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Glorious Arstotzka

17 (16%)

Glorious Moskurg

13 (12.3%)

Ingloriously Didn't Play

76 (71.7%)

Total Members Voted: 106

[andrea]

Posting a draft for my entry on the contest (remember: it is personal, any of us can write one)
I would love to have some feedback on it.

Spoiler: Haast entry- draft (click to show/hide)

The Haast is one of the finest pieces in Forenian arsenal and it shows its exceptional engineering in many ways. The powerful V12 engine is pushed to the limit of this configuration, the large ellipse wing provide exceptional lift; this allows the Haast to have surprising speed and agility for its weight. Thanks to this incredible weight allowance a mangalloy armor around the cabin was implemented, called a “bathtub”, which protects the pilot from anything short of autocannons. The weapon payload is also extraordinary, boosting 2 machineguns, 4 autocannons and one tonne of bomb capacity on 3 hardpoints. The Raptor autocannon used in the design is a marvellous design of light weight engineering, perhaps the lightest of our time while still having excellent performance; thanks to this, ammunition storage is plentiful permitting sustained fire. If this wasn’t enough, the plane is also extraordinarily sturdy: Forenian patented self-sealing tanks, great lift and armor make it extremely hard to shoot down, to the point that pilots joke that it could keep going even with both wings torn off. Plus, its folding wings make it suitable for deployment on sea as well as on land.

But, with all those innovative features, what does the Haast do? It is not a fighter and not a bomber, but it created a new class for itself, the close air support aircraft (or CAS for shortness), which is designed and operated to closely help ground troopers on the ground. It descends on the battlefield using its many cannons to devastate vehicles and infantry alike, while the bomb payload is dropped on the hardiest targets; deployed from a carrier, it brings torpedoes to the naval game, aiding our ships as well as it aids our brave infantrymen on the ground. Any common plane would be easily shot down flying so close to the battlefield, or it would fly by too quickly to make a useful attack run. The Haast however can stay airborne at surprisingly low speeds thanks to its wing design and its resilience make attacks from the ground almost unconcerning.

It would be useful to compare it to other planes of its kind, but the truth is that there is none that match the role and capability of the Haast. The only other vehicle that may attempt to fill a similar niche on the battlefield is the Cannalan twinblade, a rotating wing contraption that is supposed to hover on the battlefield and provide continuous support. However, while the Haast is an astounding success, the twinblade is prone to crashes, spinning out of control and rapid unplanned disassemblies. All the opposite compared to the extraordinary airplane that that flies in our skies and rains death on our foes.

Here, in the CAS aircraft field, Forenia proves its engineering leadership, opening a new era of warfare in which air and ground are more linked than ever.

[evictedSaint]

I will admit I don't know much about radar targeting systems for large-scale guns, but I thought I'd write up a tentative Design report for next year (barring discovering some terrible thing we need to counter during the battle report). 

Design: UF-RTS-42 "Longer Shot" Pattern B

The United Forenian Radar Targeting System 1942 "Longer Shot" is the evolution of our previous forays into radar, automated targeting, and advanced fire-control systems.

With the increased resolution of the Deadliest Ray radar system, the Longer Shot more precisely zeros-in its targets.  The radar data is fed into the on-screen display, in which the operator slides a single metal ring on rails over the blip.  This moves the gun into the correct position for immediate firing.  This targeting is improved over our last iteration of the design, giving the guns a more precise angle of adjustment and inclination. 

While it is possible to fire the cannons at this time, the Longer Shot features a "Linear Targeting" functionality to give the operator the ability to more accurately hit moving targets.  The initial metal ring is locked in position relative to a secondary ring - the operator must move this secondary ring to cover the blip where it appears after the next radar sweep.  This difference in ring positions feeds the Longer Shot the necessary data to lead its target.  From then on the operator merely needs to keep the second ring on the target in order to maintain the targeting information, occasionally updating the first ring as the target changes its velocity.  This system is intended to be fitted onto our existing ships and coastal shore guns.

The limitations of this design involve user error; the operator must accurately target blips between sweeps, as well as stay vigilant enough to recognize when the target adjusts its velocity.

Due to the low difficulty of this design, it also attempts to reduce the Complex tag on our Deadliest Ray and make it small enough to put on each turret of our ships.

[RAM]

I would REALLY like to get even smaller radar before mass distributing it. If we could get an individual radar for each turret then we could track multiple targets simultaneously. The enemy has a lot of small vessels, and being forced to dedicate a Vodka's entire armament to a single vessel at any given time would be detrimental. We could also look into phased array radar for better target splitting...

[evictedSaint]

The limiting factor of our radar is that it's complex, not size at this point.

At 2 meters in diameter, we could put one on every turret - it's just Complex, so we can't afford to do that.  We can either decomplex it through revision (relatively expensive at this point) or by using it for enough things it's common enough not to be complex any more.

Or at least I think that's how the Complexity rules go - I'm a bit fuzzy on that.

[evictedSaint]

Design: UFN-SNR-42 "Clickbait"

You won't believe how this device works! Using this ONE WEIRD TRICK, this device will render a local factions sea mines completely useless! 

Click below to see the SHOCKING description that YOU WON'T BELIEVE!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Named after the "clicking" noise it uses, the United Forenian Navy Sound Navigation and Ranging 1942 "Clickbait" has an outcome that might surprise you!  We've developed an AMAZING new device called a "hydrophone" by using an array of nickel tubes connected to a steel plate, adjoined to a sphere containing ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystals, which can then detect sounds under water!  First we create an array of these new hydrophones - what happens next will blow your mind!

A "click" is then generated using a signal generator, concentrated into an acoustic beam through use of a beamforming array to sweep over the desired area, similar to how our Deadliest Ray radar system works.  The time it takes for the sound pulse to bounce back and reach our hydrophone array can be used to infer the distance to the target by taking into account the temperature of the water.   By measuring the relative amplitude of the beams in the hydrophones formed through a signal processing method called beamforming, we can then further infer the angle and depth of the target. The results can be displayed on-screen, similar to the blips our radar system uses.  In order to speed up the rate at which the surrounding waters can be sampled, different frequencies are used for each sound pulse to prevent overlap.

The most difficult part of this design is the signal processing.  The incoming reflections must be processed to filter out noise and interference in order to present a clearer picture.  The entire hydrophone array and signal generator must be mechanically rotated to sweep the surrounding area.  The Clickbait can be installed onto any ship in our fleet to enable it to safely navigate Cannalan minefields.

This should improve our landings, since we won't lose ships to Cannalan mines.  Should also help us gain further naval advantage, since their mines still hit our ships during ambushes - I think their minelayers are still preying on our shipping lanes, though we haven't heard about it lately.

Plus, we can later develop sonar-guided torpedoes, or even a submarine if we're feeling froggy.

[Happerry]

Personally, I'd like to make some Magnetically Detonated Naval Mines sometime, working off our good torpedo technology. Then they can worry about the minefields for once.

[NUKE9.13]

Here's my submission to the propaganda contest.

Spoiler: Why Infantry QoL is the best thing ever (click to show/hide)

They said it couldn't be done! They called us mad! Who's laughing now!?
Where other nations dedicate the time of their top weapon engineers to nothing but weapons, United Forenia dared to break the mold. What would happen, we asked, if instead of designing weapons, we designed every non-weapon piece of equipment a soldier carries? Yes, we set out to make our soldiers' lives better in numerous small ways, that would eventually add up to a substantial advantage. It's this sort of out-of-the-box thinking that sets UF apart from lesser nations.
Did you know that the Cannalans allegedly haven't designed a single new thing this entire war, but rather have been pulling stockpiled designs out of a giant folder? Truly, they epitomise the rigid thinking that shackles mankind- shackles that must be broken so that we may reach forwards to the glorious future!

The project, dubbed "Infantry Quality of Life", was a resounding success. It would be literally impossible to do better. To name but one example of QoL's many benefits, take Forenia's stylish sunglasses. Obviously they are superior to Cannala's non-existent sunglasses, but we contend that they are, in fact, the best sunglasses in the world- comfortable, effective, and safe to wear in combat. On at least one occasion, the use of sunglasses turned the tide of an entire battle, turning what could've been a defeat into glorious victory. Not only that, but that battle turned out to be a pivotal moment in the defence of Mt. Konstantin- a single pair of sunglasses was responsible for driving the Cannalans of the island.

There are, of course, foul rumours that QoL was a waste of time- but pay them no heed. Have I not outlined a true, verifiable story in which the smallest item in this groundbreaking project had massive ramifications for the war at large?

[evictedSaint]

I like it, Nuke!  My favorite part is when you point out Cannala pulls things out of Mandemon's folder'o'designs rather than coming up with things as needed.

I'm waiting to see how our revision goes.  I've got a poster idea, but it kinda relies on us rolling higher than a 2 on this revision.

[Sensei]

Don't mind me, I'm just doing a bit of research for our revision.  Man, I really hope the Bjorn pans out, I can't afford to lose many more organs...

Revision: APS-42 "Reality Check"

The Active Protection System 1942 “Reality Check” is a soft-kill defensive countermeasure designed to be installed on aircraft. Named in order to mock Cannala's development of MAGIC, the Reality Check module is a variant of our magnesium flares used during the Forenian War to facilitate night raids.  The flares are reduced to 25 mm's in diameter and assembled in blocks of 5x5.  When activated, the dispenser will deploy five one-at-a-time at half-second intervals.  This allows the user to deploy the countermeasure up to five times before exhausting their supply of flares.  Pilots should attempt to reduce engine temperature while deploying the Reality Check module, either through evasive maneuvers, cutting engine throttle, or both.

The Reality Check module is small enough to be socketed into the empty space at the back of an engine nacelle on our larger planes, or into the bottom of the rear fuselage on our smaller planes.  If available space, weight, or difficulty of integration is an issue, the module can also be simply bolted to the outside of the craft and wired to the cockpit.  The system is simple enough that it can be shipped out and integrated into our aircraft in the field.

Examples Examples Examples

Normal: 2
APS-42 "Reality Check": The "Active Protective System" is a module bolted on to the outside of planes, which deploys 25mm magnesium flares, to distract infrared guided missiles. Each canister contains 25 flares. There are five fuses, each of which lights off five flares (and causes them to drop from the plane) at half-second intervals. The fuses are ignited electrically by the pilot. The APS is a bit of a large box which mounts on the outside of a plane and isn't aerodynamic, which is a small concern for bombers but a larger one for fighters.[/b]

[RAM]

Can we recommend mounting it on Haasts for battlefield illumination?

[QuakeIV]

The flares burn very briefly, that would be of limited utility.

[evictedSaint]

Why not put our Artillery Flares back in service, then?

[QuakeIV]

We could, but those are what our current flares are based off of, the artillery flares are known to burn very briefly.

[Wizgrot]

When speculating about who will win a war, it is useful to compare the rank and file side by side. While most of the war consists in how you treat your enemies, killing them dead, for example, a quick look at physical unit of the army, the individual fighter, offers distinct insight about the doctrines that govern each army.
Let´s start with a typical Cannalan “fighter”. To further appreciate the appeal of this particular species, we must observe it in its natural habitat. A puddle of vomit in a shabby bar. Having just puked the last month´s pay in the floor, the Cannalan soldier offers  quite a disgraceful view. Wearing shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops, its rusty M1913 nowhere to be seen, pawned off in exchange for more watered down rum. However, it would be untrue to judge the Cannalan army as totally hopeless. A careful medical examination of POWs shows that the average Cannalan soldier is a vector for no less than four different diseases, two of them, on average, of venereal nature. While there was speculation of a “ultimate warrior breeding program” taking place, further investigations have confirmed that the sanitary corps of the Cannalan army treat soap as an option, asking for more rum-based disinfectant from the supply line, most of which disappears down their throats.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the typical Forenian soldier. Unlike the scurvy laden conscripts that we reviewed earlier, this time we are in front of a hardened veteran. Disciplined, resourceful but, most important of all, confident. Not the kind of blind and hopeless faith that those pirate rats get from a bottle, but the firm belief that when he fights, he is backed by the might of his homeland, from the coldest tundra of Arstotska to the hottest desert of Moskurg. And it shows in his equipment. He is dressed to kill, with boots from the best leather, uniforms sewn with the latest nylon technology, with detachable armor plates and a thousand other quirks that make his life easier and his opponents´, short. In his hands, he holds the mighty AS13, considered by some* the most advanced rifle in this war, a piece of technology so sublime it may as well a piece of art and the gun of choice of Germany during the occupation of Czechoslovakia. It is said that the poorly trained forces of our enemies flee in terror from their sunglasses-covered eyes. They are, in every sense conceivable, dressed to kill.
In conclusion, the result of the Forenian-Cannalan theater has been decided from the start. Our nation wins in every category, whether it being technology, discipline or style. It would be wise, no matter ideological allegiance, to plan in accord of this development. The Forenian Engineering Board is always ready to cooperate with any friendly nation to further develop our technology and bring forth a brand-new, Cannalan-free world.

Okay, first post. Are we going to later roll the tank?

[QuakeIV]

I think we should attack titan and cannala this turn.

(1) Attack Titan, Cannala.  QuakeIV

Also, I would like to try to send out an engineering assistant with an experimental 3d maneuvering device that consists of an array of rockets strapped to a belt to propel him into the air, as well as two pneumatically powered grappling hooks to help him maneuver around.  He shall test rocket based infantry tactics and join the Attack on Titan.