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Ad Astra ex Lutum

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Aileanach's plan is broadly one of consolidating around key industrial and political centers to avoid a defeat in detail and a partial orbital drop. Concentrating forces around cities will mean that civilian casualties can significantly increase at a high intensity of Alien bombardment but that in itself will provide cover as even a bombed-out burned wreck can continue to resist. Manufacturing industries will be partially dispersed in the urban landscape but there is only so much that can be done. If every city and urban zone is a fortress with local forces built up and a comprehensive defense on every street, losses in the initial landing phase can be minimized. Conversely, the alternative plan is to keep mobile units dispersed at the corps level to enable rapid counter-attacks directly onto the landing positions, pinning them sufficiently to be contained and to begin attritional commitments.
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On the ground war plan, I definitely think expecting for a multi-year war and taking one of the more dispersed, defensive plans is best. As we just found out in the Exercises two years ago, the military has a lot of problems with large-scale coordination. So doing anything which stakes too much on surprising the enemy or successful attacks on landing is likely to have problems, especially when any landings will follow them having orbital control.

[]Expanded Air Force Funding: The aviation enterprises have managed to produce more Type 45 Fighter Bombers than expected but they still need more support to keep the pace of manufacturing. Programs to expand turbine and avionics manufacturing will be started now as fuselages are if anything easier to produce than other components of the airframe. Parallel programs for in-progress modernizations will be started to improve resilience after first contact with the threat is made planetside. Further, new munitions are almost certainly going to be needed to fight the enemy especially once a counter-offensive is in full swing and fire support is a necessary and consistent factor. (-20 Mobilization Capacity for 3 Months)
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This one seems very important; even if a crash program for aircraft production would have been too much/too risky, we'll need to ramp it up if we ever want to recover air and sea control.

The population will not surrender any of the urban areas without a fight and as long as they can function the majority of the military industry can remain functional.
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This seems optimistic - I don't think the state will lose control or the population will give up without being defeated, but there are a lot of elves who are not as militaristic as our (non-Ros) perspectives have been and also not as socially integrated. We shouldn't count on endless resistance actually happening if it turns out the aliens do conquer territory with some level of humaneness.
 
[]Plan War of the Biter
-[]Plan Blue
-[]Form Auxiliary Troops
-[]Surge of Electronics Production (-10)
-[]Munitions Plants (-15)
-[]Quantum Computing Systems (-25)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Mouran Sector (-30)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Eastern Sector (-20)
-[]Partial Retreat From the Orbitals (-10)
-[]Anti-Orbital Gun Upgrades(1/2) (-35)

145/150 -> 205 MC next turn

Rapid fire plan.

Plan Blue is, imo, the best option given what we are working with. We want to fight the enemy on our terms, so a defensive posture, rather than committing to decisive battle in the open. The idea of doing a grand spoiling attack is nice in theory, but can also 2nd Kharkov us like muppets. Meanwhile spreading out too much will let the enemy defeat us in detail if they target the weaker areas, or just has less troops in the key places if they focus on the important areas. We'll have lighter stay behind formations to contest less important urban centers- no need to go beyond that.

This dovetails nicely into Auxiliary Troops- less area to protect means we dont stretch out our smaller army too much. Auxiliary Troops also lets us equip the troops we do have much better- and allows us both to properly harden mobilized forces with veterans and keep veteran mobile formations that are fully functional at the start of the war. IMO we also do want to build those fortification works- we have a great base with the urban areas but they'll be so much tougher to crack if we fortify them properly. Im focusing on Mouran and Eastern for being key production centers first, the other sectors will be fortified next turn to prevent there being an obvious easy target to focus on.

Surge electronics to give us a year or two of stocks before its too late- in addition we can always salvage electronics like we did during the nuclear war. Munitions Plants will solve one of the key shortfalls noted- longer term we need to disperse but dispersal actions can be taken next turn- it'll be a short run thing but we desperately need to use the current window of opportunity to build up key capabilities. Quantum Computing Systems promise to crack alien comms which would give us a huge strategic advantage, in addition to opening up interesting psychological warfare options which are admittedly very secondary to the information we gain.

Ive already explained the fortification stuff. Partial Retreat from the Orbitals for only being a bit more expensive than the full retreat and possibly delaying or disrupting the alien landings. If they can buy us a week they'd have pay'd themselves off multiple times, never mind how many enemy soldiers they kill. Anti Orbital Guns meanwhile need to be started ASAP so they can actually fend off the enemy from Low Earth Orbit. We will struggle to build new pulse laser batteries if we do lose Low Earth Orbit.

I'll probably come up with a next turn plan as well, assuming no new, critical projects come up.
 
Blackstar said:
[]Planetary Cover Programs: Planting billions of trees was proposed as a joke but it remains a viable method of stopping an invader and providing both food and cover to stay behind forces. The operations will narrow sight lines and improve local advantages over the invader by restricting open ground where their weapons are likely to have advantages. Further, the presence of fire-resistant fruit trees will provide some nutrition assuming they are not destroyed by enemy biologicals in the opening months of the invasion. (10 Mobilization Capacity) (Construction)
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How quickly do trees grow on this planet? Because this really does sound like a joke.
 
Adronio said:
[]Plan War of the Biter
-[]Plan Blue
-[]Form Auxiliary Troops
-[]Surge of Electronics Production (-10)
-[]Munitions Plants (-15)
-[]Quantum Computing Systems (-25)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Mouran Sector (-30)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Eastern Sector (-20)
-[]Partial Retreat From the Orbitals (-10)
-[]Anti-Orbital Gun Upgrades(1/2) (-35)

145/150 -> 205 MC next turn

Rapid fire plan.

Plan Blue is, imo, the best option given what we are working with. We want to fight the enemy on our terms, so a defensive posture, rather than committing to decisive battle in the open. The idea of doing a grand spoiling attack is nice in theory, but can also 2nd Kharkov us like muppets. Meanwhile spreading out too much will let the enemy defeat us in detail if they target the weaker areas, or just has less troops in the key places if they focus on the important areas. We'll have lighter stay behind formations to contest less important urban centers- no need to go beyond that.

This dovetails nicely into Auxiliary Troops- less area to protect means we dont stretch out our smaller army too much. Auxiliary Troops also lets us equip the troops we do have much better- and allows us both to properly harden mobilized forces with veterans and keep veteran mobile formations that are fully functional at the start of the war. IMO we also do want to build those fortification works- we have a great base with the urban areas but they'll be so much tougher to crack if we fortify them properly. Im focusing on Mouran and Eastern for being key production centers first, the other sectors will be fortified next turn to prevent there being an obvious easy target to focus on.

Surge electronics to give us a year or two of stocks before its too late- in addition we can always salvage electronics like we did during the nuclear war. Munitions Plants will solve one of the key shortfalls noted- longer term we need to disperse but dispersal actions can be taken next turn- it'll be a short run thing but we desperately need to use the current window of opportunity to build up key capabilities. Quantum Computing Systems promise to crack alien comms which would give us a huge strategic advantage, in addition to opening up interesting psychological warfare options which are admittedly very secondary to the information we gain.

Ive already explained the fortification stuff. Partial Retreat from the Orbitals for only being a bit more expensive than the full retreat and possibly delaying or disrupting the alien landings. If they can buy us a week they'd have pay'd themselves off multiple times, never mind how many enemy soldiers they kill. Anti Orbital Guns meanwhile need to be started ASAP so they can actually fend off the enemy from Low Earth Orbit. We will struggle to build new pulse laser batteries if we do lose Low Earth Orbit.

I'll probably come up with a next turn plan as well, assuming no new, critical projects come up.
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[]Draft for next turn
-[]Decentralization of Chemical Industry (-40x3)
-[]Decentralization of Armaments Industries (-50)
-[]Redundant Power Grids (-25x6)
-[]Expand Type 41 Car Production (-15)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the North-Western Sector (-25)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Southern Sector (-20)
-[]Anti-Orbital Gun Upgrades(2/2) (-35)

200/205 -> 185 + 5 for the next 3 turns, 225 for the 3 turns after that, recovered after that.

Here's the basic plan for next turn. The key issue is metallurgy not getting decentralized in time, but ive judged it to be the least critical industry in terms of damage done if it gets blown up, and easiest to replace. We also need to do mining the turn after as well, however we do have stockpiles to work with right now. Waiting for the landings will also let us build mines and such where the enemy isnt, as opposed to having our mines get overrun by the enemy. Not sure about Type 41 production, but it should be useful at least. Theyre also designed for mass production after all. The fact that I cant squeeze artillery in is painful, however having lots of guns but few shells would do us no good; we can surge artillery production for when our great counteroffensives start.
 
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If adronio's plan does a full retreat from orbit, we can plant trees
 
Adronio said:
[]Draft for next turn
-[]Decentralization of Chemical Industry (-40x3)
-[]Decentralization of Armaments Industries (-50)
-[]Redundant Power Grids (-25x6)
-[]Expand Type 41 Car Production (-15)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the North-Western Sector (-25)
-[]Build Fortified Works in the Southern Sector (-20)
-[]Anti-Orbital Gun Upgrades(2/2) (-35)

200/205 -> 185 + 5 for the next 3 turns, 225 for the 3 turns after that, recovered after that.
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I like it, but I think this is 210 MC cost, not 200, if the multi-turn costs include the turn they're activated (and I assume they do.)

40 + 50 = 90, + 25 = 115, +15 = 130, + 25 = 155, + 20 = 175, + 35 = 210.
 
[]Plan elves love nukes
-[]Plan Blue
-[]Form Auxiliary Troops
-[]Decentralization of Chemical Industry (-40x3)
-[]Decentralization of Armaments Industries (-25 with axuillary troops)
-[]Redundant Power Grids (-25x6)
-[]Rapid Plutonium Production (-20 with Auxillary Troops)
-[]Emergency Starch Reserves (-15)
-[]Militarization of Orbital Defenses (-25)

Similar to adrionos plan but I'm of the opinion securing food stockpiles is more urgent than the type 41. Additionally conventional defenses may not sufficent in the long run so we should hedge our bets with plutonium production. Militarizing the orbitals will let us trade "land" for time.
 
Chimeraguard said:
I like it, but I think this is 210 MC cost, not 200, if the multi-turn costs include the turn they're activated (and I assume they do.)

40 + 50 = 90, + 25 = 115, +15 = 130, + 25 = 155, + 20 = 175, + 35 = 210.
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Bah, you seem to be correct. Well, I'll drop the Type 41 production and replace it with something else in that case.
 
i would prefer the upgrading of anti-orbital guns in plans as that is our last line of defense in the case of the alien ships trying to do orbital bombardments on us
 
The worst case scenario would be that they see us being just defensive and stay in orbit to bombard us, giving us no way to respond with this plan. Though, given that they seem to have mostly troop transport ships this seems unlikely.
 
Adronio said:
Bah, you seem to be correct. Well, I'll drop the Type 41 production and replace it with something else in that case.
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Looking at the options available, it seems the main options would be Defense Engineering or Tree Planting to save the 5 MC needed for the plan.

I believe the end of next turn is around when we expect them to reach us at the current rate? If that's correct and hasn't changed in this month, guess that would be a good option. Alternatively, the Tree Planting could also be beneficial, just because we seem to be planning on a longer war of attrition, so the trees will have time to grow and actually be a meaningful factor.
 
Honestly if they just stay out of range and drop rocks at us we cant really touch them at all. We might be able to reduce the damage by fragmenting thoae rocks with nuclear missiles though.
 
Bunkers and orbital speedbumps are absolutely necessary, we need anything and everything that can buy time for the self-replicating printers to seep into every single nook and cranny of society before they start landing significant forces. And of course every enemy soldier we kill in a boarding action is one that can't land on the planet anymore. The anti-orbital battery upgrades are also going to be very important for making it hell on their landing craft, maybe they'll even get cocky and bring a freighter or the C3 ship into laser range before discovering that we have surprisingly advanced pulse laser tech. Finally, quantum codebreaking is absolutely non-negotiable, the intelligence advantages of being able to actually know what they're talking about are immeasurable and once the fighting begins it will probably be a lot harder to marshal the resources so hit it now.

As for the industrial options, I think I agree with Adronio that surging electronics stockpiles now is more critical than trying to decentralize the industry, if we can't kill enough of the bastards to break the expedition within a few years then the war is likely lost. Electronics are too complex to try and maintain production of, coasting on the fattest stockpiles we can manage is the play there.
 
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[] Plan Ardens Hastae
-[]Plan Orange
-[]Focus on the Mobile Formations
-[]Decentralization of Chemical Industry: (-40 Mobilization Capacity for 3 Months)
-[]Surge of Electronics Production: (-10 Mobilization Capacity) (Incompatible with Decentralization)
-[]Rapid Plutonium Production: (-40 Mobilization Capacity)
-[]Found the Defense Engineering Command: (-10 Mobilization Capacity)
-[]Quantum Computing Systems: (-25 Mobilization Capacity)
-[]Militarization of Orbital Defenses: (-25 Mobilization Capacity)

-50 or more for all of our forces isn't a war, it's stepping on ants. Shred them as best as possible in orbit, nuke their landing sites with do-or-die mobile forces, and leave the rest to Elf X-Com. Damaging their limited forces in the opening shot is going to equalize this conflict far more than millions of conscripts piling up bricks that can be turned to plasma in the press of a button. Bunkers and fortifications were specifically called out as useless in the building of the final defense systems.
 
Also, an important point that am going to update into the post tomorrow is that the alien fleet is not decelerating mid brachistochrone.
 
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IamtooSleepy said:
As someone who completly forget all physics knowlege I learn back in high school, can someone please tell me what the implication of this is?
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If they aren't deaccelerating, they are moving at a strange trajectory if they want to take the orbit of the planet. So it's possible they will do something they need the speed for before that, like throwing a bunch of impactors at our populated areas.
 
If they wanted to kill everyone they would and not care for the plant as well they wouldn't have a landing Force, also can't wait to see the alien communications and see a lot of them being mad that the elfs planet is a trash pit.
 
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