What's going on in your empire/planet/battlefield?

[Starmantle]

Hah.  I like the idea of banking planets - particularly with a planetary governor that's good at that. 


Right now in my conventional campaign, we're about 22 years in.  Delegates are gathering at Earth for a conference from Mars, 6 other Sol colonies, and 8 extra-solar colonies in 3 systems to discuss the future of humanity not just in terms of the next few years, but in the next 50-100.

Some of the questions they'll debate include:

- What does sustainability mean in the Trans-Newtonian age?  How can we conserve resources?  What kinds of long-term infrastructure can we build to save minerals and build economies and what kinds of growth could really be harmful in the long run?  Will we become a nomadic race unable to move from system to system faster than we can strip it of minerals?  Or is there a more sustainable path?

- What about the civilians?  Trans-Newtonian technology has mostly benefited the military.  While no doubt defeating Precursors, alien monsters, and defending against other possible threats is in the interest of humanity, there is no existential threat to the human race and no naval warship has ever been destroyed by an alien.  All engagements to date have been one-sided.  Given that, isn't it time to invest in social justice, culture, medicine, domestic technology, and education in more than just a peripheral way?  Senator Ogoro is calling for dozens of research labs, tens of thousands of tons of TN materials, and other assets to be permanently transferred to these matters. 

- What role do colonies play in humanity's plans?  So far, they've been the source of important extractive mining, trade, and (in the case of Yablari), key technology from archeological digs, but some have pushed for specialization.  The Federated Army, for example wants to move its ground unit production facilities to Mars and base part of its fleet there. 

- Now that Mars is fully terraformed, what world or worlds are next and why?

- What military doctrines are needed to defend against possible threats and what ships could fill these needs?

Diplomacy Teams representing Mars, science interests, the Workers Guild, Capitalist Alliance, individual shipping companies, the Federated Army, and other interest groups are squaring off around these and other issues in what is expected to be a 3-month conference. 

[Shininglight]

@Starmantle, how do you have mars fully terraformed in only 20 years?


I started in 2127 and its 2150 now, i've got a single colony on Mars, including some small amounts of terraforming haven't scouted a single other system ( Though I'm close) or even built a naval ship aside from my massive armed orbital habitat over earth and a trio of Survey ships. All that and i started with 4.5 billion pop in conventional.

[joeclark77]

@Starmantle, how do you have mars fully terraformed in only 20 years?


I started in 2127 and its 2150 now, i've got a single colony on Mars, including some small amounts of terraforming haven't scouted a single other system ( Though I'm close) or even built a naval ship aside from my massive armed orbital habitat over earth and a trio of Survey ships. All that and i started with 4.5 billion pop in conventional.

I don't know about Starmantle, but I had Mercury, Io, and Mars terraformed in 20 years in my latest game.  I expanded a shipyard up to 130k or so, and ultimately expanded it to five slipways, while building these:

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Sodbuster class Terraforming Base    127,250 tons     510 Crew     2893.6 BP      TCS 2545  TH 0  EM 0
1 km/s     Armour 1-225     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 14    Max Repair 500 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 3   
Terraformer: 5 module(s) producing 0.0175 atm per annum


This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposesAs each one was completed, it was towed to Mercury.  In the end I had twenty of them.  About the time the shipyard was up to 5 slipways and 20 platforms had been built, the planet was terraformed.  I then towed them to Io and terraformed it.  After that point, I split it into smaller groups of 5 platforms and sent them to Luna, Mars, and some off-world colonies.  One of my researchers continued to improve terraforming technology slowly but steadily over the years, too.  I never built any more platforms, but I could if I wanted to.

I've never used planet-based terraforming bases.  Ship-based ones seem easier to produce and move around, from my point of view.

[Theodidactus]

I play very slowly to have a slightly more realistic history, so I only recently terriformed mars about a century after this campaign started.

[Shininglight]

Well i've neglected Biology/Gentics in favor of Construction and Logistics so i think i'll rectify that, i've got several 60000 and 50000 ton Com shipyards so i'll use the tugs i built for my sorium harvesters to tow the Terraformers when they're done, and I'm finally making my first jump now as well. Still i've spent most of my time building auto mines and mass drivers all over Sol so i haven't been focusing overmuch on terraforming, as it stands, with sol now buzzing with activity, it looks like time to teraform Mars and start moving actual industrial and research capacity there.

[Starmantle]

Yeah. - 23 or so years in.

This is my first conventional campaign and frankly the first campaign that I've restrained myself from magically giving myself things to make up for being a noob.  So I compensated with an initial population of 7 billion (which sounded reasonable for Earth at the time because... well, ya know) and I've been able to have 50 terraforming installations and a bunch of big ships all with good leadership working on it for a while now. 

I'm finally going to have the patience to challenge myself next campaign, but I'm having fun with this one.  And I'm trying to find role playing methods to stunt my own growth - as you can see in the rest of that entry.

[MarcAFK]

Just started a new game, I'm trying for a short challenging game as most of my games get abandoned before finding any NPR's , so to make it hardcore I set 100% NPR generation, 500% difficulty, 3 starting NPR's (5 second turns will be a nuisance) invaders on (probably a mistake, but whatever) jump gates on all jump points, and started conventional with a 1/5th normal construction cycle time, double the starting population , 2 shipyards and 20 research centers, and I'll start myself off with Trans neutonian tech lpre researched, and all nessicary technologies needed to produce the first basic level of technologies, sensors etc. But engines will be high powered conventional ones untill i research neuclear thermal.
I'll also predesign the most basic systems and pre-make a small defensive fleet. And refit the missile bases to not be totally useless.
This should be interesting, I might post a playthrough.

EDIT:
Damnit, I'm getting some errors already, I'm pretty sure I fixed the missile base crew requirements already, here's what they are:
System maps opens up "error in cboSystems_click, error 91, Object variable or With block variable not set"
Then I get "error in displaysystems , error 91, Object variable or With block variable not set"
I get that one after clicking zoom also
Then Ships causes "error in cboFC_click, , error 91, Object variable or With block variable not set"
clicking any ship on teh screen pops that one up again.
Then task groups gives " error in cboFleets, error 91, Object variable or With block variable not set"
That seems to be it, I'll see if i can sort these out.
I was thinking it was related to checking "jump point survey completed, and gates on all jump points" but after making another test game they seem to work together"
I'm just going to make another game and keep this one for the bugs thread.

Edit 2 : I got an error in setup NPR classes, so I'll try again. Is there a problem making NPR's in a conventional game?

[joeclark77]

Well i've neglected Biology/Gentics in favor of Construction and Logistics so i think i'll rectify that, i've got several 60000 and 50000 ton Com shipyards so i'll use the tugs i built for my sorium harvesters to tow the Terraformers when they're done, and I'm finally making my first jump now as well. Still i've spent most of my time building auto mines and mass drivers all over Sol so i haven't been focusing overmuch on terraforming, as it stands, with sol now buzzing with activity, it looks like time to teraform Mars and start moving actual industrial and research capacity there.

In the long run, regular mines are a lot more economical than auto-mines.  I keep my eyes open for potentially terraformable worlds with "infinite" deposits of minerals at high accessibility (i.e. millions of units at 0.9 or 1.0).  Once they're terraformed you can put regular mines on them by the thousands and have plenty of minerals.  Mercury was my first target in my current game because it has infinite duranium and neutronium.  Theoretically the largest number of planets you'd need is 11, one for each mineral, although it's nice if you can get 2 or 3 for the price of one, and duranium in at least a couple of places.  So I no longer build auto-mines except in the early game, and instead focus on building colonies and placing cheap conventional mines.

[GodEmperor]

Brand new 6.30 game.

0 starting NPRs , all spoiler races on, conv start , NPR gen chance 10 % , 6B ppl on Earth..

Sol with two JP ( i always play with one ) , jump into first .. BAM stable wormhole .. ok frakk it i will jump to the second, BAM second stable wormhole ... rape, ragequit.

Second play , same conditions except random number of JP in Sol .

Sol ends up with 7!! JP, check first - BAM stable wormhole ... motherfrakker ... check the second one , BAM Precursors planet .... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU ( even with appropriate Minbari pic in the race window - fits seeing how they already destroyed ORP Armstrong survey vessel ... boneheaded assholes .... )

So of course i had to sped up my Destroyer program and the result was the first combat vessel in Commonwealth history - The Eagle class Destroyer
... Impressive ship absolutely, useless in fight as it turned out

My first encounter with Precursors ended up with 3 Eagles destroyed ( from the fleet of 13 ) by a single ship .... ORP Kujawiak, Tajfun and Slazak were destroyed when retreating from the system when it became clear that even this single ship is waaay too powerful to deal with ( ECMs cutting almost half range from my FC for starters .... ) . Rear Admiral Zoe Forster  made a bold decision to shut down active sensors and slow down to 1000km/s ( from the max ~5000 km/s ) and after some very tense hours she picked up every lifepod from the destroyed ships and managed to retreat from the system undisturbed .

And now im preparing a nasty suprise for those assholes when they will come knocking on Sol's door. 

[GeneJack]

Still playing 5. 56  (slow to change).     After uncounted games and systems I finally found my first ruins.

[ollobrains]

6.30 started a game normal start.  Minerals were a bit weak so snifed around nearby systems.  Fuel sources are weak but the mineral situation is improving, found the first alien race, lost a gate building unit to one of their destroyers.  Pulled back and fortified nearby system as my buildup is still incomplete, scouts continue going in other directions seeking expansion opportunities.  Now the buildup to war continues

[GodEmperor]

Welp i think we have a new record .... In my newly discovered system B-star is 1421 Bn!!! km from the main star ..... that will be quite a trip .

[Prince of Space]

I'm about ten years into a new 6.3 game, dropping off settlers on a perfectly habitable world one jump from Sol, which just so happens to also have a ruined settlement and an Alien Installation anomaly for power/propulsion at 80%. Isn't life grand?

 A few months after my minelayer drops off the active sensor buoys to monitor the system's jump points, I get a flurry of messages: New Alien Race Detected! New Alien Class Detected! Hostile Transit! A tiny little 2,500-ton uninvited guest has been spotted. I scramble my corvettes, assign a team of diplomats, and make note of the jump point it used to enter the system.

The intruder quickly outranges my buoy's sensors, but I pick it up again weeks later on my DSTS. The corvettes charge, active sensors fired up, in the hopes of driving what is apparently a geosurveyor/scout back to its home world. (I don't want to risk open war by blowing it up just yet.) Then I get news from my translators:

"This race identifies itself as the Commonwealth of Hubris"

Now that's just tempting fate. It's recursive, in a way; a fractal invitation for tragedy. I suppose I'll have to write an AAR in the form of an epic poem.

[GodEmperor]

For many years Human race faced extinction ....
Benevolent Terran Federation surveyed almost all of Solar System. Humans colonized Mars, Luna, civilian sector thrived and life was great and peaceful..

And then Aliens came .. They destroyed everything apart from Earth ... They tried to break the human spirit but they didn't know that there is only one thing humans like more than discovering things - its KILLING THINGS ...

Earth was saved by the enormous PDC but not before 500m people died and entire shipyard complexes were destroyed ..

Despite victory, Terran situation was desperate, resources were tight, enemies roamed freely around Our Solar System.... and then a miracle happened - our dear beloved Gaia, our Mother and Protector - gave birth to vast amount of TN minerals.

And now Gaian Supremacy is preparing a crusade to reclaim Solar system and to teach the entire galaxy not to frakk with the Children of Gaia !!

P.s. I just frakking love this game ... jesus the sheer amount of storytelling you can extract from even simplest things, complexity, gameplay ...  simply amazing <3

Little update : Filthy Xeno attacked again .. After losing more than 200 small cargo ships on route to their military colony in Outer Solar System , they jumped in with 500!!! FAC 1k ton each ... only to be massacred because Gaians have fortified the JP with more than 60 of those babies

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Churchill class Jump Point Defence Base    94 850 tons     1863 Crew     25523.2 BP      TCS 1897  TH 1000  EM 0
527 km/s     Armour 10-185     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 738
Maint Life 0 Years     MSP 168    AFR 71972%    IFR 999.6%    1YR 117334    5YR 1760016    Max Repair 720 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 9999 months    Spare Berths 0    

500 EP Commercial Internal Fusion Drive (2)    Power 500    Fuel Use 5.3%    Signature 500    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1 000 000 Litres    Range 35.8 billion km   (786 days at full power)

35cm C8 X-Ray Laser (30)    Range 320 000km     TS: 6250 km/s     Power 32-8     RM 7    ROF 20        32 32 32 32 32 32 32 27 24 22
Quad Gauss Cannon R2-100 Turret (10x16)    Range 20 000km     TS: 25000 km/s     Power 0-0     RM 2    ROF 5        1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CIWS Phalanx (2x8)    Range 1000 km     TS: 20000 km/s     ROF 5       Base 50% To Hit
20cm C6 Plasma Carronade (10)    Range 100 000km     TS: 6250 km/s     Power 10-6     RM 1    ROF 10        10 5 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
Fire Control S16 160-20000 (4)    Max Range: 320 000 km   TS: 20000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Tokamak Fusion Reactor Technology S8 (1)     Total Power Output 64    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Tokamak Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (1)     Total Power Output 240    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor MR1-R1 (1)     GPS 30     Range 1.8m km    MCR 196k km    Resolution 1

ECCM-1 (4)         This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

on 4 waypoints around JP ( 100k km radius ) and 1 group on top of Jump gate it was a frickin massacre . Only two Forts were damaged - one lost 3 out of 4 FC and second his large fuel tank and now after some months and some probing attacks JP to Proxima Centauri has almost 700 !! wrecks in the it vicinity ...

Meanwhile special Assault ships are being produced on Gaia in the attempt to lead entire Gaian Fleet to the heart of Proxima Centauri to annihilate filthy xenos.

[Stardust]

In my 1st campaign (V5.60) my warships were exclusively missile based.  I avoided beams completely because of their range issues.

Now that I've finally upgraded to V6.30 and started my second campaign, missiles are out.  Almost 50 years in and still without a scientist with expertise in missiles, I'm all beams.  Fortunately, only one jump from Sol, I have found, populated, and terraformed Washington-C III, which contains alien Installations that I'm told will boost defense related research performed here by 60%.

Three research laboratories are now being shipped in from earth, with four more under construction. Dr. Johnna Creek (DS20%), a recent graduate of the naval academy in Bridgeport is en route with orders to begin research into shielding technology as soon as he is settled in.  Our genius in defensive research, Dr. Bobby Schack (DS60%) will join him as soon as he completes his research on Earth reducing the thermal emissions of our engines.  Once he is settled in Washington-C III, he will be allowed to continue his obsessive study of metallurgy.  He's been on and on about something he calls "Crystalline Composite" formation.  He's odd, but really knows his stuff.

Beyond Washington exists many habitable worlds. 

I'm really looking forward to putting together a formidable beam based fleet.