Galactic Dreams(Stellaris, Interactive/Community)

[Brian Swartz]

2339(Conclusion)

2239.09.01 -- The fleet is within firing range of the void cloud.

09.21 -- Void cloud defeated with no losses and only very minor damage. The Nautilus Squadron will return for repairs now, and likely also a breakup into multiple forces after that. All of the systems reasonably close to our core worlds have been cleared.

09.24 -- A second debris field in Dawcan has been analyzed with identical results; major progress on Red Crystal Capacitors, minor advances in Regenerative Hull Tissue. There is yet one more to go.

10.01 -- Humboldt Spaceport begins work on another colony ship.

10.02 -- Dr. Aslik Deesh reports that his team found 'nothing of interest', and morale on the Laggasch is said to be low due to the time spent on the project with no outcome. This is our first failed anomaly, but the ship and it's personnel suffered no long-term effects.

10.22 -- Dr. Tarc is now up to the max of ***** skill, and has gained the Expertise: Military Theory trait. This provides a 10% increase in all military theory research. I didn't know it was possible for a character to have three traits.

11.05 -- Bakangi has finished with its hydroponic farm upgrade. It is the last province the planet will need to devote to food.

12.02 -- Xenobiology research completed. The new choices will be presented at year's end. One thing I did not notice is that the new, second-gen Biolabs require more advanced planetary government than we presently have. We can't build any yet. Oops. At least they are ready when our politicians have gotten their act together, whenever that happens.

12.05 -- Hydroponic Farm finished on Eskogg and begins the upgrade process.

12.19 -- Engineering research station finished in Ambisia. The Mildrosch will head to Beznar for the next one, a few jumps away.

And that's all for our fourth decade.

[Brian Swartz]

First things first; we have one research choice outstanding.

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** Mountain Range Removal(New Worlds, 18 mo.) -- Mountain ranges can be removed via explosives so that provinces can be further developed. There are four such provinces in the outlying systems, none in our core worlds.
** Active Volcano Removal(New Worlds, 18 mo.) -- Same medicine, different disease. In addition to another four provinces in the outlying worlds, there is also one in the middle of Bakagni.
** Tropical Colonization(New Worlds, 44 mo.) -- Allows us to colonize Tropical planets. There are a number of them known to us, a number of all types at this point, but it would be a difficult adjustment for the Architreuthis. Habitability(maximum happiness) on a Tropical planet is 20% for both us and the Shantari slaves. By comparison, Ocean planets are 80%, Arctic 60%, the two kinds we presently are settling. It may be better to wait until we are able to develop ways to improve the usefulness of such environments, as dissident factions would almost certainly develop if we colonized such planets at this time.

** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 34% completed, 30/87 mo.)
** Regenerative Hull Tissue(Materials, 99% completed, 160/162 mo.)

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock.

[Brian Swartz]

Indecision '40

And now, it's election time. When we say election, the electors are the High Council(all 10 Collective leadership members). Appointed is really the more accurate term. The common Architreuthis does not have a direct say here. The individual chosen will take the mantle of Inquisitor for the next 40 years, or until their death. In this case, the latter is more likely.

The first matter to be dealt with is the candidates themselves. The two available to stand for the Inquisitor position are Inquisitor Roe Laren and Governor Deaconi Palmieri

** Inquisitor Roe Laren has held the position for the past 40 years and guided the Collective for its initial steps into space.
Age: 68
Skill: ****
Trait: Warlike(-15% Ship Cost, -20% Army Cost)
Trait: Deep Connections(+1.0 Monthly Influence)
Agenda: Grow the Economy(+10% Energy Credits)

** Governor Deaconi Palmieri has led the Bakangi colony effectively for many years.
Age: 71
Skill: ****
Trait: Expansionist(-15% Frontier Outpost Cost)
Trait: Space Miner(-25% Construction Ship Cost, -25% Mining Station Cost)
Agenda: Scientific Leap(+10% Research Speed)

Note that the Agenda impact will last throughout the term of whoever is appointed.

Voting

Here's how this is going to work. It is assumed that both candidates will stand for the appointment to be Inquisitor. If either does not wish to, they can throw their support to the other and that will end the process. Otherwhise, the other eight(seven in this case, with one unclaimed character) will cast their votes.

Choose one of the following.

** Re-elect Inquisitor Roe Laren -- If it's not broke, don't fix it.
** Elect Governor Deaconi Palmieri -- It's time for a change at the top.
** Abstain. Choosing to elect either candidate will cost 200 influence, 100 months worth. This is the choice for those who do not feel partial to one candidate or another. One of the two will be chosen at random for free.

Everyone among the Collective's Leadership, you are now on the clock. This appointment vote will remain open for 48 hours or until all seven of the High Council's votes are in. In three months game-time(2240.04.01), the term of the next Inquisitor will begin and a detailed briefing will be presented. There won't be much new here in the way of options, but it will provide an opportunity for the Inquisitor to be reminded of all of them and make changes, or stay the course, as they direct.

So vote early, vote often(although only one will count ), and even debate/squabble/bicker if you wish. Any inquiries on the present situation are also fair game at this time.

[DavidCorperial]

Regenerative Hull Tissue and Roe Laren

[muns]

Roe Laren for me as well

[Coffee Warlord]

Engineering supports Roe Laren.

In other, entirely unrelated news, Engineering's Financial Director would like to announce their budget for the next Boojie Cycle has increased by 58%!

[ntndeacon]

After Hark is colonized, I would go to the lucrative worlds on our outer reaches. Expand for the glory of Boojie!

[mrkilla22]

If it's not broke, don't fix it! Roe Laren has my vote.

[SirFozzie]

The Navy formally casts its vote for Inquisitor Roe Laren, as her policies benefit the Navy the most.

[chesapeake]

I thank my colleagues for their continued support. Governor Palmieri, I hope there are no hard feelings. And I am happy to approve your request to go to the outer reaches, effective immediately.

[JonInMiddleGA]

OOC question/thought:

Given the scarcity of influence, isn't this scenario -- where it's likely that either candidate will die of old age before completing even half a term -- one that's tailor made for letting fate decide the leader?

On paper, neither set of traits seems to be incredibly superior to the other at this stage of the game (more importantly, I don't see either having severe negative traits).

Am I missing something, in terms of game mechanics? Is influence less scarce than I think? Or is 8+ years worth of influence really that easily disposable? (cause 8 years is merely a blink of a few turns?)

[/ooc]

[Brian Swartz]

Were I casting a ballot(as 'gamemaster' or whatever I am not), I would have seriously considering abstaining. You make a good point. The next Inquisitor will do well to live halfway through their term. Laren does have the influence bonus, and will probably 'make up'(roughly, depending on how long she lives) the appointment cost.

In any case, with five votes already in for the incumbent, I can call this at this point. Inquisitor Roe Laren retains her position, and Palmieri remains where he is for the time being. Orders for proceeding with colonizing the outer arm immediately have been noted.

[Brian Swartz]

2240, Part I

2240.01.13 -- Report for Aslik Deesh in Marath, investigated the anomaly left there ...




The planet is an arid type anyway, meaning we would need to advance to be able to colonize such worlds and send the Shantari. However, it appears that this will never be possible -- there's literally nowhere to land.




Unless some way is found to clear space for a colony ship, which would be well beyond our present capabilities, Marath II will never be developed.

02.01 -- Debris analysis finished in Dawcan. Again the same results were found, completing research on Regenerative Hull Tissue(and actually causing an 'overflow' issue where it tried to start researching again from the start, but changing the research project resolved that). Further progress on Red Crystal Capacitors as well(physics).

Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

Well, it's been a whole month.

** Xeno Diplomacy(Statecraft, 40 mo.) -- Unlocks the Form Federation diplomatic option. We have found nobody willing to ally with us as of yet.
** Epigenetic Triggers(Biology, 40 mo.) -- Unlocks Uplift mission for observation stations. With this, species close to being sentient(perhaps the Wacegi in the Pavagh system would qualify, I haven't personally used this mechanic before) can be genetically modified and socially integrated into our empire. More slaves FTW??
** Planetary Unification(Statecraft, 11 mo.) -- +1 monthly influence. Also unlocks the Planetary Edict of Propaganda Broadcasts(+10% happiness for 10 years). This would be useful for low-happiness planets -- while things on Micaw are beyond this mattering, using this on low-habitability worlds could make a difference.
** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 34% completed, 27/79 mo.) -- Unlocks Amoeba Flagella, a 'strike craft' of sorts which we have no ship or station capable of housing presently. I should also note that there is yet one more group of space amoebas that we will be fighting in the near future, and we may progress further in this project as a result of that.

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

Next up, a sizable briefing with details on the present situation.

[ntndeacon]

Inquisitor,
We are both vehicles for Boojie . If I had not been a candidate, I would have probably voted for you myself.

[Brian Swartz]

2040 General Briefing

All information here is accurate as of 2240.02.01.

The Galactic Picture




Obviously there's not much detail here, but even zoomed in one level I can't put all of it in one shot. Between what we have explored and communications with other empires, we have knowledge of an estimated 15-20% of the galaxy. We control the blue-shaded areas, middle right on this chart.

Alien Empires

We have official contact with nine others in the galactic community. Here's how we rank among them, according to our best intelligence:

Fleet Power: We are roughly on bar with the Thar'Biq, and stronger than everyone else. The Elaaminid and Bruggan empires are 'pathetic' in comparison.
Naval Capacity: The Thar'Biq can support a larger navy, the Ul-Tur and Oxx-Oxx are on fairly level terms with us, and the others have less in terms of logistics
Technological Level: The Anthanebians are more advances, but everyone else is pretty much on the same level as us. There is not a great deal of variety in terms of scientific advancements in our sector of the galaxy .
Planets Held: We have 9, second to the Thar'Biq who have 11. The Hakibori have 6, and nobody else has more than 4.
Total Population: 68, 55 Architreuthis and 13 Shantari. The Thar'Biq are tops here again with 116, with everyone else in the 30s or 40s.

Size is clearly our biggest strength. We seem to be emphasizing military power more than the others. Overall the Thar'Biq are still stronger, but the gap is closing and within 20 years we may have the edge. This does not mean we can do whatever we want, however. There are three key potential foes right now:

** Thar-Biq Imperium -- Still somewhat bigger than us, the Imperium holds the swath of territory above and to the right of the galactic core. We currently have good relations thanks to our embassy.
** Bright Compact -- This alliance consists of the Kroll Star Commonwealth and the Djomar League, the two empires directly 'below' us, or inward on our arm of the galaxy, however you want to think of it. Both are weaker than us, but I'm not sure we are yet quite a match for their combined might. Embassies with both of these maintain positive relations with our only neighbor.
** Glorious Compact -- This is comprised of three empires, making it the largest alliance we know of. The two empires in the upper left, and the brown area to the right of them are the member empires. From left to right, they are the Bruggan Polity, Elaaminid Stellar Polity, and the Athanebian Consensus. The Athanebians are the most technologically advanced species we have yet discovered, but the other two have virtually no navy to speak of. Still, as triumvirate they are not to be trifled with.


Economics

Here's where we stand in terms of current resources.

** Energy -- 148 produced per month, with 6.4% of that coming from sector taxes. The sector systems are still relatively un-developed, but in a decade or two this figure should increase. Outlays are 126 monthly: 20.6% to ship maintenance, 5.30% to army maintenance, 38% to orbital stations, 32.9% to planetary buildings, and 3.17% to spaceport modules. Contrary to a couple of years ago, we have a healthy margin of +22.5 per month, partly due to the adoption of Inquisitor Laren's pro-energy agenda. The current balance is 794, a bit low but a lot higher than it was.

** Minerals -- The sectors contribute more here, with 17.8% of our 140 per month coming mostly from the Kroll Border area. Effectively these taxes pay for the fleet, which consumes 15%. The monthly surplus here is 118, enough to pay more most provincial buildings or an orbital station and have plenty left over. A lot of recent spending has gone into building and upgrading spaceports and there's still room for more of that, but it's become quite rare for us not to have the minerals to do what is needed. Current balance is 405, which will probably be used soon one way or the other.

** Influence -- Income here is 4 per month, a base of 3 and +1 from Laren's skills. The Free Thought imperial edict consumes 1, as does the outpost in Yiriam. This leaves us +2 per month.

** Research -- Physics brings up the year at 24 per month, with Society tops at 41, and 34 for Engineering.

** Strategic Resources -- The Betharian/Trout Stones are the only ones we have discovered. We have one, which is used by the power plant on Humboldt. Three others have been discovered, two in the region of Khamb, but none are within out territory yet.

** Logisitical Caps -- We're at 5/5 on planets, but periodically forming sectors keeps this in line. 2/4 on sectors so we can still make more of those, or just add planets to existing ones. Naval capacity is at 40/78, a quality-sized fleet for our empire but it can still grow quite a bit. The leader cap is maxed out at 10/10, with 1 governor, 7 scientists, an admiral, and a general.


Special Projects

At the bottom of the star chart you'll see a pair of systems with amber brackets. Those are the two remaining from the High Value Mining initiative. There is a crossing from the outer arm close to the ping on the right, so it is possible we might be able to survey them. It seems likely though that the area may well be occupied. Our investigations into the precursor race we have called the Vultaum Star Assembly have stalled with no new discoveries in over a decade. We have only three of the required six relics we need to complete those investigations. We have 9 of the 325 planets required for Domination Victory, and Conquest Victory stipulates elimination of the 29 independent empires in the galaxy. We've only met a third of them.

[Brian Swartz]

Inquisitor's Briefing: Inquisitor Roe Laren

It's time to decide if there are any major changes to be made.

Policies

The following are relevant at the present time.

** Slavery -- Currently Allowed, setting it to Prohibited would free the Shantari on Micaw.
** Slave Procreation -- Allowed. If it were Prohibited, our population of slaves would not increase except by annexing new ones. The offspring of slaves are automatically enslaved themselves.
** Purge -- Allowed. We have not yet had occasion to do so, but we can 'eliminate' undesired elements if necessary. Other alternatives are Xenos Only(meaning no Architreuthis can be purged, only other races) and Prohibited.
** Native Interference -- Unlimited. Alternatively, Active Study allows most activies but prohibits invading worlds of pre-space races, and Passive Study allows us only to observe and gather limited data.
** Native Enlightenment -- Prohibited. Primitive species are not to be educated/uplifted. This could also be changed to Allowed.
** Migration -- Prohibited. Pops cannot move from planet to planet on their own. Other choices are Primary Species Only, which would allow Architreuthis but not other races to migrate freely, or Free Migration.
** Resettlement -- Allowed. Though fairly expensive in political capital, we can forcibly move pops to a different planet if we choose. Can be changed to Prohibited.
** First Contact Protocol -- Peaceful. Any new species found will be presumed not to be hostile, absent evidence to the contrary. Setting this to Aggressive will allow the fleet to attack neutral species that wander into our space.

Edicts

All of these except one have a cost of one influence per month.

** Encourage Free Thought -- +10% Research Speed, +15% Ethics Divergence. This has been enacted for the past 40 years.

Other possibilities, presently not enacted:

** Information Quarantine -- Kind of the opposite. -10% Ethics Divergence, -5% Research Speed.
** Engineering/Physics/Society Research Grants -- +30% to the specified area, -10% to each of the others.
** Master's Teachings: Philosophical Mindset -- +10% Society Research Speed, +1 leader capacity
** Crystal Sonar -- Using adapted technology from the crystalline entities, this will allow instant surveying of any system they inhabit. It is unique in that the cost is not a monthly influence hit, but 30 energy every time a science ship enters such a system.


Economic Priorities

At present the three aspects of military build-up, colonization, and internal investment have been kept roughly equal for the past 15 years.

Foreign Policy

We presently have embassies with the Thar'Biq, Djomar, and Kroll. Three is our limit, so we cannot establish additional ones without a recall. We have not had any rivals yet. Efforts to establish treaties such as non-aggression pacts(with the Kroll) or Research Agreements(with anyone) have been flatly turned down, and nobody likes us enough to ally. To a degree this is sort of the flip side of the benefit of having lots of room to expand. Our region of the galaxy is at peace, but that seems unlikely to last forever. The Ul-Tur Concordat, for example, are rivals with all three neighbors(Hakibori, Kroll, Djomar). They hate us also, we're just too far away to bother with rivaling. But no hostilities appear to have broken out yet, although they mysterious Omicrons appear to have met their demise that way.

Embassy and rival changes are the only real available tools here, as we have no need to trade for resources at the moment, unless the Inquisitor sees some cause for a war.


Inquisitor Roe Laren, you are now on the clock. The Collective awaits your instructions on whether we should maintain the above status quo, or make some changes to these or some other aspect that might not be mentioned.

[Brian Swartz]

There's also one more choice to make here. Although there isn't enough for a full briefing, I should note for General Eola Eusrim that the Army pretty much has everything it needs right now -- a full complement of defense armies and enough assault armies to take out a heavily defended planet I would surmise. Unless you wish to add attachments(Psi Warriors being a recent addition) there will be more trickling in now and then but ground forces are considered very adequate to the present need.

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

Time to make a few choices regarding naval spending and deployment. Previously, the decision had been tentatively made to split the fleet eventually into two forces; a relatively small one for patrolling the core systems, and a larger one for clearing the alien presence from those further away so they can be developed. At present, the fleet is weeks at most away from Norgon Spaceport. The composition at this time is 13 destroyers and 14 corvettes. Currently outstanding system-clearing missions are all several jumps away at the closest. Three involve more crystalline entities, with one group of space amoebas still out there. One final factor is the upcoming expansion to a third class of ships, with cruisers. Research will take about three more years, not counting interruptions of Engineering due to debris analysis. It's likely to be 2044 or 2045 before that's finished.

The Admiral's decisions are therefore needed on multiple matters here.

** When fleet repairs are completed, should we now split into multiple forces as intended? If so, how many of each class should stay behind in the core systems? 4 of each? 5? Some other number?(4 of each would be slightly stronger than a group of space amoebas, for reference, somewhere in the vicinity of 550 combat power).

** If so, what shall we name the different groups? Home Defense Fleet and Expeditionary Fleet Alpha or a similar cookie-cutter name, or do you have something else in mind?

** In terms of naval spending, what shall we prioritize? Save up for cruisers and the spaceport upgrades that will be required, continue building destroyers & corvettes to expand the current fleet, upgrade the less-developed spaceports, or some mix of these?

As always, all questions are welcomed. Admiral SirFozzie, you are on the clock.

[DavidCorperial]

Planetary Unification is the choice

[SirFozzie]

Fleet Names: The Home Defense Force, and The Fist Of Boojie. (Yes, get the jokes out of your system now that when the Inquisitor turns us loose on the enemy, that they're about to get fisted. Just remember, while Navy Discipline is relatively loose, I don't think our Inquisitor would appreciate the mighty Fleets being referred to in such a way)

Break Down:

HDF: 3 Destroyers, 9 Corvettes
FoB: 10 Destroyers, 5 Corvettes (This should be our travelling force)

I'm thinking that we need to prioritize Cruiser upgrades, as my learned Engineering colleague would say "Bigger Ships are Coming. Be Ready".

This could change with whoever will be taking over for me (and of course, incidents could happen that could force a change), but I think we have more then enough smaller ships for now.

I hope to live long enough to set in the next generation of ships.

edit: Inquisitor, we seem to have a naval capacity nearly unmatched across the galaxy. While we are currently at peace, I urge to consider at least considering using our fleet in an offensive role instead of a defensive role. Only you can decide whether the gains to be had are worth the risks, but I would be failing Boojie not to mention it.

[Brian Swartz]

A couple of notes as I've begun advancing time again. First, it'll take a little longer than predicted for the cruisers, as I once again made the error of not taking into account that Engineering was using up stored research which ran out in a couple months. It's more likely to be about 2246 or so.

Also, one for everyone: we will need to eventually form a new sector for the outer galactic arm territories. I can just call it the Outer sector, Frontier sector, or something like that but maybe there are better ideas?

[Brian Swartz]

2240-41


2240.02.02 -- Farm upgrade finished on Agglor, and the planet is now finished with needed construction.

In accordance with Admiral SirFozzie's instructions, setting aside minerals for eventual spaceport upgrades at Humboldt and Bakangi begins. 850 minerals will be needed for each to expand to the necessary size for cruiser construction. 1700 total for both, over a year's total mining output. For the time being, no other spaceport improvements or ship production will be authorized until reserves are at about 2000.

02.04 -- More crystalline entities spotted in the Cippolan pulsar system(middle arm).

02.17 -- The fleet is repaired and reorganized as ordered. The Home Defense Force(651 strength) has one of each destroyer class and most of the corvettes. It will be commanded by SirFozzie himself. The Fist of Boojie(1191 strength) heads back out to the outer arm to see how it will handle space amoebas without direct instruction from its admiral, in the Kergaros system.

05.28 -- Four small groups of crystalline entities found in the Ustir system(middle arm). It looks like the Ibannic Veil nebula is a hotbed of activity, at least the parts of it closest to our territory. There is also a large arctic planet in the system, the first system past Khamb that is presently habitable for us.

06.05 -- Farming upgrade finished on Eskogg. All four core systems are now totally up to date with provincial buildings, and will need only periodic new construction. Only Humboldt is at(or even close) to full capacity though, so its a matter of waiting for enough citizens to be available to work all the provinces.

06.29 -- Research station finished in Beznar. On to Altair now, and developing our most recently acquired systems.

07.06 -- Fist of Boojie engages the space amoebas in Kergaros.

07.07 -- Debris analysis in Neshmet is finished, with a major gain in understanding of Green Crystal Capacitors.

08.04 -- Space amoebas defeated, with the loss of one corvette. The Fist of Boojie will return for repairs.

08.24 -- Void cloud reported in Taunrak(middle arm). Yep, this nebula is going to need a major clearing operation when the fleet has time for it.

09.02 -- Dr. Frank Justyce is up to **** now.

09.09 -- Clearing of toxic kelp begins on Agglor, in preparation for construction next year.

09.21 -- The colony ship Eglana sets forth from Humboldt to the Dawcan system. Per the Inquisitor's orders, this will be the first colony established in the outer arm. Dr. JIMGA Jr., is just finishing up his survey of the system, and none too soon.

11.26 -- Some galactic weirdness. The Bruggan Polity is no longer visible on our map or in our contact list. No clue what happened to them. Another empire, styling itself the Galactic Uindar Hegemony, has joined the Glorious Compact, presumably in their place. We can see the Uindar's systems, but not their borders. My best guess is some kind of bug is at work here. Given that they are literally on the other side of the galaxy, we are not concerned at this time.

12.03 -- Debris analysis in Dossel reveals nothing of significant consequence.

12.29 -- Toxic kelp cleared on Agglor, and construction of a science lab begins.

2241.03.01 -- The new colony in Dawcan has been named Guraschim, and the ship has landed.

03.03 -- Breaking news: the Kroll Star Commonwealth has declared war on the Ul-Tur Concordat! Combined with the Djomar League, I would expect the Kroll to win this conflict eventually. If they do, we could end up with a more powerful neighbor. We will watch developments closely. This is the first interstellar war that we have had knowledge of.

03.07 -- Mining station completed in the Altair system. Two more stations are planned there.


Holding here in case the Inquisitor wishes to take any action in response to this news of war.

[muns]

I do think we should add a few Psi Warriors in here and there when we are able to

[chesapeake]

On policies:
Are there any costs associated with changing policy to allow migration? Are there any drawbacks to allowing slaves to migrate as well, thus allowing the true children of Boojie to on other planets to have lesser species to do menial tasks? Are any planets maxed out in population?

Invoke the Crystal Sonar.

[chesapeake]

On war:

Are we aware of nearby planets in Kroll space that we would like to seize, either that anchor areas with high mineral/science value or that appear to have worlds that we would like to colonize? If so, the time may be right to build up the navy and armies significantly over the next 12 months and then to strike the Kroll unbelievers while their frontline forces are directly engaged with the Ul-Tur.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

Are there any costs associated with changing policy to allow migration?

Policies can be changed free of charge. Once changed though, they can't be changed again for 10 years.

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

Are there any drawbacks to allowing slaves to migrate as well, thus allowing the true children of Boojie to on other planets to have lesser species to do menial tasks?

Not that I'm aware of. Habitability would be a concern as the Shantari like much different environments. I think they would be very unlikely to voluntarily migrate to our planets for that reason(they are an Arid race, we like Ocean environments). I also don't think slaves can migrate in general -- they're slaves, and only free citizens so far as I know can do that. These are things I haven't tried to do before though. We can't resettle them because they are in a sector and therefore we don't have the control over that.

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

Are any planets maxed out in population?

Humboldt has been for a few years. None of the others are close.

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

Invoke the Crystal Sonar.

Done.

Originally Posted by Chesapeake

Are we aware of nearby planets in Kroll space that we would like to seize, either that anchor areas with high mineral/science value or that appear to have worlds that we would like to colonize? If so, the time may be right to build up the navy and armies significantly over the next 12 months and then to strike the Kroll unbelievers while their frontline forces are directly engaged with the Ul-Tur.

The Kroll have the same ocean-climate preference as we do. Three of their four planets are ocean worlds, the fourth probably is as well. We have limited knowledge of their systems so we don't know the answer to some of these questions -- they are beyond our scanner range. There is one smallish arctic planet we could colonize(size 13) but nothing to get excited about. The biggest value would likely be the Kroll planets themselves. Also, as a 'strong' species they would make better soldiers and miners than the Architreuthis do.

In terms of striking when they are directly engaged, that's something we would have to guess at. Barring somebody being willing to give us an Active Sensor Link treaty, which is highly unlikely, we would have to guess at it. We could go with a specific date like the 12-month plan, or alternatively wait for the borders to start changing(by which time they would probably already have the upper hand).

Edit: Complicating this matter further is that unless they are not using hyperdrive as their FTL travel method of choice, they won't even be able to reach Ul-Tur space. Doing so would require going through Hakibori territory due to the need to cross dark space into the inner galactic arm.

[Brian Swartz]

I also decided it would not be a matter of major consequence to move forward a couple of months to the next research choice. All that happened in the interim was that the Fist of Boojie completed repairs and were sent out again, as well as debris analysis in Kergaros resulting in minor advances in the Amoeba Breeding Program.

On 2240.05.02, Planetary Unification was finished. The other active research projects still have years left on them.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

An interesting set of choices for the Society Dept. this time around.

** Colonial Centralization(New Worlds, 26 mo.) -- Unlocks Planetary Edict: Production Targets, which increases minerals by 15% for 10 years. More significantly, it unlocks the Planetary Capital building. This is the next level of improvement for planetary government. Currently colonies progress from Reassembled Ship Shelter to Planetary Administration and stop there. The Planetary Capital increases food and mineral production in the administrative province. The adjacency bonus of Planetary Administration(+1 food, +1 energy, +1 minerals to any of the four adjacent provinces that produce those resources) is doubled to +2 as well. Finally, more advanced provincial buildings, such as the already discovered Biolab II, have the required administrative support to be built. This is a major step forward in planetary output.
** Orbital Hydroponics(Biology, 11 months) -- Unlocks the spaceport module of Hydroponic Farms, which allows 3 food to be grown in space, allowing the planet to be used for other resource development. These are automated farms, requiring no population. They can be particularly useful in quickly developing fairly new colonies by boosting population growth. There is a risk involved though. Should the spaceport be destroyed, the population may stagnate or even have to invoke rationing which would lower the productivity of the entire planet.
** Engos Vapor Refining(Biology, 21 months) -- Unlocks the strategic resource Engos Vapor, and the associated spaceport module Engos Refinery. These refineries boost the damage of all energy-based ship weaponry by 10%, presumably for all ships built at the specified spaceport. As with all strategic resources, we won't know if we possess any until the research is done, as part of the process is learning how to detect deposits of it.
** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 32/76 mo.)

Dr. David Corperial, you are on the clock again. Making up for lost time lately with a number of advances.

[DavidCorperial]

Colonial Centralization is the target

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Policies can be changed free of charge. Once changed though, they can't be changed again for 10 years.

Not that I'm aware of. Habitability would be a concern as the Shantari like much different environments. I think they would be very unlikely to voluntarily migrate to our planets for that reason(they are an Arid race, we like Ocean environments). I also don't think slaves can migrate in general -- they're slaves, and only free citizens so far as I know can do that.

Allow full migration. The Shantari won't be the only lesser species that will be allowed to serve the true children of Boojie.

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

The Kroll have the same ocean-climate preference as we do. Three of their four planets are ocean worlds, the fourth probably is as well. We have limited knowledge of their systems so we don't know the answer to some of these questions -- they are beyond our scanner range. There is one smallish arctic planet we could colonize(size 13) but nothing to get excited about. The biggest value would likely be the Kroll planets themselves. Also, as a 'strong' species they would make better soldiers and miners than the Architreuthis do.

In terms of striking when they are directly engaged, that's something we would have to guess at. Barring somebody being willing to give us an Active Sensor Link treaty, which is highly unlikely, we would have to guess at it. We could go with a specific date like the 12-month plan, or alternatively wait for the borders to start changing(by which time they would probably already have the upper hand).

Edit: Complicating this matter further is that unless they are not using hyperdrive as their FTL travel method of choice, they won't even be able to reach Ul-Tur space. Doing so would require going through Hakibori territory due to the need to cross dark space into the inner galactic arm.

Much to think about. We MAY have a great opportunity here to liberate some prime worlds from the clutches of a lesser species; but, we have little way of knowing whether the war that has been declared can even result in any fighting or if it is simply a trap to try and trick us into attacking into a prepared confederation. What thoughts do other leaders have?

[ntndeacon]

I like the 12 month plan. In addition it might be advantageous to talk to the Ul-Tor about aiding them in their time of need ....For a small fee.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

Much to think about. We MAY have a great opportunity here to liberate some prime worlds from the clutches of a lesser species; but, we have little way of knowing whether the war that has been declared can even result in any fighting or if it is simply a trap to try and trick us into attacking into a prepared confederation. What thoughts do other leaders have?

I believe the "fog of war" in this case precludes us from taking decisive action. We might be wise to prepare ourselves for various eventualities, be in position to take advantage of opportunities that might arise, but we seem to lack anywhere near a reasonable amount of information to actually launch any sort of offensive based on the simple notion of (a potential) "an enemy is at war, now is our time to strike".

[Brian Swartz]

Migration on and new research commenced. Until a war decision is reached I will proceed time, striking a balance between saving up minerals for the eventual cruiser invention and building up the military. This is fairly risk-free since we have a significant surplus of minerals to use anyway that aren't needed for economic development anyway.

[Brian Swartz]

Three months later, on 08.20, the Hakibori also declared war on the Ul-Tur. That shifts things somewhat, although it still doesn't guarantee access for the other empires. It appears the Hakibori figured it was time to strike while the galaxy-hating Ul-Tur Concordat was dealing with the war against the Bright Compact.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by ntndeacon

In addition it might be advantageous to talk to the Ul-Tor about aiding them in their time of need ....For a small fee.

FYI alliances can only be formed when both sides are at peace. We can go to war with the others, but we can't negotiate any sort of benefit for doing so.

[chesapeake]

There is too much not known to send the children of Boojie into war. We will closely monitor the situation while bolstering our fleets to ensure that we are ready to seize an available opportunity.

Meanwhile, we will continue to colonize and develop the outer rim territories, with some thought given to prioritizing planets that have, or can quickly gain, high value scientific research targets. The High Inquisitor is concerned that the pace of our research is only just keeping up with the obviously inferior species that surround us.

[Brian Swartz]

Noted. I'll put up the rest of the previous year shortly and will report any new developments with the war. In terms of research, for the most part that can best be implemented simply by prioritizing research laboratories of various kinds higher when developing planets. We can also put sectors that are fairly balanced in terms of energy + mineral output into Research Focus.

Expansion slows down research in case anyone is not aware. Every planet and/or pop we add increases the cost of research projects. It's sort of a catch-22 kind of situation. The next pair of planets we will colonize are in an area with major physics research(I mentioned this back when it was surveyed, but 15 in a single system) so that should get a boost once we get those stations going. For a while research lagged because we were so focused on getting enough power plants up to boost the economy.

Going forward then, I will emphasize research labs and we will see how that works out.

[Brian Swartz]

2241(Conclusion)

2241.04.01 -- Fist of Boojie repairs are complete, and they head out on the next operation.

04.22 -- Debris analysis in Kergaros has resulted in some minor advances in Amoeba Breeding Program.

05.02 -- Eskogg and Agglor spaceports begin upgrading to level 3. Also, a new one is begun in the Hark system, a rather important step since that is the guardian system towards the inner arm.

05.07 -- Quite an intruiging report from Dr. Tarc ...




With the help of the engineering dept., repairs are begun immediately.

06.16 -- Report from Subra III -- a large asteroid collided with the planet sometime in the last one thousand years approximately. In the area of the impact and the surrounding region, minerals can easily be recovered. This report was filed by Dr. Aslik Deesh.

08.08 -- Science lab finished on Agglor, and will be upgraded to a Biolab.

09.09 -- Next combat operation in the Saphiban system begins. Three small groups of crystalline entities are not expected to be a significant threat.

11.02 -- Saphiban has been cleared of all three groups of crystals. A couple of corvettes were damaged enough for the Fist of Boojie to return once again for repair.

11.07 -- Automated Shipyard repaired.




The frigate is between a corvette and a destroyer in size. We estimate the combat effectiveness at about 80% of our best current destroyer designs. It's a nice addition, though not game-changing by any means. It will take probably close to a year for it to relocate from the far reaches of the Ibannic Nebula to our core systems.

12.06 -- This just in from the Dossel system, courtesy of the Korgasch:




It has been quite a year for scientific discoveries by our survey ships. The inspirational effect of this will increase survey speed and anomaly research speed by a fifth for the next year.

[Brian Swartz]

2242

2242.01.11 -- Another strange one from Deesh ...




The Society Dept. benefits most here, about 3-4 months of accelerated research.

01.16 -- Clearing of toxic kelp begun on Bakangi. A new basic science lab is also started on Eskogg. A solar panel network is started on the Schlurg Spaceport(Khamb system).

02.07 -- Biolab completed on Agglor.

03.01 -- The Guraschim colony is established(Dawcan system). This is our first presence in the outer arm. Another colony ship is begun in Leesak immediately.

04.02 -- With the kelp cleared out of the way, a new science lab is begun on Bakangi.

04.03 -- A supposedly routine anomaly investigation ends in failure for Dr. Aslik Deesh, who blamed it on a 'sensor glitch'. That's the second one in recent years, perhaps he's getting a little 'long in the tooth'.

04.10 -- Guraschim Spaceport is begun.

05.26 -- With analysis of the second of three debris fields in Saphiban, Green Crystal Capacitors research is now finished, allowing access to the Green Shard Thrower weapons system. It is speculated that there may be nothing more of substance to be learned from the green crystalline entities ...

07.03 -- Fleet repairs finished. The Fist of Boojie takes on a couple new ships and heads towards the Ibannic Nebula, with most of the outer arm having been cleared.

08.08 -- Science lab finished on Bakangi, and the upgrade to a biolab commences.

09.22 -- The Kroll and Hakibori are now rivals. Looks like nothing good is really happening in those relationships.

10.10 -- In the Dossel system, Glorim recently discovered a trio of 'raider' class derelict ships. Similar in technological level to the frigate but only slightly larger than one of our corvettes, they were sent to bolster the fleet. Just weeks later, he has now reported a possible Vultaum site. It's unknown if these two discoveries are related, but it's clear that Dossel is a treasure trove of interesting discoveries. Invetigations continue ...

11.26 -- Biolab completed on Bakangi.

12.13 -- Initial findings reported by Glorim regarding the Vultaum site:

[SirFozzie]

Wow,. Looks like a significant boost in fleet strength just from "found ships"

[Brian Swartz]

It didn't hurt. I can also report that the new ships appear to have better armor and shields, but less firepower.

[Brian Swartz]

2243

Not a whole lot happened this year that was worth mentioning.

2243.02.16 -- Biolab finished on Eskogg.

02.21 -- The latest colony ship departs Agglor. At this point settling a new world has nearly become routine. In this case though, the first of two good ocean planets in the Haribas system, an important outer-arm system, still creates a certain amount of buzz.

06.01 -- Fleet construction halted again. Right now this is a balancing thing between the admiral who thinks we have plenty until cruisers come around, the Inquisitor who wants buildup to continue, and energy supplies which are back to a point of balance again.

06.17 -- Vultaum archaeology finished. Some of their mining equipment was found largely intact in an abandoned tunnel. It appears the same vibrations they use to communicate were used to operate the equipment itself. Two relics to go.

10.02 -- Research finished on Planetary Unification. Planetary Capitals cost just over four months worth of minerals(500), two years of influence(100), and take two years to construct. They are well worth it, but getting them up and running will take time. Humboldt and Bakangi will go first. We'll take another look at the economy once these are up and running on all core worlds with the associated building upgrades. This is one case where the skills of leaders such as Gov. Deaconi Palmieri are highly useful, saving considerable time, 100 minerals, and 20 influence on this one project alone.

The new sector has been set up, and is being called the Outer Rim sector for lack of a better name(still taking suggestions). Cruiser research continues, but very slowly, as the Engineering Dept. is constantly being 'sidetracked' for debris analysis which is very useful in it's own right.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. David Corperial

** The Living State(Statecraft, 49 mo.) -- Leader Capacity increased by 2(presently still 10). Leader pool also increased by 1(meaning four options to choose from instead of three, yielding slightly better choices in general). Unlocks the Imperial Edict of Social Welfare Programs. These have the normal cost of 1 influence monthly, and increase happiness by 15% while mineral and energy income dip by 20% each. Given that drawback, this edict would likely only be useful for empires with a large proportion of low-habitability worlds, allowing the increased happiness to more than offset the decrease in production. We could find ourselves in that situation at some point, but we are not there now and it would not be likely to be enacted for a while.
** Xeno Diplomacy(Statecraft, 37 mo.) -- Unlocks the Form Federation diplomatic option, again requiring a group of at least four allies.
** Xenology(Biology, 20 mo.) -- Unlocks the strategic resource of Alien Pets. No specific immediate benefits are specified, but apparently these life forms are highly valued by xenophile empires.
** Amoeba Breeding Program(Biology, 29/73 mo.) -- Unlocks Amoeba Flagella.

[DavidCorperial]

Let's work on The Living State

[Brian Swartz]

Research orders received. The Inquisitor will need to decide what aspects of the empire the new leaders will serve when the time comes.

2244, Part I

2244.01.06 -- Agglor begins construction of a Power Hub. With two operational power plants already, this provide a bit of an energy boost which is once again needed.

06.21 -- Debris analysis results in a significant jump in progress on Blue Crystal Capacitors.

07.06 -- Power Hub is now operational on Agglor. Though the energy situation changes on almost a monthly basis, the added income is enough to put us back where we want to be, a small surplus, for at least the moment.

07.13 -- The Fist of Boojie has finished clearing three systems near the Ibannic Veil(middle arm) and is headed back to Raggani for repairs and reinforcements.

Naval Briefing: Admiral SirFozzie

The system-clearing operations have reached an important juncture. At the moment, debris from four small crystalline entity battles(a single ruby variant in each, in fact) and a void cloud await analysis. At present, there are three systems with hostiles still in them. All are pulsars, and all feature concentrated groups of crystalline entities in close orbit around those pulsars themselves. So far as I can tell, all three systems are nearly identical in the opposition. Each has three distinct 'squadrons' composed of six crystalline entities in each.

On its own, each 'squadron' is nearly as strong as a group of space amoebas and significantly tougher than any crystalline entities we have fought so far. The combined force of each is 18 entities, with an estimated combat power of 1.15k. A space amoeba trio is about 450(three organisms), and the toughest red crystals we've seen so far were 270(five), for purposes of comparison. Given the increased size of the threat, your orders are required before we proceed.

Over the past couple of years, the Home Defense Force has remained constant and quiet, orbiting our homeworld of Humboldt under your personal command. The Fist of Boojie has received all new vessels. Once reinforced and repaired, it will consist of 13 destroyers, 1 frigate, 3 raiders, and 11 corvettes. Combined, these 28 ships will have a combat power rating of a little over 1.9k. At present, energy reserves are not sufficient to support additional ships.

It is also worth noting that none of the three pulsar systems are considered strategically vital at the present time. How should we handle this situation?

** Leave these 'crystalline elites' alone until we have a larger fleet. This option would have the additional benefit of allowing Engineering to catch up on debris analysis and finish the cruiser research. Of course, it is possible that these hostiles might also provide potential technological advancements we are presently unaware of ...
** Attack with the Fist of Boojie. We have enough firepower to take them down, and enough mineral production to replace what are expected to be moderate losses in between each confrontation.
** Take command of the raids yourself. This would leave defense of our core systems in charge of an unskilled subordinate, but would likely reduce losses at least marginally due to your command skill.

Returning and repairing will take some months, at which time we will pause once again. Of course you may pick something else if you don't like these options. Adm. SirFozzie, you are on the clock. Inquisitor Roe Laren and all other Collective officials are also advised that no change in the borders of the Ul-Tur Concordat has yet been detected.

[SirFozzie]

We must clear Boojie's space. Despite my advanced age, I have at least one more tour of duty in me. I will transfer my flag to the Fist Of Boojie fleet and we will take care of these crystals.

(I'm half expecting the Admiral to die on this run, either in battle or old age. Valkyrie funeral anyone?)

[Brian Swartz]

The fleet will prepare for your arrival then. I predict you'll live it through it though. You may be 73, but we only have two leaders right now younger than you. I don't spend a lot of time on the official0 forums lately, but it seems from what I've seen and a few comments I've read that there may be a bug causing leaders to live longer than they are supposed to. Error in your favor, perhaps. You've still a full decade yet before you reach JIMGA's expiration date.

2244(Conclusion)

2244.09.01 -- The Tuggam colony, first of two in the Haribas system, is now operational. Another ship will be built to settle the second, at which time we will re-evaluate. Spaceport construction begins immediately as there is no other fleet presence nearby.

11.28 -- Debris analysis results in a minor advance in Red Crystal Capacitors.

12.12 -- First contact with the Uthonian Star Coaliton.




They hate everyone intensely. That's not an exaggeration. Their philosophy is 'Fanatical Purifiers', they are fanatic xenophobes(hate everybody) and basically won't ever have diplomacy with anyone. They are on the other side of the Thar'Biq and are a non-concern right now as a result. Their fleet is a joke according to initial reports, but like most of the rest of the galaxy they have similar technology to us.




12.15 -- Bakangi is the first planet to finish the planetary capital. The world's lone biolab will be upgrade, and in the process become the only one in the empire so far to reach the most modern standard.

2245.01.02 -- Cold Fusion Power research is completed. That means it's time for another round of fleet upgrades. This will mean the same thing it usually does -- more power available for stronger shields and/or more armor.


Research Director's Briefing: Dr. Frank Justyce

** Applied Quantam Physics(Computing, 37 mo.) -- Unlocks Physics Lab II, an upgrade to the standard Physics Labs, the provincial building that contributes to this department.
** Planetary Power Grid(Industry, 37 mo.) -- Energy storage maximum increased by 500(currently 3750). Unlocks the building Power Hub II. This upgrade increases all energy production of a planet by 15%(the current Power Hub I does the same by 10%).
** Database Uplinks(Computing, 37 mo.) -- Unlocks the Assist Research mission for survey scientists, which increases research output of a planet by 5% per skill level of the scientist(25% for a maxed-out survey captain). Survey activities are still ongoing, but there will come a time when that gravy train ends ...
** Red Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 65/74 mo.) -- Unlocks the Red Shard Thrower weapons system. This has 50% armor penetration and is a tiny bit more potent than any weapons systems we have(1.4% more damage than the coilguns that have no armor penetration ability). The drawback is that it only has half the range, though this is only important during the opening days of a battle.
** Active Countermeasures(Computing, 1/15 mo.) -- Sentinel Point Defense weapons system.
** Blue Crystal Capacitors(Particles, 11/15 mo.) -- Similar characteristics to the Red versions, only not nearly as effective. These are not an upgrade over our currently developed technology in any way -- if we want armor penetration we can put lasers on a ship that do more damage at greater range and accuracy.

Still lots of choices for the Physics Dept. Dr. Frank Justyce, you are on the clock.

[mrkilla22]

Let's start research on Applied Quantam Physics

[Brian Swartz]

Will do. As I booted up the game to implement this, I discovered that the next major patch(Asimov) is now live. We are now on version 1.2. There are significant changes, some of which require input here. To start with, here are the ones that I think are worth mentioning in this thread.

** Embassies have been removed from the game. In its place is the 'Trust' mechanic. From what I can tell so far, trust decays over time and is increased by maintaining diplomatic agreements. Therefore, if we do not engage in diplomacy with our neighbors, it appears that over time their trust will deteriorate, followed by a drop in our relations with them. We can improve relations with favorable trade deals(such as a gift of resources or other assistance), essentially 'bribing' them.

** An additional diplomatic agreement, defensive pact has been added. Under this agreement, member empires will come to the aid of any other member who is attacked. This appears to be distinct from an alliance in the fact that alliances join in both offensive and defensive conflicts.

** Borders with all other empires are open by default now, meaning that our fleets can enter their territory and vice versa. Among other things, this allows us the option of sending ships for intelligence-gathering purposes, such as the present disposition of the war involving the Ul-Tur Concordat and its enemies. Closing borders has a moderate negative effect on empire relations.

** Fleet behavior in battles has been changed. Generally speaking I think this was supposed to encourage ships to stay at range more often and improve visuals, but I'm sure it will impact to some degree on the effectiveness of our ships. I'll pay closer attention to the next couple battles. Along with this, range of all weapons has been doubled.

** Multiple changes to ethics and government types.

** Slave factions have been changed. Obviously this is of particular interest to us. There are now two types, Docile and Malcontent. Slaves will move between the two types based on their happiness. Docile slaves are the happier ones, Malcontent are more likely to cause trouble(including the possibility of rebellions). This won't be a thing for us for a while though, since the Sector AI is insisting on emancipating all of the Shantari. For the time being, we don't have any more slaves.

** Happiness is a lot more linear, meaning there will be a lot more production penalties/bonuses based on this on our systems. Planets with good habitability should be more valuable, those with poor habitability less so.

** Diplomatic Incidents and other events added for the mid-game which we appear to be just on the edge of here. Some new and unexpected things will likely occur.

** Colonization/outposts require influence now. The further away the system is, the more it requires.

[Brian Swartz]

Inquisitor's Briefing: Roe Laren

A few matters to consider based on the Asimov patch.

** Open Borders -- Should we leave our borders open everywhere, or close some/all of them?
** Diplomacy -- Rivalries are still on the table. Aside from that, we do have one more option: a Migration Agreement could be formed with the Kroll. This would help develop trust between us and our sole neighbor, and allow free movement of population between our empires. It's unclear who it would benefit more, but if any of them migrated to our worlds they would make useful slaves.
** The Shantari Question -- We could keep them as slaves by pulling them out of the Kroll Border Sector for a fairly small influence cost(25). As a long-term strategy this isn't viable because we can only have a few core worlds, but it would be a stopgap solution here.

Inquisitor Roe Laren, you are now on the clock.

[Brian Swartz]

Note: update on the slavery situation. On a suggestion by Wiz(Paradox Lead AI for Stellaris, from the official forums), restarted the game and things are working better now. The Kroll Sector still emancipates some of the slaves but not all of them -- the ones working in areas that aren't optimal for slaves basically. Due to happiness affects this is a suboptimal but workable situation. The decision about removing Shantari from the sector is no longer required, but the other two are still relevant.

[Brian Swartz]

An additional slavery finding. The Sectors are now enslaving our own species(Architreuthis) when they find it appropriate. There is a policy option to enslave only other species but it is not available to us -- only Xenophobes can use it.

Under the circumstances, perhaps we should similarly enslave manual labor where appropriate in our core systems? Inquisitor Roe Laren, this is you again but other input would be good as well. It would appear the only way to prevent enslaving 'our own' is to outlaw it altogether. This should be it for now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

OOC note -- I sure am glad you're the one playing this on my behalf. The whole sectors thing largely killed my interest in actually playing it, reading messed up stuff like the slave handling just really twists the knife in the corpse.

It's a fun read, sounds like throw computer out the window frustration (for me) to actually play.