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Aircraft Design Company- Matsura's Planes Are Always Fastest!

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Character Sheet
  • Informational


    • ​
    Stress
    0​
    Office Stress
    0​
    XP
    5​

    Matsura Asuka
    Head Designer for Ohara Airworks
    Age 24 (Legally 25)
    Year 12 AF (After Flight)

    Design Stats
    Aerodynamics Engineering - +2
    Structural Engineering - +2
    Chemical Engineering - +1
    Mechanical Engineering - +1
    Ballistics Engineering - +1
    Electrical Engineering - 0

    Personal/Political Stats
    Social Skills - 0
    Politics Skills - 0
    Importance - 2
    Income - 1
    Investments - Ohara

    Resources
    Power - 0
    Wealth - 2

    Designs
    Type 1 Series - Military Variation (Designated T1M1)
    Type 2 Racer (World Speed Record October 1910-April 1911, 180kph)
    Model 2 Scout (Designated T1M2)
    Navy Scout Prototype (Drowned Rat)
    Dive Bomber B1M1 "Duck"
    Machine Gun Carrier R1A "Dragonfly" (World Speed Record May-July 1911, 200kph)
    Naval Rescue Water-Landing Supply Plane NR1M0 "Dolphin" (World speed record 240kph)
    Rhino Demon Train Hunter
    The world's first airliner
    The world's first pulsejet airplane

    Assets
    Slide Rule
    Computator (1 Reroll per Routine)

    Languages
    Albian
    Gallian

    Familiar Vices
    Drinking
    Prostitutes
    Dancing

    Family Life
    - Engaged to Arita Yachi, formerly the leading Ace in the Imperial Army. Designated #1 Cutest Army Boy, he's having some serious problems with PTSD right now.
    - Taking a second try at dating Mikami Kiho, ex-dockerwork from the south.

    Upgrades
    - 3 XP to upgrade a stat.

    Ohara Airworks
    Start Up, Imperial Capital, Akitsukuni

    Owner
    - Mr. Ohara, Rich. Aircraft Enthusiast. Business guy.

    Engineers

    Kibe Koume, 26, Office Manager
    Tiny & angry, Kibe went to school in Albia, picking up the language, the religion, and a fuckload of swear words. Speaks Albian.
    Mechanical +2, Ballistics +1
    Office Manager: If Kibe is not assigned to a team, the Office Stress is reduced by 1.

    Sakane Jun, 26, Second Team Leader
    A soured patriot, Sakane is married and has a young child being raised gender-neutrally. His two brothers who fought in the war.
    Structural +2, Aerodynamics +1
    Team Leader: If there are any additional projects, Sakane will lead them.
    Joinery: Sakane has training in the traditional Akitsukuni carpentry art of joinery, creating complex self-supporting joints with no fasteners or glue. When working with non-monocoque wooden spars or ribs, +1 Structural.

    Tezuka Kenji, ???
    A stoner with occasional flashes of insight. Nobody really knows what he does, but he's probably useful?
    Aerodynamics +2, Chemical +1
    Flashes of Brilliance: Each natural 10 rolled by any team Tezuka is assigned to gives +1 forward to the next research roll.

    Hasegawa Morio, 26
    A hopeless nerd with a photography habit, mostly on account of developing his own film, Hasegawa seems to do nothing but work and stack card houses, but somehow has an incredible attractive boyfriend. Speaks Gallian.
    Chemical +2, Ballistic +1
    Silent Workhorse: Hasegawa can work on two different projects at once for no cost to Office Stress, providing they use different stats.

    Kawamura Yosai, 25.
    Serially successful womanizer and incredibly attractive, Kawamura doesn't seem to have much of a personality outside of seducing women. Well, except for that time he seduced Asuka, which nobody talks about. Speaks Dyske.
    Structural +2, Electrical +1, Social +1
    Easily Distracted: If Kawamura is working on the same team as a female or non-binary employee, the team is at -1d10.

    Koide Hatsu, 24.
    One of the few female graduates of an Akitsukuni engineering school, Koide is brilliant and incredibly driven, but her first job at Akibara was both humiliating and exposed her to an abusive coworker. Her father is a rich businessman with factories in Joseon, and she's engaged to Ken from Castles of Steel. Speaks Joseon.
    Mechanical +2, Structural +1
    No Sleep: If you let her, Koide will work herself to death. She can work a second project for no Office Stress, but all her stats will be reduced to 1 for the routine.

    Kobayashi Ayao, ???
    Disowned heiress of the Kobayashi family, all Kobayashi wanted was a career and to be a modern woman. For her trouble, a cousin threw acid on her, scarring her face, neck, much of her torso, and her left arm. Despite appearing serene and above it all, she's actually an avowed communist activist and baseball player.
    Aerodynamics +2, Social +2

    Adachi Ren, 24
    Adachi learned chemistry from her father, one of the most famous chemical engineers in the country, rather than through formal schooling. She's married, has a kid, and takes spirituality very seriously. Yes, you did the math right, she had Yuki when she was 17. It's 1912, folks.
    Chemical +2, Electrical +1
    Young Mother: Adachi will cause double Office Stress if she has to work multiple tasks.

    Uyeno Sei, Ballistics Engineer, 31.
    The oldest member of the crew, this is Uyeno's second career. Her first was as an officer in the Imperial Navy with specialized technical training: her very promising career was cut short by her transition. Her work in a naval arsenal on machine-guns landed her the job here. Briefly dated Satomi (the age range is a bit creepy but again, 1912), she's missing a piece of her ear and is deaf on that side, from an exploding cannon. Recently returned from Varnmark from experimental surgery, she's known for her skill navigating gendered bureaucracy.
    Ballistic +3

    Mi Kyung-Jae, 23
    A recent graduate of the Imperial College of Heijo, Mi is from the recently annexed territory of Joseon. For those keeping track at home, that means he's a Korean national living in Imperial Japan in 1912. We haven't seen much of his personality because he's rightfully terrified of everything around him. He has a specialty in endurance engine design and modification. Speaks Joseon.
    Mechanical +1, Chemical +1
    Endurance Engines: Mi has an excellent understanding of metallurgy and tolerances. Any engine he works on gains +1 Reliability if a 16+ is rolled.
    Pulsejet Wizard: Mi is now one of the world's leading experts on the pulsejet engine. He can be given his own project to custom-craft pulsejet engines, and he gives +1 to any pulsejet-related project.
    Joseon National: Mi does not have security clearance to work on any top-secret projects.

    Miyoshi Shigeri, 23.
    A non-binary person and admirer of Asuka's work, they were in an support role in the Army before joining the company.
    Structural +1, Mechanical +1, Aerodynamic +1
    Mechanic: Miyoshi has some experience repairing and refurbishing aircraft. They get +1 if assigned on the clean-up phase.


    Other Employees
    - Ohara Satomi, 22, Mr. Ohara's niece and the company test pilot, Ohara is a general lesbian disaster. She's good at flying planes, driving cars, and kissing girls. She's bad at being patient, being respectable, and sticking to literally anyones conceptions of gender roles. Deeply in lesbians with Coralie D'Amboise.
    - Fujkikawa Sotatsu, old, modelmaker. He's an old man and toymaker and we don't see much of him because he locks himself in his workshop a lot. He's friends with Kawamura?

    Assets
    - Engine Test Rig (Allows engine tweaking and optimization.
    - Wind Tunnel (+1 Aerodynamics)
    - Rapid Prototype Lab (+1 Clean Up)
    Expanded Cast

    Akitsukuni Industry
    - Homura Mohoko: Head Engine Designer for Kobayashi. First female engineer in the country. A lot of sex appeal.
    - Okumura: Head of Akibara aircraft design.
    - Yamanaka Hajime: Kobayashi engineer. Young and eager.
    - Igarashi Masazumi: Kobayashi engineer. Reserved and experienced.
    - Admiral Akibara Toru: Imperial Navy Admiral. Maximum nepotism. Maximum douchebag.
    - Lt.Cmnd Akibara Shinzo: The above's son. A hottie but very forward.



    Character Families
    - Matsura(?) Mizuko: Asuka's sister. Was paralyzed in an accident in Asuka's first flight. Lives Elsewhere and is married now. Can't forgive Asuka, even though she's tried.
    - Adachi Motoki: Adachi's husband, an accountant. Legally blind.
    - Adachi Yuki: Adachi's 7 year old daughter and wannabe pilot. Very adorable.
    - Yachi's Brother: Exists.
    - Sakane's Wife: Exists. Drives him a bit crazy, but he loves her.
    - Yachi's Brother's Wife: Exists. Is statistically likely to be pregnant.
    - Lt. Coralie D'Amboise: Gallian pilot in exile. Satomi's girlfriend. 25. Accomplished bisexual duelist. She flew in the war for a single day, and for her troubles got a hole blown in her cheek and had her left arm paralyzed.

    Akisukuni Army & Ex-Army
    - Lt. Torio Tanaka: Yachi's former observer as an enlisted man. Was jumped up to fly Ducks and lost a leg on his first mission. A trained painter, married to Torio Saya.
    - Captain Amari Shiro: A Dragonfly pilot who ended up flying as Yachi's partner. Kind of delightfully twinky. They sorta slept together at one point, which wasn't great. He lost his previous boyfriend in the April Offensive and turned his plane into a shrine. He was shot in the gut and is still recovering.
    - Major Izuhara: Logistics officer, Imperial Army, this bespectled officer stood up to the Caspian Crown Prince and accidentally kicked off the Akitsikuni-Caspian War. The guilt was so much that, after almost a year of running Army procurement, he shot himself in a phone both.
    - Captain Nakai Sekien: Army scout pilot. First person to drop a bomb from an airplane, later head of the Duck Squadrons.
    - Captain Teshima: A Desk pilot that fought with Yachi. Lost an arm in the process, took over for Major Izuhara after his death. Seems cheery despite it all.
    - Captain Nashio: A real piece of shit dude and probably a rapist, he's also a war hero as the second-highest scoring ace on the Akitsukuni side. He was a young shitty kid in way over his head but it's no excuse.
    - Lt. Kinjo: Kind of a dumb lump and Nashio's friend, one of the desk pilots. Dead at 19.
    - Lt. Okazaki: Yachi's friend from before the war and pilot, he died in a spin in his dragonfly. His death probably hit Yachi the hardest.

    Westerners
    - Rose & Antoinette Sears: Pioneers of flight. Sisters. Black in 1910s not!America. Yikes.
    - Timina Guasti: Famous aircraft designer from Otrusia. Likes big planes and green.
    - Prince Protasov Vasilyevich: Crown Prince of Great Caspia. Real dick. You gotta hand it to him though, a decent flier.
    - Count von Zeppelin: Invented rigid airships. Runs a successful airline business. Damned impressive.
    - Bennhold: Aircraft Engineer. Experimenting with metal aircraft.
    - Aileen Middlemiss: Albian reporter for the Artimis Times. Well meaning and oblivious.
    Available Tech
    • Materials: Wood, Duralumin, Molded Wood, Wood & Silk Composite, etc
    • All engine mounts
    • All wing types
    • Basic reinforcement
    • Wing warping and ailerons
    • Basic water radiators
    • Flying Wings
    • Semi-Monocoque design (requires at least half the slots have frame pieces)
    • Valved pulsejets
    • Basic weapon mounts and turrets
    Tech not Yet Developed
    • Custom engines
    • Monocoque construction
    • Cantilever Wings and associated tech
    • V and T tails
    • Tailless designs
    • Aluminum and titanium
    • Cellulose surfacing
    • Any kind of radar
    • Weapon accessability mods
    • Interruptor gear
    • Geared propellers
    • And Maybe Other Stuff
    Akitsukuni
    Island Nation

    Government
    Constitutional Monarchy
    - The democratic portions of the government are dubiously legitimate.
    - The head of state is the Empress of Akitsukuni. She gives her blessing to newly formed governments.
    - The Navy and a small number of families have undue influence on politics.

    Economy
    Developing Mixed Market
    - Most industry is controlled by a small number of wealthy, family-owned companies.
    - The state provides most contracts to industry. Consumer good market is anemic.
    - Exports are few, mostly cultural.
    - Imports are raw minerals, food, oil, and expertise.
    - Currently suffering an economic crash after the last war.

    Politics
    The Diet is currently ruled by a Constitutional Nationalist government. It has a system of nonlocal proportional representation, with representatives appointed by the party in accordance to their share of the vote.
    - Constitutional Nationalists: 50%
    - Purity Club: 9%
    - New Independents: 26%
    - Fairness Association: 11%
    - United Communist League: 2%
    - Monarchists: 1%
    - Assorted Fringe Parties: 5%

    Demographics
    Akitsukuni is mostly very ethnically homogeneous. Around 5% of the population are various minorities, most from nearby countries. Roughly .1% are westerners here for business or in advisory positions.
    - Population: 55 Million
    - Religion: Mostly Kodo. Roughly 2% of the population follows western religions.
    - Wealth: Most wealth is concentrated in the top 5% of the country. Nearly 20% of the population lives in conditions indistinguishable from peasantry.
    - Urbanization: Heavily urbanized for a small economy: 35% and rapidly growing.

    Military
    At Peace
    - Imperial Akitsukuni Navy (IAN): The 6th largest in the world, and the most experienced.
    - Imperial Akitsukuni Army (IAA): 150,000 highly experienced soldiers, and a considerable reserve.

    Aspects
    - Poor Resources: Aluminum costs +1.
    - Damn Akitsukuni Engines!: Engines have -1 Reliability.



    The Main Character Of This Quest Is Nonbinary And Uses They/Them Pronouns.

    I Am Putting This Here Because The Next Person To Misgender Them Is Getting Yeeted Into The Trash

    Also here's the Gayaverse TV Tropes page, because why not.​
     
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  • Informational
    • So what about those planes that the Empress was interested in? Are we filling out orders for airliners yet?
     
    I'm getting things sorted out, and then I'm going to throw the builder out for the final stage of this. I'm sorry it's taken so long, thank you for bearing with me. Post-release and the whole isolation thing have not had me in a good headspace for Gaya stuff.
     
    /me huggles teh OP

    I get that feel, it's been a pain all around. For what it's worth, I've been having an absolute blast with the plane builder as it is.
     
    Oh, I don't want to like, hurt anyone's feelings or anything when it does go down, but I'm going to be switching the final version to the updated pulsejet rules as well, because you're using an earlier and more optimistic version.

    You're still gonna Go Fast, but there won't be any sound barrier shenanigans lol.
     
    open_sketch said:
    Oh, I don't want to like, hurt anyone's feelings or anything when it does go down, but I'm going to be switching the final version to the updated pulsejet rules as well, because you're using an earlier and more optimistic version.

    You're still gonna Go Fast, but there won't be any sound barrier shenanigans lol.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    AS long as you allow the storrytelling obtout of the previous (than vallid) choices to still be valid.
    But as the current task are the wings solving them will most likely cover any ruleshift.
     
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    12-1: Shifting Gears
  • Threadmarks
    • "It's beautiful, isn't it?" you said, gliding the model forward over the desk, imagining it leaving the other racers in the dust. "I don't know for sure if we can make four hundred kilometres an hour, even with the retractable gear, but I want to try..."

    "Spirits, I hope so." Satomi said. "So what's holding back production?"

    "Minor details, still nailing down the math on the wings and supports. Just procedural stuff. But we have all the time... in... the world... hello, sir."

    Mr. Ohara had just stepped into the meeting room with a puzzling expression on his face, holding a bundle of papers in his hand.

    "Matsura, is the racer ready to go?" he asked. "Design wise."

    "There's been a delay, I'm afraid." you said, "But we'll have it in time for the race with travel time to spare."

    "I'm afraid not. Priority. The Navy just put out their aviation report, and it includes calls for several new aircraft. Detailed calls. Potentially major orders."

    "I just need a few more days..." you started saying, but he shook his head. "... okay. What about Sakane's team?"

    "His racer is being built. Get your drawings finished up and get them to the the prototype office. These races are still important for company prestige, but we need this order. We've been losing money for months without much to show for it." he explained, setting the folder down in front of you. "Even with the airline running, we're not going to make our investment back for eighteen months. We need something."

    You'd watched your first airliner take off just yesterday, from the dusty field outside the city Ohara had bought, just a few kilometres from the new mooring tower of the Zeppelin company. You'd written a nice letter for von Zeppelin, and you were just waiting for the photo to come back from the developers to enclose with it.

    "The Navy, though? There's no point. They'll turn down anything we make and just buy Akibara, won't they?" Satomi asked.

    "Admiral Akibara has stepped down from his post." you muttered. "Happened the other day, quietly. Yachi heard it from a friend of a friend."

    "... then we might actually have a chance." she said, grinning. "Right?"

    "To be clear, I figure this is still a longshot. But if we show up with something to at least one of these, we may be considered for secondary parts manufacturing or smaller runs." Mr. Ohara explained. "And... you've produced miracles for me before..."

    "What's one more?" you opined, opened the folder and sorting papers aside until you came across the specs. They were... detailed. Far more detailed than any you'd seen before. "Alright, somebody has opinions on airplanes."

    "Hmm?" Satomi leaned over to read from across the table.

    "These specifications are... well, they're specific." you said. "Strange."

    "People didn't have expectations before. They do now." Mr. Ohara said simply. "They've done their own analysis and they must reckon they know what they need better than the designers now."

    You shook your head sadly.

    "We're a mature field then, are we?" you said. "I suppose they think we have nothing left to discover."

    You lay the papers out in front of you, and in your mind you could see potential designs for each. Phantoms of dreams ready to fly off the page. You selected a pencil from your pocket and started making notes.

    ---

    Flying Torpedo Boat Type 2​
    Budget: 35-42​
    ​
    Basics: During the war, a small number of Akibara-Okazaki torpedo carriers were used to some effect against Caspian ships. These planes were originally intended to drop torpedoes from a height of less than five meters into the water after a sharp spiraling dive to attack enemy ships. Unfortunately, the difficulty judging low altitudes, the high speeds of the aircraft coming out of dives, and the fragility of torpedo mechanisms proved this method of attack a dead end. However, one aircraft was forced to land during the battle, and successfully torpedoed an unsuspecting Caspian cruiser limping away from the battle line by releasing its torpedo in the water. We wish to build a flying vessel which will replicate this attack, flying from island bases or the mainland in the next war.​
    ​
    Requirements: The requirements are as follows.​
    - Must have a boat style hull and be capable of handling rough seas with a wooden hull and an Underwing Skid.​
    - Must have a crew of two (Pilot & Torpedoman) but optimally a spare torpedoman.​
    - Must be able to carry a 300 kilogram Type 5 Compressed Air Torpedo (12 Mass).​
    - Must be powered by two F-Series 6-Cylinder Inlines.​
    - Must be able to achieve a speed of at least 120 kph loaded.​
    - Must have a fuel endurance of at least 8 uses.​
    ​
    Priorities:​
    - Toughness​
    - Additional weapon capacity​
    - Low stall speed​
    - Stability​

    Seaplane Hunter-Observer​
    Budget: 12-15​
    ​
    Basics: The Caspians used armed two-seater aircraft, and our own single-seater pursuit planes arrived too late to affect the conflict. These planes are effective, but short ranged. Our new seaplane tenders will require midrange patrol vessels which can defend themselves. These airplanes will be tasked with accompanying scouting fleets to find enemy vessels, and will light combat duties.​
    ​
    Requirements: The requirements are as follows.​
    - Must be powered by 1 F-Series 6-Cylinder Inline.​
    - Must use a radiator which can operate on seawater.​
    - Must have a crew of two, a pilot and an observer with an effective gun.​
    - Must have floats.​
    - Must have a wingspan of no more than 8 meters.​
    - Must be a biplane or triplane configuration.​
    - Must have a fuel endurance of at least 9 uses.​
    ​
    Priorities:​
    - Range​
    - Speed​
    - Stability​
    ​

    Naval Dive Bomber​
    Budget: 8-14​
    ​
    Basics: Experience in the war has proven that dive bombing is the only viable method of attacking with bombs. We wish to replicate this success in order to defend our ports: the enemy will have learned from our attacks on Port Georgia and will undoubtably replicate these tactics in the future. We require a very short range interception bomber which can take off in a small area, climb very quickly, and make an attack. These will be used to take off on short notice and bomb enemy ships attempting to raid harbours by swarming them in large packs from airfields out of view of the water.​
    ​
    Requirements: The requirements are as follows.​
    - Must have a shoulder or parasol monowing.​
    - Must be built in a canard configuration.​
    - Must be powered by one F-Series 6-Cylinder Inline.​
    - Must have one or two pilots.​
    - Must be capable of withstanding 4 Gs.​
    - Must be capable of carrying 150 kg (6 mass) of bombs.​
    - Must have a loaded rate of climb of at least 3.​
    ​
    Priorities:​
    - High rate of climb.​
    - Large bomb load.​
    - Low cost​

    ---

    Vote by Plan. Select 1 or 2​
    [ ] Flying Torpedo Boat​
    [ ] Seaplane Hunter-Observer​
    [ ] Naval Dive Bomber​
    ​
    ---​
    ​
    So, I've held off on this quest because I couldn't think of how to make it interesting to write or read anymore, but I finally got it.​
    ​
    You guys are going to be competing now against real designs made by volunteers, who will be designing the aircraft made by Akibara, Kobayashi, and other competitors. They will do so under certain restrictions, but so will you.​
    ​
    Additionally, the skills of your engineering crew will now be more relevant. You will be managing your team and assigning them to parts of the design, and rolls will be made. So you might design an absolutely optimal aircraft, but you might have to face downsides if your crew aren't skilled enough or if you overwork yourself. The details will be unfolding in upcoming posts.​
    ​
    Finally, the Sakanequest sidestories will be a proper feature, using the same rules. Whenever you take more than one contract, we'll do a SakaneQuest.​
    ​
    My goal is to update three times a week. We'll see how that works out.​
    ​
    Welcome back!​
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Great to see this continue, now with more difficulty! I know nothing about how we should design aircraft, so I'll wait until somebody with more experience with that makes some sort of comparison chart, or at least a decision.

    [x] Seaplane Hunter-Observer
     
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    So, obviously we want the most interesting challenge. The area where we can find some new way to push the envelope. We've always been about innovation, and we shouldn't stop now.

    But what is the area?

    I'm kinda tempted by the idea of the bomber.
     
    Incidentally, where are the stats for our crew? I'm trying to remember what specific areas of expertise we can bring onto any project. That's important too: finding a project that uses all of our skills to optimize it. The only way we're going to beat out the competition is by using all of our unique assets: phoning it in might see as humiliatingly defeated.

    So, like, who would be best for trying to figure out how to fit a large payload into a plane and design the plane so that it can handle that? Etc, etc. Hrm.
     
    Very exciting to see this quest return!

    I really want the torpedo boat, though we will have a good reputation to bank on with the Duck if we go for the dive bomber.
     
    The Laurent said:
    Incidentally, where are the stats for our crew? I'm trying to remember what specific areas of expertise we can bring onto any project. That's important too: finding a project that uses all of our skills to optimize it. The only way we're going to beat out the competition is by using all of our unique assets: phoning it in might see as humiliatingly defeated.

    So, like, who would be best for trying to figure out how to fit a large payload into a plane and design the plane so that it can handle that? Etc, etc. Hrm.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Crew is getting statted out next post. I wanna just get things rolling first.
     
    It's back! And this time 'round, I know how to use the design rules and can contribute my own brand of insanity perfectly rationally designed aircraft to the process! Would we be using Pioneer or WW1 tech level?

    [x] Flying Torpedo Boat
    [x] Seaplane Hunter-Observer

    Either of these have my vote.

    Also, out of curiosity, would it be possible to see the builds for Ohara's prior planes? I couldn't spot them going thru the thread earlier.

    EDIT: something undeniably useful but not as innately killy probably would be a better fit for us, and for our lovely aircraft designer.
     
    Last edited:
    DrunkenGrognard said:
    It's back! And this time 'round, I know how to use the design rules and can contribute my own brand of insanity perfectly rationally designed aircraft to the process! Would we be using Pioneer or WW1 tech level?

    [x] Flying Torpedo Boat
    [x] Seaplane Hunter-Observer

    Either of these have my vote.

    Also, out of curiosity, would it be possible to see the builds for Ohara's prior planes? I couldn't spot them going thru the thread earlier.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    The builds were spread across a bunch of earlier incarnations of the system! Some of them so old the units used for speed were different!

    We are still in Pioneer, but... not for much longer.
     
    Hmm, okay so. The first two have a lot more budget. The last one seems a challenge in asking how well we can do on what is, comparatively, a small budget. That tempts me in a way, but I'm also not a brilliant plane designer.
     
    [X] Seaplane Hunter-Observer

    Long range, limited wingspan. GEE, THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT CALLS FOR A CLOSED TANDEM AGAIN!
    On the one hand, they're extremely cost-effective and we have recent experience with them. On the other hand, it's not particularly innovative- we've done fast, long range stable closed tandems before, we've done stable, user-friendly observers before; this is just putting the two together and ironing the bugs out.
    It avenges our humiliating defeat with the Canvas Flying Boat once upon a time.
    It's a nice callback to our early work with observer planes, and I'm nostalgic.
    It's not blatantly a stupid idea with the benefit of historical hindsight like the other two.

    I'm fairly strongly opposed to the harbour defense bomber because a quirk of the current system has high speed props giving much higher rates of climb than high power props, and this would irk me in a design that focused so heavily on rate of climb.

    I'm warm to the torpedo bomber; it's an expensive challenge for not actually a very useful plane, but it's also a gigantic slap in Akibara's face, and let's be real, they do in fact have it coming.
     
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    open_sketch said:
    The builds were spread across a bunch of earlier incarnations of the system! Some of them so old the units used for speed were different!

    We are still in Pioneer, but... not for much longer.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I figured as much for the prior builds... Ah well, I'll figure something out. Pioneer, eh? I can work with that...

    First let's-take-a-stab-at-this design EDIT: for the torp bomber at this link. Stall speed is... rather a lot higher than I am entirely comfortable with, but it technically makes the requirements and is very nearly on budget! I can start futzing with this and see what I can do. I'll probably try a draft for the observer tomorrow.
     
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    thepsyborg said:
    It's not blatantly a stupid idea with the benefit of historical hindsight like the other two.

    ve challenge for not actually a very useful plane, but it's also a gigantic slap in Akibara's face, and let's be real, they do in fact have it coming.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I'm not sure what you mean here? We currently aren't even at Gayaverse's version of WWI, so it feels like the "ultimate fate of the Dive Bomber" matters less than whether it has a role in warfare now. Which as far as I can tell: Yes.
     
    The Laurent said:
    I'm not sure what you mean here? We currently aren't even at Gayaverse's version of WWI, so it feels like the "ultimate fate of the Dive Bomber" matters less than whether it has a role in warfare now. Which as far as I can tell: Yes.
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    Oh, mostly I'm criticizing the land-before-attacking torpedo bomber which is going to get all of its crews killed the first time anyone tries to use it against targets with any AA at all and murder Matsura's Stress management again. The short-range point-defense dive bomber is a bit silly, but hardly outrageous. I don't think anybody can lift a big enough armor-piercing bomb to scratch a battleship yet, and if we're fighting off e.g. gunboats or destroyers in our harbours I suspect we're fighting them in large numbers in close quarters with our own vessels at night, and that just sounds like the sort of big confused mess in which most of the actual damage ends up being coincidental and/or blue-on-blue because nobody's able to both choose and hit the correct targets reliably in that sort of environment yet.

    Edit: I did like that big-single-engine canard pushers are apparently an Officially Recognized Norm for dive-bombers now after our success with the Duck.
     
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    I'm glad to see this return.

    I don't really like the feel of the flying torpedo boat. The observer seems pretty sensible, and while the stated role for the dive bomber feels a bit iffy to me, the short take off might see it fly off of Akitsukuni's first carrier, which would be neat.
     
    [] Seaplane Hunter-Observer

    I am also worried that if we don't bring anything new to the table, the volunteer teams will likely think of, uh, basically similar solutions so that it'll be down to a coin flip. But this could be interesting, yeah. What if anything do we have that the competitors might not know how to do?
     
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