Fire On The Suns: New Technologies Volume 4

Fire On The Suns

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Volume IV

A Compendium of New Technologies for the Fire On The Suns Universe

Compiled by Greg Ellis

Produced by Fire On The Suns Publishing

Smashwords Edition

Fire On The Suns Publishing

1927 W. Houston St. #1

Broken Arrow, OK 74012

An e-publishing company located on the Internet

www.fire-on-the-suns.com

Fire On The Suns: New Technologies Volume IV  Copyright 2013 by Greg Ellis.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of America by Fire On The Suns Publishing, an e-publishing company located on the Internet at www.fire-on-the-suns.com.

Greg Ellis, President

Fire On The Suns Publishing

1927 W. Houston St. #1

Broken Arrow, OK 74012

First Edition, 2013

Race Design Options

Cultural optimism

A state with cultural optimism is just generally more content than other societies. Each level of cultural optimism costs 5 AP and provides +5 SR.

Cultural pessimism

A state with cultural optimism is just generally much less happy, well-adjusted, or inclined to look on the bright side than other societies. Each level of cultural optimism gives the player back 5 AP and carries a -20 SR.

Obsessive expansionism

An obsessively expansionist state has a citizenry that requires its government in no uncertain terms to make the state bigger by whatever means necessary. The state suffers –20 SR and an additional –20 PSR on any turn in which the state’s RP potential in colonies does not increase by at least 10% over that of the previous turn. Obsessive expansionism is worth 5 AP as a disadvantage.

Pacifist sentiments

This is a 0 AP race design option. A race with pacifist sentiments is not especially thrilled about engaging in warfare. The SR modifiers for fleet size, ground unit force size, and war status are as follows:

Fleet size:

Small Fleet +10

Large Fleet +/-0

Very Large Fleet -10

Size of Ground Forces:

Small Ground Forces +10

Large Ground Forces +/-0

Very Large Ground Forces -10

Political State:

Peace (w/no known neighbors) +10

Peace (w/o hostile neighbors) +15

Peace (w/hostile neighbors) +10

Limited War +5

War +/-0

A race with pacifist sentiments will ordinarily have attitudes more toward the peaceful end of the spectrum, but this is not strictly required. It’s possible that some races will be unable to deal with aliens by any means other than shooting at them while still being not that enthusiastic about it. Pacifist sentiments are not compatible with Militarism.

Societal resignation

Societal resignation is intended primarily as a 10 AP race design ability. It can be researched and implemented in-game, but it requires ten turns from acquisition before it goes into effect; it takes a considerable amount of time to sink in. A state with societal resignation is one with a populace that is unusually tolerant of unpleasantries and even abuse. SR penalties are halved. This is not cumulative with Harmonizing; societal resignation is, in fact, essentially Harmonizing as a cultural effect instead of a psionic one.

Unstable government

A state with this disadvantage has a generally volatile political culture, is in fact simply a loose coalition of smaller states, or suffers some functionally similar governmental problems. Unstable government is worth 5 AP as a disadvantage and gives the state –40 PSR.

Virulent isolationism

This is intended primarily as a 5 AP race design option, but states with appropriate information and political controls can research and institute it in game. However, it takes effect only ten turns after the beginning of implementation. A state with virulent isolationism is proud of its non-contact or limited contact with other civilizations. The state receives a 3 point SR bonus per state with which it could have a trade relationship but does not. This total includes any states that have the isolationist state as Most Favored Partner without the isolationist state returning the status; there is another source of pride in having that sort of economic domination over a subject state. Being able to have a trade relationship with a state is solely a matter of knowing the state exists and being able to trace a trade path to it; being barred from trade due to cultural mercantilism does not prevent having the SR bonus for non-trade with these states.

Technologies

Advanced agricultural science

This technology increases the ability of industry to use Food/Agricultural Products SRP’s and the ability of the research establishment to advance their applications further. Advanced agricultural science may be researched up to two levels. Each level adds 50% to the effective funding of technologies to do specifically with Food/Agricultural Products SRP’s. In addition, each Food/Agricultural Products SRP generated in the state gets an additional .5 SRP’s per level. Thus, if a planet produces 200 Food/Agricultural Products SRP's normally, it will produce 300 Food/Agricultural Products SRP’s with one level of advanced metallurgy and 400 with two levels.

Advanced metallurgy

This technology increases the ability of industry to use Iron/Steel and Aluminum SRP’s and the ability of the research establishment to advance their applications further. Advanced metallurgy may be researched up to two levels. Each level adds 50% to the effective funding of technologies to do specifically with Iron/Steel or Aluminum SRP’s. In addition, each Iron/Steel or Aluminum SRP generated in the state gets an additional .5 SRP’s per level. Thus, if a planet produces 200 Iron/Steel SRP's normally, it will produce 300 Iron/Steel SRP’s with one level of advanced metallurgy and 400 with two levels.

Advanced point defense

This requires point defense as a prerequisite and has no application without it. Advanced point defense allows for PD values over 90, up to PD 99. These higher levels require considerably more research and expense to achieve; they result from pushing the hypothetical performance envelope of point defense systems short of Beyond Warp tech levels. Advanced point defense is researched per point of PD value over 90; for example, advanced PD for a PD value of 91 requires one Research and Development advance in advanced PD. The cost of points of advanced PD is 2 points (6.67 RP's base) per point of PD value. Thus, PD 99 would require nine successful Research plus Development efforts in advanced PD research and a cost of 36 points (120 RP's base). A unit must have at least PD 50 from conventional point defense to use PD from advanced point defense; it cannot (e.g.) get PD 90 from ESG's, web snare generators, and datalinked point defense and then pile advanced PD on top of that.

Advanced organic science

This technology increases the ability of industry to use Organics SRP’s and the ability of the research establishment to advance their applications further. Advanced organic science may be researched up to two levels. Each level adds 50% to the effective funding of technologies to do specifically with Organics SRP’s. In addition, each Organics SRP generated in the state gets an additional .5 SRP’s per level. Thus, if a planet produces 200 Organics SRP's normally, it will produce 300 Organics SRP’s with one level of advanced metallurgy and 400 with two levels. Biotechnology is not a prerequisite for advanced organic science, but it will certainly be helpful given the sources of Organics SRP’s it can provide.

Advanced time warp facilitators

Time warp facilitators are a prerequisite technology. Advanced time warp facilitators act as standard time warp facilitators for combat. However, they can also be used outside of combat for extended periods of time, allowing the unit with them to have two turns' worth of activity for every turn the rest of the universe experiences. Movement rates are doubled, as are build and repair rates. Market pods, orbital industry bays, type 2 lab bays, and any other similar RP-producing system of whatever kind on the unit have doubled output, up to whatever caps may apply to them. If an R&D project is making use of standard labs on the unit, it has a second roll made of its success chances in that turn. The effective funding of that second roll is equal to [effective funding to date x (number of accelerated labs)/100]. The unit has doubled supply needs as well. Advanced time warp facilitators occupy 20% of the equipment spaces of the unit and cost 4 points (13.33 RP's base) per equipment space.

Aggressive formations

This technology introduces tactical doctrines and dispositions that increase the combat effectiveness of units maneuvering in an especially aggressive fashion in combat. Each level of aggressive formations technology provides units able to employ it 10 point bonuses to their TARGET and YIELD values. The units are making very close passes on enemy units, with little regard to retreat. Any unit making use of aggressive formations must have a BREAK or DAMAGE value of 75% or higher. Aggressive formations are available to all units immediately as a software refit.

Amphibious troops

Powered armor, space marine, marine, and mecha units with this capability may operate with reasonable effectiveness underwater for a 15% unit surcharge (although they obviously don't have the endurance of a true vehicle--they can retreat from battles into the ocean and be deployed by submarine or from undersea bases). (Credit: James Butler with Jeff Engel)

Ammunition-based point defense

Standard FOTS point defense is based on energy weapons, without a need for any ammunition. Ammunition-based point defense intercepts incoming fire with solid munitions, typically derived from railgun or missile weaponry. It shares a Research stage with standard PD, as the targeting systems required to make either work are very similar. Baseline missile or railgun capability is a prerequisite for ammunition-based PD, and so races which have lost both of these to disadvantages cannot research ammunition-based PD.

Ammunition based PD gives the unit a PD tag, just like standard PD. It has no direct space requirement and a maximum value of PD 90, again like standard PD. It differs in that it is cheaper and requires replenishment of a finite ammunition supply. The cost is 1 point (3.33 RP's base) per 10 PD value. Ammunition supply is not tracked within a battle, due to technical limitations. Instead, any given unit is considered able to use ammunition-based PD in any given battle if it has 10 or more rounds of ammunition for it available at the beginning of that combat, and not otherwise. A unit has a basic magazine capacity for PD ammunition equal to its base hull, which can be increased with additional magazines just as if it were any other form of ammunition. A round of fire is built as if it were a missile with a cost of .1 RP's each, in either dedicated PD ammunition factories (exactly analogous to missile factories) or shipyards. A unit uses one round of ammunition for each round of combat in which it participates in which there is any enemy missile fire at all. (The ammunition is considered expended even if the unit is never a target of the missiles, both for purposes of technical ease and for the likelihood of PD fire against hostile missiles before it is absolutely confirmed that the unit mounting the PD is the missiles' target.)

Ammunition-based PD may be used for AEGIS systems in theory, and ammunition-based AEGIS has the same halved cost relative to standard AEGIS. Ammunition-based AEGIS coverage is limited by the number of missile launchers and/or the total damage value of railguns assigned to it. The AEGIS ship must carry sufficient ammunition for each unit it covers; the gross amount of ammunition this requires seriously limits the practicality of ammunition-based AEGIS systems.

Anti-missile evasive maneuvering

This technology involves maneuvering patterns, along possibly with trained reflexive adjustments to the unit's realspace drive signature, that together serve to break certain missile lock-ons. The net effect is a PD value for units based partly on DEFENSE modifiers for maneuverability. A unit with anti-missile evasive maneuvering pays a 15% unit surcharge for it, representing largely crew training. The unit then receives a PD value calculated as follows. The base value is PD 10. Any bonuses for extra agility, vernian thrusters, Dancing, or similar generators of DEFENSE increase that value by one half their DEFENSE bonus total, or one third of it in the case of starships. (They simply haven't got the fleetness of maneuver for the full benefit.) For example, a fighter with a pilot with one level of extra agility and vernian thrusters gets a DEFENSE 25 modifier. If it has anti-missile evasive maneuvering, it receives also a PD value of 23 - the base 10, plus 25 divided by two and rounded up, or 13. Additional research in anti-missile evasive maneuvering increases this value by 25%, up to a maximum of a 100% bonus to the base figured value or PD 50, whichever comes first. This PD is cumulative with other PD sources; it generally won't benefit from most PD-boosting technologies. Units may receive improvements in their anti-missile evasive maneuvering in standard refits; there is no additional cost, but the improved training isn't something pilots pick up without simulator or other training time, assumed to occur during the process of a standard hardware refit.

Anti-missile missiles

Anti-missile missiles are munitions, fired as XO missiles from some platform or another, that destroy enemy missiles present in the first round of combat. They cannot be used later in a battle, as the target environment is too confused at that point. Also, they cannot be used when friendly forces are surprised or otherwise unable to pick out enemy launch platforms going into combat. Each anti-missile missile costs .05 RP’s and eliminates one enemy XO missile. These are simply not entered into the enemy fleet file. Alternatively, enemy units using an AMMO 1 tag and a torpedo value for their XO missiles will have their torpedo ratings reduced appropriately. If MIRV missiles are available, anti-missiles missiles can be mounted on them, one per standard warhead, with the cost figured at .05 RP’s per anti-missile missile carried.

APC-equipped Space Marine and Powered Armor units

This technology allows space marines and powered armored units the added advantages of armored personnel carriers that they can use or not as they see