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2010-02-01, 09:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
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2010-02-01, 11:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
We have tech for Automated Repair Unit too. Also, I propose we make this a Titan. Getting one of those out could single-handedly deal with an entire enemy fleet.
Actually, I suggest Force Fields. Getting both, improved shielding techs, shield capacitors and Mass Driver-style weapons in one line of discoveries tends to be very efficient. Provided we have some decent Computer, Armor, Engines and Fuel Cells from our spies, at any rate. Power is another fair path of discovery.Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-01, 11:28 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
If we have a decent computer, i suggest getting some beam weapons. Phasors with a lot of mods on them are really great weapons. Auto Fire + SP means that enemy ships will be taking huge damage regardless of what way they are facing. Continuous helps if you don't have the best of computers or are going against a defense boosted race. You have the engines already to make it work.
Also I'm surprised you are still using nukes. Class V shields almost completely negate them. I'd almost expect to see Class V shields at this stage of the game. Didn't you grab merculite or pulson missiles?If God had wanted you to live he would not have created me!
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2010-02-01, 12:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-01, 04:00 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
I don't believe so. Our beam weapons do not have sufficent strength on their own to do the job yet. A Battleship is plenty to take a beating so the missile boats can finish the job. We do need better missiles to do that, though.
Actually, I suggest Force Fields. Getting both, improved shielding techs, shield capacitors and Mass Driver-style weapons in one line of discoveries tends to be very efficient. Provided we have some decent Computer, Armor, Engines and Fuel Cells from our spies, at any rate. Power is another fair path of discovery.
I reiterate: We need Chemistry so we can get Mercurilite MIRV so we can dish out the pain better.
Also, I suggest building missile boats on a somewhat larger chassis. Try Cruiser-strength.
Construction to grab Fast Missile Racks will also significantly increase their usability.SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
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2010-02-01, 04:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
The enemies tend to aim the smaller ships first though so that seems quite unproductive; getting a Titan out would allow just sending it alone to any place that needs holding and win those fights simply by outlasting the opponents.
Though it's true that we need more Beam-techs; do note that we have Battle Scanners and Graviton Beams though so we can get some firepower in there (though I do not know what manner of computers we are using presently).
Here, I strongly disagree. We are dealing with number of enemies using low-damage weapons with endurance; beams, non-MIRV missiles in large mounts and the like. The combination of ARU, Shield Capacitors, Class III Shields, Heavy Armor and Reinforced Hull makes a ship practically immortal. Multi-Phased Shields of course make the addition more valuable, as do better shields.
Mass Drivers themselves are no more or less inaccurate than non-continuous beams. AF Mass Drivers are a very respectable weapons given Battle Scanners and decent aiming computers (as long as our race isn't subpar at aiming), and Force Fields promise Gauss Cannons; one of the most promising weapon designs on the table and available for comparatively little work, when compared to exempli gratia matter Disruptors our physicists talk of.
This is one path. I would pursue mass or beam weapons at this point though, due to the cost of the Chemistry techs at this point. And definitely, Cruiser-class Missile Boats are called for, preferably with Reinforced Hulls; those should be able to get out intact and carry sufficient payloads to take out enemy Battleships. But Destroyers in numbers do perform the same task and don't require Starports to manufacture.
Though I agree that Construction-techs are worthwhile; we are past Fast Missile Racks, but Robotic Factories, Deep Core Mines and the like are incredible.Last edited by Eldariel; 2010-02-01 at 04:53 PM.
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-01, 05:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Even a Titan can be swarmed. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Plus, Titans are too resource-intensive to build on the cheap. It'll take time to get them out. Time we don't have.
Though it's true that we need more Beam-techs; do note that we have Battle Scanners and Graviton Beams though so we can get some firepower in there (though I do not know what manner of computers we are using presently).
However, you know that Assault Shuttle ship I was talking about? It'll capture bug ships much easier than it'll capture Antaran ships. If you can't build 'em... steal 'em.
Here, I strongly disagree. We are dealing with number of enemies using low-damage weapons with endurance; beams, non-MIRV missiles in large mounts and the like. The combination of ARU, Shield Capacitors, Class III Shields, Heavy Armor and Reinforced Hull makes a ship practically immortal. Multi-Phased Shields of course make the addition more valuable, as do better shields.
Mass Drivers themselves are no more or less inaccurate than non-continuous beams. AF Mass Drivers are a very respectable weapons given Battle Scanners and decent aiming computers (as long as our race isn't subpar at aiming), and Force Fields promise Gauss Cannons; one of the most promising weapon designs on the table and available for comparatively little work, when compared to exempli gratia matter Disruptors our physicists talk of.
This is one path. I would pursue mass or beam weapons at this point though, due to the cost of the Chemistry techs at this point. And definitely, Cruiser-class Missile Boats are called for, preferably with Reinforced Hulls; those should be able to get out intact and carry sufficient payloads to take out enemy Battleships. But Destroyers in numbers do perform the same task and don't require Starports to manufacture.
Though I agree that Construction-techs are worthwhile; we are past Fast Missile Racks, but Robotic Factories, Deep Core Mines and the like are incredible.
Also, I've heard rumors of a Revolutionary Movement in many of the daughter-colonies... spreading some talk about a Federation and how it would be more efficient than a Democracy. There may be some point to this, and if they get enough of a Vote Bloc together, they may be able to ram a Constitutional Convention through.Last edited by ShneekeyTheLost; 2010-02-01 at 05:08 PM.
SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
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2010-02-01, 05:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Aye, but we're getting an ultra rich planet, right? That seems like it could produce a Titan really soon with population transferring. And Titan...if we build it carefully, it will not be swarmed. Not by our present adversaries, at any rate. And once the hull is complete, refitting it with tech is a quick process.
Ah, but that's what our spies are for!
Agreed; then get 'em home, refit them and enjoy the new awesome hulls.
Ah, but you deploy such ships alone. I said they can single-handedly take on entire fleets, remember? I wasn't joking. Also, in a Titan chassis with Battle Pods, you could still fit a good chunk of Graviton Beams or Mass Drivers in there. Maybe a project for the future, but a very worthwhile pursuit.
*jumps out of character for a moment as there's too much information Spokesman Eldariel has no access to here for me to pull it off*
SpoilerGraviton Beams are subject to range dissipation making them much less impressive than AF Mass Drivers at most ranges. Hv AF Mass Driver deals 9 per hit with 3 attacks each, for 27 total, while Hv Graviton Beams deal 22 to shields, 44 to hull maximum, going as low as 13 to shields, 26 on hull. This, combined with the fact that Mass Drivers are much more compact makes me lean towards the Drivers.
They also have Armor Piercing ammunition available, which further enhances their usability in my eyes. And Gauss...the base damage is 18. It has Auto Fire, for base damage of 54. On Normal Mount AF, regardless of range. I honestly believe you're vastly underestimating the capabilities Force Field-weapons provide. While Physics eventually gains superior weapon, the initial size tends to be prohibitive, and Neutrons & Gravitons are both rather unimpressive for damage due to them lacking any of the amazing enhancements; Enveloping or Auto Fire.
The one case where I'd rather use Gravitons than AF is if fighting against Ship Def + race without my own Ship Attack +, as then Battle Scanner + Positronic may be insufficient for hitting consistently with the AF.
Agreed; Destroyer-class Missile Boats are already in heavy use and make for great, efficient vessels.
However, with our present productive capabilities, Atmospheric Renewers and Pollution Processors tend to be plenty for cleaning the pollution so unless you already have Deep Core Mines, pollution doesn't tend to be that big a problem outside the richest planets.
There is...something to this, I agree. Federate scientists certainly work more efficiently from what I know so if we could bide our time to make the switch, it would help us greatly.Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-01, 07:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
What? That would be a tragic waste! Destroy them and reverse-engineer the tech so we can apply it to *ALL* of our ships!
Ah, but you deploy such ships alone. I said they can single-handedly take on entire fleets, remember? I wasn't joking. Also, in a Titan chassis with Battle Pods, you could still fit a good chunk of Graviton Beams or Mass Drivers in there. Maybe a project for the future, but a very worthwhile pursuit.
*jumps out of character for a moment as there's too much information Spokesman Eldariel has no access to here for me to pull it off*
SpoilerGraviton Beams are subject to range dissipation making them much less impressive than AF Mass Drivers at most ranges. Hv AF Mass Driver deals 9 per hit with 3 attacks each, for 27 total, while Hv Graviton Beams deal 22 to shields, 44 to hull maximum, going as low as 13 to shields, 26 on hull. This, combined with the fact that Mass Drivers are much more compact makes me lean towards the Drivers.
They also have Armor Piercing ammunition available, which further enhances their usability in my eyes. And Gauss...the base damage is 18. It has Auto Fire, for base damage of 54. On Normal Mount AF, regardless of range. I honestly believe you're vastly underestimating the capabilities Force Field-weapons provide. While Physics eventually gains superior weapon, the initial size tends to be prohibitive, and Neutrons & Gravitons are both rather unimpressive for damage due to them lacking any of the amazing enhancements; Enveloping or Auto Fire.
The one case where I'd rather use Gravitons than AF is if fighting against Ship Def + race without my own Ship Attack +, as then Battle Scanner + Positronic may be insufficient for hitting consistently with the AF.
Agreed; Destroyer-class Missile Boats are already in heavy use and make for great, efficient vessels.
But really, I still think Cruiser would be a better choice, overall. Since we want to maximize effectiveness, it will have to be built at a yard with an attached Space Academy so we don't just send 'em out into space as Green troops. So you simply build a Star Base there as well, and you can build cruisers. They're a nice size, really. Small enough to be built rapidly, but big enough to carry a lot of missile tubes.SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
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2010-02-01, 07:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
If they have tech we don't have, sure! But it seems we've got everything the bugs are worth already.
At this point? With Zortrium Armor and the reinforcements/heavies along with Titan-class plating along with repairs, there's nary a thing that could harm them. Hell, it'll remain that way until Disruptors or superior weapons enter the picture (or it runs into a veritable armada of ships with high-powered weapons).
Eh, that's where the computer and Battle Scanner come in; against all races except those with Defense Bonuses (e.g. Alkari), it's not a notable issue. -20 and -40 to Beam Attack respectively; that's what you have Battle Scanners for. Of course, crew becomes a relevant point here too; if we regularly have Veteran/Elite crews, Autofire-weapons becomes supreme choice.
And the Mass Driver/Gauss Cannon, there's no documented penalty to hit there unless you're comparing them to Continuous weapons. But yeah, even if only two of the three hit on average, AF Mass Drivers/Gauss Cannons still hold their own thanks to lacking range dissipation, and having AP.
Though if we have Merculite Missile-tech, those offer a decent alternative. A single penetrating MIRV EMG Merculite is enough to blow up Reinforced Hull Zortrium Battleship.
But Gauss Cannons, man, until you've played the game where you tech to Level VII shields at the expense of Physics and Chemistry-based weapons, and use AF Gauss Cannons along with Level VII shields and you probably won't know how awesome they are. Let me assure you that straight Gauss Cannon-tech is at least a viable alternative to Physics or Chemistry-tech. They're competitive with everything until...Hyper-advanced Techs where Disruptor miniaturization really kicks in. But yeah, AF weapons want some sources of To Hit-bonuses, and/or opponents without ship def bonuses (IIRC, Weaponry-bonuses apply to the whole fleet present so a ship with a captain goes a long way).
Aye, it's Frigate & Destroyer without, then Cruiser > Battleship > Titan > Doomstar with. The confusing part is that the default designs at the start of the game always have a "combat frigate" and a Scout making it seem like there are three classes of ships under Cruisers.
Well, you don't really need that experienced crews for missile boats, at least before ECMs become common; it becomes more relevant with beam weapons though. As such, missile-using Destroyers can pretty much be manufactured anywhere and if one needs forces NOW, that's a doable alternative. Of course, Cruisers and Battleships are better in the long run.Last edited by Eldariel; 2010-02-01 at 07:54 PM.
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-02, 08:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Mass drivers tend to favor the creative a bit better. AF mods require good computers and if you want to take advantage of that no dissipation then you need to shoot from max range with that hit penalty. Those are a bit harder to come by early in the game unless you are creative or wish to forgo research labs or super computers. If you don't have top notch computers, you need to stick with weapons that have the CO mod.
If God had wanted you to live he would not have created me!
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2010-02-02, 02:33 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Pest control
Spoiler
Our spies keep getting back good information from our enemies.
And the Silicoid are starting to leak information.
And for some reason, Zid fired Lyndon. Lyndon was furious, leaving Sarti on his private yacht, swearing revenge. Odd rumours say that Lyndon was making enourmous amounts of money from control of the food transports from Sarti, and that Zid held him personally responsible for the troubles that arose when Alkari ships managed to blockade the system for several months.
Anyway, he is gone now.
3524.5
Another strange man has joined in our fleet. Also, I have been assigned to minister Eldariels personal detail. Iīm not sure what Eldariel is up to, but he has been in an awful lot of secret meetings with the inner circle lately.
Perhaps it has something to do with the ever growing Silicoid empire. Iīve seen holograms of them, and they are definately among the most ugly creatures Iīve seen. From what I hear, they donīt like us either.
Zid announced a new project just a few days ago. Our scientists have been devising ways to create new planets of gas giants and asteroid fields. It takes enourmous amounts of energy. With the war, I wonder if we will really be able to construct one of these worlds?
3524.7
Iīve returned from what kan only be seen as the Darlok federations greatest military victory. Eldariel obviously had a plan. After our spies had destroyed the battlestation outside of their homeplanet, our entire fleet attacked. A few small crafts were lost to missiles, but the larger ships manged to destroy the ground defences and land the troops.
The bugs defended the ruling caste as if their own lives meant nothing, but the superiour skill and equipment of our troops prevailed. We had their homeworld in our hand. As through a stroke of luck and genius, we had changed the course of the war.
Even the meagre results from our spies were not enough to lower our mood.
A month later, the smaller Klackorn planet in the Kholdan system fell.
However, the Klackorn were far from beaten. They rebelled, and we were forced to invade Kholdan again.
..easily brushing away their defences.
The Bultrati sometimes offer us deals. bad deals, if I may say so.
Eldariel led his troops in yet another successful attack against Klackorn colonies. The war was definately going in our favour now.
And the Bulrati actually gave us a good deal for once. This will enable us to use key planets more effectively.
Kholdan rebelled again, and we were forced to invade. This was even after Eldariel stationed extra troops there since the last rebellion.
A bit behind scedule, but another Klackorn colony fell.
Our spies grow ever more skilled. Outside of every meeting strange men and women are stationed. Their eyes seem to pierce through you. Very uncomfortable.
They do bring back results.
..and results...
...and results.
Eldariel was a bit embarrased when Kholdan rebelled again.
And again!
They said on the news that Pavo IV was a nice place.
So we went there, killed some bugs and drank some beer. I wonder if all this time spent with the soldiers have changed my language and demeanour?
After all this time, Eldariel got his reward. Apparently the Klackorn empire was so unstable that a good solid kick was enough to send the entire place crashing down.
After taking Fundus, we got contact with a new empire, the Sakkra. These lizardlike being live below ground, and they have quite an empire carved out for themselves.
And what more, they demanded that we should have a vote, in some sort of galatic council. As they put it, in accordance with "ancient law". Of course, we attended the meeting, only to find it had on the agenda the election of a supreme ruler over the galaxy. I sense Lyndon at play behind the curtains here. Only intense diplomatic work behind the curtains managed to make the election end in a draw.
Strangely enough, the Psilon, who we hadnīt met before this meeting, voted for us. They must have something against the Sakkra.
The silicoid are leeking information once more.
3527.8
One of our scouts made a strange discovery. Or, at least their black box recording did. An enourmous ship defended a system called "Orion". Wideband recordings transmitted on all frequencies warned us to come nearer.
But scanners showed it must be one of the most bountiful systems ever. some ruins have been seen on the surface of the planet as well.
And more information was found in the Sakkra archives.
So, Iīll update more later tonight with a state of the nation adress. However, what should be the Darlokīs next goal?
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2010-02-02, 03:01 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
I haven't been resonding in here but I have been following pretty closely and this the first time I felt the need to chime in. Now that you have found Orion, make sure that you have a slot available for a ship officer before you kill the gaurdian. You probably already knew that, but it doesn't hurt to make sure
Awesome avatar by Kurien.
Good Decisions come from Experience. Experience comes from Bad Decisions. Bad Decisions come from Tequila.
I am B.
Are you B?
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2010-02-02, 04:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Creative or spy race, which we've got here. Especially with Psilons in the galaxy, access to the key techs is practically guaranteed. All we need are the tech levels to properly miniaturize whatever weapons we plan on using, which I think is the key question.
*back in character*
Sir, did we get trade & research treaties with the Alkari before Lyndon was fired? His diplomatic skills would be very key for that, and they'd ensure peaceful relationships while we deal with e.g. the Silicoids.
And I have to congratulate our military command for the victory over the bugs. I propose we buy Barracks and Alien Control Center on Klackon 2 along with a couple of shipfuls of marines to maintain order. They may try to reinstate the Klackon empire yet.
Also, now that we have no wars, would be the perfect time to hit Shih.
Could I get the data for the capabilities of the Klackon and Alkari citizens? We should be able to optimize their capabilities for jobs on the planets we have, depending on the role and their individual capabilities.Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-02, 04:26 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
With Zenon missile technology now available, we should be able to build at least Mercuralite, if not Pulson, missiles in MIRV format. I strongly urge you to refit ALL missile boats with this massive upgrade in firepower as soon as we have dock space!
It seems the Revolution has already happened, with Comissioner Tanis spearheading the effort. Good, more tech is more tech.
We've got all we really want from Chemistry now, thanks to the Rockheads. Time to move to other venues.
In particular, we need research in Physics if we are going to remain competitive in our beam weapons. Failing that, Force Field research might give us some way of figuring out how to keep opponents off of our door.
The Lizards and the Blockheads both are going to attack us, sooner or later. We all know this. However, in the meantime, we can exploit their lax security and obtain valuable information from them.
Computers might also be very beneficial, and is a good branch to look up.
Right now, we've got a good position. The Bugs are but our slaves now, their leadership decapitated forevermore. But we need to rest and refit, the Rockheads don't need any food at all, so they can take over and use any planet, even toxic ones, without worrying overmuch. That gives them a *lot* of potential systems to spread out to.
As for Orion... we need to find out what is going on. Is there a connection between that ship and those strange vessels which pop out of nowhere?
Three our four titans should take care of that thing, plus appropriate missile backup. I warn you, though... it's got Lightning Fields, which will knock out half of our missiles.
Make sure you have a colony ship along with the flotilla, so we can colonize the paradise planet immediately.Last edited by ShneekeyTheLost; 2010-02-02 at 04:28 PM.
SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
Joker Bard - the DM's solution to the Batman Wizard.
Takahashi no Onisan - The scariest Samurai alive
Incarnum and YOU: a reference guide
Soulmelds, by class and slot: Another Incarnum reference
Multiclassing for Newbies: A reference guide for the rest of us
My homebrew world in progress: Falcora
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2010-02-02, 05:06 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Sir, that is not how it works. Our spies only get us individual applications; very rarely can they actually advance our technological level - only when they manage to acquire all applications in a field can we reverse-engineer the technology itself, and only if that is the next level available to our scientists. Mostly, this is something our scientists will have to do themselves.
As long as our technological level in a field does not advance, we do not gain any Miniaturization benefits such as MIRV, autofire, enveloping or weapon size decreasements. I do not think we have access to Merculite MIRVs yet.
We've run some simulations; it appears if we can produce MIRV Merculite missiles and Fast Missile Racks, combined with the EMG technology, it should be possible to take it down with as few as four Cruisers; few more to be sure, but if deployed perfectly, four should be enough.
Fast armored ECCM missiles to take hits from its point defense, ECCM MIRV missiles to knock its shields and ECCM MIRV EMG missiles to detonate the engine. Nuclear missiles are insufficient in the face of its shields.Last edited by Eldariel; 2010-02-02 at 05:07 PM.
Campaign Journal: Uncovering the Lost World - A Player's Diary in Low-Magic D&D (Latest Update: 8.3.2014)
Being Bane: A Guide to Barbarians Cracking Small Men - Ever Been Angry?! Then this is for you!
SRD Averages - An aggregation of all the key stats of all the monster entries on SRD arranged by CR.
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2010-02-02, 05:26 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
With the bugs gone, we must destroy the birds. Do no overlook their past crimes! Do not overlook their wars of aggression! We must avenge our fallen comrades!
If God had wanted you to live he would not have created me!
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2010-02-02, 06:23 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
...In this lowly one's opinion, the people would be more receptive to a more... civic project. Orion has captured my -- I, I mean, the people's imagination. Imagine the wonders that await there. Such a beautiful planet should belong to nobody but ourselves. Colonizing that jewel should be the highest priority.
I'll... show myself out. Yes.
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2010-02-02, 07:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
3527.9
State of the Federation
Spoiler
The following in an excerpt from a speech held at the meeting of the inner circle of the Darlok government.
It is a time for desicions, gentlemen. After the destruction of the Klackorn empire, the immideate threat to our Federation is gone. However, it is still a dire place in the galaxy.
As you can see, we are bordered by the Silicoid (yellow) in the lower parts of the starmap, the Alkari in the upper left quadrant. Neither of these races think fondly of us. The Sakkra have the Bulrati empire between us, but several important outposts are still within reach of Sakkra ships, should they attack.
As you can see from this listing of our colonies, we now have several Klackorn colonies to care for. The risk of rebellion is low in all but Kholdan II, and there, several marine armies have been sent to quell any uprising. However, these new colonies are undeveloped and weak, and even need our fleet to stay in the vincinity for security. It will take time until they can defend themselves, and even longer time before they can provide for the rest of the Federation.
This is the nearest undeveloped planets without enemy prescence. As you can see, there are very few useful planets, and one was created by a gas giant in the Sarti system, and will soon be colonised by us. The time of peaceful colonization of the galaxy has come to an end. Any further expansion will have to be into the territories of other races.
This is our administrative team.
And this our current list of admirals.
The fleet you see here is the only substantial fleet we control. Many smaller ships were lost in the Klackorn war, and our empire could easily support more spacecraft.
This is the current races we have contact with. We know that the Psilon are located somewhere behind the Sakkra empire. Note the tribute we are giving the Alkari up uphold the peace. It served us well during the Klackorn war, and please remember that we have still to win a major fleet battle against the Alkari.
The following slides describe the total of our technological knowledge.
Our spies have told us that we are not significantly lagging behind any other known race except for perhaps the Sakkra.
Just a small comparative description of the known races.
And as this demographic curve shows, the Sakkra are a larger empire. We also think that they might have several undeveloped planets, and a potential for further growth.
Also, gentlemen; we need to decide what to do with the "Orion" system. We could build a strike force to attack it, but such an endevour could prove both difficult and futile. If the Silicoid were to attack us while we had our fleet in the Orion system, we would loose several key planets.
So, what do you propose should be our next action?
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2010-02-02, 07:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
If MoO2 is anything like the other 4X games I've played, then it might be a good idea to do something about the fact that the "only substantial fleet" is a mere five ships.
Last edited by Artanis; 2010-02-02 at 07:32 PM.
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2010-02-02, 07:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
While the tribute we pay the Alkari is a humiliation that must be avenged later, I imagine we can well afford it for the time being. The other government systems our spies report seem frightfully inefficient.
That report on Orion sounds amazing, and I wonder what we might discover in the ruins. And if we build a fleet we can confidently send against that ship that attacked us there, it should be well capable of crushing any other enemies who attack us in the meantime.Orth Plays: Currently Baldur's Gate II
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2010-02-02, 08:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
First off... the Assault Shuttle design I made was not intended for mass production. They would be completely worthless against anything like the thing orbiting around Orion. One or two, sure, to be able to steal opponent ships and reverse-engineer tech and have more hulls. Plus, if we can manage to capture Antaran ships... that would be most helpful.
I reiterate: We need better beam weapons. Phasors are better in every measurable way than Graviton Beams. Shield Piercing Autofire Phasors will mow down opponents like so much grass.
Also, what kind of installations can we build for self-defense other than Battlestations? Ground Batteries of energy weapons and Missile Bases loaded with Zenon Missiles would fend off any determined assault force. They are cheap and easy enough to build, diverting some funds to speed it along. Then our only mobile reserve isn't pinned down to our own systems. Radiation Shielding also provides for colony defense, and should be installed on the frontier systems.
Now is a time for rebuilding and growth. Let's keep our horns in for now. If someone wants fight? Sure, go ahead and take 'em out. But peace, for now, is more important than war. Let us rebuild our infrastructure and get some Klakon slaves over to our more productive colonies to maximize their production bonus.
Let us get our feet back under ourselves. The push to defeat the Klakons has pushed ourselves off balance. We need to regain that balance if we are to make the next thrust forward.
Orion is, quite simply, THE priority, militarily speaking. To this end, we need the following technologies:
Phasors (plasma would be better, in some ways)
Structural Analyzers
Heavy Armor
Reinforced Hull
Automated Repair Factories
High Energy Focus
Put all the above in a Titan-class ship. You'll need three or four of them to blow the Guardian to hell.
[OOC: One thing you can do... it's pretty cheap, some may consider it 'cheating', is to save just before you commit your fleet to attacking Orion. If you don't get the antaran tech you wanted, then change up your fleet mixture. Add or subtract a ship, throw in a destroyer, whatever. Keep doing it until you get the tech you want from the Orion special.]SpoilerQuite possibly, the best rebuttal I have ever witnessed.
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2010-02-02, 08:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
One key area of information, we still need: Our present technology levels. Most of our technology is stolen so knowing what level our research is on is rather key; information our report hardly provides.
Also, one race's statistics are very key; what are the Klackon capable of? Perhaps they could be used as more efficient farmers than our own, for example? Or perhaps they're suited for colonizing worlds we don't thrive on?
Either way, my proposed course of action for the immediate future:
- Our relationships with the Alkari begin to seem rather good. As such, it seems past time to try and tie trade and research relations with them along with non-aggression eventually. We have enough things to worry about with the rock-eaters. With those treaties in place, we should also be able to undo the tribute treaty. With our many capable Trader captains, this would be doubly beneficial.
- I would quickly refit/build some ships (Cruisers, at most; two Cruisers with Nukes would be sufficient) in missile configs for long enough to take down the two monsters holding us from Shih and Komoku. Again, those systems would be valuable additions to the federation.
- If possible, we should then try to construct ships to take down Orion before anyone else. This would most likely require one more level of Chemistry; I agree with Minister Shneekey on the benefits of this. Orion seems to promise vast wealth of technology to whomever first conquers it.
- We should fire Commodore Grum. The man is dead weight, and crowds our Officer-pool preventing more qualified candidates from appearing.
- Pictor is an extremely tempting target for colonization. Who cares about the conditions with all the riches it contains; it would be the fastest-producing system in our Federation! And with our Terraforming and the promised Radiation Control-technologies, the planets could be reworked into more hospitable environments with time, and Gravity Generators enable us to work them to their full potential. Defending it would be nearly impossible, but as long as we maintain peaceful relations with the Alkari and the Bulrathi, that should not be a problem. Also, it would give us a spring board for Orion.
Merculite Missiles will sufficide for Orion. We do not start on a research marathon the like Shneekey is proposing for that. Though we do need to enhance the armor plating on our ships, and we do need MIRV Merculite Missiles. That should only be one tech level away though. Maybe we could trade technologies with the Bulrathi or the Alkari? Or establish contact with these...Psilons we met in the galactic voting.Last edited by Eldariel; 2010-02-02 at 08:37 PM.
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2010-02-02, 09:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
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2010-02-03, 03:09 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Actually, it's MUCH easier to just mix up the turn-order of your ships. Just move your ships differently and have them fire differently. Have some ships fire some of their guns. Fire them in different orders. Fire them at different distances away from the Guardian. Etc.
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2010-02-04, 12:48 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Well, I'm really enjoying reading along so far. You said you're going to do an LP of MoO3 after this one, but I'm curious have you done MoO before this one?
And is there a legitimate way to get one's hands on a copy of this?
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2010-02-04, 01:55 AM (ISO 8601)
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2010-02-04, 06:21 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
that wouldn't suprise me... i'm so tempted to install this again.
DO IT
But Archonic you know how you get when you play this... wouldn't you rather just complete ME2 first...
But it's MOO2:BAA... you know you want it...
Look as the story depth of Dragon age, you never got to finish that because your laptop broke... shouldn't you do that too?
SEARCH YOUR HEART, YOU KNOW IT TO BE TRUE
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2010-02-04, 04:35 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
Actually, playing MOO3 is more of a threat than a promise. Now, to the important parts! Update!
Just the soon-to-be-outdated update of our tech status.
Monster Hunting
Spoiler
Seems I have had to little time to write lately. Iīve been promoted again, to the general secretariat of the Federal government. Generally, it means Iīm allowed into all the meetings of the Inner circle and the General assembly. The security service had to check my private life very closely, and discovered I had none.
After the fall of the Klackorn, the Inner circle had a large meeting to determine what action should be taken now. Some called for agression against the Silicoid and/or the Alkari, but in the end it was decided that we had had enough fighting with the Klackorn war. The fleet had to be rebuilt, and our economy was in shambles. We were loosing 80-100 BC every stardate!
Plans were made for a new, Seeker-class ship. It carried MIRV merculite missiles, and was thought to be very effective against shieldless targets without ECM. I understood that this meant we were to attack the space monstrosities guarding the remaining planets in our vincinity.
It was also decided that the ability to create new, artificial planets should be used as much as possible. With economic help and terraforming efforts, they can become hospitable much quicker than previously thought possible.
The new defence tech borrowed from the Sakkra was longed for, and many planets started to build extra defences immideately.
Our own scientists improved on previous designs, and totally automated factories are now common in the Federation. Iīve been to one and seen it myself. Everything is done by robots. Even if the last Darlok in the galaxy died, they would still perform their work. Queer...
Our spies also brought back a working model of the Sakkra targeting matrix. From now on, our ships will actually be able to use beam weapons, but for now, our larger craft use assault crafts, and our smaller missiles.
The Alkari are a cause of concern, though.
They demanded tech, and when the inner circle refused, they became very annoyed. The peace still holds, though.
Further spying.
And technological advances (I actually researched android workers here. Took the screenshot to late.)
The android we stole from the Sakkra has proven very skilled indeed. It now has meticulous control over an entire system, and has improved effectivness greatly. I met it myself. Impeccable manners, if I may say so.
More spying.
And the Alkari came calling again. We were expecting then to come with new threats.
Instead they offered us a trade treaty. Even though our coffers are running so dry that Necht has been forced to produce trade goods instead of much needed warships, we agreed. As for our economical difficulties, some say that to costly installations have been built on too small colonies. Others argue that they are vital for the protection of the colonies, and for the ability to evolve them into economic powerhouses. I can see that they will be very useful in the future, but right now we are sorely lacking in the funds we need.
I hope that this will be the start of a more continous friendship with the Alkari empire.
More important tech advances were borrowed from the sakkra.
3529.2
The Spaceworm defending the Shih system has been attacked. A fleet of one titan and six destroyers attacked.
It never has a chance. The Shih system, and itīs valuable gem deposits are now ours.
3529.4
Another of the unknown fleets have been spotted. It is as if they appeared from nowhere. It is headed for Kholdan, and the entire fleet has been sent there to defend the system. Last minute preparations have been made in the defences of the planets as well. Shneekey has gone there to oversee the defences. His plan of attacking one of the smaller crafts with massive number of assault shuttles can now finally be tested.
Right then, the Alkari attacked. They destroyed several merchant ships, and put a few systems under blockade. The strong defences of all border colonies was enough to keep the planets themselves safe. It seems they were just waiting for the right moment.
3529.7
The Alkari had attacked a smaller, newly built colony, and burnt it to a crisp. All were presumed killed, and out fleet was in the other end of the galaxy, waiting for our unknown assailants. Many called for new elections, for the instatment of a government that could defend our people. Zid gambled, and he knew it.
We all gathered in the command room to oversee the great battle. The enemy fleet moved against Kholdan Prime, the least developed colony, with the fewest defence installations. Zid couldnīt allow another colony to be destroyed so soon, to the fleet moved to intercept.
Thier opening salvoes were terrible, tearing through shields and armour and hitting the vital systems spot on. The Titans managed to fire off their assault shuttles against one of their smaller crafts, and we all cheered. The shuttles locked into the ship, so numerous that they had trouble all fitting in. Scrambled images were sent from the attacking marines, of strange squid-like creatures in powered armour, so powerful our weapons didnīt even make a dent in them. With ease they slaughtered our attacking troops, almost laughing. It was as if they found it amusing that we even put up a fight.
The first wave died horribly.
The second wave was met by their agile fighter craft. Only a handful of shuttles made it to their target, and now they were expected. The results was predictable- disaster.
The remaining ships didnīt have time to retreat. They were shot down to burning wrecks within a minute, and then the attackers turned to Kholdan Prime.
The defence forces fought valiantly, but fruitlessly. Their missiles hit one of the ships, and made it withdraw from battle.
But when their larger craft made orbit, all contact was lost.
Kholdan Prime had been completly, utterly, destroyed.
The room fell deadly silent. Later that day, Zid resigned as President. The vice-president, Obidaih, took over. The opposition called for reelections, that will be held as soon as possible. Iīve never seen a more broken man.
Just a few days later, our spies found plans of a planetary shield, being able to protect planets from bombardment. It seemed like a joke that it came so late. However, all colonies were instructed to build one.
-----
Quite some time has passed since I wrote last. We have had some limited success.
A small number of ships destroyed the Hydra defending the Komoku system. We got quite a surprise when we found that Hope, the small scoutship that we though destroyed, had managed to emergency land on the planet. They had had no trouble surviving, and were actually thriving there. Now thse brave heroes of the federation can finally return home.
Our spies have been busy as usual.
And for once, the Bulrati hade something useful to trade.
Our own scientists have been quite active.
The Federation is now controlled by a coalition of opposition parties. Most of the old administration is gone, and nobody has seen Zid for ages. I kept my job though. Filing is always needed.
The was against the Alkari is going very slowly, indeed. Spying is mostly done against the Sakkra.
With great success.
Another election ended in a stalemate.
And even the Alkari got to share their technology with our fleet.
Weīve made contact with two new empires, both so far away from us that conflict would be almost impossible right now.
The warlike Mrrshan.
And the learned Psilon. Weīve already sent diplomats to the Psilon sience cities.
The unknown ships attacked again. This time against a colony defended by our most high tech defence systems. We shot down a few smaller crafts, the first losses from their side. The planet itself was lost to orbital bombardment.
Desperate for help, we actually traded for offensive tech with the Psilon.
Our own scientists were of little help, inventing nothing that is useful in destroying the attacking high tech craft.
A very unlikable character has been appointed new space admiral, in a desperate attempt to turn the tide of war. He eats raw flesh of the bones of living creatures, or so they say. I think even the new president is afraid of him.
Our spies had luck when it came to the Psilon.
And they seemed oblivous to the fact.
We had some contact with the Mrrshan.
But nothing friendly.
A strange stasis field surrounded the entire Giantitp system. It is of so high technological know-how, that it must be our unknown enemies. The President has taken measures to try to communicate with them, to sue for peace, but no answer.
After what seemed like ages, Giantitp came out of stasis. We immediately launched an attack upon Alkari space. Their ships, though agile, lacked shields, and missiles that flew directly into the exhaust vents destroyed their crafts easily.
We invaded...
But were repelled, an attack that cost millions of space marines their lives. The President should have ordered an orbital bombardment instead. It seems that the war with the Alkari is enough to bleed us dry, and I am sure that our unknown enemies will soon attack again.
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2010-02-04, 05:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Battle at Antares! (Letīs play Master of Orion II)
We need beam weapons and EMG missiles. Those unknown attackers that the people refer to as Antarans don't use shields. EMG missiles when properly shielded and stagared should destroy them easily. Furthermore now that we have a proper targeting computer, we must get effective beam weapons post haste. We need ones we can modify and shrink down. We must fill our ships with them.
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