Changing Tides - Archived pre-subforum thread

[StahlSentinel]

Welcome to the Changing Tides custom campaign.

I'm working on this project when not contributing to the WW2 Lite custom campaign (you should have a look at it, we're making good progress), and I'm welcoming any help I can get.

The planet, Foreldi, has been utterly devastated by the events of a cataclysm an indeterminate number of years ago, and the factions that have formed are still affected by its aftermath.

There are eight factions planned for the campaign, these are as follows:

The Iron Devotion - The first faction. Generally peaceful tech-worshippers with relatively tanky ships (though not at the Onyx Watch's level). Ships are of two types: Weaponised cargo barges and floating churches.
Current Status: All units complete, but may accept new units if suitably unique or filling a role I missed. HQ complete. Resource fortresses would be nice, current outposts (not HQ) need replacement.

The Reefback Wreckers - Scavengers who inhabit an area with very shallow water and take advantage of shipwrecks to the best of their ability. Very little in the way of cohesive design.
Current Status: I have no idea, anything that doesn't fit anywhere else will probably end up in their hands sooner or later. Could probably use some air units.

The Corensian Monarchy - Among the older factions, the Monarchy uses heavily armoured galleons retrofitted into paddle-steamers and similar designs. Reliant upon broadsiding ability with massed cram cannons.
Current Status: Work ongoing. Aerial Navy still requires work, more naval designs also required.

The Old World Coalition - The oldest faction, the Coalition comprises survivors from the world before the cataclysm who want to return the world to its previous state. They use large numbers of missiles, helicopter-based air vehicles, large jets and thrusterfoil craft with sealed pilot cabins, as well as drones. Units are primarily defended by active defenses such as shields, and should be very fragile under them. Should ideally have more air units than sea units.
Current Status: Most sea vehicles ready, need medium combat thrusterfoil and large drone factory thrusterfoil. Air force (which should be the bulk of the faction) has a grand total of one unit, submissions welcomed.

The Venom Lance - Primarily formed of mutants (and as a result constantly at war with the Old World Coalition), the Lance is less a faction formed of ideology and more one formed of necessity. They have a close alliance with the Iron Devotion. At this point in time, I'm unsure where I'm going with them - I may want to make use of stealth designs or ekranoplans.
Current Status: On hold until earlier factions are closer to completion.

New Autonomous Alliance - A faction formed of rogue AI programs, the Alliance is unreasonable in the extreme. Uses craft with sabot miniguns. Aesthetic theme undecided. May be ditched later on, so don't assume they'll be in the final campaign.
Current Status: On hold until earlier factions are closer to completion.

The Forged Embers - Originally a bunch of crazy survivalists, the Embers quickly turned to valuing manufacturing ability and craftsmanship after the formation of its Admiralty. Ships are similar to old-fashioned ironclads and pre-dreadnoughts, supported by heavy zeppelins. All non-aerial craft should be excessively heavily armoured.
Current Status: On hold until earlier factions are closer to completion.

The Tides of Progress - The only non-native faction on Foreldi, the Tides arrived fleeing from the Scarlet Dawn and briefly skirmished with the Embers, whose colour scheme was mistaken for that of the Scarlet Dawn. The Tides are currently on good terms with most factions, and has provided technology lost in the cataclysm to each (except the Reefback Wreckers, who ended up with it anyway). They use high-tech hovercraft and two-part mechs, among other advanced craft, and are the only faction permitted to use EMP in any weapon system other than a disruptor head.
Current Status: On hold until earlier factions are closer to completion.

Link to the campaign's Steam Workshop page

[mrvecz]

And what kind of campaign this will be ?

[StahlSentinel]

Fairly similar to the Neter one, I should think, although probably on a smaller scale.
Generally not particularly high on the realism scale, less variance in ship difficulty within each faction.
Post-apocalyptic setting, though long enough after the apocalypse for things to recover somewhat.

[StahlSentinel]

Iron Devotion

Current fleet lineup

From left to right: Dreg Ship, Dreg Ship Retrofit, Vicar, Tribute (cargo vessel), Tithe, Preacher, Missionary, Intervention.

Lore
As civilisation recovered from the cataclysm, a group of looters ransacked the derelict headquarters of a long-gone corporation. Affected by flakes of lead-based paint disturbed by their arrival, they became fixated with the sole surviving book in the building - a corporate manual focusing on PR and technology. Upon finally finding their way out of the building, the looters inadvertently started a religious movement before dying of lead poisoning.

Fast-forward to the present day, and the Iron Devotion has grown from this religious movement. With the original text missing, the Devotion has become obsessed with the worship of technology, and is on reasonably good terms with almost every other faction on Foreldi. The exception to this is the Reefback Wreckers, whose tendency to take everything apart to see how it works before patching it up again is at odds with the reverence afforded to high technology that has caused the Devotion to stagnate.

Design Philosophy
There are two main schools of design in the Iron Devotion: Cheap, disposable craft for use by convicts and undesirables, and more robust vehicles, including their "floating churches".

Current State
Naval forces are in an acceptable state, though more forces may be added to improve variety.
The Iron Devotion should have some sort of DWG-level air force in the future.

[StahlSentinel]

Reefback Wreckers

Current fleet lineup

From left to right: Rust Mite, Seagull, Flying Dutchman, Eelskinner, Charging Rhino, Debris, Barrage Balloon. The Iron Devotion's Purgatory outpost is visible in the background, behind the Barrage Balloon.

Lore
Ever since its creation, Brokeback Reef has been a dangerous place for captains to venture, with sandbars and rock outcroppings that tear the bottom off ships unfortunate enough not to see them. However, it is also a reasonably safe place to get shipwrecked.

With an abundance of raw material from wreckage, it was only a matter of time before the shipwrecked sailors banded together to gather it up and build new fleets, and from there began to form the rudiments of a faction. The Reefback Wreckers gradually formed from these scattered groups and staked their claim to the Reef with a fleet of reclaimed ships rebuilt to have as little hull underwater as possible.

Using a network of scout balloons, they monitor the sandbars for potential salvage, often taking steps to ensure that the ships passing through become wrecks. There are also rumours of hidden deathtraps and stealth ships blending in to the shores, though no solid evidence of these has yet been found.

Design Philosophy
Wrecker vehicles built by Jury Rig Salvage, of whatever description, are covered in rust, odd angles and pieces of salvaged ship. Often there are gaping holes in the side of above-deck structures haphazardly covered up with metal plates. Those produced by Lee Quay Shipyards, however, are more like other factions' professionally manufactured ships, albeit still covered in a thick layer of rust and with either strange idiosyncrasies or glaring issues.

Current state
I've barely started on the Reefback Wreckers. Some of the vessels already done will need some modifications to fit the faction better (especially the Eelskinner). I also intend to add several ramming ships, once I figure out how to make them work properly. It's highly likely that once the other factions have some designs I'll just take bits and pieces of them and weld them together into Wrecker ships.

[StahlSentinel]

Beginning planning for next two factions (yes, even though the first two aren't finished).

Burning Horde
Crazy militaristic-survivalist types. If fire ever gets implemented, these guys are going to use a lot of it. Primarily casemate and monitor style ironclads, with minimal amounts of ship above the water. Perhaps some zeppelins for air support. May make some ironclads that operate like the Pequod, i.e. submerge upon getting close enough, or stay submerged until in broadside range.

Venom Lance
Very sleek ships, spear-shaped perhaps. Fragile, unshielded satellite weapons dotted around, flying toothpick jets for air support. Focus on rapid-fire weaponry, ACCs and missiles primarily. Everything fragile, but shielded.

[Hypersycos]

Here's a bomber for Iron Devotion. It's not painted, and I'm not very happy with the thing in the middle of it, but I didn't really know what to put there, and it looked a bit empty without something. It also doesn't have resources, because I didn't know whether you were running with centralised or localised, but there's plenty of room for stuff.

[StahlSentinel]

Here's a bomber for Iron Devotion. It's not painted, and I'm not very happy with the thing in the middle of it, but I didn't really know what to put there, and it looked a bit empty without something. It also doesn't have resources, because I didn't know whether you were running with centralised or localised, but there's plenty of room for stuff.

Wow, that looks fantastic. You've nailed the aesthetics shape-wise, and it'll certainly look better in the light bomber role than what I've currently got.

I'll have a poke around, fit some resources and paint it, see if there's anything that needs tweaking.

[StahlSentinel]

Could you possibly add a blueprint download? I'd like to see how it performs, but can't.

[Hypersycos]

Geh. I swear I did. Probably uploaded the picture and then thought I'd done the BP.

The cannons may be a bit over the top for a bomber, I'm not sure.