Aurora C# Screenshots

[83athom]

Hell I would like to see the option to have crewless ships completely. (Granted I just fluffed all my ships as being crewless anyway, even though the game forced me to have crews)

Maybe even haivng a "robotic/computer" species where the ship is the crew. Bonuses would be not needing crew, and by extension deployment time is largely irrelevant. Drawbacks would be maintenance and repair/damage control is far more difficult as there is no crew (except some repair droids and whatnot).

[Tree]

I would prefer if this was technology dependent instead.

A modern Zumwalt class warship of ~15000 tons have a crew of 140 ( 1 man per 107 ton )
A WW2 Pensacola class warship of ~12000 tons had a crew of 1200 ( 1 man per 10 ton )

And I'm pretty sure our "race" has not evolved that much during the last 70 years in terms of efficiency, or what standards of crew compartments we except. Rather the other way around a crewman today probably expects alot better quarters and facilities then one did back during WW2.


Why not have a separate technology line called "crew automation", or even have specific automation techs reducing crew needs of each research area, by offloading administrative or repetitive work to computers/automation?

It could also be interesting to swap between 2, 3 and 4 shift (12,8 or 6 hours per day "on duty" station respectively), since this would impact morale and crew needed.

I doubt Aurora ships start at WW2 levels of automation or that every bunk always has somebody sleeping in for 8 hours. And most of the crew's likely already people watching over automated systems and maintaining them rather than manual control.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

there's been numerous space-1889 style playthroughs, where TN materials are discovered with relatively primitive technology.   And Steve's  C# aurora campaign seems to be warhammer-40k.  Lots of reasons for poorly automated ships :^)

[Tree]

So my battleships built and launched in 2025 are going to need thousand slaves to load in railgun shells and thousands doing calculations by hand before my empire discovers basic mechanics and electronics? That's not exactly appreciable.

[83athom]

So my battleships built and launched in 2025 are going to need thousand slaves to load in railgun shells and thousands doing calculations by hand before my empire discovers basic mechanics and electronics? That's not exactly appreciable.

Hush now. Back onto the engine hand crank you go.

[ORCACommander]

You have not prayed to the omnisiah hard enough.

Remember that the crew module stats are not just only volume and mass for comfort and recreation but also food and potable drinking water life support, toilet paper

[Cassaralla]

One should never enter combat without the requisite amount of loo roll onboard.

[MarcAFK]

Ffs, back in my day we didn't even have artificial gravity toilets. We had to make do with a plastic bag with a single finger glove built into it.
-Buzz Aldrin 2025 (That guy's still alive? Holy frakk)

[alex_brunius]

I doubt Aurora ships start at WW2 levels of automation or that every bunk always has somebody sleeping in for 8 hours. And most of the crew's likely already people watching over automated systems and maintaining them rather than manual control.

I never claimed it would. It was intended to show a trend that automation keeps increasing.

Why do you think this trend would suddenly end? With more advanced technology more and more things can be offloaded and automated.

Some Sci-fi games like Eve online even have a single person piloting a Battleship or a Titan alone...

Spaceships do have alot in common with submarines ( where even the most modern ones have shared bunks ), so I tend to imagine shared bunks are used at least on my Spaceships on <1 year missions.

Perhaps have it as a drop down option in the design screen with a corresponding adjustment to costs of that piece of kit. Can then way up having ships with small crew but expensive v larger crews to manage and train but cheaper.

That would be pretty awesome. Have the automation and reduced crew increase cost, so that it's a trade-off. Brilliant!

Remember that the crew module stats are not just only volume and mass for comfort and recreation but also food and potable drinking water life support, toilet paper

Well more advanced technology also means that such things can be miniaturized and be made more efficient. Say for example a Star Trek food replicator seems way more efficient then refrigeration of tons of food for long duration missions.

[Hazard]

I never claimed it would. It was intended to show a trend that automation keeps increasing.

Why do you think this trend would suddenly end? With more advanced technology more and more things can be offloaded and automated.

Some Sci-fi games like Eve online even have a single person piloting a Battleship or a Titan alone...

Actually? No they don't. While Capsuleers greatly decrease crew requirements it's only about 10%, so even those tiny frigates require crew beyond the Capsuleer.

Spaceships do have alot in common with submarines ( where even the most modern ones have shared bunks ), so I tend to imagine shared bunks are used at least on my Spaceships on <1 year missions.

That would be pretty awesome. Have the automation and reduced crew increase cost, so that it's a trade-off. Brilliant!

This would only really work out if you are required to pay for your crew. You don't. You pay upkeep for your ground units but ships in travel expend only fuel. There is a ship maintenance header under the wealth tab, but that's for operating your maintenance facilities. Crew and officers are not actually paid, directly or otherwise. You could also increase mineral cost and weight of parts that are working with greater automation, but in that case you are basically creating the same ships at a premium for automation, losing capabilities that could otherwise be used.

Well more advanced technology also means that such things can be miniaturized and be made more efficient. Say for example a Star Trek food replicator seems way more efficient then refrigeration of tons of food for long duration missions.

Depends on required feedstock and energy efficiency.

[Tree]

I never claimed it would. It was intended to show a trend that automation keeps increasing.

Why do you think this trend would suddenly end? With more advanced technology more and more things can be offloaded and automated.

I never claimed this trend would end either. And as I said, most of the crew on an Aurora ship's probably already more involved into making sure everything runs fine rather than running things themselves. You can't just get rid of that kind of people and hope no problem ever arises.

Some Sci-fi games like Eve online even have a single person piloting a Battleship or a Titan alone...

Only special ops frigates and shuttles are actually only piloted by the capsuleer alone. Even T1 frigates have a small crew ontop of the capsuleer, while battleships have several thousands in crew and titans have several dozens thousands in crew. And that's with a capsuleer, ships without need even more.

[Elouda]

Interesting thought along the automation/crew reduction line of thought - cost was brought up as one factor, but another interesting impact of having more 'hands on deck' as it were (ie either reduced automation or deliberate overcrewing) would be boarding resistance, and could also be some kind of modifier to damage control. On the other hand, automated vessels would probably be more susceptible to microwave weapons, or even electronic attack/cyberwarfare...

[bean]

Spaceships do have alot in common with submarines ( where even the most modern ones have shared bunks ), so I tend to imagine shared bunks are used at least on my Spaceships on <1 year missions.

There's one very important thing they don't have in common with submarines.  A submarine has to have the same density as water.  A spaceship does not.  This is a major volume constraint on the submarine.

[Drizzt321]

There's one very important thing they don't have in common with submarines.   A submarine has to have the same density as water.   A spaceship does not.   This is a major volume constraint on the submarine.

Also, submarines can crack water through electrolysis for more water, spaceships can't do that unless they harvest it from things like comets or gas giants or such.  Or the occasional planet that has water/ice.

[alex_brunius]

Actually? No they don't. While Capsuleers greatly decrease crew requirements it's only about 10%, so even those tiny frigates require crew beyond the Capsuleer.

Only special ops frigates and shuttles are actually only piloted by the capsuleer alone. Even T1 frigates have a small crew ontop of the capsuleer, while battleships have several thousands in crew and titans have several dozens thousands in crew. And that's with a capsuleer, ships without need even more.

My point was that you control the Battleship or Titan 100% yourself. The crew is irrelevant and only "tacked on" as story fluff to explain away why your ships have tons of atmospheric looking windows and and give you some feeling of the battles being more epic...

Game mechanic wise, the crew don't control a single function of the ship, you as the player control all of it yourself, you don't give any orders and wait for them to be carried out, all is controlled via your interface directly with the ship. Not even damage control is boosted by your "crew" but by nano robots that repair your ships...

The crew in Eve is not important, hadly even mentioned anywhere. You never interact with them or manage them in any way at all, you don't pay them anything either, nor do they take casualties that need to be replaced when your ship take damage. The game basicaly ignores crew to such a degree that 90% of the players that didn't bother to read lore in depth didn't even realize there is a crew.