That's about a sixth more cost, for half again the firepower? Plus we can use the old ships to escort convoys. Sounds like a definitive bargain to go with the new builds, if you ask me.
I am not parsing this well, are you comparing the Warrior to the Frigates or to the Resolutes?
Almost half again the price is admittedly a slightly harder sell. The added durability from the second defense slot and the ability to defend itself with the added macrocannon might make it worth it, but it's not an obviously superior choice.
Granted, at some point we are going to hit diminishing returns and we might be, but the upfront cost is not the everything that is going to be spent. Repair costs will always be a pain in the ass. As such the harder it is to kill, the less it costs us to repair them. At some point, the survability will more then pay for itself in relation to what it's replacing.
Mind, only the modernized escort carriers carry guns of any type. And they do so by sacrificing the ability to have more then a single Squadron of fighters. If all we had were Corvettes, having such a flexible ship as a Squadron leader of some sort would make sense, but we have Heavy Frigates now and our upcoming Light Carriers beside.
As is, the Escort Carrier in the first Squadron doesn't have any guns and replacing it with another that is like wise the same would go a long way to keeping the whole squadron flexible. We COULD simply just make Courantes until we are drowning in faux!Emperor Cruiser-lite escorts, but the extra utility in the Saber class allows it to have that extra troop deck to counter boarding from Chaos, Ork or otherwise. And all at a price that let's us quickly go down our naval registry and finally get rid of our Armed Merchants.
EDIT: Hah, my bad, you were speaking about the Courantes all along. Yes, well, I could honestly go both ways though I do slightly lean on the side of just replacing Corvettes with Corvettes.
No actually, it seems like I misunderstood you. I thought you were comparing refitting two Warriors to building two new Indomitables, but on review the prices for that definitely don't line up.
Granted, at some point we are going to hit diminishing returns and we might be, but the upfront cost is not the everything that is going to be spent. Repair costs will always be a pain in the ass. As such the harder it is to kill, the less it costs us to repair them. At some point, the survability will more then pay for itself in relation to what it's replacing.
Mind, only the modernized escort carriers carry guns of any type. And they do so by sacrificing the ability to have more then a single Squadron of fighters. If all we had were Corvettes, having such a flexible ship as a Squadron leader of some sort would make sense, but we have Heavy Frigates now and our upcoming Light Carriers beside.
As is, the Escort Carrier in the first Squadron doesn't have any guns and replacing it with another that is like wise the same would go a long way to keeping the whole squadron flexible. We COULD simply just make Courantes until we are drowning in faux!Emperor Cruiser-lite escorts, but the extra utility in the Saber class allows it to have that extra troop deck to counter boarding from Chaos, Ork or otherwise. And all at a price that let's us quickly go down our naval registry and finally get rid of our Armed Merchants.
Also good points. Though, are you sure that a full troopdeck isn't a bit overkill? From the description, they carry "an Army Group worth of extra bodies". Bit much for an escort-sized ship maybe.
Say, could we maybe go with double-bay carriers, with one bay carrying fighter-bombers and the other troop transports with marines? That way, the transports can perform offensive boarding, counter-board friendly ships to help defend them against boarding attacks, or disembark from their transports and defend the carrier itself? Depending on the model of transport they can also act as ersatz-heavy fighters apparently (a hangar's worth of Harbingers provides PD2). @DaLintyGuy, is loading our military hangars with troop transports something we can currently do?
No actually, it seems like I misunderstood you. I thought you were comparing refitting two Warriors to building two new Indomitables, but on review the prices for that definitely don't line up
The biggest argument for just going full bore on Frigates for line escorts is that 2 Indomitables effectively have the fire power of 3 Warriors for just 7M extra per ship. But of course, that also comes at the cost coverage and redundancy and not having the extra shields, troops and sensors that the third Warrior represents.
What would it take to house a few company's worth of troops then? As I said above, the army group that we get from a dedicated troop deck seems like overkill. Would an add-on be enough? If yes, would we have to research that or could we simply use a cut-down version of the full troop deck that we already have and call it good?
Aah. In that case 'slightly more cost, half-again the guns' stands, even if it's also slightly less maneuverable with current engines. Still a very good deal.
Aah. In that case 'slightly more cost, half-again the guns' stands, even if it's also slightly less maneuverable with current engines. Still a very good deal.
It is! Buuuuut, we also have to consider that at some point we are going to want our escorts to behave more like escorts then lineships and at that point coverage will start being more important as cruisers will be our main damage dealers.
I don't know, even with that, just having assloads of super damaging Heavy Frigates doesn't sound bad. I guess that's one of the advantages of having different Squadrons; We can have one with nothing but Heavy Frigates and whatever cruiser-sized hull it's with. We can call that "Beat stick squadron". And I am pretty sure that's going to be Squadron 2 regardless of what happens.
And then we can have the normal spread of corvettes and escort carriers in another Squadron for flexibility.
The biggest argument for just going full bore on Frigates for line escorts is that 2 Indomitables effectively have the fire power of 3 Warriors for just 7M extra per ship. But of course, that also comes at the cost coverage and redundancy and not having the extra shields, troops and sensors that the third Warrior represents.
I mean. 7M per ship is still a pretty damn small increase. For the price of 6 Warriors, we can buy 5 Indomitables plus a bit left over (or 13 Warriors get us not quite 11 Indomitables). Looked at like that, the reduced coverage and durability isn't that big either. Meanwhile, the added firepower lets us win battles faster, giving enemies less time to inflict damage to us, reducing our repair and replacement costs. As with the carriers, the extra investment should pay for itself eventually.
Plus, if we go with my proposal of flak shells for macrocannons, all those extra guns also directly contribute to the defense not just of our frigates, but also our bigger ships.
I mean. 7M per ship is still a pretty damn small increase. For the price of six Warriors, we can buy 5 Indomitables plus a bit left over. Looked at like that, the reduced coverage and durability isn't that big either. Meanwhile, the added firepower lets us win battles faster, giving enemies less time to inflict damage to us, reducing our repair and replacement costs. As with the carriers, the extra investment should pay for itself eventually.
Plus, if we go with my proposal of flak shells for macrocannons, all those extra guns also directly contribute to the defense not just of our frigates, but also our bigger ships.
The loss of speed or maneuvering will make going after Chaos ships an utter bitch, however. The relative lack of bodies will also be a demerit for boarding happy opponents, though to be fair our big guns have been keeping them at bay so far.
At any rate, I don't mind what we go so long as we can finally start phasing our old ships out.
The loss of speed or maneuvering will make going after Chaos ships an utter bitch, however. The relative lack of bodies will also be a demerit for boarding happy opponents, though to be fair our big guns have been keeping them at bay so far.
At any rate, I don't mind what we go so long as we can finally start phasing our old ships out.
Again, good points. Inherently however, the difference for the hulls is only a half-point of acceleration, that the real difference is a full point of maneuvering is due to the warrior being equipped with newer-but-flawed engines. So pencil in an engine update for the next research turn I guess? For the boarding, pending feedback from the GM on troop accomodation add-ons, carriers equipped with troop transports for counterboarding may be a partial solution.
The loss of speed or maneuvering will make going after Chaos ships an utter bitch, however. The relative lack of bodies will also be a demerit for boarding happy opponents, though to be fair our big guns have been keeping them at bay so far.
At any rate, I don't mind what we go so long as we can finally start phasing our old ships out.
Budget battlecruiser, eh? A light cruiser with double militarized engines would be 3A3M, taking into account the size debuff, and still be able to take one each of broadside and turrets. Could work, but they're also more expensive than escorts, so it's less suited for wide patrol and skirmishing coverage, and more suited for a small heavy hunter-killer force. We may or may not decide to wait on that until after we build a core of light cruisers specced for heavy combat with the omni slot going to extra weapons.
What would it take to house a few company's worth of troops then? As I said above, the army group that we get from a dedicated troop deck seems like overkill. Would an add-on be enough? If yes, would we have to research that or could we simply use a cut-down version of the full troop deck that we already have and call it good?
Again, good points. Inherently however, the difference for the hulls is only a half-point of acceleration, that the real difference is a full point of maneuvering is due to the warrior being equipped with newer-but-flawed engines. So pencil in an engine update for the next research turn I guess? For the boarding, pending feedback from the GM on troop accomodation add-ons, carriers equipped with troop transports for counterboarding may be a partial solution.
Keep in mind that that half point is 25% of the average Acceleration of our fleets. If we want more firepower we can simply make more ships where as if we want more speed we can only research new engines.
(Ordnance) Plasma Explosive Manufacturing Protocols: Thermo-cavitation shells have proven their value in Calavar's arsenal, but the high cost of manufacture prevents a widespread rollout. In order to make them more widely available, a standardized manufacturing process and associated specialized machinery will be created (possibly requiring some small tweaks to the design). In particular, automation of the most delicate parts of the reactor production should remove the need for direct Mechanicus involvement in every shell. In addition, the shells will be adapted for use in the Mk2 Macrocannons.
-Result of 4-2 (difficulty)+1 (omake)=3
The effects and power of the plasma shells that had been provided on a per case basis to Crusade warships had been noticed by the Admiralty. From providing the flames to burn away the animate filth over Uniary to cracking heavily armored warships the shells had done their duty well.
However, the Adepts of Calavar had concerns with regards to automating the production of advanced technology such as this. As well as the question of how it could be done there was the debate on whether it should be done. The mysteries of the Machine God were not to be so frivolously spread and reduced to as naught then to allow those who had not been taught to revere them.
These theological arguments were not something that the Admiralty could simply order aside. Not and keep their ability to wage war, or even potentially their lives if the Cult Mechanicus were offended enough at the disrespect. So they had to wait for a resolution while trying to nudge things as best they could.
A basic compromise was reached as the argument continued. While a member of the Cult Mechanicus would lead and check the assembly, they could make use of some directed assistance to multiply their efforts.
[T-C Shell cost changed from 1M,1A to 5M,.5A]
[+2 to next attempt]
(Production) Remove Artisan cost from Macrocannons Mk2 - Specialized manufacturing facilities can enable us to produce our newer macrocannon designs without needing major oversight from the Mechanicus adepts, freeing them to work on other projects
-Result of 10-1 (difficulty)=9
The production of the necessary superconducting rails was an onerous process, directed and controlled by the Adepts of Calavar and Lexicalum. Matrices were laid down with exacting precision through the use of grand looms to layer thin sheets of molecular lattice onto each other. Yet with the need for more guns, more ships, this could not stand.
Several ideas were tried, from layering the material around a core of a less complex material to tentatively attempting to use entirely different methods to make the necessary components. The latter of which was determined to be the best path and so the project moved forward.
The panes of matrices were carefully rolled on itself, providing cables that could then be wound onto a central spar. A task that did not require the same level of attention from the Adepts and could therefore be turned over to more conventional industry.
[Macrocannon MkII 4M,1A -> 5M]
(Economy) Subsidiary Shipyards: With the expansion of the Calavar-V shipyard complete, projections are that further expansion would encounter significant diminishing returns. However, building small subsidiary shipyards in Crusade-controlled systems has the potential to multiplicatively increase their contributions. Preliminary plans are to build a central foundry and factorum surrounded by a docking ring, with slipways for repairs and construction on one side and heavy cargo-handling systems on the other.
-Result of 7-1 (size)+2 (omake)+2 (assistance)=10
Every war was won or lost on the basis of the industrial strength of it's participants. And essentially all of Calavar's industrial might was in one place, with little to protect it beyond the movement of garrison vessels to and from the docks and the sources of material that fed it's hungry maws. Diversification was needed.
This news was met with eager pockets and cheers by the oligarchs of Calavar. Even a few percent ownership in one of these complexes would be enough to sustain a fortune through the ages. Ten percent, and the influence would make them preeminent among the new order established after the Xenos and Traitors were repulsed and killed to the last.
The central column of one of these shipyards was to be the forge and living spaces for the skilled personnel needed to operate one of these structures. Surrounding this central redoubt was a ring holding manufacturing and storage spaces to accept materials and components from the docking bays and feed the construction slips on the opposite side. A handful of cannon strove to ensure that ownership would not be contested.
[Small Shipyard: Measuring a mere three kilometers across the Calavan Crusade-Pattern shipyard was a wartime measure to increase the manufacturing capacity during the Hegemon's Crusade to restore the Lativa Subsector to its rightful state. Takes the shape of a central column surrounded by a ring. Provides 30M when completed. (1W, 2D)(160M)]
(Ordnance) "Intolerant"-model Torpedo: The Indignant model torpedo has served us well, but in the face of greater threats it is time to create something stronger. Removing the built-in point defense, and using the sensors to instead help guide the torpedoes into enemy ships, increasing the chance of hitting. Create an improved engine, allowing for stronger armor combined with more powerful explosives for a faster torpedo and an even stronger jet against enemy armor.
-Result of 9+1 (salvage): 10
While the Indignant had served well it had a potentially crippling weakness against heavily armored targets: the type which torpedoes were most important against. As such the Intolerant would be a revolutionary rather than evolutionary advance.
In light of the number of strike craft the Crusade typically brought to a fleet action the point defense of the Indignant was removed to take away the associated weaknesses in the warhead casing. The leftover sensors were meshed with the existing auspex systems for increased sensitivity and therefore a larger area in which the torpedo would seek out and make an attack run on a target vessel.
To double down on the current paradigm the Intolerant would use it's own fuel as an additional set of reaction mass on the attack. At close range this would provide a significant boost to the damage caused to the enemy vessel be it superheated material sweeping off protrusions or additional mass to inject into the interior of the vessel. This bonus would decrease as the range increased but it was agreed that it was worth the negligible tradeoff.
If the captain thought that they had the right target the Intolerant could also be launched in a more standard attack, where the armored casing let the weapon smash through a lightly or unarmored hull to allow the main charge to detonate inside the enemy for maximum damage.
[Intolerant-model Torpedo: A sister munition to the earlier Indignant, the Intolerant furthered the ideas pioneered by the earlier model. Utilizing a pulsed plasma engine derived from advancements after the Indignant had been created to get extra thrust the Intolerant used that extra impulse to increase it's armor and carry extra fuel that served to further amplify the slightly larger warhead the weapon carried. (Torpedo 5, -1 for every range bracket, if exceeding enemy armor rating gain extra damage, Accel 6, Maneuver 3)(3M/Torpedo)]
(Life Support) Redoubt life support: Built with an eye towards redundancy and damage control, this improved life support system incorporates improved compartmentalization to more easily seal off damaged sections, fire suppression systems, numerous caches of repair tools and spare parts, and a few machine shops for supplying them. As it is not unusual for a ship to have months of relative downtime between engagements, training much of the crew to assist in damage control as needed should be straightforward. Although the additional air scrubbers and water purifiers are intended primarily for redundancy in case of damage, they also provide increased capacity, improving living conditions on board and therefore morale.
-Result of 5
It is not unreasonable to claim that the systems that recycle and scrub the biological outputs of the organic crew were the most important portion of a starship. False as there were several of the same importance, but not unreasonable. As such the Admiralty asked for a dispersed model that would keep crew losses as low as possible in the event of comprehensive damage to the hull.
The addition of caches of emergency materials, patches for bulkheads and personal armor, and additional compartmentalization to preserve atmosphere. Machining shops that could be used to create more were sprinkled about in central locations (with the understanding that there would be significant amounts of scrap metal in the event of the ship taking moderate to critical damage) and could make spot repairs to the life sustainers in a pinch.
Said mechanisms, while slightly more expansive than a standard system, do not represent a leap in quality. As each node in the network is as minimized as possible to save space, power, and weight for the other recyclers.
[Redoubt Life Support: The supporting design to the Bastion arrangement for crews, the Redoubt takes the idea of crew survivability in the other direction by protecting lives against the dangers of the void rather than angry barbarians. (Reduces crew/XP losses from ship damage)(3M)]
(Strikecraft) S-2 Interloper: An evolution of the S-1 Savior, this multirole strikecraft incorporates a number of small improvements. The engines are enlarged, and horizontally-mounted grav plating is added to serve as crude inertial compensation (though only for the main engines). The lascannons are replaced with more powerful models, and alternative clamps for anti-fighter missiles are available for when ship-killing munitions are not a priority. Perhaps most importantly, a slightly enlarged hull provides space for a copilot and some cramped crew space where the crew can eat (protein bars), drink (water), and see to their other bodily needs in the calmer moments of long deployments, extending the Interloper's effective range significantly.
-Result of 3+1 (difficulty)+1 (omake)=5
The S-1 Savior Multirole Fighter was an example of having nothing left to take away. It was cheap, it was effective, and it was staunchly Calavan. The S-2 Interloper was envisioned as furthering this tradition to turn the Savior into a long ranged void superiority fighter.
Instead, the S-2 Interloper ran into issues regarding the conflicting roles it was being asked to fill. The idea to build racks that could fit in the antishipping missile slots was about the only straightforward task involved and was quickly seized upon for backwards compatibility with the S-1.
What turned into the biggest stumbling block for the S-2 was it's cost. For the same amount of machine time as a Navy standard craft it provided less capability though some flexibility.
The reasons for this were varied. Perhaps most importantly was the size of the new craft. A true void craft needed to carry a significant amount of fuel, heavy weapons, and add support facilities for the crew. Something the smaller S-1 did not need. As well, all that additional space needed to be armored to the same degree or better.
[S-2 Interloper: A derivative of the previous and ubiquitous Savior, the Interloper was criticized for cost overruns despite fulfilling the bare requirements for which it was designed: a long range bomber escort during void battles. (Fighter 3, Bomber 2, Long Range) (6M)]
In exchange for cerebreal and liquid support, the Admiralty cut several deals with their neighbors in exchange for manufactured goods. These deals would need to be honored.
-[x] Gehault prototype: Yes
-Autopass
A number of ex-Navy officers and crew arrived on a battered Cobra to direct a project on behalf of the deserters there. Their task was simple: the construction of underway replenishment modules. When the leaders of Yttreum heard they responded with bristiling indination for the only reason that the deserters would ask for such a thing now would be to prevent the exact sort of stalemate that their brave crews had forced.
[Underway Replenishment Storage: Tanks and holds to supply military vessels away from friendly systems with fuel, munitions, and food that isn't tasteless gruel made from the crew's biological waste. Is not capable of enacting repairs other than supplying a measure of premade parts. (3M)]
-[x] Bagalog officer exchange: Yes
The traditions of the Calavan and Bagalog naval vessels were not very well determined. Even so, the difference in uniform meant little as observers were stationed on vessels acceptable to both sides. The Dauntless-class Light Cruiser of the Bagalogs, for example, was not the recipient of a Calavan mission; partly because it was only now becoming battleworthy, partly because it made use of many technologies Mulyran did not wish to be known and make it's way to future enemies.
In general, the providence of having an Explorator content to wait in orbit and glut their labs with Bagalog materials meant that the formerly merchant navy had a decided high-low bent. Conventional and therefore affordable ships would be used to break up the momentum of the enemy and allow the more valuable and powerful ships behind them to strike a measured blow in return. Of interest was the general lack of strikecraft heavier than a shuttle in the Bagalog fleet. Saviors were present in planetary defense roles, unlicensed clones for air superiority and bombardment deterrence roles, but with their Big Gun doctrine having big guns to work with it meant that carriers were simply not present.
-[x] Trade Firestorm lance, sniper cannon, 1 IN macrocannons to Lexicalum for bonus to subsidiary shipyards
A simple transaction, even in light of the difficulties the Outpost was having with itself, for the Magi of Lexicalum had gone through much the same process already.
======
Lord Admiral: Damnation and hellfire! Those accursed greenskins have managed to hammer together a Light Cruiser of their own, in addition to the Looted Endeavor that is the Legcutta horde's flagship. And now that they have subjugated both lesser hordes... Well, there are only so many places that such a force can go.
Worse, the peace to our East is still shaky. Doubly so with our acceptance of the Gehault offer as Yttreum knows that they can't pull off the same trick and will have to get the first strike in. Some level of heavy force in the region is going to be needed, above and beyond the allocation of heavy metal to fighting the Orks.
There is a budget of 160 from Calavar+150 from the Industrial Platform upgrades+60 from her neighbors+25 from the Bailafax region+30 from Uniary-22 from building Lativan exoskeletons-10 from Gehault project=393M and 10A to spend on new ships and Stuff. The Build Limit is currently 70M.
[There will be a six hour moratorium on voting to encourage discussion.]
[Please reorganize the Armies into Army Groups akin to current Squadrons.]
[You must uphold the Trade Triangle deal.]
Lord Admiral: Damnation and hellfire! Those accursed greenskins have managed to hammer together a Light Cruiser of their own, in addition to the Looted Endeavor that is the Legcutta horde's flagship. And now that they have subjugated both lesser hordes... Well, there are only so many places that such a force can go.
While it doesn't spend as much as I'd like on the diplomacy spending, it still puts a good chunk. Forts up Bailafax to help defend it and let it be a secure industrial node. Starts on the light cruiser (hopefully finishing it next turn), takes care of outstanding bills like the industrial platform and repairs, and adds a frigate to our fleet.
@DaLintyGuy Since we are definitely going to repair the Octan platform, can we use the better armor type we will get from it in the ship designs for this turn?
@aceraptor I would get rid of the terrestrial batteries for Bailfax, since we already have 2 airstrips and a missile battery on the ground there. Instead, fill the minor shipyard slots, since it can mount a weapon and 2 defense slots.
(Ordnance) Plasma Explosive Manufacturing Protocols: Thermo-cavitation shells have proven their value in Calavar's arsenal, but the high cost of manufacture prevents a widespread rollout. In order to make them more widely available, a standardized manufacturing process and associated specialized machinery will be created (possibly requiring some small tweaks to the design). In particular, automation of the most delicate parts of the reactor production should remove the need for direct Mechanicus involvement in every shell. In addition, the shells will be adapted for use in the Mk2 Macrocannons.
-Result of 4-2 (difficulty)+1 (omake)=3
The effects and power of the plasma shells that had been provided on a per case basis to Crusade warships had been noticed by the Admiralty. From providing the flames to burn away the animate filth over Uniary to cracking heavily armored warships the shells had done their duty well.
However, the Adepts of Calavar had concerns with regards to automating the production of advanced technology such as this. As well as the question of how it could be done there was the debate on whether it should be done. The mysteries of the Machine God were not to be so frivolously spread and reduced to as naught then to allow those who had not been taught to revere them.
These theological arguments were not something that the Admiralty could simply order aside. Not and keep their ability to wage war, or even potentially their lives if the Cult Mechanicus were offended enough at the disrespect. So they had to wait for a resolution while trying to nudge things as best they could.
A basic compromise was reached as the argument continued. While a member of the Cult Mechanicus would lead and check the assembly, they could make use of some directed assistance to multiply their efforts.
[T-C Shell cost changed from 1M,1A to 5M,.5A]
[+2 to next attempt]
I assume this is supposed to be .5M, .5A? Not too bad, in any case.
(Production) Remove Artisan cost from Macrocannons Mk2 - Specialized manufacturing facilities can enable us to produce our newer macrocannon designs without needing major oversight from the Mechanicus adepts, freeing them to work on other projects
-Result of 10-1 (difficulty)=9
The production of the necessary superconducting rails was an onerous process, directed and controlled by the Adepts of Calavar and Lexicalum. Matrices were laid down with exacting precision through the use of grand looms to layer thin sheets of molecular lattice onto each other. Yet with the need for more guns, more ships, this could not stand.
Several ideas were tried, from layering the material around a core of a less complex material to tentatively attempting to use entirely different methods to make the necessary components. The latter of which was determined to be the best path and so the project moved forward.
The panes of matrices were carefully rolled on itself, providing cables that could then be wound onto a central spar. A task that did not require the same level of attention from the Adepts and could therefore be turned over to more conventional industry.
Hmm. Can we still use the original cost if we have the space A?
(Economy) Subsidiary Shipyards: With the expansion of the Calavar-V shipyard complete, projections are that further expansion would encounter significant diminishing returns. However, building small subsidiary shipyards in Crusade-controlled systems has the potential to multiplicatively increase their contributions. Preliminary plans are to build a central foundry and factorum surrounded by a docking ring, with slipways for repairs and construction on one side and heavy cargo-handling systems on the other.
-Result of 7-1 (size)+2 (omake)+2 (assistance)=10
Every war was won or lost on the basis of the industrial strength of it's participants. And essentially all of Calavar's industrial might was in one place, with little to protect it beyond the movement of garrison vessels to and from the docks and the sources of material that fed it's hungry maws. Diversification was needed.
This news was met with eager pockets and cheers by the oligarchs of Calavar. Even a few percent ownership in one of these complexes would be enough to sustain a fortune through the ages. Ten percent, and the influence would make them preeminent among the new order established after the Xenos and Traitors were repulsed and killed to the last.
The central column of one of these shipyards was to be the forge and living spaces for the skilled personnel needed to operate one of these structures. Surrounding this central redoubt was a ring holding manufacturing and storage spaces to accept materials and components from the docking bays and feed the construction slips on the opposite side. A handful of cannon strove to ensure that ownership would not be contested.
[Small Shipyard: Measuring a mere three kilometers across the Calavan Crusade-Pattern shipyard was a wartime measure to increase the manufacturing capacity during the Hegemon's Crusade to restore the Lativa Subsector to its rightful state. Takes the shape of a central column surrounded by a ring. Provides 30M when completed. (1W, 2D)(160M)]
Wow. This is brutally expensive for what it gets us. 6 turns to turn a profit? Yikes. I'm not sure this is worth spending on without further research.
(Ordnance) "Intolerant"-model Torpedo: The Indignant model torpedo has served us well, but in the face of greater threats it is time to create something stronger. Removing the built-in point defense, and using the sensors to instead help guide the torpedoes into enemy ships, increasing the chance of hitting. Create an improved engine, allowing for stronger armor combined with more powerful explosives for a faster torpedo and an even stronger jet against enemy armor.
-Result of 9+1 (salvage): 10
While the Indignant had served well it had a potentially crippling weakness against heavily armored targets: the type which torpedoes were most important against. As such the Intolerant would be a revolutionary rather than evolutionary advance.
In light of the number of strike craft the Crusade typically brought to a fleet action the point defense of the Indignant was removed to take away the associated weaknesses in the warhead casing. The leftover sensors were meshed with the existing auspex systems for increased sensitivity and therefore a larger area in which the torpedo would seek out and make an attack run on a target vessel.
To double down on the current paradigm the Intolerant would use it's own fuel as an additional set of reaction mass on the attack. At close range this would provide a significant boost to the damage caused to the enemy vessel be it superheated material sweeping off protrusions or additional mass to inject into the interior of the vessel. This bonus would decrease as the range increased but it was agreed that it was worth the negligible tradeoff.
If the captain thought that they had the right target the Intolerant could also be launched in a more standard attack, where the armored casing let the weapon smash through a lightly or unarmored hull to allow the main charge to detonate inside the enemy for maximum damage.
[Intolerant-model Torpedo: A sister munition to the earlier Indignant, the Intolerant furthered the ideas pioneered by the earlier model. Utilizing a pulsed plasma engine derived from advancements after the Indignant had been created to get extra thrust the Intolerant used that extra impulse to increase it's armor and carry extra fuel that served to further amplify the slightly larger warhead the weapon carried. (Torpedo 5, -1 for every range bracket, if exceeding enemy armor rating gain extra damage, Accel 6, Maneuver 3)(3M/Torpedo)]
Hmm. What's it's max range, and does the strength bottom out at some point? I guess it would be 5 at very short, 4 at short, 3 at medium, and then, uh, weaker than the Indignant past that?
(Life Support) Redoubt life support: Built with an eye towards redundancy and damage control, this improved life support system incorporates improved compartmentalization to more easily seal off damaged sections, fire suppression systems, numerous caches of repair tools and spare parts, and a few machine shops for supplying them. As it is not unusual for a ship to have months of relative downtime between engagements, training much of the crew to assist in damage control as needed should be straightforward. Although the additional air scrubbers and water purifiers are intended primarily for redundancy in case of damage, they also provide increased capacity, improving living conditions on board and therefore morale.
-Result of 5
It is not unreasonable to claim that the systems that recycle and scrub the biological outputs of the organic crew were the most important portion of a starship. False as there were several of the same importance, but not unreasonable. As such the Admiralty asked for a dispersed model that would keep crew losses as low as possible in the event of comprehensive damage to the hull.
The addition of caches of emergency materials, patches for bulkheads and personal armor, and additional compartmentalization to preserve atmosphere. Machining shops that could be used to create more were sprinkled about in central locations (with the understanding that there would be significant amounts of scrap metal in the event of the ship taking moderate to critical damage) and could make spot repairs to the life sustainers in a pinch.
Said mechanisms, while slightly more expansive than a standard system, do not represent a leap in quality. As each node in the network is as minimized as possible to save space, power, and weight for the other recyclers.
[Redoubt Life Support: The supporting design to the Bastion arrangement for crews, the Redoubt takes the idea of crew survivability in the other direction by protecting lives against the dangers of the void rather than angry barbarians. (Reduces crew/XP losses from ship damage)(3M)]
(Strikecraft) S-2 Interloper: An evolution of the S-1 Savior, this multirole strikecraft incorporates a number of small improvements. The engines are enlarged, and horizontally-mounted grav plating is added to serve as crude inertial compensation (though only for the main engines). The lascannons are replaced with more powerful models, and alternative clamps for anti-fighter missiles are available for when ship-killing munitions are not a priority. Perhaps most importantly, a slightly enlarged hull provides space for a copilot and some cramped crew space where the crew can eat (protein bars), drink (water), and see to their other bodily needs in the calmer moments of long deployments, extending the Interloper's effective range significantly.
-Result of 3+1 (difficulty)=4
The S-1 Savior Multirole Fighter was an example of having nothing left to take away. It was cheap, it was effective, and it was staunchly Calavan. The S-2 Interloper was envisioned as furthering this tradition to turn the Savior into a long ranged void superiority fighter.
Instead, the S-2 Interloper ran into issues regarding the conflicting roles it was being asked to fill. The idea to build racks that could fit in the antishipping missile slots was about the only straightforward task involved and was quickly seized upon for backwards compatibility with the S-1.
What turned into the biggest stumbling block for the S-2 was it's cost. For the same amount of machine time as a Navy standard craft it provided less capability though some flexibility.
The reasons for this were varied. Perhaps most importantly was the size of the new craft. A true void craft needed to carry a significant amount of fuel, heavy weapons, and add support facilities for the crew. Something the smaller S-1 did not need. As well, all that additional space needed to be armored to the same degree or better.
[S-2 Interloper: A derivative of the previous and ubiquitous Savior, the Interloper was criticized for cost overruns despite fulfilling the bare requirements for which it was designed: a long range bomber escort during void battles. (Fighter 2, Bomber 2, Long Range) (6M)]
According to the summary post, we had two separate +1 omake bonuses (one to fighters, one to strike craft). As-is, this is worthless.
Lousy rolls this turn, on the whole, and the highest ones (except for the Intolerant) turned out kind of disappointing anyway. Our streak of never rolling anything higher than a 10 continues.
It's building an industrial platform from scratch that is at least as large as a light cruiser, if not larger. The good news is that once we build it, the Octan platform and the shipyard can build a frigate every turn without dipping into the M we already have.
It's building an industrial platform from scratch that is at least as large as a light cruiser, if not larger. The good news is that once we build it, the Octan platform and the shipyard can build a frigate every turn without dipping into the M we already have.
Yeah, the cost is reasonable for something this big, but the output is really underwhelming. We got 30M from each 60M stage of the shipyard expansion; this is almost three times the cost, but gets us the same production bonus.
@Vanigo IIRC the bigger importance of the small shipyard is basically dock space to allow more ships to be built if we dedicate Calavar yard to big ship construction.
@Vanigo IIRC the bigger importance of the small shipyard is basically dock space to allow more ships to be built if we dedicate Calavar yard to big ship construction.
