Glory to the machines! (Empire Builder)

Should I switch this Quest to Single Transferrable Vote?

  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .
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I would think ftl is more important than space elevators. Also, we don't exactly have a shortage of exotic carbon so I'm unsure why we're researching an alternative to it. I assume designing Moho mines would be a Development action rather than a research one correct? Since I believe we have the requisite scientific knowledge, it's just the specifics of how to make one that are currently puzzling. Heat sinks are also not something I think we need immediately.

[x] Plan REVENGE

Research
-- Research possible ftl methods, with main focus on the Alcubierre drive and scientific knowledge necessary to make it work.
-- Research possible ftl methods, with main focus on the Alcubierre drive and scientific knowledge necessary to make it work.
-- Research possible ftl methods, with main focus on the Alcubierre drive and scientific knowledge necessary to make it work.
-- Research alternative communications systems, particularly quantum entanglement
-- Research alternative communications systems, particularly quantum entanglement
Development
-- Develop nuclear-thermal rockets for more efficient spacelift.
-- Improve fusion reactor design.
-- Improve fusion reactor design.
-- Develop "Moho Mines", mines that harvest resources from the boundary between the crust and the mantle.
-- Develop "Moho Mines", mines that harvest resources from the boundary between the crust and the mantle.
Industry
-- Improve global comm network. Lying down cables for communication use etc.
-- Expand spaceport to Medium.
Economics
-- Prospect for and develop sources of Resources.
-- Set up a Resource Recycling Plant
-- Prospect for and develop sources of Fissionables.
-- Develop additional fusion fuel refineries.

Espionage
-- Establish a new "Ghost Doctrine" of planetary development. It seems agonizingly apparent in hindsight that if the Creators had lived in underground arcology vaults, and minimized their emissions so no one knew of their existence, that they would have survived along with us. The galaxy contains {monsters}, and it vital to prevent them from discovering our existence, and harden our infrastructure to prevent effective orbital bombardment. Where possible, vital infrastructure is to be built underground/underwater or otherwise rendered unnoticeable/protected as much as is within our capabilities. This includes underground railway lines, limiting electromagnetic emissions etc.

EDIT: Would it be possible to make new clones of the creators to revive them as a biological species if we wanted to?
 
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Demonic Spoon said:
EDIT: Would it be possible to make new clones of the creators to revive them as a biological species if we wanted to?
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Theoretically possible, but they wouldn't be the same people, and your homeworld is kind of uninhabitable at the moment.

EDIT: Also, recycling counts as an Economic action.
 
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I just write said:
I almost spilled some information about the {monsters}, but thought better of it.
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Honestly, from what we know so far, the Skander are the most likely candidate for being the {monsters} which means, among other things, that they could have potentially noticed our existence and spared us, as they only dislike organics. From a purely meta perspective of course.
 
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A bit of worldbuilding: 'Carmote' was originally a Rektian word meaning 'Wise Friend'. This should tell you something about how you and your creators got along.
 
I just write said:
Theoretically possible, but they wouldn't be the same people, and your homeworld is kind of uninhabitable at the moment.

EDIT: Also, recycling counts as an Economic action.
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Changed my plan to include recycling under economic. I'd rather finish our current research than jump straight to FTL. FTL is definitely necessary but we need the spaceships first, and a space elevator will save us resources that would otherwise have to be spent getting our spacecraft off the ground. The mining research action is to find any possibilities beyond moho mining, and possibly give a boost to it. I'd wait until the next turn, when we have actual spacecraft, to research FTL.
 
Isaacssv558 said:
I'd rather finish our current research than jump straight to FTL. FTL is definitely necessary but we need the spaceships first, and a space elevator will save us resources that would otherwise have to be spent getting our spacecraft off the ground.
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  • Superconductor research has no immediate benefit as we have a massive excess of exotic carbon. We can always continue it later if needed. Also, it's already finished, you're starting further research on the topic as I read it.
  • By my understanding of the game mechanics, research of starship hull materials has been completed, and we have to now take it to development to begin mass production.
  • FTL might be possible directly from planetside, obsoleting space elevators, we won't know for sure until we do the research. Beyond that, space elevators are ridiculously vulnerable, of dubious practicality/utility, and probably pretty expensive themselves.
The mining research action is to find any possibilities beyond moho mining, and possibly give a boost to it.
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What possibilities? We are on a lifeless, airless, waterless, hunk of rock. The only possibilities are mining, which we are doing, deeper mining, which I am proposing, and asteroid mining, which we will get to soon. Gm has already said the reason our mines are poor is because there are no resources. There are no alternatives. Moho mining is the only realistic possibility, and has the advantage of being deep underground automatically, helping to shield some of our resource production from orbital bombardment.
I'd wait until the next turn, when we have actual spacecraft, to research FTL.
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We already have spacecraft, and any additional spacecraft we would get by next turn are unlikely to help us much in developing ftl.
 
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Demonic Spoon said:
  • Superconductor research has no immediate benefit as we have a massive excess of exotic carbon. We can always continue it later if needed. Also, it's already finished, you're starting further research on the topic as I read it.
  • By my understanding of the game mechanics, research of starship hull materials has been completed, and we have to now take it to development to begin mass production.
  • FTL might be possible directly from planetside, obsoleting space elevators, we won't know for sure until we do the research. Beyond that, space elevators are ridiculously vulnerable, of dubious practicality/utility, and probably pretty expensive themselves.

What possibilities? We are on a lifeless, airless, waterless, hunk of rock. The only possibilities are mining, which we are doing, deeper mining, which I am proposing, and asteroid mining, which we will get to soon. Gm has already said the reason our mines are poor is because there are no resources. There are no alternatives. Moho mining is the only realistic possibility, and has the advantage of being deep underground automatically, helping to shield some of our resource production from orbital bombardment.

We already have spacecraft, and any additional spacecraft we would get by next turn are unlikely to help us much in developing ftl.
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Better refining techniques, less waste, more efficiency and possibly the ability to make use of previously unusable deposits. Also any research that might help the moho mining, basically just preparing to do a major push on the mining next turn. Also, our spacecraft are so few and so rudimentary we can't even set up a satellite network. We have no need for FTL when we struggle merely to reach our own orbit.
 
Isaacssv558 said:
Better refining techniques, less waste, more efficiency and possibly the ability to make use of previously unusable deposits. Also any research that might help the moho mining, basically just preparing to do a major push on the mining next turn. Also, our spacecraft are so few and so rudimentary we can't even set up a satellite network. We have no need for FTL when we struggle merely to reach our own orbit.
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You can set up a satellite network. It's just about the only thing your current space tech is ood enough to do.
 
OK, I finally found someone to play Skander, so I'm going to work on resolving this turn over the weekend. Can I get a vote count please?
 
Turn 2 resolution, Turn 3 votes
  • Threadmarks
    • [Exiting Sleep Mode]

    Greetings leader. The last 5 years have gone very well indeed. The alternative superconductor project has finally borne fruit, and we now can produce metallic superconductors that remain superconductive up to {245 Kelvin}. We still don't have an industrial-scale production setup worked out, but the engineers should be able to handle that with ease soon enough. (-1 RSO)

    The other materials science project however, has gone precisely nowhere. While the hull material developed last period is good in all other respects, it has proven confoundingly difficult to improve on without making some other aspect of it worse. (-1 RSO, -1 XCarb)

    In other news, a research team working out of Vault 5 recently published their analysis of ways we could tap Darth's mantle for minerals given the dismal amount left in our world's crust.The report holds up well to scrutiny, and even includes basic plans for an engineer to work off of. Even with the high initial investment, it could easily be the solution to our resource woes.

    Another team recently submitted plans for a space elevator, and it's just… beautiful. All the mechanics of how to set it up are explained, it uses no technology we don't know how to do, and it can haul several thousand tons of mass for each trip. It even has arrangements for 36 cables side-by-side, allowing for a constant flow of cargo. Yes it will need huge amounts of Carbon Nanotubes to build, but the results are just beautiful. It's also surprisingly resilient to damage as well as being easy to repair given the parallel tracks. (CRIT!)

    On the engineering side of things a working prototype nuclear-thermal rocket launch vehicle has been designed. It can easily haul several hundred tons of mass to orbit with each flight, before safely landing at its initial launch site, simply needing a quick refueling and some standard maintenance checks before it can fly again. Still, it seems like something that became obsolete pretty much the instant it was made. (-1 RSO, -1 FIS)

    This is primarily because of the massive breakthrough in fusion that was made recently. Not only has the minimum viable size been shrunken down to the size of a mini-fridge from its previous truck-sized footprint, but the maximum power output has also increased by an order of magnitude to about a megawatt per cubic meter of reaction chamber. Other enticing features also include the fact that the new model can fuse Deuterium on its own without any need for Tritium, and they've also come up with a working semi-open reaction chamber which could form the basis for a fusion torch rocket engine. (CRIT!)(-2 RSO, -3 XCarb)

    The team working on the improved heat sinks has also completed their project, using plenty of {diamond} in the design, as well as including coolant lines for a {fullerene pseudofluid} to remove heat to a radiator, or bring it to the heat sink from the components generating heat.(-1 XCarb)

    The attempts to improve our global communications network have not gone terribly well, as a regularly occurring meteor shower that would have been harmless had Darth still its atmosphere bombarded much of our infrastructure, drawing resources away from improving our communications systems.(-30 RSO)

    On the other hand, our spaceport's upgrades have been completed. Featuring 8 individual launch/landing pads and an improved taxiing system, this new facility is ready for operation. The system is finally ready for our taking. (System: donjon; Star System Generator, Name: Renarth, Seed: 343918949, Companion Star: None, Planets: Many, Force to include a terrestrial world: Y)(-50 RSO, -20 XCarb)

    Our attempts to find more places to mine have quite bluntly failed. We've looked all over, and it seems we've found pretty much all the exploitable mineral concentrations left in Darth's crust. It's pretty clear the {monsters} didn't want us to recover. In other bad news, one of our mines is looking like it's starting to run low. Within a century all the exploitable minerals remaining in Darth's crust will be gone at this rate.

    Thankfully, our new recycling program is immensely successful, with recent breakthroughs rendering it nearly 100% efficient at reclaiming useful elements. This effectively eliminates maintenance overhead in terms of resource expenditure, and if we happen to retire any of our infrastructure we can expect to reclaim upwards of 98% of the materials invested in building it. (CRIT!)

    Making more fusion fuel refineries didn't go terribly well, as our primary source of fusionables at present is extracting them from the hydrogen content of specific minerals. The {monsters} took most of those too. Attempting further analysis of the records of the attack reveals precisely nothing we didn't already know, and future attempts to mine more data from them are highly discouraged.


    Current Territory

    1: 0% controlled (MOON not controlled)
    Darth: 100% controlled, moon not controlled
    3: 0% controlled
    4: 0% controlled
    Ast. Field 1 (dense): 0% controlled
    6: 0% controlled
    7: 0% controlled
    Ast. Field 2 (Medium): 0% controlled
    9: 0% controlled
    10: 0% controlled
    11: 0% controlled
    12: 0% controlled

    Current Resources
    RSO: 160
    FIS: 33
    XCarb: 708

    Current Assets
    Population: 23,769
    Poor mines (G?: 108)(10:12)(9:0)(8:0)(7:0)(6:0)(5:0)(4:0)(3:0)(2:0)(1:0)
    Poor Uranium mines (G?:14)(10:2)(9:0)(8:0)(7:0)(6:0)(5:0)(4:0)(3:0)(2:0)(1:0)
    XCarb refineries (12)
    Threadbare global communications network
    Decent global transport network
    Citizen Factories (5)(in: 15 XCarb, 1 RSO | out: 1,500 new Carmote)
    Medium Spaceport (1)(currently equipped with 1 prototype re-usable launch vehicle)
    Vault Complexes (35)

    Actions

    Expansion (+10 bonus)
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    Diplomacy is locked until contact is made.

    Research (+25 bonus)
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    Development (+25 bonus)
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    (NOTE: The space elevator still needs to be developed, but it'll get a huge bonus)

    Industry (+10 bonus)
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    Economics (+20 bonus)
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    Espionage (+5 bonus)
    []

    Operations is locked until you make contact.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan Expand

    Expansion
    -- Chart other planets/asteroids.
    -- Chart other planets/asteroids.

    Research
    -- Research ftl.
    -- Research ftl.
    -- Research material science, with a focus on exotic materials.
    -- Research material science.
    -- Research particle accelerators.
    Development
    -- Develop fusion rockets for more efficient spacelift.
    -- Develop core mining.
    -- Develop satellites.
    -- Develop a space station to be built at the top of our elevator. It should be able to construct small ships, and be easy to expand and upgrade.
    -- Develop space elevator.
    Industry
    -- Build in-system scout ships/satellites. (Basically spy satellites/telescopes, with some capable of basic interplanetary travel.)
    -- Build Space Elevator
    Economics
    -- Expand XCarb manufacturing.
    -- Set up a Fissionable Recycling Plant
    -- Set up a XCarb Recycling Plant
    -- Do Preliminary work for core mining.

    Espionage
    -- Chart as much of our system as possible.

    Rationale:
    We need core mining next turn. We also need to get FTL now that we have decent spacecraft. Improved material science will give us better structural integrity and allow us to make more effective materials for all uses. It also might help us make mining more efficient. Particle accelerators are preparation for antimatter and particle weaponry. Fusion rockets will give us a significant boost to our ship's engines. Satellites are useful for communications, observation, and defense. Next turn I'd like to make a defense network capable of stopping those meteor impacts. Space station research brings us one step closer to orbital industry. Improved manufacturing helps with industry. Scouting the system prepares us to expand to other planets/asteroids next turn. The space elevator will reduce the cost of moving things into orbit, especially once we move our main spaceport into orbit. We haven't looked for XCarbs yet and expanding the recycling program seems like a good idea.
     
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    Isaacssv558 said:
    Rationale:
    We need core mining next turn. We also need to get FTL now that we have decent spacecraft. Improved material science will give us better structural integrity and allow us to make more effective materials for all uses. It also might help us make mining more efficient. Particle accelerators are preparation for antimatter and particle weaponry. Fusion rockets will give us a significant boost to our ship's engines. Satellites are useful for communications, observation, and defense. Next turn I'd like to make a defense network capable of stopping those meteor impacts. Space station research brings us one step closer to orbital industry. Improved manufacturing helps with industry. Scouting the system prepares us to expand to other planets/asteroids next turn. The space elevator will reduce the cost of moving things into orbit, especially once we move our main spaceport into orbit. We haven't looked for XCarbs yet and expanding the recycling program seems like a good idea.
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    Corrections that need to be made.
    1: The Space Elevator still needs to go through development, you're just getting a massive bonus (honestly, it should have been categorized as development to begin with, it's an engineering project!)
    2: XCarb is things like Graphene, Buckyballs, Nanotubes, and maybe some Q-Carbon for the most part. It has to be made, not mined.
     
    What tech do we already have? Is our baseline basically modern+AI or do we have something more? Also, will shields be a thing? I'm wondering where we should go with our military research. I'm currently thinking research more advanced applications of FTL and look into antimatter and particle beams.

    Also, I've been thinking about the abbreviation list you posted before.
    ??? -> EPairs: Entangled pairs of particles? This would come with later FTL research, specifically communications.
    ??? -> AMat: Antimatter, will try to get started on next turn.
    ??? -> XMat: Exotic matter, hoping that material science and particle accelerators will give some progress towards this.
     
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