Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: Today at 12:32:13 AM »Ah the tension rackets! Looking forward to what awaits the poor nerve-wracked admiral and his fleet!
Posted by: Kurt
« on: March 31, 2025, 04:32:16 PM »It's like the nervous little action before the grand battle.
The Terran Fleet is nearing the end stages of its refit to solid core anti-matter engines, and the support fleet is not far behind. That means the main fleet will be 128% faster than it was, which is good, obviously. But it will still be slower than the observed speed of both the friendly Bob's, which ranges from 5,500 to 17,000 km/s, and the hostile Octs, who have ships that range from 14,000 to 22,000 km/s.
I've boosted my fleet speed as much as I can, without seriously compromising either endurance or payload, or both. The distance to the Oct and Bob home worlds is currently almost fifty billion kilometers, and even with a forward base boosting the fleet's speed would increase their fuel consumption too much for my comfort.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: March 30, 2025, 07:38:45 PM »It's like the nervous little action before the grand battle.
Posted by: Kurt
« on: January 23, 2025, 11:41:15 AM »There we go, a huge new threat and a looming battle!
!!!! I know, right! I was beginning to wonder if anything was ever going to come out of that damned thing.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: January 22, 2025, 06:49:03 PM »There we go, a huge new threat and a looming battle!
Posted by: Kurt
« on: December 10, 2024, 06:14:45 PM »That's a huge battle, well done. Wonder why they didn't group up their ships properly.
I wondered that as well. I would have beat them no matter what, I think, but if they had unified their groups it would have been harder, especially since some of the ships were anti-missile escorts.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: December 08, 2024, 06:54:05 PM »That's a huge battle, well done. Wonder why they didn't group up their ships properly.
Posted by: Kurt
« on: December 02, 2024, 12:54:20 PM »What an elusive enemy, leaving bread crumbs here and there.
The swarms are proving to be very frustrating to deal with. They aren't tied to planets or populations, which gives them the ability to set up shop in any system. In addition, they don't seem to concentrate all of their forces in one place, which makes eliminating them difficult. A challenge!
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: December 01, 2024, 06:48:47 PM »What an elusive enemy, leaving bread crumbs here and there.
Posted by: Kurt
« on: October 21, 2024, 08:14:44 AM »That was a nailbiter of a battle! Good job preserving most of the fleet.
Yes it was! It was probably the closest I've come to actually losing my primary fleet in all of my campaigns. That would probably have been survivable, since the Swarm doesn't seem to rapidly follow up, but it took a long time to build the fleet and I was really sweating it for a while. When I realized I had made a major mistake by not engaging them on the LaGrange point, I also realized that the LaGrange point was my only hope.
Posted by: Garfunkel
« on: October 20, 2024, 07:59:49 PM »That was a nailbiter of a battle! Good job preserving most of the fleet.
Posted by: Kurt
« on: September 30, 2024, 10:25:12 AM »Would you be able to share your initial tug, fuel harvester, etc designs? you know the behind the scenes work horses of any empire ... thanks!
As requested:
1st Gen freighter. The current 5th gen freighter has the same capacity, but has gradually grown by 4,000 tons and has a top speed of 2311 km/s.
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Freighter class Cargo Ship 39,719 tons 121 Crew 447.7 BP TCS 794 TH 720 EM 0
906 km/s Armour 1-103 Shields 0-0 HTK 45 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 7 Max Repair 50 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 9
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Commercial NGC Engine (4) Power 720 Fuel Use 1.41% Signature 180 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 32.2 billion km (410 days at full power)
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk II (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Basic EM Sensor Mk II (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Freighter for auto-assignment purposes
1st Gen colonist transport. As with the freighter, the transport grew by about 4,500 tons by the 5th gen model, and the 5th gen model has a top speed of 2301 km/s.
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Colonial Transport class Colonist Transport 39,906 tons 176 Crew 1,235 BP TCS 798 TH 720 EM 0
902 km/s Armour 1-104 Shields 0-0 HTK 50 Sensors 6/6/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 19 Max Repair 400 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 100,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 9
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Commercial NGC Engine (4) Power 720 Fuel Use 1.41% Signature 180 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 100,000 Litres Range 32 billion km (410 days at full power)
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk II (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
Basic EM Sensor Mk II (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen harvester. The 4th gen (current) design is about 1,000 tons larger and has a top speed of 1471 km/s.
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Harvester class Fuel Harvester 40,279 tons 168 Crew 693.9 BP TCS 806 TH 675 EM 0
837 km/s Armour 1-104 Shields 0-0 HTK 87 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 10 Max Repair 33.8 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Fuel Harvester: 10 modules producing 1,000,000 litres per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (3) Power 675 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 5,000,000 Litres Range 1,848.5 billion km (25560 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Fuel Harvester for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen salvager. The current 4th gen is 4,000 tons larger and has a top speed of 1922 km/s.
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Salvage class Salvager 48,609 tons 171 Crew 673.6 BP TCS 972 TH 900 EM 0
925 km/s Armour 1-118 Shields 0-0 HTK 50 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 8 Max Repair 200 MSP
Cargo 25,000
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Salvager: 1 module(s) capable of salvaging 500 tons per day
Commercial Ion Drive (4) Power 900 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 76.6 billion km (958 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Salvager for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen stabilization ship. The current 6th gen stabilization ship is a whopping 22,000 tons larger and has a top speed of 1770 km/s.
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Jump Gate class Stabilisation Ship 58,109 tons 150 Crew 1,408.1 BP TCS 1,162 TH 450 EM 0
387 km/s Armour 1-133 Shields 0-0 HTK 39 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 15 Max Repair 1,000 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 120 months
Jump Point Stabilisation: 180 days
Commercial Ion Drive (2) Power 450 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 128.2 billion km (3834 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Stabilisation Ship for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen tanker. The current 4th gen model is about 800 tons larger and has a top speed of 2821 km/s.
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Accelerator class Support Vessel 20,378 tons 89 Crew 342.7 BP TCS 408 TH 675 EM 0
1656 km/s Armour 1-66 Shields 0-0 HTK 33 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 510 Max Repair 33.8 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Commercial Ion Drive (3) Power 675 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 10,000,000 Litres Range 7,314.4 billion km (51121 days at full power)
Refuelling Capability: 50,000 litres per hour Complete Refuel 200 hours
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a None for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen terraformer. The current 4th gen version is 7,000 tons larger and has a top speed of 907 km/s.
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Terra class Terraformer 82,701 tons 350 Crew 1,892.6 BP TCS 1,654 TH 450 EM 0
272 km/s Armour 1-169 Shields 0-0 HTK 61 Sensors 8/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 500 MSP
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months
Terraformer: 3 modules producing 0.0023 atm per annum
Commercial Ion Drive (2) Power 450 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 27 billion km (1150 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Thermal Sensor Mk III (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 22.4m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Terraformer for auto-assignment purposes
1st gen tug. The current 4th gen tug is over 2,000 tons larger and has a top speed of 5869 km/s.
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Tug class Tug 32,227 tons 204 Crew 725.7 BP TCS 645 TH 2,250 EM 0
3490 km/s Armour 1-90 Shields 0-0 HTK 96 Sensors 11/11/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 100 MSP
Tractor Beam
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Commercial Ion Drive (10) Power 2250 Fuel Use 1.21% Signature 225 Explosion 3%
Fuel Capacity 400,000 Litres Range 185 billion km (613 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk IV (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 26.2m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Tug for auto-assignment purposes
While the above tug is fine for towing disabled ships and smaller maintenance and recreation bases, they proved to be too small to tow the larger orbital habitats, so this tug was deployed:
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Large Tug class Tug 84,571 tons 424 Crew 1,890.2 BP TCS 1,691 TH 10,156 EM 0
6004 km/s Armour 1-171 Shields 0-0 HTK 239 Sensors 14/14/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 13 Max Repair 100 MSP
Tractor Beam
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 36 months
Commercial Inertial Fusion Drive (25) Power 10156.2 Fuel Use 0.49% Signature 406.25 Explosion 2%
Fuel Capacity 500,000 Litres Range 217 billion km (418 days at full power)
Basic EM Sensor Mk V (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
Basic Thermal Sensor Mk V (1) Sensitivity 14 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 29.6m km
This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Tug for auto-assignment purposes
As you can see by the designs above, all of my support ships were designed to be rather small, cheap, and slow at the start of the game. This fit the economy of my race at the time, as it was limited to one planet in one system. As the game has gone on and the empire grew, though, the designs became larger, usually to accommodate larger engines so that their top speed could be increased. This was desirable as the frontiers keep being pushed back, and higher speed were necessary to move things along at a reasonable pace. Certain designs, like the harvesters and the terraformers, were kept to relatively low speeds as they were intended to be stationary for long periods of time.
Posted by: PaxMondo
« on: September 29, 2024, 09:15:53 AM »Would you be able to share your initial tug, fuel harvester, etc designs? you know the behind the scenes work horses of any empire ... thanks!
Posted by: PaxMondo
« on: September 29, 2024, 08:56:39 AM »Just re-joined after a long sabbatical of sorts. Enjoying the read, thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Kurt
« on: August 28, 2024, 11:20:48 AM »Looks like the Raiders are now more of a logistical challenge rather than an existential threat.
But logistics is life. Therefore...
Yes, the empire now out-techs them, and their military ships can outrun all of the raiders, so they aren't a major threat any more. However, they are damned annoying. And I must admit, when I realized they were raiding in uninhabited and unexploited systems it caused more than a little unease, as they were completely undefended. Fortunately, there was only one such system that was a critical problem, however, there are several others that could be a lessor problem in the future, particularly if expansion continues.
With High Guard station established in the solar system, close to the jump point, there are now naval forces stationed there that can rapidly respond to most of the nearby systems in a reasonable amount of time without having to climb out of the inner system.
