The Grand Solar Rush - Asteroid colony management quest

Voting is open
[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[x] Plan: Sports and prepping for reactor
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Reach out to a mister Roland Prescott regarding sports
-[X] Security
--[X] Ships
---[X] Transport (spend grant)
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Bakery
--[X] Living space improvements
---[X] Stadium
-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Magnetic field research
-[X] Personal action
--[X] Write-in: Spend time with Ken and try to see what's bothering him.
 
How about we listen her regarding nanites and leave it for later?
Hmm, I'm guessing that's why the DC is high.

Still, the nanites themselves can be improved.
--[ ] Silver nanites 2
A follow-up to the technology Lena has come up with, with focus on the areas she listed as having room for improvement. The little critters can (semi-theoretically) fix strands of DNA damaged by the generation loss effect or be programmed to produce organic compounds from the constituent molecules. And whatever else your head scientist can come up with. DC 80
While those improvements might not cure Lena's specific condition.

Medical applications for nanites will be much easier to research, with better nanites.
 
[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[x] Plan: Healthcare and Reactors
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Hospital concessions
-[X] Security
--[X] Ships
---[X] Transport (spend grant)
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Living space improvements
---[X] Stadium
--[X] Power
---[X] Fission power plant
----[X] AI Boost
-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Medical concerns
---[X] Oncology ward
-[X] Personal action
--[X] School Visit

Okay, here's my plan.
Explanations:

Overarching Goals
  • Improve EU/general superpower opinion of us
  • Avoid "resource curse".
  • Number go up
IMO, without a backer (and if we continue to insist on being nonaligned), we need to get the superpowers to treat us with...something close to benevolent indifference. We want to be just unimportant enough that a superpower doesn't take a serious interest in our affairs, while also being just beneficial enough that they say "eh, they're not so bad. We don't have to pay attention there." Towards that end, we're going to want to do things for the EU with an eye towards being useful and neutral in our sector - thus, hospitals first. A formal repair of relations will probably be easier after that.

The other big goal is to avoid nailing ourselves with the resource curse - where we have some rare, valuable resource and get turned into a resource extraction colony by interested powers with superpower backing by both market forces and "peacekeeping officers". It doesn't even necessarily have to be hostile attention - it could just turn into economic dependence on the one export, which is always dicey considering that technology could advance and render that one thing completely useless. So in order to avoid that, we should be investing in more durable and higher education industries, to diversify our economy - and what do you know, we have a medical specialty.

Do I need to explain why making the number go up is good?

Diplomacy
We need to get more EU appeal/indifference, and I'm looking to expand the medical reputation and ability. No other choice really hits both. Thus, Hospital concessions.

Security
Personnel transport is going to be valuable, especially if we're looking to become the hospital in this sector. Helps with both actions, and the other options are probably not...immediately pressing priorities.

Engineering
Honestly, a lot of this is just choosing which luxury we'd most like. Might as well get the stadium set up so some of our gym-rats-to-be can get some training in for a year before we throw them into a sportsbowl or whatever.

reactor goes up because power is neutral and that's not number goes up, so we should fix that and make number go up (or get slack capacity, w/e).

I assume there's a reason why "more solar field expansion" is not an option?

Furthermore: can I ask what our odds of success look like if we assume we're dedicating two years to the project? @Karf

Internal Affairs
I don't feel a particularly pressing need across any of these categories, so getting some disaster proofing while there's no immediate crises seems like a reasonable choice.

Research
I want to somewhat specialize in hospitals, and making an oncology ward to expand the capabilities of our space hospital best synergizes with this overarching plan. I was debating about looking into magnetic field research, but it looks like that just goes into fusion power plants, which seems to be a little bit more capability then we currently need.

AI
By far the project I least want to go sideways in an "interesting from the engineer's perspective" is the fission power plant, so hopefully I can dedicate the AI improvement to that.

Personal Action
children are the future and their education is paramount.
 
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children are the future and their education is paramount.
Ken is also paramount since he is one that can build farms and has been showing signs of something on his mind. Better to try and find out before he up and leaves.

Other than that fair enough, those were my thought for most of those options. Though the market I want to corner is food rather than medicine, at least locally, it'ssomething that no other colony can supply as easily as us.
 
[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[x] Plan: Healthcare and Reactors
Not quite how I would make it, I would like advisor investigations and building a church instead of a stadium to try and curb the cultists influence by supporting an alternative. But overall about what I was thinking.


Hmm US and EU are still rising tensions. And it looks like military posturing is starting. China is continuing its all in old belt initiative dispite setbacks, the moon is doing great and Mars is still in turmoil.

The two intresting things of note is that the EU seems to be working with The Moon instead of trying to keep it dependent and that the Tokyo AI treaty is back in the news. With how we are thinking of possibly using AI for data mining ourselves it will be interesting to see how that trial ends up.
 
Don't be afraid of trying and failing on a high DC. It's in many ways intentional to emulate multi-year projects. How much depends on the preceeding roll and narrative convenience, or the project in question itself.
Fair. The AI assignment to the fission reactor is fair, then?

Also: further solar field expansion is nonviable for a reason?
 
[x] Plan: Sports and prepping for reactor

because magnetic fields ought to help with solar wind, which I want
[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice
 
I like everyone's intentions, and I'm sorta' between Nanites, Healthcare, and Sports.
So my plan is focusing on boosting morale, healthcare, safety, and attraction.
I agree that we should coast under the gaze of the superpowers for the moment. I like transport and an additional power source, but I feel like removing a single failure-point with the generators is better.
I feel like sports + stadium is good synergy. Profectus made a good point about the coming oncology issues.
And fuel refineries to make visits for sporting events, immigration, and trade to be more attractive and sustainable.

[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[X] Plan: Risk Mitigation
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Reach out to a mister Roland Prescott regarding sports
-[X] Security
--[X] Drones
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Fuel refineries
--[X] Living space improvements
---[X] Stadium
-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Medical concerns
---[X] Oncology ward
--[X] AI
---[X] Applied intelligence
----[X] Oncology ward
 
Fair. The AI assignment to the fission reactor is fair, then?

Also: further solar field expansion is nonviable for a reason?
Yes, the AI can be assigned to just about anything you want for a +10 boost as a way to give important projects you want finished a guaranteed boost. After all, there's got to be a carrot for all the effort spent. Also, if someone knows a more elegant way to display the option, I'd be thankful. Generally, I think it should look something like this:

-[*] Field
--[*] Project
---[*] Apply AI bonus
-[*] Next stuff

The solar fields are being expanded at a steady rate by a team of engineers, so your own grandiose attention isn't required. The actual reason is that I can't write endless compelling prose about the same project over and over again.
 
Yes, the AI can be assigned to just about anything you want for a +10 boost as a way to give important projects you want finished a guaranteed boost. After all, there's got to be a carrot for all the effort spent. Also, if someone knows a more elegant way to display the option, I'd be thankful. Generally, I think it should look something like this:

-[*] Field
--[*] Project
---[*] Apply AI bonus
-[*] Next stuff

The solar fields are being expanded at a steady rate by a team of engineers, so your own grandiose attention isn't required. The actual reason is that I can't write endless compelling prose about the same project over and over again.
At risk of fucking up the tally something fierce - are you looking for some subdivision like, say:

[] Plan: Healthcare and Reactors
-[] [DIPLOMACY] Hospital concessions
-[] [SECURITY] {SHIPS} Transport
-[] [ENGINEERING] {LIVING SPACE IMPROVEMENTS} Stadiums
-[] [ENGINEERING] {POWER} Fission power plant
--[] [AI] AI Boost
-[] [INTERNAL AFFAIRS] {BASE INFORMATION} Emergency generators
-[] [RESEARCH] {MEDICAL CONCERNS} Oncology ward
-[] [PERSONAL ACTION] School Visit

(by the way, is the school visit from the teenagers supposed to be a personal action or is it automatic?)
 
[X] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[x] Plan: Sports and prepping for reactor
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Reach out to a mister Roland Prescott regarding sports
-[X] Security
--[X] Ships
---[X] Transport (spend grant)
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Bakery
--[X] Living space improvements
---[X] Stadium
-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Magnetic field research
-[X] Personal action
--[X] Write-in: Spend time with Ken and try to see what's bothering him.
 
Ken is also paramount since he is one that can build farms and has been showing signs of something on his mind. Better to try and find out before he up and leaves.

Other than that fair enough, those were my thought for most of those options. Though the market I want to corner is food rather than medicine, at least locally, it'ssomething that no other colony can supply as easily as us.
I personally prefer medical services over farming because that's harder to duplicate and more time-critical imo - food is at least technically possible to enter into starvation rations long enough for a one-way Earth to New Belt emergency food run and be survivable, while urgent needs for medical services is much more "you find the nearest hospital or you die". Moreover, I believe that setting up food provenance is likely easier then assembling the medical infrastructure (both human and mechanical), and is also more productive, in terms of "money per labor hours". Other colonies might not currently be able to supply food as easily as Little Klondike, but I'm not confident in that advantage being as durable to sector development compared to, say, more medical infrastructure.

That's also probably why I don't think Ken is an immediate priority - I think that an additional year is not signaled to be his breaking point, and that we likely have a little bit more time to do other things before we need or particularly should tackle whatever making Ken feel uncomfortable.
 
[x] Plan: Sports and prepping for reactor
I know f' all about fusion.
But based on the flavor-text, it seems that Magnetic field research would only lower the Fusion power plant's DC, not Fission.
-[ ] Magnetic field research
A key component of fusion, magnetic fields can be used to direct a stream of particles. Similarly, Earth enjoys a protective shell shielding her from harmful radiation thanks to a massive iron core generating immensely big fields. Could there be anything you can do to replicate these effects? Or perhaps probing one of the fundamental forces of the universe might reveal some new applications that people haven't thought of or haven't needed so far. A new influx of scientific expertise from your acquisitions can probably help. DC 50
Just so we're all on the same page, which power plant is the plan prepping for?
Fusion or Fission?
 
[x] The trial
-[X] The blue marble justice

[X] Plan: Nanites
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Call back to the private resort
-[X] Security
--[X] Ships
---[X] Transport (Grant)
--[X] Drones
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Bakery
--[X] Power
---[X] Fission power plant

-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Medical concerns
---[X] Silver nanites 2
-[X] Personal action
--[X] School Visit (Student Q&A? Political Debate?)

And just because it amused me when I thought about it:

[X] Plan: Nanites With AI
-[X] Diplomacy
--[X] Call back to the private resort
-[X] Security
--[X] Ships
---[X] Transport (Grant)
--[X] Drones
-[X] Engineering
--[X] Bakery
--[X] Power
---[X] Fission power plant
-[X] Internal Affairs
--[X] Base information
---[X] Emergency generators
-[X] Research
--[X] Medical concerns
---[X] Silver nanites 2
--[X] AI
---[X] Applied intelligence
----[X] Bakery
-[X] Personal action
--[X] School Visit (Student Q&A? Political Debate?)
 
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