Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: May 26, 2020, 11:51:42 PM »Yes, without TN tech you cannot:
1 - perform a geological survey
2a - have active contacts (since AS5 is behind TN tech)
2b - since no AS, there can be no using missiles with conventional engines against actual targets (aside from planets as planets can be hit without MFC)
3 - transport troops
I recommend doing pre-TN tech ground war entirely on Earth. It does stretch the imagination of how you would wage war on Luna or Mars effectively without magic space suits and so on. Casualties would be horrendous because the smallest scratch would mean death unless you were really good and really fast with a patching kit.
Alternatively, you can use SM mode to give yourself TN tech and then the troop transport, troop transport - drop capable, techs of various sizes, then delete TN tech so that all the other stuff won't clutter your research window. The transport modules should remain available to you for use with ship designs.
A second alternative is what I'm using in my 1890 campaign - research just the basics needed to get those transport modules and intentionally stop there. So my ground forces will largely be pre-TN level when they hit Mars.
1 - perform a geological survey
2a - have active contacts (since AS5 is behind TN tech)
2b - since no AS, there can be no using missiles with conventional engines against actual targets (aside from planets as planets can be hit without MFC)
3 - transport troops
I recommend doing pre-TN tech ground war entirely on Earth. It does stretch the imagination of how you would wage war on Luna or Mars effectively without magic space suits and so on. Casualties would be horrendous because the smallest scratch would mean death unless you were really good and really fast with a patching kit.
Alternatively, you can use SM mode to give yourself TN tech and then the troop transport, troop transport - drop capable, techs of various sizes, then delete TN tech so that all the other stuff won't clutter your research window. The transport modules should remain available to you for use with ship designs.
A second alternative is what I'm using in my 1890 campaign - research just the basics needed to get those transport modules and intentionally stop there. So my ground forces will largely be pre-TN level when they hit Mars.