National Updates Comment Thread

[Felixg]

I am curious why the nations suffering fuel shortages aren't trading some of their excess resources for fuel to keep themselves from stalling out?

I would think as well that someone like the Centauri and/or Mars would work out such a deal to move closer to Manchu for example to better check future Japanese aggression

[Jakalo]

I just want to see the all forgotten Russians to turn up at some time and destroy some poor schmuck with one salvo.

The way things are going on now I wouldn't be surprised to see the Brasil exploit the Second Alpha Centauri war either by attacking one of their premeditated targets or joining in on the Japanese gangbang.

[Bremen]

Is the new alien race's flag a smiley face? Because that's what I see when I look at it 

The new update format sounds fine; I look forward to seeing where things go from here. I can't even begin to imagine how big this game is getting at this point!

[TheDeadlyShoe]

would love to see aliens with a legit Casus Belli against humanity. Perhaps invasion by one of the human factions that doesnt realize how powerful the aliens are, perhaps Opium Wars-ish purveyance of a drug or trade good viewed as societally toxic.

[mrwigggles]

There isn't really a 'real' CB for space 4x games, besides idealogical. There isn't any issue with maps, so there no border tensions. Its cheaper to just find other places with resources then to try and militarily take it.  Without the first two, you won't have a diplomatic reasons to go to war, through obligation. Even Ideological is hard to deal with, as meme to how I understand, try to propagate itself with the least amount of cost. And interstellar war is super duper expensive. Easier to colonized uncontested worlds and have the newly born population accept the meme.


As the solarian powers move away from Earth, they too are losing reasons to really go to war. Its cheaper to expand away from each other then to attack each other.

Look at the Caphilate, if they didnt decide to try and contest the Ebens from the US, they would be in an infinite stronger position then they are now, and will be more then likely forever weaker then the other solarian powers. Even if they combine with Martian Union, they're still going to be the runt.

If the game wasn't being played to help ensure conflict, the solorian powers would be better off long term, ignoring the industrialize base left on earth, making a new industrial base with new stuff. Leave earth, negate it as a security risk, negate the tension.

[xeryon]

Ahh...yes, but...  There's always a but.

Humans are not all rational thinkers.  Bias, prejudice, discrimination, heritage, emotion and many other purely internal inputs go into the decision making process.  The same rationalization could be applied to our modern world as well and look at what we have now.    The irrational decision making of human actors is what makes almost every story arc interesting. 

[Nyvis]

. . .

Short term, you're definitely right.  But as time passes, distance between the core parts of a nation and resources will increase, and expanding in only one direction will make for complicated logistics, when opening a way through another nation could make for a more compact empire.  There is also cases where war is pretty much needed for expansion because you're surrounded.  Population is also a resource which is easier to obtain through conquest.  If you wanted to increase the rate of conflict, creating more connections between existing systems rather than expanding space would be helpful.

As for the aliens, I'd be happy to see the game keep going as it has, rather than being centred around one big threat.  I've always disliked this trope in fiction.  I feel it's too limiting.  The interactions between the empires have been interesting so far. 

[TMaekler]

Just a technical question: reading through the first chapters of this story and was wondering what those UK mobile jump gates are? Just simple jump ships large enough for any kind of ship to jump them? Or is there something I yet do not know about Aurora? 

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I don't think I've seen the design anywhere, but the UK's starting OOB indicates that it's an 80,000 ton commercial design consisting primarily of a large jump drive and 2 cargo holds to fill out the tonnage (as well as a tiny # of engines).

[TMaekler]

No haven't seen any design specs, too. 

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

River class Mobile Jump Gate    80,000 tons     160 Crew     962.6 BP      TCS 1600  TH 600  EM 0
375 km/s    JR 2-25(C)     Armour 1-165     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/6/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
MSP 8    Max Repair 218 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 2   
Cargo 50000   

JC80K Commercial Jump Drive     Max Ship Size 80500 tons    Distance 25k km     Squadron Size 2
Rolls-Royce Commercial Ion Drive (2)    Power 300    Fuel Use 6.19%    Signature 300    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres    Range 72.7 billion km   (2243 days at full power)

Navigation Sensor (1)     GPS 1920     Range 10.5m km    Resolution 120
EM Detection Sensor (1)     Sensitivity 6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  6m km

[Nyvis]

Why is it necessary to add cargo holds? Can't you put a jumpdrive with a max size larger than the ship and use it this way? Or do you need the ship to be as big as what he ferries through?

[QuakeIV]

You need that, yeah.  Much to my irritation when I made a formation leader that was too small but had an otherwise adequate jump drive.

e:  Guy below me phrased it better.

[Cassaralla]

Why is it necessary to add cargo holds? Can't you put a jumpdrive with a max size larger than the ship and use it this way? Or do you need the ship to be as big as what he ferries through?

Yes, the size of ship it can jump is the lower of jumpdrive rating and jumpship tonnage.  ie a 20k tonne jumpship with a 50k tonne jumpdrive can still only jump 20k ships.

[Haji]

I'm sorry to see you change formats. I know why you're doing it but I have to admit I loved how the nation-by-nation report gave every single player a spotlight, even if it was just a glorified way of saying 'nothing to see here, move along'. Than again I'm mostly a builder when it comes to strategy games so for me seeing those simple struggles of small powers to stay relevant was as satisfying, if not more so, than reading about battles.
Thank you for the ongoing reports and I hope you have enough fun with this campaign to continue it for a long time to come, as it's quite a good one.