The BattleStar Challenge

[Brian Neumann]

I have played out a game without a homeworld, similiar to this.  You can keep going without it spamming you.  I do seem to remember not abandoning the colony untill I was out of the system.

Brian

[Steve Walmsley]

I was actually thinking of something along these lines for my next campaign. To support that I was considering several new systems. The main one would be some form of Warhammer 40K style Standard Template Constructor. This would be a designed ship system that was capable of building one particular type of missile or fighter (different STC for missiles and fighters with the latter either being much larger or having a much lower construction rate). STC technologies would be researchable and affect size and construction rate (and perhaps efficiency). A ship would be able to mount multiple modules, although they would be large. You would supply the ship with this module with minerals and it would be able to build that missile or fighter. The ship would need magazines/hangars so the new missiles/fighters would have somewhere to go. You wouldn't be able to change what it could build though so it would eventually be obsolete. Of course, that would also allow the possibility of finding advanced alien versions of STCs, or maybe even a special shipyard-sized alien STC that could produce full size ships. Some form of STC module that constructed maintenance supplies would also be useful.

As someone mentioned, you are going to need some type of maintenance vessels. You could designate a small asteroid or moon as a temporary colony and park your ships there. You will also need some ships carrying additional maintenance supplies. Asteroid miners and fuel harvesters are also going to be vital as well as some terraformers. Tugs would be an option as perhaps you might be towing a large and vulnerable shipyard.

Steve

[Beersatron]

I was actually thinking of something along these lines for my next campaign. To support that I was considering several new systems. The main one would be some form of Warhammer 40K style Standard Template Constructor. This would be a designed ship system that was capable of building one particular type of missile or fighter (different STC for missiles and fighters with the latter either being much larger or having a much lower construction rate). STC technologies would be researchable and affect size and construction rate (and perhaps efficiency). A ship would be able to mount multiple modules, although they would be large. You would supply the ship with this module with minerals and it would be able to build that missile or fighter. The ship would need magazines/hangars so the new missiles/fighters would have somewhere to go. You wouldn't be able to change what it could build though so it would eventually be obsolete. Of course, that would also allow the possibility of finding advanced alien versions of STCs, or maybe even a special shipyard-sized alien STC that could produce full size ships. Some form of STC module that constructed maintenance supplies would also be useful.

As someone mentioned, you are going to need some type of maintenance vessels. You could designate a small asteroid or moon as a temporary colony and park your ships there. You will also need some ships carrying additional maintenance supplies. Asteroid miners and fuel harvesters are also going to be vital as well as some terraformers. Tugs would be an option as perhaps you might be towing a large and vulnerable shipyard.

Steve

The STCs sound good for forwardly deployed naval bases that do not necessarily have a population to support them. Would they be able to produce the missiles/fighters while moving or would they have to be in order of something the same way maintenance modules on a ship do?

I am not liking this talk of a next campaign though! Get back to writing the Nato/Soviet one, or else ... ! 

[Steve Walmsley]

The STCs sound good for forwardly deployed naval bases that do not necessarily have a population to support them. Would they be able to produce the missiles/fighters while moving or would they have to be in order of something the same way maintenance modules on a ship do?

The intention is that they would be able to do it while moving. I am considering some major database changes to remove the direct link between system bodies and populations and between populations and production, so that you could have deep space populations and automated production without supporting populations. This is a lot of work though and a lot of potential for bugs so it won't happen until I have a lot more free time. I think I could handle the STCs though without those changes by treating them as a special case.

I am not liking this talk of a next campaign though! Get back to writing the Nato/Soviet one, or else ... ! 

The next part is almost written but I am still in the middle of a battle featuring the latest Eridani designs and I won't be able to finish it until next weekend

Steve

[ardem (OP)]

Well I started tackling the Research section last night, 1,000,000 RP is not enough (well it is) well it is but it is so tough, that you need to go maximum two directions with your weapon systems. I have decided to go with a very close range defense system. No Missile, most my cargo will be used for maintenance, so missile just take up room, so I chosen, gauss turrets for point defense, lasers for close in work and gunboats with a mix of lasers and plasma carronades. Fighters for running down those that don't want to fight.

My biggest fear is running into vessel that can outstrip me with speed such over 10,000km/s

I am hoping the vast array of mutual gauss defense fire can stop even the most determined missile attack. I also gone for research for a orbital base with habitat and maintenance modules up to 14,000 tons, this will not help my carriers but the rest will be ok, I will rely on dragging one military, space dock for that.

My hope are I run into Precursors, and salvage parts especially missile tech, I find ruins and get more tech and an ordnance factory, maintenance modules

This challenge is going to be tough.

My attack options will be complex, because of my range limitations, gunboats with point defence system will lead, with fighter following, these will absorb the missile fire and then break off when close, the fighter will then zoom in with close in laser work, and finally the gunboat plasma with be third to make a huge hole in the vessel.

I also gone for shields, over armour, my hope is due to regeneration it will lighten the load on requirements.

Now to ship design, the tech is there how to make the best use of it

[Shadow]

Missiles are a severe logistical burden in this scenario. I'd rather invest the RP on further engine technology so to allow for fast direct fire warships and forget about missiles entirely.

But even if you spent your RP elsewhere, with solid point defense missile enemies become a non-issue. Even if your engine technology isn't advanced enough to chase after dry missiles ships, your primary goal is survival.

[jseah]

Might it be worth it to have improved grav. sensors?  I never research them in my games but that's because I have all the time I need. 
In this one, you might want to scram out of a system ASAP and you can't retreat according to the rules. 


It appears that a gauss cannon defence + plasma carronade or lasers would be the way to go.  Leaning towards lasers, since they can contribute to missile defence as well. 
Massive engine tech will be required, as well as shields.  Or perhaps you could try having powerful ECM and hope that screws things up. 

[Shadow]

Leaning towards lasers, since they can contribute to missile defence as well. 

Railguns better contribute to missile defence and still pack a nice punch. Less armour penetration than lasers, but the volume of fire certainly makes up for it.

[Brian Neumann]

Railguns better contribute to missile defence and still pack a nice punch. Less armour penetration than lasers, but the volume of fire certainly makes up for it.

The drawback to railguns is their range.  I decided to go with lasers and push my capaciter tech and fire control speed up.  I can fire a 15cm laser every 5 seconds and a 25cm every 15 seconds.  Smaller ships only carry the 15cm and the biggest carry 25cm, all turreted.  This way every combat ship is configured for point defense.  My commercial ships have several layers of armour (4-5) and a few ciws to make them much tougher missile targets.  Due to the range of missiles in this game I can not see keeping enemy missile ships out of range of the civilians on a reliable basis.  My ciws are admitedly on the poor side with no eccm, and rof of 3, but they should help out there.  My warships do not have any ciws as I am using the lasers for both point defense and offense on everyone.  This saved me a tech track to work with.

Brian

[ardem (OP)]

The rules state  only the designated capital ship cannot retreat (unless it come to a jump dead end), although it would be wise to scout a system first, before making your choice to enter it.

E.G. Say your in a jump system that has 4 options it might be wise to scout each one before choice which way. Although having said that if you got invaders following behind you jump gate to jump gate, you may want to improve those grav scanner baby.

I going a slightly different option here, 10 FAC's with 2 scanners each launched from a mother ship, then returned, I think this will get me enough speed for system hops.

I also reread someone comment about finance, I suggest you just bump your finance up to something where you don't need to worry about it, if it goes below just SM it again, in this scenario finance is not a concern.

[jseah]

I also reread someone comment about finance, I suggest you just bump your finance up to something where you don't need to worry about it, if it goes below just SM it again, in this scenario finance is not a concern.

If we have unlimited wealth, I can foresee engineer brigades becoming very broken. 

1 engineer brigade = 1 CF.  HQ does not improve this, so forget those. 

1 engineer brigade needs:
5x troop transport bay = 250 HS

1 CF needs:
5x cargo hold = 500 HS
50k colonist = 1 OH

1 million tons = 20 000 HS.  Spend half of that on troop transports = 40 engineer brigades = 40 CF equivalents.  That's significant! 

Nab buildrate 30bp, fill the rest of your cargo with automines and you can build an OH in ~0.5 years, 1 maintenance facility in ~45 days.  You could turn it into an OH-only challenge. 

[ardem (OP)]

Suggestions then on financial limit without bankrupting the fleet?

We could just put a cap on the number of engineer brigades, say 5?

That will fix your concerns, and not have finances impact on the fleet?

Or engineers cannot be used in a construction role only in a recovery role aka ruins.

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I am not sure I can nut down every exploit and rule for it, I think some people will have to make there own decision on the spirit of the challenge.

[dooots]

I wouldn't worry about covering everything given that this is not how the game is meant to be played you will likely have to leave holes open to keep the challenge playable.

Also going stationary for extended period of time and using resources to build what you most likely can't move opens up the chance of invaders showing up and forcing you to move before you can take advantage of what you build.  It also means when you find NPR's they are going to be higher tech then if you didn't stop in the first place.

[Charlie Beeler]

For purposes of this scenario what defines a capital ship?

[ardem (OP)]

My thoughts are but not concrete, the Capital Ship must have possibly a Flag Bridge and the highest ranking officer on it, or I would also accept na Orbital Station as well but ship design is entirely up to yourself.

Although I would suggest something with decent protection