into the wilds

[Shadow Reaper]

Worthy Lord Montoya has appointed you to lead the 6 month exploratory mission into the recently war ravaged Krell Empire. You will not be cut off from regular supply, but the distance and strained empire access through Xi'an space conspire to hinder any kind of aid coming within reasonable time, so while you should expect new staff to join your team periodically and others to leave, you cannot expect reinforcements in time of trouble. Damaged ships can return to UEE space and be replaced by fresh units, munitions can be refreshed, etc. All the ships need to be able to land (no Idris or Javelin). You should expect regular martial conflict during your tour. You are not to pursue any short-term goals, such as piracy, prospecting or trade. You will need to harvest your own fuel, and may at times need to split your fleet in order to optimize time scanning systems.

Your mission is to reconnoiter, establish any kind of friendly relations possible, arrange any trade agreements possible, act respectfully of any authorities, but also to be aware of any opportunities as they present themselves. You are to survey as much of the Krell star systems as is reasonable, gather maps and intelligence, investigate anything of special interest as regards mining, transportation (gate points), send spies into markets on each developed world you find, etc. Of special interest is any advanced technology you might gain possession of, and if this is significant enough, you are authorized to use lethal force in pursuit of such. You are authorized to negotiate limited technology exchanges with those whom you deem this wise.

You have 150 players who have committed to be signed on regularly during the same hours most days, and you expect to have about 50 team players at any given moment, along with about 100 NPC's. You expect these numbers to flex hourly, and expect them to diminish greatly if you fail to find the fun. In other words, you can very loosely plan to have 50 PC's and 100 NPC's available all the hours your fleet is instanced.

3 questions:

--What ships compose your task force?
--How are your PC's and NPC's assigned?
--How is your team's authority structured?


Example Fleet: 1 Polaris, 1 Avenger, 1 Carrack, 1 StarG, 6 Vanguard, 12 Reliant, 12 Hornet = 34 ships total

Polaris 14 PC + 24 NPC = 38 total
5 Polaris Bridge Crew PC
5 Polaris Turret Gunners PC
1 Polaris Warlock Scout Pilot PC
3 Polaris Master Sargent PC
24 Polaris Marines NPC

Carrack 6 PC + 24 NPC = 30 total
6 Bridge Crew PC
12 Carrack Marines NPC
6 Reliant Sen Pilots NPC
6 Reliant Sen REO NPC

StarG 6 PC +24 NPC = 30 total
6 Bridge Crew PC
12 Marine NPC
6 Reliant Tana Pilot NPC
6 Reliant Tana REO NPC

Vanguard Wing 12 PC + 24 NPC = 36 total
2 Sentinel Pilot PC
2 Sentinel REO PC
4 Hoplite Pilot PC
4 Hoplite Master Sargents PC
24 Hoplite Marines NPC

Hornet Squadron 12 PC

50 PC + 96 NPC = 146

Each of the 5 groups listed above has one Captain who is responsible to the Fleet Commander aboard the Polaris, which is the flagship. Add to this number, any PC and NPC spies. "REO" is a "Rear Equipment Officer" and applies to the second seat in any two-person ship.

 

[Han Burgundy]

1 Carrack, 3 terrapins, 1 freelancer, 1 Star-G, 1 Herald, 8 SuperHornets, and a Crucible.

This doesn't amount to quite the force you were talking about, but I see this as more of a "Tip of the spear" group to go out and establish a beachhead for a larger force. First, find an out-of-the-way and hidden location to set up a temporary planetary base camp. (Assuming the game will have some sort of system to do so) Leave support ships like the Star-G, crucible, and freelancer there until they are needed for their function. Leave some NPCs to guard it while the PCs and their crews are out in the black searching for goodies.

Instead of raw martial power, I would tend to lean on the side of early detection and avoidance for survival. The heart of the fleet will be The Carrack and it will cruise along conducting wide-band, broad detail, scans as it moves. The 3 terrapins will be player controlled and will be used to investigate the pings that the Carrack's scanners uncover to determine whether or not its worthy to stop the fleet over. The hornets will stay with the Carrack and can be called to the aid of the Terrapin scouts if the need arises (They will not venture off TOO far). The Herald will be used as a bit of a solo scout to fly ahead and listen for any pertinent chatter or juicy information that may lead us to our goal or reveal dangerous pockets of space to avoid.

The Star-G can be called out to meet up with the fleet for scheduled refueling, reducing its exposure as a juicy target, and the Crucible will mostly stay at the base to keep it safe and hidden. Freelancer can be used to gather supplies and run inconspicuous flights down to unfriendly marketplaces without drawing too much attention.

I'm at work and dont really have the time to flesh everything out, but as far as command goes; The Big Cheese will park his ass in the Carrack and direct the fleet from there. It's a smaller op, but you can launch several of these groups out to blanket an area. (Not all of them will need a crucible, so perhaps one group will include more quick-response fighters in the form of Vanguards that can be called upon when the shit hits the fan) IDK....a lot of this is crazy speculation on my part about how stuff will work, but this at least sounds like a FUN way to complete the goal. I like these questions.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Your concept has more merit than the one I posted as an example. I didn't think until afterward that it will be years before we'll see instances that can admit 34 ships. The notion of course is to think on what it will take with both ships and players to create the kinds of complex scenarios we at TEST should be best at given our very large size.

I was thinking about Terrapins and the Crucible, but went with Sens just because we can expect they can be refueled by the StarG. I wonder whether we can refuel a Hornet without the Polaris. No word yet just how necessary that butt-ugly refueling probe on the Reliant is.

A word of warning on the Crucible--from the first moment I saw the design I loved the ship and noted there could almost be no other ship so easy to board and steal. I'm not sure you would want it in anything but relatively "safe" space.

A couple observations I would note: first, relying on single person ships for as much as possible is a good idea. If a Polaris can refit a Hornet into different versions of Ghost/Tracker combinations on the fly, swap out weapons, etc., that makes them really useful all the time, and easier for players to jump into the game, play a few hours and jump out, which is a key to success. Secondly, the reason I suggest every ship be able to land is so short haul fighters like the Hornet are not left undefended when their owners are away. At least if they can land, they can hide. The ships with beds will blink away when their owners log, but the Hornets won't be able to do that so special measures need to be taken to keep them safe for all the hours their owners are away--most of every day.

 

[Han Burgundy]

Yeah, I knew that the Crucibles are a pretty big liability when it comes to nomadic fleets. That's why I've always envisioned finding a planet-side cave that's large enough to set a couple of ships down in to store them. That way you would have both the visual and sensor obscurement offered by the mountain perched above your head to keep you hidden. Perhaps it is a pipe dream, but it would feel REALLY awesome to fly back to your hidden "Rebel Base" to hang your hat before logging out. The only issue would be CIG needs to provide a transportable "module" that acts as a persistent landing pad so the hornets don't respawn at the nearest outpost when they log back in.

Ultimately, a lot of strategy will hinge on how they end up fleshing out the systems. For example; Id imagine that a SuperHornet, a military ship, will be able to refuel in-flight [But one could also argue that it's a carrier-based ship and will not have a refueling system built in] Sweet sweet speculation kills the time between updates quite nicely....

 

[FluffyVonRage]

Interesting force compositions - I think I'd put a group of three aquilas in there to act as the core of any ground reconnaissance via rovers, which would keep any Carrack safely out of the firing line - also gives you scope to use them as larger cargo transports incase a secure base cannot be located and hiding an an asteroid field or something similar for an operating base. I think I'd also place some importance on having two wings of three vanguards within any fleet due to their range and durability - they'd make excellent picket ships, and would also work well as a rapid strike force. The presence of a StarG & Carrack within an exploration fleet go without saying :P Depending on ship re-fitting availability I'd run a 3 ghost, 6 Superhornet, 3 tracker hornet wing - split into three groups of 1/2/1 to give a nice balance of firepower/Flexibility. Logically, we'd also have to bring in a Polaris to act as our Flagship, as well as providing a hangar bay to repair and refit the hornet wings.

I'd say the main danger of having a large force, in regards to enjoyment, would be feeling too locked into one role - that or there being too many over-sized groups where players might end up feeling overlooked? Definitely worth looking into finding the balance of force size.

 

[Crymsan]

Most people have covered the sensors, i.e. Carrack, in charge with others as support, probably I would go terrapin but we do not have any accurate specs. Clearly there is a balance of self sufficiency i.e. fuel carrier repair and self defense. It has been suggested NPCs will need cargo space allocation for long missions for their support, food, space nappies etc. If the fleet is large enough I do see the benefit of adding an endeavour, not really for food but as a spawn point via the hospital and hanger for anyone hurt.

I would want some long range fighters along in case it is not a milk run, so even though they are not the best solo fighters I would use Vanguards.

So basic exploration:- Carrack and Terrapin, with a couple of Vanguards,
If the range is to far:- add starfarer and Cruicible and Caterpillar (This is for Cargo space plus a salvage pod because Cruicible uses salvage, possible health pod to but the Carracks maybe large enough, (we just do not know yet).

I would be tempted to add a VAN dur along as a sacrifice in case of trouble, plus that would be another one destroyed!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

That's why I've always envisioned finding a planet-side cave that's large enough to set a couple of ships down in to store them. That way you would have both the visual and sensor obscurement offered by the mountain perched above your head to keep you hidden. Perhaps it is a pipe dream, but it would feel REALLY awesome to fly back to your hidden "Rebel Base" to hang your hat before logging out.

I did this in StarWars Combine. To the best of my knowledge I was the only player building secret bases. I had 3 of them, and used them as private training and hunting grounds, which provided the largest single source of income in that game. When I left I had a very large fleet, and was the top of the famous list for killing so many creatures so often for so long.

The bases were a kick to build and run, especially in that they were right under the noses of players who owned the planets they were on, and who never knew so much was happening in the caves. I do think the idea of at least one secret base is an excellent one, and more than one is an even better idea. I know where I want to put the first one, just I can't say or it wouldn't be "secret"! I think though, CIG does intend to allow us to do this and it is the point behind the asteroid hangar. What I'd really like is a single hangar players can share and that has room for dozens of ships to all be instanced at once. If you have a wing of Vanguard or Hornets it would be cool to see them all lined up together, and a little monorail or some such to get down the flight line would be cool.It would be great if we could install refueling tanks and defenses as well.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I'd say the main danger of having a large force, in regards to enjoyment, would be feeling too locked into one role - that or there being too many over-sized groups where players might end up feeling overlooked?

Yes, I think what is required for this kind of play will be very demanding, and if those leading screw it up, people will just leave. You have to provide variety as well as accountability, and if the group doesn't find fun people will not stay.

If for example, a fleet like this finds an interesting and unexplored planet, everyone will want to be down on the surface, so how do you keep some sort of discipline so that if a threat arises, you're ready to cope with it? It is a full-time executive job just to organize rotations and such so you can keep your cover, and people on the bridges of all the bigger ships. And think too what it would be like if you sign up for fighter escort and nothing happens every night for a week, which is quite plausible. How many fighters will stick it out and be there when you need them, and how many will just go off and fly standard missions to get some action? Keeping everyone busy, and providing them variety is going to be key in planning, IMHO.

 

[Pander]

If this was my mission i would have something like the below

Moving quietly, not getting under the xi'an fleet & all info we can

Main Scouting group
2 x freelancer Dur
1 x freelancer mis
3 x dragonflies in the cargo hold

Freelancers crew
1 x Captain
1 x Bridge Crew
2 X Scout Marines

Total PC Crew x 12
Total NPC Crew x 0

This group operates slightly more interdependently than from the main group
First through jump points first on planets

The low sig engines of the freelancer with good efficiency good firepower and plenty of missiles
with a make do snub fighter if things are really urgent

This team can run any scouting mission very well
exploring planets and drifting space hulks with ease with dragon flies
scanning planets with the dur
good speed and and a nice amount of firepower

all pc required as they need to rely on each other 100%


Shard 1
2 x Connie Aquila
1 x captain each
3 x PC Crew
4 x NPC Crew

Total PC x 8
Total NPC x 8

total Crew 16

Shard 2
2 x Connie Aquila
1 x captain each
3 x PC Crew
4 x NPC Crew

Total PC x 8
Total NPC x 8

total Crew 16

Keeping things versatile
We have a group that can perform any mission required by it
two snub fighters ursa rovers for exploration
connie flexibility

Keg 1

1 x Carrack
1 x Scout Admiral
5 x PC Crew
6 x NPC Marines

Total
6 x PC
6 x npc

Total 12 Crew

Keg 2

1 x Carrack
1 x PC captain
5 x PC Crew
6 x NPC Marines

Total
6 x PC
6 x npc

Total 12 Crew


Freelancer Wing 1
2 xFreelancer mis
1 x PC Captain
1 x PC Crew
2 x NPC Crew
2 x Dragonfly

Totals
4 x PC
4 x NPC

See Scout 1 above
Being able to add missles wherever the group needs its
extra marines where needed

Freelancer Wing 2
3 x freelancer DUR
1 x PC Captain
1 x PC Crew
2 x NPC Crew

Totals
6 x PC
6 x NPC

See scout 1
Freelancer durs for traveling where needed added onto units when needed

Vanguard 1
2 x vanguard
2 x npc Crew

Vanguard 2
2 x vanguard
2 x npc Crew

Long range vanguards for protection

Reliant Team
10 x Misc reliant sens
20 x npcs

EDIT- 20npcs
10 x science NPC
10 x Test Marine

1 marine and 1 science officer assigned to each

Long range Sen team that can be used for scouting and swarming targets

50 PC
56 NPC

some notes

Move nice and quiet
anything thats fast enough to keep pace with carracks will get missled or shen spammed
anything else we simply avoid


due to the plentiful redundancies if we lose a ship its not a big deal it can be filled in from another freelancer, or a group of sens can jump in merge connie teams together

depending on the mission parameters groups can be added to one another

Freelancer mis can be replaced with vanguard vice versa

Everything has a long range or high efficiency with the slowest moving elements being carracks
and even these are tough

This also covers the amount of npc ships as players may only be able to hire enough crew for one other ship (im not sure on how npcs will work)

But now there is one npc ship to one PC ship


Plenty of cargo space on over half of the ships
And i believe the connie cargo space is sheilded so xi'an can see what we are taking back without causing an incident