C# Aurora Changes Discussion

[iceball3]

So with the lack of PDCs, will ground-to-space missile/meson combat become nonexistent? It's a bit strange to think that neither can be launched from a fortified position or silo, and that shipyards will be basically the be-all necessity for proper stationary defensive platforms on top of their necessity for basically every ship.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

no, regular beams will be able to fire STO from ground units.

[iceball3]

no, regular beams will be able to fire STO from ground units.

Who unfortunately will have no armor saves against orbital bombardment. 

[TheDeadlyShoe]

They'll have fortification bonuses, which is arguably better

[Garfunkel]

And you can tow bases around. I build weapon platforms on Earth and then use tugs to get them to protect Mars, as an example.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I like the look of planetary terrain. I appreciate that a moon like Io will qualify as Mountain rather than Barren. 

In terms of sci-fi tropes for terrain, the only one that jumps out at me as missing are frozen-ocean and quasi-frozen-ocean planets, like Europa.

It also makes me wonder if system generation applies a tidal heating tectonics bonus or somesuch to planets.

Will the terrain system play into colonization or colony cost at all?  It might also be a good way of assigning trade goods. For example, a Jungle planet could have medicinal plants, exotic animals, w/e. 

P.S. - are 'Forested Rift Valley' etc. supposed to have a lower tectonics minimum than regular rift valleys?

[Whitecold]

They'll have fortification bonuses, which is arguably better

The fortification bonus does not make much sense to me. You can fortify a weapon by building bunkers, but terrain alone will only give you cover. As soon as you open fire, you will give away your position, and you should loose the entire bonus you get. You will get in the first hit, but unless you destroy the attackers in one salvo, they will return fire, and you cannot shift your positions in the few seconds before the return fire comes in.

[Garfunkel]

The fortifications are not just foxholes and camouflage netting. You can build pretty effective bunkers and silos, dispersed formations utilizing them and so on, through the fortification level - it's just abstracted into it. Same as with space elevators and space ports - while you cannot build a specific space elevator, it is basically built once your space port level gets high enough, so it's abstracted into it.

[QuakeIV]

You could imagine building a bunker system that let's you rapidly reposition STO lasers between bunkers  (on maglev or whatever) without the fortified lasers actually being effective offensively on the ground.  (The expectation being that laying underground railways isn't an effective attack profile)

It would also explain the lasers ability to potentially die in the first shot.  The orbiting warship just got lucky with its game of wack a mole.

[Barkhorn]

You could imagine building a bunker system that let's you rapidly reposition STO lasers between bunkers  (on maglev or whatever) without the fortified lasers actually being effective offensively on the ground.  (The expectation being that laying underground railways isn't an effective attack profile)

It would also explain the lasers ability to potentially die in the first shot.  The orbiting warship just got lucky with its game of wack a mole.

I can't remember the name of the series, but someone on the forums mentioned a book series in which a planet was defended by a single giant laser deep underground, which could cover the entire sky by bouncing the laser around a system of mirrors.  The laser itself never moved, they just turned the mirrors.

[Erik L]

I can't remember the name of the series, but someone on the forums mentioned a book series in which a planet was defended by a single giant laser deep underground, which could cover the entire sky by bouncing the laser around a system of mirrors.  The laser itself never moved, they just turned the mirrors.

Trojan Gate series by John Ringo.

[Bremen]

Trojan Gate series by John Ringo.

I think they're actually referring to the Human Reach series, which featured multiple underground lasers (one to a bunker), but each did indeed have multiple emitters it could fire out of to keep the orbital ships from targeting the laser and reactor itself.

The Trojan Gate series had something similar, but there it was a bunch of mirrors around the sun that directed a concentrated beam of light (not technically a laser) to a battlestation, which then aimed it at enemies with its own mirror (to avoid speed of light delays).

[Hazard]

Questions which have become relevant:

How large for transportation is a Cargo Shuttle Station?
Has the Fighter weight limit been decreased to 500 tons from 1000 tons?
Can Troop Transport Ships smaller than 500 tons deliver troops on planet without a drop bay or shuttles?
Will there be a dependency check for the construction/operation of shipyards and habitats for a spaceport or Cargo Shuttle Station?

[TheBawkHawk]

Has the Fighter weight limit been decreased to 500 tons from 1000 tons?

The Fighter mass limit has always been at 500 tons - FAC's have the 1000 ton limit.

Can Troop Transport Ships smaller than 500 tons deliver troops on planet without a drop bay or shuttles?

If my understanding of the rules is correct, then yes we should be able to use fighters as drop ships.

[Person012345]

Spaceports and Cargo Shuttle Stations can service any number of ships simultaneously but they do not stack. In effect they count as a single Cargo Shuttle Bay for any ship at the population.

Wait, does this mean there's no point in building more than one or am I misunderstanding something?