Excel Ship Designer v2026.01.22

[Terry Mixon]

I'm playing around with trying to add a builder for the Cluster Truck build rules. I put it in @Arkathan's sheet here since it was directly related, though it's not integrated at all. But, I can't figure out how to make the formulas and I'm just confusing the AI when I try and explain what I'm doing to try and get it to teach me what I need to do.

So, I figured I'd post it here and see if anyone can help. I suspect I'm trying to be too complicated. I was trying to get it to look at low, median and high rolls to get results, but I should probably just add lines for the exact rolls?

The Jank Build Info tab is just the raw information and material storage. The Cluster Truck Builder is the actual formula build page.

I believe @Arkathan is adding the Cluster Truck options to his sheet now. Might take a bit, but it will arrive.

I like the option of paying a pile of money and getting better than standard if I want. It’s like comfort points but can cover other systems.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Is there a rule that makes it so that the Auxilliary Sensor Array doesn't have Superior as an option?

 

[Arkathan]

Is there a rule that makes it so that the Auxilliary Sensor Array doesn't have Superior as an option?

Without looking at the sheet, Superior may have been a new one that didn't make it when upgrading to HG 22. The only "rule" I impose is that the Aux Sensor must be of lower quality than the main sensor. That is ameliorated by allowing you to by multiple copies of the main sensor.

Edit: After peeking, that is the case. The aux is of lesser value than the main and there is not a better version than Superior.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Without looking at the sheet, Superior may have been a new one that didn't make it when upgrading to HG 22. The only "rule" I impose is that the Aux Sensor must be of lower quality than the main sensor. That is ameliorated by allowing you to by multiple copies of the main sensor.

Edit: After peeking, that is the case. The aux is of lesser value than the main and there is not a better version than Superior.

But is that an actual rule? It’s easy enough to work with, but I was just curious.

I found this by putting the book Tigress into the sheet. It has three advanced sensor systems, but the armor weight is only right if one of them is armored. I moved the other two to auxiliary sensor systems and had to modify the sheet to make that work as all three were advanced.

 

[Arkathan]

But is that an actual rule? It’s easy enough to work with, but I was just curious.

I found this by putting the book Tigress into the sheet. It has three advanced sensor systems, but the armor weight is only right if one of them is armored. I moved the other two to auxiliary sensor systems and had to modify the sheet to make that work as all three were advanced.

When I put it in there, everything in the Tigress' Sensor group was armored. Looks like the newer book is leaving out distributed arrays as well, since the armored bulkhead covers 20 less tons.
Previously, there was no need for heterogenous backups of the same level. Now that there is, we'll have to adapt to efforts to save two tons on a 500kton monster...

 

[Terry Mixon]

When I put it in there, everything in the Tigress' Sensor group was armored. Looks like the newer book is leaving out distributed arrays as well, since the armored bulkhead covers 20 less tons.
Previously, there was no need for heterogenous backups of the same level. Now that there is, we'll have to adapt to efforts to save two tons on a 500kton monster...

If only there was consistency.

 

[Arkathan]

Well, I was thinking the rule was less than, but it was only not greater than, so it was easy to put Supreme in Aux...
Will take a little longer (not all that much) to insert an armor option for each group though. Currently does the whole page as one group.

 

[Arkathan]

But is that an actual rule? It’s easy enough to work with, but I was just curious.

I found this by putting the book Tigress into the sheet. It has three advanced sensor systems, but the armor weight is only right if one of them is armored. I moved the other two to auxiliary sensor systems and had to modify the sheet to make that work as all three were advanced.

So, the difference between HG16 and HG22 Tigress sensor armor is 2 dtons, but not because anything was dropped.

Looks like everything IS armored.
But now, we'll have the ability to NOT do that.
Well... once I get the next update out.

 

[Terry Mixon]

So, the difference between HG16 and HG22 Tigress sensor armor is 2 dtons, but not because anything was dropped.
View attachment 7411
Looks like everything IS armored.
But now, we'll have the ability to NOT do that.
Well... once I get the next update out.

I'm not shocked that I screwed something up, but the armor between all three sensors being primary and two being aux is different, so the sheet is doing... something.

I see what it is. The distributed array changes tonnage only based on the main sensor array tonnage and ignores the aux sensors, as do extended arrays and rapid deployment extended arrays. It seems like the three should use both or have separate entries for the extended range of the aux sensors. As it stands, there is no mechanism for extended range for the aux sensors.

 

[Arkathan]

Putting a box on the array lines so you can select Main, Aux, Both, One Main or One Aux.

The One Main and One Aux option covers cases where you have three sensors in the group, but do not want all of them in the array.
Selecting one main, and then two arrays will give you two sensors in the array and leave the remainder alone.