Oolite Bulletins

Disembodied wrote:

...having a Black Ops division with its own logo seems a little self-defeating ...

Not necessarily. For clandestine missions, an un-marked ship would be used, but having a logo for 'routine' ships makes sense, especially if they are likely to be involved in larger skirmishes - you want your side to know who you are. Also seeing marked black ops ships from time to time is good for morale. The civilian population will feel more reassured knowing that specialists like these are 'on the case', and it might even help to kep the regular military on their toes knowing that 'the experts' are around.

Gimi wrote:

While I agree, using black on black logos or it's like is common in RL. Also, it's a game, so I have no problems using it if it looks good.

Smivs wrote:

For clandestine missions, an un-marked ship would be used, but having a logo for 'routine' ships makes sense, especially if they are likely to be involved in larger skirmishes - you want your side to know who you are. Also seeing marked black ops ships from time to time is good for morale. The civilian population will feel more reassured knowing that specialists like these are 'on the case', and it might even help to kep the regular military on their toes knowing that 'the experts' are around.

Oh, absolutely, and the Omega should definitely be used (not black-on-black, though, because it would be practically invisible) - I just don't think it should be for anything out-and-out secret. Internal Affairs, or Special Operations, or the Imperial Guard, or some sort of publicly menacing, specialist, inner-circle-type organisation that the player could get mixed up with would be fine. Anything that was really secret wouldn't advertise: and if the player gets mixed up in something like this - possibly as a covert mission involving (for, or against, or for AND against in some sort of hall-of-mirrors-who-can-you-trust affair) the Omega Division or whatever they're called - labelling the secret ships would just give the game away. The best sort of genuinely covert ship would be one that looks like a bog-standard trader.

So how about if we use the Omega for HIMSN Intelligence (we all know everyone does it) who operate Special Operations Forces in clandestine operations.

We would then have two arms to use for missions. Regular intelligence and SpecOps/Clandestine.
(And this is pretty much how it works in RL anyway)

Gimi wrote:

So how about if we use the Omega for HIMSN Intelligence (we all know everyone does it) who operate Special Operations Forces in clandestine operations.

We would then have two arms to use for missions. Regular intelligence and SpecOps/Clandestine.
(And this is pretty much how it works in RL anyway)

I like the sound of this, and it opens up more possibilities for missions if there are more people/organisations available to offer them.

Gimi wrote:

So how about if we use the Omega for HIMSN Intelligence (we all know everyone does it) who operate Special Operations Forces in clandestine operations.

We would then have two arms to use for missions. Regular intelligence and SpecOps/Clandestine.
(And this is pretty much how it works in RL anyway)

Sounds sensible! Also opens up the possibility for e.g. tensions/conflicts between elements of the Navy, and/or the domestic GalCop Police. Who polices the police? The Omega. Who polices the Omega? Ah, well, now ...

Disembodied wrote:

Sounds sensible! Also opens up the possibility for e.g. tensions/conflicts between elements of the Navy, and/or the domestic GalCop Police. Who polices the police? The Omega. Who polices the Omega? Ah, well, now ...

I think we should keep GalCop and the HIMSN seperate...but there's no reason why both couldn't be manipulating each other, both with insiders trying to control the other..?

There would certainly be tensions between HIMSN and GalCop, as mentioned way upthread.
Having two layers of intelligence/security is definitely the way to go - and perhaps even a third layer?

Smivs loves a bit of intrigue and inter-agency tension

Pleb wrote:

I think we should keep GalCop and the HIMSN seperate...but there's no reason why both couldn't be manipulating each other, both with insiders trying to control the other..?

Definitely separate - that's where the tension would come from! Jurisdictional squabbles, fights over budgetary priorities, "Why is it always the Vipers in the front line?", etc. etc.

Disembodied wrote:

Pleb wrote:

I think we should keep GalCop and the HIMSN seperate...but there's no reason why both couldn't be manipulating each other, both with insiders trying to control the other..?

Definitely separate - that's where the tension would come from! Jurisdictional squabbles, fights over budgetary priorities, "Why is it always the Vipers in the front line?", etc. etc.

Civil War!!!!!

Mercurial Amethyst has a new decal - sweet!

Pleb wrote:

Disembodied wrote:

Sounds sensible! Also opens up the possibility for e.g. tensions/conflicts between elements of the Navy, and/or the domestic GalCop Police. Who polices the police? The Omega. Who polices the Omega? Ah, well, now ...

I think we should keep GalCop and the HIMSN seperate...but there's no reason why both couldn't be manipulating each other, both with insiders trying to control the other..?

I think what you're looking for is a Triumvirate. With the idea that each of the three monitors the two others, and that decision-making is based on the majority of two.

Disembodied wrote:

Pleb wrote:

I think we should keep GalCop and the HIMSN seperate...but there's no reason why both couldn't be manipulating each other, both with insiders trying to control the other..?

Definitely separate - that's where the tension would come from! Jurisdictional squabbles, fights over budgetary priorities, "Why is it always the Vipers in the front line?", etc. etc.

For a Galnavy scale HIMSN, sure - for a joint endeavour of three systems (and a few hangers-on), though? HIMSN might punch well above its weight in terms of battling the Thargoids, but actions in that war not taken as part of a Galcop-coordinated official alliance of system military forces I think either have to be kept quiet from everyone (at the most no more prominent than a large civilian bounty hunter pack or trader convoy would be) or risk offending the neighbours. Galcop, for its part, might well be grateful for their assistance but not enough to ignore flagrant breaches of territorial laws: of course, if you wait for Galcop to consider the matter and declare a joint action, you'll be about twenty days too late to stop the Thargoids at all.

"Lieutenant, new instructions from HQ. Biarra and Ribiinat have both denied passage of the 2nd Fleet through their systems, and intel says there's no time to go via the Siege Worlds if we want to beat the Thargoids to Maleve. Biarra has top-notch scanners, so we're going through Ribiinat. We need your squadron to deploy EMP mines by their forward listening posts before the fleet goes through - assemble them for immediate briefing."

This is probably a good reason for HIMSN to do a bit of under-the-table employment of civilian contractors with loose morals: some bunch of pirates jumps in, EMPs the scanner grid, ambushes a convoy and jumps out ... well, someone's supply depot needs better security, but you might not notice that it also covered for a fleet's quick passage through the system. If it goes wrong, HIMSN are still in serious trouble, but if it goes well, there's no risk of their own ships being caught attacking a nominally allied installation.

Diogenese Senna wrote:

Civil War!!!!!

As fun as this idea is, I think we're entering Star Wars territory again on this one...

Disembodied wrote:

Oh, absolutely, and the Omega should definitely be used (not black-on-black, though, because it would be practically invisible)

Pshaw! That's what specular mapping is for. I'm thinking a matte-black ship (well, dark dark grey), but a glossy black logo. It'll look fine -- and quite cool if the logo's base colour is darker than the ship's, so the logo will vary from being darker than the ship to being brighter, depending on how much light is bouncing off it.

I'm also thinking the gold part of the logo on all ships should be highly reflective. I'll play with it and see...