Endgame Flagship

[Grendel Marqun (OP)]

 I've got a game where I started at TL nothing, but now it's July 23, 2208. I'm still playing because there's 2 Aether Rifts on the map, and I'm wondering what's going to come out of them. (Please don't tell me, I want to find out the hard way )

So the design requirement for this ship is:

1. The most powerful sensors possible. (AKA, size 50 sensors all around)
2. Flag support for larger fleets. (A flag bridge)
3. A modicum of fleet-level AMM capability. (A few missile launchers)
4. Heavy shielding to absorb the fire that's typically directed at large active sensors.
5. Moderate self defense and area defense weaponry. (turreted 10 cm lasers for the PD aspect, and the rest via 30 cm and assorted small specialty missiles)
6. Speed sufficient to keep up with major fleet elements.

Missile nomenclature: E=ECCM, R=Retarget, T=Terminal guidance, NxN=number of warheads x kill size in MSP

Oculus class Light Cruiser      90,454 tons       2,671 Crew       255,937.8 BP       TCS 1,809    TH 82,500    EM 251,550
45603 km/s      Armour 20-179       Shields 8385-670       HTK 442      Sensors 3750/3750/0/0      DCR 100-11      PPV 190.32
Maint Life 1.81 Years     MSP 176,843    AFR 655%    IFR 9.1%    1YR 67,307    5YR 1,009,606    Max Repair 36,000 MSP
Magazine 2,021 / 0   
Captain    Control Rating 5   BRG   AUX   ENG   CIC   FLG   
Intended Deployment Time: 18 months    Morale Check Required   

Quantum Singularity Drive  EP41250.00 (2)    Power 82500    Fuel Use 6.99%    Signature 41250    Explosion 16%
Fuel Capacity 6,000,000 Litres    Range 170.7 billion km (43 days at full power)
Omega S1677 / R670 Shields (5)     Recharge Time 670 seconds (12.5 per second)

Twin 30cm C25 Far Gamma Ray Laser Turret (2x2)    Range 1,400,000km     TS: 80000 km/s     Power 48-50     RM 120,000 km    ROF 5       
Quad 10cm C3 Far Gamma Ray Laser Compressed Turret (10x4)    Range 360,000km     TS: 100000 km/s     Power 12-12     RM 120,000 km    ROF 5       
CIWS-1000 Mod 2 (4x16)    Range 1000 km     TS: 100,000 km/s     ROF 5       
Beam Fire Control R1400-TS100000 (5%) Mk2 (1)     Max Range: 1,400,000 km   TS: 100,000 km/s    ECCM-10   
Beam Fire Control R1400-TS80000 (5%) Mk2 (1)     Max Range: 1,400,000 km   TS: 80,000 km/s    ECCM-10   
Quantum Singularity Power Plant R358-PB60 (1)     Total Power Output 357.8    Exp 30%

Size 4 1 Tick (5)     Missile Size: 4    Rate of Fire 5
Missile Fire Control FC370-R1 (5%) (33.3) (1)     Range 370.8m km    Resolution 1   ECCM-10
1.75 AMM 4x8 ET (500)    Speed: 270,000 km/s    End: 1m     Range: 15.6m km    WH: 1.6    Size: 1.75    TH: 1440/864/432
S3 AMM 4x15 RET (288)    Speed: 270,000 km/s    End: 1.7m     Range: 27.9m km    WH: 3    Size: 3    TH: 1440/864/432
S4 W27 RET Interceptor (20)    Speed: 270,000 km/s    End: 1.8m     Range: 29.1m km    WH: 27    Size: 4    TH: 1440/864/432
S4 W34 ET Laser Torpedo Mk2 (50)    Speed: 270,000 km/s    End: 1.1m     Range: 18.4m km    WH: 37.8    Size: 4    TH: 1440/864/432

Active Search Sensor AS2151-R100 (5%) Max (1)     GPS 900000     Range 2,151.5m km    Resolution 100
Active Search Sensor AS998-R10 (5%) Max (1)     GPS 90000     Range 998.6m km    Resolution 10
Active Search Sensor AS463-R1 (5%)(41.7) Max (1)     GPS 9000     Range 463.5m km    MCR 41.7m km    Resolution 1
EM Sensor EM50-3750 (5%) Max (1)     Sensitivity 3750     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  484.1m km
Thermal Sensor TH50-3750 (5%) (1)     Sensitivity 3750     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  484.1m km

Electronic Warfare Jammers:   Sensor 10    Fire Control 10    Missile 10   

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

[prophetical]

So at MaxTech you need to rethink your doctrines a little. This is where I typically play at and AMMs are functionally useless at that level. The best they will ever have is a 10% change to hit per cycle. That means you need tons of them to take down incoming salvos, which you could better spend the HS on other PD measures. This is the AMM ship I use, which obviously has some things you might not need or want, but I can get out 50 missiles per cycle, which have a longer range than your AMMs and still have retargeting and ATG.

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Ticonderoga class Area Defence Cruiser      45,000 tons       1,422 Crew       43,546.9 BP       TCS 900    TH 27,000    EM 9,000
30000 km/s      Armour 10-112       Shields 300-300       HTK 410      Sensors 7/7/0/0      DCR 91-20      PPV 503.1
Maint Life 2.02 Years     MSP 18,749    AFR 523%    IFR 7.3%    1YR 6,151    5YR 92,263    Max Repair 6750 MSP
Hangar Deck Capacity 2,000 tons     Troop Capacity 250 tons     Magazine 1,101 / 0
Commander    Control Rating 4   BRG   AUX   ENG   CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months    Flight Crew Berths 40    Morale Check Required

13500-50hs-2.7eph (45k - 30k) (2)    Power 27000    Fuel Use 53.57%    Signature 13500    Explosion 27%
Fuel Capacity 2,722,000 Litres    Range 20.3 billion km (7 days at full power)
Omega S150 / R300 Shields (2)     Recharge Time 300 seconds (1 per second)

Quad 12cm C6.25 Far Gamma Ray Laser Turret (5x4)    Range 480,000km     TS: 100000 km/s     Power 16-25     RM 120,000 km    ROF 5
Quad Gauss Cannon R600-100 Turret (10x32)    Range 60,000km     TS: 100000 km/s     Power 0-0     RM 60,000 km    ROF 5
Beam Fire Control R70-TS100000 (1)     Max Range: 70,000 km   TS: 100,000 km/s    ECCM-10     86 71 57 43 29 14 0 0 0 0
Beam Fire Control R525-TS100000 (1)     Max Range: 525,000 km   TS: 100,000 km/s    ECCM-10     98 96 94 92 90 89 87 85 83 81
Quantum Singularity Power Plant R134-PB10 (1)     Total Power Output 133.9    Exp 7%

Size 2.0 Missile Launcher (50)     Missile Size: 2    Rate of Fire 5
Missile Fire Control FC41-R1 (1)     Range 41.5m km    Resolution 1   ECCM-10
Harpoon-2 AMM (550)    Speed: 270,000 km/s    End: 4.8m     Range: 77.6m km    WH: 1    Size: 2    TH: 900/540/270

Active Search Sensor AS139-R1 (1)     GPS 810     Range 139.1m km    MCR 12.5m km    Resolution 1
Active Search Sensor AS175-R2 (1)     GPS 1620     Range 175.2m km    Resolution 2
Active Search Sensor AS685-R120 (1)     GPS 97200     Range 685.9m km    Resolution 120
EM Sensor EM0.1-7.5 (1)     Sensitivity 7.5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  21.7m km
Thermal Sensor TH0.1-7.5 (1)     Sensitivity 7.5     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  21.7m km

Strike Group / Ground Forces
2x E/A Nighthawk Gunship   Speed: 60487 km/s    Size: 20
1x Naval Marine Detachment

Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Warship for auto-assignment purposes
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[Grendel Marqun (OP)]

Yeah, I get what you mean about missile hit rates.

I've put terminal guidance on, which makes it about 16% per pass, plus 4-part warheads, which gives 4 chances at that 16% per missile on the "cheap" 1.75 AMM. Figure on average that gives me a rough 50% per missile. Then on the bigger, longer range S3 AMM I've added retargeting on top of those features with enough range they should get 8-10 kicks at the can with 4 sub-munitions. Both also have ECCM to help reduce the effect of decoys.

Your AMMs get 1 try at 10% per pass, mine get 4 at 16%. That makes a major difference in effect. Getting the submunitions costs, of course, the "cheap" missiles only get 1 try, and the "good" ones are 50% larger than the ones you're using. However, I'll take 50% larger for 5x more effective. The cheaper ones are for the poor sods I keep meeting with far less than top tech.

If I knew I was going to be facing "real" top-tech, well-designed missiles, I'd load nothing but S3 AMM 4x15 RETs.

Also, while your missiles may have longer range, you don't have the MCR on your sensors to use it. See below about the sensors.

Are they perfect? Nope. Are they better than 10%? Yep.

It's worth noting, though, this isn't primarily a defense vessel. The defensive systems are there to add a little weight to a fleet, or to be capable of killing those random pirates that sometimes just show up out of nowhere. This definitely isn't a primary combatant See Requirements 3 and 5, and the use of "modicum".

Speedwise, I've run into 100,000 ton ships doing 35,000 kps, so my direct combatants have a minimum speed of 40,000 kps but are generally a little faster. You had no way of knowing what "keep up with major fleet elements" entailed, though.

However, before all that, item 1 in the requirement was a MASSIVE sensor fit. Specifically stated was "size 50 sensors".

This is the ship whose primary job is to see hostiles at the maximum range possible. MCR on a 50 HS max tech sensor is 41.7, and the R100 sensor can see targets at a little over 2 billion kilometers. The R10 sensor covers fighters and FACs. I was tempted to do an R500 sensor just for giggles, but his thing was already getting ridiculously expensive and the R100 seems like enough.

Plus a flag bridge, (Requirement 2) this IS a flagship. Also passive defenses (Requirement 4, shielding) that won't fold because half a dozen missiles made it through, because anything that radiates as hard as this thing does is GOING to attract fire, and the layered defenses of the fleet may not stop everything.

I guess what I'm saying is you're asking me to rethink my doctrines about a completely different design issue