Plasma Mountain

[bean (OP)]

As an experiment, I roped a couple of friends who haven't played Aurora into making empires in the same game, which I'm going to run for them.  So, yes, I'm going to be seeing what happens when three complete novices go head-to-head.  Those games you have to throw away because you forgot that thing?  Exactly.
One of my players constructed a real gem, which I post here.  I actually SMed it into a meson-based system because I hadn't told him that PDCs can't use most beam weapons.  Yes, this did take all of his PDC build points.  No, I don't know why.
And please don't post anything too helpful in this thread.  I may link them to it, and we're all working pretty hard to keep them fairly ignorant.  If things go well, I'll post the campaign history here, and it will be more entertaining if they don't learn anything.

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Borodino class Planetary Defence Centre    174,650 tons     1977 Crew     5859.5 BP      TCS 3493  TH 0  EM 0
Armour 5-278     Sensors 1/500     Damage Control Rating 0     PPV 540
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 2   
Troop Capacity: 50 Battalions   

Fuel Capacity 50,000 Litres    Range N/A
Yakovlev Incorporated 15cm C1 Plasma Carronade (135)    Range 60,000km     TS: 1250 km/s     Power 6-1     RM 1    ROF 30        6 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Vorobyov-Zaytsev Electronic Systems PDC Fire Control S08 60-5000 (1)    Max Range: 120,000 km   TS: 5000 km/s     92 83 75 67 58 50 42 33 25 17
Volkov & Zuyev  Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 135    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Konstantinov Warning & Control Active Search Sensor MR250-R100 (6)     GPS 50000     Range 250.0m km    Resolution 100


This design is classed as a Planetary Defence Centre and can be pre-fabricated in 70 sections

[MarcAFK]

With 6 damage there is a potential that a single point might break through the atmosphere, but overall at least with the many large caliber weapons it's good for pacifying the natives. 

[Rich.h]

There is a bug/exploit you can do with a PDC though, I have used it in the past with an attempt to make proper deep space stations. Using SM you can move a TG anywhere you want in the universe, any system and any body within that system. However if you create a waypoint you can also select that as a possible location to move things to, using this method you simply crate your TG with your PDC inside it. Then make a new waypoint somewhere in space, then using SM move the TG to that waypoint. Voila you now have a PDC floating in space, or in the case of this design you have a monster sized JP guardian.

[bean (OP)]

With 6 damage there is a potential that a single point might break through the atmosphere, but overall at least with the many large caliber weapons it's good for pacifying the natives.

He's not starting on Earth.  He's on a terraformed planet with an atmosphere that's 2.7, IIRC.  I did think about that, but realized that the thicker atmosphere made it even worse.

[83athom]

With 6 damage there is a potential that a single point might break through the atmosphere, but overall at least with the many large caliber weapons it's good for pacifying the natives.

If a 6 damage energy weapon could possibly break through (with some damage reduction), would a 168 damage one? I'm asking cause I just designed a PDC for reasons for a moon out in system for other reasons (it doesn't have atmosphere), and this would lead me to assume that with a sufficiently high damage laser could in fact shoot through an atmosphere (for reasons of colony unrest due to "insufficient military protection" while my whole fleet is gone for other reasons).

[iceball3]

I thought atmospheres were a % reduction to the power of beam weapons, with 1.0 atm being the equivalent of 100% damage reduction.

[bean (OP)]

I thought atmospheres were a % reduction to the power of beam weapons, with 1.0 atm being the equivalent of 100% damage reduction.

That is my understanding as well.  It's annoying, but it's life.

[Erik L]

Are only energy weapons affected by this? Or are projectile "beam" weapons also affected? I don't recall.

[iceball3]

Are only energy weapons affected by this? Or are projectile "beam" weapons also affected? I don't recall.

If I recall correctly, the only things that can get through density 1 atmosphere was mesons and missiles.

That does make me think of a railgun tech that I could toss in the small suggestions forum.

[MarcAFK]

1 ATM= 100 %? Shame.
Last time I tested there was oddities affecting atmospheric weapons, I don't recall exactly but I think it was possible for energy weapons to hit certain targets they shouldn't have been. Also I swear I got a point of damage out of a high power laser, this requires testing.

[Rich.h]

I have never bothered using beam weapons for hitting planets as I generally always favour a ground assault. But the wiki always stated that any body with an atmosphere will have a reduction effect on beam weapons. The effect was a direct % reduction from 1-x and any planet with 1 atm or more is immune to all damage from beam weapons. The only weapons that can break through this are mesons, missiles or weaponised mass drivers.