GET YOUR BEARINGS
Plan your next Children of a Dead Earth session
Our independent guide expands on the core pillars of Children of a Dead Earth, offering observations that help you align design choices, orbital planning and campaign strategy with the game’s scientific foundation without relying on hidden shortcuts.
01 / THE GUIDE
Propulsion Comparison
Create two ships—one using a nuclear thermal rocket and another using a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. Record thrust, specific impulse and fuel consumption, then note how each performs in low‑ versus high‑gravity orbits.
- Compare your ship’s thrust and mass against real launch‑vehicle data for realistic performance expectations.
- Match laser pump bands to the emission spectra of the chosen excitation gas.
02 / THE GUIDE
Transfer Window Analysis
Map a Hohmann transfer from Earth to Mars with the N‑Body simulator. Measure the required delta‑v and compare it to a direct hyperbolic escape, observing the trade‑off between fuel use and travel time.
- Prototype ship designs in sandbox before committing them to campaign missions.
- Plan fleet composition early to match the varied planetary environments encountered later.
03 / THE GUIDE
Armor Impact Study
Add successive armor layers to a baseline ship and track changes in moment of inertia and acceleration. Identify the point where added protection begins to hinder maneuverability.
- Use the N‑Body simulator to plan transfers before committing to long‑range maneuvers.
- Consider Lagrange points as fuel‑efficient staging locations when moving fleets across large distances.
04 / THE GUIDE
Laser Spectra Matching
Select a solid‑state laser and experiment with different excitation gases. Note how the pump bands need to align with the gas’s emission spectra.
- Remember the solar system is modeled completely to scale when estimating travel times before launching a mission.
- Use moons or asteroids as intermediate staging points to reduce overall journey distances.
05 / THE GUIDE
Module Granularity Test
Adjust a railgun’s armature dimensions and a rocket nozzle’s length in separate builds. Observe the real‑time changes to inductance, muzzle velocity, exhaust velocity and overall ship performance.
- Iterate nozzle geometry and propellant mix to fine‑tune exhaust velocity for specific mission profiles.
- Balance armor thickness against added mass to keep maneuverability acceptable in high‑gravity orbits.
