Galactic Dreams(Stellaris, Interactive/Community) [Archive]

Brian Swartz

04-28-2016, 03:09 PM

Greetings, fellow space travelers! Hop aboard for what promises to be an eventful journey of discovery in the Stellaris Galaxy, which has been described as 'ancient and full of wonders'*. Who among you has the courage to help lead us on this momentous quest?

*Paradox Vision Statement

Pre-order trailer if interested is here: Stellaris - "Tour of the Galaxy" Pre-order Trailer - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Huuacl6oqI)

** Note: Anyone posting spoilers in this thread will suffer a fate worse than death. You have been warned.

FUIQ(Frequently Unasked and/or Irrelevant Queries)

Q: What is this?
A: Stellaris is the upcoming 4x/grand strategy game from Paradox Interactive, using the same Clausewitz engine from CK II, EU IV, etc. This will be an interactive dynasty, with the major decisions being made not by me but by the community. My role will be that of the beauracracy implementing the decisions made and reporting back with the results, new situations as they develop, and so on. I hope many of you will choose to join this journey as 'leaders'.

Q: When do we get started?
A: Stellaris is set to be released on May 9th, and we should be rolling by a day or two afterwards. For the next week I'm going to put one aspect of setup up for discussion, feedback, and vote each day. By next Thursday we'll be done with all of it and be ready to take official sign-ups, leaving plenty of time for anyone who can't be on the forums the first weekend in May to put their two cents in on everything.

Q: If the game isn't released yet, how do you know how things will work?
A: There are some things that I won't know until I get it, but the basics have been announced. I've double-checked my computer specs which are well above the recommended so there should be no fatal technical issues, and I'll be regularly backing up the game save on a thumb drive. The developers have been doing a weekly gameplay stream, so the basics of setting up a custom empire, fundamentals of gameplay mechanics, are pretty much out there. It follows a humorous fungal race known as the Blorg, youtube link starts here: Stellaris - All hail Blorg, Space Friends #01 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shoiYDp7EEA)

Q: How quickly will the game progress?
A: I plan to play through one year per real-life day. I've found a gradual, structured progression to work well for me, as in the Rocking Rackets and XCOM projects I've done. As with the XCOM dynasty, there will be pauses and interruptions when needed for those who have characters in the game to make decisions. In most cases though, I should be able to set up policies for people to decide on that will govern what happens -- this will keep things from getting bogged down too much. Most of this has already been worked out, and will be revealed in due time.

Active Characters(As of May 10, 12:37 PM EST)

The following fearless, peerless leaders have chosen to represent our great society.

Inquistor Roe Laren(chesapeake)

Role: Head of State
Age: 28
Skill: ****
Trait(s): Warlike(-10% Ship cost, -20% Army cost), Deep Connections(+1.0 monthly influence)
Location: Royal Palace of Humboldt, on the ocean floor
Orders: Encourage Free Thought(Imperial Edict, -1 influence per month, +10% research speed, +15% ethical divergence), emphasize exploration with a new science ship ASAP, military spending minimized

Governor JIMGA(JonInMiddleGA)

Role: Governor, Humboldt
Age: 46
Skill: *
Trait(s): Iron Fist(+15% Slave Output, minerals and food)
Location: Same as Inquisitor Laren, though in a different part of the capital
Orders: Increase development on mineral resources, no development of food reserves presently needed

Dr. Aslik Deesh(AnalBumCover)

Role: Survey Captain, OSC Laggasch
Age: 28
Skill: *
Trait(s): Resilient(+25-year lifespan)
Location: Solaris Troutentis system
Orders: Survey Solaris Troutentis system

Dr. Frank Justyce(mrkilla22)

Role: Research Director, Physics Dept.
Age: 29
Skill: *
Trait(s): Spark of Genius(+10% Research Speed)
Location: Humboldt
Orders: Research Orbital Energy Conversion

Dr. David Corperial(DavidCorperial)

Role: Research Director, Society Dept.
Age: 47
Skill: *
Trait(s): Resilient(+25 years lifespan)
Location: Humboldt
Orders: Research New Worlds Protocol

Dr. Coffee Warlord(Coffee Warlord)

Role: Research Director, Engineering Dept.
Age: 36
Skill: *
Trait(s): Adaptable(+15% leader experience)
Location: Humboldt
Orders: Research Ion Thrusters

Adm. SirFozzie(SirFozzie)

Role: Commander, 1st Nautilus Squadron
Age: 29
Skill: *
Trait(s): Trickster(+10% Evasion, -25% Emergency FTL Damage)
Location: Humboldt orbit, Solar Troutentis system
Orders: Requesting interceptor-style corvette fleet assets. Otherwhise maintaining readiness.
Total Command: 3 Sschlurga-class striker corvettes

Gen. Eola Eusrim(muns)

Role: Commander, Humboldt Ground Forces
Age: 33
Skill: *
Traits(s): Glory Seeker(+10% Army morale, +10% Army damage)
Location: Humboldt
Orders: Prioritize new defense armies somewhat over assault armies
Total Command: 1 Defense Army, 4 Garrisons

Waiting List

None yet. A Survey Captain is expected to be needed soon.

Brian Swartz

04-29-2016, 01:11 PM

Galaxy Setup(Where are we?)

http://i.imgur.com/8tAJ4cB.png

A number of these, unlike most of the later ones, I'm going to choose myself for reasons listed below.

Galaxy Size: Ranges from Tiny(175 stars) to Huge(1000 stars). We'll be going Huge here because, well, that's the point of an epic galactic struggle IMO. In a small galaxy the 'epic' wouldn't really be there.

Galaxy Shape: Spiral(2 arms), Spiral(4 arms), Elliptical, Ring. The main difference here is the amount of 'dark space'. No matter what form of FTL travel one uses, there is a limit to the range on it. Elliptical is the most homegeneous and the most likely to end up with potential conflicts and/or allies on all sides; a Ring galaxy presents much higher likelihood of being boxed in and having limited travel options. The Spiral galaxies are in the middle of the spectrum, with more dark space in a 2-arm system than in the 4-arm systems due to the spacing.

AI Empires: Approx. 1 per 30 stars in the default, 32 for a huge galaxy. This is the number of empires capable of FTL travel at game start, there will also be less advanced races created, some of which will eventually discover FTL during the course of the game. More AIs means a shorter exploration phase before conflict is forced upon us; fewer would result in the opposite.

Advanced AI Starts: Approx. one per 125 stars, or one-quarter of the total number of AI empires is the default; 8 in other words for our huge galaxy. These civs have a better starting position, but no permanent bonuses such as faster research or lowered costs, etc. It's a 'head start' setting. This is essentially a way to tune the difficulty, esp. early on; by default we start on par with most of the galaxy, but a higher setting here could make us a weaker member of the 'young races'.

FTL Method: There are three available methods: Warp, Hyperlane, Wormhole. We'll be allowing all three, as I think potential interactions between them is more interesting than limiting things to one particular method. Each has it's own strengths and weaknesses, which will be covered later.

Ironman Mode: Disallows going backwards to an earlier save. This will be off, in case I screw up. It would be quite aggravating to do something really stupid due to a mouseslip or whatever. Doing something stupid due to me just making a bad choice(or somebody with a character giving a suboptimal order) is of course just part of the fun.

Difficulty: It has been announced that there will be a few difficulty levels, Normal, Hard, and Insane. We'll be doing normal, partly because I want people to be free to make 'in-character' decisions if they choose without the risk of necessarily destroying the chance of success. As is often the case, the higher difficulty levels don't give the AI access to better algorithms/choices at least for the most part, but just give them artificial buffs. If things look too easy for us at first, don't panic -- the game has built-in mechanisms to challenge the player in this event. Not saying any more than that about the ones I know about :).

Voting Options

Anyone wishing to participate should choose one of each.

Galaxy Size: Spiral(2 Arms), Spiral(4 arms), Ellipitical, Ring, or Random.

AI Empires: Very Sparse, Sparse, Standard, Dense, Very Dense, or Random. Listed from lowest to highest amount of AI Empire opponents. For Random I'll have half the standard amount as the low end, double the standard amount as the high end.

Advanced AI Starts: Same options -- Very Few, Few, Standard, Many, Very Many, Random.

That'll do it for today, tomorrow we'll narrow the focus from the galactic surroundings to the specific species that we will choose to be.

AnalBumCover

04-29-2016, 02:50 PM

Will be interesting to see what we collectively come up with.

Galaxy Size: Spiral(2 Arms), Spiral(4 arms), Ellipitical, Ring, or Random.
Spiral(4 arms)

AI Empires: Very Sparse, Sparse, Standard, Dense, Very Dense, or Random. Listed from lowest to highest amount of AI Empire opponents. For Random I'll have half the standard amount as the low end, double the standard amount as the high end.
Standard

Advanced AI Starts: Same options -- Very Few, Few, Standard, Many, Very Many, Random.
Random

DavidCorperial

04-29-2016, 05:52 PM

Ring
Standard
Standard

Thomkal

04-29-2016, 07:34 PM

ellipitical
standard
standard

for first game, the "default" probably works best for this kind of game.

Coffee Warlord

04-29-2016, 07:55 PM

Spiral (4 Arms), Standard, Few

Brian Swartz

04-30-2016, 09:40 AM

Will be interesting to see what we collectively come up with.

I agree, I'm curious how the voting will go overall. Thanks to all for joining, I'll be daily updating the votes so far in the first post of the thread.

Brian Swartz

04-30-2016, 11:56 AM

Species Appearance(What are we?)

Today we will begin to delve into defining our species. Appearance is mostly cosmetic. We could simply choose to be humans, but if not, we will need to select what we look like to the galaxy more specifically. Random selections are an option here as well. Choose well -- I'm going to be spending a ton of time looking at whatever you pick :P.

Portrait: There are several groupings, or 'phenotypes', to choose from, each with a number of different options. As mentioned this is mostly cosmetic, but generally speaking other species from the same phenotype will get along with us better than a species from a completely different phenotype so it does have some diplomatic effects.

Mammalian

Mammals, including humans.

http://i.imgur.com/DvEHVc7.png

Reptilian

Slimy, or otherwhise, reptiles and lizards.

http://i.imgur.com/O7jJHIF.png

Avian

Bird-like creatures.

http://i.imgur.com/rE1DDfp.png

Arthropoid

Insects.

http://i.imgur.com/wWlukFs.png

Molluscoid

Inverterbrates.

http://i.imgur.com/dcDUuaS.png

Fungoid

All the 'fungis' of the galaxy.

http://i.imgur.com/5lS8LOH.png

Species Name: What should we call ourselves(aka Human, Martian or whatever).

Voting Options

Species Choice: Human, Other, or Random. If choosing Other, please specify the rest of the options as well; if not, they are moot. If the majority chooses 'other' but there are a lot of different species submissions, I'll select one from among the most popular.

Species Portrait: Select one of the six phenotypes, or even an individual portrait if you want to be more specific.

Species Name(Singular):

Species Name(Plural):

Tomorrow we'll get into a few things about our homeworld.

AnalBumCover

04-30-2016, 06:49 PM

Molluscoid, and whatever is the most squid-like portrait

DavidCorperial

05-01-2016, 12:01 AM

Random

Brian Swartz

05-01-2016, 10:50 AM

Species Homeworld(Where do we live?)

Having dealt with the larger setting(Stellaris Galaxy) and visual identity(species appearance + name), it is time now to move on to the local setting. This is another aspect that is mostly aesthetic but does have a small gameplay impact in terms of what types of planets our starting species can settle, especially early on.

Planet Name: Earth, Mars, etc.

Planet Type: Choose from among the habitable planet types of Continental, Tropical, Desert, Arid, Tundra, Arctic, and Ocean. The way these work is in a 'circle', with the types closest on the circle to our homeworld the most habitable, and those opposite the least habitable. For example, a Continental species will do best on other continental worlds, Ocean/Tropical will be next best, Desert/Artic after that, and Arid/Tundra will be the worst. A Desert species would prefer desert of course, followed by Arid/Tropical, Continental/Tundra, and lastly Arctic/Ocean. And so on.

http://i.imgur.com/iu1py88.png

Star Name: This will be Sol for humans of course, but otherwhise we'll need a new one.

Solar System Type: Some systems are pre-scripted, such as a Sol replica; there are probably others but those are not known at this time. If we play as Humans we'll use Sol, otherwhise this will be random.

Voting Options

If we end up playing as humans or a totally random species, this category will not be needed. For those choosing Other under the species options however, we should define the specifics of that choice here:

Planet Name:
Planet Type: Continental, Tropical, Desert, Arid, Tundra, Arctic, Ocean.
Star Name:

Tomorrow we'll start looking at choices that will have a lot more impact on how the game plays out, beginning with a couple of basic elements of starting technology.

Brian Swartz

05-02-2016, 09:11 AM

Technology(What can we use?)

As mentioned, today we begin the aspects that will have a more significant direct impact on how our story plays out. There are two major technological choices we must make to begin our journey: space-based Weapons and FTL Travel Method.

Weapons: We can begin with Projectiles(high damage, somewhat limited range, good against shields), Energy(average damage and range, good against armor), or Missiles(long range, but can be shot down by point defense). We may later research whatever kind we don't start with, but not necessarily right away due to technology choices having a significant random factor.

FTL Travel Method: The three available methods are Warp, Hyperlane, and Wormhole. We'll start with only one of these. Like the weapons, we can research the other choices(and at least one advanced method, eventually) but the impression I've gotten so far is that this is a more semi-permanent choice; we are likely to be stuck with the first choice for longer here, and it seems the more vital of the two starting tech decisions.

** Warp drives have a fairly slow interstellar speed, are expensive, and leave our ships vulnerable as they cannot act during a cooldown period after making a jump. They do have a major advantage though in that they can jump to any system within range with no restrictions.

** Hyperlanes are the 'starlane' or 'space roads' option. Interstellar speed is quite fast, but they can only travel on the routes allowed by these naturally occuring hyperlanes. This allows for the possibility that a potential enemy can fortify vital and unavoidable chokepoints.

** Wormhole travel is nearly instantaneous and has the longest range. The downside here is that a wormhole station, which can be attacked by enemies, is required. We can jump to or from any system with such a station. By way of explanation, imagine three systems Alpha Centauri, Rigel, and Deneb, and assume all are in range of each other. If we start in Alpha Centauri with a wormhole station there, we could jump to Rigel or Deneb, but would have to return to Alpha Centauri before going to the third system. A well-planned and defended network of stations is a requirement for this, but within such a network the mobility and unpredictability of our navy would be greater than any rival using the other methods. On the other hand, the need to build up the network limits how quickly we can expand.

Ship Appearance: A cosmetic decision, which will made based on species type.

Voting Options

Starting Weapon System: Projectiles, Energy, Missiles, or Random
FTL Travel Method: Warp, Hyperlane, Wormhole, or Random

Tomorrow we'll delve into our starting species ethics, which is a crucial element in the game.

DavidCorperial

05-02-2016, 10:02 AM

Energy
Hyperlane

chesapeake

05-02-2016, 10:03 AM

Lots of choices...
Galaxy Size: Spiral(4 arms)
AI Empires: Standard,
Advanced AI Starts: Standard
Species Choice: Other
Species Portrait: Molluscoid -- the most trout-like, of course
Species Name(Singular): Trout
Species Name(Plural): Trout
Planet Name: Salmonid
Planet Type: Ocean
Star Name: Sun, Trout or Home (Sometimes, finding your home star on a big map can be a pain in the backside. A simple name here makes it easier.)
Starting Weapon System: Missiles (I see an aquatic race using missiles)
FTL Travel Method: Warp (Warp seems like an advantage early during the exploration phase, with wormholes being developed by the midgame to allow for faster travel between settled systems.)

Brian Swartz

05-02-2016, 10:23 AM

Looks like the Molluscoids are off to the early lead, which I definitely wouldn't have predicted. That's what I like about having the forum choose in this type of thing -- stuff I would never do/anticipate ends up happening.

Makes the story a lot better, in my opinion. Thanks for all who have participated, keep it coming!

Coffee Warlord

05-02-2016, 11:59 AM

We have to be the Smug Slugs.

Coffee Warlord

05-02-2016, 12:04 PM

Species: Smug Slugs (the molluscoids, second from right, first row)
FTL: Wormholes (Fishholes)
Weapons: Projectiles
Planet: Ocean

Empire Name: Trout Emporium
Species: Troutians (singular: Trout)
Star Name: Solarus Troutentis
Planet: Troutentis

AnalBumCover

05-02-2016, 01:29 PM

I've forgotten where I've left off from my official voting, but it appears as if we're leaning toward a trout-like empire.

I concur.

Brian Swartz

05-02-2016, 02:00 PM

FWIW, you haven't yet voted on Homeworld stuff or starting tech. If you care to. That's the last two sections.

AnalBumCover

05-02-2016, 02:55 PM

Species Name(Singular): Architeuthis (Latin for: Giant Squid)
Species Name(Plural): Architeuthis
Planet Name: Humboldt
Planet Type: Ocean
Star Name: Colossol (Colos-SOL, get it?!?)
Starting Weapon System: Projectile
FTL Travel Method: Hyperlane

Brian Swartz

05-03-2016, 10:43 AM

Ethos(What do we believe?)

Ethos is probably the most important setup decision to made. It will impact almost every part of the game; diplomacy, internal politics, what technologies we can research, and I'm sure things that I've haven't thought of yet or haven't been revealed. It also determines what types of government we can choose from, which we will get to tomorrow.

There are four ethical spectrums in Stellaris that define our beliefs as a species. We may choose up to three of these, but cannot select opposing philosophies on the same spectrum. For example, we cannot choose to be both Militarist and Pacifist -- it's kind of like trying to divide by zero. If one or two philosophies have far more support than the rest, we will be Fanatics in the most popular choice.

Collectivist vs. Individualist. The needs of the many vs. the rights of the individual citizen.

** Collectivists require less food, improving population growth, and are more tolerant than normal of slavery.

** Individualists get a bonus to energy(the 'currency' of the game, primarily used for maintenance, meaning individualists can support more buildings, orbital stations, ships, etc). Individualists also are less tolerant than normal of slavery, and will have more population that departs from the species ethical norm that the average empire.

Xenophile vs. Xenophobe. The approach to other species.

** Xenophiles get along better with other species living on the same planet/part of the same empire.

** Xenophobes are the opposite, and will more quickly be unhappy living with other species. They are also more tolerant than normal of enslasving aliens.

Militarist vs. Pacifist. This spectrum considers the merits of war.

** Militarists get bonuses to the destructiveness of their ground combat armies, and gain more influence(aka political capital) from 'rattling the saber' by declaring enemy empires to be rivals. It is more costly for them to form alliances than normal. The people also have more tolerance for and happiness during war than normal.

** Pacifists can establish more embassies, which improve relations with competing empires. They also produce more food, increasing population growth. Their ground combat armies are less effective than normal, rivalries gain less influence than normal for them, and the popular approach to wars is more negative as well.

Materialist vs. Spiritualist

** Materialists get a bonus to their research output.

** Spiritualists get a bonus to their happiness, and are therefore less likely to spawn independence movements.

Voting Options

Ethos Preferences: List up to three from the choices above with the caveat that they cannot be opposing choices from the same spectrum. Or alternatively, there's always the Random option.

Tomorrow we'll look at government types a bit.

AnalBumCover

05-03-2016, 11:34 AM

Going along the lines of my squid direction (in particular, the Humboldt)

Collectivist
Xenophobe
Militarist

Coffee Warlord

05-03-2016, 11:46 AM

Fanatic Spiritualist
Collectivist

Trout Swim Together, under the watchful eye of Boojie, the Great Trout.

DavidCorperial

05-03-2016, 05:41 PM

Individualist
Xenophile
Spiritualist

Brian Swartz

05-04-2016, 08:31 AM

Government

There will be a few government types available to us out of 15 total. Advanced forms of government can be acquired later in the game, so this is not permanent but will shape the early decades at the very least. The ones that we may choose are based on our ethos from yesterday's options. There are three basic categories however, with the biggest difference being in how a new ruler is chosen:

** Autocracies are not available to Individualists. There are no elections; a single ruler holds power until his or her death, and in most cases there we cannot interfere in the selection of the new ruler.

** Oligarchies are not available to fanatic collectivists or fanatic individualists, but milder forms of those ethos can use them. Elections are held but rare, with a 40-50 year term. These appear to be of the 'selected from an elite group' type of elections, where we can -- for a cost -- select which leader takes over.

** Democracies are not available to collectivists. Elections are common, and typically occur every 5 years. Best information I have right now is that campaigning for a particular candidate to increase their chances can be done, again for a price, but is not always successful.

Government Name: This should be appropriate to a single planet, as we can change it when we expand. In other words, United Earth Council(or whatever), not Galactic Terran Imperium, and so on.

Government Flag: There are four considerations here: a background pattern, primary color for the background, secondary color for the background, and a symbol to identify us. I'll try to pick something at least vaguely appropriate given our other species' selections.

Name List: The names of planets, ships, leaders can all be changed, but this is the list we will draw them from. I'll select an appropriate one based on the species that is selected.

Voting Options

Government Type: Preference for Autocratic, Oligarchy, or Democracy, unless a Random selection is preferred.
Government Name:

This is the last of the setup options! Tomorrow I'll get into sign-ups for leaders of what looks like it's going to end up being an empire of trout-beings.

Coffee Warlord

05-04-2016, 09:24 AM

Oligarchy.

AnalBumCover

05-04-2016, 09:56 AM

Oligarchy
Gub'ment Name: Oncorhynchus Collective

(Oncorhynchus is the genus name that includes Rainbow Trout)

chesapeake

05-04-2016, 11:23 AM

Oligarchy - Seems more stable for a first run
Collectivist - trout do roam in schools
Pacifist - we hate ripples in our pond (interested to see if the interaction between more food from this and less need for food from being collectivist causes rapid breeding or some beneficial synergy)
Spiritualist - all praise to Boojie!

Brian Swartz

05-04-2016, 11:28 AM

(interested to see if the interaction between more food from this and less need for food from being collectivist causes rapid breeding or some beneficial synergy)

The answer is basically yes to both. The more food a planet produces the faster the population grows. With a fuller planet this would eventually lead to less space being used for food, and more for increased production of other needed resources.

Coffee Warlord

05-04-2016, 08:19 PM

If we go Spiritualist, I'm voting Holy Trout Emporium.

Brian Swartz

05-05-2016, 09:58 AM

Leaders(Who are our top officials?)

Finally it is time to sign up. For those who wish to participate actively in the story, there are four 'career paths' that you may choose. Some will have more possibilties and/or responsibilities than others. Every leader has a trait to give them a little more distinction & individuality, they gain experience through their various activities, and will eventually die. Almost certainly the game will last long enough to go through at least a few 'generations' -- it is possible with the right species traits and the best technology to have leaders live for several centuries later on! I won't be selecting the longevity-extending traits to start out with, as I think it'll be more fun if there's some turnover. A career of at least a few decades is still expected for each character, unless they meet an 'untimely demise'.

Those wishing to join should submit a name(renaming of leaders has been confirmed as a feature). You can also choose your career path preference, up to three in order of choice, if you would like. Otherwhise you will be used wherever you are needed. If nothing has changed by release, there will be a maximum of 10 leaders at the start, with 8 needed for a full roster at the beginning. The maximum grows slowly with our empire. If there are less volunteers than needed, I will handle the other characters; if there a more, a waiting list will be maintained.

Governors -- at least one needed.

Governors can have two different spheres of influence.

** Planetary Governors are responsible for a single key planet(or moon, in some cases). They will set a general policy for how development there will be prioritized. At game start we will need one governor for our homeworld.

** Sector Governors are responsible for larger areas of space, usually encompassing multiple systems. There is a limit to how many planets can be effectively governed directly, a limit that might increase but certainlyh not as fast as an empire expands. None will be needed at game start, but before long they will become a thing. The systems within a sector are not directly controlled -- rather, the person responsible for a sector sets two policies that will affect how their system(s) are developed and how much of the surplus goes to the imperial government via taxation.

Scientists -- At least four needed.

** A Research Director is responsible for all research into one of three general fields: Physics, Society, and Engineering. They choose the direction of research in those fields, which include primary research projects and special situations that may come up. As such, Research Directors wield a great deal of power in determining the research path of our species. One will be needed for each field, and this will not change throughout the game.

** Survey Captains are explorers. Science ships are equipped with specialized scanners that provide information on the habitability, etc. of planets and moons, and from time to time will identify anomalies. Investigating such anomalies carries a variety of risks and rewards, and requires the cooperation of the relevant Research Director in analyzing the data they collect on-site. Each survey captain will decide how cautious or aggressive they want to be in such situations. They will also be called upon at times to cooperate with a Research Director in a special project as the 'on-site liasion' while the Director coordinates analysis back on the homeworld, or to assist planetary research efforts if they are not busy elsewhere. At least one will be needed initially, and at least one more shortly afterwards.

Admirals -- At least one needed

Admirals command combat fleets. There isn't much in the way of in-game decisions for them to make, but I'm going to give them input on the makeup of the fleet, and design of ships in it, which should be a lot of fun. As we grow there should also be some input in terms on how to distribute the fleet throughout the empire. At start we will need one admiral

Generals -- At least one needed.

Generals quite logically operate as admirals, except that they command the armies on a particular planet, moon, or invasion force. There is less here than for the other roles, but they will have a voice in what types of armies to build and where to send them. Again we will need one at startup.

Aside from the four main branches, there is also a special case:

Head of State -- 1

This is probably the most important leader, and has the most responsibilities. Most leaders will have a couple different settings to provide guidance in how to implement their wishes, but the head of state will have much more to contribute. Under most government forms it will be a political leader but there are the possibilities for a technocracy led by a scientist, a military junta led by a general or admiral, and so on given the appopriate ethics. If the voting doesn't change significantly, it will almost certainly be a governor getting this job with the consensus so far.

They are responsible for setting a range of imperial policies, edicts, and so forth. Most of these are the ones presented in the game, and I've added a few as a way for the Head of State to give some simple, general instructions/priorities for how I will play out the game. How secure this position is depends on whether we end up with an autocratic/oligarchal/democratic form of government, but with the presumed oligarchy each would have some decades to man the post before being potentially replaced.

Sign-Up Form

Character Name: Whatever you want us to call you.
Career Path: Governor, Scientist, Admiral, General, or No Preference if you don't care. The Head of State will be selected from the relevant path at random from the available candidates. If you select multiple paths, I'll try to get you in the first one if available, then the second, and so on. Otherwhise I'll wait till a spot's open in your chosen path.

Tomorrow I'll put up some information on what's going to happen on Monday when the game is out, but other than that we're ready to roll!

Coffee Warlord

05-05-2016, 10:28 AM

Character Name: Coffee Warlord
Career Path: Scientist.

chesapeake

05-05-2016, 11:46 AM

Character Name: Roe Laren
Career Path: Governor or scientist

DavidCorperial

05-05-2016, 12:52 PM

Character Name: David Corperial
Career Path: Governor or Scientist

muns

05-06-2016, 07:35 AM

Character Name: Eola Eusrim
Career Path: General

AnalBumCover

05-06-2016, 08:19 AM

Character Name: Aslik Dessh
Career Path: Survey Captain

Brian Swartz

05-06-2016, 11:30 AM

Five brave souls! The more the merrier, but that will cover a good amount of the initial spots as it is. All have been added to the OP.

Here's what I plan on for Monday:

** Setup voting appears to be basically complete, but I will officially cut it off when Stellaris is released. Best estimate on that is about noon to 1PM EST right now. Three days as I write this.

** Sign-ups will be open basically forever. People can, and I expect will if the past is of any value in prediction the future, join after the story begins.

** Whenever release comes, after I get Stellaris installed and everything I'll get our starting situation set up and do a general briefing. This will include a view of the galaxy, it's major features and where we are in it; a view of our empire's 'territory'; closer-in, what our home system looks like; and an overview of our starting assets. Once a decade game-time, I'll update this information with a new report that will also be put in the first post as a sort of one-stop spot to see the latest on how we are progressing.

** Next, I'll do a rundown of the leaders. Who everyone is, what your trait, age, skill, area of responsibility, and so on.

** Then for each sign-up character I'll do a briefing specifically for your area. This will have all the information you should need in order to set initial orders. You will then have 48 hours to make those. As usual, if someone doesn't respond in that time I will choose for them in order to keep the story going.

** When everyone has reported in, or at the 48-hour deadline, whichever comes first, I will get the game moving and our journey will begin!

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 11:46 AM

Fellow travelers, voting has closed! We are LIVE!! I present to you the results of mostly your decisions, the FOFC entrant into the chaotic Stellaris Galaxy. Let us go forth and honor Boojie!.

Galaxy

Huge, Spiral(4 Arms), Standard number of AI opponents. Wasn't much debate here.

Appearance

Strong consensus to go with a Molluscoid, and more specifically a 'trout-like' race. We call ourselves Architreuthis. The so-called 'smug slugs' were strongly considered but did not seem particularly fitting with our marine nature. See the image of our completed race at the end here.

Homeworld

Only an ocean world will suffice. We name our homeworld Humboldt, and the star Solaris Troutentis. I took names from a variety of people voting, I like what was submitted!

Technology

Projectile weapons, Hyperspace FTL. Opinions were more divided here but each of these got one more vote than the others.

Ethos

Fanatic Spiritualist + Collectivist. These were far and away the top choices. As there was one request for Fanatic Spiritualist that broke the tie in terms of which way we went there.

** As Spiritualists we recognize that "consciousness begets reality. We regard with patience the child-like efforts of those who delude themselves as they play with their blocks of 'hard matter'".
** As Collectivists we know that 'Society has long since evolved past the insignificant rivalries and concerns of the individuals. We are numerous but one, and the needs of the many outweigh the concerns of the few."

Government

Oligarchy across the board. There are two qualifying oligarchies given our ethos choices: Theocratic and Plutocratic. The latter is rule of the wealthy elite, which is the opposite of our spiritualist bent so it was a no-brainer to go with Theocratic Oligarchy. As with most forms the politicians rule in this government. It gives us a -10% to ethic divergence; i.e., our population will not drift from our Spiritualist, Collectivist ideal as much as they would under other forms. We also get a 15% discount on the recruitment of new leaders. Specifically, we are the Oncorhynchus Collective.

Species Traits

This I did not put to a vote for two reasons. First, there are 29 of them. Talk about chaos -- I'm trying to keep this reasonably simple. Secondly, the other choices made informed the choice as I expected they would. For the most part I 'doubled down' here on the ethics choices that have been made. The game allows for up to four traits, with a total of two points to spend.

A bit here about how I see our species as it's been discussed. We are trout-beings, but amphibious ones who have developed the ability to live on land to expand our horizons and fully develop our homeworld of Humboldt. This flexibility came with a cost; we are physically Weak(-20% ground armies combat damage) compared to other races. This is a -1 trait and puts us up to 3 points, 3 more traits that we can select. 'Members of this species are physically weaker than average, making them poor fighters on the ground.'

Next I chose Adaptive(+10% Habitability) for the same reason. The flexibility that made us emerge from the oceans also gives us an advantage in colonizing worlds only marginally suitable to us. This is a 2-point trait, leaving up to 2 traits left but just a single point. "This species is highly adaptive when it comes to foreign environments."

Another negative trait was added next: Sedentary(+50% migration time, +33% resettlement cost). Our commitment to community makes us less likely to want to uproot. "This species has a sedentary past, and it's members are unlikely to migrate away from where they grew up."

Finally, we are Conformists(-20% ethics divergence). This uses up the last two points, and is in keeping with our collective spiritualist dogma. "These people always seek consensus and are more likely to conform to the governing ethics."

And so it is done. The finished product:

http://i.imgur.com/BQHxCfQ.png

Coming up next ... a general briefing on matters both galactic and local.

muns

05-09-2016, 12:38 PM

Good stuff. Looking forward to the ride Brian

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 12:40 PM

Thanks! I hope everyone enjoys it.

GENERAL BRIEFING

The year is 2200. Like most of the 'younger races', we have just discovered FTL travel. I present now the Stellaris Galaxy:

http://i.imgur.com/0pvWb8d.png

Our territory is the blue highlighted area on the right. We are about midway out on one of the spiral arms. As can be seen, we have limited travel pathways between the arms -- control of the systems on either side of these could be strategically important eventually, if we can even get there.

http://i.imgur.com/Lbrs7UC.png

The only notable galactic feature in our region of space is the one we inhabit: the Grasping Claw Nebula. Caution must be exercised during interstellar travel -- within the nebula, which comprises most of our territory, travel speed is reduced by 30%. Our claimed territory is everything within the blue region. We cannot access resources beyond it without building a frontier outpost or colonizing a planet. The nearby systems of Dirmius and Maghama are within it, while the surrounding star systems are on the edge and mostly just beyond it. The dotted circle indicates the current range of our sensors.

http://i.imgur.com/cCqchHQ.png

The Solar Troutentis system has six planets. The gas giants Uldrug and Tuggam with their attendant moons comprise the outer orbits. The smaller planet of Schlargoss is next, with our homeworld of Humboldt next followed by Gabog and Uggrim.

http://i.imgur.com/kWYb1i0.png

Humboldt itself is a ringed planet, with the barren moon Maggrathi allowing it to remain free of tidal lock. We have a number of assets in orbit shown here. On the left is the Saggurss-class construction ship Mildrosch, equipped with nano-capable automated assembly capability for rapid deployment of any stations we might need to build beyond Humboldt. In the upper middle is the 1st Nautilus Squadron, a trio of Sschlurga-class corvettes. The Botein III Spaceport dominates the view next to the right, and is both an economic and military necessity, housing our shipbuilding capabilities, logistical support for the fleet, and a number of mass drivers allowing it to serve as the primary naval defense of Humboldt. It can absorb as much damage as more than eight corvettes, but against a larger-scale attack it will not survive on it's own. Finally there is the Higgla-class science ship on the far right.

Here's a closer look at the three initial ship classes we presently have.

http://i.imgur.com/OGlNhgA.png

http://i.imgur.com/g0T4Vrf.png

http://i.imgur.com/8SGHfsH.png

Economic Briefing

The navy cannot extend our reach or keep us safe from external threats without the proper support.

Primary Economic Resources

** Energy is the lifeblood of any economy, a measurement both of it's ability to produce power and the liquid assets that result. Buildings, ships, armies, and so on require a certain amount to maintain. We currently have 50 out of a maximum storage capacity of 2500. 11 is produced each month, but most is needed for maintenance. The surplus is currently 3.64.

** Minerals are the raw materials used for all construction: ships, buildings, orbital stations, spaceport modules, and so on. Some is required for ship maintenance as well, but a relatively small amount comparatively speaking. The more minerals we have, the faster we can build, which will increase our demand for energy faster at all. In this way, mineral supply 'drags' the need for energy along with it. We have 200 out of a 5000 capacity currently. 8.8 are produced each month, with 0.7 used for maintenance leaving a 8.09 surplus.

** Influence is a measure of our political clout or capital. It is used on edicts, in diplomatic actions, building frontier outposts, and so on. We currently have 100 out of a capacity of 1000 and are producting 4 per month with none currently being used.

Research

There are three fields; Physics, Society, and Engineering. These resources represent our ability to pursue advances in these fields. At present we have 5 in each.

Other Resources

** Strategic Resources -- Special resources that, once we had discovered applications for them through research, we can find and use for specialized construction. So far, we have knowledge of none.
** Planet Cap -- We can only effectively govern 5 planets at this time. Since we have but our homeworld of Humboldt, this is not an imminent concern but a long-term one.
** Sector Cap -- If we grow large enough to exceed our ability to effectively govern all of our planets, areas of space will be assigned to regional, or sector governors. At present we don't need any, and have a cap of 2 here.
** Naval Cap -- The number of combat vessels we can handle logistically. At present we have the 3 corvettes, with a maximum of 12 at top effectiveness. This increases with population and spaceport enhancements, and does not include civilian designs such as construction ships or science vessels.
** Leader Cap -- The limit on the number of leaders in our empire without penalties. At the moment that is 10. We currently have five -- four scientists and a governor. The head of state is not included in this number. We will be spending some influence to add to this soon, at least to the point of ensuring we have enough to cover all aspects of our government.

Next up, we'll introduce our leaders.

Coffee Warlord

05-09-2016, 01:18 PM

The Great Trout will being peace to the galaxy.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 01:18 PM

INTERNAL POLITICS

Two volunteers chose governor or scientist as their career path. I went with one of each, doing a 'coin-flip' to pick who would be a scientist. The other went to the governor path as the head of state. That role fell to Roe Laren. I hope you like pink; the wardrobe and coloration was chosen, like all such things, by random. It is natural to start at the top.

Inquisitor Roe Laren
Head of State

Age: 28
Skill: ****(I don't know if this is normal, but 4 out of 5 stars to start seems awfully nice)
Trait: Warlike(-10% ship cost, -20% army cost). This leader does not shy away from conflict. War cost for Cede Planet and Cede Frontier Outpost wargoals are also reduced.
Trait: Deep Connections(+1 monthly influence). This leader is firmly entrenched in the labyrinthe web that makes up the political machine.

Until at least 2240, when our next election occurs, Inquisitor Laren will guide us.

Governor Riblogg
Governor, Planet Humboldt

Age: 46
Skill: *
Trait: Iron Fist(+15% output from slaves, food and minerals)

Riblogg is not a claimed character at this time.

Scientist Aslik Deesh
Survey Captain, Science Ship Laggasch

Age: 42
Skill: *
Trait: Reslient(+25 years lifespan)

Dr. Deesh will apparently be with us for a while.

Scientist Coffee Warlord
Research Director, Engineering

Age: 36
Skill: *
Trait: Adaptable(+15% experience gain)

Not that great right away since he doesn't have any research-specific bonus, but Dr. Warlord should improve quickly.

Scientist David Corperial
Research Director, Society

Age: 47
Skill: *
Trait: Resilient(+25 years lifespan)

Already getting up there a bit, this will allow Corperial to at least stick around a while hopefully.

Scientist Sagglor
Research Director, Physics

Age: 29
Skill: *
Trait: Spark of Genius(+10% Research Speed)

Figures, the one scientist who hasn't been claimed yet is the most talented one.

Admiral Riblogg
Commanding Officer, 1st Nautilus Squadron

Age: 28
Skill: *
Trait: Trickster(+10% Evasion, -25% Emergency FTL damage)

Adm. Riblogg is also open for claiming. He was the youngest by almost a decade of the available choices, and should help preserve the fleet should the worst happen.

General Eola Eusrim
Commanding Officer, Humboldt Ground Forces

Age: 33
Skill: *
Trait: Glory Seeker(+10% Army Morale, +10% Army Damage)

It looks like Gen. Eusrim should do well in mitigating the natural weakness of our troops.

With the recruiting of our admiral and general, we are now down to 16 influence. I'd like another survey scientist but that will have to wait a few months for us to gather enough -- the cost for us is 42 each.

Factions

I should mention this quickly. As of right now, we have 7 population and all of them are Loyalists, the primary faction that is comfortably in line with our leadership. Eventually others will form, but we have nothing to worry about on this front yet.

It is now time for initial orders. Prepare to make your voices heard.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 01:48 PM

HEAD OF STATE BRIEFING

POLICIES

If changed, these cannot be changed again for 10 years. Many are not relevant to our current situation, but they are still listed here so that the options are known. These are in-game policy settings.

** War Economy. Static is the current setting. A static war economy is unaffected by the vagaries of war. A Semi-Static war economy allows the seizure of limited assets from the private sector for the sake of survival during defensive wars, with a corresponding lack of efficiency while winning offensive wars. 30% military production efficiency at -100 Warscore, -30% at +100. A Dynamic war economy is basically a more extreme version of a Semi-Static one. +45% and -45% military production efficiency under the same circumstances.

** Slavery is currently Allowed, meaning we can enslave any pop within our empire. Prohibited means pretty much what it says.

** Slave Procreation cannot be set right now as we currently have no slaves. If Allowed, slaves will reproduce and offspring will automatically becomes slaves. If Prohibited, they will not reproduce.

** Purging is presently Allowed. We can "cleanse the troublesome and corrupt elements within our Empire, lest their rot take root in us all." Doing so will kill and enrage the targeted population, and other sympathetic pops will be enraged as well. Alternatively we can set purging to Prohibited.

** Orbital Bombardment is presently set to Limited, which is the middle option. This allows the use of all but the heaviest ordnance. We may also set it to Light, which emphasizes minimizing civilian casualties. Full is not permitted to us since we are not Militarists, and is full bombardment without regard to life on the surface.

** Migration is, as you might expect, the movement of pops between worlds. It is presently Prohibited. It may be set to Primary Species Only or Free Migraton as well, both of which do pretty much what they say.

** Resettlement is related to migration but in this case it's a government-enforced relocation, costing influence. It is currently Allowed, and can be changed to Prohibited if we choose.

** Voting Rights cannot be changed at this time. Elitism is our approach, meaning that "The question of leadership is best left to our society's most respected and knowledgeable members."

** Leadership cannot be changed. The only current option is Primary Species Only. In the future, should the occasion arise, we will have the option of choosing to allow aliens into positions of leadership -- or not.

** First Contact Protocol is our set of standing orders on how to handle contact with other advanced life, should it be encoutered. At present, we are set to approach them with a stance of Peaceful, allowing no hostile action and only retaliating if attacked first. The other option is to be Aggressive, meaning preparing to strike without hesitation if the situation warrants.

That's a lot of stuff there, but much of it is pretty much set in stone right now.

EDICTS

These official in-game pronouncements can be changed at any time, and require an influence cost to maintain. All five of the currently available options would cost us 1 Influence per month.

** Information Quarantine: strict checks on the flow of information. -10% ethics divergence, -5% research speed
** Encourage Free Thought: the opposite basically. +15% ethics divergence, +10% research speed
** Engineering/Physics/Society Research Grants: Enabling one of these will increase research in the affected field by 30%, while reducing the effectiveness of the other two by 10% each.

ECONOMIC PRIORITIES

This is not an in-game setting, but rather one that I've come up with as a basic way to guide how I should allocate resources.
All can be low, medium, or high; all set at medium to begin with. Think of these as 'build-to' settings not necessarily what the immediate need is. They will control how many minerals are earmarked for each aspect. For example, the Interior setting will determine how big of a 'pool' the governors of planets(and later, sectors) have to use for their responsibilities.

Exploration -- Emphasis on discovering and surveying other star systems. Number of leaders dedicated to survey ships, exploring new territory vs. boosting more 'traditional' planetside research efforts.

Expansion -- Colonizing new planets and building new outposts, construction ships as deemed necessary, and so on. Outposts can allow us to develop resources and extend our territorial claims in areas where colonization is either impossible or impractical. They cost influence(i.e., countering the Homeworld First movements).

Military -- Naval and ground forces for use should conflict arise, externally or internally

Interior -- Developing resources(energy, minerals, research) within our current holdings, whether orbital or planetary.

There will be a foreign policy setting eventually but that's premature at this point. So, Inquisitor Roe Laren, you are now on the clock. Your orders, please:

Policies: List any you wish to change, and what they should be changed to
Edicts: Should you wish to enact any
Economic Priorities: Unless you want all to remain at medium, note your adjustments here.

Next up, I'll continue on with our scientists. The rest of the orders will be much simpler, especially at first.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 02:11 PM

Scientific Briefing: Dr. Aslik Deesh

As Captain of the Science Survey Ship Laggasch, you will be initially tasked with survey efforts in our home system of Solar Troutentis. We need only your initial instructions in terms of Risk Tolerance. This relates to the pursuit of any anomalies you may find. Each has a risk factor associated with it. Failure will have negative consequences, not the least of which is that any potential discoveries from that anomaly will be lost forever. The potential gain must be weighed against the risk both to yourself to your crew, and also against the fact that you or another scientist might be more likely to find success after becoming more skilled.

If set to High, you will investigate anything with a 50% or less chance of failure; Medium, 30% or less; or Low, 10% or less. If you want a different number, that's fine too.

Risk Tolerance Orders: High/Medium/Low, or whatever % you would like the threshold to be.

Dr. Aslik Deesh, you are on the clock.

Scientific Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

As Director of Society Research, you must choose from the following three research projects:

** New Worlds Protocol(New Worlds sub-field). This costs 360 to develop, allowing for the building of colony ships which can extend our species to other planets if any suitable ones are found. Once used, the colony ship is consumed as part of the new settlement. A planet-level edict knows as Capacity Overload, which increases energy production by 15% for a 10-year period, will also become possible.
** Centralized Command(Military Theory). At a cost of 240, this will reduce Army Upkeep costs by 10% and develop plans for a Military Academy. This structure increases army damage by 10% and army build speed by 25% on any planet that builds one.
** Planetary Unification(Statecraft). The cost is 240 here as well. Our monthly influence gain will be increased by 1.0, and the Propoganda Broadcasts edict will be unlocked. This is another planetary edict that increases happiness by 10%.

Normally you would need to assign a priority to this research, in the event of a special situation coming up. However, since our Situation Log is currently empty, that will not be necessary. Your instructions will be requested in the event that such a situation in your field comes up.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock. What shall our society researchers pursue?

Scientific Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

As Director of Engineering Research, you have three projects to choose from as well.

** Deep Space Outposts(Deep Space Outposts). A bit redundant there. The cost of 240 to unlock Defense Platforms, permitting the ability to build entry-level fixed orbital defense stations within our space.
** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials). For a cost of 360, we can produce Nanocomposite Armor, allowing for superior ship protection. At present, we have no effective ship armor materials.
** Ion Thrusters(Rocketry). For 240, we can develop Ion Thrusters that, for double the power and cost of our current Chemical Thrusters, also double our evasion chance to +20 and increase our sublight(within star systems) speed by 10%

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are on the clock. What direction will our Engineering Department take?

Next up, there is one military briefing yet to go before orders are complete.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 02:22 PM

Military Briefing: General Eola Eusrim

As the sole commander of our ground forces, you are responsible for the distribution of our armies and what kinds of armies we will primarily recruit. Our present state of readiness is that of a single army on Humboldt, to which four garrisons will be added in the case of an attack.

The army on Humboldt is a defense army, which is one of two kinds, the other being assault armies. The defense army is half the cost and is nearly as combat-effective(87%) to be exact. The drawback is that they cannot be moved from the world they were recruited on. Assault armies come with transports and are necessary to invade alien worlds. Armies of both kinds can be improved with attachments, or I should say they could be had we actually developed the doctrine for any.

At the moment, we can recruit armies only on Humboldt. Therefore your only decision to make is what kind to recruit here. Much like the Economic Priorities, this is a build-to decision informing how we should best structure our force.

Defense Armies: Low/Med/High priority
Assault Armies: Low/Med/High priority

Gen. Eola Eusrim, you are now on the clock.

That's it for initial orders. I'll put up some details on Humboldt itself but didn't bother yet since nobody has taken the governor of our homeworld yet. At this point I'm waiting on you. Of course new sign-ups are welcome at any time. In 48 hours, or sooner if everyone reports in, we will proceed.

In other words, stop playing your solo campaigns for five freaking minutes so you can tell me what to do :P

AnalBumCover

05-09-2016, 02:33 PM

muns

05-09-2016, 02:39 PM

Coffee Warlord

05-09-2016, 02:53 PM

Engineering has determined we should be working on Ion Thrusters, so better to fly our ships upstream during breeding season.

A fast Trout is a happy Trout.

AnalBumCover

05-09-2016, 03:00 PM

Engineering has determined we should be working on Ion Thrusters, so better to fly our ships upstream during breeding season.

A fast Trout is a happy Trout.

Should also help with getting through and around the Grasping Claw Nebula.

DavidCorperial

05-09-2016, 03:47 PM

New Worlds Protocol research is a must.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 03:52 PM

New Worlds Protocol research is a must.

Shocked I am. Truly shocked. All that remains right now is for our Head of State to show up. Probably off doing something stupid like working for a living.

Humboldt -- Our Home

This is the ocean world of Humboldt, the only planet on which we have ever lived. While that will hopefully change soon, it's worth taking a closer look.

http://i.imgur.com/VcVDveu.png

Explanations of a few things are in order here. We can hold up to 16 pops here, with a present total of 7. Planets can be smaller or larger, up to 25 max. There are some new resources:

** The green apples signify food. The more surplus food we have, the faster the population will grow.
** The yellow and black borders indicate tiles we can't use until we clear what is in them. Clearing costs both minerals and energy.
** The resources indicated in each tile are what can be gathered there if someone is at work in that area.
** If you look closely, you can see buildings in the background of some tiles. Where there is a building, the resources produced include what the building contributes. It's important to match the building to the tile. If, for example, we built a mine on the 1-food tile in the right column, we'd get the minerals for the mine, but the food would be gone. Building a hydroponic farm there will add the tile's food to the food from the farm, increasing the yield.
** The planetary capital(second column, third row down), currently at 4 food and 4 minerals, adds +1 to the minerals, food, or energy from any of the four adjacent tiles(shown with the small yellowish triangles/arrows). It's important to remember this when placing a colony on new worlds.
** We can only build/clear one thing at a time.

With all that in mind, anyone who chooses to be a planetary governor will set priorities for what resources to develop first in general(food, minerals, energy, research) that will nudge development in one way or another. It is possible to add modules to spaceports which add to our production, but not until we've, you know, invented such things. Right now we can't upgrade or add modules to ours, so it pretty much is what it is.

The main choice I'll be making here is whether to build a farm for one of the two pops working in areas that could benefit from that, or -- given the fact that we have a glut of food at the moment with 12.1 produced and only 6.6 used, clear one of the blocked tiles to produce energy, research, or something else.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 04:02 PM

Initially we will go with:

Defense Armies: High priority
Assault Armies: Med priority

So it shall be done. I just realized that I'm a liar. We do have a couple of army attachments available. They aren't cheap -- each costs as much as an assault army(50 minerals). The two we have available are:

** Neo-Concrete Fortifications(+10% army health, -10% army upkeep)
** Hunter-Killer Drone Swarms(+15% army damage)

That leaves another choice; we can have large numbers of weaker standard armies, small numbers of armies equipped with these attachments that are stronger, but more expensive, or forge some sort of middle ground.

I'm still learning a few bits about the UI here :).

mrkilla22

05-09-2016, 05:01 PM

If you still need a Physics Scientist, I will join!

Character Name: Frank Justyce
Career Path: Scientist

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 05:15 PM

You've got the job!

Scientist Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

Same character as mentioned before(Sagglor), same traits, just renamed and under your control. Here are your choices:

** Orbital Energy Conversion(Industry, 240) -- Unlocks Solar Panel Network, a module for spaceports, which produces 3 Energy.
** Global Energy Management(Industry, 240) -- +500 to Energy Storage Capacity, unlocks Power Hub I, which produces 3 Energy and also gives every planet that has one a +10% bonus to all energy production.
** Gravitic Sensors(Voidcraft, 240) -- +15% Survey Speed. Unlocks Gravitic Sensors, which can be used on stations or ships. For a cost of 10 minerals, they provide a sensor range of 25. Currently we have basic ship-mounted radar that cost 5, with a range of 20.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.

Remaining openings are for one planetary governor and one admiral. Another survey scientist will be needed within the first year as well; after that more governors are expected to be the growth field. Of course a waiting list for other, more preferred spots is fine also. Stuff happens.

Added cost to parentheses with the subfield, seemed to me that'd be easier to read at a glance.

mrkilla22

05-09-2016, 05:29 PM

Scientist Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

Same character as mentioned before(Sagglor), same traits, just renamed and under your control. Here are your choices:

** Orbital Energy Conversion(Industry, 240) -- Unlocks Solar Panel Network, a module for spaceports, which produces 3 Energy.
** Global Energy Management(Industry, 240) -- +500 to Energy Storage Capacity, unlocks Power Hub I, which produces 3 Energy and also gives every planet that has one a +10% bonus to all energy production.
** Gravitic Sensors(Voidcraft, 240) -- +15% Survey Speed. Unlocks Gravitic Sensors, which can be used on stations or ships. For a cost of 10 minerals, they provide a sensor range of 25. Currently we have basic ship-mounted radar that cost 5, with a range of 20.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.

Let's start researching Orbital Energy Conversion.

muns

05-09-2016, 05:50 PM

So it shall be done. I just realized that I'm a liar. We do have a couple of army attachments available. They aren't cheap -- each costs as much as an assault army(50 minerals). The two we have available are:

** Neo-Concrete Fortifications(+10% army health, -10% army upkeep)
** Hunter-Killer Drone Swarms(+15% army damage)

That leaves another choice; we can have large numbers of weaker standard armies, small numbers of armies equipped with these attachments that are stronger, but more expensive, or forge some sort of middle ground.

I'm still learning a few bits about the UI here :).

No worries. Let's just stay put for the time being. I don't want to use minerals when we might actually need them for something.

SirFozzie

05-09-2016, 07:15 PM

I'll take that Admiral spot:

Name: SirFozzie
Role: Admiral, He Who Builds The Fleet.

Brian Swartz

05-09-2016, 08:04 PM

Excellent! That leaves us short just on spot. I'll add you to the first post when I get time.

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

You have two responsibilities: fleet deployment and fleet composition. The first is pretty easy; we have one system. That's pretty much where the fleet's going to be until needed elsewhere. As our territory grows, consideration may need to be given at some point to splitting into multiple sub-fleets.

When it comes to what kind of naval assets to build, things will get a little more involved.

** Spaceports -- Every planet we have colonized can have a spaceport. Each one provides some defensive capability and adds to our naval capacity. Right now we have only one planet, and don't have the technology to upgrade. So this is presently a non-issue.

** Defensive Stations -- Fixed orbital stations, usually to supplement a spaceport or fleet in a system. All kinds of interesting modules can be added to them. Guess what? We don't know how to make any of these either yet.

** Warships. This is the part where we can get the most inventive. Several sizes will eventually be possible. Larger ships generally have larger weapons which are more destructive and longer-ranged. However, a swarm of small ships can overwhelm large ones if we don't have dedicated point defense or similar capabilities available.

Right now we have only the initial size, the corvette. Corvettes come in three different types. Each warship is made of modular sections known as 'cores'. A corvette is basically a single core with essential systems tacked on. There are three corvette cores:

** Striker -- 1 Medium Weapon, 1 Small Weapon, 5 Small Utilities
** Interceptor -- 3 Small Weapons, 5 Small Utilities
** Shifter -- 1 Small Weapon, 2 Medium Utilities, 3 Small Utilities

There is no price difference between the three. Each 'core' has a specified number and type of weapon and utility slots available. Right now we have exactly one weapon system(mass driver) and one utility component(fission reactors to provide power). This basically means that the Shifter Core is useless to us. No reason to build it because once you have enough power for the weapons, there's nothing else to put on it. Of course there's a whole lot of nothing you're being offered right now -- perhaps the RDs could be given some 'forceful encouragement' to develop some actual systems so that you have something to choose from.

With that in mind, here's what we presently have(other than our homeworld spaceport):

** Sschlurga-class Striker corvettes(3) that we have right now.
Cost: 62 minerals
Armament: 1 Medium mass driver(30 range, 72% accuracy, 6-31 damage), 1 Small mass driver(20 range, 76% accuracy, 3-15 damage). Both weapons have the same rate of fire
Synopsis: This is the best anti-big-ship design we can put together.

We could potentially build a couple of other ships with our limited options.

** Scout-type Shifter corvette
Cost: 50 minerals
Armament: Nothing whatsoever. These would basically be first-in ships to explore unknown areas, should it be deemed worth the expense. Given the minimal difference in cost and the fact that it would still chew up naval capacity, this may be a dubious concept.

** Anti-corvette Interceptor corvette. This would need a better name of course.
Cost: 62
Armament: 3 Small mass drivers.
Synopsis: This would not be as good against bigger ships, but could prove superior against smaller ones.

At this juncture, the only decision that really falls to you is where we should invest our resources. Continue building Schlurggas, or diversify with one or more of the other options? Admiral SirFozzie, the choice is yours.

SirFozzie

05-09-2016, 10:22 PM

After consulting with various military contractors and comparing their bribes, I mean seeing what is best for our planet... I think we need to build some Interceptors. We have 3 Sschlurga's already, so we should be fine but we need anti-small ship interdiction vessels.

JonInMiddleGA

05-09-2016, 11:50 PM

Remaining openings are for one planetary governor

Is that this guy?

Governor Riblogg
Governor, Planet Humboldt

Age: 46
Skill: *
Trait: Iron Fist(+15% output from slaves, food and minerals)

Riblogg is not a claimed character at this time.

If so, my God, has there ever been a character rolled better suited for me?
:D

I'd be glad to take that one on ... until it dies horribly in a peasant uprising anyhow.

edit: If so, just name him JIMGA

Brian Swartz

05-10-2016, 12:32 AM

That is indeed him. We are now full, applications for the waiting list are now being taken.

Governor Briefing: Governor JIMGA

I posted a screenshot of Humboldt earlier in the thread. So as not to spam-post the thread with pictures I won't repeat it. As I mentioned there, your sphere of influence is to decide how to prioritize development of resources on our homeworld.

Food -- Low/Medium/High
Minerals -- Low/Medium/High
Energy -- Low/Medium/High
Research -- Low/Medium/High

All other things being equal(and of course, they never are), a higher setting will mean more resources going into develop these aspects of Humboldt's economy.

You know the drill. Governor JIMGA, you are on the clock.

JonInMiddleGA

05-10-2016, 02:59 AM

chesapeake

05-10-2016, 10:54 AM

High Priestess Roe of the Oncorhynchus Collective hereby decrees that there shall be Free Thought among our people to facilitate the development of technological wonders for the glory of the almighty Boojie. She further declares that it shall be the highest priority of the Collective to explore nearby systems to find suitable resources and planets to spread the domain of the most holy of salmonids. Boojie, in his infinite wisdom, has allocated limited resources to his people, thus we shall lower the priority of the military until such a time as threats worthy of our attention are found.

Praise be to Boojie!

chesapeake

05-10-2016, 11:03 AM

Not that the High Priestess--she who is most loved by Boojie--needs to justify herself to the petty masses, but the free thought edict seems like a freebie. Roe gets +1 influence and the other cost, higher ethical deviation, is more than offset by our trait bonus. Exploration, including the building and staffing of another science ship, should be the priority. Once we've built a second ship, the priority shifts to expansion, and particularly resource development.

Brian Swartz

05-10-2016, 11:19 AM

Sounds great! Except your title is Inquisitor, not High Priestess. Having said that, far be it from me to ... um ... suggest that you can't call yourself whatever you darn well please.

A little later today I'll get us going and update the current list of leaders.

chesapeake

05-10-2016, 11:27 AM

Her titles are many and all well-deserved.

AnalBumCover

05-10-2016, 11:31 AM

Read that as
Her titties are many and all well-deserved.

Tellistto

05-10-2016, 12:27 PM

Read that as

Thank you! I needed that laugh.

Tell

Brian Swartz

05-10-2016, 01:13 PM

The Oncorhynchus Collective: An Illustrated History
Chapter I

In the first year of her reign, 2200 HSR(Humboldt Standard Reckoning), Inquisitor Roe Laren decreed that it was time for the Collective to extend it's reach into space. So it was that the science vessel OCS Laggasch, under the command of Dr. Aslik Deesh, was tasked with exploring first the small nearby moon of Maggrathi, then the rest of the Solaris Troutentis system. Tagging along behind was the construction ship OCS Mildrosch, various blueprints and numerous nano-assembly bots in tow in the event any usable resources might be uncovered.

Inquisitor Laren also made it clear that the advance of scientific knowledge would be a priority for her. Confident in the unity of the architreuthis citizenry, she proclaimed that new centers of learning and debate would be encouraged in order to provide new ideas. Dr. Frank Justyce would oversee development of solar panels for the spaceport around Humboldt, Dr. David Corperial plans for a ship capable of bringing equipment and sufficient colonists to form a permanent settlement on another planet, and Dr. Coffee Warlord put his efforts into developing ion-based thruster capabilities so that our ships could get ... wherever ... a bit faster. two projects were expected to take 3-4 years; Corperial's work on colony ships would be somewhat more time-consuming.

The military was probably the least satisfied. Gen. Eola Eusrim needed more men but understood that the need was hardly urgent at this juncture. Adm. SirFozzie
s request for new interceptor corvettes ultimately fell on deaf ears, given Inquisitor Laren's clear preferance for investing in exploration and the economy ahead of military needs.

On the homeworld, Gov. JIMGA was barely able to stifle his natural desire to enslave wide swaths of the population when it was pointed out to him that the workers were presently so happy, their production was actually above normal anyway. Perhaps the mere threat of it would be enough to 'motivate' them. At least that seemed to be the case right now. Since it would be some months before a scientist could be recruited to captain the desired additional survey ship, JIMGA found himself at the top of the funding totem pole. Enough minerals were stored up to allow for a bit of investment and still retain sufficient quantities to develop whatever resources the survey operations might find, so Humboldt began construction of a second Mining Network I on an undeveloped region of the planet, near the one that was already in place, to supplement the economy. It would be several months before it was ready for operation.

With that, the Collective's will was enacted, each official having been given his or her assignments. Duty demanded that the will of Inquisitor Laren not be questioned.

It took very little time to see results. In just two weeks, Deesh reported that Maggrathi held sufficient mineral reserves to justify a mining station, and the Mildrosch deployed immediately while the survey of the rest of the system proceeded.

2200.1.20 -- The Mildrosch deploys to build the first mining station at Maggrathi.

http://i.imgur.com/yYiM8gl.png

It would not all go so well. The inner-most planet, the molten world of Uggrim, had nothing useful to offer. Neither did Solaris Troutentis itself.

2200.4.28 -- Maggrathi Mining Station is finished. The survey has continued, but thus far produced no fruitful results.

http://i.imgur.com/kDl9PWg.png

2200.5.11 -- Significant energy reserves reported in the atmosphere of the gas giant Tuggam. Given that we currently are running a surplus, it was deemed not worth the expense of a mining operation there at this time, but we can tap that anytime we need to.

2200.5.25 -- Deesh reports that Lurgi Pash, the frozen inner moon, of Tuggam, has some strange readings. It seems they don't match earlier observations made from the homeworld. The Mildrosch had nearly caught up, but it would have to wait a bit while this was investigated. The estimated failure risk here was non-existent(0%).

2200.07.21 -- The new mining network is finished on Humboldt. At the moment it was deemed there weren't enough resources to finance further development.

2200.07.28 -- A week later, the investigations on Lurgi Pash were completed. Inspirational to be sure, and it is found to be another good source of energy. The survey efforts continued.

http://i.imgur.com/xGCF0hK.png

2200.07.30 -- It's been a busy close to July. A new science ship has been commissioned, so that it will be ready when we can afford to recruit a captain to command it in a couple of months.

2200.10.1 -- Aboglor is the latest to join the ranks of the Collective's leadership. He is tasked with the command of the recently-christened OCS Odolss, the second science ship to be commissioned by our Inquisitor. Long-range scans have indicated the second planet of the nearby Maghama system to have the right conditions for us to survive on, and the Odolss is dispatched to conduct a full scan of that system.

2200.11.18 -- Dr. Aslik Deesh has increased his skill to **!

2200.12.17 -- Months earlier than expected, the survey of our home system has been finished! The very last part of it, Riblaaga, is a barren moon of the otherwhise useless-to-us gas giant Uldrugg. It has been deemed a worthy location for another mineral mining station. This dropped our mineral reserves to just 4, 2% of what they were a year ago. It'll pay for itself within a few years though. The Laggasch is now tasked with surveying Dirmius, the other nearby system. It jumps there almost exactly as the year ends.

** A note on timeline: I expect to have 2201 up tomorrow, 2202 the next day, and so forth, unless interrupted by more interesting events.

It was a good first year overall. Smoother than expected progress on all fronts. Will the good times roll on, or do we have unexpected challenges just over the horizon? We now have one opening again, for a survey ship captain.

muns

05-10-2016, 01:25 PM

Doesn't seem like we can complain with that start. Looking forward to seeing what occurs in year 2

chesapeake

05-10-2016, 01:33 PM

Read that as

Guards -- execute him!

Coffee Warlord

05-10-2016, 01:50 PM

Dr Warlord to Engineering R&D:

This is a friendly reminder to all staff that the pictures (you know the ones) are to be taken down before any state visits to our facilities. Thank you.

Tellistto

05-10-2016, 05:03 PM

I will take that new Scientist/Ship Captain, Brian.

Name: Tellis Perj

Tell

Brian Swartz

05-10-2016, 05:56 PM

Very well. You figure significantly in the events of the next year ...

Obligatory teaser, naturally.

Brian Swartz

05-10-2016, 11:45 PM

The Oncorhynus Collective: An Illustrated History[/i]
Chapter II

It was soon noticed that we are now using all of our energy; a new supply is needed. We could look at a mining station over one of the sources found in the survey of our home system, but a simpler solution afforded a better yield; clearing out some slums on Humboldt and building a power plant there.

2201.03.14 -- The Odloss reports a rather stunning discovery ...

http://i.imgur.com/X7utZIs.png

The resulting interest in the sciences is expected to accelerate Dr. Corperial's work on New Worlds Protocol by a full year.

2201.3.29 -- Riblagga Mining Station is completed. For now, the Mildrosch will simply return home. There are not enough minerals to fund any other stations at the time being.

2201.04.26 -- After several weeks, the discovery of life in the Maghama system has had legs in our society ...

http://i.imgur.com/Lp8zD1Y.png

2201.05.19 -- The Laggasch has completed it's survey of Dirmius. Modest amounts of energy, along with items that may interest the society and engineering reseachers were discovered. There is a desert world that, while it is of no use to us, could possibly support some forms of life. Deesh sets forth to the closest system within our borders, Norgon.

2201.05.25 -- Some of the slums have been cleared on Humboldt, but it will be a few months before we have the required mineral supplies to build a new power plant there.

2202.06.08 -- The Laggasch reports upon arrival that Norgon III is an ocean world, another potential destination for our species. So far, the galaxy seems quite a hospitable place ...

2201.07.01 -- New power plant begins construction on Humboldt. It takes us down to no minerals whatsoever -- and less than a four-year supply of gradually diminishing energy(28 total). Not that this is cutting it close or anything. Nobody can accuse the Inquisitor of not making use of everything at her(our) disposal.

2201.07.06 -- More fun in Maghama. On IIIa, our terminology for the inner-most moon of the third planet, [b]Dr. Tellis Perj reports that there is significant surface scarring that "cannot be natural", concluding that from the Odloss's vantage point, the rifts "almost look like writing". While there is a moderate risk involved, Perj decides it is worth it and investigates further, which will hold up the survey even more.

2201.07.29 -- The Collective has come to a decision on how to handle the discovery of life in Maghama about four and a half months prior.

"We now know without a doubt that a thriving biosphere is not something unique to Humboldt. Both the scientific community and the public at large are eager to know more about the various forms of alien life found throughout the galaxy. Efforts to catalog the life forms are already underway, but our xenobiologists have urged us to focus our planetary survey efforts on habitable, life-giving worlds."

The general consensus is that we need to survey eight additional worlds to get enough information. This kind of thing requires the approval of Inquisitor Laren, but given that there were no credible objections or potential drawbacks in this situation, the effort was quickly approved.

** OOC Note: This is a situation log event chain, but in this case doesn't require any direct research. We just need to do what it says -- survey eight habitable planets. 'Habitable' in this case means one of the seven colonizable types, those with active biospheres and not frozen/barren/molten/etc. **

2201.09.09 -- Dr. Perj has succeeded in deciphering the anomaly at Maghama IIIa, and presented his report. His summary follows:

"Someone used a mining laser from orbit approximately five thousand years ago to carve a large body of writing into the surface. The massive script covers a large portion of the moon's upper hemisphere, and appears to be a short story chronicling the difficult life of an alien mercenary."

Is this the ancient galaxy's form of a suicide note? Truly bizarre. There had to be an easier way. There just had to. A couple weeks later, Perj improved to ** skill. The survey captains are moving right along, but the public was not quite as impressed ...

** Note: This was right before I put Dr. Perj into the game, so this is the last time he won't have the right name. Apologies to the historians :)**

http://i.imgur.com/hznY2W3.png

2201.10.23 -- The survey of the Maghama system, which took about a year, is finally completed. Considerable amounts of energy, minerals, and society research is present there, and Maghama II is similar to Humboldt but slightly larger. It does have more -- let's just call them obstacles, as shown here.

http://i.imgur.com/CYsz5Bh.png

Next on the agenda is Leesak. This is an important strategic juncture, the only place in this sector of the galaxy that we can pass to the outermost arm.

2201.11.13 -- Norgon III has been surveyed by the Laggasch and looks to be even bigger than Maghama II, the largest ocean world yet found. Meanwhile the ... another ocean world in Leesak. Occupying a point like that would be laudable. It appeared that Boojie was watching over us indeed; the galaxy seemed to be inviting us with open arms. But soon Inquisitor Roe Laren would face the first crisis of her rule ...

Brian Swartz

05-11-2016, 12:15 AM

Grand Palace of the Inquisitor: Classified Situation Room
Planet Humboldt, Solaris Troutentis System
2201.12.14

Inquisitor Roe Laren stared at the sensor readouts intently. Under other circumstances the topic of interest might be any number of things. The science ships were doing great work moving towards the edge of the galaxy, having found three excellent prospects for colonization though the last one was still being confirmed. There was also a variety of resources that could be tapped with orbital mining stations; mineral and energy especially in Dirmius, interesting discoveries for the researchers to study particularly in the society field, and so on.

This was not the time for that. Some type of alien being or craft, singular or plural was not known, was inbound and was expected to arrive in the Solar Troutentis system within, probably, days. Little was known about them, other than the power readouts suggested they were at least as powerful as the Nautilus Squadron, probably slightly more so.

Her advisors knew better than to question the decision made nearly two years ago to defund the military. Admiral SirFozzie would have to do the best he could with what he had.

http://i.imgur.com/yPstC6e.png

Command Briefing: Homeworld Defense Scenario

** Estimated Enemy Combat Capability: 78
** 1st Nautilus Squadron: 74
** Bolean III Spaceport: 443
** Mining Stations: 41 ea.

Scenario Analysis

Best estimates at this time are that any attack on Humboldt itself would be easily repulsed, even if the spaceport is alone. The mining stations have limited defenses however, just a single basic mass driver, and would almost certainly fall.

Working in our favor is the fact that the expected entry vector into Oncorhynchus space would bring them to Humboldt first; it's on this 'side' of the system. The following matters must be decided:

Inquisitor's Orders

The only real option in terms of adding to our naval assets would be emergency production of one of the new previously-requested interceptor-style corvettes. It would take two months, by which time any engagement would more than likely be over, but if needed to break a siege of some kind it could be useful. The cost would be 56 minerals; we presently have 72, so we could only afford one.

That's the first question: does Inquisitor Roe Laren wish to approve or reject the idea of using our mineral reserve to build an interceptor?

Admiral's Orders

Secondly, the orders for the 1st Nautilus Squadron must be determined for the duration of this crisis. There appear to be three basic options available here.

** Defend Humboldt. Don't risk the 1st Nautilus Squadron in a fleet engagement away from our spaceport, abandoning the Riblagga Mining Station if needed. The other station, at Maggrathi, is well within range of us here.

** Attack! The Nautilus Squadron will fly out to engage the incoming ... whatever they are ... when they violate the sanctity of Solaris Troutenis space. This is the boldest and most risky option, with simulations predicting that we would lose the squadron more likely than not if our sensor readouts, limited as they are, are accurate.

** Protect Riblagga. In this scenario, which is a balance between the two and is considered to give us the best chance for eventual total victory, the 1st Nautilus Squadron would deploy to the mining station to protect it. Their goal would be to engage with the station's assistance in it's general vicinity, which would probably but not certainly be enough to give us the upper hand.

Admiral SirFozzie, how shall the 1st Nautilus Squadron deploy?

You are both on the clock. If you have any ideas different than the proposed options, fire away with those as well.

For the first time in their history, the Architreuthis face the imminent prospect of a possible hostile alien contact. We're about to find out how the Collective's leaders perform under pressure ...

Brian Swartz

05-11-2016, 12:18 AM

I should also add for Dr. Tellis Perj, same options for you in terms of risk tolerance(you've already dodged a bullet before you joined this past year):

Low(10%), Medium(30%), High(50%), or pick a different percentage if you don't like those. These indicate the anomaly risk you're willing to undergo: failure could be hazardous or not, but at the least means whatever could be learned or discovered from the anomaly is lost forever. So it's a pro-con scenario.

chesapeake

05-11-2016, 09:13 AM

muns

05-11-2016, 12:05 PM

Inquisitor Roe has the utmost confidence in Admiral SirFozzie's ability to address this incursion, should it prove to be hostile. However, as the resources are available, this is an appropriate time as any to add one new vessel to the navy. But we must not lose our focus on expanding our resource base as quickly as possible.

A letter to Inquisitor Roe

Dear your Highness,

Far be it that a humble general question you, but your free thought edict has enabled me to raise a concerning issue. If there isn't a feet to defend us from threats, expanding the resources as quickly as possible wont really matter. I would encourage Inquisitor Roe to have another look at the budget in hopes to land Admiral SirFozzie some more ships for the defense of our wonderful home of Humboldt. Even if this encounter is pushed back easily, we still have no idea what is out there. While my army does excel at fishiness, our weakness is a concern if another race is able to blow by Admiral SirFozzie.

Respectfully,
General Eola Eusrim

SirFozzie

05-11-2016, 01:46 PM

Admiral's Orders

Secondly, the orders for the 1st Nautilus Squadron must be determined for the duration of this crisis. There appear to be three basic options available here.

** Defend Humboldt. Don't risk the 1st Nautilus Squadron in a fleet engagement away from our spaceport, abandoning the Riblagga Mining Station if needed. The other station, at Maggrathi, is well within range of us here.

** Attack! The Nautilus Squadron will fly out to engage the incoming ... whatever they are ... when they violate the sanctity of Solaris Troutenis space. This is the boldest and most risky option, with simulations predicting that we would lose the squadron more likely than not if our sensor readouts, limited as they are, are accurate.

** Protect Riblagga. In this scenario, which is a balance between the two and is considered to give us the best chance for eventual total victory, the 1st Nautilus Squadron would deploy to the mining station to protect it. Their goal would be to engage with the station's assistance in it's general vicinity, which would probably but not certainly be enough to give us the upper hand.

Admiral SirFozzie, how shall the 1st Nautilus Squadron deploy?

You are both on the clock. If you have any ideas different than the proposed options, fire away with those as well.

For the first time in their history, the Architreuthis face the imminent prospect of a possible hostile alien contact. We're about to find out how the Collective's leaders perform under pressure ...

See! SEE! I told you that we needed a more robust defense. Protect Riblagga. Losing it would put us further behind our expansion goals.

And I hope this shows why we need a vigorous defense!

chesapeake

05-11-2016, 02:18 PM

A letter to Inquisitor Roe

Dear your Highness,

Far be it that a humble general question you, but your free thought edict has enabled me to raise a concerning issue. If there isn't a feet to defend us from threats, expanding the resources as quickly as possible wont really matter. I would encourage Inquisitor Roe to have another look at the budget in hopes to land Admiral SirFozzie some more ships for the defense of our wonderful home of Humboldt. Even if this encounter is pushed back easily, we still have no idea what is out there. While my army does excel at fishiness, our weakness is a concern if another race is able to blow by Admiral SirFozzie.

Respectfully,
General Eola Eusrim

Put on your big fish pants, General! We haven't even come into contact with a sentient species, and already the commander of our army expects defeat. I have significantly more confidence in Admiral SirFozzie than you appear to. He has already shown his strategic ability by deploying to protect Riblagga. I have every confidence that his tactical skills, if needed, will easily win the day.

Brian Swartz

05-11-2016, 02:24 PM

Big fish pants, lol! Well played, Inquisitor. In all seriousness, loving all the role-playing.

Brian Swartz

05-11-2016, 05:55 PM

** VIR has been updated to version 1.01, though this shouldn't impact anything. Just a couple crash/performance issue hotfixes, and a thing when using wormholes belonging to allies which is far beyond where we are at this point.**

Pursuant to the decisions of Inquisitor Laren and Admiral SirFozzie, construction began of the first Dorsal-class interceptor corvette.

http://i.imgur.com/2oZnYyT.png

Meanwhile, the 1st Nautilus Squadron set course for Riblagga and moved out. The next move was up to the ... whatever they are ... when they arrived.

2201.12.18 -- Meanwhile, the surveyors were busy elsewhere. The sweep of Norgon was complete, and Tellis Perj had discovered something fascinating. On Leesak III, nothing more than an inhospitable rock, he reports that there are 'signs of an ancient precursor civilization.' His further investigations of this matter have an estimated failure rate of 22%.

The Laggasch was going to return home, then head out to the vital chokepoint system of Impal Tov closer in to the galactic core from Solaris Troutentis. Putting the ship at risk under present circumstances seemed foolhardy however, so the next closest system was chosen instead: the pulsar Hodranus.

2201.12.22 -- The 'contacts', for lack of a better term, reached Solaris Troutentis, but completely bypassed it. Their vector suggests they are headed for Maghama. With no danger present at the moment, Admiral SirFozzie instructed the Nautilus Squadron to stand down, returning to spaceport to await the completion of their reinforcements. We could monitor developments from Humboldt as long as the contacts remained in our space. And if not ... so much the better.

One thing we did learn from this -- they clearly use a different type of interstellar propulsion than we do. Their route was not one that hyperlanes would allow. We'll have to monitor these developments closely.

2201.12.27 -- Confident that there was no immediate danger, the Laggasch, having not made the jump to Hodranus, redirected back to the intended goal of surveying Impal Tov. The only remaining system a single jump out from Solaris Troutentis, it is one of three vital chokepoint systems in that direction. Aslik Deesh's ship will need to make three jumps to reach it: Norgon to Dirmius, then back to our home system, then further on to their destination. This will take some time.

2201.12.30 -- The final day of the year. The contacts have arrived in Maghama. Intelligence has flagged them as 'Alpha Aliens', an unoriginal nomenclature signalling only that they are first potential alien species we have run into. They believe they have enough information for further, more in-depth studies. Here's a mock-up of what they think the contacts look like. Astonishingly, they appear to be organic life forms, not a mechanical construction devised to carry such. They bear remarkable similarity to some species native to the oceans of Humboldt, even ourselves!

http://i.imgur.com/pxAWKwB.png

Having discerned no evidence of hostile intent, the Collective has classified the Alpha Aliens as neutral for the time being. We have obscene amounts of sensor data, recordings of all known forms of communication, radiation, and so on emanating from these beings. It needs to be analyzed, which would require the services of the Society Research Dept.

Meanwhile, the public is humming with the news of this discovery. Many observers have noted that this is perhaps "the end of the first chapter in the book of the Onorhychus Collective's bid for a stellar empire." Time will tell if that observation is accurate.

Research Director Briefing
Dr. David Corperial, Society Dept. Research Director

Dr. Corperial, as the relevant RD, your department is the only one with the resources to properly investigate this. If you choose to do so, your current research into New Worlds Protocol, presently a hair shy of halfway finished, will be put on hold for the interim. Your choices:

** Finish the New Worlds Protocol research, which is estimated to take another 17 months. In the interim we will continue observing from a distance if possible, taking whatever military action is deemed necessary by command, and so on. You will be able to revisit this issue at that time.

** Conduct a special project to research the so-called 'Alpha Aliens' remotely, based on data collected so far and anything else our sensors can detect. This will take six months, at the end of which your team would return to it's work on New Worlds Protocol.

Dr. David Corperial, you are now on the clock.

It's been a heck of a two-week ending to our second year.

DavidCorperial

05-11-2016, 06:39 PM

Continue on with New Worlds Protocol

Tellistto

05-11-2016, 06:47 PM

Dr. Tellis Perj feels the need to limit risk to a 35% level.

Commence the investigation of the current discovery post haste!

Tell

Brian Swartz

05-12-2016, 12:50 AM

2202.01.21 -- The new power plant is finished. The decline of energy reserves has been halted at 24, and we now have a 40% surplus -- 11.8 being used, with an extra 4.7 beyond that being produced monthly. With mineral reserves also being gradually replenished after the layout for the Dorsal corvette, there were really no options for further economic expansion available for some months. Attention was focused on monitoring the mysterious creatures in Maghama, and the periodic reports from the scientific surveyors.

02.01 -- The Alpha Aliens depart Maghama, heading further in that direction. Within three days they are out of sensor range, but are not out of mind. They caused quite a stir, even if it was eventually much ado about nothing, at least in the immediate context. Admiral SirFozzie returns to Humboldt from his flagship, the Gogglir.

02.16 -- The new corvette is finished, and christened the Paddagur.

02.21 -- The Impal Tov system is reached, and a new species discovered that does not match the readings of the Alpha Aliens is seen! These are classified, with equal originality, as species Beta. Colloquially they are known simply as the Green Crystals, which seems to be exactly what they are. Since they are on the opposite side of the system, and seemingly headed further that way, the Laggasch holds position, waiting to see if they will simply go away. Fleet Intelligence does not think these are as benign, classifying the new contacts as hostile.

http://i.imgur.com/TnIzPKH.png

2.24 -- The incredible news continues with the following report from Dr. Tellis Perj in Leesak ...

http://i.imgur.com/7wWOQuh.png

Initial analysis indicates we need to find at least a half-dozen artifacts if we are to piece together the mystery of the Vultaum Star Assembly. More work for the survey scientists, as if they weren't already busy enough ...

Meanwhile, observation of Beta demonstrates that they move by secreting some purplish enzyme 'behind' them ... a very strange method of propulsion.

04.01 -- The Betas have stopped at the opposite side of Impal Tov and are heading back across the system. Not towards us it doesn't appear, but it no longer seemed wise to hang around. The Laggasch heads out for one of the two neighboring systems, Swur. A class-G star, it seems the more likely to have a habitable zone.

04.18 -- There is a world where something could live in Swur. Not us though. It's arid, far too dry for our biology.

05.01 -- The construction ship Mildrosch, having spent over a year basically waiting around for something to do, departs Humboldt for an eventual jump to the Maghama system. It seems clear that the Alphas have moved on with no sign of them for months, and we have enough minerals stored up to build some more stations. There are several good prospects in Maghama, by far the most of any system. If all goes well, by year's end the Collective will have permanent assets outside of our home system for the first time.

09.11 -- It was a quiet few months. There wasn't much to see in Swur, but a couple more potential energy-harvesting sites were found. The Laggasch returned to Impal Tov cautiously, hoping the Betas were done with ... whatever it is they were doing. It is after all just one jump from home ...

09.26 -- A bit of history as the first extra-solar station is now in operation in Magahama, the first of at least two mining operations there. It's now a journey across most of the system through open space to the site for the next one, by which time there should be enough resources to begin building again right away.

09.28 -- Finding the Betas still hanging out, the Laggash jumps again to the pulsar Chergamore.

11.?? -- It surprises nobody that Chergamore has no life-bearing worlds. It'll get surveyed anyway.

12.01 -- an irregular signal reminiscent of our distress beacons has been found at Chergamore III. Aslik Deesh will investigate, risk factor of 17%.

12.22 -- Survey of Leesak is complete. That's everything in that direction without crossing the arm. Time to fill in what we know of the area immediately surrounding the Grasping Claw Nebula. Perj heads to the pulsar Hodranus.

After three years, what do we know? Well, the Architreuthis are not alone in the universe. It's a much fuller galaxy out there than we could have previously anticipated. We have seen two bizarre species of creatures that navigate the stars on their own, but we know nothing further about them.

The Oncorhynchus Collective has expanded to the Maghama system with a mining station, a second one on the way, with energy-harvesting and then research outposts to follow that. New scientific applications are expected in the next year, two of them, although Corperial is falling behind again. To be fair he had much the hardest job of the three, and the goodwill -- aka, stored-up society research from the discovered anomalies -- has run out.

Back on Humboldt growth has allowed the planet to reach 8 population, half of it's max. The numbers continue to increase at a good pace. Further development will be needed, but will not be an urgent matter for years. There are currently no alien contacts within our sensor range, and there is a healthy positive resource trend across the board.

Times are good despite the crisis a year ago. Boojie has been faithful and benevolent as the faithful have always proclaimed.

Brian Swartz

05-12-2016, 12:20 PM

** 1.02. Another day, another hotfix. VIR is keeping busy. No gameplay changes yet to concern ourselves with. Bugs/crashes/loopholes. **

The Onorhynchus Collective: An Illustrated History
Chapter IV

2203.03.02 -- Second mining station finished in Maghama. At the star itself, an energy station will be next after a month's delay to gather the rest of the needed materials.

04.02 -- Orbital Energy Conversion research finished by Dr. Frank Justyce. Orbital Solar Panels can now be built on our spaceport if we so choose.

** Note: I didn't stop the game here for the next choice because another project was set to finish in a few months. The unused research is 'stored' -- stored research can be used at double the monthly rate as mentioned before, so we lose nothing. I figured it'd be best to knock out both decisions at once **

04.10 -- Continuing to rise quickly, Dr. Aslik Deesh has reached *** skill.

07.02 -- A second Dorsal enters production on Humboldt to further bolster the navy. It will be using the new ion thrusters Dr. Coffee Warlord has just finished work on , which will improve in-system travel speeds. All ships will be upgraded as convenient -- this is a fairly incremental improvement, and is not considered critical enough to be worth interrupting other activities.

New research orders are needed at this point. I think I've mentioned this before, but in case I haven't, the research options we do not pick are not guaranteed to return anytime soon. They may, and they may not. Choose wisely :).

Research Director Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

At this time no Situation Log items demand your attention. The following options are available:

** Quantum Theory(Computing, 240): Unlocks Physics Lab. A specialized version of our basic planetary science labs that produce extra physics data(2, still 1 each for the other two fields).

** Deflectors(Field Manipulation, 240): Improves Planetary Fortification Toughness by 20%, allowing any planets to hold out longer in case of an enemy fleet bombardment. Unlocks the Deflectors component, basic shields for use on our ships. The small version can absorb 25 points of damage; by comparison, our Corvettes have 300 hull points, so adding one to each would increase the amount of damage they can survive by 8.3%. Right now our corvettes could probably handle 2-3 of these each and still have enough power.

** Field Modulation(Industry, 240): Increases our imperial energy storage maximum by 250, a 10% increase on the current limit. Unlocks Power Plant II, which as you might expect is very similar to the current Power Plant I, except that it produces more energy.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock. What shall our physics reseachers pursue?

Research Director Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

Work on New Worlds Protocol continues. There are now 11 months remaining, putting completion in the middle of next year. The derelict ship discovered in Chergamore would require your attention to investigate, leaving you with three potential situation log items(along with Alpha and Beta aliens) requesting your time. All can be delayed indefinitely if you choose without any real consequences. The derelict however requires a science ship on site, meaning that if we wait until the survey of Chergamore is finished, they would have to divert somewhat to return at a later time.

Do you wish to study the derelict now, or finish with New Worlds Protocol?

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock.

Research Director Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

With Ion Thrusters finished, it's time to look at something new.

** Powered Exoskeletons(Industry, 240): These have multiple applications. They would be implemented as standard equipment both for our ground armies(+5% damage) and in our heavy metals industries(+5% minerals).

** Betharian Refining(Industry, 360): Unlocks Betharian Power Plants, a specialized and significantly better power plant which requires Betharian Stone, the first strategic resource we have any concept of. Researching this will allow us to see the locations, if any, of Betharian Stone in surveyed systems. One is required for each Betharian Power Plant we might wish to operate.

** Improved Spaceport(Voidcraft, 480): Increases the imperial mineral storage limit by 2000, a significant increase over the current 5000 though we certainly are not in any danger of approaching that anytime soon. This also allows upgrading our spaceports, which could eventuallly lead to the construction of larger ships. Also part of the package are the Corvette Assembly Yards, a spaceport module that allows for corvettes to be produced 25% faster and 10% cheaper.

Quite the interesting set of choices there Dr. Coffee Warlord, including some rather lengthy options. You are on the clock.

mrkilla22

05-12-2016, 01:33 PM

Let's start research on Deflectors. It'll give our military the extra edge they need in case another possible hostile encounter occurs.

Coffee Warlord

05-12-2016, 01:35 PM

Tough one. But we have spent the evening in communion with Boojie, who has given us direction. And that direction involves the legendary Troutstones, which others have given the false name of Betharian Stone.

We shall research means to refine the mighty Troutstone.

AnalBumCover

05-12-2016, 02:11 PM

04.10 -- Continuing to rise quickly, Dr. Aslik Deesh has reached *** skill.

I have been blessed with the grace of the Almighty Boojie. But along with it a bit of arrogance.

Increase my Risk Tolerance to 33%.

DavidCorperial

05-12-2016, 02:40 PM

I will study the derelict now.

Brian Swartz

05-12-2016, 02:48 PM

Sounds good. Just realized I forgot to put the derelict blurb in the last update. It was discovered around May, a couple months ago, and the ship is in orbit around Chergamore III. It's not giving away any heat signatures and seems to be drifting. So that's that. Deesh is almost finished with the survey of the system, and will head there directly after finishing as he and the Laggasch are on the opposite side of the system at the moment.

Thomkal

05-12-2016, 07:51 PM

somehow I forgot all about this! (maybe because I was too busy playing Stellaris? :) ) well done Brian! I look forward to reading about the further adventures of the trout people.

Coffee Warlord

05-12-2016, 10:04 PM

By the by. Standing order from Dr. Coffee. If there's special projects that suck up my R&D, the Engineering Department authorizes any and all necessary resources.

Brian Swartz

05-12-2016, 10:12 PM

Sounds good. The early stuff tends to be society but you'll get your chance down the road.

JonInMiddleGA

05-13-2016, 12:39 AM

Just a "yep, I'm still paying attention over here" post.

(I know my role has limited need for input, which is totally cool by me ... I'm just confirming my continued attention paying)

muns

05-13-2016, 07:42 AM

Just a "yep, I'm still paying attention over here" post.

(I know my role has limited need for input, which is totally cool by me ... I'm just confirming my continued attention paying)

+1

It's been a fun read so far

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 01:03 PM

Hopefully it continues to be so. I think that within the lifetime of your character JIMGA, things will probably perk up somewhat. Got sidetracked last night and I need to catch up. It was mostly a quiet year.

09.26 -- Hodranus and Chergamore have both been surveyed. A research station at both pulsars is recommended, one for physics and one for engineering -- we'll get to that eventually. Hopefully. Other than that though, they are dead systems free of resources. Perj moves on to the white star Rimdur.

Meanwhile, the new thrusters have given the navy an estimated 9% increase in combat effectiveness, according to exercises under the watchful eye of SirFozzie.

10.14 -- Rimdur has three life-bearing worlds, the most promising of which is continental. We don't have the ability to colonize such a world, but could

10.28? -- Archaeological findings on Chergamore IV, society and engineering research boosts gained, enough to keep both departments chugging along full-bore for nearly two years.

12.13 -- Examining the derelict at Chergamore III, Dr. Aslik Deesh reports that the crew is alive, but not in good shape and not in any condition to run their ship anymore. Apparently they are afflicted by a brain parasite of some kind. It is apparently well within our capabilities to aid them, should we so choose.

Head of State Briefing: Inquisitor Roe Laren

All matters of alien contact are a matter for for the Inquisitor, though her many advisors are encouraged to put forward their thoughts on this matter. The perspective of Dr. Aslik Deesh, the scientist on the scene, is particularly relevant. Inquisitor, you are now on the clock. Shall we attempt to help these aliens, or will we let the derelict's crew perish?

chesapeake

05-13-2016, 01:45 PM

Boojie the Almighty has always viewed his teaming schools with compassion. I see no reason to not to trust in Boojie's love and share this compassion with these aliens that are clearly in great need. Help them, Dr. Aslik.

(I'd wait for advice to give others a chance to weigh in, but I am not always a reliable forum-reader on the weekends and I don't want to hold everything up.)

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 01:58 PM

No problem, that's the response I expected but it seemed like something I shouldn't do automatically. A day later, we got our first-ever official diplomatic message. Apparently these aliens refer to themselves as the Kroll Star Commonwealth.

http://i.imgur.com/DyFHOZA.png

Inquisitior's Briefing

Second one in as many game days!

Inquisitor, you are on the clock again. Hopefully you haven't left yet :). Which of the three options shall we choose? Note that on first contact it will always be these same three choices based on our ethics, so I can either ask each time or you can set a standard response, or have one for each of friendly/unfriendly contacts, however you want to do it.

Additionally, though this one can wait if you want as it's not urgent, what shall our foreign policy approach be in general, now that we need to have one?

Select from one of three options here; Isolationalist, Balanced, or Benevolent

** Under an isolationist approach we will only engage diplomatically when there is a clear benefit to us. In other circumstances our resources will be best put to use on internal matters. Self-sufficiency is a primary goal.

** Under a balanced approach we will seek diplomatic agreements in the interests of sustainable peace. Such agreements will not be entered into if they are one-sided and not in our interest however.

** Under a benevolent approach we will seek every reasonable opportunity to be involved in the greater galactic community. Generosity will demonstrate our greatness to our neighbors, though if the cost of assistance is prohibitive we will still decline -- we will be hospitable, but not philanthropic to the point of harming ourselves severely.

In any case Inquisitor, what shall we say to the Kroll? What message do you have for the Archon's representative? He patiently awaits ...

Edit to add: Apparently I don't have to choose a response for over two years! I'm going to proceed forward in that case, though I won't go beyond the expiration date of course. Just pop in and put in your two cents whenever you feel like it, Inquisitor.

chesapeake

05-13-2016, 02:31 PM

Standard response: Praise be to Boojie! (option #2).

I must hear from the other leaders of the Collective before making a decision on our foreign policy approach over the long term.

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 02:53 PM

2204, Part I

Due to the importance of the system, the Laggasch popped back over to Impal Tov to see if the Betas were still around. Arriving on the final day 2203, They were, so leaving back the way they came, they proceeded past Chergamore to the red M-class star Wollaeus. One final thing on the archaeological find on Chergamore IV:

http://i.imgur.com/QSGOZGo.png

2004.01.12 -- An interlude of investment in the military is now completed. Adm. SirFozzie has five corvettes, and Gen. Eusrim a second army with which to defend our homeworld. All resources are now shifted back to the primary goal of expanding the economy. there are yet a couple more stations to be built in Maghama.

02.? -- A ton of stuff in the first few days of February. Dr. Coffee Warlord is now up to a ** researcher. Secondly, Deesh, upon arriving in Wollaeus, reports sensor contact with not one, but two new species. One, classified Delta, is in this system while the other, Epsilon, is in the system beyond, called Benzar. Both are classified as hostile.

He will move on to Wexellia, a bluish class-A star system. It seems our ability to decipher ways to communications with these new species and, hopefully, subequent diplomatic efforts, will be the key to exploring this part of the galaxy. The Deltas have three ships near some kind of station over a gas giant in the Wollaeus system, while the Epsilons in Benzar are probably best descriped as simply a white, intensely energetic mass.

http://i.imgur.com/84NRsqY.png

http://i.imgur.com/XO4AVvy.png

02.18 -- Dr. Perj reports a primitive proto-civilization has been discovered on Rimdur III. Apparently they have mastered fire and have a spoken language, but no metallurgy and/or written communications. He is now up to *** as well.

03.07 -- Arriving in Wexellia, there are no other ships but a space station in orbit over one of the planets. The Laggasch investigates cautiously, with Fleet Intelligence having classified this as a neutral contact ...

http://i.imgur.com/wtllHv7.png

04.01 -- Having waited longer than anticipated, the Mildrosch begins a new energy station in Maghama. The next day, Dr. David Corperial announces the completion of New Worlds Protocol. With this, it's time for new orders from a variety of officials. Before we get to that, here's an updated map of our part of the galaxy. The Kroll Star Commonwealth is 'below' us, with their home system of Krolldar and the boundaries of their territory shown.

http://i.imgur.com/mZ0Ge82.png

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 03:05 PM

So before I get to the next set of briefings, we have some reaction to our first interaction with the Kroll, having communicated the Inquisitor's message. The common trout in the sea has reacted with mixed feelings. This confirms that there is other advanced life in the galaxy; that we are not only not alone, but there are other species with similar capabilities and intelligence to our own. It is believed that the Kroll present both an opportunity and a potential threat, and that we must be wary.

It appears they have the same attitude towards us at this early stage. To the best of our knowledge they have similar capabilities to us in every aspect, a true equal in that regard. They have a slightly positive opinion of us due to our intervention on behalf of their crew, which will dissipate gradually over the next few years. We will counteract that by overcoming the initial natural distrust, so any slide in our relations is expected to be minimal.

Other factors will have a more long-term impact though. The main thing in our favor is that they xenophiles, leading them to value and desire positive relations with all species. They operate as a military junta internally, but value all forms of sentient life and seek to form positive interstellar bonds. The primary causes of strife between our two empires appear to be a couple of our policies. They don't like the fact that we allow slavery, but they hate the fact we reserve the right to purge any undesirable elements within our society, even though this has not yet come up. The purge factor is triple that of the slavery factor in their eyes, and completely neutralizes their earnestness to greet all races in a positive manner. Combining these factors makes our relationships the current 'wash' that they are.

Coffee Warlord

05-13-2016, 03:31 PM

Boojie demands the nonbelievers be purged!

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 03:52 PM

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

With the completion of New Worlds Protocol, you have some issues to attend, to put it mildly. The next primary research path will come from one of these:

** Doctrine: Space Combat(Military Theory, 240) -- Our naval capacity will increase by 10%, allowing a larger navy that we can currently support.
** Genome Mapping(Biology, 240) -- The lifespan of all of our leaders will increase by 10 years. Additionally, our increased understanding of our own biological needs will allow a 10% increase in food production.
** Orbital Hydroponics(Biology, 240) -- Unlocks Orbital Hydroponics Farms, a module for our spaceports that will produce enough food to feed three additional pops on any spaceport that builds one.

In addition to this, we now have four alien species awaiting study from your department. Alpha are the species that caused a stir but ultimately bypassed us and left our territory. The Betas has been in Impal Tov for years, the green crystalline things. Delta has the ships and orbital station of some kind in Wollaeus, and Epsilon are those we saw in Benzar on long-range scans, the white energetic blobs of whatever.

If you wish, Dr. Corperial, you may choose to study all, none, or any amount in between of these races before taking on whatever new research path you choose. What path shall we take, and will we take time now to study any of these aliens? You are now on the clock.

Governor's Briefing: JIMGA

Things are going smoothly on Humboldt. In a year or so you will probably be given funds to expand operations in a couple of provinces, but right now expanding our off-world mining operations takes precedence by order of Inquisitor Laren. The latest research advance does give you one more tool in your toolbox though. A new Planetary Edict. Which you can't use, because all planetary edicts require 150 influence, lasting over ten years. We presently have 127.

So basically I'm just here to tell you that there's another option that you can't use or do anything about :P.

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

It's been quite the year for you, hasn't it? At this point there is an opportunity to revisit our economic priorities. The Collective now has the possibility of considering investing in a colony ship, now that Dr. Corperial has provided the plans for what would be a huge step -- going forth into space and settling a new world!

It would not be cheap. At present our monthly mineral surplus stands at 17.7, and building a ship with all the required materials for settling another planet would cost 315 -- the production of nearly 18 months, a year and a half. It would also take just under a full year to build. The expense would not end there -- setting up a new colony takes a full year once the ship arrives, at a considerable cost of 8 energy a month. We would likely dip into our reserve a bit during this time, we have a monthly surplus right now but it's not that high. After things are up and running, the new colony would need periodic investment to build and upgrade provincial structures as well. For many years, the economic contribution of a new colony is very minimal, until it has time to build up.

On the other hand, it's the only way to both grow our numbers and expand our territory at the same time. It's not a question of whether we do this, it's a question of when and how urgent it is. We have plenty of options for getting more energy -- there are a couple of good places for stations in Solaris Troutentis, we're building one more in Maghama, we've found some in Swur ... but minerals are more limited. We could build a couple stations and add 4 more from Norgon, build another mine on Humboldt for a couple more, but that's about it.

There's a couple questions here. First and most pressing, how quickly should we try to get a new colony up and running? A few proposed courses of action:

** Stations first. Get the mining stations going in Norgon and get enough energy to support the colony without going into our reserve. This means 2-3 years, maybe a hair more, investing in stations before we start saving up, but we could save up somewhat faster at that point which would eat into that delay a little bit.

** Save for the colony ship immediately. Only vital needs will interrupt this priority.

** Middle ground. Split the difference by adding a couple stations, a new bit of infrastructure or two on Humboldt, then going for the colony ship.

The second question is where do we go? There are three options in three different systems. May I suggest that the Inquisitor would be well served to peruse the map and refamiliarize herself with the locatons of these systems. I would also suggest that the feedback of other officials might be particularly useful in this. It certainly doesn't need an immediate answer; it just needs one by the time the colony ship is finished. Every planet is different; none of these is quite going to feel the same as Humboldt(80% habitability) but they are all ocean worlds and as close as we are going to get.

** Maghama II. A size 18 world, though we can access only 13 with current technology. Surface resources bonuses of 6(4) food, 2(1)energy, 8 minerals, and 5(4) research. Number in parentheses there is what we can access with current abilities, if less than the full total. This would expand our territory down, in the direction of the Kroll, but would not give us any more star systems in that direction until it grew quite a bit due to the distances involved.

** Norgon III, a size 20(14) world. With the right technology, it could be as productive as Humboldt itself. Bonuses of 3 food, 2 energy, 7(5) minerals, and 9(6) research. As can be seen clearly, our population would not grow as fast here as on Maghama, but it could be a real haven of scientific advancement. This would extend our range 'up' and to the right, allowing us to develop mining stations in Leesak before too long and Hodranus probably later. It might be close enough to Leesak to extend sensor range there in case anyone crosses the galactic arm in this direction, but it might not. We aren't sure on this matter.

** Leesak IIb is the largest of three significant moons surrounding it's planet, yet it is still of considerable size at 19(13). Lots of toxic kelp, so our ability to get the most out of it would hinge on finding a way to deal with that. 5(3) food, 3(2) energy, 9 minerals, 7(4) research. Lots of building materials here, and Corperial would love it -- six of the seven research are things that would benefit the Society Dept. Strategically, the main value of this system is that it would provide constant surveilance as an early-warning area on the edge of the nebula by the galactic arm. Additionally, it would also allow us to develop more off-world resources. Aside from the colony itself, there are recommended locations for six stations totalling 6 energy and 7 minerals. Until our territory encompasses Leesak however, we can't develop it and we don't yet have the resources to place an outpost here. Norgon would eventually allow us to claim them, but colonizing Leesak directly would get that done sooner.

Inquisitor Laren, you are on the clock. Again. I'll pause here to give the Collective's leadership some time to ponder these matters.

chesapeake

05-13-2016, 04:34 PM

Have we made any interior investments? What is the current state of play on the ground on the home planet?

I am also interested in receiving input from the Collective on colonization targets.

Brian Swartz

05-13-2016, 05:12 PM

Here's our homeworld:

http://i.imgur.com/mS4FjKB.png

The two 'empty' provinces are probably going to become mines at some point -- either that or power plants, but mines look they'll be needed more. So we could take care of those. Also needed eventually are more hypdroponic farms. We've +3.4 in food right now so building them right away would be of marginal benefit in terms of growth. So far we've built the power plant(top row, third column) and a mine(bottom row, also third column).

We have two mining stations in Solar Troutentis, two more in Maghama, with an energy station also there and another one being built. We've been doing mostly interior development actually as ordered.

DavidCorperial

05-13-2016, 05:49 PM

We Will Research Genome Mapping, but before that, we will research all 4 aliens.

JonInMiddleGA

05-13-2016, 11:51 PM

The governor takes a moment from his busy schedule of grinding the populace to a bloody stump with their work schedules to respectfully suggest that Norgon III appears to be the most promising of the current candidates for eventual colonization.

While the governor appreciates the rapid growth (more workers, yay) potential of Maghama II, the suitable environment & location of Norgon III makes it a stronger candidate.

SirFozzie

05-14-2016, 06:24 PM

I know that I am but a mere Admiral, as opposed to the Inquisitor, but while I praise Boojie that all of our contacts so far have not led to conflict, I am worried that there will be contact with those who do not praise our divine one as we see fit. That is why we were given the gift of the stars, to spread the Divine Word everywhere. Either peacefully... or not so much. While it would be.. regrettable, it is still best to be prepared for whatever hardships Boojie has prepared for us, and we can not, no MUST not be found lacking militarily.

chesapeake

05-15-2016, 04:22 PM

I choose continued moderate infrastructure development while saving for the colony ship - the so-called middle ground. And I'm leaning towards colonizing Maghama so that we can begin to stake our claim to the space between us and our nearest neighbors. But we do not need to make a final decision on colonization until the ship is built.

Brian Swartz

05-15-2016, 04:39 PM

I was just about to advance the game anyway -- your timing is quite good Inquisitor.

Brian Swartz

05-15-2016, 05:22 PM

We are now a couple years 'behind' which is no problem at all -- an ill-considered choice is often a bad choice -- but it does mean that I'll be continuing the timeline as quickly as orders permit for a bit here.

2004, Part 2

06.15 -- Another anomaly to investigate for Dr. Aslik Deesh. Apparently some debris from fleet action, 22% risk factor.

06.22 -- Rimdur survey complete. Dr. Tellis Perj reports that there are no resources to be found, but some matters of interest to the physics dept. He continues sweeping the area, moving on the class-M star Ferathon.

Meanwhile, we have now finished surveying enough habitable worlds to satify Society Dept. Director David Corperial. Here is the department's take on what we have uncovered:

http://i.imgur.com/ZlBjpcZ.png

Both the Society and Engineering departments will benefit considerably here, accelerating their efforts for about two years each.

7.10 -- Ferathon has a single arctic world, nothing that we can settle.

7.17 -- The second energy station is ready in Maghama. Much to Dr. Corperial's chagrin, the Mildrosch will now journey to Norgon to build a pair of mining stations there without getting a research station up and running yet. After that, by the word of Inquisitor Laren, all building materials other than what is needed on Humboldt will be set aside for building a colony ship to send to unknown destinations.

8.21 -- Deesh reports in on the anomaly in Wexellia. His report follows, but I note here for the record that we have been quite fortunate. Most of them have been low-risk, but Boojie smiles on our efforts to research anomalies for certain. By the law of averages we ought to have failed at least one by now.

http://i.imgur.com/aRMeojY.png

Pursuant to Dr. Warlord's standing orders, Deesh was givfen prompt funding approval, and began investigating the wreckage immediately.

9.23 -- Having arrived in the Norgon system about a week earlier, the constructor begins work on the first mining station.

10.2 -- The Society Dept. has finished analyzing the readouts from the Alpha aliens, and moves on to the Betas. They have been named the 'Tiyanki', and the recommendation is simply that we maintain a respectful distance should they again journey to our part of space.

2004 comes to a close with no further news of significance. The fifth year of our journey is complete.

Brian Swartz

05-15-2016, 05:51 PM

01.02 -- We ring in the new year with Dr. Frank Justyce moving up to ** in skill.

01.04 -- Another two days, and the first mining station has been finished in Norgon. One more to go.

02.05 -- Ferathon has been fully surveyed, revealing modest amounts of energy and minerals. The yellowish star Joinum is next up for Perj.

2.24 -- Dr. Aslik Deesh reports that the damaged ships on Wexelia I were too degraded to yield any immediately useful technologies. A permanent research station might still yield productive results to the Engineering Dept. however. Of course, we lack both the funding to do so and with Wexellia out of our territory, the logistical ability as well. Deesh returns to his sweep of the system, having learned a considerable amount from the process, while Dr. Warlord will continue his study of the Troutstones.

2.25 -- Arriving at Joinum, Perj reports only one desert planet and the rest completely devoid of life.

4.02 -- The Beta report is finished, and Dr. Corperial moves on to the Deltas, halfway through with analyzing the alien species. The next day, the very busy Deesh has another report from Wexellia. The mysterious space station has been investigated, and on the moon it orbits a species that appears to be on a similar path but just a little behind us and the Kroll has been discovered. They call themselves the Shantari, and have early space-age technology as evidenced by the orbital station. Aslik is quite excited by this and urges an observation post be constructed in the system, before he remembers that like the earlier find in this system, it is beyond our current reach to support such an endeavor. Still, it is worth noting that in his estimation it is only a matter of time before the Shantari venture beyond their world and join the galactic community ...

04.07 -- After a few days, the following report from Dr. David Corperial demanded the Inquisitor's attention ...

http://i.imgur.com/fkP35ma.png

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

For clarification, these are the greenish crystalline thingamajigs that have prevented us from surveying Impal Tov multiple times. How shall we react here?

** Authorize the remote study
** Send in the fleet

The constantly bothered Inquisitor Roe Laren is now on the clock again.

chesapeake

05-15-2016, 10:40 PM

Study them remotely

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 02:13 AM

So ordered. And now the ball goes to ...

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

Remote study of the crystals has been indicated. It is a three-month task, with your current study of Deflectors having 16 months remaining.

** Study the crystals now
** Finish with the Deflectors. This issue can be revisited at that time.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are now on the clock. What direction will the Physics Dept. take?

muns

05-16-2016, 07:48 AM

Still good stuff. Boojie continues to provide for us

mrkilla22

05-16-2016, 11:22 AM

Let's Study the crystals now.

We can finish the deflectors afterwards.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 11:58 AM

Sounds good. Editing previous post as I forgot to mention that you are now up to ** skill as of earlier in the year.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 12:48 PM

2005, Part 2

05.20 -- The Mildrosch completes the final mining station in the Norgon system, and is headed home. It will evenutally receive its thruster upgrade, but that's on the back burner right now.

Having tapped all available mineral resources within our territory at the moment, we are now a little over 21 in surplus per month. At that rate it will take a little under a year before the colony ship is ready, though in actuality it's going to be a bit longer due to the needs of Humboldt. Still, time is running short for a decision on where we go, with one voice having been raised in favor of each of Norgon and Maghama so far ...

6.26 -- Wexellia survey is finally finished. The Laggasch has been in the system for nearly 17 months. They will move on to Liram, a yellow star that is the closest to Kroll space that we have access to. Almost certainly it will eventually be swallowed up by the Star Commonwealth, making it a priority to find out what's there before that happens.

7.07 -- Dr. Justyce presents the Engineering Department's report on the crystals. It's rather lengthy, but here's a summary. It seems, lacking a better alternative, that they will be known henceforth simply as the Crystalline Entities.

http://i.imgur.com/PGHrXL2.png

Our gathered knowledge in this area has allowed us to master the technique of Crystal Sonar. Due to our increased understanding of them, any system they occupy can be surveyed instantly for a cost of 30 energy credits. We may put this to use soon in Impal Tov, if indeed they are still there ...

7.12 -- Deesh reports Liram has another new species, designated the 'Eta'. Dr. Corperial's list of work grows once more ...

http://i.imgur.com/DMRJ9jU.png

A 'blind jump' to another yellowish star, K-class, which is beyond our sensor range on the edge of Kroll space is next up for him.

8.8 -- The new system is designated Sarack, and has multiple habitable worlds though none fit for a marine species such as ourselves. Still it is very much worth investigating.

09.? -- The Mildrosch is back in orbit at Humboldt, allowing us to save a small amount of energy that went to it's upkeep.

10.1 -- We are over halfway to saving up the materials needed for the colony ship, but as mentioned our homeworld is in need of some investment first. It is time to build another hydroponics farm to ensure we stay ahead of the curve on keeping our numbers growing. The next day, the study of the Deltas is completed, and the Society Dept. moves on to Epsilon.

10.7 -- The Delta report reveals that this particular contact are drones. Ancient mining drones, to be exact, serving and protecting an automated mining station that, incredibly, dates to millenia ago, though it has been long abandoned. Observation clearly indicates their operative protocol is to respond aggressively to any approach. In keeping with established policy we will study them from Humboldt. This matter will occupy the Engineering Dept. for a few months, further delaying the Troutstone studies.

The rest of the year passes without anything notable. It is expected that construction of the colony ship will begin sometime in the second half of this year, with Humboldt needed another provincial construction project in the interim. Still, the time to make a decision on that front is not all that far off now ...

AnalBumCover

05-16-2016, 01:08 PM

My vote would be to colonize Norgon.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 03:31 PM

2206

01.07 -- Mining drone study completed. It turned out to be somewhat dull, what with the constant montonous optimizing of production from the mining station, but still informative. There were a couple of interesting discoveries. The drones are not completely silent, emitting signal pings at periodic intervals. There is no evidence than anyone is listening or responding, but they are clearly still trying to communicate with someone or something.

The second thing is that we learned quite a bit about the likelihood of various systems to contain substantial mineral deposits from this study. There are five regions of the galaxy that we are now more interested in as a result of this. Unfortunately they are considerable distances away -- it is quite possible that no Architreuthis alive today will live to see them exploited. Nonetheless it is worth keeping these locations in mind as our explorations continue. The locations are marked on the map below:

http://i.imgur.com/1GyIis6.png

2.22 -- Aslik Deesh has discovered another civilization on the continental planet Jallida, fourth orbit in the Sarack system. A species calling themselves the Qell'Nudar, not nearly as advanced as the Shantari, has all the markings of an Iron Age achievement and has spread over most of the surface of the planet.

3.06 -- The Joinum system has been surveyed, revealing a moderate amount of minerals. The Odolss moves on to the bluish system Vermillion, an important chokepoint system leading further out in our arm of the galaxy. The next day, it is reported that Sarack has been fully swept as well with some mineral deposits found there as well. The Laggasch will backtrack some, moving three jumps to eventually reach Siccon as it sweeps around the right side of Kroll territory.

3.23 -- The initial report on Vermillion is that it is devoid of any form of life despite several small planets in orbit.

4.02 -- Initial research into the Epsilons from Benzar has been finished, and Dr. Corperial moves on to the Eta. At least for now, they are the last species his team needs to investigate ...

4.07 -- Epsilons identified as 'Void Clouds'. This seems a matter for Dr. Justyce and the Physics Dept. The initial report states that they are 'like a cloud of luminous star-stuff, billowing in the dark.' Luminous star-stuff. If that's the best our brightest minds can come up with ...

It continues. Apparently the Priests of Boojie are completely convinced these are divine heralds of some time. Whether or not that is the case, it is clear they are immensely powerful and deserving of respect.

4.? -- Hydroponics farm finished on Humboldt and a new mining network is begun. This should be sufficient for our homeworld for a while, and all efforts return to the colony ship.

4.28 -- The Siccon system has a single desert planet, nothing habitable. Other than the three systems nearby in the Grasping Claw Nebula, we still have yet to find a single planet that we could potentially settle ...

6.24 -- Deesh reports readings indicating ruins of an ancient precursor civilization on Siccon III, and will investigate. Risk factor of 15%.

07.07 -- Report on the Void Clouds is complete. We have concluded that they are stewards of the cosmos. After some analysis, Dr. Justyce's astronomers found traces of them almost everywhere. His summary is rather emphatic:

"Formed at the dawn of creation, they stood watch as stars were lit and planets formed. Now they drift, quasi-conscious agglomerations of inanimate matter from the earliest hours of time itself, afloat between dying stars and breaking worlds. They are a constant reminder that we all are but small parts of something greater."

I particularly like 'quasi-conscious agglomerations of inanimate matter'. I doubt very much that Frank Justyce even knows what that really means himself. What is certain is that this discovery has delighted our citizens, and given the Collective a permanent +5% happiness bonus.

09.01 -- Deesh reports that the ruins on Siccon III are apparently from a mining base that was once operated by the Vultaum Star Assembly. This is our first chance to learn more about the Vultaum, but unfortunately we lack anyone with the requisite to skill to properly investigate this in more detail. It will have to be revisited at another time. Here's an artists rendition:

http://i.imgur.com/QLOutW7.png

Apparently the remnants were found at the bottom of a large crater, and apparently it was once used for helium-3 production. The most curious part of it is that the crater blast originated from inside the facility, yet it does not seem likely that it was equipment failure or an accident ...

10.01 -- The colony ship is finally in production at our spaceport in Solaris Troutentis. It will be just under a year before it is finished.

10.02 -- The Eta have been researched, and termed 'Space Amoebas'. This will require the continued attention of the Society Dept. for another few months. About all we know is that they are large, ornery creatures, bigger than our typical corvettes.

11.02 -- Deflectors research completed. It's time once again to seek a new direction.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 03:40 PM

Right now we need to hear from a couple of scientists.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Global Energy Management(Industry, 240) -- Energy capacity increased by 500, and the Power Hub I is unlocked. Power Hub I is a building that can be built on each planet, producing 3 energy and also increasing the entire planets energy output by 10%. As such, it's a thing best used on developed worlds with multiple power plants already operating.

** Administrative AI(Computing, 240) -- Increases research speed in all three fields by 5%.

** Gravitic Sensors(Voidcraft, 240) -- Increases survey speed by 15%. Additionally, stations or ships can mount the new gravitic sensors, which cost 10 and have a range of 25. Current ship-mounted radar has a cost of 5, and a range of 20.

Frank Justyce, you are on the clock. A trio of fairly quick studies are available.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

As it stands right now, the Society Dept. is a couple of months away from finishing it's findings on the Space Amoebas in the Benzar system. The reason for this briefing is the Vultaum station found on Siccon III. It requires a **** scientist; Aslik Deesh is just *** but is in the system and likely to level up within months. When he does so, what direction will the Society Dept. take?

** Go ahead with Genome Mapping. Perhaps we've spent enough time on these side projects and alien studies for now and should work on something that has more practical use.

** Coordinate with Dr. Deesh and investigate the Vultaum Mining Station. The nearby Shantari may join the galactic community at any time, and would likely claim the system. In that event, we may not be able to negotiate access. Also, if we wait, there may be a delay in our exploratory surveys while a scientist reroutes back to the Siccon system.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock. Is the opportunity to study the Vultaum Star Assembly worth a further diversion?

muns

05-16-2016, 03:40 PM

My vote would be Maghama. Faster we get there, the more defenses we can put out there.

DavidCorperial

05-16-2016, 03:50 PM

I think it will be worth the diversion to investigate the Mining Station.

chesapeake

05-16-2016, 04:38 PM

The High Inquisitor demands an updated star chart before decreeing which planet we shall colonize first. She would also like to know what kind of planets are preferred by our nearby neighbor and whether there are any planets like that in the frontier between us and them.

Praise be to Boojie!

mrkilla22

05-16-2016, 04:45 PM

Let's start research on Administrative AI.

mrkilla22

05-16-2016, 04:48 PM

My vote would be to colonize Maghama. I think it's in our best interest militarily and economically.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 05:07 PM

http://i.imgur.com/0YOV9CG.png

Inquistor Roe Laren, this is the latest intelligence as of the eleventh month of the year of Boojie, 2206. The Kroll Star Commonwealth prefers ocean planets, the same kind that we are looking for. There are no known such planets in the unclaimed space between our empires. We know of only three, the previously mentioned worlds in the Maghama, Norgon, and Leesak systems.

Having said that, most of the systems in that area have not been fully explored. It is a hotbed of alien activity. The Space Amoebas in Benzar, Void Clouds in Liram, and mining drones in Wollaeus have prevented full accountings of these systems. Ambisla, Dastamon, and everything past them to the lower right have not yet been visited.

Impal Tov to the left is in the same boat with the Crystalline Entities, yet we have no contacts whatsoever 'above' our territory where exploration has gone a lot less eventfully ...

Tellistto

05-16-2016, 06:04 PM

Dr. Tellis Perj would like to lodge an argument for the colonization of Lessak IIb.

Maghama and Norgon systems are within the sway of the great Boojie. The only place that the Kroll could colonize a planet is indeed, Leesak IIb ahead of us. While colonizing Norgon possible expands our sway to control the Leesak system, this is by no means a certainty before the Kroll could colozine Leesak IIb.

My vote, Leesak IIb.

Dr. Tellis Perj

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 08:27 PM

2006-2007

2206.11.11 -- Mining network completed on Humboldt. We now have full employment on the homeworld. Governor JIMGA will be slightly less aggravated than usual to know that every possible avenue to improve the productivity of our planet has now been exploited. It will be well over two years before we have enough workers to warrant further investment.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to upgrade the Nautilus Squadron to include a deflector in each of the corvettes. Unfortunately, the power requirements preclude more than a single one in each ship at this time, but an increase in survivability is still anticipated. Even more unfortunately, it will be some time before the operation can be completed, with the spaceport fully occupied with the colony ship. Eventually another army will be added as well, but for the time being the Mildrosch is off to Maghama. The research sector has long been denied additional resources and funding, and at the moment there is no other viable competition for our resources.

2207.01.07 -- Space Amoebas research finished.

http://i.imgur.com/9rarX0F.png

With the application of this, Admiral SirFozzie reports that the navy is 5% better at evading enemy fire.

02.01 -- Work begins on the first of two research stations in Maghama. The benefit in this system will go, in both cases, to Dr. Corperial's Society Dept.

03.29 -- Dr. Aslik Deesh is the first to reach **** status, and has been cleared to begin excavations relating to the Vultaum Mining Station on Soccin III.

04.09 -- Dr. Tellis Perj will investigate unusual surface scarring on one of the moons in Vermillion. Risk factor is a mere 15%.

05.13 -- First research station completed in Maghama.

06.19 -- Perj has finished his investigations of the Vermillion moon, and recommends a permanent research station at some point. This is yet another location that would come under the purview of the Society Dept.

07.14 -- It seems all is not well in certain corners of the Collective ...

http://i.imgur.com/JMrAWSS.png

A careful perusal of all sensor readouts gave no sign of their location.

9.04 -- having moved on to the Fijjon system, Perj has found something new that is strange. This one is more dangerous, invoking a 30% risk factor. It seems there is a small, metallic, rectangular object on the surface of a planet that is reflecting all of our scans. We cannot even nail down it's composition.

However, before he can do anything else, a quartet of the afore-mentioned Silver Fangs jump in. Protocol in this case calls for an immediate retreat, as the Odolss is not equipped for combat.

http://i.imgur.com/HIp3gLZ.png

This is a matter for High Command.

Brian Swartz

05-16-2016, 08:32 PM

Ok, a few things here. First of all, we are caught up in terms of the timeline. Secondly, we have an issue to attend to here clearly. Note that they were spotted well 'above' our territory, so they are not an imminent threat to anything really at this point. Unless they advance ...

Military Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

It seems we have a couple options here. At present, it is estimated that the Nautilus Squadron is about one-third stronger in terms of combat capability than the Silver Fangs.

** Defend Humboldt. Stay here in Solaris Troutentis and hope the Silver Fangs go away.
** Pursuit. Send the Nautilus Squadron to deal with this new threat, now that it has been located.
** Wait for upgrades. It will only be weeks until the spaceport is free for the Squadron to be upgraded with the new deflectors. Of course, every day lost is a day the pirates are free to do what they will.

Admiral SirFozzie, which option do you choose, or do you have a different idea? You are on the clock.

Also, Inquisitor Roe Laren, the time has come to make a decision on the colonization question. The ship will be finished in less than three weeks. There have been votes for all three candidate systems, but Maghama and Nogron have the most support right now. Ultimately, the choice is yours. And it is time to make it. You are also on the clock.

SirFozzie

05-16-2016, 09:31 PM

... Normally I would seek every advantage for our fleet in battle, but I cannot let the cries of our citizens go unheard and unanswered. Launch the Fleet. It is time to defang the Silver Fangs. They will be trophies for Boojie!

muns

05-17-2016, 07:36 AM

chesapeake

05-17-2016, 08:41 AM

The High Inquisitor decrees that Maghama will be the destination of our first colony ship. She further directs the head of our navies and armies to determine the strength of the alien forces in Impal Tov and Wollaeus and, if feasible, to devise a building plan to clear those systems within existing resources and recognizing that infrastructure development remains our top priority.

All praise to Boojie.

Brian Swartz

05-17-2016, 01:47 PM

On a technical note, there is another beta hotfix out right now and they've announced the beta of the first big patch(Clarke) will be out late next week. I'm not going to mess with any beta patches for this dynasty. When they are 'complete' or 'go live' or whatever terminology you may choose to use, then they'll get added in. This way we don't risk any mess-ups with untested stuff.

Brian Swartz

05-17-2016, 02:32 PM

9.21.2206 -- Perj retreated to the Joinum system, but the Silver Fangs got their first and ambushed his ship. Suddenly, it was not at all a sure thing he would escape their grasp. He'd need to buy time with the Nautilus Squadron en route to Impal Tov, after which they'd still be two jumps away. Meanwhile, the colony ship was christened the Schalgor, and headed out to Maghama II.

10.02 -- The Betharian ... I mean, Troutstone ... research has been finished.

10.05 -- The 'Odolss' is gone, destroyed while attempting to jump out of the Joinum system and escape the Silver Fangs. Outnumbered and surprised, they were powering up their hyperspace drive but had no chance to escape in time. Dr. Tellis Perj perished along with his crew -- they were murdered without provocation. It's shattered remains are still there, and who knows what the Nautilus Squadron will find when it arrives.

http://i.imgur.com/h03918L.png

This dastardly deed, and those sacrificed to it, will not be forgotten by the Oncorhynchus Collective. The Nautilus Squadron prepares to leave Impal Tov, with renewed vigor now attached to their orders to hunt down the Silver Fangs without mercy. If they are not found in Joinum when the squadron arrives, they will be pursued to the ends of known space if need be. The squadron notes that the crystalline entities have not yet left the system, but that is a matter they will turn to later.

When practicable, a new science vessel will be built to take on the role of those just lost.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord
While nobody relishes the concept of trying to keep their minds on work given this tragedy, especially to one within the scientific community, it is time to choose a new research path nonetheless.

** Nanomechanics(Industry, 240) -- Unlocks Engineering Facility I, a lab which upgrades from our basic labs in that it produces additional engineering data.
** Coilguns(Materials, 480) -- A small upgrade over our present mass drivers, these proposed weapons have the same range, accuracy, and fire rate, but inflict 16% more damage on average(4-17 as compared to 3-15 per burst). Naturally the Navy is lobbying hard for these given the present circumstances, but of course they would not be ready in time to matter for the here and now.
** Deep Space Outposts(Voidcraft, 240) -- Unlocks defense platforms, allowing us to construct more substantive orbital fixed defenses.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are now on the clock as the representative of the Engineering Department. I will proceed forward a bit but not very far until I have your new instructions.

Dr. Tellis Perj, my condolences on your untimely and unfortunately useless demise. As much as you provided some much-needed drama for the narrative, it is still unfortunate. You may of course re-join if you wish to.

This goes for anyone else out there as well -- we will soon be needing a survey captain scientist, and a governor for the new colony.

SirFozzie

05-17-2016, 03:12 PM

Remember the Odolss! The dead cry out for vengenace.

The battlecry: "Avenge Dr Tellis Perj! May Boojie have mercy on their souls, for we shall not!"

chesapeake

05-17-2016, 03:25 PM

The High Inquisitor is saddened to hear of the loss of the Odolss. When the science ship is replaced, it is hereby decreed that it shall be named the Tellis Perj, in honor of the esteemed captain of the lost vessel. The accomplishments of this ship will stand as a testament to the courage and sacrifice of the crew aboard the Odolss.

No true child of Boojie would ever kill one of her own people. The High Inquisitor declares these so-called "Silver Fangs," and any and all who would grant them succor, anathema. Their lives and property are now forfeit to the Collective. All true Architreuthis are hereby directed to slay any and all Silver Fangs for the greater glory of Boojie.

So it is declared, so it shall be done. Praise be to Boojie.

AnalBumCover

05-17-2016, 03:54 PM

Dr. Aslik Deesh has ordered the crew of the Laggasch to cease all research for a day cycle in honor of Dr. Tellis Perj, confrère and true friend. Your discoveries will forever hold its place in Architeuthiskind.

Praise be to Boojie!

chesapeake

05-17-2016, 04:21 PM

Although the destruction of the pirates is assured, it will not be without casualties. The High Inquisitor has determined that two corvettes should be commissioned over the next year or two to replace any losses and supplement the forces of Admiral SirFozzie.

Coffee Warlord

05-17-2016, 04:51 PM

Clearly our current weapons are insufficient to combat these unbelievers. Boojie demands our weapons improve. Coilguns.

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 02:16 AM

Just a word of warning -- this is kind of a big update ...

2207-2208

2207.10.11 -- The Nautilus Squadron reaches Swur, just a couple days after the Schalgor arrives in Maghama. Sensor range is not long enough to determine if the pirates have remained in Joinum. There's only one way to find out ...

10.19 -- The second research station in Maghama is completed. The Mildrosch will move out on a longer journey now to the pulsar Chergamore, which could yield data of considerable interest to the Engineering Dept.

10.20 -- A new army, the first assault force, is finished on Humboldt.

10.28 -- Arriving in Joinum, the Nautilus Squadron finds it clear.

11.8 -- The search brings us to Ferathon, but again the Silver Fangs are gone before we arrive. It seems clear they know they are now the hunted, but the Nautilus Squadron is still on their trail ...

12.1 -- Nautilus Squadron arrives in Hodranus, just as they discover the Silver Fangs have been spotted in Norgon. Just one jump or a little more ahead of us, but it's far too close to home for comfort ...

12.12 -- The Norgon II mining station reports it is under attack by the Silver Fang raiders. So that's what they are after. The question is, how long can the station hold out ... and will the Nautilus Squadron get there in time?

12.22 -- Explosions have rocked the station the last few days, but our fleet is in the system and inbound. They should get here in plenty of time ...

http://i.imgur.com/tLAgm5W.png

12.29 -- Colony established in the Maghama system, named Bakangi. Nobody is in too much of a celebratory mood though, awaiting word from nearby Norgon. The Collective is very busy with all the goings-on right now.

http://i.imgur.com/B92QI6x.png

2208.1.1 -- Hull integrity is down to less than 80% on the mining station as the Nautilus Squadron reaches engagment range. Ironic that it's on the celebration of a New Year. The ambitious turncoat Shurglem, commander of the Silver Fang fleet, turns to face Admiral SirFozzie's forces. The first battle we have ever faced is about to begin ...

01.04 -- We have finished the dig site relating to the Vultaum. This would be momentous news on any other occasion. As it is, we still need to find a lot more out about them and most of the data was corrupted, but we have discovered that their basic unit of time measurement was called the 'korga'. Additionally, some miscellaneous information will be of use to the Engineering Dept.

1.16 -- By the time the ships converge, one of the pirate corvettes is nearly down. It's looking good so far.

1.23 -- One of our ships is down. We still have the upper hand, but this is not going to be an easy victory.

http://i.imgur.com/Xq0AQiQ.png

3.12 -- The battle in Norgon is finally over. The reports indicate that despite the loss of two of his five corvettes, Admiral SirFozzie acquitted himself well. Facing four ships more heavily armored than our own, his squadron manages a hit ratio of 73 to 56%. The Silver Fang raiders have been destroyed, albeit at considerable price.

One Schlurgga and one Dorsal was lost. The remainder will return to Humboldt for upgrading and eventually reinforcements. The recently commissioned science ship Korgasch, meanwhile, heads to Norgon to see what may be ascertained from the wreckage. It is clear to everyone that we must be vigilant against any future incursions.

5.25 -- Nautilus Squadron return to Humboldt to begin repairs.

6.18 -- Research Station in Chergamore finished. That's the last one for now due to the needs of the fleet.

07.08 -- The three remaining corvettes have been fully repaired and are fit for combat duty. Upgrading them to add deflectors is the next order of business. The lone Dorsal comes first.

07.24 -- Dorsal upgrade finished, with exercises indicating a 6% increase in combat proficiency. The pair of Sschlurgas are up next.

8.20 -- Analysis of the debris from the battle in Norgon has been completed, and survey operations will now resume. There will be some minor benefit to Physics, and a little more to Engineering. Additionally, analysis of the battle damage is expected to specifically increase our ability to develop Nanocomposite Materials.

8.27 -- Fleet upgrade completed.

9.02 -- Genome Mapping research completed by the Society Dept, improving lifespan and food production. Also, it has been noticed that the Kroll Star Commonwealth has built an outpost to extend their territory. This effectively blocks us off from the inner half of this arm of the galaxy, at least for the time being. However, the Kroll still have not moved beyond their homeworld, which can no longer be said of us. The latest intel states that their fleet is now stronger than ours in light of our casualties in Norgon which are in the process of being recouped; technologically and logistically they are still considered to be on the same level as us.

http://i.imgur.com/6XsAv8I.png

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 02:24 AM

A couple of things here: one informational, the other requiring new orders. Having requested information on the aliens in Wollaeus and Impal Tov, Inquisitor Roe Laren will likely be interested to know that the Crystalline Entities in the latter system have an effective combat strength equal to 4-5 of our corvettes, probably more like four. They are a slightly more powerful foe than the Silver Fangs were, and based on our experience so far we will need about eight total corvettes to clear them out without significant casualties. The mining drones in Wollaeus are stronger still, due to the support of the mining station they serve. Combined, this force is the equal of at least five of our latest corvettes. The recommendation at this time is to clear Impal Tov first should the Inquisitor order it. There are several reasons for this: Impal Tov is just one jump from Solaris Troutentis, it's an easier task, and our borders have expanded just barely enough over the past year or so to add the system to our claimed space. The Crystalline Entities are now denying us access to resources that Architreuthis lays direct claim to.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

With Genome Mapping completed, there are new options now available.

** Centralized Command(Military Theory, 240) -- Army upkeep reduced by 10%. Military Academy is also unlocked. Any planet that builds this facility will have it's armies increase their damage against the enemy by 10%, and recruit armies 25% faster.
** Planetary Unification(Statecraft, 240) -- +1 to monthly influence. Also, the planetary edict Propaganda Broadcasts is unlocked, which increases happiness by 10%.
** Galactic Ambitions(Statecraft, 600) -- Extends our borders 20% further due to increased patrols. Our intelligence agents will also gain the ability to learn survey data from from other empires on systems within their borders.

Dr. David Corperial, you are now on the clock. As the Society Department currently has nearly a year and a half's worth of accelerated research banked -- even having doubled it's output with the Maghama research outposts -- the timeline will not be progressed until the Collective has heard from you.

SirFozzie

05-18-2016, 04:56 AM

High Inquisitor, I would like to commend my captains for their valor in prosecuting the fight against the Silver Fangs. I would like to recommend the Captains of the fallen corvettes for the Golden Star of Boojie, and the other captains the Silver Star.

Our military has taken serious compromises however. The ongoing research on Coilguns will help some, but as we have seen, Boojie helps those who help themselves. I request that the shipyards be fully activated, not only with the two corvettes you previously ordered (which will bring us back to pre-Silver Fang numbers), but I would request another 3-5 corvettes to give us a strength to take out the Crystals, and expand our empire.

In a perfect world, I would ask for a big enough fleet to take out the mining drones, think of the manufacturing bonus we could get.. but I do understand that you must balance priorities. Still, it is something to think about.

chesapeake

05-18-2016, 08:53 AM

High Inquisitor, I would like to commend my captains for their valor in prosecuting the fight against the Silver Fangs. I would like to recommend the Captains of the fallen corvettes for the Golden Star of Boojie, and the other captains the Silver Star.

So ordered, with official condolences to the schools of those who were lost and our hearty congratulations to all the victors of the Battle of Norgon II.

In a perfect world, I would ask for a big enough fleet to take out the mining drones, think of the manufacturing bonus we could get.. but I do understand that you must balance priorities. Still, it is something to think about.

The High Inquisitor orders a balanced build to nine vessels, interspersed with continued infrastructure development.

DavidCorperial

05-18-2016, 09:44 AM

Galactic Ambitions will be the targeted research

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 01:28 PM

The High Inquisitor orders a balanced build to nine vessels, interspersed with continued infrastructure development.

So it is written, so it shall be done. VIR wishes to note for the record that the 1.03 hotfix is now live, mostly with late-game performance issues, the transport design bug and a couple of other fixes that won't really affect us. Also, everyone is doing great with quick and timely instructions, which is invaluable in the efforts to keep things moving.

chesapeake

05-18-2016, 02:07 PM

When the star map is shown in the forum in the future, the High Inquisitor requests that the toggle allowing for all the resources available in all systems be on so that the Collective can make the most informed strategic decisions.

Boojie be praised!

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 02:22 PM

2008-2009

10.01 -- Humboldt begins construction under the watchful eyes of Governor JIMGA of another Mining Network. This is the last one that will be built on the homeworld in the forseeable future, as there is just the one remaining province that is not more suitable for other things. With the growing needs of the fleet in light of the recent unpleasantness and our expanding neighbor below us, every last bit of of available mining possible will be squeezed out by JIMGA's iron fist, to the glory of Boojie and the Collective.

10.26 -- A new Dorsal-class is finished, leaving the fleet with four of the desired nine corvettes. In other words, combat strength is up to a somewhat less inadequate level than it was, but still lacking.

11.16 -- The Korgasch arrives in Fijjon, which has no habitable planets but is where the Odolss left off. Glorim reports a mining station, hostile and believed to be affiliated with the Silver Fang, in orbit around the gas giant Fijjon VII. Observing from a distance -- a long, safe distance -- the science ship awaits the Nautilus Squadron, which departs immediately to ensure the system is cleared of all remnants of pirate presence. A mere orbital station should prove no match for them. Thankfully the station is not near any other bodies in the system, allowing survey operations to commence, with the utmost caution, during the interim.

2009.01.01 -- The Bakangi colony is now fully operational. The new governor, Alorig, will advance the development with a keen architectural interest, allowing him to reduce construction times and costs by a full fifth of the usual requirements. In a decade or so, Bakangi is expected to be a considerable contributor to the manufacturing capacity of the Collective, but for now it will produce nothing except what it needs to grow, and that slowly. We will have to be patient.

http://i.imgur.com/u4hy9h7.png

Meanwhile, Wollaeus now lies within our space, leaving us two uncharted systems that will need surveying and possible investment -- once the fleet manages to deal with their present occupants.

02.30 -- Admiral SirFozzie reports that the Nautilus Squadron has engaged the pirate station in Fijjon, with no sign of any reinforcements.

03.23 -- Aslik Deesh reports that Ambisia has been fully surveyed, and that it is the most mineral-rich system known to the Collective. It has some research value as well. There are yet two more systems that can be reached on this side of Kroll space.

05.25 -- The mining station in Fijjon has been destroyed, with minimal damage only to one corvette. It was a lengthy fight due to the size of the station, but not a real threat. The fleet will now return home for the minor repairs required.

06.29 -- It seems there is always a new matter demanding attention. The latest issue is forthcoming.

SirFozzie

05-18-2016, 02:28 PM

The Silver Fang are defeated once again! Praise to Boojie!

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 02:36 PM

** This is why I'm not on Ironman. Took a little longer than usual as I realized I had actually messed up and built a Mineral Silo(increasing mineral cap which is useless to us) instead of Mining Network as needed. Pardon me a moment while I replay the last several months to fix that screw-up. **

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 03:27 PM

Inquisitor's Briefing

Clarification is needed in terms of our domestic spending. It appears that the last vestiges of the Silver Fangs have been swept away, and in accordance with the set instructions a balanced spending approach has been undertaken between expanding fleet assets and economic investment. Here is the most recent star chart:

http://i.imgur.com/rppJBb8.png

This seems an appropriate moment to recap our current economic levels. Perhaps it is better to do it every so often as deemed appropriate, rather than once a decade or whatever.

** Energy -- 327/2500, with a surplus of 1.18 per month. The first of two mining stations have been built in Solaris Troutentis for the purpose of supporting the fleet expansion.

** Minerals -- 45/5000, monthly surplus of 25.2.

** Influence -- 238/1000, +3 each month.

** Research -- 5 Physics, 10 Society, 8 Engineering each month. Physics is the only department that does not have a stored balance of increased research being worked through. They've definitely gotten the short shrift early on.

The situation is basically this: we've exhausted current mineral resources within our space. After the next energy station we won't need any more of those for a while, and have a few spots available if needed. So energy isn't a problem. Humboldt is at the point where it is going to be mostly building research labs since that's really what's left other than a spot each for another farm and power plant, neither of which are needed right now. And of course Bakangi isn't going to be doing much for a while as the population grows.

If we invest internally, it will be in more research stations. We have five suitable candidates for those, three in physics and one each in the other disciplines. This would much more quickly bring our technological investment up, especially in the lagging Physics Department. The other option is to expand so that we have the option to continue to invest in building up the economy.

Options that occur naturally:

** Colonize either Norgon or Leesak. This would involve gradually saving some minerals towards this goal, in between building fleet assets and the occasional research station.

** Build a frontier outpost to expand our borders. Obvious candidates here are Leesak to claim the resources there including the only known Troutstones; above us there is Joinum which should give us access to Ferathon and Vermillion, with all three systems looking profitable; Wexellia, which expands towards the Kroll and gives us the opportunity to study the Shantari and secure that space; or Ambisia, which has a lot of minerals available with a couple nearby systems still being investigated.

** Focus on the research stations in our territory, and wait for the fleet to clear out Impal Tov and Wollaeus before making a decision on our next expansion move.

I'm throwing this decision up now so that we can have a ruling by the time I have to decide on it. It'll still be some months before the next energy station is up and running. Inquisitor Roe Laren, what are your thoughts?

chesapeake

05-18-2016, 04:43 PM

What kind of planet is in Liram? The only reason to put an outpost in Wexellia is if the planet in Liram might be worth colonizing. If it is not, Wexellia will be brought into our space soon enough.

My initial reaction is to secure the minerals in Ambisia with a frontier outpost and to invest in physics research. I think colonizing is too big of an investment at the moment since we have to rebuild our fleet.

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 04:56 PM

Liram is actually just inside Kroll space, so that sort of makes the question moot. Also, it's a desert world that we wouldn't want any part of.

JonInMiddleGA

05-18-2016, 10:24 PM

OOC question -- about the map display there.

I notice (now) that Liram is greyed out, so I figure that matches with it being in Kroll space.

But what does Beznar being greyed out mean? It's in another civs territory? Or that we just haven't explored it yet? Or something else?

Brian Swartz

05-18-2016, 11:40 PM

Good question, and you actually caught something for me that I've missed. Greyed out means not fully surveyed/explored. In the case of Beznar, that's where the space amoebas are -- they are the most powerful of the 'space creatures' we've run into by far. Even with a maxed-out fleet of 13 corvettes, we'd take heavy losses in fighting them and win only through sheer numbers.

In checking this, I noticed that somehow I only finished half of Siccon. Not sure how that happened, we'll need to stop by there soon.

Brian Swartz

05-19-2016, 01:18 AM

2009 Conclusion

09.22 -- Dastamon survey completed, with only a small amount of research available in the system. Arrakis is up next, the last unexplored system this side of the Kroll borders.

10.01 -- The fleet is now up to six corvettes, and repairs are underway with the Nautilus Squadron now back in orbit at Humboldt.

10.24 -- Fleet repairs completed.

10.30 -- Glorim is set to investigate strange atmospheric readings in Fijjon -- risk factor 20%. He is now up to ** skill.

The first decade is in the books. We have not only survived, but thrived for the most part. The Silver Fang threat appears to be behind us, we've got our first new colony, and our civilization is slowly but surely growing and gaining control over more and more of the surrounding territory. It seems that soon all of the Grasping Claw Nebula and more will be within our grasp.

There are two long-term projects that we have on the docket presently:

** Vultaum Star Assembly -- This precursor civilization flourished millions of years ago in this part of the galaxy. We have found one dig site where we were able to discover how they measured time, but will need at least five more artifacts to develop a good working knowledge of the Vultaum.

** Mineral Riches -- Using data analysis techniques gleaned from the ancient mining drones in Wollaeus, we have targeted five distant systems as being ikely to have particularly high mineral value. At this time it is estimated it will take at least 20 years for us to survey as far as the closest systems, probably longer. Two are on the other side of the Kroll Star Commonwealth, further in on this arm of the galaxy.

In terms of achieving supremacy over the galaxy, we control 2 of the 325 systems needed for Domination, and there are presently 29 other empires we would need to 'cleanse' in order to achieve Conquest. Suffice to say that our journey is only just starting ... hopefully.

In terms of foreign relations, the Kroll Star Commonwealth is the only foreign empire we presently have contact with. Relations are still almost precisely neutral. They are still considered to be on par with us in almost all respects. We have 2 planets and 11 population, and have started to pull ahead of their holdings(1 and 10 respectively). The fact that they have not yet found a new colony to their liking bodes well for our ability to maintain our position against them.

Our efforts to understand the galaxy around us have been rewarded by Boojie in the following ways:

** Grand Design -- Blessed is the cog in the machine. 5% happiness boost to all of our citizens.
** Flagellating Movement -- We have updated our Evasive fleet stance protocols based on observations of the Space Amoebas' flagella. +5% Evasion for all our ships .

Looking ahead in terms of our immediate plans, both of our planets are set for the time being. Humboldt is expected to require no further investment for a year, Bakangi for two -- though some clamor for building a spaceport at the new colony, that is presently on the back burner. Establishing a frontier outpost to tap the wealth of Ambisia and whatever may be found in the surrounding systems -- and, just as importantly, preventing the Kroll from expanding any further in our direction -- along with beginning to clear the alien infestations from our space are the expected headlines. The fleet needs just one more corvette for a total of seven in order to be prepared for the first step against the crystalline entities in Impal Tov.

2010.1.09 -- Fijjon anomaly finished. The primary moon of Fijjon IV has immense drifting shadows across it's surface, caused by massive sheets of organic material in the sparse atmosphere. Glorim is unsure of their composition, or what purpose, if any, these might serve, how they originated -- he really doesn't seem to know a whole lot about them. It does seem, however, that a research station here would yield an unprecedentedly large amount of data to the Society Dept, two to three times that of a typical research station.

2.02 -- Research into Administrative AI completed, slightly increasing(5%) all of our technological efforts across the board.

Research Director Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

The Physics Department is ready for new instructions.

** Active Countermeasures(Computing, 367) -- Unlocks Sentinel Point Defense, a weapon system component for use on larger ships in combating smaller ones.
** AI-Controlled Colony Ships(Computing, 489) -- Increases speed of setting up new colonies by 25% through use of automated computerized enhancements.
** Specialized Combat Computers(Computing, 489) -- Unlocks basic combat roles. With this a pair of battle computers will become available for our ships. An Aggressive module will result in a 10% increase in fire rate and weapon damage; a Defensive module allows for a 10% increase in hull survivability, as well as a +10 chance to evade combat entirely when faced with a hostile threat.

As can be seen by the cost of the presented options, our increased population is starting to present some minor cost increases for research in terms of the logistics required to implemente changes across multiple worlds. Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock. What path shall we choose?

chesapeake

05-19-2016, 08:27 AM

Liram is actually just inside Kroll space, so that sort of makes the question moot. Also, it's a desert world that we wouldn't want any part of.

FWIW, you can change the boundaries by colonizing a planet or placing a frontier post. Clearly, in this case it doesn't matter. But if it was a planet that we could colonize, building a frontier outpost in Wexellia might be just enough to move the border to the other side of Liram.

chesapeake

05-19-2016, 08:36 AM

My initial reaction is to secure the minerals in Ambisia with a frontier outpost and to invest in physics research. I think colonizing is too big of an investment at the moment since we have to rebuild our fleet.

The High Inquisitor declares this to be the plan--particularly since additional resources may be found in Siccon. After the fleet is built up, absent new information the Collective shall invest in a new colony ship. Staff is directed to remind the Collective's leadership of the pertinent data on the habitable worlds in both Norgon and Leesak.

mrkilla22

05-19-2016, 10:32 AM

Let's start researching Specialized Combat Computers to help our military.

Brian Swartz

05-19-2016, 12:26 PM

Admiral SirFozzie may wish to consider whether Aggressive or Defensive combat computers should be built into our next fleet upgrade, when the time comes for it ...

SirFozzie

05-19-2016, 04:52 PM

I'm thinking Defensive. Even the Silver Fang vessels were more heavily armored then ours. and we haven't had the chance to research defensive upgrades, only offensive ones.

(I like more dakka, but the best ships are the ones that get to fire everything, and survive long enough to fire everything again!) :D

Brian Swartz

05-20-2016, 07:47 AM

2010.02.14 -- Second energy station is up and running in Solaris Troutentis. The system has now been fully exploited.

03.24 -- Survey of Fijjon, the key chokepoint system in the area above our territory is finished. A bit of energy but mostly the one research location was found. After analyzing debris from the destruction of the Fang mining base, efforts will move on to the left, which includes a crossing to the arm inside ours towards the center of the galaxy.

04.02 -- Now with four Dorsals and three Sschlurgas -- the Dorsals have proven to be slightly superior at about 1.5% more combat effective -- the Nautilus Squadron heads out to deal with the crystalline entities in Impal Tov.

05.25 -- Battle begins in Impal Tov. Admiral SirFozzie reports that the crystals are much larger than our ships. Our weapons seem to be more accurate and of course we have the advantadge of numbers. They fire some sort of purplish missile-type projectiles at us, which while fairly inaccurate are much more powerful, a single hit sufficient to lower our shields. It also seems they have some sort of internal healing or repair mechanism allowing them to recover from damage during combat.

http://i.imgur.com/DS3uSFe.png

07.02 -- We've inflicted considerable damage on the two larger crystals, but have not destroyed any and lost our first ship. This may be a tougher battle than anticipated ...

http://i.imgur.com/ydeRCAU.png

07.09 -- One of the larger ones is down! We've named the big ones Sovereign, the somewhat smaller one Sentinel. It appears that the Sentinel can take about twice the damage of one our corvettes, the Sovereigns somewhat more.

07.24 -- A second Sovereign is down. It's all over but the shouting now.

08.07 -- The Sentinel is destroyed. In a bluish shower of particles, the battle is over and we have won, freeing Impal Tov of the alien presence and the closest potential threat to our home is now eliminated. One Sschlurga was lost, with another being built already at the spaceport at Humboldt. Three other corvettes sustained damage, one quite seriously. The Squadron returns home now for repairs, and it will need to increase it's numbers before taking on the mining drones in Wollaeus. All in all, another successful battle for Admiral SirFozzie who has yet to fail the Collective.

Meanwhile, construction of our first frontier outpost, in the Ambisia system, will begin within days ...

09.13 -- Nothing special is uncovered from the debris from the Fang mining station in Fijjon, a couple items of marginal interest to physics and engineering but that's it.

10.1 -- Upon arriving in the previously unexplored system of Pavagh, the Korgasch reports that there is an ocean planet, the first we've discovered outside of the Grasping Claw Nebula! Unforunately there are another trio of space amoebas, each roughly a combat equal to five corvettes. We will have to move on for now, but it seems a system worth keeping in mind especially since it is just a single jump from the gateway system to crossing the dark space inwards toward the galaxy core ...

For about a week now, the Nautilus Squadron has been repairing back in orbit.

10.02 -- The Kroll Star Commonwealth has apparently decided long-term co-existence is a good thing, and has established an embassy on Humboldt.

11.15 -- Fleet repairs completed.

At year's end the outpost in Ambisia is coming along slowly, almost halfway finished. The fleet is expected to be ready to take on the mining drones in Wollaeus within the next several months.

Brian Swartz

05-20-2016, 07:54 AM

On the subject of colonization, the new world found in Pavagh is beyond our capability militarily, and is a small world as well(12 max. pop). So it would be a long-term target at best. On the other two, here's what was said before:

** Norgon III, a size 20(14) world. With the right technology, it could be as productive as Humboldt itself. Bonuses of 3 food, 2 energy, 7(5) minerals, and 9(6) research. As can be seen clearly, our population would not grow as fast here as on Maghama, but it could be a real haven of scientific advancement. This would extend our range 'up' and to the right, allowing us to develop mining stations in Leesak before too long and Hodranus probably later. It might be close enough to Leesak to extend sensor range there in case anyone crosses the galactic arm in this direction, but it might not. We aren't sure on this matter.

** Leesak IIb is the largest of three significant moons surrounding it's planet, yet it is still of considerable size at 19(13). Lots of toxic kelp, so our ability to get the most out of it would hinge on finding a way to deal with that. 5(3) food, 3(2) energy, 9 minerals, 7(4) research. Lots of building materials here, and Corperial would love it -- six of the seven research are things that would benefit the Society Dept. Strategically, the main value of this system is that it would provide constant surveilance as an early-warning area on the edge of the nebula by the galactic arm. Additionally, it would also allow us to develop more off-world resources. Aside from the colony itself, there are recommended locations for six stations totalling 6 energy and 7 minerals. Until our territory encompasses Leesak however, we can't develop it and we don't yet have the resources to place an outpost here. Norgon would eventually allow us to claim them, but colonizing Leesak directly would get that done sooner.

To this I'll add two things. Leesak is the only known source of Troutstones, and also is a world known for it's Natural Beauty(+5% Habitability, +15% Happiness).

Question for Inquisitor Roe Laren and anyone else who might care to weigh in at this point. Are we going to save up for the colony ship right away, or share that priority with any continued military spending(i.e., spaceport for Bakangi) or developing the new territories(Ambisia and surrounding systems, Impal Tov, hopefully Wollaeus soon).

chesapeake

05-20-2016, 09:18 AM

The concentration of minerals around our new frontier outpost will accelerate all construction by 10-15% by my reckoning. I'm leaning towards prioritizing that, finishing the build to 9 corvettes and then a colony ship for Leesak. But I'm open to input from the rest of the collective.

Brian Swartz

05-20-2016, 02:28 PM

I expect it to go up by more than that. Sounds like a plan pending any other contributions from other quarters. That will likely take us a few years.

2211, Part 1

2211.01.10 -- New anomaly found as the Arrakis system survey is complete ... there's a little of everything here, and it is hoped that the new outpost will allow this system to be developed. Only a 15% risk factor.

03.01 -- Construction of a basic hydroponics farm begins on Bakangi, as the colony is beginning to expand there.

04.01 -- The ninth and, for the moment, final corvette is begun at Botein III Spaceport.

06.01 -- The new hydroponics farm for Bakangi is up and running, and the fleet is up to their target of nine corvettes -- 5 Dorsals and 4 Sschlurgas. Time to clean the mining drones out of Wollaeus.

07.18 -- The wreckage in Arrakis warrants further study, and the Laggasch[/b]'s captain Aslik Deesh has enslisted the assistance of Engineering. Meanwhile, the frontier outpost is finally finished, extending our territory to encompass all of the surrounding systems except Arrakis. That matter should soon be rectified once Corperial's current research is done in a few months. The Wexellia system, home to the as-yet planet-bound Shantari Civilization, has also come under our control to the joy of the Engineering Dept.

The process of building mining stations to exploit this region has now begun, and the border with the Kroll is now pretty much locked. There are now only three uncontrolled systems between us, and soon there will be less than that.

07.24 -- The Nautilus Squadron arrives in Wollaeus, and reports the surprising news that Benzar no longer is home to space amoebas. There is a Kroll science ship, the [i]Kal Tumon, in the system. Either the Star Commonwealth cleansed the system of the amoebas, meaning they are more powerful than we think, or the creatures simply left ... either way, the fleet has other matters to attend to. Benzar has a continental world, and will be added to the queue of systems to survey.

08.02 -- Coilgun prototypes are now available. When the fleet returns from Wollaeus, another upgrade will be in order.

The latest star chart, updated with the recent intel and border updates:

http://i.imgur.com/wqHTDPO.png

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

Your latest contribution to the fleet is now ready with the advent of Coilguns. The Engineering Department's services will shortly be needed in Arrakis for a couple months, but after that new priorities should be set.

** Improved Spaceport(Voicraft, 499) -- Increases mineral storage capacity by 2000(presently 5000). Unlocks Corvette Assembly Yards, a spaceport module allowing for corvettes to be built 25% faster and 10% cheaper. It also unlocks the ability to upgrade our spaceports, allowing for us to potentially build larger ships and add an extra module to any spaceport with the upgrade.

** Nuclear Missiles(Rocketry, 249) -- Unlocks Missile Defense Module, allowing for spaceports built in the future to use missles as their weapons system. Also unlocks nuclear missiles for use on our ships. Adding a second weapons system would give Admiral SirFozzie the option, should he so choose, to diversify the fleet with a combined-arms approach that would make our navy more flexible and allow it to more effectively combat any enemy that our mass drivers or coilguns might not be optimal against.

** Geothermal Fracking(Industry, 249) -- Increases Mineral storage by 1000. Unlocks Mining Network II, planetary structures that are capable of producing 50% more minerals than our current versions.

** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials, 36/374) -- Unlocks nanocomposite armor, which we add to the inside of our ship hulls to increase their ability to absorb damaging weapons fire. This would diversify our defensive abilities in addition to the deflectors we already possess.

Note that we have an 'extra' fourth option here. This is the Collective's first experience with reverse-engineered technology, and is presented due to the Silver Fang ship debris we analyzed which used the nanocomposite armor. This choice will always be available to us until we use it. The other three are not guaranteed to repeat, information that may well be useful in choosing our direction. Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are on the clock.

Coffee Warlord

05-20-2016, 02:44 PM

If we are to build more ships to utlize our new mighty weapons, we must have the industry to support it. The faithful must have the most efficient tools we can give them. DRILL BABY DRILL! (Geo Fracking).

The Grand and Illustrious Order of Trout Engineering also requests a fresh spawn of Plebian Trout. We sadly ran out of test subjects during some of our more energetic weapons tests.

chesapeake

05-20-2016, 03:21 PM

The Grand and Illustrious Order of Trout Engineering also requests a fresh spawn of Plebian Trout. We sadly ran out of test subjects during some of our more energetic weapons tests.

These things happen. So ordered.

Did the research stations focused on physics hotspots ever get constructed?

Brian Swartz

05-20-2016, 04:25 PM

Roffle. No, the physics stations never got done. That's in the pipeline mixed in with the mining stations -- it was deemed more important to get the outpost up and running so that we got there before the Kroll, just in case they got any ideas.

Brian Swartz

05-21-2016, 12:13 AM

2211.08.15 -- The Nautilus squadron engages the mining drones in Wollaeus. Seen here is the firing of the first shot ...

http://i.imgur.com/EsYeudW.png

2211.08.20 -- The Hark system, which has the ability to jump the arm inwards towards to core, has been surveyed. It has minimal economic value, and the Korgasch moves on.

The mining drones are not shielded, and appear to be using some sort of focused energy laser weaponry. At least in the earlier stages these weapons do not appear to be particularly accurate. We have a sizable edge in numbers, but they are once again more armored than our corvettes, and about a third larger as well. Unexpectedly, they left the cover of the station itself to meet our approach, making the battle much easier for our ships.

09.01 -- Humboldt begins work on clearing out an industrial wasteland so that another province can be developed in a few months.

09.16 -- Well that didn't take long. It appears the mining drones' bark was worse than their bite. All three are destroyed, allowing the fleet to move on the station itself. SirFozzie's ships were able to evade over 70% of their laser blasts.

10.10 -- A primitive civilization discovered, this one on Manthall II. They won't be relevant in galactic terms for centuries, and are of no concern.

11.09 -- Mining station destroyed in Wollaeus. The fleet suffered no losses, and returns for repairs and upgrades now.

12.02 -- Galactic Ambitions research finished. Arrakis is now just inside our space, Beznar just outside it. In other directons, we now have Leesak and Joinum within our territory. More resources than we could use in quite some time. The Mildrosh will be kept quite busy.

12.23 -- The industrial wastelands have been cleared on Humboldt and a basic science lab will be built. Governor JIMGA has become our first ** governor ...

Brian Swartz

05-21-2016, 12:14 AM

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

A most useful advance Galactic Ambitions looks like it will turn out to be. Moving on to our next objective ...

** Neural Implants(Statecraft, 624) -- Unlocks the ability to form Slave Armies and build the Slave Processing Facility. The latter will increase food and mineral output by 15% for slaves on any planet.

** Biodiversity Studies(Biology, 249) -- Unlocks the Biolab structure, a lab focusing on Society research.

** Dangerous Wildlife Removal(New Worlds, 374) -- Allows us to clear provinces/tiles filled with dangerous wildlife on foreign worlds. Two of Bakangi's unusable provinces are within this category.

Dr. David Corperial, you are now on the clock.

DavidCorperial

05-21-2016, 12:25 AM

Dangerous Wildlife Removal is the course we must set, for science

Brian Swartz

05-21-2016, 01:13 AM

Overview/Outlook

As our 13th year begins there's a nigh-palpable sense of transition in the air. Our military has shown itself more than capable of dealing with the meager current threats. Spending for that quarter is shifted to the back burner in the light of the fact that less than have of our territory is now undeveloped due to the recent border expansions and cleansing of the two alien-infested systems. A new period of economic investment is upon us.

Let's take a look at our plans for that period. Governor JIMGA may actually get to do something more significant. Having set the homeworld of Humboldt on a plan to focus on mining, that plan has pretty much succeeded leaving him as little more than a figurehead for some years. The 58-year-old is the most skilled and second-most-recognized of the Collective's political figures. Admittedly there are only three of them, but so what. With Dr. Coffee Warlord having announced work on Geothermal Fracking, he will be receiving additional investment once that work is completed to upgrade the four provincial mining networks. It also seems likely that he will be given the authority to implement a planetary edict in a couple years, barring unexpected needs to spend influence elsewhere arising.

Militarily speaking, both Humboldt and Bakangi are in need of one additional army each but are not too far behind the curve. Funding for that will happen eventually, but probably not in the near future. General Eola Eusrim has not seen any action, but for the good of our species it is good that he has not needed to. The fleet has proven itself quite capable, and has 9 of a total support maximum of 14 corvettes operational. There are a growing number of voices in favor of a second spaceport at Bakangi, but right now keeping the current Nautilus Squadron upgraded to the most recent technological standard is all that has been authorized. Admiral SirFozzie has been successful in all four battles, and has seen declining casualties as well. A matter of some concern is that the navy is coming close to maxing out the potential of our corvettes. In the most recent designs that will be involved in the impending upgrades, all utility space is occupied and most of it with fission generators. Improved weapons(coilguns), thrusters(ion instead of chemical), and the advent of deflectors have all advanced our capabilities, but all of them have to be powered and the ability to add thicker shields or other extras is greatly limited at this point by the fact that the reactors are taking up almost all of the space. Without larger ships or better power systems, it is unlikely combat craft will proceed much further.

Many years will probably be required to handle the work of building a network of orbital stations for research and mining primarily to develop our recently expanded territory. At the moment, that development is being prioritized over further colonization, which will be made easier by a considerably expanded economy. Relations with the Kroll are improving -- a thing that some of our more ardent fanatics don't necessarily view positively -- and whereas a few years ago we were running out of space, right now it seems we can't build the necessary infrastructure nearly fast enough. Internal development, barring further rudder orders, is the clear order of the day. The upcoming years may be relatively boring, but they do seem to promise to be years of dramatic progress nonetheless. With no good options at the moment in terms of expanding our borders further -- both potential colony sites at the moment are already within our space -- there seems to be no compelling alternative.

Dr. Aslik Deesh is busy finish up survey efforts in our lower systems, with debris research in Impal Tov and Wollaeus among his eventually targets. This will keep him busy for some time, but he should be able to stay well ahead of the Mildrosch as it methodically builds up our stations in these areas. The Korgasch meanwhile continues survey efforts in the opposite direction, and with each system explored we are comforted by the fact that, as of yet, it appears there is no nearby neighbor outward in our arm of the galaxy similar to the Kroll. David Corperial has begun investigations into ways to clear out the dangerous wildlife found on Bakangi, and Frank Justyce is progressing with his work on combat computers, though it still has years to go.

It seems that a child could run the Oncorhynchus Collective right now. The result may be uneventful, but a time of great prosperity for the Architreuthis appears to be on the horizon. Of course, most challenges are unexpected until they reveal themselves ...

muns

05-21-2016, 07:20 AM

Another nice read. Thanks Brian. Things are progressing nicely.

SirFozzie

05-21-2016, 12:27 PM

If we see something that gives us either a smaller/better power plant, or the ability to make bigger ships. I think we'[re good (other then unlocking other types of weaponry so we can mix up our ships.)

I can't believe I'm actually saying as a military leader that I'm happy with the state of our forces ;)

Brian Swartz

05-22-2016, 09:42 AM

2012

3.24 -- Glorim investigating faint alien signal, with the rest of Manthall survey completed. 22% risk factor.

4.12 -- The fleet is fully repaired once more. The Nautilus Squadron will now wait for resources to become available for upgrading their weapons systems to the new coilguns.

5.02 -- It took much longer than expected, but the debris in the Arrakis system has been analyzed, with considerable Engineering benefit. Deesh himself has also benefited in terms of increased knowlege. The Mildrosch will remain in the system to build stations for probably a couple years, but the Laggash moves on to finish up the Siccon system survey.

05.14 -- Glorim has discovered an ancient life pod in Manthall. About six months of increased research boon to Society Dept will result.

http://i.imgur.com/x28fDFo.png

06.09 -- The Korgash arrives in the new system of Cador only to find a Void Cloud present, and moves on. There are no planets here of immediate interest.

06.13 -- The first energy station in Arrakis is up and running. There will be several built here, of various types.

07.23 -- Comet sighted over Humboldt. This is seen as a positive omen, and a festival of thanks is called to honor Boojie for the grandeur of the universe. 15% happiness boost to all citizens for the next 12 months. Practically speaking this actually won't do much good, since everyone on Humboldt is actually ecstatic already and it's not quite enough to make the Bakangi colonists happy.

http://i.imgur.com/dtUsdR2.png

08.01 -- The first-ever provincial-size scientific lab is operational now on Humboldt, which is now up to 11 population. This is a significant boost to all research departments, particularly physics which gets it's first bump since we took our first steps into space over a dozen years ago, nearly a 50% increase for Dr. Justyce's team.

08.10 -- Glorim has improved to *** skill.

09.18 -- Siccon survey is completed, with one more mineral deposit found. Still not a great system, but there's some resources there.

10.20 -- Second energy station up and running in Arrakis. A mining station will be next, and there's a lot more to do in this system.

12.01 -- The Dorsals begin their upgrade. At this point it's a two and a half month process, but it seems to be getting longer each time.

Brian Swartz

05-22-2016, 10:07 AM

2213, Part 1

2213

02.16 -- Dorsal upgrade finished. The coilguns are expected to help quite a bit, allowing a combat effectiveness of more than 12% above the previous model.

3.05 -- The Korgasch finishes the survey of the Xolton system, which has only one small mineral deposit to interest us.

03.17 -- Mining station finished in Arrakis.

05.01 -- The second fleet upgrade, that of the four Sschlurgas with their larger but fewer coilguns, is now underway.

05.02 -- Geothermal Fracking is now a thing, thanks to Engineering. Aside from the orbital stations and any essential provincial expansions, upgrading our mining networks on Humboldt will now be the top budgeting priority. There are four of them, and each will cost just over three months net income in minerals, taking nearly half a year to finish the work. It will be years until all are in place, but in less than a decade they will have paid for themselves. Increasing our supply will help all aspects of the economy, so it's a no-brainer in the long run.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

The battle debris in the Wollaeus and Impal Tov systems will delay your next project somewhat. The choices follow here:

** Nanomechanics(Industry, 254) -- Unlocks the Engineering Facility, a specialized research lab emphasizing engineering.

** Powered Exoskeletons(Industry, 254) -- Improvements for both the military and civilian applications, with a 5% increase in damage for our ground armies and for our mining efforts.

** Mineral Processing(Industry, 254) -- Mineral storage capacity increased by 1000. Unlocks Mineral Silo II, a building which further increases that limit, and Mineral Processing Center, a building that increases all planetary mining output by 10% wherever it is built.

** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials, 36/381) -- Reverse-engineering of this project will allow us to add armor to our ship designs.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are now on the clock.

Coffee Warlord

05-22-2016, 10:14 AM

Hmm. I had a vision last night, clearly sent to me by Boojie himself. I see the future of all Troutkind in powered suits, expanding their aquatic majesty to the entire galaxy.

We will surround all Trout in suits of Boojie's might. We need those exoskeletons.

Brian Swartz

05-22-2016, 02:39 PM

Vision, Dr. Warlord or nightmare? :P

Economic Briefing

This is primarily informational for all of the Collective's leadership. It has become clear that the present expansion will be limited not by space or by locations for profitable stations, but by our ability to come up with the necessary funds to run them. For this reason, the Dept. of the Interior intends, pending review of this decision by Oncorhyncus officials, to focus primarily on new mineral stations. Research stations will be placed only where it is particularly beneficial for the time being(3 or more research points).

We cannot build everywhere or even close to everywhere right now. Additionally, a solar panel network has been authorized for the Humboldt spaceport, and energy development will be prioritized at a higher level on both colonized worlds.

The Dept. of the Interior actively solicits feedback on this approach, but for now will follow this policy unless it is contradicted. Under this plan, stockpiling for a new colony ship will begin when energy development has been maximized and most of the available budget from that utilized, in order to ensure that the new colony, wherever it may be, has sufficient backing.

chesapeake

05-22-2016, 03:57 PM

Economic Briefing

This is primarily informational for all of the Collective's leadership. It has become clear that the present expansion will be limited not by space or by locations for profitable stations, but by our ability to come up with the necessary funds to run them. For this reason, the Dept. of the Interior intends, pending review of this decision by Oncorhyncus officials, to focus primarily on new mineral stations. Research stations will be placed only where it is particularly beneficial for the time being(3 or more research points).

We cannot build everywhere or even close to everywhere right now. Additionally, a solar panel network has been authorized for the Humboldt spaceport, and energy development will be prioritized at a higher level on both colonized worlds.

The Dept. of the Interior actively solicits feedback on this approach, but for now will follow this policy unless it is contradicted. Under this plan, stockpiling for a new colony ship will begin when energy development has been maximized and most of the available budget from that utilized, in order to ensure that the new colony, wherever it may be, has sufficient backing.

The High Inquisitor approves.

Brian Swartz

05-23-2016, 02:55 AM

2013-2014

2013.06.01 -- Glorim has found an unusual asteroid in the Altair system and will pause to study it. Risk factor 15%. Also, a basic mine is being built on Bakangi, the first real resource contribution that the still-new colony will make.

07.01 -- Fleet upgrades are now completed.

07.23 -- Research station(Physics) completed in Arrakis.

08.07 -- It has been determined that the asteroid in the Altair system was towed into orbit intentionally. Remnants of the engines and thrusters can be seen jutting out from the rocky surface. It was also mined at some point for minerals.

08.08 -- Wollaeus system survey complete, with only a single modest energy deposit. The battle debris will be handled next.

09.01 -- Mine operational on Bakangi. For the time being the most profitable and unusued provinces on the colony would not be enhanced by new infrastructure projects. At this point it will probably be many years before new construction is needed.

11.27 -- First debris field in Wollaeus analyzed. Nothing new other than minor physics and engineering boosts.

12.30 -- Engineering research station finished in Arrakis.

2214.02.01 -- First mine upgrade begins on Humboldt.

02.02 -- Dangerous Wildlife Removal research has been finished. It will not be needed for a while, but Bakangi will be able to clear out a couple more provinces when desired.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Doctrine: Space Combat(Military Theory, 259) -- Increases naval capacity by 10%.
** Planetary Unification(Statecraft, 259) -- +1 influence monthly, unlocks Propaganda Broadcasts(planetary edict, +10% happiness)
** Toxic Kelp Removal(New Worlds, 388) -- Allows us to clear another type of unusual province. Two of Bakangi's provinces are toxic kelp. 5 of 6 blocked provinces on Leesak IIb and 4 of 7 on Norgon III are toxic kelp as well. It seems to be the most plentiful obstacle on the ocean worlds we have come across so far.

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock. The Society Dept. awaits your instructions.

DavidCorperial

05-23-2016, 10:49 AM

Toxic Kelp Removal has to be researched.

Brian Swartz

05-23-2016, 08:08 PM

2214.03.06 -- Analysis of the debris from the mining drone battle in Wollaeus has provided progress in three areas: more in the nancomposite materials, but also fusion power and mining lasers, which will be possibilities for reverse-engineering now. The Laggasch moves on to Impal Tov, where we will eventually learn whether the crystalline entities' demise has anything to teach us -- after the system is surveyed.

05.30 -- The last mining station is up and running in Arrakis. the Mildrosch will now embark on an 'energy tour', though these plans could be changed if something particularly interesting is found in Impal Tov. For the time being though, the constructor will hit Wollaeus, Swur, and Dirmius, building a total of four energy stations in those systems. From there it will head to Leesak, which has energy and minerals aplenty and also the valuable Troutstone which will eventually be used to build a Troutian Power Plant on our homeworld. These steps will allow the economy and military to continue to grow in the coming years.

06.09 -- Altair has now been fully surveyed. There are energy, minerals, and engineering research there, but only in modest quantities as has been the case really with the entire area above and to the left of the nebula.
The Korgasch will backtrack to Vermillion to investigate an anomaly that was left by Perj shortly before his demise, then continue with survey efforts further on.

07.13 -- First mine upgrade finished on Humboldt, and another commences.

10.01 -- Aslik Deesh investigating strange, unnatural mountain formation in Impal Tov. Risk factor 15%. Another defense army is recruited on Bakangi(first) and Humboldt(third).

10.15 -- A proposal has been made which requires the Inquisitor's input.

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

http://i.imgur.com/AmteMrO.png

** We will gather these specimens. If we choose to do this, we will need to either reduce our survey operations for a time, as only one ship will be left for those, or we will need to build another. We do have another leader position available for a survey captain, but this would mean we could not add any more for the time being -- new colonies would be the most immediate impact of this, as they would have to go without a governor.
** No, we do not have the resources to spare. The expedition will be declined.

Inquisitor Roe Laren, you are on the clock. If we take on this expedition, you will also need to decide whether to add a third science ship.

chesapeake

05-23-2016, 09:29 PM

Accept the expedition and commission another science vessel.

Brian Swartz

05-23-2016, 10:55 PM

2214.10.15 -- By order of the Inqusitor the expedition to catalogue and capture seven forms of alien life was accepted. A fairly skilled scientist(*** or better) was required, and extensive cooperation from Dr. David Corperial and the Society Department will be needed as well. Furthermore, two of the specimens being in Kroll space, it would be necessary to acquire civilian access to Star Commonwealth Space. Under the circumstances, it seemed best to dispatch Dr. Aslik Deesh on this task with the Laggasch as soon as the survey of the Impal Tov and Beznar systems were completed. Glorim and the Korgasch would continue to expand our knowledge upwards, and the new science ship, when completed, would strike out on crossing to the outer galactic arm from Leesak.

11.01 -- Construction began on the new science ship at Humboldt Spaceport, after a careful review of the relevant timetables and expense projections indicated it would not interfere with other initiatives.

12.01 -- The new armies are recruited and ready to go.

12.02 -- Powered Exoskeletons and Specialized Combat Computers are both ready for use, as the Physics and Engineering Depts. both present their results in the year's final month. New fleet designs would need to be hammered out and the Nautilus Squadron upgraded as resources permitted. With everything going on right now, the timeline for that is not immediately, but probably soon. The Exoskeletons add the equivalent of a small mine or station to our production and will aid Gen. Eusrim's troops as well of course.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Gravitic Sensors(Voidcraft, 259) -- Improves survey speed by 15%. Unlocks Gravitic Sensors, which increase sensor range from our current radar by 20 to 25, while also doubling the cost from 5 to 10.
** Global Energy Management(Industry, 259) -- +500 to our energy storage capacity, presently 2500. Unlocks Power Hub I, a planetary building which both acts as a power plant and increases energy production from all sources on the planet by 10%. As energy is currently the limiter on our economic expansion, this would facilitate more fleet assets, orbital stations, and so on.
** Improved Deflectors(Field Manipulation, 648) -- Improves planetary fortifications by 20%. The new deflectors would double the ability of our current models to absorb damage from a 25 to 50 rating, with 50% higher cost and regeneration.
** Mining Drone Lasers(Particles, 64/648) -- A recent discovered reverse-engineered possibility, these lasers will always be available for study as with all such options. While not as powerful as our current coilguns, the cutting lasers are very effective at penetrating armor and would add to the fleet's weapon system versatility.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are now on the clock with a rather tempting set of options to choose from.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

** Improved Spaceport(Voidcraft, 518) -- Adds 2000 to our mineral storage maximum, presently 5000. Unlocks the spaceport module Corvette Assembly Yards, allowing for corvette-sized warships to be built 25% faster and at a 10% discount. Allows for our spaceports to be upgraded to Level II, allowing for an additional module and potentially larger ships to be developed. This is the kind of technology that will be necessary at some point for the navy to grow beyond it's present limitations.
** Robotic Workers(Industry, 518) -- Unlocks Robots, a buildable population unit. Robots come at a considerable cost in currency(150 energy, 50 minerals). They are not nearly as good at research(five to equal one Architreuthis) or financial matters(five to equal two Architreuthis) as our citizens. They have a number of advantadges, however. Robots do not consume food, they are equally good farmers, and actually slightly better miners. They also can function just as effectively anywhere, regardless of the habitability, and allow for potentially faster development of new worlds given that they can be built at the same time our own population is growing.
** Railguns(Materials, 972) -- The latest possibility in the same discipline that has given us our present mass drivers and coilguns, railguns offer a damage output nearly 15% higher than the latter.
** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials, 74/388) -- As always, developing armor for our ships remains a possibility.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are now on the clock as well. It seems the choices get more difficult and enticing as time goes by ...

Brian Swartz

05-23-2016, 11:12 PM

2214.12.08 -- It seems Deesh will be further delayed by a remarkable finding in Impal Tov. This study will have to wait for the time being however, as it is imperative to get to the debris field from the battle with the crystalline entities a few years back before the wreckage decays too much to be useful. Deesh is the first to reach the maximum ***** skill level, and has become Meticulous(+10% anomaly discovery chance).

12.24 -- Christmas Eve indeed. In the Vermillion system, Glorim has investigated the strange readings found by Perj years ago, and discovered an alien mural of some kind. Translating it will require the assistance of Dr. David Corperial. As if he didn't already have enough to worry about.

12.25 -- Mine upgrade finished on Humboldt. At the moment, there simply are not enough materials to commence with upgrading the two remaining left to go.

2215.01.01 -- The new science ship, to be known as the Suggron, is now completed. 36-year-old Glabonsch was selected for facility with survey operations(+25% survey speed) as its captain.

2214 Overview

It has been quite the year. The Suggron makes its way to cross the dark space to the right of the Grasping Claw Nebula, which will mark the first time a Collective vessel has left our arm of the galaxy. The Mildrosch continues it's energy tour, the Laggasch and Korgasch investigate fascinating recent discoveries with the former set to embark on an expedition to collect exotic biological samples, and the fleet awaits its eventual upgrades with new defensive combat computers. Meanwhile, new directions must be found in our research endeavors. What was shaping up as a boring period in the Collective's ... well, collective ... history is anything but at the moment.

muns

05-24-2016, 07:31 AM

It seems the choices get more difficult and enticing as time goes by ...

Boy you aren't kidding. I don't envy the good doctors at all.

The ride continues to be a fun one.

Coffee Warlord

05-24-2016, 07:51 AM

The Grand and Illustrious Order of Trout Engineering knows the correct path for our people's technological future. We are but the fins of Boojie.

We shall make our spaceports grand, like the spawning beds of the rivers from which we came. Boojie Wills It! Improve Our Spaceports! Make Spaceports Great Again!

mrkilla22

05-24-2016, 10:24 AM

Let's start research on Global Energy Management to improve our economy.

Brian Swartz

05-25-2016, 11:14 AM

2215

2215.01.21 -- Impal Tov has been completely surveyed, giving us full knowledge of everything within our territory. Not much there as it turns out.

02.17 -- Energy station finished in Wollaeus. The Mildrosch will move on now to the Swur system.

02.28 -- Having crossed dark space to the outer arm, the Suggron begins a survey of the Sym system on the other side. At least initial, there are no signs of aliens there.

04.01 -- The third of four mine upgrades is begun on Humboldt.

05.12 -- Debris in Impal Tov analyzed. Two new reverse-engineered technologies are now possible. Green Crystal Capacitors(Physics) and Regenerative Hull Tissue(Society). The Physics Dept. got some benefit from the study, and a bit for Society as well.

09.01 -- The first of two energy stations in Swur is finished, putting the Collective back in the black on energy.

09.13 -- Third mine upgraded on Humboldt. Clearing slums in an area suitable for a new power plant is authorized.

10.08 -- Glabonsch discovers some unusual energy readings on a moon in the Sym system. He investigates despite a 30% risk factor.

10.18 -- Alien mural translated in Vermillion. Aside from giving us a glimpse into galactic history, it provides a considerable boon to Engineering.

http://i.imgur.com/k85O89c.png

12.01 -- Impal Tov study finished. The mountains turned out to be .. something else. An astonishing find, and one that begs for a research station to be commissioned.

http://i.imgur.com/RcVdlkJ.png

12.02 -- Slums cleared on Humboldt. At the moment the homeworld is awaiting access to the Troutstone or the new Power Hub to get researched.

12.11 -- An old 'friend' is discovered in the Durth system; an asteroid outpost belonging to the Silver Fangs! Apparently they were not completely wiped out. Early analysis indicates this may be their base of operations. With the Sschlurgas presently upgrading, the Korgasch will carefully keep it's distance until the fleet is ready to deal with this.

http://i.imgur.com/NmyK255.png

12.15 -- Study of the strange energy readings in Sym is finished. Glabonsch is now up to ** skill. Meanwhile, the second energy station in Swur is now operational.

http://i.imgur.com/bSYgvqb.png

Without really trying, the Collective has begun to save up for the next colony ship. The mining sector now has enough income to keep up with all our needs and then some. Within the next few years, it is expected that new colonies will be formed in the Norgon and Leesak systems.

SirFozzie

05-25-2016, 01:33 PM

As soon as the ships are ready, we will fight the Silver Fang menace. Hopefully they have bothered us for the last time.

Brian Swartz

05-26-2016, 11:05 AM

2216

2216.01.05 -- Sschlurga upgrade finished. The Dorsals will wait. Durth is six jumps away, so there is no time to lose in getting there. The new combat computers are expected to have a considerable impact though, with simulations showing over an 18% increase in combat effectiveness.

04.19 -- Sym has been completely surveyed. Some energy and minerals are present, but with no habitable planets and the systems spread out in this area, it isn't a candidate for expansion.

05.15 -- The Nautilus Squadron begins its attack on the Fang base in Durth.

07.02 -- Energy station finished in Dirmius. It's now on to Leesak for the Mildrosch, where several stations will be needed.

07.15 -- The asteroid base in Durth has been defeated. Admiral SirFozzie is now up to ** skill. There were no losses, though one of the Dorsals, the Paddagur, barely remains intact. It's back to Humboldt for repairs, and the Korgasch can now continue it's survey efforts unimpeded.

It has also come to our attention that sometime in the last year, probably more recently, the Kroll have established a new colony. It's in the only direction they have a choice to expand now, downward, or inward on this arm of the galaxy, the opposite direction from us.

08.18 -- The Ezak system in the outer arm has been surveyed with nothing worth mentioning found. The Suggron moves on.

10.01 -- Colony ship begun on Humboldt.

10.03 -- Glabonsch has found signs of a precursor civilization at a gas giant in the Assaniz system, his next target. Failure risk is 30%, right at the line, but he proceeds.

11.15 -- Glorim is up to ****.

12.02 -- Toxic Kelp removal research finished.

12.06 -- Durth survey finished, but the matter of analyzing the debris from the battle there still remains.

12.07 -- Orbital gas mining station at Assaniz IV is Vultaum in origin. Apparently, millions of years ago it's thrusters were fired in order to force it into the gas giant itself, but it unexpectedly collided with something and remained in orbit. The Suggron will have to return later as further investigation is beyond Glabonsch's skills, and the other survey ships are quite some distance away.

12.15 -- Beznar, now just inside our territory, has been surveyed. Aslik Deesh is finally free to go on the alien specimen expedition. He'll head to Sarack first to attempt to capture a Malleable Goolantha, and then into Kroll space. A deal is soon brokered with the Star Commonwealth giving us 10 years of civilian access and 37 energy, for which they will receive our most recent star charts. Since we are blocked off from passing each other, it doesn't seem any harm can come from the exchange. Beznar itself turned out to be a significant energy source, and will eventually be tapped for further development.

http://i.imgur.com/RrYgG7W.png

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

You'll be spending most of the coming years occupied with other matters such as the alien specimen expedition. But still there is a choice to be made.

** Biodiversity Studies(Biology, 268) -- Unlocks Biolab I, a research lab specializing in Society.
** Terrestrial Sculpting(New Worlds, 1008) -- Allows the building of terraforming stations to improve less than optimal worlds. Strategic resources Terraforming Liquids and Terraforming Gases will be discovered and visible.
** Arctic Colonization(New Worlds, 1008) -- Pretty much as it says, this unlocks the ability to colonize Arctic class planets. At present, we have discovered five of them, so this would more than double the number of planets we can colonize -- though they would not be quite as productive as the ocean worlds we presently have.
** Regenerative Hull Tissue(Materials, 362/3768) -- A shipo component that is quite strange. Bacteria are imprinted with the structural design, and will repair the hull slowly over time 'in the field'.

Dr. David Corperial you are on the clock. Choose wisely.

Governor's Briefing: JIMGA

Yes, you finally get to do something, believe it or not. We now have enough influence that you have the opportunity to declare a Planetary Edict. There are five options, but only three that are relevant. All have the same cost(150 influence) and last 10 years.

** Capacity Overload -- Improve Humboldt's energy production by 15%.
** Infrastructure Projects -- Reduce all construction costs and times by 25%. This would likely tempt additional investment in the homeworld to take advantage of this situation.
** Spiritual Unity -- Unite the populace in a quasi-religious fervor! Growth times reduced by 20%, and food production increased by 10%.

Governor JIMGA, you are on the clock. What have you to say for yourself?

Brian Swartz

05-26-2016, 11:23 AM

2217, Part I

2217.01.05 -- First energy station is up and running in Leesak.

03.02 -- Research on Global Energy Managament finished. Also, sometime in February the efforts to capture a Malleable Goolantha began in Sarack.

03.03 -- Nautilus Squadron repairs completed.

03.06 -- Durth debris has been analyzed. Progress has been made on Active Countermeasures and Nanocomposite Materials, with additional benefits to Engineering and Physics. The Korgasch will move on.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Quantam Theory(Computing, 268) -- Unlocks Physics Lab I, a lab which self-evidently enough focuses on Physics.
** Field Modulation(Industry, 268) -- Increases energy storage by 250, presently at 3000. Also unlocks upgraded versions of our power plants.
** Red Lasers(Particles, 268) -- Unlocks the Laser Defense Module for spaceports, and allows the use of Red Lasers as an alternate weapons systems on our ships.
** Mining Drone Lasers(Particles, 64/672) -- Allows the use of the previously mentioned cutting lasers on our ships. These are significantly better than the standard red lasers.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.

JonInMiddleGA

05-26-2016, 02:00 PM

Governor's Briefing: JIMGA

Yes, you finally get to do something, believe it or not. We now have enough influence that you have the opportunity to declare a Planetary Edict. There are five options, but only three that are relevant. All have the same cost(150 influence) and last 10 years.

** Capacity Overload -- Improve Humboldt's energy production by 15%.
** Infrastructure Projects -- Reduce all construction costs and times by 25%. This would likely tempt additional investment in the homeworld to take advantage of this situation.
** Spiritual Unity -- Unite the populace in a quasi-religious fervor! Growth times reduced by 20%, and food production increased by 10%.

Governor JIMGA, you are on the clock. What have you to say for yourself?

I say ... hmm.

Capacity Overload
What sort of increase does +15% on Humboldt represent? I mean, is it such a dominant source of our energy resources that this is a significant jump for the next decade? Or is this more like the production of a couple of well-worked tiles on a colony?

OR

Infrastructure Projects
Reducing "all construction costs" applies only to the homeworld, right? Or does the gubernatorial edict somehow impact the colony(s) as well? How much construction is left to do (with existing technology) on Humboldt?

To me, clearly one of these is the way to go (since I gather we don't really have food issues).

I'm open to advisement & input before making a decision.

mrkilla22

05-26-2016, 02:25 PM

Let's start researching Quantam Theory

Brian Swartz

05-26-2016, 02:49 PM

Brian Swartz

05-26-2016, 02:56 PM

2217, Cont'd

2217.03.23 -- More mining drones discovered in the Yiriam system above us. For now, the Korgasch will bypass the system, which has no habitable worlds.

03.24 -- Assaniz has been completely surveyed. The Vultaum gas mining station remains, but for now the Suggron moves on. Small amounts of energy and research are here but again nothing momentous.

04.01 -- Construction of the first Power Hub begins on Humboldt.

04.02 -- Dr. Coffee Warlord is up to *** skill.

06.02 -- Another energy station is up and running in Leesak. A couple of mining stations will be hit next.

07.01 -- Upgrades begin on the existing Dorsal corvettes to bring the fleet completely up to the most recent standard.

07.02 -- Improved Spaceport research finished. It's been quite the eventful year for the technological departments.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

** Deep Space Outposts(Voidcraft, 268) -- Unlocks Defense Platform, the gateway orbital defense station.
** Space Torpedoes(Rocketry, 1008) -- Space Torpedoes are a long-range, highly accurate weapons system that ignores shields. Of course, we have yet to encouter any foe that uses shields -- but we might someday! They require more power and fire slower than our coilguns, but in terms of overall damage output are rated as 18% better.
** Nanomechanics(Industry, 268) -- Unlocks Engineering Facility I, a research lab focusing on Engineering.
** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials, 115/403) -- Armor back again.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you are on the clock. What say you?

DavidCorperial

05-26-2016, 02:57 PM

Arctic Colonization sounds like the way to go.

JonInMiddleGA

05-26-2016, 03:05 PM

Construction costs applies only to the homeworld. Planetary Edict = applies only to the planet. At present Humboldt produces 17.6 out of our total of 45.6 monthly energy. That'll be going up with a Power Hub presently being built that'll take it to about 22 out of 50(roughly). About 3-4 energy would be added to that by capacity overload, right now that's about 6-8%. It's not a huge amount, but it's not nothing either.

Planetary Edict:
Capacity Overload

It provides the most flexibility to glorify Boojie.

(If some of that bonus happens to be redirected into improving Humboldt then I would consider that most appropriate)

Coffee Warlord

05-26-2016, 06:41 PM

Engineering gets to research buildings that improve our...Engineering?

SOLD!

SirFozzie

05-27-2016, 03:01 AM

Still want that nanocomposite material.

Brian Swartz

05-27-2016, 09:22 AM

Seems like you'll have to get used to disappointment ;)

2217 -- Conclusion

2217.07.07 -- The Markaz system has been finished with a decent location for physics discovered and that's it -- no economic resources at all. The Korgasch moves further out on our arm to another chokepoint system. So far it's mission has resulted mostly in the discovery of unimpressive space.

07.27 -- Malleable Goolantha captured. Deesh moves on now into Kroll space, to the Pesch system. It seems that these discoveries are going to be a treasure trove in terms of support for the Society Dept., if this is any indication(nearly a year's worth of advance).

http://i.imgur.com/5zvBXOd.png

09.07 -- Primitive civilization discovered on Kornaggi II, in the sparse areas of the outer arm. Glabonsch in up to ***, so after he's done in the system he'll backtrack to Assaniz to take a look at the Vultaum station.

09.13 -- Power Hub I finished on Humboldt. The Collective now has a considerable energy surplus(around 16 a year). The final mining network upgrade is authorized.

09.18 -- Mining station finished in Leesak. The next one will finally secure the Troutstone.

09.21 -- The colony ship Lollusch is ready, and makes its way to Norgon III. As it is there wasn't much of a choice, since the moon in Leesak is off-limits until the alien specimen expedition can make its way there.

10.02 -- Frank Justyce promoted to ***.

12.05 -- Another younger civilization discovered, in the Andack system directly above Collective space. The Thek'Qlak are a Steam Age civilization that produces it's own mechanical vehicles.

12.06 -- Fleet upgrade complete. All are now fitted with Defensive Combat Computers.

Coffee Warlord

05-27-2016, 09:49 AM

Still want that nanocomposite material.

We have not seen the proper tithes Saint Einstrout, the Trout patron of Knowledge, nor has there been a donation to the Divine College of Science and Engineering. Minus our administrative fees, of course.

ntndeacon

05-27-2016, 10:27 AM

Character: Deaconi Palmieri
Path: what ever comes up

Brian Swartz

05-27-2016, 11:02 AM

Right now we have two survey captains and the governor of Bakangi(second of three planets) untaken. Your choice.

ntndeacon

05-27-2016, 11:27 AM

Governor Palmieri sounds great!

Brian Swartz

05-27-2016, 11:30 AM

Sounds good! I will be working IRL for most of the next 24 hours. When we hit 2220 Stellaris time in a day or two, I'll show you what Bakangi looks like. It's a good time to get in on the colony -- around that time it'll have it's 5th population, which will allow for upgrading the ship shelter to planetary administration, and, after that, a lot of new construction on the planet. When I get to that point you'll have some input on what is built.

Brian Swartz

05-28-2016, 12:13 AM

2218

01.23 -- Mining station finished in Leesak. Two more to go in the system, and we can now use the Troutstone, though it won't be needed for some years. Plans are in place though, to build the Trout Power Plant on Humboldt eventually.

02.01 -- Our new colony has been founded in Norgon, known as Eskogg. As before it will take a year for it to fully establish itself.

02.06 -- Final mining network upgrade finished on Humboldt. We have now doubled our mineral income in the past few years to over 50 a year, only 5% of which is used for maintaining the fleet. It will be nearly three years until the homeworld is in need of any other surface additions.

03.10 -- Andack system survey completed. It is strategically important as a chokepoint, but has only a bit of energy and nothing else of value. With no other threats at the moment, it is decided that the fleet with cleanse the mining drones discovered in the Yiriam system. Meanwhile the Korgasch moves further out.

04.12 -- We receive a communique from a civilization styling itself the Unified Djomar Stars. This is our first 'spread of communications' event -- basically they heard of us through discussions with others(Kroll it would seem in this case).

http://i.imgur.com/D6cnrx4.png

Their space lies on the opposite side of the Kroll Star Commonwealth, effectively boxing the Kroll in the middle. Overall they like us slightly less than the Kroll do -- they are spiritualists which fits well with us, but as a democracy they do not have the wisdom to understand the primacy of the needs of the many. We establish an embassy as we still have two remaining to use. The Djomar seem to have surveyed more of their territory than the Kroll but are otherwhise very similar in terms of overall power, not quite as strong as we are but in the same general ballpark.

http://i.imgur.com/z1WX5zL.png

05.03 -- Kornaggi has been surveyed and found to be one of the richest in minerals we have yet discovered, second only to Ambisia. We may eventually wish to develop this area in the outer arm.

05.15 -- Tassargoid collection completed in the Pesch system. It seems their prey come to a rather ... unfortunate ... end. The Laggasch will now move on to the Trimus system in the lower reaches of Kroll space.

http://i.imgur.com/1KHFygS.png

07.20 -- Mining station finished in Leesak. One more to finish the Mildrosch's work in the system.

08.01 -- Mining drones engaged in Yiriam system. It appears to be the same size force that was easily eliminated in our last encounter with them.

09.05 -- Humboldt begins upgrade to what is so far the only spaceport.

09.28 -- Glabonsch has found something interesting before leaving the Kornaggi system. Here's what he had to say about it:

http://i.imgur.com/YEPGiQe.png

For now he'll return to the Vultaum site one jump away, then come back to take care of thi.

10.15 -- Mining station defeated in Yiriam, another successful battle for the Nautilus Squadron. They will now head to Cador, to try themselves against an enemy they have not yet fought, the mysterious void cloud. TBH at this point I didn't really remember the strength of the void cloud, so if it's too close to ours we won't actually attack. I know the Space Amoebas are beyond us.

11.01 -- JIMGA is up to ***. Second assault army recruited on Humboldt.

11.05 -- All stations are up and running in Leesak. On to Hodranus, recent addition to Oncorhynchus space, where a physics research station is planned.

12.01 -- Basic hydroponics farm is begun on Bakangi.

12.24 -- Fleet arrives in Cador. The void cloud is estimated to be only half our strength, and we will also have the advantage of numbers. The order is given to attack.

After next year I'm going to update a bunch of details. There will be some decisions to be made. Added Palmieri so he at least can start getting a bit of xp.

Brian Swartz

05-28-2016, 02:42 PM

2219, Part 1

2219.01.22 -- With flashes of immense electrical power, the void cloud battle begins. We've named in XUUL, and soon it becomes apparent that it has regenerative properties and can absorb as much damage as 4-5 corvettes.

02.01 -- Eskogg colony is officially up and running.

02.02 -- Nanomechanics research completed.

02.06 -- Third specimen, the Sniran, collected. Off to Leesak now so that we can colonize that system.

03.01 -- Hyroponics farm finished on Bakangi.

03.05 -- Spaceport upgrade finished. Also, the void cloud is defeated. One corvette was almost destroyed but was narrowly able to hold together. The Nautilus Squadron, having cleared two more systems of obstacles, returns to Humboldt. The Korgasch will now have its work cut out over the next years surveying and analyzing debris.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

** Destroyers(Voidcraft, 1044) -- Mineral Capacity increased by 2000(presently 8000). Unlocks Destroyers, a larger ship class more powerful than corvettes. Unlocks another Spaceport upgrade to allow for three modules each.
** Robotic Workers(Industry, 556) -- Believe it or not, exactly the same thing it was the first time it came up: "Unlocks Robots, a buildable population unit. Robots come at a considerable cost in currency(150 energy, 50 minerals). They are not nearly as good at research(five to equal one Architreuthis) or financial matters(five to equal two Architreuthis) as our citizens. They have a number of advantadges, however. Robots do not consume food, they are equally good farmers, and actually slightly better miners. They also can function just as effectively anywhere, regardless of the habitability, and allow for potentially faster development of new worlds given that they can be built at the same time our own population is growing. "
** Plasma Thrusters(Rocketry, 1044) -- Another 10% upgrade on the speed of our current ion thrusters.
** Nanocomposite Materials(Materials, 115/417) -- You've seen this enough times, it doesn't need to be explained again.

Dr. Coffee Warlord, you're on the clock again. Do something.

Brian Swartz

05-28-2016, 03:02 PM

2219, Part 2

2219.05.08 -- Research station operational at the pulsar Hodranus.

06.02 -- Quantam Theory research complete.

06.11 -- While looking at the remains of the gas mining station in Assaniz, we have discovered mostly intact what appears to be a space suit once used by the Vultaum Star Assembly. Four meters long, the tube-like construct has given us some insight into their preferred environmental tolerances.

07.01 -- Planetary Administration is now under construction on Bakangi. Our first colony has now reached the point where it is ready to become a fully productive planet. This conversion will take nine months.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Data Uplinks(Computing, 1044) -- Unlocks the Assist Research feature. This allows a science vessel not currently assigned elsewhere to significantly increase the research output of an individual planet.
** Self-Aware Logic(Computing, 1392) -- Introspective prioritization allows for an additional research alternative(min. of 4) every time a new project is chosen.
** Plasma Throwers(Particles, 1044) -- Unlocks Plasma Throwers, an energy-based weapon that does just a hair less damage than our coilguns but has complete armor penetration due to the massive levels of heat involved.
** Mining Drone Lasers(Particles, 64/696) -- Same as before.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are also on the clock.

SirFozzie

05-28-2016, 03:04 PM

Destroyers Please! Who knows when it will come around again!

Brian Swartz

05-28-2016, 08:00 PM

I thought you wanted nanocomposite materials? Really should learn to make up your mind ...

Coffee Warlord

05-28-2016, 11:07 PM

You weren't getting nanocomposite materials anyway with Destroyers up.

GIVE US BIGGER SHIPS.

SirFozzie

05-29-2016, 01:46 AM

I thought you wanted nanocomposite materials? Really should learn to make up your mind ...

It will come up again. Destroyers might not :P :)

And yay Bigger Ships to blow things up :D

mrkilla22

05-30-2016, 01:10 PM

Let's start research on Mining Drone Lasers

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 11:39 AM

2219(Conclusion)

2219.08.01 -- Work begins on clearing out an industrial wasteland province on Humboldt.

09.17 -- The Laggasch has finished upgrading at the spaceport, it's first trip home in over a decade. Dr. Aslik Deesh is now off to the Leesak system to gather another specimen.

10.14 -- The first of two mining stations are finished in Joinum.

10.19 -- In Kornaggi, a very interesting discovery.

http://i.imgur.com/x0sYmUz.png

We download the neural patterns -- why not? -- and there will be a boon to engineering lasting about a year and a half.

10.25 -- Hadar system survey finished(Korgasch). A bit of energy and some matters of scientific interest discovered. Efforts now move to Yiriam, where the ancient mining drones were most recently encountered. The Nautilus Squadron is now fully repaired, and stands down in Humboldt orbit.

11.09 -- Industrial wastelands cleared on Humboldt.

12.01 -- Having waited a few weeks for the required funding, Humboldt begins work on a new science lab.

We are a couple of years 'behind' at this point but with the holiday weekend and everything that's to be expected. I'm going to pause here to do an overview as there are some things to be dealt with.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 12:35 PM

General Briefing: Twenty Years In

Two decades have passed, and much has changed.

The Big Picture

http://i.imgur.com/qhTsT73.png

You can't see much detail from this far out, but this shows the boundaries of what we've explored. Of the four directions available to us, only one is cut off so far. Downwards, or in on our arm of the galaxy, the Kroll Star Commonwealth is sandwiched between us and the Unified Djolmar Stars. Both have 15 population spread between 2 planets; we're a bit ahead of their pace, with 18 spread between 3. Above, or outwards on this arm, the Korgasch continues exploration and survey efforts. It appears we have room to grow in that direction. Across the dark space on the outer arm of this part of the galaxy, the Suggron has explored a few systems. The pulsar in the upper right is as far as it will go in that direction for now, as the jump from there is incredibly long -- the longest one in the galaxy actually and I don't think it's close. After that system is finished, it will reverse directions and head down to the denser portions of the arm in the opposite direction. We have not yet jumped to the 'inner' galactic arm though we do have access to it. There are lots of exploration options still available here.

Economics

** Energy -- 792/3000, +16.5 per month. We've got a very healthy surplus here at the moment.

** Energy Budget: 57.6 energy is produced each month. 12% goes to ship maintenance, 2.1% to army maintenance, 41.7% to station maintenance, 15.6% to building maintenance, with the remaining 28.6% as surplus. Plenty of room for expansion.

** Minerals -- 91/8000, +53.8 per month. Ship maintenance is presently 5.1%.

** Influence -- 71/1000, +2 per month.

** Physics Research -- 12.4 monthly

** Society Research -- 11.2 monthly

** Engineering Research -- 12.2 monthly

** Strategic Resources -- We have found only the one 'Betharian' Troutstone so far. It isn't being used yet, but there are plans in place for that.

** Planet Cap -- We're at 3 of 5 right now. It seems sensible to have one more core planet, in Leesak once that is colonized. That would have our core as the Grasping Claw Nebula, and sectors formed outside of it once we get that far.

** Naval Cap -- 9 of 16 used presently. Building more spaceports at our colonies could expand this considerably.

** Sector Cap -- 0 of 2 used.

** Leader Cap -- 10 of 10. We're at the max here right now.

Long-Term Projects

** Battle Debris -- In Yiriam(mining drones) and Cador(void cloud), there are still fields to be analyzed. The Korgasch is in Yiriam right now and will move to Cador when finished.

** High-Value Mining Targets -- We have not yet reached any of these five systems. The closest is four jumps upwards of where the Korgasch has ranged. It will probably be at least another decade before we get to the first of them.

** Vultaum Star Assembly -- We've discovered two of six artifacts needed to develop a basic understanding of this precursor civilization.

** Alien Specimen Procurement -- The Laggasch is on the way to the fourth of seven, nearly halfway done with this.

** Victory by Domination -- We have 3 of the 325 planets required.

** Victory by Conquest -- 29 independent empires remain.

Oncorhynchus Space

http://i.imgur.com/qrsF8kI.png

This star chart shows the most recent boundaries of our space. The Mildrosch is presently in Joinum, working it's way back down eventually to the lower areas of our territory where there are more stations yet needed. Most of the energy has been tapped at this point, but that is not a concern given how much of a buffer we have now.

http://i.imgur.com/UjgXv1Y.png

The capital is mostly developed, and presently building a research lab. There is enough food for one of the provinces suitable for it to be used for something else. Eventually the 'Troutian Power Plant' will be built on one of these. A couple research lab upgrades would also be beneficial as time and resources permit.

http://i.imgur.com/rxOVg2h.png

Our first colony is now upgrading to planetary administration, which will be followed by an aggressive building program.

http://i.imgur.com/rWvVpKY.png

Our most recent establishment, this planet will need many years to grow before it produces much.

Military Matters

The army presently has two assault armies, both on Humboldt. Additionally there are six garrisons and three defense armies on our homeworld, Bakangi has three garrisons and one defense army, while Eskogg has only a pair of garrisons. In general, the goal is to maintain a defense army for every two garrisons.

The navy has the lone spaceport at Humboldt, and the Nautilus Squadron is comprised of nine corvettes. Five are Dorsal-class interceptors(3 small coilguns), while the other four are Sschlurga-class strikers(1 small and 1 medium coilgun).

At this point there are a few matters which need discussion; options on those will come next.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 02:43 PM

I think I'm done screwing up the screenshots. Between that and accidentally erasing half of this post, had a bit of a rage-quit so I figured it was time to go do some errands. Anyway ...

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

There are two high-level matters in need of attention, and they're a bit related: budget priorities and foreign policy. In terms of the budget there are basically three primary aspects right now, with the usual low/medium/high priorities:

** Interior Development -- Planetary buildings and orbital stations, continuing to expand the economy. With a healthy energy surplus this is primarily focused on minerals right now -- building more stuff that will allow us to build even more stuff faster. This has been on High since the beginning of your now half-way completed term.

** Colonization -- Expanding the number of systems and planets the Architreuthis actually live on. Right now we're at three. Low here basically means we'll only colonize occasionally, keeping the number of developed systems higher than the number of new worlds. Medium, which is where it's at right now, will strive to keep a balance. Under this approach we will soon be ready to colonize Leesak, since Bakangi is transitioning into being a low-level developed planet as we speak. If we go with a High priority on colonization, that would mean settling new worlds more quickly. It also would mean planetary investment would suck up more of our resources, since during the early years a colony can't produce much energy/minerals, leaving less for other matters such as orbital research/observation stations and the military.

** Military -- More spaceports, combat ships, and ground armies. This has been on Low, meaning they basically get investment only rarely unless there are minerals left over which usually isn't the case.

Question two is about foreign policy. It's worth noting that Inquisitor Laren asked for input here some while back and didn't get any, other than Dr. Coffee Warlord basically saying 'kill 'em all and let Boojie sort 'em out'(rough paraphrase). As mentioned it's related to the budget, since you can't really have an aggressive foreign policy without significant military spending -- well you can, but it would end very badly.

** Embassies or Rivalries? This is the 'carrot or stick' option. Embassies increase our relations, and lacking any real reason not to we have embassies with the Kroll and Djomar, two of our three alloted. This helps when we need a trade deal, such as the civilian access treaty that allowed us to complete a couple of alien specimen captures recently in Kroll space. The Rivalry option would make things like this more difficult as it will worsen relations, but due to the use of largely empty-rhetoric public statements about the dangers posed by our neighbors, we will gain influence. How much depends on the particular neighbor, the stronger they are relative to us the more influence we will gain. This influence can be used for more key buildings(power hubs, planetary center upgrades, etc.), frontier outposts, leader recruitment when we need it(no Architreuthis lives forever!), appointing a new Inquisitor rather than leaving it to chance when that comes up, and edicts of imperial and/or planetary scope.

Of course things like alliances, non-aggression pacts, research agreements are also possible -- but not with the empires we've met so far. Their ethics differ from ours too much and they are not willing to consider such arrangements. So at the moment it's very much a binary choice. Right now we need a specific decision here: should we keep our embassy with the Kroll or yank it and go with a rivalry(note that since we have a buffer between ourselves and the Djomar it's pretty much pointless to rival them)? It's also worth considering standing orders regarding how to handle future neighbors when that eventually comes up. Should the carrot(embassy) or the stick(rivalry) be our standard approach -- or perhaps the Collective should decide these on a case-by-case basis?

** Exploration vs. 'Forceful Expansion' -- Should we continue focusing our efforts on acquiring territory in the open directions that our science ships are surveying, or should we contemplate going to war with the Kroll?

** Primitive Species -- We will soon likely be building an observation post in Wexellia to monitor the progress of the Shantari. In keeping with our ethical standing(slavery + purging), the current approach is to exploit all such civilizations, but if a more benevolent approach is desired that could be done as well.

It would be good to hear, as previously requested, from various members of the Oncorhynchus Collective on these matters -- esp. foreign policy. Having said that the choice ultimately lies with Inquisitor Roe Laren. You know the drill.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 02:56 PM

Quick note here that there really is no need for a research briefing. I did add the research amounts to the Economics section a couple posts up -- short version is that the three branches have quite even funding at the moment and resources are growing slowly. A lucrative research station that is expected to go up in Impal Tov in a year or two will help that out a bit, and a new research lab being built on Humboldt won't hurt either.

Internal Politics: Governor's Affairs

Governor JIMGA on Humboldt is really a caretaker at this point. As you can see from the schematic on our homeworld, there are only a few provinces left to develop. Basically waiting on the population to run them at this point. The Capacity Overload edict is adding a little over 3 energy a month, about 6% of the imperial total. The last three provinces will be used for the Troutian Power Plant, one more farm will probably be needed, and another research lab.

Bakangi Briefing: Governor Deaconi Palmieri

The Planetary Administration will be finished in three months' time, and the colony needs to instructions on what improvements to build and emphasize. In case you missed it, here's the original stuff I put up on planetary buildings and development.

** The green apples signify food. The more surplus food we have, the faster the population will grow.
** The yellow and black borders indicate tiles we can't use until we clear what is in them. Clearing costs both minerals and energy.
** The resources indicated in each tile are what can be gathered there if someone is at work in that area.
** If you look closely, you can see buildings in the background of some tiles. Where there is a building, the resources produced include what the building contributes. It's important to match the building to the tile. If, for example, we built a mine on the 1-food tile in the right column, we'd get the minerals for the mine, but the food would be gone. Building a hydroponic farm there will add the tile's food to the food from the farm, increasing the yield.
** The planetary capital(second column, third row down), currently at 4 food and 4 minerals, adds +1 to the minerals, food, or energy from any of the four adjacent tiles(shown with the small yellowish triangles/arrows). It's important to remember this when placing a colony on new worlds.
** We can only build/clear one thing at a time.

Food -- Low/Medium/High
Minerals -- Low/Medium/High
Energy -- Low/Medium/High
Research -- Low/Medium/High

The settings for the second part there are what is needed next. Governor Palmieri, you are on the clock for the first time. What shall the developing colony of Bakangi emphasize?

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 03:05 PM

Military Matters

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie
There will be more naval matters to attend to once destroyers become a thing -- best guess is that's about three years away. The only thing for the fleet to concern itself with right now is whether spaceports(increasing naval capacity, number of ships that can be built at once in an emergency, and static defense of the colonies) or warships(mobile fleet assets to join the fleet) should be prioritized. Spaceports, Warships, or Balanced are the choices here.
There'll be more to do soon, but Admiral SirFozzie, you are on the clock.

Ground Forces Briefing: General Eola Eusrim
Right now defense armies are a High priority, assault armies at Medium, and no attachments have been requested. Nothing to do here really unless you want to change those instructions or have questions. The assault armies remain on Humboldt as our empire isn't really big enough to worry about moving them anywhere else.

Available Positions
The science ships Suggron and Korgasch are available, and of course a waiting list would be no problem.

And that's all really. Nothing is particularly of immediate importance right now, so get your orders in whenever. In the meantime I'm going to start progressing the timeline again to 'catch up' a bit.

chesapeake

05-31-2016, 03:25 PM

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

There are two high-level matters in need of attention, and they're a bit related: budget priorities and foreign policy. In terms of the budget there are basically three primary aspects right now, with the usual low/medium/high priorities:

** Interior Development -- Planetary buildings and orbital stations, continuing to expand the economy. With a healthy energy surplus this is primarily focused on minerals right now -- building more stuff that will allow us to build even more stuff faster. This has been on High since the beginning of your now half-way completed term.

** Colonization -- Expanding the number of systems and planets the Architreuthis actually live on. Right now we're at three. Low here basically means we'll only colonize occasionally, keeping the number of developed systems higher than the number of new worlds. Medium, which is where it's at right now, will strive to keep a balance. Under this approach we will soon be ready to colonize Leesak, since Bakangi is transitioning into being a low-level developed planet as we speak. If we go with a High priority on colonization, that would mean settling new worlds more quickly. It also would mean planetary investment would suck up more of our resources, since during the early years a colony can't produce much energy/minerals, leaving less for other matters such as orbital research/observation stations and the military.

** Military -- More spaceports, combat ships, and ground armies. This has been on Low, meaning they basically get investment only rarely unless there are minerals left over which usually isn't the case.

Are there even any worlds that we know of that are colonizable at the moment?

My initial sense is to rate them in the order presented. I'd like to see the primary goal be infrastructure development followed by colonization when good planets are found. But I do not think the military should be neglected. I want a gradual increase in the size of the navy to ensure that we don't appear to be weak to our neighbors.

So, I think these priorities are best thought of as medium+ to development, medium to colonization, and medium- to the military.

Should the carrot(embassy) or the stick(rivalry) be our standard approach -- or perhaps the Collective should decide these on a case-by-case basis?

It has to be case-by-case, since the number of both is so limited.

** Exploration vs. 'Forceful Expansion' -- Should we continue focusing our efforts on acquiring territory in the open directions that our science ships are surveying, or should we contemplate going to war with the Kroll?

** Primitive Species -- We will soon likely be building an observation post in Wexellia to monitor the progress of the Shantari. In keeping with our ethical standing(slavery + purging), the current approach is to exploit all such civilizations, but if a more benevolent approach is desired that could be done as well.

Exploration for now. The Kroll are effectively bottled up. We should take advantage of the fact that we are not to expand as we can. The Kroll can be addressed in the future when we have a large empire and they are still a minnow.

On primitives, Boojie demands that lesser species be taught his ways through servitude. It has always been thus, and thus shall it be.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 03:34 PM

Are there even any worlds that we know of that are colonizable at the moment?

The moon in Leesak, once the current mission to capture an alien specimen is finished there. There will be at least five more though once Artic Colonization is finished. That'll be a few years probably with Dr. Corperial occupied with the specimen expedition, but it'll get finished quickly once that's done(and a bit in between for travel times).

JonInMiddleGA

05-31-2016, 03:42 PM

fwiw, I think -- being that destroyers are around three years away based on the military briefing -- that carrot & case-by-case are the wisest diplomatic options.

Carrying a big stick works best when you HAVE a big stick.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 03:51 PM

Or -- a lot of little ones :). By the way, I forgot to mention the middling-at-best ocean world in the Pavagh system, which requires clearing out the powerful space amoebas. So far that's the only ocean world we know of outside of our territory(and the Krolls).

SirFozzie

05-31-2016, 04:02 PM

Coffee Warlord

05-31-2016, 04:07 PM

The Ancient and Glorious House of Engineering is working around the clock, with most of our scientists working full 45 hour days, pausing only to grab an hour of sleep here and there.

Really, we're not sure why it's taking so long. Dr. Coffee held up pictures of corvettes, and told his team, "See these? Make them bigger." Project should have been done already.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 04:15 PM

2220

No huge surprises, no dramatic interruptions, no pictures. Go figure.

2220.01.05 -- A tracking beacon signal is detected in Yiriam. Glorim will investigate -- the failure risk of 7% is negligible.

02.01 -- Humboldt Spaceport begins the first specialized module, adding the Corvette Assembly Yards. It seems foolish to spend more on our corvettes than we have to.

02.20 -- In Beta Corvi on the outer galactic arm, the Suggron will conduct a surface landing to investigate 'more interesting discoveries'. Talk about vague. Glabonsch is not concerned about a fairly minimal 15% risk factor.

03.01 -- The first defense army for Eskogg begins recruitment.

03.09 -- The Yiriam investigations were clearly worth the effort. The signal was marking a large deposit of precious metals, never exploited for unknown reasons. This would be an excellent site for an energy station.

04.01 -- Planetary Administration is now up and running on Bakangi. The one existing mine will get the first upgrade.

04.19 -- Second mining station finished in Joinum, and the Mildrosch moves on to Impal Tov.

04.24 -- Investigations in Beta Corvi has found a metallic tablet that served no obvious purpose. After further study, it appears to contain basic information about a distant system, marked in illustrations and a periodic table of sorts. It's the Khamb system, a few jumps beyond where the Korgasch has ranged, and appears to have a good amount of minerals.

05.07 -- Beta Corvi survey completed. Like both of the other pulsars surveyed so far, the star itself is a beneficial research site, physics in this case. The Suggron will now traverse the other direction a few jumps, having reached the very end of the outer arm.

05.30 -- Science lab finished on Humboldt. An upgrade to a Physics Lab is commenced immediately.

07.05 -- Tarblac captured on Leesak IIb. This was an even larger boon to the Society Dept. than the others. There is now nearly a two-year 'bonus reserve' available. The Laggasch has three more stops, the first involving a three-jump trip to the Rimdur system. Meanwhile, Leesak IIb is available for colonization again, but the required investment is not quite there.

08.08 -- More space amoebas have been found in the Tadasca system, just below Sym, the entry point to the outer galactic arm. That's the third sighting of them, one of which is in Kroll space but two of which are in unclaimed systems. The Suggron will move on.

08.25 -- The Suggron's next destination was Dawcan, which has four groups of crystalline entities. These are red, unlike the green ones previously defeated in Impal Tov. Each trio is more than twice as powerful as those also. The fleet is strong enough to take one group on at at time, but probably not without significant losses. This is looking like a rather hazardous sector, and once again the Suggron jumps out immediately. Even more notably, there is a large ocean world here, the first we've spotted outside of our home nebula ...

09.10 -- Mine upgrade finished on Bakangi, and Gov. Deaconi Palmieri is up to ** already! A second upgrade of the same mine will bring it up to the most modern standard.

09.19 -- More from the Korgasch in Yiriam. An asteroid has been found with the surface littered with various metallic fragments, seemingly from ships of various designs. Failure risk 15%.

11.01 -- Corvette Assembly Yards finished at Humboldt Spaceport. A tenth corvette, this one a fifth Sschlurga, is added to the fleet.

11.03 -- Physics Lab upgrade finished on Humboldt. There's nothing else that needs doing on the homeworld, and won't be for over three years according to current projections.

11.04 -- Mining station is up and running in Impal Tov. A research station in the same system is next.

11.22 -- The Yiriam asteroid has been determined to be an ancient junkyard. Various broken or outdated components were jettisoned into it's gravity well, and left to crash into the growing collection on it's pitted surface. None of them can be used for what they were originally intended, but repurposing the materials with an orbital mine would be fairly profitable.

12.18 -- Yiriam has been completely surveyed. It's unfortunate that neither this system nor it's neighbors have any vaguely habitable planets, as it is a potentially good source of both energy and minerals.

In accordance with recently received orders, the next big-ticket expenses are to be a colony ship for Leesak next, followed by a second spaceport, at Bakangi. I'm also hoping the overworked engineering researchers can give more than a blank stare during the upcoming debris analysis 'interruptions'.

Brian Swartz

05-31-2016, 04:20 PM

Ok, so maybe one pic -- that I forgot. The Elusive Tarblac, from Leesak:

http://i.imgur.com/HvySUWT.png

ntndeacon

05-31-2016, 06:58 PM

Let's go...
Food: low
Minerals: high
Energy: medium
Research: medium

SirFozzie

06-01-2016, 01:12 AM

Looks like we have our first target once we get our destroyers. And maybe nanocomposite armor (Grins)

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 08:40 AM

2221

2221.01.16 -- Mine upgrade finished on Bakangi. The first of two hydroponic farm upgrades is begun next.

02.04 -- Colony ship begun, bound for Leesak IIb when it is completed.

03.03 -- Research station complete in Impal Tov, a significant boost to Society and Engineering. The Mildrosch is now bound for Wexellia, where more engineering research and an observation post on the Shantari homeworld will be targeted.

04.19 -- Ravenous Zulcor captured on Rimdur IV. It's primary moon is the next target, so it will be a short trip with virtually no interlude. Unfortunately I messed up on the screen capture for this one, but it appears that they are lithovores, feeding on rocks, and tried to eat part of the ship at one point.

04.22 -- Debris analysis in Yiriam advances Mining Drone Lasers, Nancomposite Materials, and Fusion Power research by 10% each.

06.14 -- Hydroponic farm upgrade finished on Bakangi, leaving just one more left. It begins promptly.

08.03 -- Last of the Yiriam debris analyzed, nothing here but minor bonuses to a couple of departments. It's on to Cador now to see what the void cloud might reveal for the Korgasch.

09.01 -- The first spaceport outside our home system is under construction now in Bakangi orbit.

09.08 -- Hithram has now been surveyed. Along with Kornaggi, both outer-arm systems, it is the most mineral-rich system yet found.

09.17 -- Engineering research station finished in Wexellia.

10.21 -- Vile Orinthi capture finished, though the wisdom of it is somewhat in question. The only remaining specimen is in the Ferathon system, just one jump away.

http://i.imgur.com/v9DC2AZ.png

11.11 -- Bakangi has finished the final upgrade to it's hydroponic farms. After getting orders from the new gov., a new mining network was built.

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 09:28 AM

2222, Part I

01.24 -- The colony ship Saloip is completed, and begins it's journey to Leesak.

02.01 -- Humboldt Spaceport begins construction of a Solar Panel Network, as energy is starting to become just a bit of an issue again with the colony ship and other recent construction siphoning off funding.

02.17 -- The observation post in Wexellia is now operational in orbit over Macaw, the Shantari world. We have the following options here:

** Passive Observation(+3 Society research monthly)
** Aggressive Observation(includes regularly capturing specimens, +6 monthly)
** Technological Enlightenment(requires Native Enlightenment, a policy we have not activated. Costs 5 energy and 5 Society research monthly)
** Covert Infiltration(costs 5 energy, 5 society research monthly). This is our chosen option. Architreuthis agents will be genetically modified to infiltrate Shantari society and gradually replace their world leaders. The goal here is to eventually subvert their government and prepare Macaw to be annexed into the Collective. This process is expected to take just over four years. Expensive, but at the end of it we may well have our first slaves, a species adjusted to living on arid worlds ...

04.08 -- Mining network finished on Bakangi. It'll need a round of upgrading, which begins now.

04.09 -- The Nizatorom system in the outer arm has been surveyed. It doesn't have much, a bit of energy and minerals.

04.27 -- Arriving in the Neshmet system, the Suggron reports yet more crystalline entities, though these are of the weaker green kind. It moves on again to the pulsar Hanneri.

05.02 -- Mining Drone Lasers research finished. Naval re-designs will wait for Destroyers, which presently have an estimated completion time of another year.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Improved Deflectors(Field Manipulation, 786) -- Adds 20% to planet fortifications. Also unlocks Improved Deflectors which absorb 50 damage -- our current versions are rated at 25.
** Red Lasers(Particles, 314) -- Unlocks basic laser weaponry.
** Hyperlane Breach Points(Particles, 1179) -- Unlocks Hyperdrive II, an improvement to our FTL drives which lowers the charge time required for an inter-system jump by 25%.
** Active Countermeasures(40/471, Computing) -- Unlocks Sentinel Point-Defense. This component allows for the possibility of a dedicated weapons system for use in shooting down long-range missiles and torpedoes. Against other ships they are far less effective, being fairly inaccurate and quite low-damage, but with a fast firing rate.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.

muns

06-01-2016, 11:01 AM

Military Matters

Ground Forces Briefing: General Eola Eusrim
Right now defense armies are a High priority, assault armies at Medium, and no attachments have been requested. Nothing to do here really unless you want to change those instructions or have questions. The assault armies remain on Humboldt as our empire isn't really big enough to worry about moving them anywhere else.

Let's change and go with High/High

Seems like we might have to expand at some point and if we do we need to have the army built up to actually go in an do it.

mrkilla22

06-01-2016, 03:50 PM

Let's research Red Lasers

SirFozzie

06-01-2016, 04:42 PM

Eee. More weapons to play with.

Combine with Destroyers, you know what that means.

MORE TOYS! More Budget! And more things going BOOM!

(sorry, Boojie let my inner 12 year old out) :D

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 08:33 PM

@muns: Will do, just FYI in case it's not obvious/clear, High/High is the same as Average/Average and Low/Low. You're just setting the relative importance of assault and defense armies, not how many you get.

I also think the good Admiral may need a time-out. General Eusrim, see to it.

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 08:57 PM

As of the start of this year we are now on version 1.1(Clarke patch). As this is the first major one it will affect a lot of things, many of which we haven't gotten to yet.

2222, Part 2

05.14 -- The Cador system has been fully surveyed. It is very mineral-rich(9, same amount as the two leading systems in the outer arm). The void cloud debris field will be studied, and then the Korgasch will return to its normal survey route.

06.21 -- Wily Uddlorans captured in the Ferathon system. Alien Specimen Procurement Expedition has been completed. Rewards are 398 Society research(plus a lot more divided between each stage), 345 energy, 40 influence. The Laggasch will now journey beyond the Hark system, jumping to the inner galactic arm to see what might await us there ...

http://i.imgur.com/EHw7BlU.png

The Museum of Exobiology is quite the attraction now. Artificial gravity and atmospheric generators simulate the environment of a dozen worlds, and tourists from all over the Oncorhynchus Collective journey to see it's wonders.

Meanwhile, the Agglor colony is being established in the Leesak system. Also, between the society research saved up and the reduced amount available each month due to the infiltration of Macaw, accelerated research will be happening in that department for more than five years at the current rate.

07.16 -- A very challenging anomaly is discovered in the Hanneri system. Glabonsch does not dare attempt it(42% failure risk). Aslik Deesh and the Laggasch are the only ones who could handle the situation(27% risk for him) and he will redirect there first. It is nine jumps away, so for him to get there, get back, and jump across to the inner arm will be quite the journey.

08.01 -- Solar Panel Network finished at Humboldt Spaceport.

08.05 -- Mining station finished in Siccon, the first of two to be built there. Meanwhile, another spaceport is begun, this one in orbit of Eskogg.

08.14 -- Mine upgrade finished on Bakangi.

08.26 -- Void Cloud debris analysis completed in Cador. Further progress is made towards Regenerative Hull Tissue, and also some on something called Cloud Lightning Conduits.

09.01 -- Basic Science Lab begun on Bakangi.

10.01 -- Glabonsch up to ****. Also, the Arrakis system is now inside Kroll space as they have founded a new colony on the Deetenal system, extending their borders. Our six orbital stations in the system -- two each of mining, energy, and reseach -- are no longer functioning :(. It's just on their side of the border, and it's possible we might get a bit of push if we are able to subvert Micaw and get it back on our side of the border. Wexellia is a lot further away than Deetenal(just below the cutoff here on the right, Arrakis and Theggian jump lanes converge there), so I don't know how far it's reach would be ...

http://i.imgur.com/izEbb7n.png

Note that in Dastamon there is a smallish(size 12) arctic world that could be colonized. We'll have options to bring Arrakis back under our control eventually. This will not stand unless we choose to allow it, it's just a case of what the solution ends up being, and how long it takes.

10.21 -- Another tough anomaly, also in the Hanneri system. Deesh will need to handle them both while he's there. Could take a while.

And that's it -- another year in the books. We're now basically 'caught up', barring interruptions 2223 will be up in the morning.

AnalBumCover

06-01-2016, 09:10 PM

07.16 -- A very challenging anomaly is discovered in the Hanneri system. Glabonsch does not dare attempt it(42% failure risk). Aslik Deesh and the Laggasch are the only ones who could handle the situation(27% risk for him) and he will redirect there first. It is nine jumps away, so for him to get there, get back, and jump across to the inner arm will be quite the journey.

10.21 -- Another tough anomaly, also in the Hanneri system. Deesh will need to handle them both while he's there. Could take a while.

It's my time to shine!

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 10:17 PM

2223

It started boring, but it sure isn't going to end that way ...

2223.01.04 -- Second mining station now operational in Siccon. It's on to Ambisia now. The Mildrosch may have all of the useful stations in our space set up in a few years, believe it or not.

01.12 -- The Hanneri system has been surveyed, with little other than the usual pulsar research and of course the anomalies. The Suggron will move on.

01.28 -- Basic Science Lab operational on Bakangi, and will now be upgraded to an Engineering Facility.

02.01 -- Two discoveries at the same time. More space amoebas on the outer galactic arm preclude exploring yet another system, while outwards on the middle arm(the one we occupy), a bronze-age civilization has been discovered.

03.03 -- Our observation post reports that phase I is complete at Micaw. Our initial cells have successfully infiltrated, and other than a few minor incidents their cover stories and disguises are holding up.

03.30 -- Iron age civilization discovered in Edasich, on the outer arm a jump away from Hanneri. Seems the primitives are popping up everywhere. This is the fifth race we've found, but only the Shantari among them has been advanced enough to be worth the effort of inflitration.

04.01 -- Deesh's investigations at Hanneri V are complete, and the planet has been found to be unusually rich in minerals. A protege on the ship was credited with particular brilliance in this discovery. A recommendation to offer them a leadership posting as a Science Officer was made but there was no choice to decline since we are at our maximum leader capacity. The Laggasch will now research anomalies 20% faster.

04.10 -- As our energy needs have increased, a solar panel network module is begun on the Bakangi Spaceport.

06.04 -- Engineering Facility upgrade finished on Bakangi. This seems a sensible time to develop the planet's best energy source, but toxic kelp will have to be cleared out of the way first which will take a few months.

06.13 -- The second of four planned mining stations is operational in Ambisia.

07.01 -- The Agglor colony in the Leesak system is now up and running. It won't be productive quite as quickly as the others, but will probably be every bit as good once it gets going. With all of the recent construction elsewhere, the economy is still taking a hit with a monthly deficit of 6 energy. This situation is expected to be rectified in time though, and with a current balance of 1150, it is effectively a 15-year reserve. It's a situation to be addressed, but not a major concern.

07.29 -- Another basically identical discovery by the Laggasch on the other side of the Hanneri system! The same Architreuthis was involved, and this time there seems little choice but to promote them, leader cap or no ...

Bagglosch is 44 years old, and has a facility for Computing as well as the Spark of Genius(+10% research speed) trait. Right now we don't have a job available, but with most of our scientists in their 50s and 60s, the aging process will take care of that eventually. It appears we suffer no ill affects from being over the leader cap(11/10 right now), we simply can't recruit more until we are below it.

As for Dr. Aslik Deesh, our finest and most experienced survey captain, he is now free to take his ship on the journey to the thus-far unexplored inner galactic arm. It will be by far the single longest trip undertaken by an Architreuthis vessel, 14 jumps to reach the destination. It's moments like this that we can be thankful we use hyperlane technology(which allows for jumps from anywhere in the system, without having to move across it as in warp drive).

Meanwhile, the Hanneri system is now a potentially ludicrous treasure trove of physics research. The entire department headed by Dr. Justyce produces 13.8 per month; three stations in Hanneri could more than double that, as they would offer 15. Food for thought for our expansion plans this may well be.

08.04 -- Glorim reports that he has strange readings in Jabeth, possibly Vultaum in origin. With a risk of just 7%, he will investigate immediately.

09.02 -- Bakangi has cleared out the toxic kelp, and the colony's first Power Plant is now under construction.

09.15 -- A third Assault Army on Humboldt, and a first Defense Army on the new colony of Agglor are approved.

10.01 -- Clearing on more slums receives funding on Humboldt. It is finally time to prepare for construction of the power plant.

10.08 -- Vultaum subterranean colony discovered in Jabeth!

http://i.imgur.com/YMci3jq.png

The nature of this discovery mandates yet another delay in Dr. Corperial's work on Arctic Colonization.

10.10 -- Solar Panel Network finished on Bakangi Spaceport. This reduces our deficit, which had grown to 9 per month, back to 6. The next step is upgrading the spaceport itself.

11.27 -- Growing tensions on Macaw.

http://i.imgur.com/H5cVTrW.png

Progress has been set back several months, and a science ship is needed to help defuse the situation. Wondering why the idiotic clerks didn't think of it sooner, a new ship is ordered so that we can put Bagglosch to work. A situation like this though requires our best, so Deesh is once again diverted, and guess whose help we will need? Guess??

That's right, Society Dept. head Dr. David Corperial, who may get to do some actual research at some point. Probably not though. There is a 2-year time limit here, so Deesh, presently in the Norgon system a half-dozen jumps away, will head there immediately.

By the way, in OOC hilarity -- the new science ship requires 94 minerals to build. We have 93.96. For lack of the .04, building it had to wait four days. Only four days, but of all the stupidity ...

11.29 -- Anomaly in Edasich, 22% failure risk for Glabonsch. Seems to be one of those stretches.

12.02 -- Destroyers and Red Lasers research have both been completed. You know what that means. Prepare for more briefing spam.

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 10:20 PM

It's my time to shine!

Yep. Good job on recognizing the talent on your ship. Now go fix the disaster brewing on Macaw. And be quick about it. :P

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 10:45 PM

First things first: I've noticed that I haven't always been scrolling down all the way for the research choices. This is needed when there are more than four. So there are some 'extra' reverse-engineering options that have been there for a while. Oops. Anyway ...

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

Been burning through the technology lately. Here's what is on the docket now.

** Blue Lasers(Particles, 691) -- Same 50% armor penetration as the Red Lasers just completed. Blue is apparently a better color though, as it provides almost 20% more damage. Don't ask me how. It just does. Accept it.
** Disruptors(Particles, 1296) -- High-energy bolts that disrupt molecular bonds. Disruptors specialize as an anti-shield weapon, doing double damage against them. It's worth noting that we have yet to fight any enemy that has shields, but that doesn't mean it won't happen ...
** Self-Aware Logic(Computing, 1728) -- Adds one research alternative permanently. Because more choice is always better. Isn't it? Maybe? Hrm.

That's the regulars, now time for all the reverse engineering.

** Active Countermeasures(Computing, 40/518) -- Unlocks Sentinel Point Defense, which hasn't changed in the past year.
** Fusion Power(Particles, 54/345) -- Adds 250 to energy storage(presently 3000) and unlocks Fusion Reactors. A small Fusion reactor produces 15 power, compared to 10 for our current Fission models.
** Green Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 194/864) -- Unlocks the originally named Green Shard Thrower weapon. Like lasers, these get 50% armor penetration. They do more damage, but with less accuracy and shorter range. Overall, they are rated as just about exactly as good. But they are exotic, and they look cool! So there's always that.
** Cloud Lightning Conduits(Particles, 338/1728) -- From our good friends -- err, mysterious hostile thingamajigs -- the void clouds, comes this Rare Technology, meaning it may never come up again and it should be grabbed immediately. Except, being a reverse-engineered option, it will always come up again, so it doesn't matter that it's rare. Whatever. Cloud lightning is remarkable similar to the Green Shard Thrower. Slightly less damage, double the range, which is longer even than lasers.

Dr. Frank Justyce, you are now on the clock. Again. But it'll be more of a pause this time since we are caught up(actually almost a year more than caught up, since I miscalculated). And hey, if seven options isn't enough for you, just grab Self-Aware Logic and have at least eight next time! Seriously though, pick whatever you like.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Coffee Warlord

Thankfully, the Engineering Dept. did more with Destroyers than take Corvettes and 'just make them bigger', as was suggested. Nonetheless, your two cents are needed once again.

** Mineral Processing(Industry, 345) -- Adds 1000 to mineral storage capacity(currently 8000). Unlocks Mineral Silo II, a pointless building which allows further increase of a limit we are likely to never approach. However, this also unlocks the Mineral Processing Plant, which is basically a Power Hub for minerals: it produces some, and also increases all mineral production on the planet by 10%.
** Deep Space Outposts(Voidcraft, 345) -- Unlocks Defense Platforms, a basic orbital static defense station.
** Advanced Spaceport(Voidcraft, 1728) -- The spaceport kick continues -- funny how the researchers seem to react to what you pick by giving you more of the same -- and these will increase mineral capacity by 2000. They also allow spaceports to upgrade to four modules each, and unlock the Destroyer Assembly Yards module which does exactly what Corvette Assembly Yards does, except for Destroyers. Shocking, I know. +25% build speed, -10% build cost for the new ships.
** Nanocomposite Materials(Industry, 158/518) -- You know what this is by now. I'm not saying it again.

Only one reverse-engineered item in the backlog here. I'm going to laugh if it stays there the whole game. But anyway, Dr. Coffee Warlord, you're on the clock again.

Brian Swartz

06-01-2016, 11:19 PM

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

Ok then. Destroyers are now a thing, Red Lasers are now a thing, and it's time for a big moment in the admiral's career. The last really big force decision was made way back in 2200 when the choice was made to split between Interceptor and Striker-role corvettes. Hence the Dorsal and Sschlurga classes were born, and various changes have been made since but that was really the foundation.

Now it is time to make somewhat more complicated, and probably more important decisions. This may well be the biggest moment of your so-far distinguished career as the Collective's only fleet admiral, thus far undefeated in several engagements. As previously mentioned, we can be both thankful and possibly intimidated by the fact that destroyers are not merely bigger corvettes.

With the not-particularly-necessary blather out of the way, let's look at the destroyer in more detail. There are two cores in a destroyer instead of the one for a corvette.

Breaker Core

This is basically the front half of the ship.

** Hope is the anti-flotilla option, good for fighting corvettes or other small foes. 3 small weapon hardpoints, support for 2 small and 2 medium-sized utility components.

** Fortune is the middle-of-the road choice. 2 small and 1 medium weapon hardpoints, and also 2 small and 1 medium for utilities.

** Faith puts all of it's eggs in one basket. A big basket. One large weapon hardpoint for dealing with larger foes. 2 small, 1 medium on the utilities again.

Bulwark Core

The second module, or back half of a destroyer.

** Flash is the option for anti-flotilla duty. 2 small weapons, 2 small and 2 medium for utilities.

** Shine packs only a single medium weapon for bigger targets. 2 small and 2 medium utilities again.

It's time to envision the next-generation space navy. There are a few aspects to put forward your thoughts on.

** Destoyers vs. Corvettes -- We can go all in on the destroyers and not build any more corvettes, go with a standard mix of two corvettes to each destroyer, keep building corvettes, or do something completely different. Got a feeling you want the new 'toys', as you put it, but hey, everything's on the table.

** Destroyer Core Combinations -- You could be a real pain in the gills and go for one of each ... there are six possible combinations ... but that seems a bit silly. An 'escort destroyer' made for anti-flotilla duty would probably be best featuring the Hope + Flash cores, with five small weapons mounted. Faith + Shine would be the 'strike destroyer' option for attacking the big targets with 1 large, 1 medium weapon on it. Fortune + Shine would give 2 medium and 2 small for a more standard, balanced configuration, or perhaps you might want something a little different. As mentioned, there are a lot of options here. The spaceports need to know what you want to build assuming you are going the destroyer route: what kind of designs do you want, and do you want a balanced amount of each or some more than others?

** Weapon Systems -- The mining drone lasers are better than the red ones, so it's pretty much that and the coilguns. If we go for any big designs, the mining drone lasers can't be built in the large size, making the coilguns really the only choice there for the moment.

** Utilities -- This one's still pretty basic. However many reactors are needed to power the weapons and as many deflectors as can be added to supplement them. There's really no other sensible choice here since it's just the two components for the utility slots.

** Combat Computers -- It's assumed we are staying with Defensive software unless you instruct otherwhise.

Admiral SirFozzie, you are now on the clock. Take some time if you need to, ask questions if you wish. At 51, you still have a lot of time ahead of you but are no spring chicken anymore. Quite possibly the next major redesign of the navy will be the responsibility of your successor. Even if not, this choice will guide the expansion of our fleet for the coming decades. Choose well.

SirFozzie

06-01-2016, 11:37 PM

Here's the action plan going forward:

Destroyers and Corvettes in equal number. I think we're doing well with having 10 or so small ships, so this is how we're going to do it (I know it's not so easy to set up, this is just an example)

#1 Corvette (Interceptor Class)
#2 Destroyer (Tentatively named Glashnur class): Hope+Flash, five weapon points (Lasers)
#3 Corvette (Striker Class)
#4 Destroyer (Tentatively named Borrer class) Fortune-Shine (2 medium, 2 small) (Coilguns)

I'm tempted to go with a Large destroyer for dealing with the space amoebas, but not sure how they're classified. If Large weapons would deal with them better, throw a third Destroyer class in there, Faith and Shine (large-medium coilguns). Tenatively named Tapeer class

We're going to stay defensive (If we ever increase survivability with the Nanocomposite armor, look towards moving towards a more offensive combat computer.)

Hopefully we can get Destroyer yards up. If the Kroll are going to encroach on worlds that are ours by Boojie's grace, by Boojie himself, we will take back his gift from the undeserving Kroll!

(BTW, I got the names from the Alien Name Generator: http://www.scifiideas.com/alien-name-generator/

mrkilla22

06-02-2016, 01:01 PM

Let's research Blue Lasers for more weapon options for Fozzie!

Coffee Warlord

06-02-2016, 01:52 PM

You have no idea how tempted I am. And if there was anything better on the menu, we totally woulda. But.

Let's get our Nanocomposites.

Brian Swartz

06-03-2016, 12:28 PM

I'm tempted to go with a Large destroyer for dealing with the space amoebas, but not sure how they're classified. If Large weapons would deal with them better, throw a third Destroyer class in there, Faith and Shine (large-medium coilguns). Tenatively named Tapeer class

I'll go ahead and build this along with the other two -- the upgrades to be able to build them are not done yet but in the pipeline. There's really no way for me to know, it depends how evasive the amoebas are and we haven't fought them yet.

Brian Swartz

06-03-2016, 11:33 PM

2224

2223.12.06 -- Mining station completed in Ambisia. One more left to build in the system.

12.14 -- Clearing complete on Humboldt.

2224.01.03 -- Construction of the Troutian Power Plant begins.

01.29 -- Power Plant finished on Bakangi. The monthly deficit is down to 3.46. For now, a pause for the colony which is roughly as productive as our homeworld was a quarter-century ago. 4 energy(6.5% of the Collective's total), 13 minerals(17%), and 6 research(12.8%) come from our first colony at this point.

http://i.imgur.com/Uc8K271.png

02.01 -- A fourth science ship, the Jaschalgur, is now in service and Bagglosch takes command, heading for the jump from Hark across dark space to the inner arm.

02.06 -- Update from Edasich: another alien mural has been found, and the Suggron will investigate.

03.01 -- On Agglor, our newest world in the Leesak system, work begins to clear out some dangerous wildlife. They are located in the best agricultural province on the planet, a key area to develop for feeding the slowly growing population.

04.08 -- The subterranean Vultaum colony on Jabeth VI has revealed fossilized remains from some of the tunnels. We now have a much clearer picture of what they looked like.

04.10 -- Bakangi spaceport has completed its latest upgrade. Both there and in Humboldt a further upgrade is necessary before the new destroyers can be built. Our homeworld's spaceport will of course come first, when the materials are available. Meanwhile, the propaganda campaign to defuse the situation on Micaw has begun.

http://i.imgur.com/ct5cO4q.png

This is a mock-up of the Glashnur-class destroyer.

05.01 -- Final mining station completed in Ambisia. The Mildrosch will now journey to the Beznar system, four jumps away, for it's next group of tasks.

06.09 -- The Nautilus Squadron is sent to the Impal Tov system to investigate a report of mysterious ships there ...

06.11 -- Dangerous Wildlife cleared on Agglor.

06.16 -- War on Micaw narrowly averted, and Phase II is now complete.

http://i.imgur.com/apq2J89.png

http://i.imgur.com/OSjKUNB.png

The Laggasch will now journey to the inner galactic arm as well. There are a number of systems there, and it will head in the opposite direction from the Jaschalgur. That is, if Aslik Deesh is not once again interrupted ...

06.30 -- The Nautilus Squadron finds the aliens had left for Swur just days before when it arrives in Impal Tov. The hyperdrives are powered up to follow them ...

07.02 -- The new Troutian Power Plant, the greatest ever built, has been finished on Humboldt. It is 20% more lucrative in terms of output than the standard ones on the planet, and we now have a small energy surplus once again(2.16).

07.18 -- Alien vessel in Swur determined to be a close cousin at least of the space amoebas, but classified as neutral. The Squadron returns to Humboldt. Jabeth system has been surveyed. A couple of habitable worlds of no interest to us, and some minor research possibilities. The Vultaum find was by far the most interesting thing there.

08.10 -- Aliens vessels briefly spotted in Camglaria system, the gateway into the inner arm. They've been designated 'Omicron' for the time being until further study can be done.

08.12 -- Work on the alien mural in Edasich is done, with a bonus to Engineering for several months.

08.26 -- A lone Omicron ship returns to Camglaria for a nearby system and we get a look at them. They have been classified as neutral.

http://i.imgur.com/xVMHW7A.png

09.02 -- He may not be getting any primary research done yet, but Dr. David Corperial is up to *** now. For some reason, the 'Omicron' research project has disappeared along with their ship. Quite curious, this. The only explanation I can think of is maybe they are researching us?

09.19 -- Glorim is up to the ***** max now, our second survey captain to reach that level along with Deesh.

10.01 -- The next spaceport upgrade at Humboldt finally commences. Requiring more than six months surplus of minerals, it's the single most expensive project we've begun, but will allow for the construction of destroyers when it is finished.

11.07 -- Another defense army for Bakangi, and an assault on the homeworld are recruited.

11.08 -- Edasich system surveyed. Aside from the mural, nothing of interest was found.

11.27 -- Void cloud found in the Dossel system in the outer arm. The Suggron moves on again.

12.02 -- Nanocomposite Materials research completed.

12.06 -- Hiklam, a chokepoint system further out in our galactic arm, has been surveyed with nothing whatsoever discovered.

12.15 -- Mining station finished in Beznar. Two energy stations will be built here as well. Meanwhile, the first discovery of the Laggasch on the inner galactic arm is that of crystalline entities in Rasalas.

12.27 -- Space amoebas are everywhere. Now they're found in Pyla, beyond Hiklam in our arm of the galaxy.