Author Topic: Thinking outside the box  (Read 19180 times)

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Re: Thinking outside the box
I'm not sure I like the drone idea. They'd take a lot of resources to build and they all need a powerplant to move around. Unless these drone frigates would come in very limited numbers for surgical strikes or tactical uses, I don't think the GTVA has the means to maintain a fleet of them. If I were the GTVA I'd rather build 10 fightercraft than 50 drones which probably are destroyed the moment they're caught in crossfire or end up inside the targetting reticle of a hostile fighter.

As I'm currently envisoning them, the drones would be essentially modified escape pods, which the GTVA already produces in considerable numbers. As far as the 'drone frigate' idea goes, I originally wasn't thinking of utilizing specialized ships to deploy them. More like a complement assigned to capital ships, deployed as needed or tactically feasible, or in defense of critical infrastructure or nodes. The drones aren't meant to replace fightercraft. What they should be able to do is allow the GTVA to effectively engage high risk targets without committing capital assets directly. The drones nullify the weapons and engines, while staying out of range of their immediate defenses. Once the target is dead in space, conventional forces can mop up the target.

 
Re: Thinking outside the box
Not to mention, due to their being unmanned, situational usage, and, chances are, throwaway nature, any ships carrying drones could probably just have them packed into a bolted-on external compartment and drop them en mass. Assuming said drones ever began production, you wouldn't even need to radically redesign existing vessels to make use of them. It seems to me the drones as we see them now would be fairly easy to integrate if the decision was made to do so.

While I'm still not totally sold on the idea myself, it certainly has merit. Plus, and I've said this before, these things would make incredible Node Defense Supplements.

On a side note, Proper application of these things in an offensive role would probably make the act of capturing a capital ship a thousand times easier. That alone, would be worth the price of equipping some ships with them.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2011, 04:10:06 pm by PsychoLandlord »

 

Offline Scotty

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Re: Thinking outside the box
If by "capturing," you mean hauling ten thousand angry crewmembers to a friendly system where they get to sit, prepare counter-boarding operations, and make life hell for anyone who tries to get them.

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Indeed undoable, unless having means of neutralizing the crew yet saving the ship, which I can't think of.
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Re: Thinking outside the box
If by "capturing," you mean hauling ten thousand angry crewmembers to a friendly system where they get to sit, prepare counter-boarding operations, and make life hell for anyone who tries to get them.

Well, ships are closed systems, with inherant limitations in life support. If you want to take crew alive, pump in a disabling gas. If you don't, make that nerve gas. Enough of it, and it'll saturate any possible scrubber system. The hulls may be tough, but the material used to fashion the ships is also workable, which means with enough creativity and time, you could compromise integrity, and with it the atmosphere.

Edit: It occurs to me that Sam Bei's entry onto a hostile ship may indicate that this process may be easier then I had otherwise thought. There is apparently a way for a ejected pilot to force his way onto a hostile ship - that means some kind of access hatch or airlock system that would be a major weakness, at least if you're talking about GTVA ships.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2011, 04:10:55 pm by Logistics »

 
Re: Thinking outside the box
What Logistics said. If, somehow, that doesnt work, drag it to a friendly system and lay siege.

It's not as though they'll be able to effect repairs without being stopped cold, You aren't technically wasting forces doing so (ideally this would be carried out by a garrison) and at the end of the day you have a reasonably intact vessel. Whats wrong with patience?

EDIT: "Day" of course being the weeks or months it would take a ship to run out of supplies necessary for life support. Assuming they dont surrender earlier.

« Last Edit: April 11, 2011, 04:13:28 pm by PsychoLandlord »

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
You'd still need access to a major systems to get it into all of the ventilation system I imagine. That means getting passed a lot of hostile guards/marines.
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Offline Destiny

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Lay siege, like annoying the crew of the disabled ship to make them surrender. Like doing things to shake the ship non-stop, blasting horrible music and propaganda, flashing multi-colored strobe lights on every window, stuff like that? Sounds kinda fun.


Eventually they'll starve to death, but they'd surrender by then. But if you knock out the power generation system of the ship, it'll be sure to do something really, really bad. If they try to use a backup power generator-thingy, you could keep on firing Lampreys at it or something. A ship-sized Lamprey.

 
Re: Thinking outside the box
You'd still need access to a major systems to get it into all of the ventilation system I imagine. That means getting passed a lot of hostile guards/marines.

Oh, nothing so dramatic as boarding operations. I'd drill holes throughout the ships structural framework and pump gas directly into the ship - no need to control anything. They could fight back by compartmentalizing the affected regions, assuming they had power and working systems able to do that. But it would ultimately be a losing struggle.

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
And they in their right minds wouldn't self-destruct, since they'd die either way and prevent the ship from falling into hostile hands?
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Offline Dragon

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Edit: It occurs to me that Sam Bei's entry onto a hostile ship may indicate that this process may be easier then I had otherwise thought. There is apparently a way for a ejected pilot to force his way onto a hostile ship - that means some kind of access hatch or airlock system that would be a major weakness, at least if you're talking about GTVA ships.
He most likely used a normal airlock (not locked in case the crew needed to get out fast), which could be easly locked if the crew wanted to do it.
Duke was dead in space at that time and it's crew didn't did anything to resist.
He most likely would be killed in a normal situation, or couldn't even get past the airlock.

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Edit: It occurs to me that Sam Bei's entry onto a hostile ship may indicate that this process may be easier then I had otherwise thought. There is apparently a way for a ejected pilot to force his way onto a hostile ship - that means some kind of access hatch or airlock system that would be a major weakness, at least if you're talking about GTVA ships.
He most likely used a normal airlock (not locked in case the crew needed to get out fast), which could be easly locked if the crew wanted to do it.
Duke was dead in space at that time and it's crew didn't did anything to resist.
He most likely would be killed in a normal situation, or couldn't even get past the airlock.

He may even have had proper access codes, either as an officer of his rank or provided by the CO of the ship he served on at that time.
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Offline Scotty

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Eh, it makes no sense for a mere Commander to have the airlock codes for a cruiser that he is not stationed on and never will be stationed on.  Operational security works best when there are as few potential holes as possible.

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Came to realize that, added "or provided by the CO of the ship he served on at that time." but a bit too late it seems. :)
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Offline General Battuta

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Eh, it makes no sense for a mere Commander to have the airlock codes for a cruiser that he is not stationed on and never will be stationed on.  Operational security works best when there are as few potential holes as possible.

Given that he was on a mission to track down a ship that had apparently gone rogue I think it makes plenty of sense.

 
Re: Thinking outside the box
Edit: It occurs to me that Sam Bei's entry onto a hostile ship may indicate that this process may be easier then I had otherwise thought. There is apparently a way for a ejected pilot to force his way onto a hostile ship - that means some kind of access hatch or airlock system that would be a major weakness, at least if you're talking about GTVA ships.
He most likely used a normal airlock (not locked in case the crew needed to get out fast), which could be easly locked if the crew wanted to do it.
Duke was dead in space at that time and it's crew didn't did anything to resist.
He most likely would be killed in a normal situation, or couldn't even get past the airlock.

Perhaps - it certainly make sense to have a lock on the doors. That said, Bei didn't have any way of knowing that the crew was disabled when he pulled the stunt - as far as he knew they just weren't answering the comm. So either he's a profoundly optimistic fool, or the design of the system inherantly allows someone to get in if they need to. Even the idea that there *is* an airlock is a weakness that could be exploited.

 

Offline Dragon

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Re: Thinking outside the box
The airlock must be there, for obvious reasons.
Note that the Duke was scanned and not only it didn't answer the comm, the lifesigns were unusual (though present).
Also, I think that his intuition was a good thing to rely on here, considering what was happening (but he couldn't know that).

 

Offline headdie

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Eh, it makes no sense for a mere Commander to have the airlock codes for a cruiser that he is not stationed on and never will be stationed on.  Operational security works best when there are as few potential holes as possible.

Given that he was on a mission to track down a ship that had apparently gone rogue I think it makes plenty of sense.

I would have to agree, though any one officer not stationed on the ship would probably not know the code I think it would likely be stored on the formation's flagship in case emergency boarding was required through unforeseen cause so a quick data packet would make that along with internal schematics other necessary data available
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Offline Destiny

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Re: Thinking outside the box
The crew were...like...well, almost zombie-like, weren't they? Or something like that. Can't recall...exactly.

 

Offline -Sara-

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Re: Thinking outside the box
Not exactly catatonic, I believe they were in motion, but as if not being aware of their surroundings.
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