Warship Race Redux

[Smegish]

So, marcus and I have talked about cooking up rules for hiring privateers to harass your neighbours with, and I know Mad Marian has pushed the idea, how many others feel like they'd make use of it, before we spend much effort on it?

[VensersRevenge]

It certainly adds options, although I feel they are more likely to hurt me than help me. But I'm certain the Capellans will enjoy it, and who am I to ruin their fun?

[kindalas]

So, marcus and I have talked about cooking up rules for hiring privateers to harass your neighbours with, and I know Mad Marian has pushed the idea, how many others feel like they'd make use of it, before we spend much effort on it?

Can I just give my ships a new paint job and send them out to do that?

I think a more vague "areo equipped mercenaries" budget line would be more in theme with us not actually making wartime descisions.

Unless you want to gradually give us more strategic decision making power.

[UnLimiTeD]

Well, if you find a way to do it that is easy enough to convey and not too much effort on you, then go right ahead.

[kindalas]

Posted my turn.

What additional information do you need to help?

[Smegish]

A breakdown of which ships can be found on which borders would be nice, but isn't needed.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

I mean... I'm not really opposed only because I can't think of an argument against it. It makes sense... but it has to be done properly: by properly I mean you can't just hire a fleet of McKennas.

Id be thinking something like either a raider mech company or battalion, an aerospace wing or regiment for two tiers of cost. (Obviously they provide their own transport: unless you want to). For Warships..... i'd say nothing larger than a size one (aka 250,00).... unless we want to pay big bucks to hire like a size two.

[kindalas]

A breakdown of which ships can be found on which borders would be nice, but isn't needed.

I'll put something together.

And some ship names.

[UnLimiTeD]

I mean... I'm not really opposed only because I can't think of an argument against it. It makes sense... but it has to be done properly: by properly I mean you can't just hire a fleet of McKennas.

I'd instantly hire one if it was available.
I think "pirates" is the odd jumpship with a dropper full of assorted misfits, though, to damage the economy. Not a warship. If they can afford that, what is the point in piracy?
A Frigate costs as much as a regiment of mechs + support and auxiliary troops and the dropships to move them.

[Smegish]

Pirates would be running around in either standard-core JumpShips with DS, or discarded compact/primitive-core vessels like Aquilas or the Vigilants the THN just 'scrapped. 

[kindalas]

A breakdown of which ships can be found on which borders would be nice, but isn't needed.

Fleets built and names assigned.

I hope it helps your GM process.

[UnLimiTeD]

I see you're first listing what assets you already have.
At first I was like "Holy crap! :o They're building all of that? What are they planning?".  ;D

In other news, I have seemingly completed my turn. Fluff is still to be added.

[Smegish]

Kindalas are you aware of where Alarion is? Closest neighbour is the RimJobs, and they are more than a few jumps from there...

Now if that fleet is serving as your periphery patrol, and counterattacking as needed, that's fair enough.

[marcussmythe]

Unlimited:  Need Cargo on Fubuki Mk 2, and Cargo, Fighters, and Smallcraft on Tenshu, please?

[UnLimiTeD]

Just noticed that.  :) Must have missed the new block on the new Spreadsheet (The Fubukis still used the old one). As usual, the new station uses small craft berths for fighters, as well.

[kindalas]

Kindalas are you aware of where Alarion is? Closest neighbour is the RimJobs, and they are more than a few jumps from there...

Now if that fleet is serving as your periphery patrol, and counterattacking as needed, that's fair enough.

The Alarion fleet is listed as invasion because that is it's job. But it's also to support any of the three other fleets.

And I wanted to give you guys as much flexibility as possible.

[marcussmythe]

Since everyone else is doing it, I gave some firm deployment info for the CC.

I dont see any future in doing it for the TH, other than 'lots of ships basically everywhere, with far too many more within a jump or two'

Also, what site does everyone use for image hosting?  Ive started using GalCiv3 to build images for ship designs, and I need to host somewhere to post here.  If I can?

[UnLimiTeD]

Man, writing fluff is hard.
Aren't most BT space ships just slightly differently shaped cylinders?

Also, I wonder what the LC needs an invasion fleet for.
Are they planning to gouge themselves on their neighbors?

[truetanker]

Which is why I sent memos to myself and others...

Wheels turn for so long before they need blood to grease their stops.

TT

[kindalas]

Man, writing fluff is hard.
Aren't most BT space ships just slightly differently shaped cylinders?

Also, I wonder what the LC needs an invasion fleet for.
Are they planning to gouge themselves on their neighbors?

The Lyran Government practices active deterrent strategies regarding it's neighbours.

It would be best if everyone moved their borders back by a respectful 180 LY to give the Lyran Merchant fleet room to ply their trade.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Ships don’t have to be cylinders BUT they usually have to have some form of massive engine array/ area for Jump Sail to come out of. I could attempt to draw some of my ships... but I’m not the best artist thought I have drawn ships before (some turn out okay IMO)

Edit: I also compared the DCA and the PoR fleet and found its kinda similar... except the DCA has twice the mass and therefore more room on their ships for things. Also they have much better cargo as a result, a monster Cruiser as a flagship, and a slight edge in fighters. I almost regret skipping my carrier upgrade to next turn.

[marcussmythe]

Ships don’t have to be cylinders BUT they usually have to have some form of massive engine array/ area for Jump Sail to come out of. I could attempt to draw some of my ships... but I’m not the best artist thought I have drawn ships before (some turn out okay IMO)

Motley Jester turned me on to using the ship design tool in GalCiv 3 - its not as finely detailed as doing them in an actual 3D modeling program, but it probably gives me better results (I am a poor 3D Modeler).  And I cannot draw for anything, so this is likely as good as it gets for me.

[Jester Motley]

Easiest image site in my opinion is Imgur.  Create an account if you don't have one, then drag and drop your images in.  If you then click on the image, you'll get a list of pre-gen links you can use, and at the bottom right is a selection box for sizes.  I've given examples of small/med/large thumbnail here:


https://imgur.com/CbgvpAX


https://imgur.com/pM1Zx9S


https://i.imgur.com/3ZCE23N

I recommend including the direct link as well, so people can view your images in all their glory and full size.

Use the "BBCode" image tag (5th one down, 2nd up in the link list) and just paste it in here to embed the image like above, and it'll work on this forum.

Also, for those looking for a quick, easy, and frankly gorgeous resulting ship builder, as Marcus notes, I'm a huge fan of Galactic Civilization's shipbuilder (I'm using GalCiv3).  Game is great on its own, but the builder makes ships like these take minutes instead of hours or days.  I'm planning on having ships for each of my designs eventually.  All of the above designs are from GC3.

Oh, and some tips-  Options, use all parts lets you use any race's ship parts.  The XYZ tool is useful at times, too.  But the most useful tool is the ability to select a set of parts, save them as a whole, and use them...  Including in other ship designs.  Build your Dropship, then import it in for dropship mounts on your ships.

[marcussmythe]

-looks at your designs-
-looks at mine-
Damn.

I really like the dropship.

[Tyler Jorgensson]

Nice...

[Jester Motley]

A few more, if anyone is interested.  Some of these were built "in game" for my civilization's warships, so they're not as "BT" as the ones I'm working on for here.  (And yes, I am highly inspired by various Anime, Robotech especially, but there's other influences in there:

https://imgur.com/iY1t5N2
https://imgur.com/pYD5ppy
https://imgur.com/Fk65x1T
https://imgur.com/yhcKMO9

A dropship I came up with (and will likely be a "part" used in warship designs):
https://imgur.com/OTyIYsd

DS took me like 10 minutes?

Various ships take me anywhere from 15-60 minutes?  Depends on how much I fiddle with them.  And I "save often" and then "use design" in case I end up down a road I decide is "noooo, not this."  And some design roots will inspire several ships, or ship styling for use in several ship designs.

And... I feel like I'm bragging here, but I more want to show what the ship designer will do.  Though I don't do it justice.  Sooooo many parts... so many things to do.  And if you need to add after effects, I do a screenshot to save the picture itself, but I paste it in paint, and you can add effects, paint touches, etc. in that.  Or if you're good with gimp, or other higher end/better picture editors, you can do some great things with those.

You can also export your designs from the shipbuilder.  Theoretically?  You can then import them into 3d design software?  Beats the heck out of me though, I haven't gone anywhere near that yet.

[marcussmythe]

Some 3D design software has the ability to turn around and export the design/image as line art.  That speaks to me, as a child of TRO 3025 and 3026

[UnLimiTeD]

I've always imagined my Assault Cruiser as looking somewhat like a beefed up leopard (albeit 450x the size) bulged out a little at the center axis, with grav decks around a slimmed "waist".
Thinking about it more, that might be a bit inefficient.
And I thought of the Kutais and Fibukis more or less as blown out cans.  :beer: But it's probably unto smegish to tell me how they actually look like. ^^

I've coincidentally been looking at a lot of videos and descriptions of ships from the late 19th to mid 20th century recently, and I wondered: Will stations, for us, take the place of coastal defense ships?
Also, Ammo apparently doesn't factor into ship cost?  ???

[marcussmythe]

I've always imagined my Assault Cruiser as looking somewhat like a beefed up leopard (albeit 450x the size) bulged out a little at the center axis, with grav decks around a slimmed "waist".
Thinking about it more, that might be a bit inefficient.
And I thought of the Kutais and Fibukis more or less as blown out cans.  :beer: But it's probably unto smegish to tell me how they actually look like. ^^

I've coincidentally been looking at a lot of videos and descriptions of ships from the late 19th to mid 20th century recently, and I wondered: Will stations, for us, take the place of coastal defense ships?
Also, Ammo apparently doesn't factor into ship cost?  ???

Some people seem to be including a basic ammo load in their ship cost, others are not.  I do, and I think it should be that we do, but ammo is such a tiny fraction of cost that Im not losing sleep over it.

Stations largely take the place of coaling stations, complete with armament.  Id reckon armed droppers serve the coastal defense role.

[UnLimiTeD]

Well, the thing with droppers is that they are no match for a warship, being unable to mount weapons that can actually harm them.
I suppose once Castle Brians become available, we can use those as "shore batteries". We're not able to just install gun turrets on asteroids, are we?
I just wonder why ammo cost is being calculated in the ship cost and then not added to the total. You're right in that it doesn't really matter, though.