Neptune's Pride

[Agelastus]

I'm on par in terms of size with Funk and Fireblade but if you look at my info you'll see I'm much much poorer than everyone else. My entire empire is a giant ghetto.

You were.

[FunkMonk]

Things have cranked up quite a bit at my work so I'm not logging on nearly as much as I was for the first game. This is likely to continue for another week at least.

[Agelastus]

Excerpt from the Encyclopaedia Galactica, 56th edition.

Defending a hyperspace corridor exit node is "like seeing hell, only hotter", according to one famous Berkutian admiral; the only thing worse than defending a node is attacking through a node, according to the military manuals of every known FTL capable power. When fighting in a node one cannot dodge, and with the spinal layout adopted by modern weapons systems to maximise their power, a hit is always fatal.

Current jump systems tear open a corridor through space, ripping an entrance and exit hole into realspace via a dimension where the speed of light can be effectively exceeded compared to the limit of realspace. But ships can be detected in a corridor. And since the exit hole is created at the same time as the entry hole, system defence forces can always assume the perfect position to intercept attackers.

In fact, given the vulnerability of a system's infrastructure to kinetic interdiction, the standard tactic when a system defence is to be mounted is to actually enter the exit node itself. Although it is a truism of space travel that any particular corridor can only be traversed in one direction (although there are no limitations on the number of corridors between a particular pair of stars – each corridor "repels" the other, causing the corridors to dimensionally shift "off centre", which is the reason that intercepting a ship in a hyperspace corridor at any point except the exit node is impossible) the node itself causes sufficient local distortion that suitably equipped ships can venture a little way into the corridor "against the current".

At this point, technology becomes all important. The effective, rather than actual, "width" of a corridor is determined by the number of ships that can be datalinked to act as a single entity; they align their drive fields to act as if they were a single, much larger, vessel. Co-ordination must be perfect; the enormous level of data transfer this requires between the ships in a battlegroup fundamentally limits the number of ships that can be linked in this fashion. This is why system defenders always have a small advantage over an attacker. The "backwash" of the exit node creates a clear space, completely free of interstellar radiation and all the other sources of background "noise", both natural and unnatural, that interfere with communications in space. Basically, a battlegroup entering an exit node to defend a star system is able to increase its datalink capacity sufficiently to include one extra ship in the link over its standard capability had it been attacking a system (attacking ships are not able to take advantage of this due to distortions generated in the direction of transit by the corridor itself.)

The other major problem for an attacker comes from the total detectability of ships in a hyperspace corridor once they enter scanner range. Ships in a corridor cannot turn back or otherwise exit the corridor. For them, it is a do or die proposition (escape pods are too small to survive in an exit node – when two fleets meet in battle at an exit node, one side or the other will suffer 100% casualties.)

With the limitations of scan technology, and the tendency of stars to "cluster", it is quite often possible for a defender to move sufficient reinforcements in to a threatened system to defeat the attacker. To counter this, the Admiralties of the known powers have come up with two basic strategies, which can be roughly described thus –

(a) The HAMMER: Sufficient ships are mustered and despatched as a single strike force to overwhelm any possible defences that can be assembled from systems within jump range of the target. This tactic's main drawback is the length of time it takes to prepare, which can lead to the preparations being detected by the potential target.
(b) The SWARM: Multiple smaller fleets are sent to wear down the enemy's defences, attacking in sequence. This tactic has the advantage that it can be launched from multiple stars at once, making it a tactic that is both faster to execute once the decision for war has been made and more likely to achieve surprise.
Of course, in both cases the intelligence appreciation must be accurate. If it is not, disaster may ensue whatever tactic is followed.

An illustrative example of this comes from the recent conflict between the Agelastans and the DisturbedPervertians. In particular, the fighting for Kleeia and Alwaid must be studied. Kleeia was an industrial and scientific hub on the edge of the STA cluster (this cluster having recently been overrun by Agelastan and Berkutian forces.) Alwaid was an unindustrialised world whose main importance was that it lay on the most direct jump corridor route between the Ughianitic and STA Clusters. Taking the star would not block the Agelastans lines of communication given the relative levels of technology of the two combatants, but it would provide an invaluable forward base for conducting further offensives into more critical parts of Agelastan space.

The DisturbedPervertians enjoyed a numerical advantage over the Agelastans. However, this advantage would be short-lived given the greater Agelastan industrial capacity (although this was balanced in part by the forces the Agelastans had to deploy on their other borders, whereas the DisturbedPervertians were free to concentrate against the Agelastans.) Moreover, the DisturbedPervertians were significantly behind the Agelastans scientifically; it was no doubt consideration of this that made them lay claim to Kleeia and its scientific research capacity. The DisturbedPervertian strike on Kleeia, and their subsequent refusal to cede it back to the Agelastans, caused the outbreak of the war.

The Agelastans, as shown by their invasions of both the Ughianitic and STA clusters, preferred the HAMMER approach to warfare.  As the fighting at Kleeia and, especially, Alwaid was to show the DisturbedPervertians preferred the SWARM strategy. The result of these preferences in the opening days of the war can be seen as follows.
1st Kleeia demonstrated that even if ships were present in numbers smaller than a battlegroup, they could use their spare datalink capacity to control deployed mines. The initial Agelastan force that had conquered the system withdrew before the DisturbedPervertians could arrive, leaving behind a single vessel to inflict attritional losses on the enemy. For the loss of this single vessel, the Agelastans destroyed eleven DisturbedPervertian vessels. The Agelastan counterstroke, launched by ships that had been mostly "upcluster" from Kleeia when the crisis with the DisturbedPervertians broke out, recaptured the system at 2nd Kleeia. The Agelastans destroyed 90 ships for the loss of 81 of their own, demonstrating the importance of technology over mere numbers in achieving victory. 3rd Kleeia demonstrated the problem of detection; reinforcements from Sceptrum reached Kleeia before the reinforcement fleet the DisturbedPervertians had sent from Aldhafera could arrive. This battle cost the DisturbedPervertians 30 ships. The Agelastans lost 16.

The campaign at Alwaid demonstrated the DisturbedPervertians preference for the SWARM strategy even more clearly. Four successive fleets (of 174, 39, 54 and 96 vessels respectively) struck this apparently worthless star in the opening days of the war. Unfortunately for the attackers, their scanners could not see far enough into Agelastan space; the Agelastans were able to continually reinforce Alwaid at critical moments due to their superior technology and dominant industry. The DisturbedPervertians failed to take the system on any of their four attempts.

The first days of the war were almost catastrophic for the DisturbedPervertians. They had inflicted heavy losses on the Agelastans, destroying 333 ships. However, to do this they had expended 494 vessels, including six of the mighty supercarriers that force open the hyperspace corridors themselves. They had, in fact, squandered their numerical superiority over the Agelastans for no appreciable gain. Given the relative levels of industry of the two powers, the Agelastan losses could be replaced in roughly 1/3 the time that it would take to replace the DisturbedPervertian losses. And the technology gap was still there, and was only likely to get worse rather than better.

A little something I worked on early one morning as I waited for that production cycle's income (and I do mean "early one morning.)

Final score of the war with DisturbedPervert, offensive phase, 17 engagements -

Agelastan losses - 580 ships

DisturbedPervertian losses - 731 ships, 9 supercarriers.

This game is really depressing when you think about it. It's like Passchendaele played out on a galactic scale.

[DisturbedPervert]

it was no doubt consideration of this that made them lay claim to Kleeia and its scientific research capacity.

No, not really.  At that point I still thought that Fireblade would join the war and invade from the East, but I never heard from him again and his ships never moved.

[Agelastus]

it was no doubt consideration of this that made them lay claim to Kleeia and its scientific research capacity.

No, not really.  At that point I still thought that Fireblade would join the war and invade from the East, but I never heard from him again and his ships never moved.

That's what I was afraid of, with your alliance hints. When Kleves moved on Berkut and Fireblade just stayed still I assumed that Kleves was your ace rather than Fireblade. Obviously, I was wrong.

On the other hand, with the apparent Jaron-Fireblade-Funkmonk balancing act going on to the east, Fireblade may have decided that he was unlikely to succeed given he had to assume that Grumbler would pitch in on my side after what he had seen happen with Ughian and Tamas.

And besides, this was an "in universe" article; presumably all the diplomatic correspondence was destroyed with the fall of your capital! 

[Agelastus]

Incidentally, DP, Fireblade did attack Berkut while you and I were fighting, but not in any major force for some reason.

[Berkut]

Kleves has double my economy, double my science, ~a 4:1 advantage in ships, and is losing stars to me faster than he is taking mine. He used to have double my starts as well, but now only has a small advantage in number of stars. 2? Something like that.

It might be the greatest epic fail in understanding game mechanics ever.

[Kleves]

Would that be the mechanic of: have someone else give you advanced technology for the entire game? That is, of course, the only reason that the degenerate Mittonian race has survived thus far.

[DisturbedPervert]

It helps having Big Daddy Agelastus on your side

[Agelastus]

It helps having Big Daddy Agelastus on your side

Don't call me Shirley!

[DisturbedPervert]

Would that be the mechanic of: have someone else give you advanced technology for the entire game?

It might also be the mechanic of: second largest player in the game going afk

[Berkut]

Would that be the mechanic of: have someone else give you advanced technology for the entire game? That is, of course, the only reason that the degenerate Mittonian race has survived thus far.

Don't blame me if you fail at diplomacy, in addition to not understanding how the combat mechanics work!

[DisturbedPervert]

Would that be the mechanic of: have someone else give you advanced technology for the entire game? That is, of course, the only reason that the degenerate Mittonian race has survived thus far.

Don't blame me if you fail at diplomacy, in addition to not understanding how the combat mechanics work!

There was no failure in diplomacy on his part, people in the game stopped playing. 

I'd like to play another after Agelastus wins this one, but not with people that are gonna stop taking part

[Agelastus]

There was no failure in diplomacy on his part, people in the game stopped playing. 

I'd like to play another after Agelastus wins this one, but not with people that are gonna stop taking part

Says the man who's defence of his homeland was so passive that I took some serious risks in my advance! Moreover, there was a contingency plan in the works if Fireblade had attacked...

I'll probably skip the chance of another game, though; Funkmonk kind of fibbed when he said one only had to log in once or twice a day. There have been periods where I've been checking the game every 10 minutes, and letting it interrupt my sleep because of when the payment period was in the game, my time.

[DisturbedPervert]

Says the man who's defence of his homeland was so passive that I took some serious risks in my advance!

You know that's not true.  There came a point where I could no longer resist militarily.  Other than to save up as many resources and tech as I could and send them to someone else.

The players that quit all stopped when they were still powers.