Excel Ship Designer v2025.05.09

[Arkathan]

1410, but Traveller uses 1.5m x 3m x 3m as an approximate volume for purposes of deckplans.

 

[Arkathan]

Test for fabricator slots. The section toggles on and off, so if you don't want it, keep the setting to NO and you won't see it.

 

[Hardwire]

Thanks I knew about the 1.5m x 3m x 3m didn't know the 1410 info.

 

[Terry Mixon]

That would be impossible to do; Mongoose has consistently refused to give a meaningful definition of 'liters per slot'. There are contradictory definitions in the same book; I would avoid getting the sheet entangled with 'slots' as much as possible.

dTons and liters per dTon are well defined.

I just picked 1.5 liters per slot as that was what I read first in the Robot Handbook. If @Gier wants to declare it either 1 liter per slot or 1.5, I’ll run with whatever he says.

 

[Hardwire]

the slot conversion is protected so I cannot change if from no.

 

[Arkathan]

Hang on a minute. Forgot to unlock the toggle

 

[Hardwire]

That is better thanks

 

[Sigtrygg]

It isn't 1410, MgT defines the displacement ton as precisely 14 cubic metres. This means there are 14,000 litres in a displacement ton

One cubic metre is 1000 litres.
14 cubic metres is 14,000 litres.

Despite many of us pointing out the usefulness of using real units it looks like Vehicles and Robots will stick with slots and spaces that have contradictory scaling values or just completely ridiculous scaling factors.

 

[Arkathan]

My bad. I googled it. I think I slipped a zero, because googling it again, I get 14,114L. Knew it was 14 something, but CRS.
Thanks Sig.

 

[Arkathan]

Thanks I knew about the 1.5m x 3m x 3m didn't know the 1410 info.

See above from SigTrygg

 

[J. L. Brown]

I just picked 1.5 liters per slot as that was what I read first in the Robot Handbook. If @Gier wants to declare it either 1 liter per slot or 1.5, I’ll run with whatever he says.

The robot handbook also says there are 1024 slots per dTon.

 

[Terry Mixon]

The robot handbook also says there are 1024 slots per dTon.

256 slots, actually, but that speaks more to the external size of the robot accommodating the slots rather than the internals of the fabricator itself, though. That is in fact an open area that could be measured as 1.5 chamber liters per slot. Internal vs external. At least that's what I choose to believe.

Here is that section of the book.

SIZE, SLOTS, SPACES AND TONS
Size and Slots are not precise measurements but abstractions of physical dimensions. Slots represent available space for customisation after the robot’s basic ‘guts’ are assembled. For the purposes of determining the true dimensions of a robot, for instance if one robot carries another within it or attempts to use a fabricator to create another robot, a robot is considered to occupy twice the number of Slots as it can use – a Size 5 robot has 16 Slots available but another 16 Slots comprise its basic structure, making the robot itself 32 Slots in size. The equivalent Vehicle Handbook Spaces of a robot is listed on the Robot Size table. Note that while a human-sized robot is only 0.5 Spaces in physical dimension, a seat for a human requires a full Space (64 Slots): half for the human, half for the seat and access to it.

A spacecraft ton – approximately 14 cubic metres – is the equivalent of four Spaces or 256 Slots. Of course this would make a Space equal to more than 54 litres of volume but only if all Spaces were perfect cubes. Both the Vehicle Handbook and Robot Handbook use an abstract design system that allows for straightforward design of vehicles, robots and other objects without resorting to 3D design software and assumptions about clearance buffers and a myriad of other factors that prevent objects from being crammed together without any wasted space.

Using this 256-Slot extrapolation, a corresponding ship ton is equal to a Size 8 robot (128 x 2). If designed with wings or as a multilegged robot low to the ground, it could require up to two ship tons for storage and access however, for instance, a Size 7 autodoc or low berth is designed to fit compactly on a ship and requires only 0.5 tons. Four Size 5 humanoid robots could be squeezed into a closet of 0.5 tons in a fashion that would allow only one robot to emerge at a time. Such an arrangement would be intolerable for a living humanoid but consider the emergency low berth, which crams four individuals and life support systems into a single ton.

A robot Slot is assumed to be able to hold the equivalent of an object massing around three kilograms or at least three litres in actual volume. This is a rough number. For instance, a small weapon mount, requiring one Slot, can hold any handgun or melee weapon of reasonable size, although a two-handed battle axe would likely require a two-Slot medium mount. As with the design process in the Vehicle Handbook, to avoid detailed design procedures requiring precise dimensions and blueprints, a certain amount of compromise and common sense is required.

 

[J. L. Brown]

256 slots, actually, but that speaks more to the external size of the robot accommodating the slots rather than the internals of the fabricator itself, though. That is in fact an open area that could be measured as 1.5 chamber liters per slot. Internal vs external. At least that's what I choose to believe.

Here is that section of the book.

SIZE, SLOTS, SPACES AND TONS
Size and Slots are not precise measurements but abstractions of physical dimensions. Slots represent available space for customisation after the robot’s basic ‘guts’ are assembled. For the purposes of determining the true dimensions of a robot, for instance if one robot carries another within it or attempts to use a fabricator to create another robot, a robot is considered to occupy twice the number of Slots as it can use – a Size 5 robot has 16 Slots available but another 16 Slots comprise its basic structure, making the robot itself 32 Slots in size. The equivalent Vehicle Handbook Spaces of a robot is listed on the Robot Size table. Note that while a human-sized robot is only 0.5 Spaces in physical dimension, a seat for a human requires a full Space (64 Slots): half for the human, half for the seat and access to it.

A spacecraft ton – approximately 14 cubic metres – is the equivalent of four Spaces or 256 Slots. Of course this would make a Space equal to more than 54 litres of volume but only if all Spaces were perfect cubes. Both the Vehicle Handbook and Robot Handbook use an abstract design system that allows for straightforward design of vehicles, robots and other objects without resorting to 3D design software and assumptions about clearance buffers and a myriad of other factors that prevent objects from being crammed together without any wasted space.

Using this 256-Slot extrapolation, a corresponding ship ton is equal to a Size 8 robot (128 x 2). If designed with wings or as a multilegged robot low to the ground, it could require up to two ship tons for storage and access however, for instance, a Size 7 autodoc or low berth is designed to fit compactly on a ship and requires only 0.5 tons. Four Size 5 humanoid robots could be squeezed into a closet of 0.5 tons in a fashion that would allow only one robot to emerge at a time. Such an arrangement would be intolerable for a living humanoid but consider the emergency low berth, which crams four individuals and life support systems into a single ton.

A robot Slot is assumed to be able to hold the equivalent of an object massing around three kilograms or at least three litres in actual volume. This is a rough number. For instance, a small weapon mount, requiring one Slot, can hold any handgun or melee weapon of reasonable size, although a two-handed battle axe would likely require a two-Slot medium mount. As with the design process in the Vehicle Handbook, to avoid detailed design procedures requiring precise dimensions and blueprints, a certain amount of compromise and common sense is required.

Thanks for the cite; what I was (mis-remembering) was the bit about construction nanobots on page 84:

Nano constructors can build larger structures
over time. Cost is indicated in Slots of structure
produced per hour, which is the maximum capability
of a 0.1-litre bag of construction nanos. This
translates into 1/64 of a vehicle Space or 1/256 of
a displacement ton; four displacement tons can be
considered 1,000 Slots for simplicity.

But 256 slots per dTon is so much worse; it makes one 'slot' equal to more than 200 liters. Part of the problem is that 'dTons' and vehicle 'spaces' were stupidly ill-defined and squishy, and then a heavy layer of fudge was layered on top to make 1 dTon = 2 vehicle spaces. Then the Robot handbook came along & included all the nonsense handwaving of the Vehicle handbook, and added a whole new layer of fudge.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Thanks for the cite; what I was (mis-remembering) was the bit about construction nanobots on page 84:

But 256 slots per dTon is so much worse; it makes one 'slot' equal to more than 200 liters. Part of the problem is that 'dTons' and vehicle 'spaces' were stupidly ill-defined and squishy, and then a heavy layer of fudge was layered on top to make 1 dTon = 2 vehicle spaces. Then the Robot handbook came along & included all the nonsense handwaving of the Vehicle handbook, and added a whole new layer of fudge.

I’m not disagreeing. Yet it’s what we have to work with. *waves hands*

 

[Arkathan]

These are the droids you are looking for...
Aw crap...

 

[shirgall]

I love all the work that has gone into the spreadsheet. One small thing: the tooltip for "Medbay" says that it treats five patients and requires one medic or autodoc. However, Mongoose "High Guard" rules state a Medical Bay treats *three* patients per 4 tons and requires 1 medic or autodoc.

By the way, for an augmented Scout I fly in our local game, I allowed permanent installation of a single 500 Kg Autodoc (Medic-3) into one of the single passenger staterooms to make a single-patient medbay and had it draw 0.5 Power. At TL11 or 12 I would make it require a medic and mimic the combined functions of ship's medical locker, medikit (10 or 12), mediscanner (12 only), personal automedic, and emergency cryoberth for 1 power and DM+1 on Medic checks. Either way, I use the custom space in the stateroom tab for this, is that the correct way?

 

[Arkathan]

The only custom area in the stateroom tab is for multi environmental spaces.
I fixed the tooltip, leftover from HG16.
Implemented a way to upgrade beds in your medbays to TL13-15 Autodocs. It will throw an error if you try to convert too many.
Since the medium stateroom takes up as much room as a medbay, and you've already done it, convert the room to a med bay, then you can upgrade to an autodoc. The refit rules allow it, and you'd just be retconning what you call it, right?

Working on allowing upgrading of the low berths in the Stateroom tab, then I'll release it.

 

[Arkathan]

I love all the work that has gone into the spreadsheet. One small thing: the tooltip for "Medbay" says that it treats five patients and requires one medic or autodoc. However, Mongoose "High Guard" rules state a Medical Bay treats *three* patients per 4 tons and requires 1 medic or autodoc.

By the way, for an augmented Scout I fly in our local game, I allowed permanent installation of a single 500 Kg Autodoc (Medic-3) into one of the single passenger staterooms to make a single-patient medbay and had it draw 0.5 Power. At TL11 or 12 I would make it require a medic and mimic the combined functions of ship's medical locker, medikit (10 or 12), mediscanner (12 only), personal automedic, and emergency cryoberth for 1 power and DM+1 on Medic checks. Either way, I use the custom space in the stateroom tab for this, is that the correct way?

New Version 2025.03.23

You can now replace beds in your med bay with an autodoc. The sheet checks to see if you have enough beds.
Create a Med bay, then choose autodoc type and enter the number of beds to replace.
You can also replace crew and passenger low berths with autodocs. The sheet checks to see if you have enough low berths.
Same process as in the med bay.

Crew and passenger low berth power is now calculated together to avoid rounding up errors taking extra power.

 

[Hardwire]

What book is hull option Hostile Environment Operations Package I don't seem to find it and would like to know more about it

 

[Regnarts]

From The Great Rift if I remember