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What will happen to Zesuaium?

Soresu

Soresu

Well-Known Member
I know its use has been cut back due to outcries by people in the past. But, will its use be completely wiped, or will it be used only in special circumstances? I can see it still being used in high profile assets like flagships, battleships and stuff like star fortresses. The really 'costly' ships in which need that protection to survive.

So, what's the deal with it now? And the IC reasons for its diminishing use?
 
I think zesuaium still has a place in the setting, but it's likely for very specialized equipment. For example, it would seem like several tools using aether would be unfeasible without zesuaium components.

As for its scarcity, it could just be hard to manufacture. Harder than Yamatai can easily manage now. You might simply not have the luxury to armor something wholly in zesuaium if you need zesuaium in the build-up of more important components such as ship propulsion systems.

To me, the above two paragraphs would strongly motivate why the era of million-ship-strong fleets and wholly zesuaium-coated armor is drawing to an end; and why we're seeing Durandium, Yama-Dura and Yamataiaum coming to be more prevalent.

It think this is okay. Zesuaium should stay in the setting. In fact, I think the material's usefulness and specific applications actually characterizes it much better. Before, it wasn't because it wasn't rare and you'd see it used practically everywhere. Now, it's pretty much an important staple of yamataian technology which is judiciously applied rather than overused.

This is a good thing.
 
What Fred said follows along with how I feel about Yamatai's wonder alloy. It's been such a prominent part of Yamatai's roleplay for too long just to have it vanish, and it seems needless to "nerf" it, seeing as it does have clear weaknesses; difficulty to manufacture in large quantities and weakness to damage at a molecular level, AKA aether weaponry or antimatter munitions.

Zesuaium was a staple back in the days when Yamataian GMs and FMs felt they needed such nigh-invulnerable protection from other players and player factions, mostly on an OOC level rather than an IC one. That period of time, thankfully, has long since passed and GMs can feel more at ease allowing Zesuaium to actually be as rare as it's made out to be.

And although aether is somewhat of a restricted technology, antimatter is both easier to get and just as effective against Zesuaium for factions and nations with a lesser level of technology. It's still a pretty pricey substance to come by, however.
 
I agree with what Fred says, Zesuaium is not going to disappear. But it will be used in more specific applications. For example the Star Army Armories are lined with it. Given the destructive items in them it makes sense to use Zesu to protect the ship should something happen in one.

Structures like the Star Army Spire would be very difficult to build without something like Zesu without having to make them huge at the bottom to support the weight.
 
I plan to keep using it in a similar way to how it is used presently: Not on everything, but sometimes on new stuff when I think it's appropriate. It's not going to be removed from the setting.
 
I like to use Zesuaium as a frame/structural component in starships. because of its rigidity you can theoretically make the frame smaller and more durable, allowing you to have a structurally sound starship which can use cheaper, more easily replaceable materials as outer panels and other components.
 
Actually, a ship's framework which cannot boast flexibility is supposedly much worse in enduring stresses than something weaker. Yamataium is pretty hefty for that, but the material that appears to have gotten the upper hand for structural framework is Yama-Dura.

Which is kind of why impervium/zesuaium skeletons like the one Eve had in the Miharu plot is a bad idea: it can't deal as well with shocks and vibrations at all, which means something much softer (flesh) is stuck dealing with it. Same difference.
 
Only problem I foresee, and this is just me so I could be totally and completely wrong is: Will it still see use on things like Battleships, Flagships and Star Fortresses? Those are expensive, and powerful assets. A sign of prestige and morale for the various fleets. It seems all three are in a more limited supply so it would make some sense for them to use it as a type of armor coating still.

But from an IC expense standpoint I understand the cost, and difficulty of repair. But according to their pages, it seems Yamataium is the more expensive of the two. So how would this balance out exactly beyond Yamataium's self-regeneration?
 
*is proud and lucky to have zesuaium blades for her wonderful samurai* But honestly I wouldn't like to see anything get taken away or changed in the setting and I'm glad this is one of those things that didn't get redacted.
 
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