Javat/Cadar/Thulun - The RIM 32x64 (44 Worlds) Extreme

[giddion]

Javat/Cadar/Thulun
The RIM 32x64 (44 Worlds)
Resources: Average
Enemies: 2 (Extreme)



I started in a particularly barren part of space with little systems in view, only a Red Giant and White Dwarf. Exploration was required. The explorer and defenders were sent out to explore nearby space. Planets and anomalies were located and recorded into our star charts, providing additional options close by. But to stop the Xeno fleet from routing are fledgling colony I have decide to search for new systems at the edges of know space within this sector.

Our first system, the Red Giant, has been selected for Javat Prine, it will provide a strong mining baseline to boost the economy. This is the beginning of our new home at the frontiers of known space. A Blue Star was located east of a prime world candidate (Yellow Star), but we must secure the edges of known space to ensure we can grow our civilisation securely. This has been selected for our military; a colony for Cadar has been established here. Thulun have been sent to secure a Yellow Star recently discovered to South West of Javat Prime, this will form the basis of our edge of space.

With our inner prime worlds established I am focusing on getting factories and exploring the southern reaches of space.
.....
Now with some factories and new colony ship on route to new systems we are getting established. Thulun have a second system close by which will help to provide a strong recovery point for a large fleet later on in years to come. Javat have sent a colony to a new world slightly deeper into known space where there is a good Yellow Star, worthy of our great empire. This star, slightly more south than Cadar Prime, could put us under pressure, but will serve as our outer most Javat Colony. We feel confident it will yield good economic results for the empire.




We recently encountered a xeno threat, they have colonised a number of worlds and launched a small strike party at our explorer. We managed to lure them back into our space and launch the defenders to mop them up. We pushed them back and discovered a couple of worlds that could serve as a good front, very risky but could be the early advantage we need, or it could be the end of the entire empire.
I have sent a Cadar colony out to the Yellow Star with two defenders as escort. When they arrived they encountered a Xeno colony and were unable to destroy it before they settled on a nearby White Dwarf. But we were able to divert it away from the Yellow Star. With water supplies getting low, we need to colonise or retreat...



Is the risk really worth it, this early?
Only time will tell, but I know we will need to be battle ready ASAP. Prepare the first generation Strike Fighters for launch!

[Cory Trese]

Ready the Fighter, for we go to war? =)

Fighting early is always such a risk -- if can cripple you but done correctly you can take an AI out of the game long term.

[hissrad]

I'd stick to skirmishes early on. Committing can really screw you over, especially if you get a solar/spy war

[giddion]

Thanks for the advice and commentary.


I have pushed hard into enemy space, it is star date 2.3AE, we have established our frontier colony side by side the enemy, we have named this place Salveria. We have cleared out all of the Xytox military vessels within the vicinity and colonised the yellow star within this sector of space. Surrounded by Xytox planets, we have taken a risky, yet aggressive gamble to try and stabilise the region. The enemy continues to send out lone colony vessels, which have been easily mopped up with our Defenders.



It is only a matter of time before he sends a world killer.

We are investing effort in constructing a Palace on Salveria to assist with the defence and happiness of our colony. It will be completed in 4 turns. We need to get the FDF fortifications in ASAP!

Our research is moving along strongly with our two Thulun colonies contributing extra research when they are not balancing building factories and HABs. We have 4 turns to our current research into “Planetary Construction” then it is a quick switch to “Planetary Defence 1”. This will give us a good foundation so efforts can be focused on some military research streams.

Our economy is holding well, we have ~1200 in the treasury and a profit of around 150-200 per turn. Focus has been on our Javat worlds to get them mining as much as possible, whilst balancing off against factories to keep our build cycles short. Ursae Outpost (our second Javat colony) will complete its first factory next turn, then moving imeadiatly onto its first mine. We will alternate between mines and HABs (Palace) as required, and through in a spice hall as required. The goal is to focus all effort on our economy.

Javat Prime continues to show great resolve, the population continues to flourish and with 3 mines built and the forth to be completed next turn, with a Palace to follow, then another mine. Currently with 8/8 population, we are living on the wire, but the spice flows strong in this colony (the best way to keep them miners happy). With 2 factories we see a fast and productive work force that can keep pace with the Cadar and Thulun worlds. The outlook is good.
(whilst typing this I changed the queue after noticing there is space for another factory; factory(3), Palace(4), mine(2), mine(4))

Cadar Prime is focused on housing and factories, getting ready for the need to start producing our next generation of war vessels.

We have deployed a single Strike Fighter to our outward Javat colony and will look to strengthen this very soon.

At the end of this report, our treasury has now dropped to $220, no more major expenses until we rebuild the treasury. We need the economy to be ready for our new defence fleet.

A spy battle between Javat and Thulun has been active for a few years now, it has not caused too many problems at the moment. We will hope this does not continue too long as we currently do not have a means to influence them.

There is a trade alliance between Cadar and Thulun which is very strong. We hope that our next trade summit will bring Cadar and Javat together, it is 33% complete.

Exploration of, one of only two remaining anomalies within our section of this quadrant has begun. We hope to make a discovery that will expedite our research or economically help our fledgling empire.



Commander and Chief, signing out...


EDIT: I just found the Faction details. 

[giddion]

Our discovery provided some addition CP to Javat Prime enabling us to complete our factory in a fraction of the time. We are sending our Explorer to the final anomaly within our sector of space.

Our Defenders removed the Xytox colony ship from our sector of space. We must stay ever vigilant.

The second anomaly produced some promising results for our research effort. We had loaded up Planetary defence 1 in this was the result to get the overflow of research and considering our work on Planetary Construction 4 only had 1 turn to go.

We have decided to risk more, and it has paid off… woooo hoooo… This 150RP has completed Planetary Defence 1 for us (Planetary Construction was untouched, which I find kind of odd???)



We have been researching at a fast rate, building fortifications and mines mainly throughout the empire. We now have a reasonable research arm for us to develop our own defender (cruiser class) ship, we did want Ship Design 3, but have decided not to wait and to transfer our research effort back over to politics and economy techs.



There have not been any major encounters for some time, a new Xytox colony ship appears within our space every few years but we easily destroy it without leaving the comfort of our protected space.

We have developed the new SR-Wolf Defender; it is designed for short-range combat. It is specialised in Rail Gun combat, no torpedos and light armour. With improved repair capabilities and scanning, this ship will serve us well in the defence of Salveria. The planet will give us good cover from the Xytox torpedos.



We are very happy with this design for the short term security of Salveria.

A new ship construction has been queued up at Salveria, we will also queue up a new ship at Cadar prime next year.

It is star date 2.38AE.

[giddion]

Less pictures this post...

We have built our first Wolf Defender, which is a modified and upgraded Wolf Cruiser, with a specialised gunnery crew, fast hard hitting and fast repairing, only light armour and no torpedos.



It is very economical, just needs a Combat Crew, which we will gain through research after the orbital mine deployed, in 26 turns or so. I will deploy 2 of this generation, and then probably another 2 of the next generation.

The first test firing was against unarmed civilian population on board a Xeno Colony vessel, we opened fire without warning as they entered our space uninvited. The Wolf struck with ferocity destroying the colony vessel in a single shot. BAM!
The initial results look awesome, I may want to attack and reek some havoc…

------------
THOUGHT BUBBLE

I thought I’d try a different style of thinking about what I am doing and wrirte it in here too whilst trying to wrap a story, or personality at least to which this is all happening. It is kind of fun.

This is the rough plan for how I will be looking to run our war effort.

We really need to get mining upgrades; this will burst Javat forward, a focused mining effort with efficient factories for fast burst CP (actually quite hard to get started but works once going), then extra money BOM!.

So…
Get Orbital Mine
Hire a Combat Crew
I really wish I could buy this upgrade with XP and cash to retrofit an existing ship, it is only a new crew, why is that?
Upgrade my Mines – oh yeah!
More research into new Military Technology
I will look to develop a Heavy Fighter based on the Carrier Class, which will fly wingman to the Wolf. They may replace the aging Templar Fleet.


The most important thing for a strong military is my money train; I have got to keep the mining boom rolling; Javat serving the Empire.

------------

I sparked a fire in a hornets nest, I spy;
3 Mass Driver
2 Missile Attack



OK Tactics:
Draw them into my zone, use the Templars as forward lure, hide the Wolf at the backside of the planet. Fire torpedos at the closest missile attack from maximum range; this will spark it and lure it in for the Wolf to strike.

Changed tactic in the heat of battle as I saw an opening. My Templar launched a torpedo at a Mass Driver sitting in the shadow of their planet. Ka BooM!
Luck is with us this day, a single torp smite an enemy in a single swing.

The troops rally the call.

I am thinking it might rename the Wolf to the Flea or Tick, that is what it reminds me of.

…
So the Wolf will always be the first, now there is “The Flea”, and the new Heavy Fighter, is more focused on missiles and missile retaliation with precision gun attack to pick up the slack. The Mosquito.

I had attacked a much larger force, they came in waves upon waves, but our stick and move and use the planet as cover worked, we lure them in close, very close indeed…. MWHAHAHA!!!!

I am so glad now that I have spice flowing back in the home world, Javat Prime was suffering.
Increased Bollish Xeno activity… Mmmmmm I am making a name for myself in this quadrant. We be pirates and mercenaries!

In better news, the war effort is going well, I have been taking a screen shot almost every move of the combat, not sure if I’ll stitch it together in to a short slide series of the first real war campaign.

We have taken out all of the missile launchers within visible space, 2 Mass Drivers, but more have appeared from behind nearby planets that we have started to expose as we have pushed forward to take out his ranged attackers. A colony ship appeared, it may have been coincidence or part of a cunning plan to distract me from his attack fleet. So I took the bait with utter excitement, it was a long battle, 3 strikes to succeed; it stayed there in range, likes lambs to the slaughter. So I obliged.

I was taking some damage from his other vessels, slowing, but it was there. DAMAGE = MONEY!!!!
You break, then you buy it buddy.

With this in mind I pull back behind our planet for cover and repair, a couple of whiskies and then we will have the dogs at our doors. So lets get drinking!

This is where the Wolf shines (a cruiser kitted out as a fighter, with wicked counter gun attack capabilities) really shines. Mop up Duty!
Sitting in the middle of 4 enemy mass drivers, the Wolf is attacked, but with daring and courage he struck back and destroyed the mass driver in a single swing. ZAP!

With nominal damage the Wolf can continue to clear out the new ranged threat, whilst the Templar use Torpedos to lure our prey in closer. When the get close to our moon, the gravitation will affect their instruments, we’ll easily route them a second time. Will they ever learn???

The Wolf reached forward to engage a new target, the missile attack vessel that had appeared on our scanners. We were able to deliver 25% damage (we really need the combat crew), using the additional action point we scanned further out into space. This brought with it discoveries that have been a rarity within our sectors of space, this anomaly on the horizon. We will take this part of space, we need to refocus on our military force and the technologies needed to claim these soon to be desolate worlds. I shall cleanse them of this filth!

I have completed the Mosquito; it has been deployed to space from Cadar Prime, it is on route to Ursae Outpost. From the green space, we shall launch towards the enemy worlds. The Explorer will fly wing!

We shall have these strange anomalies, even if we have to squash a few bugs along the way!

After taking several hits; the mass drivers didn’t take the bait, they pursued the Wolf, causing much damage. The Wolf struck back at the missile ship and destroyed it, then retreated into friendly brown space to refuel. We must move the Templar fleet forward, in close to support the Wolf.

We have caused minor damage to the mass drivers; it should be enough for the Wolf to destroy them in retaliation. We will see…

We have sought to use a lot of our economic wealth to invest in upgrades throughout the empire. We are installing Exchange 1 on all of our core worlds, so this excludes Salveria, which is our out most military post. Salveria is focused on factories and defence, other upgrades will just cost me more money, and without any mines this place is purely a war machine.

Profit: +346 (all worlds building, normally it is over double)
Treasury: $2189 (I just spent about $7-8K loading up Exchange 1)
Year: 3.6AE

The war continues….

The Wolf was able to take out one of their mass drivers, but what’s that on the horizon… A couple of missile vessels have appeared above us. We’ll send in the Wolf and one of the Templars.

The attack was not going well, we had hit it twice but not enough to disable it. We had to change plans and send in the second Templar. This leaves our rear open to the mass drivers, but with one of the 50% damaged we should have a good chance to destroy it in retaliation. Lock and Load!

The war continues…
The Wolf destroys another Missile Vessel and prepares to retreat behind our moon to repair and refuel.

We have cleared out the enemy forces and prevent an invasion.

The Mosquito has arrived at Ursae Outpost, the Explorer has scanned nearby space and it looks clear. With course set, we launch.

With the Mosquito on route we will be ready for the next wave.

ORIBITAL MINES!!!!

Research on Javat 1 complete.

I have started research on Fleet Operations 1 to enable our combat crew in future upgrades.

We have just completed the Flea, it was immediately launch to replace the Wolf which has returned to green space behind our moon for repairs. Timing is impeccable!

A newly built mass driver has appeared on our screens, we have targeted them. Seek and Destroy!

With only minor skirmishes now, things are returning to normal...

[giddion]

After severe combat we made it to the first anomaly. This shell be entered into the history books, load up the research.



RISK MORE?!
Hell Yeah; Always for research, never for money, and occasionally for construction…

SUCCESS!! 50 RP
Not great but not too shabby either.

Orbital Refinery installed into Javat prime.

Further exploration of anomalies at the lower edges of our space, has detected a new Xeno threat, the Bollish.



This is our first encounter with the Bollish, we are hopeful we can come to a mutual understanding… What I want, I take!

The Bollish have followed our Explorer back to the edges of our space, but they are holding at a reasonable distance, slightly out of range.

With new war techs at our disposal, we have created two new ships to aid us in our war effort;



The Wasp
This is a carrier class ship, designed for gun only attacks, it has deflector barriers II provide 6 armour and a Battle Bridge to give us improved evasion capabilities.

The Tick
Is a cruiser class vessel, equipped with heavy guns for close combat manoeuvres. With improved armour (duranium plating 6 armour), over the Flea, and a new fuel enrichment plant providing +2 armour and +2 beat shielding. It will be a formidable fighter.

We are also in the early planning stages for a new class of ship, peace keepers; their role is to try and find a solution to the Xytox relations. When we have enough mass to hold all of the pods and crew, we will designate it to missions at the nearby Xytox planets. They will hopeful see that peace is only made through sacrifice.
The Termite is coming!

The Bollish have started to push forward, they look to be taking offensive positions at the edge of our boarders.

The Wasp is about 4 cycles from completion at Salveria, so we cannot count on its assistance with the first wave, but it will fill an important role during the second wave.
Take defensive positions behind our moon and prepare for combat!



We have entered into our second campaign of war against a new enemy. Our defences are strong and are preparation has been long. We ARE ready for this…



The Bollish have retreated. This was a very short and easy war.

We will need to launch a small fleet and thin out the enemy units within this sector of space, else it may affect or future negotiations with Zytoc.

A new ship similar to the Mosquito has been created to ensure we maintain our superior fleet within the sector. The Dragonfly, has upgraded defence systems, a better focus on torpedos and an efficient crew. We can utilise these capabilities for ranged combat whilst circling around behind our enemies.



In the meantime, we have located an unpopulated yellow star, not far from Salveria; we have sent a Cadar colony to acquire this system for the security of the empire.

A spy battle has broken out between Javat and Cadar, we hope this does not affect the war effort. We continue to have strong trade relations between Javat and Thulun. It could be worse…

We have opened up the Starport 4 upgrade, and have queued up all worlds with the major upgrade, at $1250 per one, they are not cheap, but with more than $30k in the treasury, we are not in short supply.

After this major capital outlay ($10K) we still have $22k in the treasury and are making $421 per turn, which is still pretty good when everyone is building something. Normally our profits are over double.

We currently have 8 colonies and a new Cadar colony ship on route to a new system, Yellow star, at the frontline of our boarders with Bollish.
Star Date: 4.12AE

We created a first generation Termite but it was less than effective for our needs, we have decided to wait for the appropriate technologies to enable us to increase the ship mass, so that all of our desired upgrades can be fitted.

Mine upgrades have also been delayed while we focus on the required techs for our new fleet of peace keepers.

---- Time Lapse Scene ---
It has been sometime since my last entry…

We have upgraded all of our ship designs and will look at refreshing our fleet, to ensure we have the best possible equipment at our disposal.



We have sent a swarm of Termites to nearby Zytoc world, the lessor of the three nearby (white dwarf), to begin negotiations; we hope they will see our desire is purely for the betterment of this sector.

We have seen an increased activity of Bollish after their previous attempts to invade our space, they have started to send out uninvited colony ships and additional war fleets. We are on a heightened alert status. It is only a matter of time before we start seeing more drastic methods implemented by this new threat to the sector.
DEFCON 2; RED ALERT!
All leave cancelled all leave and forces are at the ready, prepare to launch.

Our swarm of Termites, made up of four Termite’s, has been in steady negotiations with the Zytox, White Dwarf system, many of their population has decided to leave this system, this has also seen some decay in their defences and the quality of the system. We are very happy with how the negotiations are progressing; we are sure to reach an agreement shortly.



The threat from Bollish continues to escalate.
We are ever vigilant…

We have developed new mining technologies and upgraded all of our mines in the process. Our economy is STRONG!, with 48K in the treasury and $798+ of profit (more when not busy with upgrades), we are secure in our approach to the security of the Empire.

We have 3 new fledgling core worlds under development; our focus will be on defences and military strength for the frontline Cadar system, politics and research for our new Thulun colony at the furthest reaches of our sector of space within this quadrant. Javat continue to be our economic powerhouse, they have colonised a new Red Gas Giant within the secure zone of our space, this is, as usual, a relatively slow development to a mining magnate. Work will continue.

We invested some time into some new political influence, to hopefully get some trade alliances in place for the coming years. Current trade routes have been very profitable; we will continue to strengthen these relationships.

We have also upgraded all of our Palaces (2), this will serve us well during the coming campaign for expansion, providing well deserved R&R for myself and the rest of the oligarchy.

We have been straggling with population issues on Javat Prime; this has caused some moral issues within the population. We have implemented a policy of continued Spice Festivals to maintain a high level of moral whilst we look to complete a number of core technologies (before we can research HAB3). This has been very effective, and since Javat Prime is full (quality), and all structures have been upgraded, there is little else to be done until we can expand the habitats.

Shortly, we will look at developing a fighter squadron with support vessels; this will provide a strong force to combat the growing Bollish threat.

Back to the war room…
There may be sometime before I get the time to post another update.