved shipyard operations, due to the large amount of capacity increasing we need to do.

Mars now has a population of 3.78 million people and has 1600 infrastructure. It really has no other capabilities, however, and my order for construction factories is apparently really low on Ross Lines' list, unfortunately.

July 23rd, 2037.

Max Summers has completed research into improved command and control, and we can now build a Sector Command. Unfortunately, it takes a massive amount of resources, and we have no free industry. I'll find a way to allocate some industry to build it, though.

September 8th, 2037.

Another research lab has been created, which will aid in our research. Charlie Murray has finished his research into increased fuel efficiency, which I will hopefully factor into the next generation of engines.

The Sector Command is set to be completed on this same day, next year. Surprisingly quickly, in my opinion.

I have also created a preliminary design for a new laser, using the half-size and doubled recharge rate:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Cole 10cm C0.1 iLaser
Damage Output 3     Rate of Fire: 150 seconds     Range Modifier: 1
Max Range 30,000 km     Laser Size: 2 HS    Laser HTK: 0
Power Requirement: 3    Power Recharge per 5 Secs: 0.1
Cost: 1    Crew: 5
Materials Required: 0.2x Duranium  0.2x Boronide  0.6x Corundium

Development Cost for Project: 10RP

It only fires ever 150 seconds, but it is very small. With the new capacitor recharge with the original Cole laser, it can fire every 30 seconds.

Charlie Murray also contacted me with a new idea. He proposed that one could, theoretically, use a special compound created with Nitrogen and a certain isotope of Sorium to be able to cool a reactor extremely fast, opening up the possibility of extremely powerful and efficient reactors. I have given him the go-ahead to work on these new, theoretical reactors. He has no idea when he might be completed, so I guess we can only wait.

December 7th, 2037.

A new scientist, Alfie Tucker, has joined us. He is proficient at Missiles and Kinetic weapons, with a research bonus of 15%. Hopefully we will be able to make use of him somehow.

Also, our first terraformer is set to be completed in a few days. I will immediately set them to start terraforming Mars. The true colonization of our fellow planets will begin very soon...

December 25th, 2037.

Vanaheimr 001 has started terraforming Mars, and Mars now has 0.45% Safe Greenhouse Gas in it's atmosphere. Not much at all, but it is a start. Additionally, the Vanaheimr design is very minimal, but it will do for now. I have also set a second Vanaheimr to be built.

I am happy, and I can't say I'm not proud, to see this happening in my term. So many new possibilities abound... and hopefully even more will come soon.

---

So, not sure about the design of the new Cole Laser. The Faering is small enough as it is, it seems, but I really have no experience with fighters either way.

[Bremen]

So, not sure about the design of the new Cole Laser. The Faering is small enough as it is, it seems, but I really have no experience with fighters either way.

Is it any smaller? Last time I used lasers a .75 size 10cm laser was 2hs as well.

[Girlinhat]

Laser size depends on the caliber and the reduction.  A 10cm .75 laser is 2 HS, and a 15cm .5 is also 2HS.  But it can't be smaller than 2HS it seems, so if you've got a 10cm .25 laser then you're getting no size reduction but you are getting a reload penalty.

[Bremen]

Laser size depends on the caliber and the reduction.  A 10cm .75 laser is 2 HS, and a 15cm .5 is also 2HS.  But it can't be smaller than 2HS it seems, so if you've got a 10cm .25 laser then you're getting no size reduction but you are getting a reload penalty.

I'm guessing a .5 size 12cm laser would be 2HS though, which could give surprising punch for a fighter (and a 200 second recharge time.)

[Girlinhat]

I believe so, yes.  Point is, lasers cannot be size reduced below 2HS.  You can reduce the size further, but it doesn't actually reduce, it just adds recharge time needlessly.  It's sort of like putting reload tech into a box launcher.  Uselessly weighs it down.  But yes, you can get some pretty good size reduction on some pretty good weapons and make beam bombers.  Slow reload but a large punch, not suited to dogfighting but good for poking holes in enemy armor.

[Repulsion]

Hmmm, so would you say a 15cm laser that recharges every 150 seconds (I think) is better than a 10cm that fires every 30 (I think)? I'm more inclined to the 10cm laser, although I don't know how the cm's of a laser are connected to its damage. Is it 1 point of damage every 5 cm of laser? Or...?

[Girlinhat]

Depends on the use.  Faster recharge will let you get more DPS in, but a higher caliber will let you get bigger shots.  Lasers punch straight through armor.  If your opponent has 5 layers of armor, and your bomber has 9 points of damage at 0 range, then you can pierce all the armor and get in 4 internal damage against engines and guns and ammo stockpiles, which is really gonna mess them up.  Lighter firepower may deliver more DPS, but with more shots over shorter time you tend to get less penetration, more armor spread.  Against lightly armored foes that higher ROF will let you just peg them down repeatedly.  Against bigger ships with thicker armor (swarm queen?) you'll want some heavy punching power to simply bore a hole in that armor and get licks on internal.  If you've penetrated armor, that also makes it significantly easier for marines to work, so you can have a squadron of laser bombers that rush in point blank and get a shot in.  Then a troopship deploys marines, who will automatically go to the thinnest armor section for quicker entry.

So, as always, "depends on the situation".  Your dogfighters want ROF, usually gauss, but your anti-ship bombers want stopping power.  Of course I prefer carronades, as they produce higher damage per shot, even if it does spread over armor rather poorly.  And carronades are considerably cheaper in terms of RP and BP.

[Repulsion]

Administrator's Log: Governor Repulsion

January 25th, 2038.

A new slipway has been added to the Asgardian shipyard recently, as well as the scrapping of several surplus last-generation engines.

Mars now has 6.2 million inhabitants, and the amount of safe greenhouse gas in it's atmosphere continues to grow, albeit slowly.

February 21st, 2038.

5000 tons have been added to the Federal Portsmouth shipyard, giving it a comfortable capacity of 40,000 tons. I have let it rest on there, but continue to increase the capacity for the Asgardian shipyard and the new shipyard. I'm thinking of potentially slowing down the rate of colonists being transported to Mars, and increase-or rather, start- the shipment of actual buildings and such. As of now, Mars is just a rock with some people sitting on it.

April 21st, 2038.

The second Vanaheimr has been built, and will proceed to Mars. Hopefully we can get a noticeable amount of terraforming, enough so that the temperature rises perhaps half a degree in my term? I do hope so.

Crustypeanut has also increased his mining bonus to 25%, which is quite nice if I do say so myself. He will be a good governor for any future colonies that we may have, hopefully...

July 20th, 2038.

The Metcalfe geology team has completed their survey on Titan with only one find, increasing the amount of Corundium from 722075 tons to 822075 tons, and their rating has increased to 152. I have moved the Metcalfe team to Venus for now.

Also, there is no more infrastructure to transport to Mars, and Mars now rests with 2499 infrastructure, enough to support 11.73 million people. I have set Supply Vessel Group #1 to transporting construction factories to Mars.

September 21st, 2038.
The Military Academy has finished construction. I have put some industry into building research labs, and a bit more into financial buildings.
The Sector Command has also finished construction, and I have appointed Crustypeanut as the Sector Governor.

A team led by Joe Cunningham has completed research into Thermal Sensor Sensitivity 6, which is welcome, of course.

Overall, life continues as normal. I now have 3 research projects all set to complete in 2039, which should hopefully make it a good year. I will be monitoring the amount of colonists on Mars and cutting the flow of them when there are just enough to be supported by the infrastructure, so we can hopefully focus more on actual buildings and production on Mars.

December 1st, 2038.

The supply of Sorium on Earth has been exhausted, but the Metcalfe geology team has made one lone discovery on Venus before saying there is nothing on it, again. They increased the tons of Tritanium from 8794072 to 8894072. Their rating has increased to 162. I'd imagine that they would be extremely useful once we start expanding more.

---

So, how do you name a shipyard?

Additionally, how do I check to see where a Sector applies to? I've heard that there is a window or somesuch for it but... yeah.