Terminator57
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
Kabuki was a real thing but for mangas in the USSR I invented it.
Attempting to Fulfill the Plan MNKh Edition
- Thread starter Blackstar
- Start date
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Terminator57
Southern trees bear a strange fruit
It's not planned at the moment because I don't have the material and not much to say about it.
Well we could use as many points as possible, perhaps someone else will redeem the reward.
There's always an option to convert conventional transport to natgas? It'd buy us some time to prepare wholesale conversion to BEVs and the like.
It kinda buys us time? Like it's something we're doing but it's not as simple as flipping a button. We have millions of cars to issue conversion kits to, and we've just barely started converting easier services like trucks and buses.
Because exponential economic growth means that with limited resources, a wall is inevitably hit.
We could double - DOUBLE - the total recoverable reserves of the Soviet Union and it would buy us maybe a couple years.
Also, the oil embargo in OTL is generally given too much importance in histories. In OTL, if OPEC had formed in the 1940s, and for some reason embargoed Europe over the first Arab-Israeli war (note that the OPEC producers who were important in the 1940s were also ones who were more friendly to Israel like Venezuela and Iran) the embargo would have failed, because in a world where the US produced more than 50% of the world's oil, the Americans would have just pumped oil faster and taken more market share, OPEC would have lost on all fronts.
In the 1970s, the OPEC oil embargo had teeth because in 1968, the US had hit peak oil production, from then on pumping oil harder could only slow the rate of decline (even the shale boom of this century did not return the US to the peak reached in the 60s). Add to that the US had become an oil importer in a world where Europe, South America and Japan were also importing alot of oil. As such, OPEC causing a minor contraction of oil availability could not be compensated for. And since demand for oil is inelastic, this caused prices to shoot up.
OPEC needed leverage for the embargo to work. No leverage, no-one cares.
In the current situation in the quest, more economic growth hands more leverage to oil producers, raising the temptation for someone to use it (especially as prices are still not terribly high). Eventually someone is going to use that leverage or some accident is going to happen (like Saudi Arabia stumbling into a war). The only way to avoid some kind of oil crisis would be to have some kind of worse crisis that caused the major economies of the world to start shrinking economically.
We've avoided an oil crisis already for far longer than I would have guessed possible, since on top of the US and its allies doing about as well or better than their OTL counterparts, in this world the USSR, China and India are all significant importers as well.
We can however see the strain of keeping oil production going however with investment flooding into the Middle East to try and keep production rising fast enough to keep up with the rise in demand that comes each new day. As such, if it weren't for cheap credit subsidizing the costs to ramping up production on more marginal oil fields and hopium keeping prices on the futures market down, we would probably already be in an oil crisis. But that is just me guessing.
But guesses aside, this whole thing is one spark away from an explosion, and the spark doesn't need to be a major coordinated production cut. In such a tight market even one oil producer trying to play hardball when negotiating price contracts could set off a domino chain to crisis.
Hm, I had thought we were closer to Iran (tho right now Iraq and Iran are aligned against the Saudis). And is it actually Saddam running Iraq?
I am not sure that battery electrics would be a great fit for the Soviet climate. As such, I expect that LNG powered vehicles, especially hybrids, might be more than just a phase. Especially for heavier vehicles like buses and trucks.
There's likely to be a degree of fragmentation in the fuel economy going forward, with vehicles variously running on alcohol, biodiesel, biogas, nat gas, batteries, fuel cells and with some traffic switching to light rail and in man-powered vehicles. With different vehicle classes in different regions being dominated by different fuels. For example trucking and buses are likely to be displaced by light rail and the rest is likely to run on LNG. While farm machinery and rural transportation is likely to end up running on biogas and alcohol.
I am not sure how much performance liquid nitrogen powered vehicles would loose in the Soviet winter - in temperate climates, liquid nitrogen and liquid air are competitive with lithium ion batteries as a vehicle power source, but it may be better or worse in the Siberian winters. So that may be an option as well.
Regards,
fasquardon
- Location
- The great frozen north
Has anyone ever made a practical liquid air/nitrogen vehicle? The engine has workable thermodynamics on paper, but in practice your heat exchanger with the atmosphere ices over quickly in anything but the Atacama desert.
Yes, practical engines were made. The issue is more that why would you use cryogenic fluid as an energy store when all the laptop money has made lithium ion batteries just as good?
Instead of making a custom engine you could use off the shelf components. And that works until you need more lithium than can be reasonably obtained.
Regards,
fasquardon
They can be made to work in the cold so far I know, while many of the current batteries don't work the best in the colder areas of the Soviet Union, substantially more tolerant batteries are possible in principle. Also it's worth noting that combustion engines need pre-heating once things get pretty cold as well, or thus special extra equipment. If things get very cold then engine oils or the fuel itself might also start developing some issues and require special variants or indoor storage. So the Soviet climate range already causes some extra complications for ICE vehicles, it's as such in principle possible that battery tech could cover the whole range and actually simplify matters.
Also it's worth noting current battery tech isn't near its theoretical limits, quite a lot more is possible and has already in part been demonstrated in labs. As such, it will in the long term be a very energy dense solution, capable of large climatic variation, with little internal energy losses. So it will probably be the natural winner in the end for quite a few applications.
Note, I'm not just talking about Li-Ion batteries in this case. There's a lot of other options out there for all kinds of purposes, like Na-Ion if one wants an extremely common material with perhaps a bit less performance then Li-ion but thus highly available and cheap.
I don't see a oil crisis as inevitable. It's made more possible by increasing demand and tightening supply, but a real crisis rather than transition depends on unknowable political events. We could at this point reasonably see a scenario where energy demand adjusts downwards as economies become more aware and responsive and the potential for a serious crisis fades.
As much as Soviet development has increased demand, it has also acted to increase supply- that will fade at some point but we've yet to hit peak Soviet oil, much less peak Soviet gas or coal. And our energy policy- which has certainly been exprted to CMEA and likely emulated or exported to the West as well, has been to limit exposure of the economy to oil prices. Electrical power is primarily generated by gas and coal, and as much as laggards car and road investment has been an issue it will reduce the impact of an oil price surge.
As much as Soviet development has increased demand, it has also acted to increase supply- that will fade at some point but we've yet to hit peak Soviet oil, much less peak Soviet gas or coal. And our energy policy- which has certainly been exprted to CMEA and likely emulated or exported to the West as well, has been to limit exposure of the economy to oil prices. Electrical power is primarily generated by gas and coal, and as much as laggards car and road investment has been an issue it will reduce the impact of an oil price surge.
An oil crisis of some kind is probably pretty likely though, because is nothing else one would eventually reach peak oil. Once past peak oil the relative inflexibility of oil usage has a tendency to create sharp price spikes if demand becomes to high, we had one such spike in the 21st century kind of as well. In any case this has been a forecast of a number of economists on the matter for quite a long time, assuming the world ever got in to such a situation where it couldn't extra more oil anymore, modelling seemed to indicate that it was fairly likely you'd get sharp spikes in oil price until you finally manage to kick some people off oil usage for good via an extremely painful 'demand destruction', which would be followed by a price decline which lets new users fill up the cleared space and start the cycle anew for the next round.
Of course if the oil production remained more steady after maxing out, then you could probably do some things to stabilize things at least to an extent. But there the current world is extracting at a very rapid rate compared to OTL this seems like it would be rather challenging to me. After all at such high usage rates, stocks deplete far sooner and the scramble to find replacements will thus be harsher, faster and more pressing, as such time to develop technology for unconventional oils will be far less present. This would seem to indicate that production could be more volatile as one races from new technology to new technology to be able to extra just one more reserve. In such an unstable supply situation, surprise shortfalls leading to price spikes would be to be expected, especially as occasional wars cutting off supplies from one region would be hard to compensate for in such a scenario.
So occasional sharp oil spikes would probably be pretty challenging to avoid.
So the oil crisis might not be the same as in OTL, it might come setting in more gentle, at least initially. But once it shows up, it'll probably cause a not insignificant number of troubles. The demand destruction cycles in the oil could cause substantial economic damages, because who ever can't take the price spikes the most will be the ones losing out most. And there surely are vulnerable areas in the USSR economy to such as well.
The best way to reduce such damages is to already be on the way to alternatives, as then industry can more quickly scale in to new options, rather then having to try out all possible options and invent what ever they can in half baked form first as quickly as possible.
Admittedly this USSR under current leadership has already for quite some years now been taking a number of actions to prepare for some of this, so it'll probably weather it better then many who haven't even started yet. But if the above scenario does occur, any prep work already done will really have quite the payback in reduced economic damages.
I think that while these effects are real, they're going to be outweighed by an even bigger elephant in the room: Soviet central planning. We are both the world's biggest producer of oil and I suspect also it's largest consumer. The economic buttons in front of us have enormous impact on the price of oil, because heavy Soviet investment can suppress oil price increases and drive them depending on what it is. This isn't a situation entirely unlike right now, where the USA is in a similar position once again and has been able to exercise signficant influence on oil costs, though it being tight oil has limited the scope this can be accomplished.
Now there will come a point at which Soviet production can no longer be expanded to the degree it has so far, but it bears underlining that Soviet oil reserves are enormous and intensive extraction can certainly delay the impact of depletion. That would have economic consequences for us(big spending) and pushing peak oil later in the curve will make the drop off steeper, but it is important to keep in mind that the oil crisis is something where the USSR is in the drivers seat in many ways. Executing a transition to alternate energy sources well could avoid a Soviet oil crisis ever materializing. Doing so in an aggressive manner could also collateral-damage a whole bunch of Western countries(i.e. we turn off the extractive investment spigot at some point and global oil prices explode). Fun stuff.
Those are some pretty good points @DeltaV11.2 , there are certainly quite a few ways things could go.
As can be clearly seen from the last few turns, our production has a lot of problems keeping up with our consumption, and our consumption is increasing every turn. Moreover, our conventional oil reserves are not actually all that immense - at the current rate, we'll run out of them by 85. It's possible we'll hit a slower type of crisis as the oil prices start increasing year by year instead of just jumping all at once, but as the time goes and the economies grow bigger and bigger, the odds of that go down.
Isn't that already happening though? Our current wells are depleting by 2 per year right? So we are already in that precarious position of slow crisis and all it will take is a catalyst to turn it into the kind of oil crisis we are talking about. So the real question to answer for the likelyhood of an oil crisis happening is, "how likely is absolutely no supply chain disruption happening from now until a mass shift away from oil has happened?"
Normal consumption increase and depletions on our side are happening, but what I'm talking about is the price of imported oil going by 5 and more per turn.
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
Ideas are forming.
- Location
- India
that sounds wonderful
Cannon Omake: Indian Films in the USSR
New
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
Raj Kapoor entertaining fans, Moscow, 1967
Indian Films in the USSR
As part of his efforts to promote Indian culture, Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava invited Soviet delegations to India and arranged for Indian films to be shown in the Soviet Union. In addition to promoting films, Narayan also sought to foster cultural exchange between India and the Soviet Union. This cultural interaction included the exchange of films, books, and other forms of media. These movies would either hold subtitles for the Soviet crowd or be completely dubbed. Through these efforts, Narayan helped introduce Indian cinema to Soviet audiences and lay the foundation for its eventual popularity in the country.
Nimai Ghosh's Chhinnamul was the first Indian film to be released in the USSR, but it was Raj Kapoor's Chaplinesque roles that truly resonated with the Soviet audience. His performance in Awaara was particularly well-received. Eight hundred prints each of Dev Anand's "Rahi" and "Awaara" were released in all the languages of the 15 Soviet republics, Kapoor, a slightly goofy smile in place, with a comical walk and trousers that didn't go past the ankles, was a symbol of optimism. His roles saw him as an innocent do-gooder, impractically romantic but beloved nevertheless.
Story lines that predictably swirled around the themes of sympathy for the oppressed, socialist egalitarianism and the triumph of good over evil resonated with Russians whose only other option at the cinema was propaganda movies. When Kapoor, and his later counterparts, romanced their heroines, they did so surrounded by Swiss Alps and pretty flowers, in a manner that was depicted as wholly sustainable, even essential, in the pursuit of true love. It allowed a sweet path to escapism for a population otherwise fed on the state's idea of love for the motherland, ideas that were relentlessly driven down by propaganda movies that showed only what the people saw on the streets, at work and lived in their homes anyway. Also, the visual spectacle of Indian films and their use of vibrant colours created an atmosphere that was appealing to the audiences in the Soviet Union.
The values of Indian society have long been intertwined with those of the USSR, with a clear distinction between good and evil and a strong belief in the power of rags-to-riches stories. As pure escapism, these movies ran to full houses for weeks at best, or to fairly full houses, at their worst. Indian films, always Hindi, not those in other languages, were encouraged because they were seen as protection for the Russian film market against Hollywood films. Though Hindi was never officially a "national language" in India, the film industry in that language was the biggest in those years. Not surprisingly, art films, those of Satyajit Ray and others of his ilk, failed miserably at the box offices. These tackled poverty and issues that affected real lives.
It perhaps helped that in the 1950s both India and Russia were in similar situations — the former, newly free, the latter, reeling under losses from WWII. It helped to be able to sit in a dark hall for up to four hours and laugh and cry and escape from the drudgery of life outside. This enduring optimism, which is a hallmark of Socialist realist utopianism, has been a source of inspiration for many in India and the USSR alike. Indian movies were also in stark contrast to the bleak and severe films that dominated Soviet cinema at the time, which often featured heavy political themes and strict censorship.
"In early fifties, just after the devastating war with Germany, the country was still in ruins we were poor and our life was full of privations and shortages," said the old lady during 'Retrospective of Raj Kapoor films' organized in the provincial city of Tver, 200 kms from here.
But when we saw greater hardships being faced by the poor from the country (India) with a smile, it gave us optimism. So after watching Awara and Shri 420, Raj Kapoor became a symbol of optimism for the Soviet people, she added.
How Indian Cinema won Russian Hearts
References:
The Rise Of Bollywood In Soviet Union
Bollywood Affair: How Indian Cinema Arrived in the U.S.S.R.
Bollywood films became available across the Soviet Union in the 1950s as an alternative to western cinema.
www.themoscowtimes.com
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Comrade Future
Man from Zeerust
- Location
- USSR
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
There is a point here that was forgotten to be mentioned - cheapness. In fact, the Soviet leadership would be happy to release more American films (so that cinemas would bring in more money), but American studios demanded too much money.
Non-Cannon Omake: Megamag Personification
New
- Location
- The great frozen north
Remember those silly omakes I wrote with Magnitogorsk as a giant anthropomorphic personification that personally yeeted a mountain at the nazis? Well lately I tried my hand at pencil drawing after a long time and figured visualizing MegaMag-chan would be good practice. Behold:
I am not sure if my shading is THAT bad, or it's just my scanner that makes everything look washed out. And yes I realized that sun position doesn't make any geographical sense, I realized that too late.
I wanted to also draw close-up Mikonyan standing on her shoulder and boldly pointing, but these two panels took my atrophied skills long enough as is. Perhaps later.
I am not sure if my shading is THAT bad, or it's just my scanner that makes everything look washed out. And yes I realized that sun position doesn't make any geographical sense, I realized that too late.
I wanted to also draw close-up Mikonyan standing on her shoulder and boldly pointing, but these two panels took my atrophied skills long enough as is. Perhaps later.
Turn 90 (January 1st, 1978 - January 1st, 1979): Questions of Urban Development
New
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Turn 90 (January 1st, 1978 - January 1st, 1979): Questions of Urban Development
Resources per Turn(RpY): Base 13150 -125 Rocketry -5440 Plan Commitments -20 Commitments Cost Modifier = 7565 with 5 in storage[X]Advance Conservative Solutions
Internal Politics:
Domestic politics has been stabilized with the center the by far largest victor as both Vorotinkov and Ryzhkov have tempered their mutual conflict in favor of a somewhat tense degree of cooperation. Even leading into the elections neither has made significant moves to undermine the other, focusing attacks outward to provide an image of increasing stability and confidence in the other. This will not last and one of them will make the first move but it, alongside strong economic growth has managed to more than stabilize the political environment present in the Union. Common sense reforms with the same backing have passed, improving pensions alongside funding towards improving the state of the healthcare services.
Unity in the center has led to a converse weakening of the factions outside of it as they have proven somewhat incapable of finding ways to attack the coalition. The simple popularity of keeping a steady hand while enabling economic growth has under-written policy and continues to do so. Economic stability is absolutely critical for it with a common understanding between the current center to that extent, providing a somewhat free hand to act politically as long as no disruptions to the economy come. They cannot afford a significant crisis before an election any better than anyone else, and better some compromises towards stability then Zimyanin or worse Ashimov getting anywhere near actual power. Electoral plans have centered around it as a means to legitimize the government more so than any radical change, making the reliable assumption that the average worker wants to avoid significant and radical change.
Viral spread has also been managed through the cooperation of the Ministry of Health and local authorities, managing to stop the summer season's spread. Continuous cycles of infection are still expected as a vaccine is not expected to be ready until the next year but that can be somewhat managed. Foreign cooperation on containing the virus has been in practice almost a negative as the Americians and the French have both in practice cut off any research support as a part of cold war conflicts. WHO coordination has somewhat managed to enable a global response but with the current state of the world the process of dealing with the spread of LASV has become yet another ideological struggle. Increased outreach as a part of CMEA is expected to help combat spread in less developed regions alongside the reduction of rodents but in practice only so much can be done.
Free dice to allocate 6 Dice.
Infrastructure: (14) 5 Dice
[]Western Local Roads(Stage 1/3): The development of roads is once again in a critical state with significant shortfalls present in the development. Guidance by previous ministers somewhat under-stated the problem as the adoption of automobiles and trucks was persistently and consistently underestimated through the use of obsolescent modeling. Current roads are insufficient, susceptible to wear, and generally inadequate for even a small portion of demanded economic activity. Strong programs to improve them in the west are just a first step in development as the road system across the entire Union must be radically expanded and developed. (150 Resources per Dice 241/275)
[]Caucuses Local Roads(Stage 1/2): Negligent construction practices have strongly undermined regional infrastructure and avoided the implementation of more productive means of transport. Through intensive programs involving the paving of tens of thousands of kilometers of mountain roads alongside general modernization programs, local infrastructure can be brought up to standards appropriate for the post-war era. The current situation is decidedly inadequate and even the proposed changes are marginal compared to the significant demand for roads experienced by smaller rural and urban communities. (160 Resources per Dice 0/175)
[]Ural Region Local Roads(Stage 1/2): Lack of stable terrain due to freeze thaw cycles, lack of technological confidence, and a lack of general will to construct local roads have significantly undermined regional economic activity. Strong growth is dependent on the increase in extent of local urban and rural infrastructure with paving campaigns paired with the construction of a vast number of urban boulevards. Many cities have been somewhat negligibly designed away from proper transportation concepts, requiring further funding for demolition work so as to rationalize current practices and improve local logistical throughput for last mile movement off railheads. (180 Resources per Dice 0/250)
[]Central Asian Local Roads(Stage 1/3): Out of a likely sense of utter ignorance ranging on severe discrimination, the development of infrastructure in Central Asia has been practically left to primarily extractive means. Previous developments centered only on railways with which to move products out of the region alongside infrastructure only built for extraction rather than local utilization. To amend this a vast program of road construction has been planned to provide essential interlinks in difficult terrain and improve the local economies directly. Funding will go towards the rapid increase of local transportation networks in an urban and near urban context for the major cities and will be followed by the significant renovation and expansion of bridges and mountain roads so as to enable easy local transportation. (150 Resources per Dice 0/300)
[]Automotive Infrastructure(Stage 1/5): The Union was not prepared for its newfound wealth and manufacturing capabilities as the development of cars has put the fact into stark awareness. Moscow is practically a permanent 20 hour traffic jam without much hope in sight while cars litter the micro districts that would otherwise be allocated for green spaces. Developing further parking for the flood of cars alongside provisions on where to store them when not in use can reduce the overall strain on the system. Further work will involve the expansion of urban roads and improvement of traffic throughput through electronic systems, enabling faster transportation without massive increases in spending. (150 Resources per Dice 0/175)
[]Urban Sewage Systems: Sewage transportation by truck is the predominant form of sewage management for much of the Union's land mass. Urban systems exist but capacity limitations have posed significant development concerns outside of Moscow with severe limits placed on what can be done. Current programs focus on the urban issue as trucks, while inefficient, are not a direct health hazard that current management practices are. An expanded and modified program can be undertaken for large-scale urban renewal, integrating processing systems and greatly expanding capacities. This will take time and balloon the program above old standards but it will provide room for the economic centers of the Union to grow. (200 Resources per Dice 262/450) (-34 CI4 Electricity)
Heavy Industry (10) 4 Dice
[]Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk Metallurgical Complexes(Stage 1/3): Lower-grade local ores in combination with the exploitation of new deposits and improved railway access are expected to significantly improve domestic steel production. The area has practical free electricity from the massive available hydro potential making it uniquely suited to large-scale steel processing and recycling. The proximity of natural gas sources of reduction has favored the area as one of the largest test cases for the primary DRI-EAF method with expectations for significant gains to local work and productivity. Much of the steel produced would go West, lowering local prices and further improving domestic productivity. (220 Resources per Dice 0/225) (-10 Steel -1 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Hydroelectric Powered)
[]Secondary Metallurgical Complexes: Secondary steel can be salvaged to a large extent from the current steel economy. Despite strong export pressures, the domestic sector for steel utilization is strong and produces an excess of scrap steel. To meet domestic steel demand and minimize the need for reducing agents in production an expanded program for recycling steel can be started. Effective waste filtering has already been established and combustion processing inherently involves the separation of metal products. This will also yield some limited aluminum and copper, but those are secondary and far harder to filter from garbage streams. (240 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-61 CI8 Electricity -6 Steel -1 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor)
[]Amur Electrolysis Plants: Mass production of aluminum from imported Indonesian Bauxite can start in the Far East to form a key industry and a basis for further development. Plentiful coal and easy logistics on the Amur leave the site optimal for the construction of a major electrolytic complex and the environment is well suited to the import of materials. Intensive development can directly supply the local industry and form a viable component of a complete domestic aluminum-production system as funding and technological sophistication improve. (240 Resources per Dice 0/100) (-76 CI8 Electricity -8 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor)
[]Kansk-Achinsk Intensification(Stage 1/4): Brown coal is the solution to the vast majority of energy problems in the far east and cheap brown coal will provide more than enough energy for local industrial development. Low-cost energy access is a fundamental basis of industrial development and increasing the scale of coal extraction will greatly aid with that. A new generation of heavy machinery is available to expand the scale of the pit mines alongside more efficient partial processing for regional exports. This renders the coal only somewhat cheap but the energy yields are more than economical. Further, intensive acid rains and the development of sulfurous fogs have been judged acceptable in the Southern Krasnoyarsk sacrificial zone, as local forestry is a negligible concern enabling the rapid expansion of coking projects. (180 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-39 CI4 Electricity -6 Coal +1 General Labor)
[]Localized Lignite Programs: Vast quantities of easily accessible lignite exist in the east and formalizing their use as a local source of energy and thermal coal can significantly reduce energy demands. Instead of working with a direct electrical demand in the planning system cogeneration with industry can become a formalized practice. Kuzbas and Kansk-Achinsk are both vast in reserves and can easily meet local energy demands through the intensification of extraction. Initial efforts will focus more so on logistics and increasing the production of basic turbines but a significant portion of energy demand can be atomized as a secondary concern. (180 Resources per Dice 0/250) (Projects East of the Urals no longer demand energy or coal with it auto-constructed as a part of the projects price.) (+50 Electricity +5 Coal +3 General Labor)
[]Stabilization of Donbass Mining: Declining yields in the Donbass alongside the narrowing of seams is a prolonged and systematic problem that has yet to be solved. Intensification of the local industry and an expansion of labor power has only gotten so far with more advanced techniques required to extract the high value coals. Pushing for the adoption of an increased tempo of production alongside a deep modernization of machinery stocks will be an expensive but important bridge towards the general stabilization of coal demand for long enough to get trans-ural mining functional. (200 Resources per Dice 0/100) (-32 CI3 Electricity -4 Coal +2 General Labor) (Slows Deposit Depletion)
[]Coal Power Plants(CPSC): Coal is still a necessary part of the energy mix and one that cannot be ignored as it forms an essential basis for increasing energy production. Programs towards radically increasing the throughput of coal power are shortsighted before mining programs can achieve improved yields and an adequate barge route is developed. Still, coal is currently viable and prices of coal are expected to crash once heavier barges can be used, radically changing the entire economic principles of power in the Union. (300 Resources per Dice 2/100) (+150 Electricity +3 Coal) (Repeatable)
[]Kansk-Achinsk Coal Liquefaction(Stage 1/2): Collaborating closely with German efforts and transferring the technology or domestic applications offers something of a solution to the oil crisis. A series of integrated plants capable of processing 50Mt of coal per annum can be established alongside the expansion of pit mining to increase transportability. This coal will be converted to fuel at a high rate, securing significant gains in energy security even if current petroleum prices would necessitate operating slightly at cost to maintain prospective capacity. Only so much liquefaction can be developed but it at least offers a way to use domestic resources to meet the needs of the energy crisis. Energy demands will be met with local coal resources while reduction supplies can be obtained through the use of natural gas without economic issues. (220 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-16 CI4 Electricity -3 Petroleum Fuels +2 Petroleum Gas -2 Petrochemicals +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Non-Profitable)
[]Atomash(Stage 4/4): Continued expansions of the Atmomash production complex have been deemed important to achieve energy independence. Additional metallurgical facilities alongside a second full oven capable of sintering wholesale cores will be essential alongside the infrastructure required for the turbines to be constructed. At the current rate of development, it is expected that a stable energy system can be achieved by 1990 with new reactor designs accompanied by a rapid increase in production throughput. Replacement of non-grid resources will take longer alongside general modernization but current prospects for atomic energy offer a way out of the current energy crisis. (300 Resources per Dice 125/250) (-80 CI8 Electricity +2 Steel +1 Non-Ferrous +1 Educated Labor) (Last Turn to have Effects Next Plan)
[]Vladivostok Shipyards: The naval yards in the Far East have some of the cheapest labor and a significant market for merchant shipping between all CMEA members. Expanding the construction of large hulled container and tanker ships domestically will be essential to keep up with current American standards. If the Soviet merchant fleet is to be modernized it needs to be funded now and expanded now to compensate for deficiencies in block-wide production. An entirely new generation of ships will have to be built to break with old standards and the dogged obsolescence that has remained a major part of naval construction. (240 Resources per Dice 130/200) (-54 CI4 Electricity +5 Steel +2 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
[]LuAZ Automotive Plant: Lower relative labor costs alongside an environment with easy access to energy and steel resources represents a prime location for the establishment of a heavier vehicle plant. A focus on heavier and larger vehicles can improve market saturation of an otherwise lightly produced category and provide increased consumptive pressure. In more rural areas heavier chassis with an integral 4x4 drive will improve performance and enable a degree of upselling. Export opportunities are further significant as the American industry is currently struggling to produce a modern competitive car for the segment. (240 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-62 CI4 Electricity +5 Steel +2 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Extremely High Profitability)
[]ZIL Branch Plants: Luxury and sports vehicles represent a high profitability segment inherently and the expansion of ZIL and its associated plants has been significant just from incentive funds. To improve economic activity further funding can be allocated on the expansive production of luxury cars so as to improve general economic conditions. As the population gets wealthier the demand for luxury has only risen with significant demand placed on providing the most capable trims available. Close cooperation with Nissan is expected with some technical transfer promised as long as sufficient funding is allocated, driving the domestic sports car industry forward by approximately five to ten years. (260 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-47 CI8 Electricity +3 Steel +3 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Extremely High Profitability)
Rocketry (5) 4 Dice (Cannot Use Free Dice)
[]Cancel Project(Does not take a Dice)(5<Projects=<10, -1 Dice) (125/220 R/y Funding Cap)
-MAKS Program (-10 RpY)
-Superheavy Launcher (-30 RpY)
-Communication Satellites (-10 RpY) Constant Program
-Positioning System Programs (-10 RpY)
-FGB-VA Crewed Exploration (-10 RpY) Constant Program
-Mars Program (-10 RpY) Constant Program, Rover Focused
-Mercury Program (-5 RpY)
-Outer Planets Program (-15 RpY) Active Phase finished 1979
-Long Term Orbital Nuclear Power (-10 RpY)
-Nuclear Drive Program (-15 RpY)
[]Launch Pad Expansions: Current systems are somewhat unable to launch a rocket over 2kt and future lunar boosters are already exceeding that standard. Moving strongly to increase local capabilities while building up the processing and storage facilities needs to be done now before any form of booster enters testing. This will in effect produce two pads and storage for two assembling LVs so as to provide the basis for future missions and a degree of reserve capability. (200 Resources per Dice 0/75)
[]Lunar Evaluation Areas: Developing a dedicated area where techniques to be used on the moon can be adapted and evaluated is somewhat challenging but not overtly so. This program will in effect be an intermediary towards starting a new generation of space suits for general purpose use based on the current Kretchet-94 design. As the system was already meant for lunar use, few modifications are likely to be necessary but some optimizations can still be made. (-10 RpY Expected) (1 Dice)
[]Lunar Upper Stack Programs: An entirely new landing system capable of a rendezvous alongside a transfer mission from LEO is going to have to be developed for the lunar mission. The stack remains of a primary concern as the space suit is going to be at least functional if deeply unexceptional, but a rendezvous mission without a reserve will involve a vast commitment of technical capabilities. Current proposals are somewhat diverse as they range from the use of a nuclear stage to achieve the TLI burn and capture to a conventional cryogenic transfer engine followed by a hypergolic landing system. (-25 RpY Expected) (1 Dice) (Subvote)
[]Long Term Habitation Program: Developing entirely new station hardware capable of sustaining a human presence in orbit remains key for establishing a moon base. If effective recycling and power production systems are not made, a lunar base will demand a consistent stream of material and energy that cannot be met through conventional means. The nuclear reactor program has already produced cores in the range of demanded capabilities but the questions of regolith processing and support for infrastructure on the lunar surface still remains a pressing question. (-20 RpY Expected) (1 Dice) (Subvote)
[]Alternative Chemical Propellants: Ammonia-fluorine represents a new standard in efficiency of propulsion and solves several issues inherent to the use of fluorine-hydrogen. Engines on the scheme have already been developed even if test firing has been somewhat mixed, but they hold immense promise for delivering larger cargoes to the lunar surface and beyond. Evaluation engines can reach vacuum impulses of nearly four hundred seconds with none of the storage issues of conventional cryogenics. Use will be limited to the upper stages but the capability on offer makes them too tempting a proposition to ignore. (-10 RpY Expected) (1 Dice)
[]Orbital Operations Concepts: Refueling of the upper stack of a lunar mission in LEO or even using a partial capture trajectory with a nuclear stage as a tug can radically increase payload fractions. Developing a modular nuclear tug and then fueling it remains an open question of capabilities but it is not beyond current techniques to design. Refueling of the tug can be done through the use of propellant depots with several proposals made to develop them on the lunar end to further increase the efficiency of missions. This will be accompanied by a program to develop local sourcing of propellent on the moon, stabilizing supplies and enabling a sustainable long term presence. (-25 RpY Expected) (1 Dice)
[]Non-Rocket Launch Methods: Rockets can only bring mankind so far in the exploration of space and further technological developments can bridge the gap. There are several concepts for launch ramps, elevators, loops, and a series of higher mass proposals. Constructing one would involve a massive commitment of funding well beyond the scope of availability but a smaller scale evaluation program can evaluate the immediate technological viability of some of the proposals. Large scale habitation of space cannot be done without abandoning the tyranny of the rocket equation and cheap launch mass can ensure that the American program is reduced to an obsolescent side-note. (-15 RpY Expected) (1 Dice)
Light Industry (12) 12 Dice
[]Air Conditioner Plants(Stage 7/7): Continued developments in the air conditioning sector are required to maintain the development of comfortable domestic housing. Smaller homes and older apartments are being modernized but at an inadequate pace with the acceleration of conventional construction. Further programs to increase the throughput of cooling systems can ensure that the oldest housing stock is modernized and brought into a comfortable state of living over the next decade. Once sufficient production capacity is established efficiency improvements are expected to provide a sufficient demand impetus to maintain profitability, solving the standard of living crisis compared to the Americans. (140 Resources per Dice 133/250) (-74 CI6 Electricity +2 Steel +2 Non-Ferrous +1 General Labor)
[]Microcomputer Plants(Stage 4/4): Mass production of new solid state devices is necessary to meet current computing demands much less future ones. Current production is still somewhat in shortfall as the production of new machinery has struggled to meet the sheer climb in demand of new circuitry. Current expectations for the program have already been entirely overcome with future funding almost certainly necessary to continue to raise both production and technical sophistication. Exports of integrated circuits are steadily expected to become far larger as they are in demand across all CMEA, finally providing an item through which trade balances can be addressed in spite of the change in character of previous resource and consumer goods exchanges. (300 Resources per Dice 21/150) (-49 CI5 Electricity +3 Non-Ferrous +2 Educated Labor) (Extremely High Profitability)
[]Consumer Electronics Plants(Stage 3/3): Cheap easy to use personal electronics have been an untapped sector with home radios and simpler systems generally under-produced. Expanding the industry into Central Asia alongside several new plants in the Ukrainian and Belorussian SSR can provide vast numbers of well paying jobs all while improving domestic electronic production. Demand for solid state electronics can be minimized through the preferential use of transistors for simpler systems as quantity can be somewhat prioritized over quality for many devices. (200 Resources per Dice 93/300) (-50 CI8 Electricity +2 Non-Ferrous +2 Petrochemicals +3 General Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Third Generation Food Programs(Stage 2/3): Modern foods are appropriate for a modern century especially in that many otherwise treated foods can become common staples that keep for months to years. Industrial production of sealed container foods with improved stabilizers entirely works outside the old canning industry and can enhance domestic developments. Current programs will be aimed at funding several new carbonated drinks with novel fruity flavors to take advantage of the advancing chemical industry. Further work on shelf stable meals can be somewhat copied from the Japanese market, as freeze dried foods are somewhat easier to produce than other forms of long shelf life products. (160 Resources per Dice 125/200) (-34 CI3 Electricity +3 Petrochemicals +3 General Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Secondary Plastics Industries: Plastics are objectively superior to any contemporary product produced in the Soviet Union and current shortages of non-ferrous metals can be somewhat compensated for through the rapid adoption of plastics. Increased production of containers and several other thermoplastic products for use in general use of durable goods will be key to lowering the demand for metals and conserving them for more important sectors. In practice, the reduction in metal use will be minimal if only due to the likely rapidly rising demand for new goods overtaking any savings. (180 Resources per Dice 0/200) (-36 CI3 Electricity -2 Non-Ferrous +6 Petrochemicals +2 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Textile Industry Overhauls: Current labor standards are reducing efficiency for the general textile industry as the massive profusion of labor is increasingly more scarce. Enterprises have asked for funding for further modernization as cheap labor is not available for use in the textile industry and machinery must be used to compensate for the deficiency. Limitations in immigration and a strong domestic growth pattern have consumed easy-to-mobilize labor leaving little that can be done. Increasing mechanization for common goods will compensate but the general sustainability of the industry must be considered. (200 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-48 CI9 Electricity -2 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Mixed Textile Industries(Stage 3/3): Rapid chemicalization of the clothing sector promises to direct water towards more useful industries while improving general domestic growth. Synthetic fibers are superior to natural ones in most ways and adapting industrial methods to primarily produce them will practically eliminate any dependence on imports of materials. Programs to achieve increased industrialization have run into minor issues in sourcing labor but a few workers can still be offered sufficient wages to increase textile production and processing. (150 Resources per Dice 83/250) (-41 CI5 Electricity +4 Petrochemicals +2 General Labor) (High Profitability)
Chemical Industry (6) 4 Dice
[]Exploitation of the East Siberian Basin(Stage 1/2): Several previously untapped petroleum reserves exist in the Far East with exploratory drilling already started on several identified fields. Most reservoirs that have been found are a combination of small and remote reserves without massive capacity for new production, but they are existent and worth extraction in a primary and secondary recovery sense. Continued operations are unlikely to produce any radical increases in petroleum production but even mild gains can assist in stabilizing economic activity. (150 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-28 CI4 Electricity -4 Petroleum Fuels -1 Petroleum Gas +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Development of the Southern Turgay Basin(Stage 1/2): Expansive extraction operations in the Kazakh SSR are expected to stimulate the local economy and provide a mixture of gas and petroleum resources for rapid development. Local reserves are comparatively small and somewhat challenging to access but intensive production can provide rapid and significant gains for the local economy. Construction of several new oil towns alongside the intensive expansion of local refining infrastructure is expected to produce thousands of new high-paying jobs and tens of thousands of jobs supporting them. Operations are going to be limited by the conditions of the reserves in place but some gains are still expected. (150 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-25 CI4 Electricity -4 Petroleum Fuels -3 Petroleum Gas +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Intensive Development of the Caspian(Stage 3/6): Petroleum resources around the Caspian make up the larger basin and they have been somewhat under-developed relative to other fields. Increasing the scale of extraction is going to primarily yield gas due to the mixture present but that in itself is sufficient to achieve continuous improvements in industrial development. A constant improvement in drilling techniques alone is expected to revolutionize the production of energy and provide stability for the Union. (150 Resources per Dice 53/100) (-15 CI6 Electricity -4 Petroleum Fuels -5 Petroleum Gas +1 Educated Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Modernization of Oil Fields(Stage 1/4): Moving towards the newest techniques and implementing tertiary recovery measures at scale for the West Siberian deposits will generate rapid returns on investment. Bringing older depleted wellheads into functionality and expanding the utilization of active fracking techniques is expected to radically reshape the petroleum industry. Well, recovery rates can be nearly expected to double, especially for some heavier oils with techniques raising profits across the board for essential state enterprises. Current approaches will focus on increasing recovery from already tapped wells but continued programs can be expanded towards general improvements in petroleum recovery. (160 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-39 CI4 Electricity -5 Petroleum Fuels -4 Petroleum Gas) (High Profitability)
[]Continued Synthetic Rubber Programs: Continued deep modernizations and expansions of the domestic rubber industry offer a way to significantly improve domestic incomes while increasing independence. Direct expansions of the industry are technologically possible through improved techniques, providing flexible and higher-performance polymers to several other critical industrial areas. Work on the overall rubber industry is only expected to increase as the automotive and general industrial sectors reach maturity with the demand for improved sealants and synthetic products rapidly increasing. (240 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-41 CI6 Electricity +2 Petroleum Fuels +2 Petroleum Gas -5 Petrochemicals +1 Educated Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Next Generation Plastics Programs: Expanding the production of specialty and engineering plastics is somewhat of a distraction with the strong growth of the industry but one that still needs to be addressed. New and improved feedstocks and a rapidly developing chemical industry driven by cheap energy is a viable export industry and one that can significantly contribute towards domestic growth. Increasing funding for the more experimental applications of new plastics including the wholesale replacement of stainless steel in some applications will be key to improving domestic competitiveness and technological sophistication. (240 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-41 CI6 Electricity +4 Petroleum Gas -4 Petrochemicals +1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Continued Exploitation of Volga-Ural: The tapping of massive reserves at an accelerated pace can provide for a cheap and fast increase in petroleum production to compensate for depletion in other areas. The massive formations are steadily decreasing in productivity as exploitation continues to deplete reserves despite improved recovery methods and the continuous development of new methodologies. These initiatives would in practice accelerate the depletion of deposits in the region, yielding plentiful cheap oil from the massive formations but causing a faster loss of total production as oil becomes uneconomical. (120 Resources per Dice 0/100) (-23 CI5 Electricity -8 Petroleum Fuels -2 Petroleum Gas +1 General Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]West Siberian Gas Wells(Stage 3/10): Vast quantities of gas exist all across Siberia and they are absolutely critical for maintaining the current energy markets. The transition to the use of gas will not come without radical changes and by ensuring the price remains near the well-price enterprises can be encouraged to switch and take pressure away from the oil sector. Any deficiency in energy will have to be overcome through the intensification and expansion of gas extraction and there is a practically unlimited quantity under the Siberian basin. Experiments with enhanced recovery methods will be further trialed, expanding the reservoirs that can be tapped. (180 Resources per Dice 38/150) (-30 CI8 Electricity -7 Petroleum Gas +1 General Labor+1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Heavy Oil Experiments: There are approximately six million tons of recoverable heavy oil and bitumen that are somewhat economically and technically recoverable. Current upgrading facilities have proven that it can be refined into usable oil products but not at significant rates and not without costs. Accepting that the technologies developed for refinement will not be mature for this plan, some funding can still be transferred over to improve the production of new oil products and open the processing of energy reserves previously considered unusable. (200 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-43 CI5 Electricity -2 Petroleum Fuels -4 Petrochemicals +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Intensive Cracking Infrastructure(Stage 2/2): Direct upgrading infrastructure can be constructed to take advantage of the current surpluses of heavier oils. Instead of direct combustion or the production of more valuable synthetic lubricants, production can go somewhat to direct upgrading. New compounds will inherently be produced from cracking to maintain a high-value production chain but some of it can easily be allocated towards fuels instead of a true multi-stage processing approach. Improved refinery infrastructure past this point can provide some minor technical gains but that is miniscule compared to improved extraction. (240 Resources per Dice 3/175) (-56 CI3 Electricity -4 Petroleum Fuels -4 Petrochemicals +1 Educated Labor) (High Profitability)
Agriculture (6) 4 Dice
[]Domestic Meat Programs(Stage 7/10): Meat independence outside of beef requires a concentrated effort to increase and optimize the production of pork. Pig stocks have rapidly increased for the production of specialty goods but general-purpose pork has only moderately expanded during the previous plan. A concentrated effort to radically increase the number of pigs raised and slaughtered in the Union will be essential to overcoming any shortcomings of the domestic meat industry. Initial concepts will continue the caloric optimization of the pig with breeding programs initiated to produce pigs that can more efficiently take on calories, grow faster, and efficiently use lower-grade feeds without excessive loss of productivity. (120 Resources per Dice 6/225) (-34 CI1 Electricity +1 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Fruit Expansion Program: Increasing the focus on new fruits will provide a vast number of jobs to otherwise under-served communities and improve the overall economy. Agricultural profitability will not be raised by further expansions of grain but through a strong commitment to alternative means of production. In effect enterprises in more Southern areas will be provided benefits in water allocation alongside regular tax benefits for the localization of fruit production. Practical impacts will be limited as the trees grow but significant profits can be realized in the next few years. (150 Resources per Dice 0/175) (-11 CI1 Electricity) (High Profitability)
[]Funding for Local Beef: Small farms producing beef from a bedrock of general production alongside producing the highest grades of domestic stocks. Continuing to expand them will be essential for increasing the productivity of agriculture as there are still significant gains to be made. New beef areas can be opened while more conventional ones are shifted towards supporting and expanding the industry. It is likely going to be impossible to produce enough to meet theoretical domestic demand, but high quality cuts can be made available to all domestic workers for only a nominal cost. (120 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-15 CI1 Electricity +1 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]New Preserved Meats Program: Initial processed meat programs came out of a mixture of under-development and a significant lack of refrigeration but follow on ones do not necessarily have to be. Recycling for lower grade meats into highly processed mass consumption products can be copied from the Americians while mid grade cuts too poor for general sale can be allocated towards the production of a new generation of sausages. German experiences have already produced a number of flavorful standardized recipes while further international developments can also be made domestically. A variety of preserved meats can provide more variety in general at a somewhat minimal cost while expanding the use of cheaper pork. (150 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-28 CI1 Electricity +2 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Water Efficiency Programs: The defining factor of the agricultural industry is the inputs put into the soil with the material acting more so as a temporary storage medium than an inherent factor. Continuing to provide improvements in water efficiency will stabilize the supply of one essential part of the equation as the chemical industry hammers away at feedstock shortages from the other direction. Drip irrigation requires a vast amount of plastic to implement and sustain but given the domestic industry that can be met to entirely solve issues of water accessibility. We now have the opportunity to break away entirely from the cycle of droughts that has plagued Russia and the Union, all that is needed is a final decisive effort. (120 Resources per Dice 0/350) (+6 Petrochemicals) (High Profitability)
Services (16) 11 Dice
[]Transportation Enterprises(Stage 5/5): Further increases to local truck stocks will increase the demand in the rapidly growing automotive industry but for once it can mostly need the demand. Production of cabover vehicles has increased nearly twenty-fold in the last decade with further gains expected as large and small transportation enterprises are expanded. Work towards improving throughput and efficiency can still be done in collaboration with further road construction to bring the Union into the modern era of internal transportation. (180 Resources per Dice 79/250) (+5 Petroleum Fuels +4 General Labor) (Locked Until Western Local Roads is Completed) (Very High Profitability)
[]Expansion of Domestic Media Production(Stage 1/2): Current film and animation enterprises have significantly expanded into the vast demand for cultural production but more funding can be transferred over to further increase them. A series of films from the state sector can be commissioned on several important topics alongside the adaptation of several literary works into the film format. This will be accompanied by improving the facilities for art schools and providing a series of scholarships for young authors willing to study the craft further and continue developing high throughput cultural production. (150 Resources per Dice 41/100) (-18 CI2 Electricity +1 General Labor +1 Educated Labor) ( High Profitability)
[]Restaurant Assistive Funding: Expansions of public eateries can significantly improve profitability and support a key high-return sector. The public demand for pre-cooked food has strongly increased with accompanying increases in incomes and it is essential to meet that demand. Funding programs for the largest organized enterprises and supportive partial funding for several key expanding private chains can be coordinated to increase sectoral throughput. Massive and radical expansions of these enterprises can consume labor at a prodigious rate, mobilizing the population to sell minor conveniences to more relevant workers. (140 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-21 CI2 Electricity +3 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Second Wave Hotel Programs(Stage 1/3): Current business supporting infrastructure is deeply lacking compared to the West as there are in practice two centralized hotel-focused enterprises of mediocre quality. Developing a further three hotel enterprises with one targeting the high-end sector and two aiming to be as inexpensive as possible will improve support for travelers and significantly aid local incomes. Business infrastructure will readily apply to general tourism such that improving both will provide local areas with more access alongside gains in general economic efficiency. (150 Resources per Dice 0/125) (-16 CI2 Electricity +1 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Expanding Roadside Logistics(Stage 2/2): Fuel provisions for the most common vehicles are still lacking in effect limiting the mobility of passenger vehicles. Extended-range operations and staying in the inhabited belt have somewhat ameliorated current problems but further expansions are still needed to fully support the rapid increase in consumer car ownership. Reinforcement of urban gas stations alongside those in smaller cities will be essential for the program to ensure that queues are minimized and transportation access is improved. (120 Resources per Dice 85/150) (-15 CI2 Electricity +3 Petroleum Fuels +2 General Labor) (High Profitability)
[]Expanded Barcoding(Stage 1/3): Use of scanned codes on every surface and platform represents a radical improvement in precision across a wide variety of industries. Initial proposals to modernize the railway system with them can be accelerated through an expanded use of computing to simplify loading and somewhat save on labor. Scanning of information from simple codes will verify goods that are shipped and provide a cross-intelligible system of regulations. Mainframes on each end of the shipping network can act according to standardized shipping codes further simplifying the railway system. (180 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-21 CI2 Electricity -1 General Labor) (Very High Profitability)
[]Modernization of Catering: Workers that are served food by associated enteprrises have had several complaints about the quality and degree of products served. By working nationally to create a standardized formulary of high durability products and ensuring their wide distribution these problems can somewhat be fixed. High shelf life foods are becoming common and providing the options to many workers can significantly improve the perception of food quality available. Work to modernize old kitchens and implement health standards will accompany the general modernization, improving overall standards through focusing on the worst enterprises. (120 Resources per Dice 0/150) (-23 CI2 Electricity +1 General Labor)
[]Population Distribution Programs(Stage 4/5): Continued expansions of stores into specialty areas has demonstrated significant demand pressures but far more is needed. Constructing a series of general purpose large stores to improve the supply of bulk goods is necessary to improve living standards and is somewhat helped that these are the cheapest format of store. Ensuring that most workers with road access can purchase their goods in bulk will raise demand and lower transportation overheads, improving overall economic efficiency. Further efforts beyond that will return towards the development of the countryside, finalizing the means with which to supply the strong increase in domestic demand. (120 Resources per Dice 30/225) (-20 CI2 Electricity +2 General Labor) (High Profitability)
Bureaucracy 8 Dice
[]Dedicate Focus Towards a Project(): (1 Bureau Dice for +5 per dice on a project, +15 in Chemical Industry) (Unrolled)
[]Restart a Work-Hours Commission: Verifying the developments of Voznesensky and expanding the assessments of labor can help to continue to provide a scientific basis for improved productivity. Current work hours are optimized for a mixed productive-demand state but can likely be shifted to optimize other aspects essential to economic activity especially now that labor demand has rapidly increased. Maintaining a balanced demand state will be key for stable economic growth especially now that the baby boom is slackening and newly graduating students are available in lesser quantities. (1 Dice)
[]Work Around Ryzhkov: The supreme soviet has so far accomplished little of economic relevance with a focus around the modification of work practices more so than tangible economic issues. Ensuring that Ryzhkov is left out of the decision loop of essential ministry work by directly communicating with Vortnikov is expected to provide some advantages politically as the council of ministers is technically empowered to make most economic decisions. This separation of decision making from the Supreme Soviet is technically a power grab, but a minor one and one that would greatly narrow the degree of necessary maneuvering required for attaining a higher position. (1 Dice)
[]Consolidate Zimyanin: With a somewhat weakening position alongside several issues keeping the conventionally conservative wing on side, Zimyanin has presented an opportunity. Moving strongly and aggressively against him and ensuring the support of the stalinists can provide an effective political base gathered from nothing. They are somewhat ideologically flexible and the ministry is well suited towards working at their biases especially with current commitments. Automatization and computerization is coming and as long as that is emphasized alongside correct promotions the faction can be brought under wing. (1 Dice)
[]Form a Commission on Labor: Current work standards are still somewhat lagging behind those in capitalist countries due to a partially inadequate standard on safety. Working to do something about it can secure some support from workers while also forming an organization capable of acting against the worst managers in a political and social sense. Targeting them under the cover of the workers struggle can enable several to be sidelined and replaced, with the program likely to improve conditions for the average worker if all goes well. (1 Dice)
[]Organize a Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Developing a somewhat shallow reserve of oil will provide a supply to stabilize out a disruption, at least for a moment and will involve the somewhat deliberate non-extraction of several fields. This will not be popular in the slightest as it will increase imports but adopting a formal reserve strategy can be a hedge against international instability. It is essential for the economy to maintain a stable price of energy and increasing the buffer of time to act can only help with that. (1 Dice)
[]Subvert Gulyam: Gulyuam has continued to stumble in failing to do anything for the enterprises despite claiming to represent them and he is somewhat of the weakest link in Soviet politics. Bringing the enterprises under a new banner will involve some compromises but they can be done from a position of strength as their puppet has only weakened. As long as the economy is strong they can be kept in line with nearly nothing making it important to subvert the faction before any significant weakness can creep into the system. (1 Dice)
[]Publicize Space Targets: The Union is going to the moon, that is somewhat unquestionable now that the target has been set by the Americians. Increasing the publicity of the program is a gamble but one that can be taken through the funding of a vast number of films on space and the science of exploration. If a new generation of youth and their more politically relevant parents can be excited about the ministry and what it is doing then that can be the basis of a higher political career. An approach to the chair of the Supreme Soviet cannot be done without a basis of public support and the public is primed to back a successful scientific-technical campaign. (1 Dice)
[]Army-Ministry Budget Requests: The MoD has had too much of a budget for too long and cutbacks are going to be needed to stimulate economic growth. Economic growth forms the basis of the military and the technologies involved rendering it a higher priority to achieve instead of the development of some new overpriced weapon system. Belik is currently somewhat politically weak and not the best liked, providing an opportunity to intercede on the next budget to allocate surplus funding, stopping the growth of the defense budget. (1 Dice)
[]Expanding Health Ministry Funding: Taking a strong stance against a disease is well and good but funding for the process can come from other aspects of state development. Maintaining the economy under the stress of the disease is already a major problem and further reductions in funding will only degrade productivity. Moving the supreme soviet to expand funding by taking from less important ministries will make some enemies but it will also be a decisive response to the crisis and start the process towards solving it. (1 Dice)
[]Retaliations against the Lazy: Those who have refused modernization orders are somewhat in their right to do so, but the lack of willingness to follow orders must in itself be punished through examples. Allocations of new employees can be prioritized around non-compliant departments with political appointments steadily increasing the work alongside ordering more loyal management to alter local conditions. If they are unwilling to follow orders the least they can do is do the proper work expected of them for the sake of the ministry. (1 Dice)
[]Stimulus Measures: The combination of LASV alongside flagging growth in conventional industrial sectors can be justified as a sign of the somewhat expected delayed economic downturn. Using that to justify increased funding may result in it getting applied too early but the increased growth demands present will require further allocations of resources and material. A partial increase will be asked for and likely granted, increasing state debts so as to avoid a significant economic downturn. (1 Dice) (Immediate 3000R, Repaid at 500/y for 7 years)
[]Automotive Reforms: Automotive demand is a core part of heavy industrial growth but slow increases in production have plagued the sector, especially with the lack of allocated enterprise funding. Reversing this will take more time but first reforms can be instituted to open the roads to more motorists, incorporating infrastructure to increase the density of car use and provide for expanded registration. Unified examination standards that do not require as much of an educational basis will increase accessibility and ensure a steady demand base that will further drive economic expansions. (1 Dice)
[]Housing Sector Reform: Current housing programs are working to maintain housing stocks but the massive risk of the Mikoyan era housing decaying has remained a national concern. The homes themselves have held up better than expected but they need to be replaced at an accelerated time frame. Improved apartment models have already been sufficiently developed to reduce costs per unit with current plans simply needing modification. This will commit the Union to the largest housing program in history but in a decade the communal housing form and wartime emergency housing can be left in the past. (1 Dice)
[]Expand Ministry Personnel: Expanding the extent of the ministry further and increasing the extent of the office alongside outreach state capacity can be expanded. The economy has only steadily grown more complex and the ministry needs an expanded investment arm to ensure that the Soviet economy stays modern. Delegation to the enterprises has minimized bureaucratic overheads but the complexity of the economy is still a major burden on the ministry that more personnel can solve, at least for a time. (1 Dice) (Subvote) (Options to Gain more Dice)
[]Discredit Ecological Programs: Those who talk of greening and slowing the engineering of nature until it bends to the workers' whim only want to go backward towards primitive capitalist accumulation. Current green energy efforts are being continuously propagandized as an utter failure in the development of a technique utterly incompatible with maintaining industrial efforts but the program can be taken a step further. Ecological programs can be directly undermined at every step with studies pushed to counter any narrative of devastation and undermine the delusional approach towards nature honoring the untouched wild for no other reason than boredom with urban life. (1 Dice)
Current Economic Prices(Domestic/CMEA/International): (How this will work is that every action above except for electricity modifies the internal price of the commodities below. They also vary on their own and are sorted into abstracted 1-100 ranges. Modifiers from the rest of your economy are displayed below with each category of goods. When you shift between 20-sized ranges, there can be significant modifiers to the general economy that come from changing prices of core commodities. CMEA prices determine the price in CMEA, though transportation of goods will be a problem with international prices representative of the West.)
Coal Price (51/35/64) Massive Import (41-60 No Effect)
+4 CPSC Power Plants
+2 Fuel Oil Conversions (Finished 1979)
+4 Western Deposit Depletion
-2 Nuclear Power (1975-1979)
-1 Net Civilian Spending
Steel Price: (34/34/65) Moderate Export (21-40 -20 RpD Infrastructure, Increased HI Growth)
+1 Construction Industry Expansions
+1 Net Civilian Spending
-4 Decoupling of American Trade(Decreases by two a turn)
Non-Ferrous Price: (67/56/42) Moderate CMEA Import (61-80 Reduction in Aluminum Use, Increase in Domestic Power Use, Increase in Petrochemical Use, Slight Reduction in Economic Growth)
-3 Hydroelectric Cascades(Until 1979)
-4 Net Civilian Spending
Petroleum Fuels Price: (38/38/38) (Middle Eastern Imports(Net 9)) (21-40 Strong Increase in Economic Growth, Fuel Use, and Chemical Development)
+14 Net Civilian Spending
+6 Fields Depletion
-6 Field Modernization
Petroleum Gas Price: (14/NaN/NaN) (Moderate Export) (11-20 Start of Fuel Experiments, Preferred Heating Fuel, Vast Expansion of Use)
+8 Net Civilian Spending
+8 CCGT Power Plants
+4 CMEA Utilization (Increasing by 2 Per Turn until +16)
-6 Field Modernization
Petrochemicals Price: (38/38/40) Massive Export (21-40 Massive Demand Increase, LI Growth Increase, Mild CI Growth Increase, and Strong Plastic Use Increase)
-6 Net Civilian Spending
General Labor Price: (48/34/79) (41-50 Slight Increase to Domestic Demand +10 RpD Universal)
+1 Net Civilian Spending
-15 New Graduates
-2 Immigration
Educated Labor: (62/45/88) Moderate Imports (61-70 Moderate Increase to Domestic Demand, Moderate Reduction to Domestic Competitiveness, Project Cost Increases)
+0 Net Civilian Spending
-9 New Graduates
-1 Immigration
Electricity: 239 CI 18
+714 Plan Programs
-322 CI16 Net Civilian Spending
Housing Construction Efforts: Admitting that the housing issue is developing into a problem would involve several degrees of political discomfort. Instead, work can be done to augment the housing stock with new buildings constructed to the latest styles along with renovations and lifespan extensions for any viable older structure. The share of the population living in cooperative housing can be reduced in half by the end of the plan as the construction program increases in scale along with mechanization. Lacking prison labor will suit more advanced designs better, with the latest in composite housing focused in areas of increased density and high economic activity. (-5 Infrastructure Dice) (-850 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (Reduction in Communal and Barracks Housing Forms to 5% of the adult non-student population by 1980)
Passenger Rail Network(Ural Region): To move the network further East developing a Northern and Southern high-speed corridor with interlinks down into the Caucuses and a unified line for further development into the Far East. This would link Siberia tightly to the Western economic regions and provide a wealth of movement in the region. Long transitory routes are never expected to be popular but an increase in local commuting will provide something of an economically stimulating effect. Reductions in prices for transport will also reduce aviation demand, saving some funding through fewer terminal expansions. (-2 Infrastructure Dice) (-350 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (Slightly Slows Petroleum Fuels Demand Increases 1980-1990)
Rail Electrification: Continuing low-scale electrification with a direct focus on the most profitable lines for conversion will limit implementation but continue the effort at the previous pace. New equipment will not be needed and the accelerated retirement of older traction will not be necessary. Current plans for modernization will focus on primary freight corridors, enabling the majority of travel to be conducted on electric traction before final processing by switcher engines. (-1 Infra Dice) (-140 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (Estimated 50 RpY Return)
Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk Hydroelectric Zone: With lagging iron mining and the lack of development across the Union, building a new high-potential electrical and industrial zone to augment the general plan can be a major asset. The Bakchar deposit represents some of the largest reserves of iron ore available to the Union and its development will enable a further increase in conventional industry and steel production. The zone itself is mostly swampy and poorly inhabited, limiting the costs of relocating people and ensuring that development can proceed without issue. Some local aluminum plants in both Omsk and Irkutsk are expected to be founded, ensuring that power supplies are available and ensuring that the Union can keep up with the West in the production of Aluminum. (+60 Electricity -3 Non-Ferrous per Year 1974-1979) (Three -10 Steel Steel mills available)
Modified River Reversal: The expanded program faces several risks in the form of environmental pollutants from the majority of the Ural industrial belt, funding the program in its entirety is less of an issue than the useability of the water. Implementing stricter standards across the Ob can be done in the first two years through the allocation of funding to clean up the water as it is washed out to the ocean. These measures would be treated as starting preparatory ones and come at a significant cost but one that can be met by current industries. As the plan is being implemented the infrastructure can be built up to adequate amounts with the damming of the Ob used to stabilize local access to freshwater sources. The redirection of pollutants to the downstream Ob will involve some additional funding but it would offer an effective compromise between the ecologically misguided and the radical expansion of the project. (-3 Infrastructure dice across the 10th and 11th Plan) (-500 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (+240 Electricity -6 Non-Ferrous in 1980) (+2 Petroleum fuels per Year 1979-1983)
Power Plant Construction(Nuclear Systems): Expanding the throughput of conventional cores to a massive point with supporting infrastructure prepared in advance for next-generation reactors will take a massive amount of funding. The primary program will focus on the development of twenty VVER-500 crores to replace old-style combined cycle heating and generate further power in remote areas to minimize coal haulage. Two new liquid metal-cooled fast reactors will be constructed along with a set of four experimental VVER-1000 cores. Further centralized facilities for processing nuclear fuel and storing waste will be developed to minimize the burden on current temporary storage systems. (64 Electricity -2 Coal per Year 1975-1979)
Power Plant Construction(Nuclear VVER-1000): A maximum technical pace of reactor construction can be undertaken to entirely use the constructed capacity. Some delays and overruns are expected as the plant continues full-scale construction with the planned criticality of sixty nuclear cores in the 11th five-year plan. Unconventional designs will inherently be deprioritized due to the acute energy demands as current LEU prices do not necessitate any efforts for conservation outside efficient core design. (-3 Heavy Industry Dice) (-920 RpY) (270 Electricity -1 Coal per Year) (Completion across 1980-1984) (Estimated 90 Rpy Return)
Power Plant Construction(CPSC): Maintaining the development of coal energy at a slightly reduced pace will avoid significant industrial shocks, take away demand from more technologically intensive gas deposits, and synergize well with improvements in logistics. The avoidance of significant disruption in reducing the extent will still reduce the demand for new coal fields and provide a model for a stable transition into the next decade. (-2 Heavy Industry Dice) (-620 RpY) (240 Electricity +4 Coal per Year)
Power Plant Construction(CCGT): A committed program to use all the turbine building capacity available for industrial production is prudent and sensible. Current efforts have matured the industry and some surge capacity has been built up that can be taken advantage of. The plan would be to continue the development of new facilities at a moderate pace, ensuring that demand stays stable and providing the cause for a moderate expansion of domestic gas extraction. (-1 Heavy Industry and -2 Chemical Industry Dice) (-1000 RpY) (350 Electricity +8 Petroleum Gas per Year)
LASV Crisis Effects: Additional funding provided to the health ministry has come from a composite of government sources so that adequate equipment can be provided and the infectious disease managed. Further funding has focused on the extermination of rodents in the affected areas while stockpiles are moved to create an effective disease response. Somewhat lower rates of infection in winter have provided something of a break but that in itself is unlikely to last as the summer arrives and further waves of the disease continue to rage. (-400 RpY)
Healthcare Expansion: Imported testing and diagnostic techniques are likely to form the basis of improving the treatment and detection of chronic diseases. Moving funding away from the creation of small clinics and towards the development of expanded biochemical laboratories will be essential to improve care. It is currently theorized that an increase in diagnostic capabilities will save overall money across the entire health system. Clinic capacity is unlikely to be expanded but at the current state, the health system has some spare capacity relative to population demand. (-2 Services Dice) (-360 RpY) (Completes Expanded Diagnostic Services, Rural Testing Systems, Rural Primary Care Expansion, and National Screening Programs)
Education Expansion: Instead of radical programs to strengthen the education system the easiest unrealized gains are likely to be achieved through the salvaging of underachieving students. Almost a tenth of students are unable to make it in standardized educational tracks, even the simplest ones. By moving them towards intensive programs more focused on mastery of basic materials sufficient to complete a secondary education something economically useful can be salvaged. Some mild expansions of the mainline education system will be conducted but only as a secondary initiative to maintain throughput capacity. (-3 Services Dice) (-300 RpY) (Completes Stage 10 Polytechnic, Stage 1-5 Remedial Education, Equalization of Tier 3 Schooling, and Universal Secondary Schooling) (Cuts Workforce Expansion by ~1/6)
Passenger Rail Network(Ural Region): To move the network further East developing a Northern and Southern high-speed corridor with interlinks down into the Caucuses and a unified line for further development into the Far East. This would link Siberia tightly to the Western economic regions and provide a wealth of movement in the region. Long transitory routes are never expected to be popular but an increase in local commuting will provide something of an economically stimulating effect. Reductions in prices for transport will also reduce aviation demand, saving some funding through fewer terminal expansions. (-2 Infrastructure Dice) (-350 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (Slightly Slows Petroleum Fuels Demand Increases 1980-1990)
Rail Electrification: Continuing low-scale electrification with a direct focus on the most profitable lines for conversion will limit implementation but continue the effort at the previous pace. New equipment will not be needed and the accelerated retirement of older traction will not be necessary. Current plans for modernization will focus on primary freight corridors, enabling the majority of travel to be conducted on electric traction before final processing by switcher engines. (-1 Infra Dice) (-140 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (Estimated 50 RpY Return)
Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk Hydroelectric Zone: With lagging iron mining and the lack of development across the Union, building a new high-potential electrical and industrial zone to augment the general plan can be a major asset. The Bakchar deposit represents some of the largest reserves of iron ore available to the Union and its development will enable a further increase in conventional industry and steel production. The zone itself is mostly swampy and poorly inhabited, limiting the costs of relocating people and ensuring that development can proceed without issue. Some local aluminum plants in both Omsk and Irkutsk are expected to be founded, ensuring that power supplies are available and ensuring that the Union can keep up with the West in the production of Aluminum. (+60 Electricity -3 Non-Ferrous per Year 1974-1979) (Three -10 Steel Steel mills available)
Modified River Reversal: The expanded program faces several risks in the form of environmental pollutants from the majority of the Ural industrial belt, funding the program in its entirety is less of an issue than the useability of the water. Implementing stricter standards across the Ob can be done in the first two years through the allocation of funding to clean up the water as it is washed out to the ocean. These measures would be treated as starting preparatory ones and come at a significant cost but one that can be met by current industries. As the plan is being implemented the infrastructure can be built up to adequate amounts with the damming of the Ob used to stabilize local access to freshwater sources. The redirection of pollutants to the downstream Ob will involve some additional funding but it would offer an effective compromise between the ecologically misguided and the radical expansion of the project. (-3 Infrastructure dice across the 10th and 11th Plan) (-500 RpY Modified by Steel Prices) (+240 Electricity -6 Non-Ferrous in 1980) (+2 Petroleum fuels per Year 1979-1983)
Power Plant Construction(Nuclear Systems): Expanding the throughput of conventional cores to a massive point with supporting infrastructure prepared in advance for next-generation reactors will take a massive amount of funding. The primary program will focus on the development of twenty VVER-500 crores to replace old-style combined cycle heating and generate further power in remote areas to minimize coal haulage. Two new liquid metal-cooled fast reactors will be constructed along with a set of four experimental VVER-1000 cores. Further centralized facilities for processing nuclear fuel and storing waste will be developed to minimize the burden on current temporary storage systems. (64 Electricity -2 Coal per Year 1975-1979)
Power Plant Construction(Nuclear VVER-1000): A maximum technical pace of reactor construction can be undertaken to entirely use the constructed capacity. Some delays and overruns are expected as the plant continues full-scale construction with the planned criticality of sixty nuclear cores in the 11th five-year plan. Unconventional designs will inherently be deprioritized due to the acute energy demands as current LEU prices do not necessitate any efforts for conservation outside efficient core design. (-3 Heavy Industry Dice) (-920 RpY) (270 Electricity -1 Coal per Year) (Completion across 1980-1984) (Estimated 90 Rpy Return)
Power Plant Construction(CPSC): Maintaining the development of coal energy at a slightly reduced pace will avoid significant industrial shocks, take away demand from more technologically intensive gas deposits, and synergize well with improvements in logistics. The avoidance of significant disruption in reducing the extent will still reduce the demand for new coal fields and provide a model for a stable transition into the next decade. (-2 Heavy Industry Dice) (-620 RpY) (240 Electricity +4 Coal per Year)
Power Plant Construction(CCGT): A committed program to use all the turbine building capacity available for industrial production is prudent and sensible. Current efforts have matured the industry and some surge capacity has been built up that can be taken advantage of. The plan would be to continue the development of new facilities at a moderate pace, ensuring that demand stays stable and providing the cause for a moderate expansion of domestic gas extraction. (-1 Heavy Industry and -2 Chemical Industry Dice) (-1000 RpY) (350 Electricity +8 Petroleum Gas per Year)
LASV Crisis Effects: Additional funding provided to the health ministry has come from a composite of government sources so that adequate equipment can be provided and the infectious disease managed. Further funding has focused on the extermination of rodents in the affected areas while stockpiles are moved to create an effective disease response. Somewhat lower rates of infection in winter have provided something of a break but that in itself is unlikely to last as the summer arrives and further waves of the disease continue to rage. (-400 RpY)
Healthcare Expansion: Imported testing and diagnostic techniques are likely to form the basis of improving the treatment and detection of chronic diseases. Moving funding away from the creation of small clinics and towards the development of expanded biochemical laboratories will be essential to improve care. It is currently theorized that an increase in diagnostic capabilities will save overall money across the entire health system. Clinic capacity is unlikely to be expanded but at the current state, the health system has some spare capacity relative to population demand. (-2 Services Dice) (-360 RpY) (Completes Expanded Diagnostic Services, Rural Testing Systems, Rural Primary Care Expansion, and National Screening Programs)
Education Expansion: Instead of radical programs to strengthen the education system the easiest unrealized gains are likely to be achieved through the salvaging of underachieving students. Almost a tenth of students are unable to make it in standardized educational tracks, even the simplest ones. By moving them towards intensive programs more focused on mastery of basic materials sufficient to complete a secondary education something economically useful can be salvaged. Some mild expansions of the mainline education system will be conducted but only as a secondary initiative to maintain throughput capacity. (-3 Services Dice) (-300 RpY) (Completes Stage 10 Polytechnic, Stage 1-5 Remedial Education, Equalization of Tier 3 Schooling, and Universal Secondary Schooling) (Cuts Workforce Expansion by ~1/6)
12 Hour Moratorium(Vote by Plan)
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plotvitalnpc
Once more walking the path of the catgirl.
Comrades, the time has come for barcodes, sausage, instant noodles, space, and roads!