>>24064762
We should name the new colony/ fort after our father.

Did that parliamentarian accompany us as the new Lotd Governor of this territory?

>Launch site

There's really only one option

WE SHALL NAME IT TANNHAUSER GATE

>>24064762

We should name it.... hmm...

>>24065022

Yeah. This.

>>24065022
The official name shall be the Tannhäuser Orbital Launch and Command Facility.
Locally it shall the Tannhäuser Gate.

Your new island (which you are now the duchess of) is located several thousand miles southeast of midland exactly on the equator. It's ring shaped, a simple coral reef sitting on top of an extinct underwater volcano, and as far as you can tell completely uninhabited before your men arrived.

It's all a far cry from fort Adler, and sometimes it's quite easy to forget there is still work to be done. Last night your satellite's batteries finally died, if you aren't careful, people might forget about you now.
Construction is under way of a Mansion to serve as your new estate, a launch pad and workshop for rockets, and a small town housing the enlisted members of the rocket corps, and civilian tradesmen.

Sir Harker has also re-located his aviation company to this island, building a small airfield near the launch pad. In fact you think you hear his airplane now. Because you still don't have a man rated spacecraft yet, he's taken to delivering the mail. You wonder if Ms Kenaway has replied to your last letter.

>>24065216
Harker's probably bringing the reply now. We should probably go and meet him, get that letter as soon as possible.
Also, requesting overview of current assets, designs, and reliability statistics.

>>24065216
We shall inquire as to the progress on the facilities, and if we may begin the process of designing the Mk. 4 Rocket, as well as refining the modules.

>>24065216
For our next accomplishment, we should design a module that can take pictures of the Earth from space and transmit them back down to us via radio. Pictures from space would be an excellent PR victory.

>>24065337

Very much this. What is the status on being able to beam them back? Getting something back FROM space would also be good.

>>24064992
Yes, Lord governor Savard is much enjoying his new station.
And you also have a new title. Princess Lydia Von Cygnus Gates, Duchess of Tannhäuser.

>>24065282
The colonel tells you that construction on the machine shop is finished, and that with your current facilities you can build rockets up to size 6. It will be possible to upgrade the max size even further if you build a larger hangar. There is however no limit to the amount of rocket parts you can build, only size.

>>24065373
In theory it should be possible to build a radioscope equipped satellite, but your staff lack the proper facilities to develop that. But it should be possible to launch a satellite with a camera and then recover the photographic plates.

>>24065275
As you discuss this, the plane comes in for a landing.

>>24065442
What is required to develop radioscopes and a radioscope satellite? We shall have to consider developing them, if only so that we can produce civilian applications in order to win more fund from the Appropriations Committee.

>plane arrives
We shall go to meet Sir Harker.

>>24065442

A size 6 can get a lot done, let's build a good one and standardize on it for a while.

We'll need a good pilot for the recovery!

>>24065216
We should ensure that we have the cooperation of the Navy in both logistically supplying and defending this colony in the unlikely event of attack.

Also, given the sensitive nature of the research, can we institute a system of background checks and military clearance zones for people to get into the island, as well as on the island itself?

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Sir Harker marches up to you and bows before handing you a letter. "Your Highness, a letter from Mis Kenaway."

It reads.

"Dear Lydia, I hope everything is well in your new home. I have just finished my studies and returned home to Merika. Increadible news! I have managed to convince my father to allow me to establish my own rocket program in a Ranch west of the city! I will have to take up your challenge! See you on the Moon!"
-Jakisan Kenaway First daughter of Merika.

>>24065631

Woot!

We should make sure the letter is leaked. Like, leave it somewhere etc.

>>24065631
"Sir Harker, we trust that the move of your aerial company has progressed without incident? How are you finding our new home here?"

>>24065652
I'm sure that if we send a copy of this to Amelia, it'll be news across the Kingdom by the dinner of that day.

>>24065631

We should write her back asking for at least a hello-there picture, for the sake of fairness!

>>24065709

Yes.

>>24065652
Nothing quite like a good space race to increase funding!

>>24065670
He chuckles. "If only I were allowed to sell my estate and lay off my servants, but my entail forbids that."

>>24065709
>>24065719
You begin writing your reply and forward a copy to Amelia back home. Do you wish to also invite her here, or do you want to keep her in the castle as a contact?

>>24065837
We shall invite Amelia to the Tannhäuser Gate for an extended visit. Spending half of her time here and half of her time back on the mainland may work best.

Since we can construct a Mass 6 Rocket with our new workshop, should we skip straight past the Mass 3 Rocket and go straight to Mass 6?

>>24065928
I think we learned all we could from it.

GodMother, since the facility is still under construction, how much of the new budget is actually available for us to use?

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>>24065928
>>24066012


You head to the workshop to find the Colonel looking over the blueprints.
Mk2
>Type: Probe, Mass 1, Reliability 4/3
Mk3
>Type: First stage, Mass 1, Reliability 5/4
Camera Module
>Type: Mapper, Mass 1, Reliability 16/12.
Guidance module
>Type: unmanned control system, Mass 1, Reliability 16/12
Radolight beacon
>Type: Waylight, Mass 1, Reliability 18/14

We have 30 RnD points to spend this turn. Inventing a mass 6 rocket will cost 18 points, and building the prototype will cost another 6 more. And upgrading it will cost 6 points per level of upgrades.

Your horoscope also tells you that you have 2 luck points.

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>>24066128
>We have 30 RnD points to spend this turn. Inventing a mass 6 rocket will cost 18 points, and building the prototype will cost another 6 more. And upgrading it will cost 6 points per level of upgrades.

It's beginning... to all come together.

>>24066128
Invent the Mass 6 Rocket. What mythical figure of great strength can we name it after?
>-18 RP
Build a Prototype of the Mk. 4 Rocket.
>-6 RP
Improve Camera Module to Reliability 13/10
>-5 RP
Improve Guidance Module to Reliability 15/12
>-1 RP

>>24066178

It's a huge rocket! Drawing from what we've learned from the Mk3, we know that it will let us do more than just send a person in space just to say we did. For one, it can send a person up there with enough provisions that over time a map of the globe can be generated even if we can't get the transmitters to work. If we trade provisions for fuel it can even send something out to

>>24066243

The extra point is in reserve.


I suppose we could call it Atlas? Or maybe name it after a famous ship. I'm partial to Aeolus, but that's me.

The extra research can be spent on the guidance a bt more.

>>24066243
The Arcangel I class of rockets.

>>24066340
Can we carry over RnD Points? I thought we had to spend them or lose them.

>>24066342

Looks like we're going with A names.

There is one important consideration to make: if anything goes less than perfectly right as far as tiing goes, a Void Knight may land pretty much anywhere on the planet.

We'll have to live with a capsule being reverse-engineered by another nation, realistically, but it's important that Void Knights be granted diplomat status so that they are covered by existing repatriation treaties.
>>24066357

The WhatGoesUp rules specify that they cann be carried over. GodMother's call if this is the case, of course.

>>24066375

Derp. They CAN be carried over. Extra n in there.


http://emlia.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=WhatGoesUp.NewGameplay

>>24066357
A new turn begins when you run out of points. I supose you could save one up.

>>24066375
Oh my suggestion of calling them Void Knights was adopted? Awesome!

Knights of the Void also works, heh.

>>24066178
That picture... it sums up my life perfectly. I can die happy now, knowing that Space Core has finally made his dream come true.

>>24065216

... We have a volcano base.

Is Minerva joining us? (Is she going to bring a C-beam projector?)

>>24066128
How much would building a picture-taking module- either radio transmission or plate-dropping- cost? PR victory is best victory at these early stages.

>>24066594

We should ask Sir Harker what trials he recommends for Void Knights -- the sollecitations are as great as those for a test pilot, only worse.

He's welcome to toss his hat in, but by no means has a guaranteed spot: he already has brought his house glory for generations after all!

>>24066444
Then we shall save one point, though I don't see the use.
Let us proceed to the next turn.

>>24066528
Minerva has followed you here. Although she's not been doing much. Her laboratories are back home.

>>24066629
Sir Harker says a piloting tournament might be appropriate, he claims it is possible to simulate the G-Forces that would be encountered in a rocket by maneuvering at high speed. As per the laws of universal motion.

>>24066594
With a mass 6 rocket we can send a Void Knight and a camera in one capsule, we don't need automatic guidance systems for this.

>>24066720

It'd be a waste to hold it here, of course, such a thing should be seen by all. We are of the opinion that moving in the Void must be a little like swimming, so maybe a pylon race for which the pilots have to reach the aircrafts and takeoff strip by swimming?

(There was an old car race that picked starting positions by having pilots run to their cars, IIRC)

>>24066777

The human element is important, I agree. Of course the military will be more interested in unmanned systems, but...

Can we develop atmospheric craft as well? Because, you know, Skyranger.

>>24066847

I vote we don't worry about that yet, there's an Air Force for that, but there's no reason why they shouldn't crib from our research!

(By the way, you are aware of the xcom let'splays right?)

>>24066899
I'm aware that such thing exists, yes, and I even watched one some time ago, but why're you asking about it?

We're still months away from even having the capsule ready.

Let's move on to the next turn so that we can develop the technologies we need.

Fuck, we don't even have a capsule designed yet.

>>24066939

http://lparchive.org/X-COM-UFO-Defense/

Because you should read this -- it kinda was done as a quest, at least at start.

It's good enough that its protagonist ended up in the remake as an easter egg / hero unit.

>>24066967

(Not that I want to distract from GodMother's awesomesauce scenario, but that let'splay in particular should be known far and wide)

>>24066959

Second this!

And let's not forget to forward Jane's letter to Amelia, and ask her for advice on how to respond; the challenge will be known within the day.

>>24066847
Why would you want to? That's the air Force's job. If you need an airplane you can always borrow one.

>>24066820
"Swimming indeed. I suppose an astroknight must be of perfect form as well as mind? A master of every physical discipline?" Sir Harker muses as you discuss plans for your selection.

>>24067143
"Sir Harker, We must defer to your greater experience in the matter, but given your experience with energetic maneuver, what would be a good approximation of the forces involved? It is Our desire that the competition's challenges be largely similar to those posed by Void transit."

>>24067222

"It should also help pick the most disciplined; surely you of all people will agree that whoever is selected will be the face of chivalry for a while!"

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>>24066243
As you discuss things with Sir Harker. The RRC begins to draft a new Mk4a rocket. There is still a lack of consensus on what to call it, but it's definitely an A type of thing.

Mk4a
>Type: First stage, Mass 6, Capacity 6, Reliability 19/14. There is no payload ready for it, but the engines are progressing just fine. A three stage rocket with five engines, four boosters strapped to the main engine. If all goes well it should be able to lift the equivalent of 3 Mk3s into orbit. Assuming it doesn't explode. There is so much that could go wrong

Forgive me, it's late and I'm trying to figure out the new rules :c

>>24067676

The only serious change is fuel burns, really.

We did a few test games and got the chance to spell things out a little better other than that.

LMK if I can help any by email!

>>24067676
The Mk. 4a is already a 3 stage rocket, meaning that we only need to build it and its payload?
Also, does it allow for clustering, as per the rules, to double its Capacity?

>>24067740

The rules abstract staging a lot. IRL, for example, the Vostok used the same rocket for its first and second stage in a 4:1 configuration.

Thrusters are what make the (much smaller) rocket burns once orbit is achieved, and are built very differently IRL, usually because they have to be able to be turned on and off more than once. The space shuttle main engine is an exception to this in that it was both a launch stage and an orbital thruster, but keep in mind that the space shuttle didn't have the ability to go past LEO.

>>24067740
I'm still not sure if clustering lower stages is realistic. My experience in Kerbal space program tells me that just strapping rockets together is a recipe for explosions and not a good way to get into orbit. If you want a bigger rocket, you have to build it's components together.

>>24067820
>If you want a bigger rocket, you have to build it's components together.
Does this mean always building a new multi-stage rocket as one rocket?

>>24067820

Good point :) this is your quest, please do disallow it if it's not thematic! Clustering keeps going in and out; I ended up leaving it in because it makes games slightly faster.

Sorry for the loss of immersion:(

>>24067853
Well the lower stages are one component, but the engines for use in orbit are another component.

Not all rockets have three stages anyways. The Falcon Heavy has only two stages, launch, and orbit. And most of the rockets people build in KSP have several because of asparagus staging. (Are there any examples of that IRL?)

Anyways back in game,

Mk2
>Type: Probe, Mass 1, Reliability 4/3
Mk3
>Type: First stage, Mass 1, Reliability 5/4
Mk4a
>Type: First stage, Mass 6, Capacity 6, Reliability 19/14
Camera Module
>Type: Mapper, Mass 1, Reliability 13/10
Guidance module
>Type: unmanned control system, Mass 1, Reliability 15/12
Radolight beacon
>Type: Waylight, Mass 1, Reliability 18/14

End turn?

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The rules obviously abstract a lot of things - would we need to think about a uniform/livery, or perhaps survival equipment if we are going to attempt a manned launch?

>>24067910
End Turn. We have no RP to spend anyway.

>>24067910

End turn!

>>24067929

Best I could do so that a calculator wasn't needed.

Asparagus staging IRL is a problem because pumping fuel in a uniform manner along multiple vectors is quite the engineering problem.

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>>24067954
Actually it seems that the Falcon Heavy uses cross-feeding. But they call it a 2 stage rocket anyways, probably because the main engines all start at once. The side boosters separate but are the same stage as the main engine.

Anyways, it's late, we've devolved into meta discussion, So I think I'm gonna go to bed now. Next turn tomorrow. I'm sorry for being all over the place today.

>>24067998

Thank you! Sorry for confusion - the system is new and we've only done some proper playtesting this and last week.

>>24067998
Okay. See you tomorrow.

>>24067998
Good night.