SDN Worlds 4 Commentary Thread VI

[Steve]

Fin, do a google search for "Nuggan"

Zor

LMAO.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I protest. It was Shroom's idea to declare Spanish heresy. I am merely taking the whole idea to its most logical conclusion.

Be fortunate I didn't ban the Christmas.

[PeZook]

People should now point gigantic hyperwave dishes at the Imperials, broadcasting Spanish monologues 24/7

[White Haven]

I'm sure the Umgah are even now repositioning their hyperwave casters.

[Force Lord]

May the Fail be with us.

[Shroom Man 777]

Speaking of which. The Centrality. What do you call that ESPer Nation?

An ESPN.

badum-tish

[Master_Baerne]

I see what you did there.

In other news, work continues on the next installment of Ascendant plotting...

[Kartr_Kana]

So I haven't been following the Story Thread as closely as I should be, but I was reading it again over the last couple days. A couple posts stuck out due to the usage of Heim drive. Now it had been my understanding (IIRC it was covered heavily when Lost were found), that dual drive ships were rare. Their inherent slowness coupled with the logistical problem of providing parts (and fuel) for two different drive systems, not to mention the training, meant dual drive vessels are almost only ever found on private vessels.

Now I bring this up because if dual drive ships are fairly common amongst militaries then, the Heim Gunships that White_Haven is playing with, the Lost ships, warp missiles used by at least two nations, Simon's shoal space "Romulanoids" and the Hiigaran tactical hyperspace jump, are no longer interesting little cultural quirks. These are all things that are predicated, on Heim drive being uncommon enough, that the usage of Heim drives (or short range tactical jumps) becomes important enough to warrant mention.

Also Master_Baerne if the Ascendancy Starfleet is equipped with Heim drives and uses them for lightspeed maneuvers, why were they caught off balance by tactical jump? Shouldn't they have tactics in place to deal with light speed maneuvers?

Ok back to finishing my history so I can have something to show KhorneFlakes. Once that's hashed out I'll crank out the next stage of our interaction White_Haven. After that there is Coalition work to be done and then 3401 build plans to be unveiled, followed by some other stories I haven't gotten around to finishing. Whoo one at a time.

[Shroom Man 777]

We can say that the Ascendancy ship was a dedicated patroller that uses both hyperdrive and Heim drive to be able to navigate all sorts of interstellar climate conditions, at the expense of less space for offensive weaponry. Littoral Combat Spaceship!

Like, how some kind of warship that can fight both submerged and surfaced would be not as effective as either a dedicated surface ship or a submarine, yet has more "flexibility".

[Master_Baerne]

The short answer is, I forgot Heim drives were rare in this game - been reading too much TGG lately, it would seem. Oops...

The long answer/spur-of-the-moment justification is, after the Hiigaran/Ascendant joint exercises, several Ascendant Starfleet ships were retrofitted with Heim drives, precisely because they were caught off guard during the exercises. The drop in performance was deemed acceptable because the refitted ships were mostly patrol ships, and wouldn't be fighting proper warships unless something went disastrously wrong anyway - the ability to surprise an opponent was decided to be more valuable than the relative ineffectiveness of the ship was destrimental. How's that?

[Simon_Jester]

A handful of dual-drive vessels intended mainly for shoal patrol and similar functions is fine.

For nations whose military does a lot of shoal work, dual-drives are legitimate as a common (if not routine) feature of the national fleet. Note that "a lot" basically means "lives in shoals," as do the Lost or my NPC Kavoolites.

Anyone who says that they can use dual-drive tactics to dominate enemy fleets when those fleets have comparable point value, except possibly as a home court advantage in shoals, will be crushified.

Heim drives aren't rare as such, they're just big honking things that take up a lot of space and thus compromise a warship's combat power. It takes a great deal of practice in Heim-maneuver tactics to make up for the loss of weapons, protection, and other qualities. Nations that are not experienced in such tactics will find the Heim drive to be considerably less effective than one might expect.

How's that?

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I think Heim drives should have less accuracy for tight room maneuvers.

[Kartr_Kana]

Ok sorry about that, I just wanted to make sure the game hadn't gone in a completely different direction when I wasn't looking.

[Master_Baerne]

Nah, this game comes equipped with proper warning lights and a back-up beeper, just like trucks!

[Force Lord]

Let it be known to those involved in the human side of the MEH stomp that the googledoc for placing the forces of the HumaCoal is now available. Tianguo, Umeria, Klavostan, and the Centrality already have their numbers up.

[Simon_Jester]

I think Heim drives should have less accuracy for tight room maneuvers.

I am on board with this, though with the caveat "...unless you are very, very good at it. Which you probably aren't, not without a really good reason."

What really matters is point balance, to be honest.

[Agent Sorchus]

Slow clap Shroom, slow clap. I was wondering which five vessels of the PRFY you would choose.

[White Haven]

To clarify, as well, my Heim-drive gunship experimental squadron is not dual-drive. They sacrifice hyperspace capaibility entirely in return for a Heim-drive FTL system. That gives them effectively no strategic FTL capability, in return for a potentially remarkable tactical FTL drive. Notice that I said potentially. The Hermes, if it ever goes anywhere, is going to require time to iterate both technology and doctrine and also train pilots in that highly unusual form of combat. That's why it's one evaluation wing aboard a fleet carrier that carries ten wings of gunships normally, and also why that carrier's CAG is so pissed to have them there. Well, that and because he's a traditionalist, and hyperspace gunships are what RKS carriers do.

[Simon_Jester]

Hmm, Fin.

It would seem that others have seen your excommunication... and excommunicated you right back! Hurrah for schisms!

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Hmm, Fin.

It would seem that others have seen your excommunication... and excommunicated you right back! Hurrah for schisms!

It's more of a reinforcement of existing excommunications. Even on Nova Terra, while most of the Orthodox Church might follow the one on Terra, I doubt it's a universal thing.

[Simon_Jester]

Good stuff, Siege. Was that co-written with Fin, or done on your own?

[Siege]

Written with Fingolfin, as credited on the top of the post . Most of it was his ideas, too.

[Simon_Jester]

Written with Fingolfin, as credited on the top of the post . Most of it was his ideas, too.

Sorry, didn't notice.

Also, amusing jarring things into action. I think I'll rush through a few bits I consider necessary to set up my own involvement and throw my characters in, though I don't want to be involved in major strategic decision-making since the various fleet admirals and crown princes of the major Coalition fleets outrank my guy badly.

[Force Lord]

Couldn't help but jump in.

[White Haven]

About time someone started pointedly tapping a watch and glaring at the Shinrans.