- Location
- Germany
That makes more sense. Thanks for setting me right.
I still have one problem with the numbers, though. At the end of the Battle of Kadesh, the Sarek had only lost 2O. So why do we need 2O, 2E, 1T?
To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
I still have one problem with the numbers, though. At the end of the Battle of Kadesh, the Sarek had only lost 2O. So why do we need 2O, 2E, 1T?
Why are you using "if" in the past tense? That's a scenario scary enough that it deserves consideration, because it could still happen.
[X] Plan Industry, Recruitment and Diplomacy
Although I'll note that I'd vote for a similar plan that had an Explorer Corps Recruitment Drive in it.
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- Location
- somewhere
The Sarek was damaged twice, first in the battle of Solitude, then in the battle of Kadesh, and it lost crew each time.
A while ago I went through the battle reports in detail and did the math, these were our crew pools after deducting all replacements for the repairable ships, before adding this year's graduates:
Standard Starfleet: 14.25 Officer, 24.25 Enlisted, 5.25 Techs
Explorer Corps: 5.25 Officer, 6 Enlisted, 6 Techs
A recruitment drive shouldn't be necessary.
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lbmaian
a thirsty squirrel
- Location
- USA
Okay that makes sense. I suppose those exemptions will be when we get to a situation that requires shared borders between 4+ nations?
Well, if you consider that Star Charts book canonical, the following is the official map:
Huh, I just noticed the scale of that map...which is actually pretty reasonable. <100 ly between Sol and Qo'nos, <50 ly between Sol and Romulus. Still no shared Cardassian-Klingon border on this 2D map, though they're actually kinda close (<30 ly) so I can easily see a 3D "bridge" across Federation space between the two, like there must be a 3D bridge across the two disjoint regions of Federation territory on this map (seriously, there's no way there are two completely disjoint regions of Federation territory, separated by Klingon and Romulan space).
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- Location
- somewhere
For example, yes. Also when it's directly stated in the quest, obviously.
I'm not sure I should even consider all movies and episodes of the shows canonical...
It doesn't matter anyway, that map is incompatible with the quest in a bunch of ways (Andoria being "north" of Vulcan instead of "south", the Federation core worlds being too close together for the 6 sector arangement, the Neutral Zone being this round shape instead of a "north-south" longish one...)
Captain's Log - 2304.Q2
- Location
- Australia
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21582.6 - Captain Nash ka'Sharren
Hello, uncharted space, my old friend.
We return to the duties that Starfleet was born for, exploration and the quest for knowledge. Of course, even this carries the shadow of the Biophage behind it, as we focus on patrolling areas near the neutral zone, looking for signs of the plague's return. It will not be an easy task, with Courageous and Sarek both mending their scars, but Rear Admiral Chen has assured me that there will be help exploring these dangerous systems.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21587.3 - Captain Jessica Rivers
We have received a message from Rear Admiral Chen at Starfleet Headquarters. For the next few months, until the Explorer Corps Excelsiors can return from repair, the Yukikaze is to take on exploratory duties in and around the Neutral Zone. I am, needless to say, very apprehensive at taking on such high-risk missions. For one thing, Explorer Corps missions tend to be that extra cut above in terms of risk and tension. For another, my crew has just spent several months on the front line of the Biophage crisis. Our sister ship was destroyed, we engaged in repeated battles amid the constant threat of, well, the Miracht's fate.
I of course have the utmost faith in my crew, but we are in desperate need of relief.
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21591.5 - Captain Nash ka'Sharren
While en route to a location in the neutral zone where the scanners of the Runabout scouts detected unusual biological life signs, I received a communication from Captain Rivers of the Yukikaze, a Centaur-class ship that is helping us patrol the Neutral Zone. I gave her all the pointers I could about Explorer Corps work. The first rule, of course, being that if you take care of your ship, she'll take care of you.
-
Captain's Log, USS Polaris, Stardate 21592.1
Scientific sensors at an outpost in the Landry system have detected through subspace a large gamma ray burst several light years away, four light years above it on the galactic plane. It means that in a few years they'll all need to get under deflector shields, but of more import is that Tellar Sector Command wants someone to investigate. We are headed for that area of space now, and will attempt to locate the source of this burst.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21593.2
I worry that stress has gotten to my crew. Sickbay reports that a half-dozen have reported in, experiencing hyper-realistic hallucinations of past events. Although our mission is progressing well, and we believe we have located a seam of useful materials, I am quickly growing less concerned about the mission and more about the mental health of my crew.
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21593.6
I almost need two hands to count the number of rules that I laid out to Captain Rivers that I have just broke myself. And Petty Officer Bzorc, who was soon to transfer back home to Tellar, paid the price.
Was I rusty? Was I arrogant returning to my exploration after facing the Biophage? My crew are squarely behind me, but I find it hard to give myself a pass for this.
We beamed down an away team after sensors localised the source of the lifesigns within a series of caverns. After moving through several tunnels, we entered an area of EM turbulence that inhibited transporters and sensors. With anyone but Lieutenant-Commander Zaardmani upstairs, I think we would have all ended up dead. As it was, we discovered the nature of the lifeforms that caused such anomalous sensor readings from the runabouts. They are a form of parasite, winged insectoid creatures the size of a large dog. We tried to shoot our way out, but the phasers work poorly against the carapaces of these creatures. Thankfully, Lieutenant zh'Harasaan was able to generate a resonance in the crystalline structure of the cave walls that drove back the parasites for a time. It also caused the creature attempting to feast on Petty Officer Bzorc to flee. We were able to then jury rig a transport pattern enhancer to effect an emergency beam-up.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21593.7
While mapping out the full extent of the resource seam on the planet Benaud III, more and more of the crew are succumbing to waking hallucinations of past events. Those who suffer it are describing it as extremely lucid memories. Moments of particular stress seem to be strongest among them, and we are having the most trouble with members of the crew reenacting past away missions.
This was most seriously a concern in the case of Crewman Jenkins, who relieved a particular mission where he was required to divest all clothing to get through a room of synthetics sensitive insects! Suffice to say, a few crew members experienced a crash course in human anatomy.
-
Captain's Log, USS Polaris, Stardate 21593.9
I have taken us into a broad orbit around a black hole that is starting to devour a red dwarf star. This is leading to the gamma ray bursts as the material of the star orbits the singularity. Our gravitational scans have missed the presence of this black hole, which is leading to much consternation of Stellar Cartography. However, while the incident has caused some blushes, it has also proved very helpful in further developing our understanding of the universe.
[Gain +5 rp]
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21594.3
Petty Officer Bzorc's condition is not improving.
Medical Officer Asurva says that the bio-electricity the Tellarite body runs on is being 'siphoned' off, somehow and sent down to the planet. I proposed taking us out of orbit to break the connection, but I am told the shock of severing this connection through distance would kill him.
There is only one option; I must return to the planet.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21594.6
We have finally isolated the cause of the hallucinations! It appears that we have been suffering a rare, difficult to detect strain of a something the Kadeshi called the White Fever, which induced hallucinations in all but our Vulcan crew members. With this diagnosed and treated, we are finally able to resume our mapping.
[Gain +50 br]
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21594.9
I have returned after a harrowing journey, but a successful one. Mr Zaardmani was able to cut through the interference and locate a great chamber beneath the ground that seemed to be a sort of nesting ground. A natural formation of rock and the heavy minerals that run through the water table here. My away team made our way there and discovered that these have formed a dilithium 'matrix' of sorts encrusting the chamber. The parasites here have evolved to harness the subspace disturbance caused by this chamber to draw from prey even remotely. Doctor Asurva, who went on this mission, was able to analyse the reaction of parasite and dilithium chamber up close and discover how to safely break the connection to Petty Officer Bzorc.
[Gain +10 rp, +20 sr, Athos V may be set up as a colony, gaining 5rp per year]
Computer, End Log
(Edit A/N: people new to the quest who joined during the emergency, welcome to the normal heartbeat of the quest! Captain's Log posts!)
Hello, uncharted space, my old friend.
We return to the duties that Starfleet was born for, exploration and the quest for knowledge. Of course, even this carries the shadow of the Biophage behind it, as we focus on patrolling areas near the neutral zone, looking for signs of the plague's return. It will not be an easy task, with Courageous and Sarek both mending their scars, but Rear Admiral Chen has assured me that there will be help exploring these dangerous systems.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21587.3 - Captain Jessica Rivers
We have received a message from Rear Admiral Chen at Starfleet Headquarters. For the next few months, until the Explorer Corps Excelsiors can return from repair, the Yukikaze is to take on exploratory duties in and around the Neutral Zone. I am, needless to say, very apprehensive at taking on such high-risk missions. For one thing, Explorer Corps missions tend to be that extra cut above in terms of risk and tension. For another, my crew has just spent several months on the front line of the Biophage crisis. Our sister ship was destroyed, we engaged in repeated battles amid the constant threat of, well, the Miracht's fate.
I of course have the utmost faith in my crew, but we are in desperate need of relief.
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21591.5 - Captain Nash ka'Sharren
While en route to a location in the neutral zone where the scanners of the Runabout scouts detected unusual biological life signs, I received a communication from Captain Rivers of the Yukikaze, a Centaur-class ship that is helping us patrol the Neutral Zone. I gave her all the pointers I could about Explorer Corps work. The first rule, of course, being that if you take care of your ship, she'll take care of you.
-
Captain's Log, USS Polaris, Stardate 21592.1
Scientific sensors at an outpost in the Landry system have detected through subspace a large gamma ray burst several light years away, four light years above it on the galactic plane. It means that in a few years they'll all need to get under deflector shields, but of more import is that Tellar Sector Command wants someone to investigate. We are headed for that area of space now, and will attempt to locate the source of this burst.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21593.2
I worry that stress has gotten to my crew. Sickbay reports that a half-dozen have reported in, experiencing hyper-realistic hallucinations of past events. Although our mission is progressing well, and we believe we have located a seam of useful materials, I am quickly growing less concerned about the mission and more about the mental health of my crew.
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21593.6
I almost need two hands to count the number of rules that I laid out to Captain Rivers that I have just broke myself. And Petty Officer Bzorc, who was soon to transfer back home to Tellar, paid the price.
Was I rusty? Was I arrogant returning to my exploration after facing the Biophage? My crew are squarely behind me, but I find it hard to give myself a pass for this.
We beamed down an away team after sensors localised the source of the lifesigns within a series of caverns. After moving through several tunnels, we entered an area of EM turbulence that inhibited transporters and sensors. With anyone but Lieutenant-Commander Zaardmani upstairs, I think we would have all ended up dead. As it was, we discovered the nature of the lifeforms that caused such anomalous sensor readings from the runabouts. They are a form of parasite, winged insectoid creatures the size of a large dog. We tried to shoot our way out, but the phasers work poorly against the carapaces of these creatures. Thankfully, Lieutenant zh'Harasaan was able to generate a resonance in the crystalline structure of the cave walls that drove back the parasites for a time. It also caused the creature attempting to feast on Petty Officer Bzorc to flee. We were able to then jury rig a transport pattern enhancer to effect an emergency beam-up.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21593.7
While mapping out the full extent of the resource seam on the planet Benaud III, more and more of the crew are succumbing to waking hallucinations of past events. Those who suffer it are describing it as extremely lucid memories. Moments of particular stress seem to be strongest among them, and we are having the most trouble with members of the crew reenacting past away missions.
This was most seriously a concern in the case of Crewman Jenkins, who relieved a particular mission where he was required to divest all clothing to get through a room of synthetics sensitive insects! Suffice to say, a few crew members experienced a crash course in human anatomy.
-
Captain's Log, USS Polaris, Stardate 21593.9
I have taken us into a broad orbit around a black hole that is starting to devour a red dwarf star. This is leading to the gamma ray bursts as the material of the star orbits the singularity. Our gravitational scans have missed the presence of this black hole, which is leading to much consternation of Stellar Cartography. However, while the incident has caused some blushes, it has also proved very helpful in further developing our understanding of the universe.
[Gain +5 rp]
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21594.3
Petty Officer Bzorc's condition is not improving.
Medical Officer Asurva says that the bio-electricity the Tellarite body runs on is being 'siphoned' off, somehow and sent down to the planet. I proposed taking us out of orbit to break the connection, but I am told the shock of severing this connection through distance would kill him.
There is only one option; I must return to the planet.
-
Captain's Log, USS Yukikaze, Stardate 21594.6
We have finally isolated the cause of the hallucinations! It appears that we have been suffering a rare, difficult to detect strain of a something the Kadeshi called the White Fever, which induced hallucinations in all but our Vulcan crew members. With this diagnosed and treated, we are finally able to resume our mapping.
[Gain +50 br]
-
Captain's Log, USS Enterprise, Stardate 21594.9
I have returned after a harrowing journey, but a successful one. Mr Zaardmani was able to cut through the interference and locate a great chamber beneath the ground that seemed to be a sort of nesting ground. A natural formation of rock and the heavy minerals that run through the water table here. My away team made our way there and discovered that these have formed a dilithium 'matrix' of sorts encrusting the chamber. The parasites here have evolved to harness the subspace disturbance caused by this chamber to draw from prey even remotely. Doctor Asurva, who went on this mission, was able to analyse the reaction of parasite and dilithium chamber up close and discover how to safely break the connection to Petty Officer Bzorc.
[Gain +10 rp, +20 sr, Athos V may be set up as a colony, gaining 5rp per year]
Computer, End Log
(Edit A/N: people new to the quest who joined during the emergency, welcome to the normal heartbeat of the quest! Captain's Log posts!)
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- Location
- somewhere
Some thoughts on research priorities and choices next quarter. Overall we can categorize research projects into two types, which I will call steady and sprint. Steady projects have multiple techs that each roll over into a somewhat more expensive next level, with no clear end and no really obvious stopping point where you are "done for now", because there will almost always be some significant leftover progress towards some of the techs in the project. Sprint projects have a clear end/stopping point, either because they have a fixed number of techs in them (e. g. ship design projects), or because they only have a single tech line where you can stop once the next level is done (doctrine projects? If not they are sprint anyway but belong to the first sub-type).
As a general strategy we should be somewhat reluctant to start sprints, but try to finish them as soon as possible once we are in one. This goes doubly so for ship design projects, lest the ship we are designing be outdated before the prototype is even launched. So before starting a sprint we should consider whether we are willing to make the commitment it implies every single turn until we are done.
As for the steady techs I would group them as follows (running into diminishing returns will change evaluations, obviously):
1. Research always, no matter what:
2. Research always if possible:
3. Research if convenient:
4. Research when we get around to it:
So in that light, and with 160 rp (= up to 17 projects) I'd say we should research all group 1-3 steady projects except weapons (wait for a tech team for that), start a sprint (Lone Wolf Doctrine) for 12 techs, do one or two group 4 projects and save the rest for next year so we can be sure to be able to continue the group 1-2 projects and the sprint.
As a general strategy we should be somewhat reluctant to start sprints, but try to finish them as soon as possible once we are in one. This goes doubly so for ship design projects, lest the ship we are designing be outdated before the prototype is even launched. So before starting a sprint we should consider whether we are willing to make the commitment it implies every single turn until we are done.
As for the steady techs I would group them as follows (running into diminishing returns will change evaluations, obviously):
1. Research always, no matter what:
- Computing
- Xenopsychology
2. Research always if possible:
- Sensors
- Communication
- Medical
- Shields
3. Research if convenient:
- Warp technology
- Personal tech
- Mineral technology
- Starship construction
- Starship design - Explorer
- Weapons
4. Research when we get around to it:
- Foreign Analysis
- Starbase design
- Starship design - Escort
- Starship design - Cruiser
So in that light, and with 160 rp (= up to 17 projects) I'd say we should research all group 1-3 steady projects except weapons (wait for a tech team for that), start a sprint (Lone Wolf Doctrine) for 12 techs, do one or two group 4 projects and save the rest for next year so we can be sure to be able to continue the group 1-2 projects and the sprint.
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pheonix89
Wants to be Seven Of Nine
- Location
- North American Plaguelands
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I agree with Nix with one exception: Communications should be moved up to Always, because it has a +RP tech.
@OneirosTheWriter
Heidi Eriksson's bonus still isn't up.
Notes on this Quarter of Explorer Corps:
+Research Colony available. Gimme.
Also, phaser resistant bugs. Can we pretty please get some sort of KEW backup weapon as a Personal Tech option? It would be really nice if the response to phaser resistant hostiles could just be to pull a coilgun and see if they can resist bullet.
@OneirosTheWriter
Heidi Eriksson's bonus still isn't up.
Notes on this Quarter of Explorer Corps:
+Research Colony available. Gimme.
Also, phaser resistant bugs. Can we pretty please get some sort of KEW backup weapon as a Personal Tech option? It would be really nice if the response to phaser resistant hostiles could just be to pull a coilgun and see if they can resist bullet.
Cornuthaum
Be kind to each other.
- Location
- Austria
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Yes.
This is good.
This is Star Trek.
I am pleased. (And since pleasing me is the ultimate goal of all lifeforms, Oneiros has done well
)
Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
You know, I totally thought this was Space PTSD at first.
UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I thought so too.
Considering that the Biophage crisis is still fresh in their minds.
- Location
- somewhere
I initially had it there, but unlike the top two it doesn't scale (rp cost discount scales with the number of projects, diplo bonus scales with the number of affiliates) so it's not quite as good. It's one of several projects that could reasonably be placed one group higher, like sensors, warp tech and foreign analysis. In practice the difference between the top of group 2 and the bottom of group 1 isn't all that big. The only scenario I can see it matter is if we start a bunch of sprints and then our rp income flatlines unexpectedly for a few years.
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Cteatus
A Guy Who Fell Down a Hole
Those bugs were able to pull off a subspace energy transfer over some distance.
That seems...useful. I mean its not like a humanoid body is some massive source of energy, so clearly the efficiency has got to be pretty high if some bugs can feed off of it. Not to mention the range is at least from below the surface to low orbit.
That's really impressive. Anyway we can replicate this tech?
That seems...useful. I mean its not like a humanoid body is some massive source of energy, so clearly the efficiency has got to be pretty high if some bugs can feed off of it. Not to mention the range is at least from below the surface to low orbit.
That's really impressive. Anyway we can replicate this tech?
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I think people are underrating the value of escorts and light cruisers. We'll always have berth space for escorts, and quite often have berth space for light cruisers (depending on design, but at least for the next generation, we'll always have berth space for them). They're also significantly cheaper than explorers, making them useful for filling defense requirements - we can get the same defense value out of three Mirandas or two Constellations as a single Excelsior, and spend less on the Mirandas or Constellations (except for enlisted). Defense requirements, I'll note, are only going to grow as the Federation expands. And their numbers make it possible to defend more planets at once - one ship can't be everywhere. Yes, our doctrine might not focus on them, but they're still relevant ships.
As such, I'd rate Starship design - Escort and Starship design - Cruiser as Group 3, maybe moving Personal Tech down to Group 4
In any case, I personally wouldn't do Starship Construction (instead doing Ship design - Cruiser; since that's going to be a level-3 tech team, we might as well get maximum benefit from it). I'd also consider skipping on Personal Tech for Foreign Analysis - we do get a bonus to it, but on the other hand it'll take longer to finish and if we didn't, that'd mean giving experience to the Ship Design - Escort team.
As such, I'd rate Starship design - Escort and Starship design - Cruiser as Group 3, maybe moving Personal Tech down to Group 4
In any case, I personally wouldn't do Starship Construction (instead doing Ship design - Cruiser; since that's going to be a level-3 tech team, we might as well get maximum benefit from it). I'd also consider skipping on Personal Tech for Foreign Analysis - we do get a bonus to it, but on the other hand it'll take longer to finish and if we didn't, that'd mean giving experience to the Ship Design - Escort team.
That's why we're setting up the research colony there, of course!
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Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
*looks at "this is not an empire quest" tag*
Why are we only getting this now?
Why are we only getting this now?
pheonix89
Wants to be Seven Of Nine
- Location
- North American Plaguelands
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Take a look at the rest of the subtechs. Everything in Computing is a ship design buffs. Comms has a +goodie bag subtech, a +fleet combat tech, and a +intel tech. Xenopsych has a very specialized ship design buff, a +goodie bag subtech, a very specialized +goodie bag subtech (this is the first turn where First Contact Protocols could matter), and a fairly specialized resource tech with anti-synergy with the diplo bonus tech.
Yeah, Comms has the weakest virtuous cycle tech, but the rest of the boni are better.
It's probably esoteric mystical lifeforce shenanigans because there's not enough electricity in a human body to do jack and shit, so don't count on applications anytime this millennia.
The thing is that we HAVE to have explorers, and as Enterprise has demonstrated Elite Explorer Corps ships are hilariously, hilariously overpowered. I actually would kick Starship construction up to level 3 instead of the other ship design techs because it works on everything.
Since aggregate combat power is restricted, but aggregate hull and aggregate shields aren't would it make sense for us to prioritize hull integrity and shield technologies over weapon technologies? That way our ships could punch above their weight class, or more precisely, take punches from above their weight class.
Or is that too gamey?
Or is that too gamey?
Jenny
anonymous user
- Location
- maryland
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It already is; it's Starbase Construction that's at level 4 (and can safely stay there).
We also have to have escorts and cruisers, in my view - we'll have them to fill berth space, to cover more territory, to simply have more ships to poke around and explore the Galaxy (even if only local space, there's still a lot that remains to be charted).
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- Location
- somewhere
I rushed the end a bit because I wanted to read the Captain's Log so I didn't give due consideration to what techs we have teams for. Given that we only have 13 teams available anyway I think we can activate all of them in their specialty this turn, in the understanding that this doesn't mean we'll necessarily rush to complete all of those techs.
As for the group placement, I guess you can always disagree and push a project up or down a group. As long as you don't want to put anything two groups higher or lower it probably doesn't make all that much sense to discuss it in detail.
@OneirosTheWriter You may want to switch out/retcon the chamber having been encrusted with a " dilithium 'matrix.'" Dilithium doesn't actually have any special subspace properties, it merely doesn't react to antimatter under certain circumstances. One of the elements that make up warp coils is verterium cortenide (VC) - it would be more appropriate to either switch out the dilithium mentioned for VC or have something like "verterium cortenide-infused dilithium" if the dilithium is what's actually important.
Or leave it like it is, ascribing the wrong (in-universe) attributes to dilithium is a time-honored Trek TraditionTM.
Or leave it like it is, ascribing the wrong (in-universe) attributes to dilithium is a time-honored Trek TraditionTM.
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- Location
- Germany
I am not really convinced of the superiority of Explorer class ships.
Yes, our Excelsiors did perform great, but that only means that the Constellation class and the Miranda class aren't all that good. The Renaissance class light cruiser costs about half as much in resources as an Excelsior, and less that a third as much as an Ambassador. I am pretty sure that two Renaisssance class light cruisers are very much superior to a single Excelsior.
Furthermore, we have four 1m t berths, and will have two more after building the Utopia Planitia shipyards. Once we have researched the Renaissance class, we can actually build something useful on these berths.
While we of course want Explorers for our deep space exploration missions, I think light cruisers make excellent workhorses for our homefleet.
(Similar points could be made for the New Orleans class; I am just rather fond of the Renaissance class.)
Yes, our Excelsiors did perform great, but that only means that the Constellation class and the Miranda class aren't all that good. The Renaissance class light cruiser costs about half as much in resources as an Excelsior, and less that a third as much as an Ambassador. I am pretty sure that two Renaisssance class light cruisers are very much superior to a single Excelsior.
Furthermore, we have four 1m t berths, and will have two more after building the Utopia Planitia shipyards. Once we have researched the Renaissance class, we can actually build something useful on these berths.
While we of course want Explorers for our deep space exploration missions, I think light cruisers make excellent workhorses for our homefleet.
(Similar points could be made for the New Orleans class; I am just rather fond of the Renaissance class.)
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I think the best part of that was the contrast between Explores and regular Fleet.
Explorer: "Ah, distant unmapped space! It's good to be home."
Fleet: "Oh shit, it's going to eat us! I want to go home!"
I too, thought it was PTSD and not an alien cold.
I do think that, even if it's not entirely optimal, that putting a yard in Andor so that all the full members have one is a good idea. It pleases my sense of symmetry.
Explorer: "Ah, distant unmapped space! It's good to be home."
Fleet: "Oh shit, it's going to eat us! I want to go home!"
I too, thought it was PTSD and not an alien cold.
I do think that, even if it's not entirely optimal, that putting a yard in Andor so that all the full members have one is a good idea. It pleases my sense of symmetry.
- Location
- somewhere
No one disagrees that Light Cruisers and Escorts offer more battle power for a given resource cost than Explorers. And in a war (or in immediate preparation for one) building as many Escorts and Light Cruisers as possible, perhaps even using larger berths normally used for Explorers, is a good choice. Being resource efficient isn't the point of Explorers. During peace time we will eventually be limited by total combat rating, not by resources. The advantages of Explorers are:
- Exploration. We need Explorers anyway, so choosing doctrines and techs both home fleets and the Exploration Corps benefit from is better than picking ones only the home fleet benefits from. And home fleet ships sometimes take on duties similar to Exploration Corps missions (see Captain's Logs) so it's good to have an Explorer or two available for those in every sector.
- Crew survivability. Explorers can take more hits before crew is killed, and are more likely to be disabled rather than destroyed outright.
- Reducing ship losses. Given the choice between two fleets with equal chances of winning a battle an Explorer heavy fleet is likely to lose a smaller proportion of ships, because it takes more consecutive unlucky hits to concentrate on one ship for that ship to be disabled or destroyed, and if it's an Explorer it's more likely to be the former and therefore repairable.
- Combat rating efficiency. In peace time we are ultimately limited by total combat. Explorers are a little bit stronger relative to smaller ships than the ratio of combat ratings would suggest.
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