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Yeah, we must have... like... fifty Sabres alone at Earth, including dozens of the 14 x box-launcher type; plus lots of Fighters. And a dozen or so other ships.

Not enough to stand up to a real fleet in a general engagement, but enough to make a jump point ambush very very painful.
Do we have ships on the other side of each of Earth's jumppoints, just to keep watch?
 
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Do we have ships on the other side of each of Earth's jumppoints, just to keep watch?
We most likely have deep space tracking stations handling early warning functions whether or not vessels are present.
 
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Do we have ships on the other side of each of Earth's jumppoints, just to keep watch?
There are RADAR satellites on all of our jump points, and at least 10 DSTS and a Sabre squadron in every occupied star system.
 
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Mechanically, as long as you have a single colony left, the game is not over. Realistically, if you lose Earth before you've built industrial centers elsewhere, there's no point in continuing. There are players who have recovered from Earth getting bombarded, but not totally lost. I once lost Earth to the Swarm and another time to Invaders and both times the campaign was still early so that I had no fallback colony.

This is an old story where Earth comes close to destruction:

Note that it was played on the old VB6 version of Aurora so many things are a little different.
 
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Mechanically, as long as you have a single colony left, the game is not over. Realistically, if you lose Earth before you've built industrial centers elsewhere, there's no point in continuing. There are players who have recovered from Earth getting bombarded, but not totally lost. I once lost Earth to the Swarm and another time to Invaders and both times the campaign was still early so that I had no fallback colony.

This is an old story where Earth comes close to destruction:

Note that it was played on the old VB6 version of Aurora so many things are a little different.
Has anybody ever lost Earth before building a second industrial base and then come back due to building from.scratch an industrial base on the surviving colonies?
 
August 28th, 2033, 10:26 AM.

Tactical, Mechanus star system.

Our Combined Fleet is headed back to the jump point. Our scouts and Intel vessels are spreading out to maintain contact with the enemy. One is headed toward the enemy home planet, intending to make contact with the fifth enemy fleet somewhere along that path. Another is trailing the fourth enemy fleet, while more scouts head towards the gas giant planets to check for colonies in the moon systems, and others just hang around the jump point to act as reserves.

sc-3588.jpg
 
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I presume you plan to fire a drone or two at Mechanus? Or is that a waste?
 
I presume you plan to fire a drone or two at Mechanus? Or is that a waste?
I was going to fire one at the moon of Mechanus. It actually orbits inside the PD envelope of the planet's STO.

They'll probably shoot it down anyway, even though it isn't targeted on anything important.

But for certain they would shoot down one that was aimed at Mechanus.
 
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Interesting.

The fourth Modron fleet - the one that we've been in constant contact with, not the new one - appears to be headed directly for the jump to the Abhorrent star system.

Are they leaving? Or just swanning?

Alien inscrutability... coming un-screwed.



EDIT:

Just swanning, I guess. Everybody is now headed back toward planet Mechanus.
 
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Question:

Once our current build of Partystarters is complete (which will be soon), should we start building modern Fighters?

The new engine and fuel efficiency techs that we learned should allow us to drastically increase their strike range.
 
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Question:

Once our current build of Partystarters is complete (which will be soon), should we start building modern Fighters?

The new engine and fuel efficiency techs that we learned should allow us to drastically increase their strike range.

Sounds sensible. We need more answers to these Modron fleets, and the Partystarters really don't solve that.
 
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I would prefer to expand the shipyards and start pre building components for missile cruisers… modern fighters feels too much like a betrayal of the gunship doctrine.
 
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Here's a Fighter design that uses all the latest tech. It has ECCM-6 fire controls, Gas Core engines, the latest fuel efficiency techs...

X-Wing VIII class Strikefighter 210 tons 1 Crew 298 BP TCS 4 TH 22 EM 0
42911 km/s Armour 1-3 Shields 0-0 HTK 1 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0-0 PPV 1.8
Maint Life 0 Years MSP 0 AFR 41% IFR 0.6% 1YR 27 5YR 409 Max Repair 225.000 MSP
Magazine 12 / 0
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 5.7 days Morale Check Required

2033 Gas Core AM Drive EP180.00 HS-1.5 (1) Power 180.0 Fuel Use 804.98% Signature 21.6000 Explosion 30%
Fuel Capacity 14,000 Litres Range 1.49 billion km (9 hours at full power)

Size 6.00 Box Launcher 1973 (2) Missile Size: 6 Hangar Reload 122 minutes MF Reload 20 hours
2033 Missile Fire Control FC112-R100 (5%) ECCM-6 (1) Range 112.4m km Resolution 100 ECCM-6
Equalizer 2030 (2) Speed: 60,000 km/s End: 38m Range: 137.3m km WH: 0 Size: 6 TH: 200/120/60

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

Packs 37 Strike Fighters and one RADAR-equipped AWACS Fighter in each Carrier. A max range of 1.5 billion km gives us a strike range of 750 million km out and the same back. Some of our current Fighters are less than 200 million km out and back. Carries two Equalizers (or two SRAMs).

I would prefer to expand the shipyards and start pre building components for missile cruisers… modern fighters feels too much like a betrayal of the gunship doctrine.

I am currently pre-building for high-speed shielded PD vessels. We can certainly do the same for Missile Cruisers.

But new fighters can be brought to bear on the enemy YEARS before new capital ships can. You can upgrade a Carrier just by changing its air group.
 
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How close in can the fighters go against the Modrons ships before being targetable? Do we need 130million km launch? If we went in closer could we use faster missiles?
 
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How close in can the fighters go against the Modrons ships before being targetable? Do we need 130million km launch? If we went in closer could we use faster missiles?
We still haven't captured examples of some of his escort ships (the Deux-Sevres missile boat, for example) so we can't be entirely sure.

He needs both a RADAR that can resolve an R4 (200-ton) target - which typically means a strong anti-missile PD RADAR - and a fire control that can lock onto such a target. The fire control (but not necessarily the RADAR) must be carried on the same ship as a weapon that can reach and kill it. The Lot-et-Garonne does NOT have a suitable fire control, but some of the smaller missile boats DO.

From our captured examples of Vosges and Gard, we KNOW that he can hit a Fighter at 42 million km. Without also capturing examples of his other escorts, we can't be sure if that's the maximum, though.

Regarding the 130 million km Fire Controls, Jammers of various types can reduce your firing range and stealth gear can reduce your signature which has a similar effect. Also, that fire control is only 0.4 hull squares anyway, so it's only 10% of the Fighter's mass.

I tend to over-engineer my fire controls to improve their efficiency against stealthed or jammed targets.

Lastly, the Fighters can certainly carry SRAMs (shorter range but a strength-16 bang) instead of Equalizers, but I'm not sure that gives us enough stand-off distance against a Deux-Sevres or other small missile boats.
 
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Regarding the 130 million km Fire Controls, Jammers of various types can reduce your firing range and stealth gear can reduce your signature which has a similar effect. Also, that fire control is only 0.4 hull squares anyway, so it's only 10% of the Fighter's mass.

I tend to over-engineer my fire controls to improve their efficiency against stealthed or jammed targets.

Lastly, the Fighters can certainly carry SRAMs (shorter range but a strength-16 bang) instead of Equalizers, but I'm not sure that gives us enough stand-off distance against a Deux-Sevres or other small missile boats.
I thought the fire controls were 112M range, with the missile having a 130M range, and found myself wondering if a bit shorter range on the missile could used to get it a bit more speed. This would be without changing the range of the fire control.

AIUI faster missiles hit easier, are harder to intercept, and give him less time to intercept.
 
Alien inscrutability... coming un-screwed.



EDIT:

Just swanning, I guess. Everybody is now headed back toward planet Mechanus.
Let's assume they're patrolling, in a worry that you'd suddenly be able to sneak a silent fleet of killers upon their planet. (With the likely intent to make them extinct, like they seemed to want to do to us.)
 
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