MgT2 Ship Design Speadsheet Walk-through

[Linwood]

Wow! I’ve got to try this out!

One question - will this also create a summary report? I’m thinking of something (a half-page to one page) that one could give to the players (who may not want or need all the details) or used for space combat purposes.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

One question - will this also create a summary report? I’m thinking of something (a half-page to one page) that one could give to the players (who may not want or need all the details) or used for space combat purposes.

No, not yet at least. It's a good idea! I will have to consider adding that. You might need to many details for combat for a short summary to useful.

 

[Linwood]

For the big ships I agree. It’s doable for small ships like far traders and such. I’ve been experimenting with a one-page form in Excel for my own use in space combat; it works OK for smaller stuff but not larger vessels.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Just thought I'd mention that you're doing a nice job documenting how to use the spreadsheet.

Thanks!

By chance, have you included the instructions you provide here, on the spreadsheet itself? Simply create a new tab, and then enter the text in the new tab and name the tab "Instructions".

Sounds like a good idea. I will consider adding that. I'm a bit lazy though...

I can't help but wonder what something like this written in VB.NET would look like.

I've done VB, never again (unless someone is throwing lots money at me...)

VB also chains you to a single platform. A macro-free Excel-sheet can be executed by many apps on many platforms, I prefer that.

 

[HalC]

I can't help but wonder what something like this written in VB.NET would look like.

I've done VB, never again (unless someone is throwing lots money at me...)

VB also chains you to a single platform. A macro-free Excel-sheet can be executed by many apps on many platforms, I prefer that.

I hear you there. Intent drives the process, and if you're content with what you have (and you have every right to be happy with how this worked out!) - that's all there needs to be.

 

[steve98052]

Officers and passengers are always given full staterooms. . . .

Passengers traveling as couples can share a stateroom, thus my statement that passengers travel single or double.

. . . VB also chains you to a single platform. A macro-free Excel-sheet can be executed by many apps on many platforms, I prefer that.

Exactly the reason I avoid Excel macros too.

 

[Linwood]

Exactly the reason I avoid Excel macros too.

Whereas I avoid them because i’m absolutely lousy at writing them.

 

[Linwood]

Finally found time to play around with the spreadsheet a bit. I think I found a bug in the Stealth calculator - the macro seems to be looking at Column A (0, 0, 12) and not Column B (0, 1, 2), since it will only return a result of "None" or "Superior."

Otherwise - do you plan to add space station systems in the future?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Finally found time to play around with the spreadsheet a bit. I think I found a bug in the Stealth calculator - the macro seems to be looking at Column A (0, 0, 12) and not Column B (0, 1, 2), since it will only return a result of "None" or "Superior."

Failed to recreate:

Otherwise - do you plan to add space station systems in the future?

Not really. I think I made some experiments in beta, but basically you don't need any special treatment for space stations. Only a few details differ between ships and stations and they are quite small.

 

[Linwood]

I was thinking of optional systems like manufacturing plants, refineries and the like. It would be handy if there was a way to include them in the calculations, even if it’s just a set of user-defined cells that get summed up with everything else.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I was thinking of optional systems like manufacturing plants, refineries and the like. It would be handy if there was a way to include them in the calculations, even if it’s just a set of user-defined cells that get summed up with everything else.

Add a few row and add whatever you want. At least Size, Cost, and Power should be handled correctly. Crew might need special treatment.

Add rows anywhere before row 133.

 

[steve98052]

Another thing that one might add for really large space stations is the idea that empty space is free (or cheap).

Consider the example of a giant spin-gravity cylinder one km in diameter and one km long. That's a volume of 785 million cubic meters, or 56 million dtons. But if the actual structures in the station average 10 meters thick (counting ring and cap structures), that's "only" 4.7 million cubic meters of structure, or 337000 dtons. As a starship, all the air space in the middle would count as jump volume (making it impossibly large), but as a giant structure, only the outer 10 meters would count toward construction costs.

Of course, for purposes of the spreadsheet, one could just flatten the hollow can into a 1 km × pi km rectangle and two 1 km circles, so the spreadsheet doesn't need to know the air-space volume.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I haven't implemented specialised hulls like double hull or hamster cages since I haven't bothered trying to design any such ship in a system with ubiquitous anti-grav. For stations that would probably be a good idea.

Another thing that one might add for really large space stations is the idea that empty space is free (or cheap).

Consider the example of a giant spin-gravity cylinder one km in diameter and one km long.

This is already defined by the Lab Ship. Actual enclosed pressurised volume is hull size.

If the entire volume is enclosed it is a 56 MDt ship and can jump as such.
If only a 10 m layer at the surface is enclosed (double hull) it is a 337 kDt ship and can jump as such.

So: empty vacuum is free, empty air is expensive. This is of course an artefact of that the system is based on volume and ignores mass.

Of course, for purposes of the spreadsheet, one could just flatten the hollow can into a 1 km × pi km rectangle and two 1 km circles, so the spreadsheet doesn't need to know the air-space volume.

Quite.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

New version:

Spreadsheet: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tidv4xqelrw2byv/ MgT2 Ship Template.xlsx?dl=1


New functionality:
Textual description.
Space stations.
Non-gravity and spin-gravity hulls.
Some more hull options, e.g. Grav Screen.
Mail Array (for ships) & Relay (for stations).
Some more payload options, e.g. Stables, Vault, Grappling Arms.
Residential zones and Commercial zones.
Concealed compartments.
Demountable tanks.
More types of facilities for carried craft, e.g. shipyard, construction deck, launch tube.
"User Defined Systems" as a placeholder for adding new systems.



Description:
Using a 400 Dton partially streamlined hull, it has performance of jump-2 and 6 g acceleration. There is fuel tankage of 87 Dton, enough for 4 weeks and 1 jump-2.
The ship has a detachable bridge with holographic controls. Adjacent to the bridge there are a CORE/70 computer, and a CORE/60 backup computer.
There are a high stateroom, and eleven staterooms. There are 12,5 tons of common area, a medical bay, and a ton of armoury.
There are two improved sensors, a rapid extension array, an extension net, an improved signal processor, and a shallow pen suite.
There are two barbettes and two turrets.
There is a Gig in a Docking Clamp.
Cargo capacity is 6 Dton. The ship requires a crew of 21: two officers, three pilots, an astrogator, a sensor operator, three engineers, a service crew, eight gunners, and two flight crew. The ship costs MCr 493,4.



Space stations (specify 1 in cell B3):

New components:

Add new rows by copying an existing row and inserting a new row among the others, if you need more types of components.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Simplified way of specifying small craft:

First, specify a type of hangar in column A:

Then specify a standard craft in column B:

Size and cost are defaulted, but can be overridden in columns E and F:

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Large spinning non-gravity hull:

 

[steve98052]

Cool stuff! If only my computer were functional.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

I was thinking of optional systems like manufacturing plants, refineries and the like. It would be handy if there was a way to include them in the calculations, even if it’s just a set of user-defined cells that get summed up with everything else.

Add what you want here. Crew will show up as Specialists.

Copy and insert entire rows to get more rows.

 

[Linwood]

Excellent!!! Thank you!!!

Now I just need to find time to make use of it....

 

[AnotherDilbert]

New version:

Spreadsheet (same URL): https://www.dropbox.com/s/tidv4xqelrw2byv/ MgT2 Ship Template.xlsx?dl=1


New functionality:
Each component has its own TL (by default ship's TL) to support refitted ships and user upgrades.
Pop-up turrets.




TL 12 ship with a TL 15 computer:

Higher TLs marked in red to avoid mistakes...


Pop-up turrets are specified with a negative number in the #Wpn column, e.g. -2 for a pop-up double turret:

Works for turrets and fixed mounts.