Anchovie-Class Monitor

[Jorgen_CAB]

I just checked it out in my AS21/EM11/TH11 tech level game and a sensor platform with all 3 combined needs 21 Uridium. Or maybe it was 26. I should've written it down. That's peanuts. Unless the Uridium requirements skyrocket with higher tech levels, the mineral requirement will not be an issue, especially since they won't need maintenance so it's a one off cost.

I am worried though that they will cause a massive flood of "crew morale dropped" messages once they run out of the 3 month deployment time. We will see if that makes them unusable in the long run.

It is 43 Uridium for all three at that level... 11+11+21

A transport ship with a standard Cargo module have a construction cost of 350-400 roughly depending on engine technology and type. Some commercial ships probably are more expensive some cheaper.

I'm not saying it is a huge cost but still a significant cost in comparison with the ships overall cost.

[Cinnius]

    Watchtower class Early Warning Craft    125 tons     7 Crew     43 BP      TCS 2. 5  TH 0  EM 0
    1 km/s     Armour 1-2     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
    MSP 215    Max Repair 28 MSP
    Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 3   

    Active Search Sensor MR11-R1 (1)     GPS 28     Range 11. 2m km    MCR 1. 2m km    Resolution 1

    This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

I have little knowledge of the game so sorry for the dumb question.  Why only 3 months deployment time? for a long term watchtower is not required a much long deployment time?

[Tree]

    Watchtower class Early Warning Craft    125 tons     7 Crew     43 BP      TCS 2. 5  TH 0  EM 0
    1 km/s     Armour 1-2     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
    MSP 215    Max Repair 28 MSP
    Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 3   

    Active Search Sensor MR11-R1 (1)     GPS 28     Range 11. 2m km    MCR 1. 2m km    Resolution 1

    This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes

I have little knowledge of the game so sorry for the dumb question.  Why only 3 months deployment time? for a long term watchtower is not required a much long deployment time?

It's a commercial vessel. They do lose morale too if they're deployed longer than planned, but morale doesn't always affect their performance. IIRC for commercial ships it'll only slow down geological survey and combat response time. By setting it to only 3 months instead of 12 or 60 or 120, you save up some tonnage.

[Michael Sandy]

If all you want is a bare bones EM and TH sensor, you can make a fighter with zero systems at all, nothing but crew endurance.  I have Long Watches, which are 15 ton fighters with 50 year crew endurance.  It isn't necessary, 3 months would be enough for a commercial ship/station, but it was cheesy enough I wanted there to be some cost to it.

[Jorgen_CAB]

If all you want is a bare bones EM and TH sensor, you can make a fighter with zero systems at all, nothing but crew endurance.  I have Long Watches, which are 15 ton fighters with 50 year crew endurance.  It isn't necessary, 3 months would be enough for a commercial ship/station, but it was cheesy enough I wanted there to be some cost to it.

In role-play spirit I usually consider commercial stations at 3 moths deployment to receive worker and replacement crew once in a while. I even create small shuttle craft and set them to automated movement between stations and populated colonies to represent this. These small shuttles are carrying replacement crew and supplies.

This usually make sense to me that it would work like that, this is also how I imagine that most commercial vessels to work, they will replace their crews once in a while when they are at populated colonies.