The House of Twilight [Destiny Nation Builder Quest]

But Eliksni ARE cheap and you know it. Disregarding any moral issues for the moment, Eliksni breed like vermin, and a single Worker Shank drains more resources than a turret if I am correct. Do you think those Eliksni who practice honest craft for the benefit of the House would rather be out in the battlefield to be eaten by mutated horrors and fighting to the death against Wolves and Hive? That is hypocrisy of highest order. Worker Shanks will also never learn or adapt, increasing risks of malfunction...and infected code.
 
....to be eaten by mutated horrors and fighting to the death against Wolves and Hive?
No, but manning ships, training/teaching new recruits, improving themselves or working on meaningful things? That would be the benefit. Give them more opportunities to advance or "make a difference".

...Worker Shanks will also never learn or adapt, increasing risks of malfunction...and infected code.
IF they are build with non-adaptive code. But considering most situations change at moments notice (falling beams, broken wires, plating breaches, etc) Eliksni Shanks have limited adaptive ability, + I doubt they don't have some sort of system/OS update/upgrade.

...and infected code.
But here I agree that their systems are not properly secured allowing outside infections to affect them. Hopefully Cybersecurity project will mitigate some of those concerns.

...Eliksni breed like vermin, and a single Worker Shank drains more resources than a turret if I am correct
Wait, let me check that:
- Worker Shanks 2/2/6, 200 Spinmetal/50 Relic Iron + 40 Helium Filaments + 500 Glimmer (1 Worker Shank counts as 1 Worker Dreg)

- Light Plasma Turret 6/4/10, 100 Spinmetal/25 Relic Iron + 25 Helium Filaments + 25 Glimmer (Infantry, Vehicles, and Fighter/Transport Craft Only)
you're correct.

+ Unlike Eliksni, Shanks can be retrieved and rebuild.

Just a heads up, we have no "warrior" Shanks
200 Elder + 2000 Engineer + 1000 Servitor-Shanks - 200 Elder =~ 3000
"Servitor-Shanks" are next to useless (as noted below) and can't be improved.
We have a lot of possible Shank variants that could help decrease our combat losses if you're interested.
Shanks
- Minor 2/2, 10 Spinmetal/2 Relic Iron + 2 Helium Filaments + 25 Glimmer (Shock Pistol)
- Reaver 3/3, 20 Spinmetal/5 Relic Iron + 2 Helium Filaments + 25 Glimmer (Shock Pistol)
- Noble 5/5/5, 25 Spinmetal/6 Relic Iron + 3 Helium Filaments + 25 Glimmer (Shock Repeater, Solar Shield)
- Elder 7/7/9, 40 Spinmetal/10 Relic Iron + 5 Helium Filaments + 50 Glimmer (Shock Cannon, Solar Shield)
- Repeater Shank 6/6/8, 200 Spinmetal/50 Relic Iron + 10 Helium Filaments + 500 Glimmer (Heavy Shock Repeater, Solar Shield)
- Tracer Shank 12/6/6, 200 Spinmetal/50 Relic Iron + 20 Helium Filaments + 1,000 Glimmer (Shock Repeater, Solar Shield)

- Worker Shanks 2/2/6, 200 Spinmetal/50 Relic Iron + 40 Helium Filaments + 500 Glimmer (1 Worker Shank counts as 1 Worker Dreg)
- Servitor-Shanks 0/0/0, 400 Spinmetal/100 Relic Iron + 1000 Helium Filaments + 5000 Glimmer (+1 Ether per Turn)
 
Well, we will have to man the new installations before we can start to rebuild our Shank forces.

And we have not rebuilt even ONE Shank we have lost lately.
 
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I'd rather have Dregs as the labor force than shanks. They're more easily acquired (every 4 turns we get them for free, unlike shanks that have an individual cost and will never be produced on the same numbers scale). And it gives us a useful pool of troops to promote at our leisure for the military.
 
I'd rather have Dregs as the labor force than shanks. They're more easily acquired (every 4 turns we get them for free, unlike shanks that have an individual cost and will never be produced on the same numbers scale). And it gives us a useful pool of troops to promote at our leisure for the military.

You do understand that assigning them workstations takes them out of the troop pool right?
 
Yes, and if we ever badly have need of more soldiers we can mothball the buildings, promote the now-ex-worker dregs into vandals or captains, and use them as troops.
 
. . . . . .
OK, fine, if you like. I just hope that we won't put everyWorker into dead-end job here, 's all.
 
Presumably it's not a huge burden in the first place. They all get enough ether to be Reavers, the possibility of promotion still exists for them (so there's the possibility of an event chain for Tabi, where civilian job Fallen ask to join the military), and their arms aren't docked. That's a hell of a lot better than they could expect in any other House of the Fallen.
 
Yes, that is true.
Though Splicers from Rise of Iron used them extensively, in hard to reach places, not to mention their small size...
:wtf: I'm doing it again, ain't I?

That's it I drop this, no more complains to increase our mechanical workforce, BUT we should bolster our ground forces with enough Shanks that enemies are too busy firing willy nilly to aim at our organic troops.
 
I support that, we're running low on shanks. What kind and numbers were you thinking?
{*Won't provide precise numbers overall*}
Well considering our current situation and possible development on multiple fronts:

Shanks
- Minor 2/2/0, are of little use so for now maybe =~ 0
- Reaver 3/3/0, provide better "target practise" so about =~ 1000
- Noble 5/5/5, are credible =~ 600
- Elder 7/7/9, real fighters =~ 400
- Repeater Shank 6/6/8, "Machine gunners" =~ 100
- Tracer Shank 12/6/6, Snipers =~ 100

Cost:
Spinmetal = 91 000
Glimmer = 210 000
Helium Filament = 8 800
Of course not in one go, but in batches 1/10 of total or something like that.
 
I'd stick with Noble as a base minimum, personally. We're all about quality>quantity, which is the only reason we'd use lesser shanks. Besides, I'd rather send a small swarm whose constituent parts pack a heavy punch (and have shields) over a large swarm that're weak individually and die in one shot.
 
:DHuzza!
That means:

Shanks

- Noble 5/5/5, are credible =~ 1000
- Elder 7/7/9, real fighters =~ 500
- Repeater Shank 6/6/8, "Machine gunners" =~ 100
- Tracer Shank 12/6/6, Snipers =~ 100

Cost:
Spinmetal = 85 000
Glimmer = 200 000
Helium Filament = 8 500
Of course not in one go, but in batches 1/10 of total or something like that.
 
We should ask Tabi how many of our current total Shank losses we can recycle back into service. Losing all of them without even chance of recycling (especially the ones in refinery, former devil bolthole and our other recent battle sites that are just LITTERED with them and Walker wrecks) would be just utterly unfair.

So @Tabi how many of them could we be looking at to get back into service? Someone might need to do estimate of our total losses so far, though...
 
OK from 4270 we have about 3000 left (1000 Servitor-Shanks and 2000 Engineer Shanks)
1270 (different types) *35% = 444

Tomorrow I'll calculate which types we'll recover.

Good Luck and Good night.
 
I hope you'll count that from every occasion we have lost Shanks in? I think the number may be bit higher in total.

And I am totally up for setting up automated shank production later, as long as we will be able to keep helium filament consumption within acceptable limits. One new Rise of Iron mission (specifically, one where you land on Bannerfall to seek components for one certain rocket launcer) shows how much of a pain in the ass massed Shank assault can be. Those Exploder shanks are downright nasty in groups, and no matter how weak individually, normal shanks CAN fell groups of people simply by using their hovering to take up massively advantageous firing positions and pursuing targets relentlessly.

Creating improved battlenet might also let us combine Shanks into groupthinking units, and maybe give our fallen direct sensory feed from scouting shanks. Could be rather useful.
 
Or you can count them from the point on which you actually got the recycling systems online. But I won't do that. :p
Why, did the wrecks of our Shanks vanish before that? And I think we did not have much of them before we got that thing online anyway... But whichever way GM decides.

Also, if we still decide to do combat servitor research someday, I may have found a design with some human flair :p
 
Hey!, now that I have my brain back, what is...
I hope you'll count that from every occasion we have lost Shanks in? I think the number may be bit higher in total.
Or you can count them from the point on which you actually got the recycling systems online. But I won't do that. :p
.. please, stand by...
. . . .
While we had Recycling Module in total there were:

Total: 4402
Minor: 50
Noble: 82
Elder: 1270
Engineer: 2000
Serv-Shank: 1000
200 Elder Shanks were destroyed along with a Destroyer {unsalvageable}.

Salvageable:
4402-2000-1000-200 =~ 1202
Total: 1202
Minor: 50
Noble: 82
Elder: 1070
35% Can be restored:
Total: 421
Minor: 17
Noble: 29
Elder: 375
IF needed resource cost is cut down by half:
Spinmetal: 85 ; 377 ; 7500 {Total: 7 962}
Helium Filament: 17 ; 58 ; 1125 {Total: 1 200}
Glimmer: 211 ; 377 ; 9375 {Total: 9 963}
 
Glad to see we will get good amount of Shanks back into service. We do need to build more in the future when we can. Automated production would be most action-efficient of course.

Also, I was re-reading last turn, and I got an idea regarding our Hive prisoners. They may beyond any torture method we have, but I wonder what'd happen if we would expose them to the Light of Traveler's shard? That might do the trick, assuming they won't just turn to dust. Best case scenario would of course be PURIFIED Hive, which would be...extremely interesting to study.
 
I'd rather not put them anywhere near the Shard, personally. The vilesword being cleansed was good, and following that line of experimentation seems like it might give promising results. But I don't trust anything with sapience to be near it. It's too valuable.
 
They may beyond any torture method we have, but I wonder what'd happen if we would expose them to the Light of Traveler's shard? That might do the trick, assuming they won't just turn to dust.

Wont work. They may worship and use the Darkness, but they aren't harmed by the light.

Best case scenario would of course be PURIFIED Hive, which would be...extremely interesting to study.

The Hive already are pure. They aren't how they are cause the Darkness came and twisted them. They are the Hive because the Ahamkara whispered simple truths into their ears when they needed to hear them.

There is actually no faction in Destiny that can be dealt with in the manner your talking about. None of them are what they are because some cosmic force made them that way, they got were they are by making a choice and riding the consequences.
 
1.31
Actions Available: 7 Actions + 5 Free Personal Actions

[X] Allow humans to use the Iron Wombs to boost their population (4 Actions)(+250% to Human Population Every 12 Turns)
With the old Iron Wombs being put to use, the humans have begun educating each other on potential problems and what changes to their society will be expected. Each human family will now be in the upwards of double digits to meet the needs of the House.
[X] Request the use of Awoken ship's C&C center from humans. In exchange, they can take control of any other systems aboard they wish. Still maintain equal split of security, however. (Free Action)
Cassini humans are unsure whether that is still a good idea, but allow it. To compensate, they have severed the command center's connections to the Network Nodes aboard the ship.
[X] Reassure the humans who wish to fight that unlocking the secrets of cybernetic augmentation program is next on the list of research once immediately pressing matters have been handled. In the meantime, they are free to hone their skills in practice bouts with Eliksni if they wish. (Free Action)
Most humans are incapable of fighting even the most basic of Vandals. For one, they don't have an extra pair of arms or eyes, had less overall muscle mass, and simply weren't fast enough. Fortunately, a fair few are capable of just that with a high degree of consistent success. Those few are highly sought after by several families.
[X] Send one of Twilight's Barons to live among the Awoken, stressing the importance of his mission to maintain cordial ties with the Queen and her court. Also prepare to welcome the Awoken emissary, and prepare suitable quarters for them. We would not wish to appear as more barbaric than we already do. (Free Action)
The appearance of Baroness Reiksas is not welcome to many Awoken. She and her entourage of human bodyguards are shunned by the blue-skinned inhabitants of the Reef. She is received by the Queen and formally acknowledged as Twilight Emissary.

In return, one of the Queen's own is sent to Capricorn Station. The Queen's Emissary does not give her name nor rank to the Archon. Simply known as the 'Queen's Emissary' or merely 'Emissary', she stiffly acknowledges the position and has not left her quarters since.
[X] Send out call to other lesser houses or bands of Eliksni to join House of Twilight (1 Action)
Twelve Skiffs in Wolf Colors were brought to the edges of Twilight territory, impounded by local patrols. One wily dreg had stolen them in hopes of using them to bribe a way into privileged society. He was most delighted to discover that rumors of Twilight dregs not being docked of their lower arms were true.

Loot: +1 Reaver Dreg, +12 Skiffs

Some thirty three Shanks were discovered aboard a crippled hulk. They were infected with the same malicious code that currently plagued your own robotic servants.

Loot: +33 Noble Shanks (Infected)

A heavy transport in blue banners from the House of Wolves attempts to deliver a most insidious cargo of tainted Ether. The crew, as it turned out, were in actuality members of the Silent Fang. Of the hundred that were aboard, sixty-eight died in the firefight and the ensuing destruction of the ship. The rest, true to their name, disappeared silently without anyone being the wiser.

Losses: -45 Reaver Dregs, -12 Noble Vandals

Third of the Nine speaks once more. It has sent a lucky shape to the House in the Twilight, though it is small, the Third of the Nine believes it may be of use to the Fallen. Also, since it knows that it is but a small gift and that Twilight faces a terrible threat, it has disclosed a set of spatial coordinates of where said threat may be hiding...

Loot: +1 Salvaged Servitor Core, Intel

A destroyer led a fleet of Hive ships on a merry chase around the rings of Jupiter, laying waste to six ships and losing the rest in the fields when it hid within a large ice rock. Not long after, it detected a large heavy cruiser-type vessel emerging from within the depth of the Gas Giant.

[X] Repair Refinery (1,000,000 Spinmetal + 15,000,000 Glimmer + 3 Turns)
Timor Refinery sees an unprecedented amount of attention since the Collapse. Damage is extensive, but relatively simple to repair. In time, the Refinery will ensure that Twilight will not lack for Helium in any time.

Turns Remaining: 2

Mars:
[X] Get the team of 10 Iron Guards back to Olympus Mons proper and have them seek out signs of the allegiance of the Eliksni there. If one of the larger houses (Winter, Wolves, Devils) is present, we will want to know about it. If the arrivals are only a smaller house or wandering group, open communications with them (Free Action)
A worrying sign; the Iron Guards have not reported back since their initial report of 'moving in'.

Capricorn:
[X] Stop the spreading of the malicious code. Ask human techies for help and quarantine all affected units until they have been purged of the influence. If any of them turn hostile to house members, they are to be shut down with extreme prejudice. (1 Action)
Whatever this code is, it does not appear to be inherently harmful... Eliksni computers and Servitors are all infected, though the more advanced Elder Shanks and Servitors are able to resist the effects by sheer force of will.

Some human techies and engineers have joined the effort, but there is little fruit to be born. So far however, despite the high infection
rate, none of the infected machines have become malevolent in the process. Interestingly, the code appears to be adapting to outside stimuli with remarkable speed. Moreover, it reacts like a living creature.
[X] Research: Parasite Skiff. Skiffs currently act as both troop transport and fighter craft for every house. By removing the former and instead adding parasite bays for the new drone fighters, theoretically a skiff could effectively swarm its opponents. (1 Action)
A Skiff has been appropriately modified to carry drone fighters. Actually launching the drones is a difficult task, as they are liable to literally crash into each other. Instead of launching all at once, the rear most drones separate at a ninety degree angle, making way for the next pair. In total, this modified Skiff can carry a squadron of eight fighter drones. This is by far the smallest hangar modification to date.

Skiff Drone Carrier 2/3/3, 300 Spinmetal/75 Relic Iron + 50 Helium Filaments + 200 Glimmer + 1 Turn (Carries 1 Squadron (8) Drone Fighters)


[X] Research: Cybersecurity. Get measures set in place to avoid another incident of infected code all over, making sure that any further infections can be swiftly cut off from the rest of the networks and made easier to find and destroy in the future. (1 Action)
Attempts to quarantine the malicious code proves almost impossible. Every computer is infected, from what can be seen. In fact it seems the truth is downright horrifying. The malicious coding is only visible now. Ever since Capricorn Station had been activated, all technology had become infected with the dormant code.

A quick and dirty immunization was created to quarantine what little processes that were unaffected by this code, though there is precious little. Thus far, the only ones who appear affected are Twilight's computer systems.

The immunization, however, will not last forever. It is a temporary measure.

10 Turns until Immunization Fails

[X] Research: Space station shielding. Something to prevent hostile ships from just blowing Twilight installations to hell with impunity and to block any unwanted stealthy arrivals (1 Action)
Multiple shield generators are requires to provide a large and durable enough deflector shield to prevent total destruction. As such, a dedicated structure has been designed to do exactly that. A smaller version can be built to protect a far smaller area, it is by default far less expensive and time intensive to build.

Shield Generator 100,000,000 Spinmetal + 250,000 Relic Iron + 25,000,000 Helium Filament + 10 Turns (+1 Planetary Shield)
Theater Shield 2,500,000 Spinmetal/625,000 Relic Iron + 500,000 Helium Filament + 2 Turns (+100 Shield)

Proteus:
[X] Build 100 Robot Assembly Plants. Do not staff with workers yet (250000 Spinmetal + 100000 Glimmer)(1 Action)
A hundred new robotic facilities are waiting for workers on Proteus.

Timor:
[X] Build C&C Complex and 5 Helium Filament Generators. Have the Filament Generators to process as much of the refinery's output into Helium Filaments each turn as they are able. (250000 Spinmetal, 30000 Helium Filament, 501000 Glimmer, 5 High Servitor)(2 Actions)
A new command center is built into the Refinery. The current commander of the garrison comments that the panoramic view is rather scenic.

Loot: +1 Action

[] Hack the Vaults (3 Elder Servitors + 3 Actions + 3 Turns)
[] Repair Timor Refinery (1,000,000 Spinmetal/250,000 Relic Iron + 15,000,000 Glimmer + 3 Turns)
[] Research Mod: Heavy Interdiction Turrets are a fancy way of designating a weapons system that only picks out enemies trying to flee. The turrets are largely useless in a prolonged battle, maintaining their charge. When a ship is about to jump with a fully spooled FTL Drive, there is window of around 0.5-1 second where the shields are weakened by the forming jump field and window generator. With a pinpoint and very high power strike this system can punch through the shields of any system under 8 Shields, disabling the hyperdrive and preventing escape. The main advantage is in preventing hit and run attacks which an attacker can use almost with impunity, but it can provide some limited support in battle. (+1 Firepower) (1 Roll per Battle, +70 to Succeed) (Cannot Mount on Corvettes or Frigates)(4 Actions + 500,000 Glimmer)

[] Research Mod: Exotic Matter Warheads cause an interesting gravitational effect. Depending on the mass of the exotic matter excited by the detonation of the warhead, they cause a powerful gravitational field which for a fraction of a second draws all matter within a certain radius towards the detonation point. The sudden gravitational shear causes unconsciousness, serious internal injury, metal fatigue, and other unpleasant side effects. Against larger vessels they are largely ineffective, since shields block the majority of the effect, but fighters are especially hard hit. While they do not fulfill the originally desired role of anti-ship duty, they can serve as an impressive replacement to point defenses. (3d10 Rolls vs Fighters - 4+ Kill)(Cannot Mount Corvettes)(4 Actions + 500,000 Glimmer)

[] Research Mod: Subspace Shielding utilizes additions to the shield generator in order to shunt some incoming energy into subspace where it is harmless to the ship. The shields themselves do not grow stronger, but there are significant increases to system durability. (+3 Shields)(1d10 Roll for Damage Reduction)(4 Actions + 250,000 Glimmer)

[] Biofoam is a self-sealing, space-filling coagulant made from Essence of Spirit Bloom. It is also an antibacterial, tissue-regenerative foam polymer used by many Golden Age military forces. This foam keeps damaged organs in place and helps stop bleeding and hemorrhaging from wounds such as; lacerations, abrasions, contusions, punctures, thermal and/or electric burn wounds. While prohibitively expensive, it is an effective (if temporary) way to put otherwise seriously injured personnel back on their feet for the next day or so. The effects of biofoam are temporary, and after a time, usually twenty four hours, it simply breaks down. Therefore, it is normally a form of first aid, used only as a temporary sealant until proper medical attention can be sought. (+2 to 1d10 combat saves)(1 Action + 50000 Spirit Bloom)

[] Ion Cannons are extraordinarily similar to your Arc Burst weaponry, but taken in a completely different direction! While lethal to most conventional power systems and energy fields, the effects on... organics varies, depending on the level of technology protecting the crew. Whereas your Arc Bursts use the electrical bond of atoms to form superheated plasma, the Ion Cannon is almost entirely electrical energy in a sheathe of plasma. While causing no actual physical damage, it strips away shields and causes hardpoints to malfunction or become temporarily useless. (+6 Firepower vs Shields, 1d10 Roll for Random Hardpoint Malfunction)(Counts as 2 Mods, May Mount on any vessel)(2 Actions)

[] Photon Cannons fires an encapsulated antimatter sphere at the enemy, resulting in a matter-antimatter reaction made of heat, light, and radiation. Photon Cannons are most often deployed on ships in large batteries to make full use of their antimatter explosives. (1000 Relic Iron + 2500 Helium Coil + 500 Glimmer, Counts as 1 Mod)(+6 Firepower)


[] Neural Shock Rifles were originally attempts at producing a strictly non-lethal crowd control weapon. Designed with an area of effect and short to medium range in mind, the Arc-based energy weapon fires a 'web' of specialized arc energy that attacks the brain and nervous system of the enemy, rendering them ineffective for a few precious moments or outright knocking them out. Even a few seconds is enough for someone else to put a bullet to enter each and every one of their skulls. Although designed for prisoners and belligerents in mind, it is highly effective in a holding action. Even mechanical units are not unaffected, though larger units likely will be the least affected by the weapon. (+3 to 1d10 combat rolls against organics, +1 to combat rolls against mechanical, 1d10 to Stun)(2 Actions + 250,000 Glimmer)

[] Iron Wombs are artificial birthing chambers designed to grow and 'give birth' to newborns in an expedient time as feasibly possible. While no different to other children, it is a highly effective and efficient method to bolster the population. Due to the Wombs being designed for humans, it will be harder for this technology to be reverse engineered and modified for Eliskni use. (Increase population by 5% for every Creche every 4 Turns)(4 Actions + 500,000)

Voting Ends 10/12/16, 6pm PST
 
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