Discovery Factories and shipyards

[Maelstrom]

Ok, I'm a chime in here.

First, the major limiting factors for production times are generally not technical. Production systems are simple things, whether large open docks where everything is assembled at once or long advancing lines. It is possible to achieve awe inspiring speeds with most any method given enough people, money, and physical resources. That is where the crux of the problem is.

I'll start with people. You aren't just limited by the number of individuals in the crew. For example, how many people are needed to design and produce each individual battleship? How many people are needed to design, build, produce, and upkeep the robotics needed to build a battleship? How many people are needed to educate the people needed for the previously mentioned tasks? How many more to support them domestically? How many of the base population are even capable of performing these advanced tasks? Yes, technology has advanced, making it easier and quicker to build the ships themselves, but each technological advance increases the human component.

Next let's talk resources. Each technological advance increaseases the basic resources needed exponentially. Building an old viking long boat only took a small amount of lumber, coke, and metal. Building a modern day ship takes so much more in the way of resources that it's not even compareable. Yes, we can assemble the ships faster, but the gathering and production of the components needed is a major drain on even large and healthy economies. Even the most robust economy can support the construction of only so many war tools.

Finally, lets talk money. Money can argueably be considered a basic resource, but the amount needed and it's flexible nature, set it in a category of it's own, I think. What a credit is worth is not static, it changes as years and political situations progress. More to the point, what that credit can purchase is just as fluid. If certain resources can only be obtained from certain areas, then the people who control that area control thier distribution. The problem is that the construction of war machines takes a vast variety and amount of resources, some of which are going to be controlled by your enemies. The oil wars of contemporary times are a good example of this. Enemies can still obtain these restricted resources, but they have to go through convoluted cirtuits and the price is inflated greatly. Simply put, building massive war machines takes massive amounts of credits no matter the time line.

All of this boils down to the fact that it really doesn't matter how fast construction of ships in our little universe is. What matters is how many of the craft each group can produce and support. That is what should determine what groups get what and how many of each. Factions such as House Navies and the Corsairs should have no problem producing large fleets. Factions such as the Rogues, Gaians, and Hogosha simply don't have the ability to meet the above requirements. That's not to say they couldn't build/steal a small handfull of capital ships, but large navies and shipyards for mass production of capital fleets should be as far beyond them as it is for third world countries today.

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