LCD Magic Industry Empire

Discussion in 'Latest Chapter Discussion' started by jacobpaige, Sep 28, 2019.

  1. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Technically you want gravel or sand on a level ground, not a harden ground. As to making the road. I guess using magic to blast a road through the land. Than gravel to level and for other reasons. Than wood for forms and than concrete. Also depending of weather and other reason concrete could take a few days to dry. That does not include transportation of materials through the wild. Also let’s not forget time needed to prepare materials. Breaking rock for gravel, cutting trees for forms and mixing of concrete. They do have those drills for breaking rock, but no chainsaws or the needed mixers yet. Still with all that is needed. They made excellent time.

    The problem with full plate armor are the dies. A single suit needs around 30+ individual parts that need to be stamp and assemble. So he will need a blast furnace and a machine to roll out sheet metal. Than have at least 30 individual dies stamp out one part. Than an assembly line. That’s all before magic is added. As to swords you maybe able to mass produced them, but the quality would be questionable. Just like now at this age of innovation a mass produced sword is still crap.

    As to fire arms. It’s definitely possible, especially if he use magic instead gunpowder. As to the individual parts and ammo. You are looking at several assembly lines. It might be more worth while or even easier to build crossbows. But I think the MC hates war. He’s talk to the Great Magician about how magic direction was towards destruction not peace. While his magic machines was always focus on helping his fellow man.

    At least that’s what I think. I could be wrong.
     
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  2. lunarshadow

    lunarshadow Well-Known Member

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    So while Xu Yi is a mechanical engineer, by the looks of things he wasn't into ancient weapons/armor. While we don't have a lot of information on the actual arms/armor here, mass producing longbows isn't going to happen. Making a good longbow is a time consuming process that doesn't lend itself to automation since it involves shaping wood. You can't just make a mold of it.

    Now since we've seen no signs of steel or steel alloys, it's probably safe to assume most armor is iron based in some way, with some armor maybe being reinforced with magic to harden it.

    Now while I say you can't mass produce longbows, with the right materials he could produce compound bows
    [​IMG]
    Those things could be mass produced and are easier to use than a longbow while being more devastating. Combine them with some nice arrows using polycarbonites as shafts and you're good to go.

    As for armor, just researching better materials he could make a lightweight plate mail that could be enchanted to withstand blows.

    As much as I would love magic powered mobile armor, Xu Yi strikes me as a tank kind of guy.
     
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  3. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    They do have several alloys and one plastic. As to compound bow. It still takes time to train. While a crossbow is like a rifle. You just reload, arm and fire. Point and click. On the other hand compound bow still need strength and technique.
     
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  4. lunarshadow

    lunarshadow Well-Known Member

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    Absolutely, but the strength requirement for the compound bow is reduced verse longbow. And while the crossbow is easier to learn to use, it can never match the rate of fire of a compound bow.

    I believe Xu Yi is going to avoid introducing gun powder because he seems to be avoiding anything that could ecological issues. But I could see him researching some kind of magic equivalent to gun powder. That being said I don't see firearms (or their magic equivalent) coming from Xu Yi unless he finds a way to make a machine that can imprint magical seals without the need of a mage to do it. You just need too many bullets for that to be mass produced. Although I suppose who could redesign guns such that the actual force comes from some kind of magical enchantment on the gun, but I see problems doing it that way too. That would put too much magical stress on the gun.
     
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  5. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    You absolutely correct. The bow does give you the advantage of rate of fire in the short term, but with a prolonged battle. Endurance becomes the key factor. Also depending on the foes. The crossbow has better penetrating power. So if your opponent has armor or a magic shield. Crossbow maybe needed. Now concerning bows. I’ve been told an archer, just like a swordsman had to be born with the weapon in hand in order to be worth anything. A rife takes months to be proficient. Sometimes years and that does not include the gun range practices needed. Now seeing a rife when compared to a bow. You see how easy one is compared to the other. Which shows the time needed to train in one and the other. A bow being a longbow or a compound takes time to learn. Also please remember that although the compound bow reduces the needed strength to fire doesn’t mean a malnourished commoners with weak bodies can handle that. Remember their not 20th century people, but medieval scrawny slaves.
     
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  6. ElefantVerd

    ElefantVerd It's not me, and it's not you.

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    I was thinking, the MC sounds like a pacifist. In this case, he won't innovate in the weapons department, he will only create a way to mass-produce the existing weapons, maybe simplifying the structure or even using some new material, but he will not introduce a better bow or sword or armor.

    Looking that way, it won't make him hypocritical (criticizing Camilla for researching magic to better kill people and then doing the same).

    Unless it becomes some kind of do-or-die thing. Like they needing to defend against the Demon Lord or something like it.
     
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  7. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    I agree. I like how you left open the Demon King angle.
     
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  8. canaria23

    canaria23 『  』

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    I always get composite bow and compound bow mixed up
     
  9. ElefantVerd

    ElefantVerd It's not me, and it's not you.

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    Breaking news, our MC is loved by the spirits that follow Agnes... From the teaser of chapter 35:

    “I can’t describe it. In short, when you are by my side, even if I can’t see you, there is a strange people that lets me know that someone is near.” Xu Yi explained.
     
  10. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    The armor the kingdom is asking for is little difficult to complete. Let’s take it from where I left off.
    This is a WAG (wild ass guess). Let’s look at a helmet. A helmet between 14th and 16th century. Was made up of at least two pieces. When you add on the other 5 other components. You realize with bending, twisting and movement needed to articulate adds up.
    You need approximately 30 pieces probably more to complete one suit give or take. So that’s just a large size. We have a small, medium, large, and extra large. That means we need at least 120 individual pieces to create 4 sets. They need at a minimum of 120 individual magic punch press each. Than 4 assembly lines for each set. That also doesn’t mention the whole magic enchantments needed. This is not a simple order. Especially when the MC still has other commitments to complete.
    That doesn’t even go into the steel alloy they would need and the magic equipment they need to expand into.
    I hope they don’t just brush it off with plot armor.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2020
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  11. canaria23

    canaria23 『  』

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    Here comes the welding machine
     
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  12. lunarshadow

    lunarshadow Well-Known Member

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    It'll be interesting if they have sizing magic enchants that could reduce that issue. Assuming the author doesn't wave his hands and have it done behind the scenes, there's a few approaches Xu Yi could take. Unlike most cold weapons, armor components can be made using molds so you in essence can have interchangeable components. So you could have just 1 furnace(or whatever device needed depending on what kind of composite he uses) with a mold and just crank out a specific component until it's time to switch up to the next mold. So let's assume he decides to build just 1 size set at a time, you can get away with 1 assembly line here and just reconfigure the assembly line each time you go to a new size. The trick is going to be assembly. Can Xu Yi create a welding machine that is capable of use by his current workers, or will he need to enlist blacksmith apprentices for assembly purposes.
     
  13. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Welding?
     
  14. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    I also wondered about that, but I haven’t seen any magic like that and to tell you the truth. The way they see and use magic I find this unlikely. After all there was a stigma of that type of magic being beneath most magicians.
    As to using molds. It’s possible. It’s not the best option. Usually for molds iron works better, while steel works better folded and stamped. That’s why most blacksmith use an anvil. Iron handle impacts better. While steel will flex a little, but it will remain strong.
    As to using only one assembly line for several suits is not really that efficient. You would have to stop and restructure your line each time. But the worst part is that you loose the best benefit of a assembly line. The best part of an assembly line is having a person (peasant with a below average knowledge) do a simple job over and over til their flawless. No education or skill needed. But if you make that person change jobs each time you loose your advantage in having a assembly line.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2020
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  15. ElefantVerd

    ElefantVerd It's not me, and it's not you.

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    Maybe if they go Chinese...
    [​IMG]

    On the other hand, this is not a soldier armor:
    [​IMG]

    This is more like a medieval soldier:
    [​IMG]

    Full armor was not a cheap thing, probably our MC will have to stamp steel sheets into helmets, shields, swords, and axes. The swords and axes then are to be temper, and after that, sharpen with a grinder or something like that. The idea is using "stock removal" instead of hammering to make the weapons.
     
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  16. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Only problem with Chinese armor is they we’re not so reliant on metal as European armor was. Due to the nature of the MC devices. I would assume it would be the European type of armor.
    As to your description of the problems evolve in making armor is about what I though and try to explain. For the best armor you would probably need a blast furnace and a drawing machine. I recommend a Bessemer furnace. After making rolls of sheet metal. You need 30 + dies/ magic press machines for each suit. With several assembly lines in order to achieve the necessary goals of equipping the army.
     
  17. ElefantVerd

    ElefantVerd It's not me, and it's not you.

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  18. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Your right aluminum works better in molds, but the big problem with using aluminum is smelting. Aluminum is very hard to separate from other elements. The upside is that it is plentiful. Still if the MC is having trouble with steel and I’m not talking about Damascus or stainless. Just average steel alone. Than I don’t see him creating aluminum armor. To tell you the truth aluminum should be worth more than gold right now.
     
  19. ElefantVerd

    ElefantVerd It's not me, and it's not you.

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    Magic.
     
  20. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Lol. The answer to all things is Magic.
    But seriously there is no magic like that. As an example the new automatic magic Rice Cooker shell was made of a metal no one has heard of. It’s definitely a medieval era. Even before steel. Besides if there were a spell like that the MC would definitely be using that method on a lot of things.