The Cherub Design Project actually called for designing two versions of the sa ch, which was sothing Ves had never done before.
He learned from his project managent lessons that this was not an unusual approach in larger design teams or ch companies.
Even if he limited the project to a single version, the Hegemony would definitely knock on his doors and request a variant that was optimized for a different environnt.
Instead of going through all of that trouble, the Design Departnt might as well work on a base model and a variant concurrently so that it could deliver both ch designs to the client at once.
"What budget do you have in mind for the Cherub?" Ves asked.
"Hmm. I'm aiming for a maximum production cost of 50 million hex credits for the landbound version and up to 55 million hex credits for the spaceborn version."
"That's very tight!" Ves exclaid. "The fra of the Cherub might be simple, but all of those auxiliary modules aren't cheap. We'll have to impose a lot of limits in order to keep the cost of the ch within those ranges."
"I'm confident we can do it. All of those tis spent on designing third-class chs has made a lot more budget conscious. If you think about it, designing the Cherub is not that different from designing a lesser ch. We just have to curb our desires and plan ahead."
She had a point. Now that she pointed this out, Ves cald down. The Cherub may still be a second-class ch design by virtue of its tech and its components, but its overall scope and complexity was closer to that of a third-class ch design.
"I think it won't take much ti to complete this project either." He muttered.
As Ves constructed a schedule by estimating how much ti it took to design each aspect of the Cherub, he found out that it still entailed considerably less effort than usual.
It didn't matter if they had to design two different but related chs at the sa ti. From a complexity angle, the Cherub was as easy to design as a ch from two centuries ago. Its design stripped a lot of refined features that were quite challenging to incorporate.
This was good news to Ves and the rest of the Design Departnt. They could spend additional ti on completing other tasks. Unlike the Cherub, the other five design projects were fully modern! Depending on their complexity, Ves and his fellow lead designers might be forced to allocate extra ti to the projects.
"Juggling six major projects at the sa ti isn't easy." He sighed.
After Ves worked with Gloriana to define their vision for the Cherub, they moved on to specifying so of their other ch designs.
Of the six projects they were tackling for this round, two of them happened to be based on existing models.
The Bright Warrior Mark II and the Ferocious Piranha Mark II were largely based on their older equivalents. The major difference was that Ves wanted to translate their ch concepts to a higher class.
The second-class versions of the Bright Warrior and the Ferocious Piranha were ant to beco the backbone of the Larkinson Clan. Since they played such an important role in the defense of his fleet, Ves did not dare to neglect them despite their familiar nature.
It didn't take much ti to set so solid targets for the two design projects. Ves had already done a lot of preparation work in defining the new place for the Bright Warrior Mark II
"Downgrading the status of the Bright Warrior Mark II is a harsh decision. You're going against the spirit of its original vision." Gloriana carefully pointed out.
Ves ruefully smiled. "We've already discussed this. The Bright Warrior Mark II will beco the basic generalist ch platform for our clan. I know the Mark I is a beloved ch among the Avatars of Myth, but I don't want them to pilot the Mark II. Elite ch pilots ought to be paired with elite, high-performing ch models. The Ferocious Piranha Mark II is a good example of that. The Mark I is already raising hell in the third-class ch market. With this uplifted version, our clan can shake the hearts of any second-class opponents!"
He did not believe the Ferocious Piranha's glow was capable of disabling second-class ch pilots. Their training level and ntal discipline was a lot higher than third-class riffraff.
That did not detract too much from the Ferocious Piranha Mark II's value. As the Valkyrie chs had already proved in the Komodo War, any enemy affected by a hostile glow experienced varying degrees of discomfort.
It was very difficult for even the most well-trained ch pilots to shrug off all of the negative effects!
"Hehehe…"
Just thinking about all of the opponents it could sabotage in the future brought Ves a lot of satisfaction!
Gloriana thrust her elbow against his side.
"Hey! What was that all about!?"
"You weren't listening to , Ves."
"Oh sorry. You were saying?"
"I was just trying to tell you that your naming system sucks."
"What?!"
"Hear out first." She raised her finger. "The Crystal Lord Mark I is a third-class ch design, correct?"
He nodded. "Correct."
"The Crystal Lord Mark II is also a third-class ch design."
"That's true. We just released it not too long ago. Even though the Crystal Lord Mark II hasn't caught as much attention as the Ferocious Piranha, it's quietly ramping up as well. The Marketing Departnt intends to hold off on promoting the new Crystal Lord model until the hype surrounding the Ferocious Piranha finally begins to fade."
It was too difficult for the Crystal Lord Mark II to escape the shadow of the much more attention-grabbing light skirmisher. In hindsight, the LMC should have just released the Crystal Lord Mark II first so that it enjoyed plenty of ti in the lilight.
Oh well.
"Now think about the Bright Warrior line and the Ferocious Piranha line. The Mark I versions are third-class chs, but what about the Mark II versions?"
"They're both second-class ch designs."
"Don't you see the inconsistency here? You're breaking the pattern you've established before! A lot of people, from custors to our own clansn, will quickly beco confused whether a ch is supposed to be second-class or third-class!"
"I haven't fully thought about that." Ves admitted.
"Then correct it. You need to develop a more systematic naming sche in order to keep our product lineup as clear as possible. Otherwise, misunderstandings might result where people expect a third-class ch only to get a second-class one or vice versa. By the way, are you determined to keep our third-class chs up to date?"
"I do. As products such as the Desolate Soldier, Doom Guard and Ferocious Piranha have already proven, it's very easy to break into a lot of third-class ch markets at once. The profit from selling a single unit is low, but when monthly sales surpass 1 million copies, we are easily able to afford decent capital ships. As long as our current business model remains viable, we can keep treating the Yeina Star Cluster as our perennial cash cow."
There was no way he wanted to abandon all of the market share the LMC had captured in this region. Even if Ves set his sights on the Red Ocean, he knew that he needed to continue upgrading his fleet in order to face dangers that thrived in the new frontier.
Forget about battling against first-class opponents and remnant alien survivors. Just the second-class opponents from the galactic center were far more advanced than the backwater Hexers and Fridayn!
The Red Ocean was open to all of human space. Those who originated closer to the center of the galaxy were much further ahead when it ca to tech, assets and manpower.
If the Larkinson Clan wanted to establish its footing in the Red Ocean, then it had to continue with earning a lot of money. Due to the law of diminishing returns, it cost an astronomical amount of money just to strengthen his fleet by a modest amount.
Ves could not let go of any revenue stream if that was the case!
"Since you are determined to exploit the third-class ch market, then you need to establish a better naming system straight away. Don't let this contradiction unfold and cause mass confusion."
Ves bent his head in thought. "Do you have any ideas?"
"In fact, I do." His wife responded with a smug grin. "In the ch industry, there are various ways to differentiate different products that are related to each other. Right now, make use of Marks to designate generational advancents of the sa ch. I don't have a problem with that as long as we apply it consistently. What we need is a second thod to distinguish chs from the sa product line that are differentiated by class. I'm thinking about using Version A, Version B and Version C."
Ves frowned. "That sounds rather clunky, Gloriana. What do you call the Bright Warrior Mark I, then?"
"In my proposed naming system, its full na would be the Bright Warrior Mark I Version C, or Bright Warrior IC for short. The second-class version you're working on right now is not a generational advancent, so it is still a Mark I product. However, it's of a higher class, so it is designated as Version B. Its full na is therefore the Bright Warrior Mark I Version B."
"That's a bit of a mouthful. I think everyone will just call it the IB for short."
He had to admit that Gloriana's naming sche was very handy once he got used to it. The point of it was to distinguish the placent of a particular ch within its product line.
Perhaps it might not be a big deal at the start, but once a few decades went by, a lot of people would depend on the clarity of this naming sche.
Not every ch company abided by such a transparent and convenient naming system. Sotis, the ch company didn't want to attract too much attention to the exact version of the ch. This made it easier for them to sell older and outdated chs.
What also complicated the naming situation was that not every ch company adopted the sa model with regards to product developnt.
What the LMC did was fairly typical. Once it designed a ch like the original Ferocious Piranha, Ves had no intentions of tinkering with its design. He wanted to wait for at least 5 years but ideally an entire generation before he would design an update.
Other ch companies didn't wait that long to co up with a new product. For example, continuous product developnt schedules called for publishing version 1.0, version 1.01, version 1.02, version 1.03 and so on at month-long intervals or sothing.
The naming sches that ch companies adopted to distinguish or obfuscate their placent beca quite confusing sotis.
This was on purpose.
The less average people understood, the more the companies in question looked down on its custors.
Suffice to say, Ves and Gloriana opposed this outlook. They had enough confidence in their products that even their older chs would still be able to earn so appreciation from the ch market.
After considering Gloriana's proposal a bit further, Ves eventually accepted her system. He was satisfied with the clarity it provided. As long as people learned what versions A, B, and C stood for, they could easily comprehend the LMC's entire ch catalog.
He updated his administration and sent so mos to Raymond and Gavin to inform him of the change. Even though it would take a long ti for him to complete the Bright Warrior IB and the Ferocious Piranha IB, it was best to plan ahead."
After handling this issue, the newlyweds proceeded to discuss so other details about the two second-class ch design projects.
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