Second Sphere Suggestion Box

Put any and all your random suggestions here. Please try to avoid one-sentence suggestions unless they're pretty self-evident. A short description of the idea would be nice. Also, please sign the suggestion so I know who to get back to in case I need clarification or expansion.

Possibilities could include

Technologies

NPC worlds

Rules for anything

Fluff (I'll contact you to hash it out in greater detail)

Plot hooks

Political events

Histories

Art

General suggestions

Things to keep in mind

Criticisms or pitfalls

Keep it constructive!

Remember that chances are I can't use everything, so don't be discouraged if your suggestion doesn't get used. I appreciate the help.

Economy Suggestions
Tech and Transhumanism
Personnel Acquisition

Sign your suggestions

I mean it. :p

Technologies

I recommend that these be ones that fit the paradigm.

Baseline Tech

Spinal Cannons

Pin-Point Barriers

Overshields

Ablative armor

Fission reactor

Breeder fission reactor (bulkier, higher endurance)

Liquid-metal fission reactor (higher power, more vulnerable to damage)

Thorium fission reactor (cheaper fuel costs, bulky)

Fission-fragment reactor (expensive to build, but comparable to fusion reactors in effectiveness and size)

Improved Fusion reactors

Monopole-Catalyzed Fusion (higher efficiency, requires monopoles)

Muon-Catalyzed Fusion (more compact, requires dust to build)

Hydrogen-Iron Fusion System (maximum fuel efficiency, extremely large and heavy)

Polywell Fusion (Extremely small, expensive, fuel-hungry, probably require dust.)

Exotic Tech

Combat Teleport

I-Fields

Dust Jammer

Forcefield drives

Self-repairing armor

Photon Matrix (high-storage batteries)

Decoherence beams (shield disruptors)

Megaparticle Shell (projectile disintegrator)

Dust cybernetics

Glitterblower ECM

Radiation wave

Posthuman Hypertech Bullshit

Bendy Beams

Zero Shift

Longshot FTL

Geometry warpers

Asymmetric generator (perpetual power source)

Skip missiles

shear beams

Miscellaneous Power Systems

Since this is better organized in one category.

Solar power (cheap, infinite endurance on a planet, zero performance)

Matter-conversion reactors (effectively infinite endurance, ridiculous performance, theta requisite, posthuman bullshit)

Superconducting storage grids (near-infinite capacity batteries, explode when breached)

Hypercombustion Engines (cheap, robust, can use just about anything combustible as fuel, low to moderate performance)

Sentient AI

Given the processing and efficiency constraints on sentient AI, battlefield deployable sentient AI may be rare to nonexistent-a nonsentient tactical savant will do just as well without the morality questions and expense of making and growing your own sentient mind. Furthermore, given the primary use of AI technology is to reduce overall losses, AI technology should be generally used to make expendable troops more morally acceptable or as assistance to human piloting-low cost, low-capability units given AI governance to allow them to be spent like munitions or systems designed to improve the situational awareness and reaction speed of a (trans)human pilot. More advanced AI systems, capable of matching a skilled pilot or soldier, should be a rarer, more expensive, and difficult to produce (high CIP cost) option. This is only for battlefield designs-large-scale civilian networks can be made sentient for cheaper, as they rarely suffer the same space and hardening constraints-and when you have a planet's mass to play with hardening isn't hard. --MJ12 Commando 03:44, 19 July 2009 (UTC)

Supersoldier Stuff

Supersoldier Stuff Scribbles
--MJ12 Commando 03:34, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

Prestige Projects

By MJ12
Or: Because everyone likes one-upmanship.

Prestige projects are high-profile projects that stretch the limits of human science and technology, impressive constructs that are spoken of in awe. These are projects like the Apollo Launch, the construction of the Empire State Building, building the LHC-projects that of themselves have little benefit, but in the end are beneficial because of how they advance one's technical base.

In effect, a Prestige Project is a method to trade PIP and CIP for morale and RP-by demanding that this must be built, one creates a pull for technology in a specific field, which often makes significant breakthroughs trying to supply the resources needed to construct something of this magnitude, and by finishing it your nation has something its people can be proud of, a legacy to remember for centuries to come.

Prestige Projects are not to be taken lightly, and are a significant investment, but their rewards can be worth it. A Major prestige project, like the Large Hadron Collider, Panama Canal, or Hoover Dam, often instantly grants a free advancement in a related technical field as well as a morale booster-building a hypercollider that spans the planet's diameter may increase one's expertise in the field of particle weapons, while building a powerful AI control system might increase expertise in the field of artificial intelligence, or something such as a massive kilometers-high megascraper might translate into improved structural engineering technology. Furthermore Major projects grant a significant morale boost. In some cases, prestige projects may have significant other effects, like terraforming a continent from a patch of sand and sun into a verdant garden world.

Minor prestige projects are smaller and more commonl, but still expensive undertakings. These often simply add RP to certain fields, making further research into them somewhat cheaper. An example may be attempting to break the speed record for a powered vehicle, which could translate into advancements in aerospace or mecha technology, or a massive public transport array might translate into improved prosperity (RP put into economic development.) Minor prestige projects grant morale boosts but they are proportionally less extreme than the ones from major prestige projects, owing to their smaller scale.

Fun stuff from OmegaPaladin

Moved here

ZOCU

Given ZOCU gets both starting debts and treaty of Sirus, you might want to consider what they get in return in order to make the game a bit fair, especially given the ZOCU alliance as a whole seems to be less powerful than the Core.

Speaking of the Treaty, is it safe to say that ZOCU players will start with the same limits as before (i.e., 5 cruisers or 3 cruisers and one battleship; no carriers and no stealth ships)? -Lokar

PL's suggestions

History Paths

Accumulated - penalties beyond 0, for things that a player might have no interest in or ability to buy anyway such as theta or transhumanism, should assess a penalty of some kind. -transgene should apply a penalty to diplomacy with Those Freaks. I have no idea what -theta might mean but almost every Core world would have it.

NPC worlds

ZOCU

Belinta
Heaven's Shore (Mal)
Nidaros (Mal)
Ophen (Lokar)
Vrijheid (Mal)
Welkin (Peel)
Welkin was founded in the early colonial days, as a model project by France and Germany. When the breakdown came, Welkin joined the Zodiac union, but was an eager trader with the Core worlds and a voice of opposition to the War. They joined their allies when the declarations went out, but the sad experience of fighting their european brothers and sisters and having their economy broken to pieces by strain and bombs led them to the strong conclusion that the whole affair was a bad idea.
As Welkin produces an awful lot of tanks, ZOCU is rather eager to keep them on side - and the EU is just as eager to pry them out.
Early/baseline/resource/ores/quiet/migration/resources/broken/energy independent/solidarity/ouster/depression/giant robots rule/fort up

Potos (Mal)
Rifulveldt

PACT

Mandala(Peel)
Early PACT subsidised augmentation colony. Uncovered dust, then active machinery. Eschatonic taliban were about during breakdown which led to some bad things (sometimes involving said active machinery) not seen since the Crazy Times. PACT came back in force once contact was reestablished, but there remains no stable government. However despite the enormous expense they will not withdraw, as Mandala remains their only stable source of the precious theta dust.

League

Bhutijan(Peel)
Native ecological world settled by transgenic exiles, who wanted to build a peaceful utopia. Some of the plants produce a compound that has a fascinating effect on human psychology. The natives failed to stamp out its use and eventually legalised and taxed it, but external governments took persistent objection to the narcotics entering their markets. During the breakdown, the pleasant climate of Bhutijan recieved legions of refugees from the Magnate wars and in return contributed troops. The refugee strain caused the already creaky government to collapse into a military junta, which to this day battles and has a hand in any number of criminal enterprises in the trackless forests and bustling shanty towns. This 'economic activity' has made Bhutijan what passes for a League financial centre, and given it the funds to attempt a modernisation of the military.
Misc. Note: A common story for poverty tourism networks is of the couple in poverty scrimping and saving money to buy an upgrade package for their next child.
Longshot/transgene/garden/cash/lacus/crisis/privatise/military/narco-warfare/broken-down/refugee hub/league/law of gun/black market/copycat

Van der Teega (Peel)
Earth is corrupt! The global village is a false eden, and we eschew its stifled decadence. Humanity must ever spread outward, its fresh growth at the edges better than the rot at the centre. So said the colonists who settled on cold, volcanic Van der Teega and siezed hold of its ores and relics to make themselves a new society. Said relics also attracted the Magnates, hungry for production, and the inhabitants fought years of battles across the firey plains and haphazard spiretowns inbetween haphazard reinforcements from either side. Now Van der Teega is an important production centre and advocate of exploration of the Rim, to map the variety of humanity and take the fight back to the Magnates.
Misc Note: Every citizen of Van der Teega is guaranteed a basic income from the fabricator output. The remainder is used by the government for various purposes, and a capitalist economy fills in needs beyond that.
Longshot/mixed/resource/ores/artefacts/fabs/artefacts/fabs/isolated/brazil/fie/exploration/battlefield

Rim

Extend(Peel)
Home of the Dust Engineers, who live in a series of diamondoid kilostructures and constantly war with defence drones over access to crucial fabricators and delta fountains. Explorers who brave the space perimeter find eager traders whose technology is dust-laden but generations out of date and whose bodies have been altered by persistent exposure to posthuman nanotechnology.

EU

Rosa(Peel)
Called 'Europe's unluckiest colony'. In March 210X, the EU arrived on their garden world to build a model society. In August, the asteroid hit. Forty years of choked skies, flailing climate and fascinating extinction science later, the breakdown occured, shortly before their catapult was due to arrive. The swift application of martial law by the in-system commanders prevented collapse, and careful rationing saw them through the lean times.
With utopian plans in tatters, advanced EU investment has long since been elsewhere, leaving the grim planet to develop a large basic industry and build ships for the merchant and military fleets. However during the ZOCU war experience with heavy mining loaders and a vast waiting industry made Rosa the epicentre of the 'gundam counterattack', attracting a degree of fame which the canny colonial governor has transformed into increased investment.
Early/terraformable/failure/crisis/get help/quiet/broken down/martial law/EU/bureaucracy/regulated/gundam

Indie

Pierson's World(Peel)
Garden world colonised by generic pioneer types during the longshot period. Sucked up immigrants during the transgene exodus and Breakdown refugee crisis, and also subsidised childbearing and the bioroid industry. Currently building up its industrual and financial base from this large potential. Sees itself as a potential 'second earth' far from the Core and likes to compare itself to Industrial America and Information China. Current problems include placating the myriad ethnic and interest groups, and maintaining the immigrant flow.
Longshot/garden/boom/migration/quiet/broken/refugees/independence/phezzan/regional hub/???? Wellspring(Peel)
Wellspring is a system with a hot jupiter, and the resultant water-rich inner planets, including one in the goldilocks zone. The aquatic inhabitants have constant arguments with the HEC over their cut of its vast operations on the irradiated gas giant, which has led to some violent attacks by extremist groups both in space and on the glacier-based spaceports.

Chaotic Events

Rather than have a preset list of events deemed suitably chaotic, just let everyone exchange 1 +x for 1 -y after history path.M.M. 03:00, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

Megaprojects

Megaprojects are big things you can spend time and effort on for some bonus. Here are some concepts.

Space Elevator (+trade)

Solar Power Array (+industry)

Mass Augmentation (+transgene)

Advanced Transport Network (+industry, troop mobility)

The Space Internet (+RP, +morale, +CIP)

Giant Science Machine (+RP, +prestige)

See also Prestige Projects above, they would be a subset of megaprojects providing less tangible bonuses.

Technical Essays

Infantry Scale Technology --MJ12 Commando 16:07, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
Stealth Systems --MJ12 Commando 22:54, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Diplomacy

Diplomatic Blandishments--FBH

Civilian Ship Component Suggestions

Suggesting a few civilian ship components as below. How the civilian ship stuff works is that you start from the same base templates as a military ship, but you 'declare' it as civilian and incur some penalties to weapons. On the flipside you get the much more favorable ship modifiers below. System may need a lot of work though - Singh.

Docking Collar Allows docking and towing of two cargo containers per collar. Allows towing of other ships, however speed is determined by number of engines available. Several collars can be taken on a ship upto a maximum of 6.
Cost: TBD
Space: Hull coefficient x5

Tow Lines Ranged version of the docking collar. Essentially used by pirates to harpoon containers or ships and drag them along. Success of towing depends on engine power of the ship(s) involves. Useful for also pulling wrecks or heavily damaged ships. Structural enhancements and firing system takes more space than a regular docking collar. Only one can be placed on a ship.
Cost: TBD
Space: Hull coefficient x7

Small Cargo Bay Best cargo bay for storing supplies, but not much else. Can be taken multiple times but still holds only supplies. No structure penalties apply. Cost: TBD
Space (Military ships): Hull coefficient x4
Space (Civilian ships): Hull coefficient x2
Storage capacity: (Hull coefficient) x 20 Supplies or (Hull coefficient) x 1/4 Battalion of troops or (Hull coefficient) x 1/2 DIP of inactive fighters

Medium Cargo Bay
Suitable for storing some more stuff, including personnel or inactive fighters.
Cost: TBD
Penalty: Ship structure is slightly weakened.
Space (Military ships): Hull coefficient x7
Space (Civilian ships): Hull coefficient x5
Storage capacity: (Hull Coefficient) x 15 Supplies or (Hull coefficient) x 1/2 Battalion of troops or (Hull coefficient) x 1 DIP of inactive fighters

Large Cargo Bay
Really big cargo bay around that carry quite a bit.
Cost: TBD
Penalty: Ship structure is severely weakened.
Space (military ships): hull coefficient x9
Space (Civilian ships): Hull coefficient x7
Storage capacity: (Hull Coefficient) x 30 Supplies or (Hull coefficient) x 2 Battalions of troops or (Hull coefficient) x 2 DIP of inactive fighters

Superlarge Cargo Bay
Sometimes you need to really move stuff around. Thats what this baby's for. Can only be put on Civilian shipping and generally takes up most component space.
Cost: TBD
Penalty: Its a big fat freighter that pop easily :(
Space (Civilian Ships): Hull coefficient x15
Storage Capacity: (Hull Coefficient) x 60 Supplies or (Hull coefficient) x 4 Battalions of troops or (Hull coefficient) x 5 DIP of inactive fighters

Ration Reactor
A Ration reactor is an additional reactor placed on a ship that essentially feeds secondary material into traditional fusion reactors as an alternative to He3. Although not as efficient or as clean as pure He3 fusion, it has found popular use amongst the rim where He3 is in significantly short supply.
Special: allows power to be paid by supply as opposed to He3.
Special: Can be switched on or off
Penalty: reduces total power generated by 25%
Cost: TBD
Space: Hull coefficient x5

He3 Tanks
Allows for storage of He3 beyond what is immediately needed by the ship.
Cost: TBD
Space: 15
Storage Capacity: Allows for storage of (hull coefficient) x 10 units of He3

Deep Space Sensor Array
"I can see you!"
Cost: TBD
Special: Allows scanning an entire system for stealthed ships.
Penalty: Equipped ship cannot use stealth tech when activated
Penalty: Weakens ship structure
Space: 20

Mobile Research and Laboratory Module
Come accross a posthuman artifact? Want to know what lurks in that nebula? Wondering why the sun in your sector's winking at you? Look no further for your answers than the Mobile Research and Laboratory Module (MRLM). Filled with scientists working around the clock to determine if that brown substance is chocolate or a screaming postie pile of goo, this module is your one-stop-shop for solving all those mysteries out in the wild, wild frontier of the rim.
Cost: TBD
Special: Allows for more plot hooks/lewt from your exploration missions!
Special: Only available to rim/indie/expanse league states
Space: 15

He3 Scoop and Refinery
Allows for mining of gas giants or direct collection of He3 sources while on the go. Most useful in the deep rim.
Cost: TBD
Special: Allows mining of He3 on the go.
Space (Military Ships): Hull Coefficient x4
Space (Civilian Ships): 5

Mobile Spacedock
Like floating drydocks of today, they permit the conduct of ship repair where proper infrastructure is lacking.
Cost: ?
Special: Allows for major repairs to be conducted to ships. Only ships of similar size or smaller may use the mobile spacedock
Space: ? Probably a large amount, say 80-90% of all available space.

Salvage Smelter and foundry
Allows Salvage and stripping of shipwrecks/asteroids for their supplies/raw materials.
Special: Converts shipwrecks into supplies
Special: Converts suitable asteroids into supplies
Cost: TBD
Space (Military Ships): Hull Coefficient x8
Space (Civilian Ships): Hull Coefficient x5
Penalty: Reduces hull structure strength 50%

Support Tender
Designed to provide support to multiple ships, this component represents a ship's ability of conducting repairs to other vessels, including via EVA walks and usage of multiple shuttles. It is capable of conducting basic repairs to vessels and holding significant number of supplies without incurring major penalties.
Bonus: Reduces small cargo bay space requirements by 50%
Special: Allows for basic repairs and refueling in the field
Cost: TBD
Space (Military Ships): Hull Coefficient x9
Space (Civilian Ships): Hull Coefficient x6
Penalty: Reduces ship strategic speed by 15%

Heavy Support Tender
Similar to the support tender, save that this one is far more advanced and allows for significant repairs to be committed even to badly damaged ships.
Special: Can pay a supply cost to give shipwrecks a minimum functionality
Special: Allows for advanced repairs and refueling in the field
Cost: TBD
Space (Military Ships): Hull Coefficient x12
Space (Civilain Ships): Hull Coefficient x9
Penalty: Reduces ship strategic speed by 30%
Penalty: Reduces ship tactical speed by 30%