Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread: C# Edition

[Vandermeer]

Comets follow actual elliptical orbits now, according to the patch notes for 2.0. This replaces the old hack for comet motion.

Oh, right, so that was it. Of course, they couldn't even do it before. Very exciting.

[Paul M]

I'm not seeing a way to increase ground unit damage via technology like there was in VB Aurora...is this something that is unlocked by another tech?

[Andrew]

Ground unit damage is based off your most advanced weapon tech (Laser, railgun,plasma etc) while armour rating is based off your best shipboard armour

[Vandermeer]

I'm not seeing a way to increase ground unit damage via technology like there was in VB Aurora...is this something that is unlocked by another tech?

Ground unit damage is based off your most advanced weapon tech (Laser, railgun,plasma etc) while armour rating is based off your best shipboard armour

And you have to research aperture/strength/damage for this, not range related techs like wavelength.
Note that it seems that only lasers can get you to the highest end-tech rating, because other technologies don't have enough levels. Although that may have changed in 2.0+, I am not sure.

[boolybooly]

Can anyone tell me if it is working as intended that a small 208t rescue shuttle "Little Flower Groovey Baby 001" is not being picked up for refit because she does not have a bridge?

If I add a bridge by SM she is listed on the 'refit from' DDL, but if the bridge is absent as is permitted for sub 1000t designs, she is not listed in the refit DDL, see screeny. (Neither are other ships below 1000t without bridge.)

I just wondered, is this intended, that sub 1000t designs without bridge are scrapped not refitted, or is it a bug?

RS-03 Little Flower Groovey Baby 001  (Little Flower Groovey Baby class Rescue Shuttle)      208 tons       3 Crew       19 BP       TCS 4    TH 10    EM 0
2312 km/s      Armour 1-3       Shields 0-0       HTK 2      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
Maint Life 31.79 Years     MSP 40    AFR 3%    IFR 0.0%    1YR 0    5YR 1    Max Repair 5 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 200   
Seeker    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 125 months    Morale Check Required   

Nuclear Rescue Engine  EP9.60 (1)    Power 9.6    Fuel Use 232.38%    Signature 9.6    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres    Range 7.5 billion km (37 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes

[Snoman314]

Can anyone tell me if it is working as intended that a small 208t rescue shuttle "Little Flower Groovey Baby 001" is not being picked up for refit because she does not have a bridge?

If I add a bridge by SM she is listed on the 'refit from' DDL, but if the bridge is absent as is permitted for sub 1000t designs, she is not listed in the refit DDL, see screeny. (Neither are other ships below 1000t without bridge.)

I just wondered, is this intended, that sub 1000t designs without bridge are scrapped not refitted, or is it a bug?

RS-03 Little Flower Groovey Baby 001  (Little Flower Groovey Baby class Rescue Shuttle)      208 tons       3 Crew       19 BP       TCS 4    TH 10    EM 0
2312 km/s      Armour 1-3       Shields 0-0       HTK 2      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
Maint Life 31.79 Years     MSP 40    AFR 3%    IFR 0.0%    1YR 0    5YR 1    Max Repair 5 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 200   
Seeker    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 125 months    Morale Check Required   

Nuclear Rescue Engine  EP9.60 (1)    Power 9.6    Fuel Use 232.38%    Signature 9.6    Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 20,000 Litres    Range 7.5 billion km (37 days at full power)

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes

It looks more like the fighter you want to refit is already the same design as the one the shipyard is tooled for, and so there's nothing to refit it to. When you change the design by SM, that means it's a different design now, and so there's something to refit? That's if changing the design doesn't change both the craft and the shipyard tooling.

[boolybooly]

No it isn't the same design, its a long but different name truncated but if you look closely at the bottom you will see the shipyard refit class design name is "Little Flower Groovey Baby Boos" truncated a little less from "Little Flower Groovey Baby Boosted".

Also as stated I can get it to show if I add a bridge and that would change both designs if they were the same design. You will just have to take my word for that, I'm not made of screenies

[Paul M]

Ground unit damage is based off your most advanced weapon tech (Laser, railgun,plasma etc) while armour rating is based off your best shipboard armour

Ah hah, thanks.  The armour I had figured out but wasn't seeing what the ground weapons were based on.  The Freehold is going to be me doing wild insane things...carronades, particle beams, and for the moment a mix of rail and guass cannon.  I'm thinking of tossing in torpedoes (missiles fired from box launchers) to give a "long range" weapon and maybe minefields since they seem to be working now.  Still sorting this out...had to do some SM tinkering to my starting systems minerals as none of the gas giants had sorium and it would only make sense for them to have it.

This time at least the raiders didn't show up and exterminate before I even got TN tech...my 3 regiments of light infantry, 2 armoured and 2 mechanized infantry battalions and 6 defence bastions are likely wasted resources.  Just got jump theory...no real navy to speak of and still limited to one planet.

What does "Rear Echelon" do mechanically?  I've set my HQ formation to that to keep them out of combat...or should I make them support?

[db48x]

Answering refit questions always requires looking at both the starting class as well as the class you are refitting to, so that you can calculate the refit cost. Post both designs and maybe someone can do that for you.

[boolybooly]

Answering refit questions always requires looking at both the starting class as well as the class you are refitting to, so that you can calculate the refit cost. Post both designs and maybe someone can do that for you.

Ah! thats it, thanks, my mistake, the second design was 325t, more than 20% bigger than 208t, until I SMd a bridge into the first design which made it big enough, nothing to do with the bridge of itself, same happens if I use engineering.

What was I thinking?!

Little Flower Groovey Baby Boosted class Rescue Shuttle      325 tons       4 Crew       27.3 BP       TCS 6    TH 33    EM 0
5011 km/s      Armour 1-4       Shields 0-0       HTK 3      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
Maint Life 15.20 Years     MSP 45    AFR 8%    IFR 0.1%    1YR 0    5YR 5    Max Repair 10.5625 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 200   
Seeker    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 125 months    Morale Check Required   

SkyFire Ion8 P32 (1)    Power 32.5    Fuel Use 43.09%    Signature 32.5    Explosion 6%
Fuel Capacity 14,000 Litres    Range 18 billion km (41 days at full power)

Deep Heat (1)     Sensitivity 0.6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  6.1m km

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes

PS I rejigged the design for 120% of the original and it worked just fine.

Little Flower Groovey Baby Boosted class Rescue Shuttle      249 tons       3 Crew       25.4 BP       TCS 5    TH 25    EM 0
5030 km/s      Armour 1-3       Shields 0-0       HTK 2      Sensors 0/0/0/0      DCR 0      PPV 0
Maint Life 26.44 Years     MSP 61    AFR 5%    IFR 0.1%    1YR 0    5YR 3    Max Repair 10.0000 MSP
Cryogenic Berths 200   
Seeker    Control Rating 1   
Intended Deployment Time: 125 months    Morale Check Required   

SkyFire Ion8 P25 (1)    Power 25.0    Fuel Use 91.59%    Signature 25.00    Explosion 8%
Fuel Capacity 21,000 Litres    Range 16.6 billion km (38 days at full power)

Deep Heat (1)     Sensitivity 0.6     Detect Sig Strength 1000:  6.1m km

This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and planetary interaction
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes

[Voltbot]

Quick question:
Can ships refuel in hangar decks?
Like... If I add conditional refuel and mark carrier design as tanker, would then ships refuel in it? Or I would have to put refueling system in it?

[nuclearslurpee]

I'm not seeing a way to increase ground unit damage via technology like there was in VB Aurora...is this something that is unlocked by another tech?

Ground unit damage is based off your most advanced weapon tech (Laser, railgun,plasma etc) while armour rating is based off your best shipboard armour

And you have to research aperture/strength/damage for this, not range related techs like wavelength.
Note that it seems that only lasers can get you to the highest end-tech rating, because other technologies don't have enough levels. Although that may have changed in 2.0+, I am not sure.

Specifically, only Laser, Railgun, Plasma, and Particle Beam techs will improve ground unit attack. Missile, Gauss, Meson, and HPM will have no effect. Honestly this is stupid, is effectively a nerf to the latter weapon types - as if missiles or Mesons needed any more problems - and I prefer the VB6 method of having an actual tech for GU attack (which, as a DB modder, would also let me actually rebalance ship armor without affecting ground units adversely).

Ah! thats it, thanks, my mistake, the second design was 325t, more than 20% bigger than 208t, until I SMd a bridge into the first design which made it big enough, nothing to do with the bridge of itself, same happens if I use engineering.

There is both a size difference limit (size difference is less than 20% the tooled class's base size) and a cost limit (not more than 20% new component cost, times refit premiums) for co-building two classes out of the same shipyard.

Quick question:
Can ships refuel in hangar decks?

Yes.

Like... If I add conditional refuel and mark carrier design as tanker, would then ships refuel in it?

No.

Or I would have to put refueling system in it?

No. The conditional refuel orders only work with Refuelling Hubs, inexplicably, so you cannot use a normal tanker as a refuel destination. It is unfortunate but it is how things are presently.

(@Steve plz)

[Vandermeer]

And you have to research aperture/strength/damage for this, not range related techs like wavelength.
Note that it seems that only lasers can get you to the highest end-tech rating, because other technologies don't have enough levels. Although that may have changed in 2.0+, I am not sure.

Specifically, only Laser, Railgun, Plasma, and Particle Beam techs will improve ground unit attack. Missile, Gauss, Meson, and HPM will have no effect. Honestly this is stupid, is effectively a nerf to the latter weapon types - as if missiles or Mesons needed any more problems - and I prefer the VB6 method of having an actual tech for GU attack (which, as a DB modder, would also let me actually rebalance ship armor without affecting ground units adversely).

I've got to say I approve of the idea that ground and space weapon+defense tech be connected. What weird situation would it be if one empire somehow had invincible soldiers and tanks, but was still broadsiding enemy ships with handheld culverins?
The implementation might be tricky, and I agree that all weapon techs should be able to contribute. The problem with the tech lines not being equally long definitely has to be solved, and perhaps shield technology could also play a role in ground defense.

Maybe the advance could just happen on a "Y-tech points in finished weapons/defense technologies for next upgrade" basis, though I am not sure how to keep that smoothly and intuitive.
I am thinking about it this way, because I realized that you couldn't patch out the tier-length issue by simply letting the shorter trees give more. (eg "Particle Beam-2" might get you to strength 6, but "10cm Laser" only to 5. All adjusted so in the end both reach max GU strength) If you did that, then suddenly some tech lines would be at an advantage due to reaching max GU-attack at smaller cost. ...Which is why I came to think that maybe you could just lay out the tech points needed for max GU-attack and then let all techs contribute evenly, so you can kind of 'augment' the shorter techlines after they reach the max through some help.
All this would make the leveling much more opaque however. I am not confident in the good feel of that solution, but I do still feel GU weapon strength should be tied to actual weapon tech like it is now.

[nuclearslurpee]

I've got to say I approve of the idea that ground and space weapon+defense tech be connected. What weird situation would it be if one empire somehow had invincible soldiers and tanks, but was still broadsiding enemy ships with handheld culverins?

Personally I am okay with the idea that a race's ability to develop a 25cm laser lens does not necessarily imply that race's ability to develop a 12-damage 5.56mm rifle round, or equivalent of course. Flip side, I am rather less okay with the idea that a race's ability to develop a 25cm laser lens does imply that race's ability to develop 36-damage artillery, unless you want to constrain your roleplay such that all high-explosive weapons are laser warheads - which sounds cool but I can't think of a single sci-fi setting with such an absurd restriction.

I do understand the concept from a roleplay perspective, but we already can have a situation where a race develops MP engines without a lick of weapons development (in the safety of their solar system, perhaps). In practice, I think that for all the loopholes and oddities in the tech tree, generally the concept of "tech level" keeps most important techs for a race fairly close to each other, except when one is developing a new tech line from scratch. I think that is a reasonable approximation, given the scope of Aurora, for the fact that all of these techs in reality would really depend on each other in a very complex manner, as you see in the real world over and over again. Trying to simulate this in greater detail is a very deep rabbit hole.

[Andrew]

What does "Rear Echelon" do mechanically?  I've set my HQ formation to that to keep them out of combat...or should I make them support?

Rear Echelon formations are pretty much out of combat unless there is a breakthrough in which case they can be attacked. Supply , engineering and other nonecombat units should be in rear echelon, so a higher echelon command can be in the rear echelon without problem if it has no combat elements. Direct fire combat units need to be in front line attack or defense. Artillery units supporting a front line unit need to be in support, so if your HQ unit has artillery in it then it should be in support and assigned to support a front line unit.
It is possible that Heavy Bombardment and Long range bombardment can support frontline units from the rear echelon but my memory fails me and I have never tested it