Science! (and what it can do for -you-)

[Dave Baughman]

OK, guys, here is a very rough outline of the R&D projects I am kicking around. Please take a look and tell me what you would like to see that is not already here.

-General R&D (basically the random roll we already have)
-HPG Technology
-Black Box Technology
-Communications Enhancements (chatterweb, etc, also known as "beyond Advanced Provider")
-Exploration
-Technology Transfer (legacy version for ground forces)
-Add new design (harder)/variant (easier) to equipment table
-Swap two rows on equipment table
-Build Nuclear Weapons
-Build Chemical Weapons
-Develop Biological Weapons [requires multi-step R&D path]
-Develop Cyberware [requires multi-step R&D path]
-Create prototype (step 1 in the custom design R&D path - easy)
-Develop new design (step 2 in the custom design R&D path - gets something custom into general production - hard)
-Develop new variant (alternate step 2 - get something custom into general production with significant limitations - not so hard)
-Enhanced Investigate
-Training more than one unit per turn



This is not intended as a final list, just a reflection of what is in my notes at this moment.

[Daemonknight]

Develop Weapons Technology(research new/future weapons technology)

Refurbish Design(update designs with Star Leauge or Clan technology)

Upgrade Industrial Base(increase Capacity of MFs or SYs, multi-step -or- incrimental increase(.25, .5, .75, 1)

Upgrade Industrial Efficency(decrease speed of build projects; once per turn, must target a multi-turn build project(IC, ComHub, SY), must pay full cost in addition to this project's cost)

Jump Drive Technology(increase hex/turn ratio, increase range of VIP movements, increase range of SF team movements, ect...)
*Special-Command Circuits: longer CCs, ability to 'cross' CCs, higher capacity CCs, ect...)


I'm sure more will come to me later.

[Jeyar]

Improved colonization tech (multi level)? 

[Daemonknight]

On that idea;

Improve USIIR(reduce time required to upgrade newly colonized world from Member to Control)


Its currently 6 turns, yes?

[august]

Maybe let the clanners try to develop new phenotypes?

[Cannonshop]

Kinetic Bombardment: the Poor Man's Nuke.

Requirements: Research Roll, Mobile Aerospace unit (max FP 6, Elite experience level).

Damage: FPx10*

*On a miss, strike hits any civil infrastructure, on a damage/Crit of 12, degrade planet 1 step National Capital becomes Regional, Regional Cap. becomes Control, Control becomes Member-if a control world with infrastructure is degraded in this fashion, all hex elements are automatically off-line for 3 turns +1 turn for each potential point of damage in the strike, and can not be salvaged until planetary infrastructure is restored.

Kinetic Bombardment generates Terror per Nuclear Terror rules.

Process: a KB strike must be launched two combat rounds prior to hitting, and may be intercepted by the defender.  In the case of interception, the defending force must make a combat roll against the bombardment, and reduces the damage of the strike per the appropriate table.  On a roll of 12 in this case, the defender successfully stops the entire strike.

Example:

House Chronic Gluteal Pain (Designated House GP for this Exercise) launches an invasion of planet shitty rock, among the GP's forces is the 111th ratscrewing aerospace Troupe (6FP Aero, Elite).

Round 1, the GP's launch a KB strike against the defenders of shitty rock, Clan Nastycaseaworms. (designated Clan N for this exercise)  Roll to-hit.  (GP rolls 10)
           Clan N doesn't want to have their shitty rock hammered this soon, so they dispatch a fighter group to stop the strike-the 13th Leeroy Jenkins Cluster (Aero, 60FP)

Interception roll: potential damage is 60FP, Clan N's response is 60 fp, roll on simpres combat table.  Clan N rolls a 6, the rocks roll a 4.

Bombardment is now reduced by 30% (1/3rd) resulting in  a potential energy of 40 FP next round-it will hit the following round, giving the defenders a chance to try and stop it again, in this case with their own forces degraded by 20% (48 FP), assuming that the invaders don't move to stop the interception, that is...

Round 2, everyone else is fighting, the invading GP's ignore the efforts of Clan N to stop the incoming rocks. (poor strategy, unless the invading forces are kinda short on fighter cover or something...nyuck-nyuck..)

Clan N rolls 9, the rocks roll 10.  Note that this doesn't stop the impact next turn, but it has reduced it some, maybe enough that it won't hash up EVERYTHING on the planet...unless the defenders are supremely un-lucky today.

55% of 48  (Defending aerospace) leaves 26.4 (round to nearest half) 26.5 out of 40-resulting in 13.5 FP damage (with Terror and possible infrastructural damage, etc.) beyond any hope of stopping.

60% of 40 is 24, leaving 16FP of defending aero to (I guess) try and fight the invading army coming in behind the rocks.

Round 3: Damage!!

Rocks hit, Simpres said when they were targeted in round 1

Base damage 14.5

Round 4: House GP finally lands their troops.


(okay, if anyone thinks I'm serious about this...)

[Cannonshop]

On a more serious note...

Crypto/encryption breaking/signals intelligence: This capability reduces the difficulty of intelligence-gathering rolls when used offensively, or increases the difficulty of hostile intel-gathering operations.

Requirements: IC or Provider status, Research roll of 11 or better to gain the capability to TRY and crack into enemy systems. Each target costs 10RP base, Plus any bonus RP spent.

SigInt used offensively requires a new roll for each additional target with a difficulty reduced by 1 for each 10 points of RP spent on the operation, once one has cracked a targeted faction's codes, it remains active until the targeted faction spends the 5RP for counter intelligence AND beats the initial roll.

While SigInt is in play, all intel gathering rolls against the target faction are reduced to 1/2 listed cost, and difficulty is 6.


"Gentlemen, do not read other Gentlemen's Mail..."-Cordell Hull, just before Pearl Harbor.


Surveillance Capability: Required: Aerospace Unit, Veteran experience, size cap .5FP (minimum is .25FP), Research Roll 10 or better, Black Box capability.

Method: Requires Naval Recon or Special/Covert mission.  after the recon passes through, a small portion (.25 to .5 RP) is left behind in a concealed location, able to report back to the originating force on developments.  Current Naval Recon rules provide a "Snapshot" of what was in the system when the recon group went through, this provides continuous data on Naval elements moving in, through, and out of the target system for up to 3 turns.  (if you don't realize what kind of useful that is, shame on you!)

[Cannonshop]

Goofing around with more that will be rejected...(because it's late, and Dave asked...)

Efficient Logistics:

Type 1:
For each design 'sacrificed' from the table (i.e. for each model or configuration of fighter, 'mech, tank, etc.) reduce cost of new units produced by .1 RP/FP, only applies to 'mech scale and smaller designs (such as Battlesuits, Tanks/vees, 'mechs, or ASF).  This represents needing fewer variant models, variant ammunition types, spares, etc.-note that this does not help in rebuilding captured equipment unless the equipment is of the right type and model.

Requirements: More than one factory owned by the faction, Research Roll 9 or higher.

Type 2: Applies to dropships.

"During WWII, the Germans alone fielded over fifty different types of eight and nine milimeter small-arms rounds-all incompatible with each other.  The United STates fielded three calibers of small arms, four if you count the .50 caliber Machine Gun..."

[Cannonshop]

BTW: what does "Cyberware" refer to, precisely? are we just talking about installing electronics in people, (ala Manei Domini) or does it include research into artificial intelligence type technologies, electronic warfare (strategic grade, network penetration, hacking technologies and the like?)

[Daemonknight]

Cyberware is human-computer interface systems, ala Manei Domini, according to CBT. Clantech EI is a first basic step on that path I would think.

[Jeyar]

Goofing around with more that will be rejected...(because it's late, and Dave asked...)

Efficient Logistics:

Type 1:
For each design 'sacrificed' from the table (i.e. for each model or configuration of fighter, 'mech, tank, etc.) reduce cost of new units produced by .1 RP/FP, only applies to 'mech scale and smaller designs (such as Battlesuits, Tanks/vees, 'mechs, or ASF).  This represents needing fewer variant models, variant ammunition types, spares, etc.-note that this does not help in rebuilding captured equipment unless the equipment is of the right type and model.

Requirements: More than one factory owned by the faction, Research Roll 9 or higher.

Type 2: Applies to dropships.

"During WWII, the Germans alone fielded over fifty different types of eight and nine milimeter small-arms rounds-all incompatible with each other.  The United STates fielded three calibers of small arms, four if you count the .50 caliber Machine Gun..."

Since many of my aerospace forces used to consist of only one design before the new spreadsheet...

[Dave Baughman]

BTW: what does "Cyberware" refer to, precisely? are we just talking about installing electronics in people, (ala Manei Domini) or does it include research into artificial intelligence type technologies, electronic warfare (strategic grade, network penetration, hacking technologies and the like?)

Cyberware is human-computer interface systems, ala Manei Domini, according to CBT. Clantech EI is a first basic step on that path I would think.

The Cyberware R&D path was done with EI and Manei Domini in mind as examples, but I don't see why the higher levels of the path couldn't eventually lead to lostech along the lines of what the Star League had in near-AI and related technologies. Of course, it'll also be interesting to find out what the "Machina Domini" that are supposedly going to be in Final Reckoning are all about...

[Daemonknight]

I want to replace my mechwarriors with AIs utilizing Cloud Computing.



yes, i want Battledrones. I want to miniaturize the Caspar systems, and put them in battlemechs. If you think about it, the actual controls would be far simpler, its the AI systems that would need to be developed. More difficult, is the secure communications networks to allow the different units to speak to each other. And command heirarchy would actually work perfectly aswell, because in a Clan style structure, all 5 points would be a single cloud, all Star Commanders would be another, all Star Captains another, and all Star Colonels another. It can scale perfectly, because each 'officer' system is defined by being in 2 simultaneous clouds: meaning that information can theoreticlly be passed from one side of a planet to another, if a unit is spread out, depending on the communications protocols.

shortwave would work perfectly: its encryptable, its cheap and easy, and its so versatile considering that you can bounce the signal around the world.

[Cannonshop]

BTW: what does "Cyberware" refer to, precisely? are we just talking about installing electronics in people, (ala Manei Domini) or does it include research into artificial intelligence type technologies, electronic warfare (strategic grade, network penetration, hacking technologies and the like?)

Cyberware is human-computer interface systems, ala Manei Domini, according to CBT. Clantech EI is a first basic step on that path I would think.

The Cyberware R&D path was done with EI and Manei Domini in mind as examples, but I don't see why the higher levels of the path couldn't eventually lead to lostech along the lines of what the Star League had in near-AI and related technologies. Of course, it'll also be interesting to find out what the "Machina Domini" that are supposedly going to be in Final Reckoning are all about...

It would actually seem like a less...intensive...development for the larger, as opposed to small-enough-to-implant systems to be first or earlier, with a division on the tech tree after you get to DNI/EI style implantation.  it's harder to make small, compact systems after all-I could see a fundamental rift here.

For instance, the B3tti system used in the Star League Era "trainer" ASF (iirc, it was one of the hellcats) is miles different from DNI/VDNI/Manei Domini style technology, and bears a closer resemblance to the expert-system tech used in the Mk19 Blackwasp, both of which are closer in tech-tree terms to the automation on a Clan-built Fredasa corvette, than to EI implantation.

Integration of computers/interfaces into people is more of a medical than a true computing development, and has no real resemblance to the development of near-AI or True AI systems.  While having some crossover, the two trees are radically different in concept and execution.

[Jeyar]

What about less... military "cyberwear"?

Like the FarLookers by a few years "ago" had technologies that aided in colonization of worlds that normally humans wouldn't be able to easily colonize (air and liver filters, gills, eye gear and things of that nature). Not really military gear, but still tech going into humans...