tl;dr stat dump ahead.
Revised stuff. In one of my first playthroughs I went with heavily armed, lightly armored, lightweight spaceship designs that used size 3 missiles at about 50 mi. range. I ended mistakenly successful when raiding a hostile system... at first, but it took lots of missiles as I made a design that traded off destructive power for speed, agility and range (it had a warhead strength of only one). After the first too victories, against technologically superior foes, I found two spacecrafts that were static orbiting a planet. And foolishly ordered the fleet to charge...
The entire, 12-warships strong fleet was raped by swarms of 60 size 1 missiles, game was fucked up by annoying OVERFLOW errors every time I clicked on Sol and then I gave up.
This is why I went at the
second try ruined by super-annoying bugs third try with designs that traded off speed for protection, but some people suggested it might not be that a good idea because I placed too much protection for too little speed. Thus I ended with the following designs instead, that will be made in the immediate game time rather than in the future. Now warships and alike will be, until better engines are developed, designed with a speed around 4,200 km/s. More than that isn't worth the trade offs IMO.
http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php ... 45#1770245
That was how it was. I intend to still use some of those just because refitting them would be too expensive to be worth. Here are the new designs. One of the suggestions I ignored was about sensors because in this game I have zero scientists with sensors/fire control specialization and besides it's not that much of a big deal.
I ended with big spaceships because I found no way to put the amount of firepower I wished in smaller pieces with the available technology.
The Von Braun Command Ship was redesigned to be faster without losing its protection, and traded off firepower for speed, to become a dedicated sensor suite and flagship for the rest of the current fleet. You see, the only firepower on it now will come when convenient to house FACs, fighters or Fast Escorts with AMMs on it, that'll obviously require a collier to reload because that is another trade off for speed. Right now Box launchers aren't researched yet, thus I still haven't designed offensive fighters, and I haven't researched reduced size launchers for FACs either, nor a smaller missile than the cluster missile currently in use. I didn't set up a standard load for its hangars for a reason. The first version was more heavily armored, had low tech shields and also weapons of its own and more internal space for FACs and fighters. Although on its own it's not designed for boarding hostile ships, it can carry dropships and troopships for this role when convenient. As for planetary invasion, I doubt 3 marine companies would stand a chance against any serious ground forces, but I have another, much bigger design on the drawing board for that still unfinished as tech will evolve enough for its final version to be much different from what it is now once its first ones are built.
Code:
Von Braun class Command Ship 18,000 tons 1364 Crew 4571 BP TCS 360 TH 1134 EM 0
4200 km/s JR 3-100 Armour 8-61 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 14 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.86 Years MSP 2222 AFR 185% IFR 2.6% 1YR 817 5YR 12261 Max Repair 992 MSP
Flag Bridge Hangar Deck Capacity 3750 tons
Junkers S18 Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 18000 tons Distance 100k km Squadron Size 3
Heinkel E84 Magneto-Plasma Drive (18) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 63 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 19.5 billion km (53 days at full power)
Siemens S20350 Sensor (1) GPS 3920 Range 118.5m km Resolution 7
Siemens A-350X Missile Warning Sensor (1) GPS 784 Range 62.7m km Resolution 1
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Höhere Spiel will provide independent AMM coverage for the Von Braun, when needed. Too small to have sensors of its own, and more than one fire control, it'll require a collier to keep up with the fleet during tougher engagements without running out of ammo.
Code:
Höhere Spiel class Fast Escort 1,000 tons 100 Crew 358 BP TCS 20 TH 126 EM 0
8400 km/s Armour 1-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 2
Maint Life 3 Years MSP 112 AFR 16% IFR 0.2% 1YR 19 5YR 280 Max Repair 252 MSP
Magazine 38
Heinkel E168 Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 168 Fuel Use 770% Signature 126 Armour 0 Exp 21%
Fuel Capacity 5,000 Litres Range 1.2 billion km (38 hours at full power)
Henschel M51 ABM Missile Launcher (2) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 5
Siemens F350X Anti-ballistic Fire Control (1) Range 60.5m km Resolution 1
V16 Anti-ballistic Missile (38) Speed: 36,000 km/s End: 2.4m Range: 5.1m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 300 / 180 / 90
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Koln Dropship, as previously shown, is currently the only fighter-sized vessel developed in the GGR, because miniaturization technology isn't that advanced to allow combat crafts. Its speed and relatively large amount of armor may allow large numbers of them to get through. However, their primary role, rather than planetary invasion, is shipboarding, because companies are too small to invade entire worlds.
Code:
Koln class Dropship 230 tons 3 Crew 44.5 BP TCS 4.6 TH 37.5 EM 0
10869 km/s Armour 4-3 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 8.61 Years MSP 12 AFR 4% IFR 0.1% 1YR 0 5YR 4 Max Repair 15 MSP
Drop Capacity: 1 Company
Heinkel E50-4 Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 50.4 Fuel Use 7700% Signature 37.8 Armour 0 Exp 35%
Fuel Capacity 5,000 Litres Range 0.5 billion km (12 hours at full power)
This design is classed as a Fighter for production, combat and maintenance purposes
Complementary to the Koln, because ground units in dropships will lose morale over time, the Von Roeder is a company-sized troop transport, the smallest vessel fitted with cargo handling systems, and for a good reason: to speed up unloading of troops from it to a dropship.
Code:
Von Roeder class Troop Transport 1,000 tons 44 Crew 102 BP TCS 20 TH 126 EM 0
8400 km/s Armour 2-8 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.11 Years MSP 32 AFR 16% IFR 0.2% 1YR 3 5YR 46 Max Repair 52 MSP
Troop Capacity: 1 Company Cargo Handling Multiplier 5
Heinkel E168 Magneto-Plasma Drive (1) Power 168 Fuel Use 770% Signature 126 Armour 0 Exp 21%
Fuel Capacity 5,000 Litres Range 1.2 billion km (38 hours at full power)
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
The Neuschwabenland D provides a purely defensive purpose, mostly centered on anti-ballistic missiles, and with limited area defense in the form of a gauss cannon turret that has a much higher to hit chance than usual due to the missile tracking bonus, which is why its fire control has a much greater range, besides the fact it was originally designed for plasma carronades as I thought turrets could be built from those, and the TN start favored that kind of gun in tech development, but I discovered they can't be placed in turrets, and I cb designing one different FC for every kind of non-missile weapon.
Code:
Neuschwabenland D class Destroyer Escort 11,700 tons 868 Crew 3007.5 BP TCS 234 TH 756 EM 0
4307 km/s Armour 3-45 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 8 PPV 15.4
Maint Life 3.78 Years MSP 1285 AFR 136% IFR 1.9% 1YR 141 5YR 2115 Max Repair 288 MSP
Magazine 1225
Heinkel E84 Magneto-Plasma Drive (12) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 63 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 30.0 billion km (80 days at full power)
Rheinmetall T1L40G3 Gauss Cannon Turret (1x3) Range 30,000km TS: 20000 km/s Power 0-0 RM 3 ROF 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Siemens PLASMA-96A Fire Control (1) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 20000 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Henschel M51 ABM Missile Launcher (5) Missile Size 1 Rate of Fire 5
Siemens F350X Anti-ballistic Fire Control (5) Range 60.5m km Resolution 1
V16 Anti-ballistic Missile (980) Speed: 36,000 km/s End: 2.4m Range: 5.1m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 300 / 180 / 90
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
Replacing the flawed Neinmaske 7 Class Missile Destroyer came the Lyrisch Suite Class Missile Destroyer(sorry but I can't resist going full cheese with names), that traded armor for both speed and even more importantly, firepower. With 8 Missile Launchers, it'll end launching a salvo of 24 size 2 missiles with 4 strength warheads each every 60 seconds, and that is as far as I'm willing to trade off other things for. Dividing 60 by 3 gives an effective 20 seconds rate of fire for the second stage missiles, and for a range like that, I think the cluster design was worth it, although once tech evolves I intend to simply reduce the first stage rather than improve it in range and speed to allow a size 12 total missile with more than 3 missiles on its second stage, and also reduce the second stage missiles to size 1, which at current tech is impossible while keeping a 4 warhead strength to be able to pierce two layers of armor for every hit.
Code:
Lyrisch Suite class Missile Destroyer 18,000 tons 1813 Crew 3255.2 BP TCS 360 TH 1134 EM 0
4200 km/s Armour 3-61 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 10 PPV 96
Maint Life 1.67 Years MSP 1130 AFR 259% IFR 3.6% 1YR 482 5YR 7235 Max Repair 364 MSP
Magazine 2048
Heinkel E84 Magneto-Plasma Drive (18) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 63 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 150,000 Litres Range 19.5 billion km (53 days at full power)
Henschel M6012 Missile Launcher (8) Missile Size 12 Rate of Fire 60
Siemens F13100 Anti-Shipping Fire Control (1) Range 123.5m km Resolution 2
V-107 Cluster Missile (170) Speed: 10,700 km/s End: 147.3m Range: 99.6m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 35 / 21 / 10
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
And this is the Missilet, or the second stage of those cluster missiles:
Code:
V-7S Missilet
Missile Size: 2 MSP (0.1 HS) Warhead: 4 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 21
Speed: 28800 km/s Endurance: 4 minutes Range: 6.4m km
Active Sensor Strength: 0.14 Sensitivity Modifier: 80%
Resolution: 1 Maximum Range vs 50 ton object (or larger): 10,000 km
Cost Per Missile: 2.375
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 604.8% 3k km/s 189% 5k km/s 121% 10k km/s 60.5%
Materials Required: 1x Tritanium 0.14x Uridium 1.238x Gallicite Fuel x125
And finally, to keep up with these new designs, a new collier that is both faster and with bigger capacity for missiles in exchange for reduced protection and no longer having a jump drive. I've chosen to give it more ABMs because there will be Fast Escorts that will rely on those magazines too, and enough Cluster Missiles to reload the entire magazines of a Lyrisch Suite Class Missile Destroyer for a second time.
Code:
Neandertaler class Collier 15,850 tons 805 Crew 2267 BP TCS 317 TH 1008 EM 0
4239 km/s Armour 2-56 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 5 PPV 0
Maint Life 1.63 Years MSP 447 AFR 401% IFR 5.6% 1YR 197 5YR 2962 Max Repair 52 MSP
Magazine 3402
Heinkel E84 Magneto-Plasma Drive (16) Power 84 Fuel Use 77% Signature 63 Armour 0 Exp 7%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 44.2 billion km (120 days at full power)
V16 Anti-ballistic Missile (1362) Speed: 36,000 km/s End: 2.4m Range: 5.1m km WH: 1 Size: 1 TH: 300 / 180 / 90
V-107 Cluster Missile (170) Speed: 10,700 km/s End: 147.3m Range: 99.6m km WH: 0 Size: 12 TH: 35 / 21 / 10
Missile to hit chances are vs targets moving at 3000 km/s, 5000 km/s and 10,000 km/s
This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
I won't "fix" sensors for now, but I intend later to go for resolution 20 sensors instead of 7 for anti-shipping. I'm a bit weary on having fire controls for AShMs that are totally unable to lock on fighters, specially because currently the ships aren't heavy on anything besides missiles, and I would rather not have PD missiles being distracted by fighters rather than doing their job against missiles, so I'll keep missile FCs at resolution 2, or at most 5 as I doubt any fighter smaller than 250 tons is viable. Could be wrong though, if the AI knows how to design stealthy dropships and how to attempt boarding, as even with a somewhat limited tech, I managed to design a boarding vessel with less than 250 tons, and that with 4 layers of armor. If I ever get sensor tech very advanced, then I'll use resolution 1 for everything instead.
Finally, what kind of detection range do you think that is viable for self-guided missiles launched from fighters without fire control using active sensors? is 100,000 km enough if the enemy ships are literally chasing your fleet and right behind it, so that you can just add a waypoint into their current position and fire from the fighters expecting the missiles to follow in a more or less straight line? I don't think putting fire controls in fighters works. In fact I even am considering to dismiss fighters altogether for any role other than attempting to board damaged hostile ships.