quote:
Thanks, I'm interested to see if this works. But won't it cost more than building them normally? Sure you only pay 80% at each step, but you pay 80% several times. Even if you only retrofit once you're paying 50% (original design that gets upgraded)+ 80%(cost of SB with cable or plate) = 130% total. Add in all the extra steps and it appears a lot more expensive. Very fast, but very expensive.
Nyx, where are you getting the 50% in your figuring here.
When I read Alaysr's post the first thing I thought was what you thought, fast, but more expensive. But I checked out his math and it is correct. Each time you retrofit you only pay 80% of the DIFFERENCE between the two designs. In other words, the sum of all your steps is less than the total would be.
Also, a SB is big enough to hold a ringworld component and a repair bay, but not a Space yard. Keep in mind that the actual work of the retrofit can be done by a repair bay, but you have to have a space yard present to start it. You could design your early steps with space yards and repair bays and not take the space yard out until the Last step. That would work.
Keen insight Alasyr, or Drake or whoever noticed the 80% thing. I had been going on the asumption that retrofit was more expensive than that. Had never bothered to test it before.
Geo