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Brave New Frontier

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Pyro Hawk said:
Meanwhile one of the 80s has to modernise and expand military and security forces.
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One advantage of a corporate main faction, your PMC's adopt technologies as they come, no work is given to those behind the times. For ground forces, just develop the tools and they will use them. When, eventually, spacecraft come into play, its a little different.

My mistake on SA, just edited it in.
 
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We probably want non-EU educated workers. They want things like 'unions' and 'rights.'
Probably some sort of distance education program to identify smart people, combined with looser immigration laws to allow them to attend schools with an obligation to work for a member corp for a set period of time.

I think some sort of space based power infrastructure would help compete with the EU's thorium program.

We could see about putting some equatorial launch infrastructure in Brazil, Kenya, and Indonesia; and find local manufacturing talent to use that infrastructure. Spread some wealth around, and make them see the space industry as a local wealth driver.
 
AltumCurio said:
We probably want non-EU educated workers. They want things like 'unions' and 'rights.'
Probably some sort of distance education program to identify smart people, combined with looser immigration laws to allow them to attend schools with an obligation to work for a member corp for a set period of time.

I think some sort of space based power infrastructure would help compete with the EU's thorium program.

We could see about putting some equatorial launch infrastructure in Brazil, Kenya, and Indonesia; and find local manufacturing talent to use that infrastructure. Spread some wealth around, and make them see the space industry as a local wealth driver.
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I suspect that we actually built our orbital launch capability in some of those regions. Less so Africa due to it being a war zone, and South America likely got some to distract them from losing the monopoly on food but not too many in case the government's nationalise them.

Speaking of orbit, what do people think of making the Orbit action asteroid mining? We just got told that one of the reasons battery tech, and likely a lot of others as well, haven't seen much improvement is because scarcity of the rare resources needed is driving up costs so any improvements is net neutral profit.

So by developing our ability to acquire resources from space, we start being able to feed the orbital construction infrastructure we just put up bulky or heavy materials for much cheaper and we're able to provide rare minerals to Earth to offset the decreasing quantity available there.

Oh, and I do like your idea of doing an Education Effort for one of our options to help offset EU restrictions meaning we currently need their workers. It also means that we don't have the potential to see a knowledge or skill collapse if the EU goes to war with us or collapses into a war zone.

Dapperlad1 said:
One advantage of a corporate main faction, your PMC's adopt technologies as they come, no work is given to those behind the times. For ground forces, just develop the tools and they will use them. When, eventually, spacecraft come into play, its a little different.

My mistake on SA, just edited it in.
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Huh, this is good to know. That said, the action was less about giving our military units newer gear and more about increasing their number along with regular security forces. Because we saw mention that North America's likely to evolve into a war zone if we don't improve security and military numbers whilst Asia's seeing widespread break-ins. Which means their security also needs to be improved.
 
Pyro Hawk said:
Huh, this is good to know. That said, the action was less about giving our military units newer gear and more about increasing their number along with regular security forces. Because we saw mention that North America's likely to evolve into a war zone if we don't improve security and military numbers whilst Asia's seeing widespread break-ins. Which means their security also needs to be improved.
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You could definitely take an action to incite more large-scale PMC's to develop beyond the options you currently have, but the best method to ensure the security of a region is to hire one of the available ones and utilise them. As they see use, they will expand to fit their role.
 
[] Plan Space and Stability
-[] 100 Industrial/mining capacities
-[] 100 Space Solar Farms
-[] 80 Work scholarships/indentured servitude program for our space industry in South America
-[] 80 Construct additional water purification plant to improve our control over the market
-[] 80 Hire PMC to protect our new assets in South America from hostile action

So we need to keep our consumers alive in order to make a profit that means we need to address South America's problem so they don't collapse or find some other way to be economically independent. As others have noted our space capabilities are being limited by the EU's regulation and simple solution will be to transform the struggling South America into a new supply of skilled labor. The EU will likely take actions to prevent this seeing how they are willing to kill officials in support of our food action and we'll need to spend resources limiting their influence in South America.

Looking at other major opposition groups we have the Yakuza with their strong hold on communal life in Asia and the constant production of rebels in America. I think the Yakuza will need to broken up by either shuffling people around often enough so they can not form those communities. We could use mega projects that require lost of manual labor to force them to move and then try to create a new corporates community to influence them. Another short term possibility is deurbanize and create new suburbs or to spread the Yakuza thin before a bigger action. I don't think we can stop Americans from rebelling right now, but we might be able overload the general public so much information and tragedies that the majority of the public becomes apathetic to it all.

@Dapperlad1 do we already have a way of transferring energy produced in space down to Earth and if not will it be covered by a space energy project?
 
Chiperninerm said:
@Dapperlad1 do we already have a way of transferring energy produced in space down to Earth and if not will it be covered by a space energy project?
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There is not a way to do so, no. A project to encourage research and development into Orbit-Earth power transfer is fully possible.

Chiperninerm said:
-[] 80 Hire PMC to protect our new assets in South America from hostile action
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Have a look at the Military threadmark, it will tell you the currently available PMC's. An action like this could be used to raise more "retainer" PMC's, but will not give you fighting units, just options to hire.
 
Dapperlad1 said:
Additionally, a fashion movement becomes popular, involving the FilterMasks developed by a subsidiary, frantic colours, LED surfaces and more are becoming the norm.
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...LED surfaces?
I smell opportunity!
Let's turn people into walking adspaces. :V

Introducing the all new HoloMask!
Project a 1-to-1 image of your face, in realtime, like your FilterMask isn't there!
Or any image you want!
Express yourself freely, for just 100,000 credits!

Too expensive?
Try our customer-friendly AdFace program.
Pay for your HoloMask with affordable monthly installments, supplemented by non-intrusive adspace revenue.
It's practically FREE*!
*terms and conditions apply. Customers waive all rights to any personal data collected by AdFace HoloMask's built-in 24/7 always-on cameras.

Seriously though.
FilterMasks with displays and cameras == adrevenue and surveillance.

[] Develop the HoloMask; FilterMasks with displays and cameras.

That a viable option?
 
Hydrogen Fuel Cells produce water, and I think it's clean? (if not, R&D it)
So widespread Hydrogen Fuel Cell use should help the clean water issue.

It would also help the battery issue, as Hydrogen Fuel Cells require no precious metals... I think?

[] Draft Plan: Hydrogen, HoloMasks, Habitats
-[] 100 PF - Push global industries to adopt Hydrogen Fuel Cells; construct "Grey/Blue" Hydrogen Plants.
-[] 80 PF - Fund Methane Pyrolysis R&D in Europe; produces "Turquoise" Hydrogen.
-[] 80 PF - Develop the HoloMask; FilterMasks with adspace displays and active surveillance cameras.
-[] 100 PF - Orbital Habitats
-[] 80 PF - ???
-[] -30 PF/turn - Hire The Drop Bears??? hunt terrorists in NA??? hunt guerillas/yakuza in Asia???
 
Hmmm... we must fracture the unity of the terrorists in the US by a full on propaganda campaign, using crying babies and orphans, making the lowly security guards of our corporations as heroes, as well as leaking memos that those things that the terrorists attacked are new medicines and air purifiers, something that would turn public opinion against them
 
@Tatbee Just to clear things up, but where are you getting the methane to use for the methane pyrolysis that creates the hydrogen?

And just to check, but @Dapperlad1 Just what are the conditions of various resources on Earth? Namely the following:
Industrial Metals such as copper, iron, titanium (probably still fine there?)
Technological Metals such as silver and rare earth elements (sounds like we're running low on untapped deposits of the metals used for high tech...)
Fossil Fuels such as crude oil and natural gas (coal is already exhausted in regions safe for mining right?)
Radioactives such as uranium and thorium
Clean Water to keep industry and people alive
Food because we know SA makes most though not a monopoly anymore, but how bad is the arable land situation?

Because my current thoughts are something like this:
[ ] Prototype Plan
-[ ] 100PF - Develop and Expand Orbital Resource Acquisition. Earth is running low on certain resources critical to modern industry and we've just built up a lot of orbital capability. Let's take advantage of these two facts to drastically expand the currently minimal asteroid mining and orbital refining operations going on. Maybe we'll even start mining lunar resources if that's cheaper.
-[ ] 100PF - Expand and Develop the Power Sector. We've got a toehold in the power sector, but it's only just breaking even and the EU has just made a major technological breakthrough. Let's try to expand the toehold to something actually yielding a profit through developing new capabilities. Whether that be looking back on renewables and batteries, acquiring the EU's new thorium reactors somehow or developing the ability to export power from orbit efficiently.
-[ ] 80PF - Improve Education Efforts. One of the greatest restrictions for improving our orbital efforts and profits is the fact that we're dependent on European Union workers, and thus can't avoid their regulations. Efforts should be undertaken to improve education capabilities elsewhere so we're no longer reliant on a single source of labour and can thus begin working around the EU restrictions without losing our orbital workforce. Perhaps offering scholarships to company families which pay for the education but lock the new graduate into working for the relevant company for a period of years in exchange? Some focus should be placed on developing these in South America as it'll both hopefully stabilise the situation there so profitability doesn't see reductions and allow us to gain influence in the region as people are educated in our facilities.
-[ ] 80PF - Secure the Water Supply. Clean water is essential to both people and industry, whilst it's also shrinking and becoming constantly more expensive. It's time to secure enough under our control that we can keep our workers and industries supplied to at least a minimal capacity if a disaster happens. Whether this comes from taking control over existing sources of clean water or developing desalination and other purification methods to supply it will be left up to whichever will give the best results in each region.
-[ ] 80PF - ??? The holomask to develop holographic technologies? Develop renewable chemical feedstock and fuel to among other things increase how effective hydrogen fuel cells are? Develop information and communication technologies so we've got our own Google/Alphabet, Apple, Amazon or Facebook computing capabilities under our control and eyes? Because that is a lot of profitable and useful information...
-[ ] -30PF - Hire Ascalon Private Security Company to secure our many facilities and properties. Unrest and the recent break-ins are concerning enough that efforts to prevent damage or destruction to our assets is essential.

This how we're meant to 'activate' the military groups? And do we lost the Profit Factor they produce immediately, or only on the next turn?
 
Traveller76 said:
What are the main sources of income for the Yakuza?
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Pretty normal, casinos, gambling and drug sales. It's why they are not as wealthy as you.
Pyro Hawk said:
And just to check, but @Dapperlad1 Just what are the conditions of various resources on Earth? Namely the following:
Industrial Metals such as copper, iron, titanium (probably still fine there?)
Technological Metals such as silver and rare earth elements (sounds like we're running low on untapped deposits of the metals used for high tech...)
Fossil Fuels such as crude oil and natural gas (coal is already exhausted in regions safe for mining right?)
Radioactives such as uranium and thorium
Clean Water to keep industry and people alive
Food because we know SA makes most though not a monopoly anymore, but how bad is the arable land situation?
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The industrial metals are in reasonable supply, projected shortages are 25-30 years out.

Technological metals are in short supply. Projected shortages are in 15 years.

Fossils fuels are nearly exhausted. Oil reserves run out in 10 years, natural gas in a few years after that.

Uranium was in reasonable supply, with the invention of Thorium reactors, there should be a century of power before intensive mining needs occur.

Clean water is findable, Europe and South America export it.

SA makes a majority of the food, but it's nearer to just over 50% rather than the near monopoly they had before your efforts. Arable land is rare outside of South America and certain parts of Europe. Africa has plenty, but is also a violent war zone.
Pyro Hawk said:
This how we're meant to 'activate' the military groups? And do we lost the Profit Factor they produce immediately, or only on the next turn?
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You lose them immediately. That is exactly how you active them.
 
So resources won't last for more than a handful of turns. That's a bit worrying. Pyro Hawk's plan seems to be a good idea for the moment, IMO.
 
-[ ] 80PF - ??? The holomask to develop holographic technologies? Develop renewable chemical feedstock and fuel to among other things increase how effective hydrogen fuel cells are? Develop information and communication technologies so we've got our own Google/Alphabet, Apple, Amazon or Facebook computing capabilities under our control and eyes? Because that is a lot of profitable and useful information...

For this action, I would suggest expanding into software (Likely more profitable but more competition) or the Gaming Industry (Less profitable but less competition) Since I believe that having at least one dedicated PF project will give us more reliable gains for the next turn then going all in on setting the foundation for the next turn, if only because we wouldn't have the PF needed to actually use that foundation if that makes sense.
 
Thoughts:

1. I would avoid North America until we can develop better weapons and armor. Even then it would be better to support a local government in return for favors.

2. We should develop water reclamation and filtering technology to A) Undercut the South Americans and Europeans B) Promote a positive image C) For future space development

3. We should promote local warlords in Africa along the Equatorial Belt so we can built space facilities and other projects in the future.

4. Continue to work on Hydroponics, Vertical Farms, Aeroponics to preserve arable lands.
 
Okay, now that we've got that information I'm going to throw up my updated plan.

[X] Plan No Resource Collapse
-[X] 100PF - Develop and Expand Orbital Resource Acquisition. Earth is running low on certain resources critical to modern industry and we've just built up a lot of orbital capability. Let's take advantage of these two facts to drastically expand the currently minimal asteroid mining and orbital refining operations going on. Maybe we'll even start mining lunar resources if that's cheaper.
-[X] 100PF - Secure the Water Supply. Clean water is essential to both people and industry, whilst it's also shrinking and becoming constantly more expensive. It's time to secure enough under our control that we can keep our workers and industries supplied to at least a minimal capacity if a disaster happens. Whether this comes from taking control over existing sources of clean water or developing desalination and other purification and filtration methods to supply it will be left up to whichever will give the best results in each region. Do try to avoid upsetting the EU or SA (again) however as such is unnecessary at this time.
-[X] 75PF - Improve Education Efforts. One of the greatest restrictions for improving our orbital efforts and profits is the fact that we're dependent on European Union workers, and thus can't avoid their regulations. Efforts should be undertaken to improve education capabilities elsewhere so we're no longer reliant on a single source of labour and can thus begin working around the EU restrictions without losing our orbital workforce. Perhaps offering scholarships to company families which pay for the education but lock the new graduate into working for the relevant company for a period of years in exchange? Some focus should be placed on developing these in South America as it'll both hopefully stabilise the situation there so profitability doesn't see reductions and allow us to gain influence in the region as people are educated in our facilities.
-[X] 70PF - Expand and Develop the Power Sector. We've got a toehold in the power sector, but it's only just breaking even and the EU has just made a major technological breakthrough. Let's try to expand the toehold to something actually yielding a profit through developing new capabilities. Whether that be looking back on renewables and batteries, acquiring the EU's new thorium reactors somehow or developing the ability to export power from orbit efficiently. The Yakuza's suppression efforts may be unavoidable at this time, but we should be able to avoid gaining the EU's ire again by seemingly respecting their anti-trust methods at least. And by ensuring someone else takes the blame if we illegally acquire their new thorium reactor technology, with us then acquiring the information from said other actor. Not like we'll be the only corporations trying to steal that information.
-[X] 70PF - Secure Chemical Feedstocks. There is a pending collapse of the chemical and fuel industries due to the exhaustion of what remaining fossil fuel deposits there are. However there are methods to renewably produce certain of these chemicals easily, and many others with more expensive processes. Whilst the easiest and most available process currently consume food crops to produce such as soy beans or corn, there has long been ambitions of developing algae farming able to replace them. Fortunately, whilst clean water is expensive and limited, thus decreasing it's use for algae farming, creating oceanic algae farms should be entirely possible. And that is only the most obvious method for feeding our chemical or fuel needs in the future, with more also being worthy of investigation.
-[X] -25PF - Hire Ascalon Private Security Company to secure our many facilities and properties. Unrest and the recent break-ins are concerning enough that efforts to prevent damage or destruction to our assets is essential.

Okay, so this is a plan updated for the new knowledge we have. Namely that if we hire security (we really should) that we'll only have 415 Profit Factor this turn. So I've adjusted the divisions from my initial plan. As for the plan itself...

Asteroid Mining is still in, and at 100PF. Because we absolutely need new sources of the technological minerals and it should also supplement the more available industrial materials whilst also having them already in orbit. Greatly reducing the cost for any industry or construction up there using those heavy, dense or bulky materials, thus increasing profit even more. Even get some access to fuel and chemicals if we find ice asteroids, comets or lunar deposits to harvest.
Securing the Water Supply moved up to 100PF because I suspect we'll get some negative modifiers on that, and we need it. Hoping to avoid causing too much economic damage to the EU or SA thus minimising their interference but it will be present. Honestly, this is mostly to improve our own access in North America, Africa, Asia and even in Orbit to a degree rather than in the EU or SA. Just so we've got something to build up if a water crisis ever happens or either of the two government regions embargo their current water exports.
Getting Educated is at 75PF because I took 10PF from the three 80PF options as we lost 25PF funding the new security and I then had to pick one to have five more PF than the others. With improving our education being both more critical than improving our control over power and less likely to see positive modifiers as the renewable chemical feedstocks endeavor. This is basically to give us potential positive modifiers due to more skilled workers, higher profits from being able to hire just as educated workers asking for less pay, and also to loosen the chokehold that the EU has on our orbital workforce.
More Power is at 70PF because we've got some of the power sector under our control thanks to the failed action last turn, even if it's net neutral profit-wise. It's also a less critical need seeing as we're not going to run out for a while using current powerplants due to the EU's new thorium reactors in particular. I want something more there, but I'm willing to steadily chip away at it until we succeed at this time due to other critical needs.
Renewable Chemicals meanwhile is an urgent need as it'll at least ensure we don't see a major collapse when the petrochemicals run out in a decade and natural gas shortly afterwards. The only reason I've put this at 70PF is I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing grants and other sources of positive modifiers being thrown at this effort by everyone. Because absolutely everyone part of modern civilisation is likely looking at that lack of oil in ten years and screaming because they've got nothing to replace it, and electric batteries or hydrogen fuel cells are too expensive for the widespread use they'd need. As well as relying on limited resources that are also running out soon... No lithium for electric batteries, no natural gas for hydrogen and cracking water or converting food crops is also using highly limited resources that have other even more important uses.
 
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Pyro Hawk said:
@Tatbee Just to clear things up, but where are you getting the methane to use for the methane pyrolysis that creates the hydrogen?
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I was basing it off of IRL.
IIRC, the US in 2020 had ~90 years of natural gas reserves, based on 2020 consumption.

It was 2028 in quest... 2033 now, after a 5 year turn.
So I figured, there has to be plenty of natural gas left.

That was clearly wrong though
Dapperlad1 said:
Fossils fuels are nearly exhausted. Oil reserves run out in 10 years, natural gas in a few years after that.
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@Dapperlad1 how is Profit Factor calculated, when hiring a PMC?
- Does the PMC PF cost/turn subtract from PF income?
- Or does it subtract from current "stores" of PF?

In other words, can we spend 440 PF on projects and hire any PMCs we want?
With the PMCs reducing the PF Income we receive next turn?
 
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