Total Conversion engines?

[Bovine Hegemony]

Mellow greetings to all you other lifeforms, except for you evil doers with cattle prods.

 

We developed the Mk IV Antimatter Engine on this most recent turn cycle. We were expecting it to open up a new engine tech tree, the supposed Total Conversion engines. This did not occur. Instead all that was opened up was the Mk V Antimatter Engine. This leads us to a number of questions:

 

1) Is there a Total Conversion engine tech?

 

2) Does such an engine require more levels of Antimatter Engines (V, VI)?

 

3) Is there another tech required? Mk I Jumping Through Hoops or Mk I Blind Freaking Luck?

 

4) If it is another tech, would one of you provide the answer?

 

 

Thank you.

 

Moo.

[cestvel]

There is such a tech, as I got EXPL hits on it on various levels.

 

Sorry, I have no info on the rest of your questions.

[Sha'thar of the Gosht Kohr]

Mellow greetings to all you other lifeforms, except for you evil doers with cattle prods.

 

We developed the Mk IV Antimatter Engine on this most recent turn cycle. We were expecting it to open up a new engine tech tree, the supposed Total Conversion engines. This did not occur. Instead all that was opened up was the Mk V Antimatter Engine. This leads us to a number of questions:

 

1) Is there a Total Conversion engine tech?

 

2) Does such an engine require more levels of Antimatter Engines (V, VI)?

 

3) Is there another tech required? Mk I Jumping Through Hoops or Mk I Blind Freaking Luck?

 

4) If it is another tech, would one of you provide the answer?

 

 

Thank you.

 

Moo.

 

Actually, there's a complete set of engine tech between Antimatter and Total Conversion Engines, and you'll need to research the first tier of that tech (at least) before being able to research Total Conversion Engines.

 

We and our vassals look forward to being able to research Total Conversion engines soon, as we're currently researching the first teir of the engine tech I mentioned.

 

"Meow."

 

-Sha'thar

Clan Eldress

The Hunting Sisters of the Gosht Kohr

[hobknob]

I believe the answer to number 3 is;

 

YES, of course there is. Good luck in your search.

 

[MadMartinB]

Total Conversion requires MK VI Nuclear Engines, Type B Statis Field Generator (keeps the engine cool I guess) and MK IV engines (anti matter).

 

Same cost as MK IV and 2x speed.

[Bovine Hegemony]

Total Conversion requires MK VI Nuclear Engines, Type B Statis Field Generator (keeps the engine cool I guess) and MK IV engines (anti matter).

 

Same cost as MK IV and 2x speed.

 

Thanks Martin. I appreciate the sharing.

 

Lovely, just freaking lovely. This is so infuriating. While there may be some sort of logic to the tech, I hate this blind stabbing in the dark to figure out tech. It rewards the lucky or those willing to spends lots of money on multiple positions.

 

Moo.

[TErnest]

Total Conversion requires MK VI Nuclear Engines, Type B Statis Field Generator (keeps the engine cool I guess) and MK IV engines (anti matter).

 

Same cost as MK IV and 2x speed.

 

Thanks Martin. I appreciate the sharing.

 

Lovely, just freaking lovely. This is so infuriating. While there may be some sort of logic to the tech, I hate this blind stabbing in the dark to figure out tech. It rewards the lucky or those willing to spends lots of money on multiple positions.

 

 

Don't believe a word he said!

 

Actually, that is not quite accurate. I think four or five of his words are truthful here. Suffice to say, the essence of his message is correct. But the specifics are all screwed up.

 

 

As to the specific techs required to get to Total Conversions drives, I am not at liberty to say. But I will say that there are plenty of hints in the ANZ and item names of various systems in the game to guide you in the right direction.

 

And for those not so good at riddles, Antimatter drives will get you to almost anywere you really want to be, well before they top out.

 

TErnest

[Bovine Hegemony]

Don't believe a word he said!

 

Actually, that is not quite accurate. I think four of five of his words are truthful here. Suffice to say, the essence of his message is correct. But the specifics are all screwed up.

 

As to the specific techs required to get to Total Conversions drives, I am not at liberty to say. But I will say that there are plenty of hints in the ANZ and item names as various systems in the game to guide you in the right direction.

 

And for those not so good at riddles, Antimatter drives will get you to almost anywere you really want to be, well before they top out.

 

TErnest

 

Analyzing cryptic flavor text that more often than not has no effect in game is not something I find very enjoyable. My dissatisfaction with the game continues to increase. Perhaps this will be the straw that breaks this cows back.

 

Moo.

[Laserwolf]

Excellent News! PM me your HW please. We'd be happy to help lower your stress and frustration.

[TErnest]

Analyzing cryptic flavor text that more often than not has no effect in game is not something I find very enjoyable. My dissatisfaction with the game continues to increase. Perhaps this will be the straw that breaks this cows back.

 

Moo.

 

Well, I can certainly understand your general frustration. Personally, I would not view this engine thing to even amount to a "straw" though.

 

I run three positions. Of those, only my first has researched up the tech trees necessary to open up Total Conversion engines. But they will not develope them. Why? Because I have access to all the engine tech I need without it.

 

My second position made the decision to deliberately limit themselves to Nuclear engine tech. Sure their engine efficiency topped out fairly early, but I have not felt the least bit cramped by that limit. (Granted, not all postions would feel comfortable with THAT much of a limitation.)

 

For my third position, by the time I started researching engine tech, I was pretty sure what general direction I had to go to get beyond Antimatter Engines. But I chose not to go that way. Top of the line Antimatter Engines (I think they all go up to at least Mk VI, don't they?) already produce some pretty astounding thrust ratios. More than I will ever need, certainly.

 

All told, among the thousands of techs, and many (hundreds?) of tech lines, there are very few that require cross-pollination with unexpected technologies for full developement. Space mines come to mind. And Cloaking Devices, Stasis Field Generators, insanely advanced bridge and engine systems, maybe Bore Torpedos... but that is about it. And those few items that do have that (admittedly irritating) quality, just serve to further encourage trade with your neighbors who actually did manage to research one or two of them.

 

TErnest

[Gary Carpenter]

Total conversion engines DO NOT require MK VI nuclear engines.

 

or any of the other things stated, Except whoever mentioned antimatter engines, hope this shakes things up

[Cao Cao the Nice Guy]

Do not believe what others say.

 

Cao Cao the Nice Guy will tell you truth, OK?

 

Mk I Total Conversion Engine: Total Conversion Engines utilize tiny chunks of antimatter to continually charge a powerful magnetic bottle. Inside is a microscopically-small black hole that is prevented from tearing the ship apart with an incredibly potent antigraviton containment field. Energy is extracted from the black hole in ways that no average citizen could possibly understand. It is otherwise a self-contained 1,000-ton unit, is self-sustaining and requires no external power source. To achieve superior maneuverability, simply add more engines to your design. Maneuverability aids in the ability of your ships to avoid certain types of enemy weapons, and provides additional Action Points for your ships to use during civilian operations. The basic antimatter power plant in this series of engines is stable under normal operating conditions but does not handle combat damage well, with a tendency to implode in a spectacular explosion upon suffering grievious damage. The unit contains multiple safety precautions to prevent it from obliterating the entire ship in the event of a catastrophic antigraviton field failure. (1,000 tons) 200 Advanced Steel - 200 Advanced Electronics - 200 Advanced Synthetic Materials - 200 Advanced Processed Radioactives - 200 Rare Elements

Classification: Jump Drive Structural Integrity: 2

Prerequisite Technologies: Mk IV Antimatter Engine, Mk I Phase Converter

Maneuverability: Legendary [Thrust Output: 2560000]

Counters: Missiles, Fighters, Drones

 

I am nice to you, yes?

[Bovine Hegemony]

Laserwolf - Happy cows live in Wisconsin. I eagerly await your arrival.

 

TErnest - Thank you. The reason I find it annoying is that I started out my race with the idea that they would be fast. They aren't a research optimized race. In fact, I suspect in everything, but engines that they are behind in most techs. Heck, they are obviously behind in engine tech as well, but it is what they do best. It is the reason why I find this introduction of an off shoot tech so annoying. It isn't like I can trade for the tech to be able to continue researching. Just my perspective on it.

 

Cao Cao - Thanks. Sadly, Martin's social engineering/metagaming/rpg/whatever leads to having to take your post with a little more skeptism. I figured there was a good chance he was obscuing the truth given his past posting history.

 

Moo.

[Prospective]

I think that your skeptism is probably well founded. Think about this. We know that

 

Mk1 Nuclear Engine output = 300

Mk2 NE ouptut = 500

Mk3 NE output = 1000

Mk1 Fusion Engine output = 1000

Mk2 FE output = 2000

Mk3 FE output = 4000

Mk1 Antimatter Engine output = 8000

Mk2 AE output =16000

Mk3 AE output =32000

Mk4 AE output should be 64000, assuming that the trend continues.

 

This would make me think that the first Total Conversion Engine would either be 64000 or 128000 output. I think that an output of 256000 seems a bit high.

 

If you recall from the past, CAO CAO the Nice Guy also posted something about a Spinal Attack Boat, or some such nonsense. I doubted that and I also doubt that anything provided here is true.

 

Basically, assume that you still don't know the Pre-req's for these engines.

 

 

 

Laserwolf - Happy cows live in Wisconsin. I eagerly await your arrival.

 

TErnest - Thank you. The reason I find it annoying is that I started out my race with the idea that they would be fast. They aren't a research optimized race. In fact, I suspect in everything, but engines that they are behind in most techs. Heck, they are obviously behind in engine tech as well, but it is what they do best. It is the reason why I find this introduction of an off shoot tech so annoying. It isn't like I can trade for the tech to be able to continue researching. Just my perspective on it.

 

Cao Cao - Thanks. Sadly, Martin's social engineering/metagaming/rpg/whatever leads to having to take your post with a little more skeptism. I figured there was a good chance he was obscuing the truth given his past posting history.

 

Moo.

[Sha'thar of the Gosht Kohr]

I could have sworn Gravitic engine tech was in there somewhere...

 

(Coy cat look)

 

-Sha'thar