Purchase and Maintenance Costs: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:38, 27 February 2017

Each month the management of the fleet requires some investment of the nation’s resources. These are tracked as Resource Points (RPs). The RPs represent the industrial and raw material capabilities of the member planets.

Purchase

Ships require RPs to be spent for the actual construction of each vessel. The RP cost of each ship equals that of its SU amount divided by 10, multiplied by its Size (and then rounded). For example, an Ambassador class heavy cruiser uses 1,961 SUs and is of Size 8. In the initial construction of an individual Ambassador, 1,569 RPs are spent (1961/10*8 = 1,568.8 rounded to 1,569). Likewise, an Oberth class surveyor uses 1,013 SUs, is Size 4 and requires 405 RPs in construction (1013/10*4 = 405.2, rounded to 405). (Purchase prices for other facility/vessel types are similarly determined, per the below table.)

When ships undergo refits, the removal of outdated equipment and installation of updated equipment is ‘free.’ But, the construction/purchase of that newly installed equipment did involve the expenditure of RPs, which is usually in bulk amounts. The SUs of the equipment equal their default price in SUs (multiplied by ship Size), when they represent the latest version (ex: a Class 5/H warp engine over that of a Class 4/G). The most advanced version/model is considered the 'top tier' of that type of equipment and will always cost more than any preceding version. The next tier (the next previous version) will only cost 10% less than the current top tier or it's original cost, whichever is less. The third tier will be 20% less than the top tier, continuing on down until the last version still being produced is only 50% the cost of the current top tier. After that, any older versions will actually cost a multiple of 2 times their full amount, to reflect the disadvantages of individually producing a piece of outdated equipment.

Note: the term 'purchase' (as in 'purchase of a starship') refers to the costs of assembling all of the component parts necessary for a starship and constructing said vessel. The purchase if the individual parts are usually done in bulk orders and must be considered a separate cost.

(Can this be altered to reflect a reduction in cost after a certain number of years?)

Design

The actual design of a new class of ship (or station) is not considered to cost so much as to be considered equivalent to a single RP. However, the design process itself should take considerable time. The Design Table (below) indicates the range of months (or years) a design should take before construction of the class prototype may being.

Prototyping

Whenever a new vessel (or station) class is introduced (or a radical overhaul is due for a class), the prototyping process of the initial vessel must be accomplished. The first ship of a class will cost twice its normal construction cost and take twice as long (as the particular construction issues and errors are worked out). After construction is completed on the prototype, the ship is sent on a shakedown trial cruise, with the results rolled on the Prototype Table (below); follow the resulting instructions.

No ship may be mass-produced until it has passed the prototyping phase and completed all requirements for deployment. Multiple prototypes may be constructed at the same time, though each prototype pays the same higher cost of construction. Use the best Prototype Table result among the prototypes of a single class. It is sometimes in the nation’s best interests to build multiple prototypes of a single class design in hopes that at least one of them will result in a successful production model.

Maintenance

Maintenance of ships require RPs, as well. In this case, the RPs are spent annually (e.g., should not be spent monthly) and equal the purchase amount (or current equivalent) divided by the number of operational years (representing the expected operational lifetime of the ship). The above Ambassador class ship, therefore, would cost 78.45 RP initially to maintain (1,569/20 = 78.45). Initial Maintenance Costs (IMC) are only rounded to the 2nd decimal, as the class of ship is tracked in toto and that number is rounded up. As that class ages, the maintenance costs rise. For each ship, each year following the delivery sees a percentage (i.e., 1%) increase (see Maintenance in below table), with a jump at the 10-year mark (25 years for non-mobile stations). Once a ship is refitted, it's 'counter' is reset to 0 year.

However, a class of ship (or station) produced in numbers does generate a savings due to an economy of scale. The more ships produced, the greater the maintenance base that must have been created to provide for them, decreasing the individual cost of a ship's maintenance. This Quantity Modifier only takes into account the number of ships active in that class at the end of the year and is computed by determining the square root of the number of units in service and subtracting the result from 100%. That new percentage is applied to the IMC for each ship, before the operational year modifier is determined. Therefore, if the above (individual) Ambassador class ship was one of 13 in service at the end of it's second year, it would enjoy a 3.61% (sqrt of 13 = 3.60555, rounded up to 3.61) decrease in its IMC, prior to the 1% increase of it's 2nd year of operations.

In-character, ships undergo three levels of maintenance:

Command Maintenance: This level of maintenance is constant and ongoing; performed by the ship's crew whenever not in combat conditions and when ever the ship's operations allow the necessary degree of maintenance. For example, maintenance to a transporter can be done at any time, especially if other transporters are available for operation. But, maintenance on the warp core may only done when the ship is scheduled to be at impulse speeds or orbiting a safe location.
Facility Maintenance: Maintenance that requires outside assistance can be arranged to occur at a pre-scheduled visit to a facility that offers that level of support. Oftentimes, this may coincide with a post-mission personnel leave period or any event that requires the ship's (or command personnel's) presence for a period of time that also allows the facility maintenance. In any regards, the maintenance period will require the ship to be in a non-mission capable status for the established evolution. (Examples of scheduled Facility Maintenance include...)
Drydock Maintenance: There are some periods that absolutely require the ship be taken off the line, so that preventative maintenance can be performed, and the warp core taken offline and shut down. Some, such as a baryon sweep conducted every five years of warp travel, are extremely invasive and require all organic life to be removed from the ship, but take only hours. (Other examples include...)

Upgrades, Overhauls & Refits

Outside of maintenance, ships will report to a maintenance facility in order to accomplish three types of alterations:

Upgrade Period: The least costly alteration is the Upgrade. The ship receives new equipment that is considered important enough to merit pulling the ship off the line, but will not tie it down in a 'cold core' status for more than 2 months. Usually, this will involve new versions of all ready installed equipment, but these new installations will not be anything that could be considered extensive or invasive (such as a new computer or warp core or changing phaser banks to phaser strips), but something easily brought aboard (new subspace radio technology) or swapped out on the hull (older phaser banks for new). The cost of the avail is limited solely to the cost of the new equipment (previously purchased).

Overhaul Period: Overhauls are considered a comprehensive effort to modernize the individual ships within a class to the new standards for that class and may be rather extensive. For example, the Enterprise explorer saw a class-wide overhaul where a secondary hull was added, creating the Columbia sub-class. More recently, the Constitution class saw a major upgrade that involved a two-year drydock period for the lead vessel (USS Enterprise), resulting in significant hull and system changes. Overhauls can take anywhere from 3 months to 2 years and cost the difference between the existing ship and the final form (or 25% of final form, which ever is greater). The operational lifespan, however, continues from the original build date.

Refit Period: Starships are designed with a specific lifespan in mind. If a prolonged operational period is expected, the ship must be designed to more easily accommodate overhaul periods, which affects many aspects of the design and prototype processes. In any case, a starship that exceeds it's operational lifespan usually requires a tremendous investment in maintenance costs and if the class is valued enough, the ships may receive refits, which extend the lifespans an equivalent period of of time (to it's initial lifespan), reducing those costs. Sometimes, these refits can incorporate aspects of an overhaul, but usually it is a comprehensive review of equipment and structure, replacing any item lacking appropriate levels of confidence. A refit usually takes between 6 months and a year (though can be either shorter or longer, depending on the class Size) and costs 50% of the final form. The ship reverts to a maintenance cost relative to its current SU amount, without the penalty of extra maintenance being required. A ship may undergo 2 full refits during its operational lifetime (usually one at the end of the first, and the second at the end of the next), resetting the clock each time. After that point, because the basic nature and design of the ship is so limited, any further refits only keep the ship technologically-relevant; the maintenance increase for each year is unavoidable.

These alterations all require drydock periods and the ships will go 'cold core' for the duration.

Ex: The USS Gallant, a Defiant class escort, is built in 2374, with an operational lifespan of 12 years and using 1,787 SUs (894 RP), Size 5. For each of the first 10 years following commissioning, the vessel receives a 1% increase in MRP (maintenance RPs), jumping to 5% the 11th year. When the vessel is 12 years, it is unable to get to a drydock for an immediate refit, so for that year it receives another 5% increase. Its travels take it to a drydock in 2387 (its 13th year). After the refit, the ship now has 1810 SUs, and its maintenance requirement is re-set to the 1/12th of the current ‘purchase’ price (now 150.83 SUs). The ship now has an added 12 years of operational life. In 2399, the ship enters drydock on schedule and maintains its normal MRP amount and another 12 years is added to its lifespan. After this, at the end of the 3rd set of 12 years, the MRP will rise, no matter the status of overhauls, until the ship is mothballed or decommissioned.

Repairs

See the Repairs page for details.

Reserve Status/Mothballed

At various times, units can be in special states that can halve or eliminate their maintenance costs, such as being placed into a Reserve status or Mothballed. Calculate the maintenance costs for units in different states independently. If you have, for instance, 2 active, 4 reserve and 1 inactive Mirandas, your maintenance cost is the full maintenance cost for the actives, 1/2 the cost for reserves and 0 for the mothballs.

Only ground units, ships and small vessels (shuttlecraft, fighters) may be deactivated and placed in reserve status. Units under reserve status may not be given any orders other than to activate. Units remain active on the turn they are ordered to deactivate (they cost full maintenance) and are not in reserve status until the end of this phase. Reserve units cost half the maintenance of a normal unit. Units cannot be deactivated if they are carrying cargo. Small vessels may only be deactivated on a planet or if its basing unit is being deactivated as well. Activating a reserve unit requires that the unit be ordered to activate during the Turn Orders Phase. Units given the order to activate remain in reserve status (costing half maintenance) until the Construction phase and full maintenance cost will need to be paid on the next turn. Units that are basing other units, such as a reserve status carrier and its fighters, may only be reactivated if all based units are also reactivated. Units in a reserve status may be used in-system within that month's turn without being reactivated, but at reduced captain and crew skill levels of 2/3rds their fully active levels (to represent the lack of a full crew).

Mothballing is the method of taking a ship out of active duty. The ship is not lost but is instead kept for possible use in the future. A ship must be at an established shipyard in order to be mothballed, with the exception of atmospheric capable ships which can be mothballed at a planet that is capable of basing them. It does not “cost” anything to mothball a ship. Any small vessels on a ship can be mothballed with it. A mothballed ship or small vessel pays no maintenance costs each turn. If the player wants to restore the ship (and any small vessels it is carrying) from inactive service to active service, it must pay the full maintenance cost using the same procedure as activating reserves (above). The ship will require dock space like new construction during the activation process. Units given the order to activate remain in mothballed status (costing no maintenance) until the Construction phase.

Inactive units may be scrapped (see below), which does remove them from the shipyard they were mothballed in. Bases, ground units and other defenses (including shipyards) may not be mothballed.

Scrapped

Any unit may be scrapped to recover 50% of its original economic points. Units must be scrapped at a place where they could be constructed, but scrapping does not count against the construction capacity for that facility. Scrapping takes 1/3rd the time it would take the facility to build a similar vessel. Once a unit has begun construction, the economic points can be regained at a value of 50% of the economic points already spent if the unit’s construction is canceled. Small vessels that can no longer be based or carried as cargo can be scrapped no matter where they are. This may seem counter intuitive as they are technically “destroyed”, but the infrastructure required to support their existence is still in place on the unit that based them.

Tables

Design Table

**Design Table**
Mass Range (mt)	Size	Design Length
0 - 2	1	2 months
2.1 - 30	2	3 months
31 - 60,000	3	1d6 + 6 months
60,001 - 200,000	4	1d6 + 12 months
200,001 - 400,000	5	1d6 + 24 months
400,001 - 1,875,000	6	1d6 + 36 months
1,875,001 - 4,000,000	7	1d6 + 48 months
4,000,001 - 5,000,000	8	1d6 + 54 months
5,000,001 - 6,000,000	9	1d4 + 60 months
6,000,001 - 8,000,000	10	1d6 + 60 months
8,000,001 - 10,000,000	11	1d8 + 60 months
10,000,001 - 12,000,000	12	1d4 + 66 months
12,000,001 - 14,000,000	13	1d6 + 72 months
14,000,001 - 17,000,000	14	1d8 + 72 months
17,000,001 - 20,000,000	15	1d4 + 78 months
20,000,001 - 23,000,000	16	1d6 + 78 months

Prototype Testing

**Starship Protoype Table: Roll 1d100 against Year**
2063-2104	2105-2145	2146-2160	2161-2215 2268-2288 2312-2332	2216-2267 2289-2311 2333-on	Effect
01-05	01-07	01-10	01-13	01-14	Prototype Trials completed successfully; ship may immediately enter service at its normal construction cost.
06-15	08-17	11-20	14-23	16-25	Prototype has completed its trials and may enter production. The next two units of its class must be built at an additional 50% cost (rounded up) before the design can enter normal service.
16-25	18-27	21-30	24-33	26-35	Prototype has completed its trials and may enter production. The next three units of its class must be built at an additional 50% cost (rounded up) before the design can enter normal service.
26-35	28-37	31-40	34-43	36-45	Prototype has completed its trials and may enter production. The next four units of its class must be built at an additional 50% cost (rounded up) before the design can enter normal service.
36-40	38-42	41-50	44-53	46-55	The ship suffers a critical failure that increases the prototype’s construction time by 25% additional drydock time, after which it will enter service. The next three units of its class must be built at an additional 50% cost (rounded up) before the design can enter normal service.
41-50	43-52	51-60	54-63	56-65	The ship suffers a critical failure that increases the prototype’s construction time by 50% additional drydock time, after which it will enter service. The next four units of its class must be built at an additional 50% cost (rounded up) before the design can enter normal service.
51-60	53-62	61-70	64-73	66-75	The prototype vessel failed its initial test trials and was towed back to the shipyard. An additional 25% of drydock time and the investment of another 25% of the normal construction resource points cost (rounded up) must be spent to correct the error before the ship can return to its shakedown cruise. A second roll on this table is required once modifications to the prototype are complete.
61-70	63-72	71-80	74-83	76-85	Shutdown of several key systems during trials indicates the vessel has a key design flaw. An additional 50% of drydock time and and the investment of another 50% of the normal construction resource points cost (rounded up) must be spent to correct the design flaw before the ship can return to its shakedown cruise. A second roll on this table is required once modifications to the prototype are complete.
71-80	73-87	81-90	84-93	86-95	Shutdown of several key systems during trials indicates the vessel has a key design flaw. An additional 100% of drydock time and and the investment of another 50% of the normal construction resource points cost (rounded up) must be spent to correct the design flaw before the ship can return to its shakedown cruise. A second roll on this table is required once modifications to the prototype are complete.
81-00	88-00	91-00	94-00	96-00	Catastrophic failure of the starship causes the vessel to fail its prototype trials. The prototype is lost (destroyed) and must be rebuilt again at twice the vessel’s normal construction to restart the prototyping process. Construction time for this second prototype is increased by an additional 100% of drydock time and an additional investment of another 50% the prototype’s normal construction cost (rounded up) are needed to attempt a rebuild of the design. Once this is complete another, a second roll on this table is required.