Roamers

[Joel Schultz]

What role do "aligned" commanders (i.e. Galcom/Insurgent/Gammulan Military/Any other race's military) play who are not part of a fleet?

I guess this gets into a fleet's purpose. (Putting on "thoughtful" hat now). To my mind, a fleet's purpose is to provide Command the ability to concentrate and deploy massive firepower and resources for long-term strategy. It also serves as a (large) ready-reaction strike force that can be deployed quickly to a trouble spot for a strong counterstrike.

Individual fleet assets may not always stick close together and may be dispersed in smaller groups or individually for various mission profiles. While this could increase reaction time (the fleet is more likely to be where needed), this necessarily weakens available firepower at any one spot, and increases reaction time for the rest of the fleet since they have to take time to travel and regroup.

So, my guess is that aligned, non-fleet commanders serve as the patrol/recon/jack-of-all-trades arm of the military. Watching the borders and space lanes, the first on the scene at any sign of trouble, and likely the first to run for reinforcements (he who fights and runs away comes back with his buddies another day). And thus take some of the burden off fleets' spreading themselves too thin.

Guestimated mission profiles for said non-fleet assets would be: frontier patrol/recon, trade route patrol, assisting police, system protection in absense of a home fleet, escort, reserves (backup) for the main fleets, military courier, trade/exploration, etc. More or less the orders you receive in a "roam" a.k.a. "free flight" profile.

Make sense? Or am I rambling?

And of course, aligned non-fleet roamers would also serve as more targets for the opposition (ha! beat you to that one )

[ 05-01-2001: Message edited by: Joel Schultz ]

[GREG MILLER]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but unless you join a fleet, you ship will have an Undesignated Command Vessel (UCV) in front of its name. The only way you fly under an GCV, ECV, or ICV Designation, is that you MUST be part of that organization.

Atleast that is how it has always been, maybe things have changed.

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: GREG MILLER ]

[Tyrn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by GREG MILLER:

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but unless you join a fleet, you ship will have an

Undesignated Command Vessel

(UCV) in front of its name. The only way you fly under an GCV, ECV, or ICV Designation, is that you

MUST

be part of that organization.

Atleast that is how it has always been, maybe things have changed.

---

I've not heard nor seen any change on that either. You either are a member of a fleet or independent or from a non-aligned race. You can't be GALCOM/Insurgent/EarthCOM without being a fleet memeber.

[Joel Schultz]

Perhaps my problem here is that the definition of "fleet" isn't clear whether I am talking the GAME or RP. Of course, I'm not exactly which sense I meant it in either, so please let me muddle a bit...

AFAIK there are no fleets in the game itself... In BC3K, you launch from GHq under a "Free Flight" profile and are free to do what you will. BCM will also have a "Roam" profile, which I assume will ultimately be more-or-less identical to "Free Flight" in BC3K.

"Fleets" as a concept only seem to exist in RP, and on these message boards. I don't profess to be certain but if BCM follows in BC3K's footsteps then your avatar will not part of a "fleet" structure in BCM either under "Roam" profile, although I don't know about the ACMs obviously. "Fleet" exists as a structural organization/contract between the human players and their avatars, not as an in-game "feature", again, insofar as I am aware.

Hence, my original question and musings. Since there is no "fleet" affiliation mandated by the game itself, I don't see why there can not be non-fleet GCV/ICV/etc vessels. Mandating fleet affiliation for the game would certainly put a damper on the game, for me at least...

On the other hand, those who want to participate fully in the RP threads ought to follow due form and conventions, which then would mandate joining a fleet to permit use the appropriate designator; full participation in an RP thread would give implicit acceptance to those rules governing use of fleet designators within the RP context.

As of yet, I don't recall seeing any non-fleet members getting yelled for using GCV/ICV/etc in their signatures' ship designators who also did NOT involve themselves fully in the RP threads. Whereas those who did misuse designators and who DID fully involve themselves in the RP world (and hence involve themselves with fleets) do get yelled at.

So it seems then that there is room for non-fleet members to use various designators. Otherwise, every newbie's going to get slapped down the minute they put a non-UCV designator in their sig.

(Just to be clear, I am not questioning the designator policy itself; that's internal fleet business to which I am indifferent. I am inquiring as to its scope.)

Maybe in returning to my original question, I should rephrase it this way for clarity: what role do aligned non-fleet roamers play in the game? And drat it all, that question doesn't quite sound right either; I'm getting a nagging feeling it's a stupid question of the "standby at the airlock" variety and has an obvious answer, but better phrasing eludes me for now . Oh well. I believe you've answered that question for the RP context: "aligned non-fleet roamers don't exist".

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Joel Schultz ]

[aramike]

Here's my opinion: If you are Terran/Military, you MUST be in a GALCOM fleet. If you are not, your caste is wrong.

If you are Terran/Insurgent, the same thing applies. Terran/Earthcom as well.

Other races are more difficult as there aren't any existing fleets.

Here's what I propose (Derek, your opinion please?): Terran/Military and like castes MUST belong to a fleet because fleets exist for them. However, let's say someone is Gammulan/Military. Are they UCV? Hardly. So, new prefixes should be made for these. I imagine that, come GCO, there will be alien fleets anyway.

First, a note: any caste OTHER than Military and Insurgent should ALWAYS have the UCV prefix.

Now, here's my list of proposed prefixes:

Terran/Military: GCV

Terran/Insurgent: ICV

Terran/Earthcom: ECV

Empirion/Military: EWV or EMV (Empirian War Vessel or Empirian Military Vessel, respectively)

Vesperon/Military: VCV

Credian/Military: CCV

Kandorian/Military: KCV

Mandorian/Military: MCV

Zelon/Military: ZCV

Valkerie/Military: VWS or VMS (Valkerie War Ship or Valkerie Military Ship {VWV - too many "V"'s})

Falkerie/Military: FCV

Gammulan/Military: GWV

Syrion/Military: SCV

Droidian/Military: DCV

[aramike]

Joel: In regards to your last post, I believe that good fleet structures should be maintained because when GCO arrives (not too long from now), who's going to want folks who are essentially Mercs flying GALCOM flags to take GALCOM resources?

[Joel Schultz]

OK, for GCO I concede that the "fleet" concept makes more sense than in BCM. But this is because GCO will necessarily blur the line between the RP threads and the game by bringing the RP world (and hence its rules) into the game.

All the same, I don't see how that's enforceable, unless you know something I don't. Or will GCO players be required to have fleet affiliation to be Galcom etc when they register?

[Tyrn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by aramike:

Now, here's my list of proposed prefixes:

Terran/Military: GCV

Terran/Insurgent: ICV

Terran/Earthcom: ECV

Empirion/Military: EWV or EMV (Empirian War Vessel or Empirian Military Vessel, respectively)

---

Actually, Empirians, as are/were Vesperons, are members of GALCOM and would therefore carry the GCV designator. As the manual states:

On stardate 05.11.2993, Galactic Command (GALCOM) was formed. Its founding

members were the Terrans, Empirians, and the Vesperons.

GALCOM has never been a Terran only insitution.

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Tyrn ]

[aramike]

quote:

---

Actually, Empirians, as are/were Vesperons, are members of GALCOM and would therefore carry the GCV designator. As the manual states:

On stardate 05.11.2993, Galactic Command (GALCOM) was formed. Its founding

members were the Terrans, Empirians, and the Vesperons.

GALCOM has never been a Terran only insitution.

---

No, but EarthCOM is. I would see the ships of these races to be either a part of the GALCOM military, or part of their OWN military. Perhaps GALCOM should become a caste. For instance, Terran/Military is by default GALCOM. Yet, the REAL Terran/Military is supposed to be Earthcom according to the story.

So, perhaps GALCOM should be with players using Terran/GALCOM, and Terran/Military should remain Earthcom.

Does that make sense?

[Tyrn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by aramike:

No, but EarthCOM is. I would see the ships of these races to be either a part of the GALCOM military, or part of their OWN military. Perhaps GALCOM should become a caste. For instance, Terran/Military is by default GALCOM. Yet, the REAL Terran/Military is supposed to be Earthcom according to the story.

So, perhaps GALCOM should be with players using Terran/GALCOM, and Terran/Military should remain Earthcom.

Does that make sense?

---

Yup.

So we would have something like:

Ter/Mil  ECV

Ter/GAL  GCV

Emp/Mil  SCV (Empirian Starforce)

Emp/GAL  GCV

And so forth as appropriate. Oddly enough, the concept of identifiers being unified or conforming to any set pattern across so many different races and "nations" is a bit unbelievable (not that I'm complaining).

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Tyrn ]

[aramike]

Yep, Tyrn, that would probably be best and the most consistant with the story.

quote:

---

And so forth as appropriate. Oddly enough, the concept of identifiers being unified or conforming to any set pattern across so many different races and "nations" is a bit unbelievable (not that I'm complaining).

---

Heh, the concept of them all speaking English is, too. So is mercs (and other castes) readily using UCV. But, for the sake of simplicity...

[Tyrn]

quote:

---

Originally posted by aramike:

Heh, the concept of them all speaking English is, too. So is mercs (and other castes) readily using UCV. But, for the sake of simplicity...

---

Naw, the English bit is simple...babblefish! Seriously though, it is a game and at some point we just have to stop trying to make it reality and accept it as it is sad as that may be.

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Tyrn ]

[Epsilon 5]

quote:

---

But, for the sake of simplicity...

---

S'il fallait que chaque race parle d'une langue diff├®rente, ├ºa serait vraiment compliqu├®

Everybody to your translators!

If each race would be to talk a different language, it would really be complex.

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Epsilon 5 ]

[Guest]

"I don't see why there can not be non-fleet GCV/ICV/etc vessels"

Go to your local armed forces recruitment office. Tell them "I want to join the armed forces"

They may ask you: Navy, Marines, Army, National Guard , etc ?

So it is with Galcom. Joining Galcom means you join one of its branches. Being a freelancer in galcom suit is almost like being a mercenary with a letter of marquee..so no, you must join a galcom branch to be part of galcom.

"If each race would be to talk a different language, it would really be complex"

Gotta love Douglas Adams when you quite him for retorts: "The babel fish, by effectively removing all communication barriers, has cause more and bloodier wars in recorded history" (or something like that)

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Tac ]

[Joel Schultz]

OK, the responses here while helpful don't quite answer my question. Of course, since I didn't quite know how to ask it initially I must take a large chunk of the blame , but after reading everything here, I finally know how to ask it.

What happens to Joe Gamer who wanders into a MP game and decides to play as Terran/Galcom or Terran/Insurgent but who isn't part of a fleet? Does he get to play under that designation in BCM? In GCO? Cos' Joe Gamer's me all over for MP; I love SP but only once in a while venture into MP.

Thanks for your responses. BTW, on a separate issue, do I understand correctly that Mercs are unsalaried? That "letter of marque" thingy sounded like a very appealing alternative but if I'm not going to be paid a salary, forget that idea...

[ 05-02-2001: Message edited by: Joel Schultz ]

[Charles Lindsey]

If Joe Gamer sets up his own server and runs his own game then nothing will happen. He and his friends simply play the game.

If JG decides to log onto an official server then he must be registered as something. That something will be persistent and stats will be logged.

If JG decides to post on the forum he may or may not choose to use a sig that identifies him as that something. He may not wish to participate in an ongong board discussion of fleet matters. If he chose Ter/Gal he is simply Prime fleet by default. If JG plays as Insurgent he may not wish to post with an Insurgent sig.

That is the way I understand it at this time.

[Joel Schultz]

Ah, now things are starting to come together and make sense; I'm getting a better picture of how Joe Gamer's fit into the Grand Scheme of Things ™ w.r.t. fleets here...

Since the server DBs are persistant, you naturally have to be registered as something; that goes without saying. Therefore, to use an "official" server I would of course have to set up a persistant profile. Is that profile completely at my whim or do aspects of it require pre-approval (e.g. selection of Fleet, asset selection, home base selection if applicable, and so on)?

(BTW, I hope I'm not in dangerous waters with these questions in this forum; I didn't consider them "newbie" since they had nothing really to do with the available incarnations of the BC game(s) and they have everything to do with Fleet relationships to the upcoming games, which I thought is probably quite a bit beyond the newbie level. If I am wrong, I will take responsibility for the gaffe and request the thread be moved...)

Given your other comments, since it doesn't seem to be stepping on anyones toes and since I don't intend to really RP (RP never was my cup of tea), I think I'll continue to use the GCV in my sig and have Alan Mach be a so-called "default" Prime Fleet'er, though I'll keep the sig format different (simpler) than the fleet "official" format to prevent confusion (that and I don't claim any fleet affiliations in it). Objections?

Perhaps one day if I do venture into an official MP server, I'll get around to making a decision and "officalize" things. Though with Alan's back history (Of couse he has one! I hate flat characters, anyway) who's to say he won't be an Indie at that point?