Home Trending Latest threads New posts Developer diaries

Ad Astra! ... an Aurora Forum Game, run by blue emu

Jump to latest Follow Reply
  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Show only dev responses
take off every 'zig'!
For great Justice!

Actually, no, keep at least one strike behind in case another shows up on a more dangerous vector.
 
I´d like to inform you, that the bookies aboard of ESNA Hansa have a frickload to do and that the bets are 1.6:1 that we lose, 3.2:1 that we win and 13:1 that our whole fleet will be destroyed.
 
Stuckenschmidt said:
What on Earth was that 40.000 ton-wreck? And what destroyed it? :eek:
Click to expand...
Civilian ship. Prix freighter, or someone else's.


Hraban said:
it could be a commercial ship, even if it has active sensors and is heading towards you
Click to expand...
Nope. On the other hand, it could be a non-warship military vessel, basically a Prix AWACS. I had one coming at close-ranger last night, without any offensive ability, and having already wasted all my missiles, my CIWS got it :D

I must say Prix ships can take a lot of punishment. Then my late-night experience involved 2 PCDs - thankfully, they had exhausted their nuke stock, or didn't fire them for some weird reason like my first strike taking out their fire control -, but against such strongholds, strength 9 warheads are mandatory.


blue emu said:
I think I ought to launch Fighters... he's not likely to see them at that range (Thermal signature 36) and I'd hate to get bounced with the Fighters still aboard.
Click to expand...
Would it be useful to turn on the sensors, if we send the fighters?
 
Two or three ships of Prix? Don't worry, they will be destroyed.
 
GaiusC said:
Nope. On the other hand, it could be a non-warship military vessel, basically a Prix AWACS. I had one coming at close-ranger last night, without any offensive ability, and having already wasted all my missiles, my CIWS got it :D
Click to expand...

why not ? i encountered a ship with a tonnage over 100000, lots of cargo holds, cargo handling system and an active sensor. no weapons but CIWS. it was moving towards my fleet at 4000 speed. sounds like commercial to me. but yes, a ship moving well over 9000 probably ain´t.
 
Sadly it's nearly 2am here, and I really can't hold off on getting sleep any longer. Naturally this would happen to be the very moment we're on the edge of our seats waiting to see what happens.

I hereby volunteer for any hypothetical suicidal holding actions should the need arise, or any other such standard operations. Not that we'll need them, of course. Good luck to my fellow captains, and especially to the fighter pilots who have been sitting bored on Earth for so long :p
 
GaiusC said:
Would it be useful to turn on the sensors, if we send the fighters?
Click to expand...

We'll need active sensors for a target solution, of course... but they're still well beyond range of our missiles, and I'd rather get them shooting at our unarmed Decoy Vessels before I reveal our real strike-force. The only real risk in keeping our Fleet's active sensors off is that if they cunningly choose some other target (instead of the Decoy Vessels), we'll be caught with our pants down because our anti-missile PD systems can't fire on the incoming missiles without a target solution. I'm counting on our Decoys to spot the missiles going by if that happens... those two ships do have their active sensors turned on.
 
Can't we at least have the fighters scrambled but not moving beyond the fleet for an intecept yet?

That way they're all out of the hangars and ready to go (and possibly providing additional targets for enemy misisles!).
 
My last three turn increments have again been chopped... presumably, they are firing missiles at us.

TheLoneGunman said:
Can't we at least have the fighters scrambled but not moving beyond the fleet for an intecept yet?

That way they're all out of the hangars and ready to go (and possibly providing additional targets for enemy misisles!).
Click to expand...

Already done... all six Fighter Squadrons have been launched, and are following (rather than leading) the Fleet towards the enemy.
 
If the missiles are alredy starting to fly, then perhaps we should flip on the active sensors from a single one of our command ships.
 
Watching the plots on the bridge of the minelayer as they are coming in...I am satisfied with the level of information we have at present. We will see any missiles inbound with enough time to order our point defences into action. The level of risk we are taking is acceptable, IMO, in order to lure that bastard into range.
 
Hraban said:
why not ? i encountered a ship with a tonnage over 100000, lots of cargo holds, cargo handling system and an active sensor. no weapons but CIWS. it was moving towards my fleet at 4000 speed. sounds like commercial to me. but yes, a ship moving well over 9000 probably ain´t.
Click to expand...
Assuming this other ship is identified as a Prix, it's acting like a military one and has the looks of it. Civilian Prix ships are rather more than 30K or even 40K tons, like that other wreck farther in the system.


blue emu said:
We'll need active sensors for a target solution, of course... but they're still well beyond range of our missiles, and I'd rather get them shooting at our unarmed Decoy Vessels before I reveal our real strike-force.
Click to expand...
Oh I see. Then as long as fighters aren't at something like 80% firing range (because firing at 100% is suicidal against heavy-ECM Prix), sensors off, and they'll be activated once fighters are close to the target.
Or sensors will be activated once you think their missiles are close to us - I'd assume misisle speed of 50.000 km/s to be safe, which means that we have several minutes before worrying about them.

The main issue I see with them firing missiles at us first is that, even if our missiles hit and destroy them, they'll have time to empty their magazines before we hit them. Or they might destroy missile control before they hit - in which case we're really in trouble.
 
GaiusC said:
The main issue I see with them firing missiles at us first is that, even if our missiles hit and destroy them, they'll have time to empty their magazines before we hit them. Or they might destroy missile control before they hit - in which case we're really in trouble.
Click to expand...

Since they obviously outrange us, turning on our active sensors earlier would not have allowed us to fire first anyway. We MUST close in order to fire. Since we must close, we want him shooting at the Rocks, which is more likely (we think) if he only sees their active search sensors...
 
TheLoneGunman said:
If the missiles are alredy starting to fly, then perhaps we should flip on the active sensors from a single one of our command ships.
Click to expand...

I've thought seriously about that possibility... but I would really prefer to keep our real strength stealthed as long as possible.

The Prix ship hasn't turned on its own active sensor yet (or at least, I haven't detected it), so unless he's using Homing Missiles, he can't have a target solution yet either. If he is using Homing Missiles, then presumably they should home in on the nearest, largest or thermally-brightest targets... and the Decoy Vessels are closest to him, and larger and hotter than any other ship in the fleet.

There are two levels of risk in this situation: the risk of getting caught with our defenses down (no PD sensors active), and the risk of blowing our cover and losing the advantage that we would derive from the decoys. I would prefer to cross my fingers and continue the plan, rather than let him stampede me into showing my hand too early, while we are still far out of engagement range. We need to close by another 30 m-km before we can shoot at anything but incoming missiles. Since he's more than twice as fast as we are, I would prefer that he closed on us, rather than us trying to close on him.
 
The whole crew on ESN Kepler holds their breath, few are the crewmembers without relatives and friends in the Combined Fleet. All officers with clearance are glued to their comm-stations.
 
If (or probably when) they launch their missiles, it can be difficult to know what they targeting if the decoy fleet and your main fleet are positioned in a straight line from the Prix ship.
So there may be a point to change the course slightly for your decoy fleet. Then you also see if the Prix closes in on the decoy or if they have spotted your main fleet.
 
Captain Avernite is staring at the trajectory signals, along with most of his crew. If ever there was something to fear...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back