Author Topic: Lifeboats  (Read 3116 times)

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Offline Barkhorn (OP)

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Lifeboats
« on: June 09, 2017, 04:33:56 PM »
I'm thinking of including a boat bay on practically all my ships, so I can include a small lifeboat.  The lifeboat with be 5HS.  3HS engine on pretty high boost settings and minimum thermal signature.  1-0.5 month deployment time (so I can have extra life support for rescued crew), and the rest will be fuel.

If a ship gets crippled, I launch the life-boat and abandon ship.  Then I use the lifeboat to pick up the survivors, and flee.

Sound like a good plan?  The idea is mostly to prevent commanders from being captured, but saving people is cool too.
 

Offline MagusXIX

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2017, 05:27:44 PM »
Shuttles are something I do on all of my flagships/command-ships. It's really nice to evacuate senior staff when possible, and it gives me something to use the small boat bays for. Just 1 small boat bay per "shuttle." I don't know how useful this is against the AI, though, since I mostly play vs myself in contrived scenarios. Of course, I'm also the sort of player that actually creates VIP transports to cart my personnel around rather than just assigning them and letting the game abstract it out. Losing someone with a really high bonus sucks, and I like to give the opposition the chance to make such good catches. Stealth gameplay is almost always nail-bitingly fun.

Speaking of stealth, I recommend making a stealthy version of these "lifeboats."

Will the AI hunt down escape pods?
 

Offline Barkhorn (OP)

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2017, 05:48:23 PM »
The AI does hunt down escape pods.

I had planned on using my best level of reduced signature tech on the lifeboat's engine.  It's gonna be way too small to fit a cloak on; not that it matters though, at 250 tons they'll be very difficult to spot on actives anyways.
 

Iranon

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2017, 05:59:37 PM »
I've come to appreciate a small hangar on major warships if I don't have carriers as the centerpiece of my navy.
Modular sensor packages, miniature hospital ships (which could double at lifeboats; haven't yet run a comparison between cryo storage and short-deployment excess quarters), flag-bridge-in-a-box, box launcher pods, buoy/mine launcher pods, boarding shuttle, high-powered interceptor craft that can hopefully keep up with some of the slower missiles...

there is a great deal of stuff that might be mightily useful for a given mission, but which would be excessive to put on every ship.
 

Offline Barkhorn (OP)

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2017, 10:49:55 PM »
It might be worth it to build small carriers that house only utility fighters like that.  I'm thinking somewhere in the 6-10k ton range; not a full-size fleet carrier.  Just big enough to bring a lifeboat, some sensor ships, maybe a mine/buoy layer, a boarding craft, maybe a bomber for dropping actual bombs on poorly defended ground targets.
 

Offline I_Sicarius_I

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2017, 05:31:32 AM »
Quote from: Barkhorn link=topic=9554. msg103092#msg103092 date=1497152995
It might be worth it to build small carriers that house only utility fighters like that.   I'm thinking somewhere in the 6-10k ton range; not a full-size fleet carrier.   Just big enough to bring a lifeboat, some sensor ships, maybe a mine/buoy layer, a boarding craft, maybe a bomber for dropping actual bombs on poorly defended ground targets.

In my current play through im fielding a small escort carrier at about 18kt it holds 14 350ish ton fighters.  Im equipping it with 10 SI Fighters 2 interceptors and 2 scouts or bombers.  There interceptors should be able to keep up with average missiles and fighters.  About 40kk/s and their missiles can catch anything else.  Also has a single gauss cannon. 
 

Offline Starmantle

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2018, 12:44:10 AM »
THis is a really fun idea.  Does anyone have any designs for these lifeboats to share?
 

Offline Drgong

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2018, 09:19:52 PM »
I generally store these on colonies, they last forever on a populated world, I if I have unsettled systems I want to lifeboat I just add deployment time in a variation.   

Code: [Select]
Class-B lifeboat class Shuttle    255 tons     7 Crew     52.2 BP      TCS 5.1  TH 50  EM 0
9803 km/s     Armour 1-3     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 1     PPV 0
Maint Life 88.24 Years     MSP 128    AFR 0%    IFR 0%    1YR 0    5YR 0    Max Repair 25 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months    Spare Berths 3   
Cryogenic Berths 200   

Farscape Ldt.  50 EP Internal Fusion Drive (Fighter) (1)    Power 50    Fuel Use 136.96%    Signature 50    Exp 12%
Fuel Capacity 20 000 Litres    Range 10.3 billion km   (12 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
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Offline Starmantle

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Re: Lifeboats
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2018, 06:34:43 PM »
Looks good!