Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and the Venture type Manoeuvre Drive

G. At technological level eight, you need a prototype.

H. Embrace the same disadvantage that you would plan to have on the budgetted production model, in this case increased size.

I. For one hundred twenty thrust tonnes, that would be a one and a half tonne manoeuvre drive.

J. Energy requirement is twelve power points.

K. Eighteen megastarbux.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and the Venture type Power Plant

1. There isn't really.

2. By technological level eight, you have production models of early fusion reactors.

3. And since we're working on a budget, the particular production model chosen would be budgetted/increased size.

4. I was thinking Fatman for larger ones, and Fatboy for smaller ones.

5. Sunburn is also in contention, though that could be also for fusion guns.

6. Thirty six power points, twenty four for basic systems, twelve for the manoeuvre drive.

7. That's three tonnes worth.

8. Three tenths of a megastarbux per tonnes, so nine tenths megastarbux total.

9. Basic sensors need none, weapon systems depends.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Terran Jump Drive Timeline

1. The UNSCA research station on Ceres had one more miracle to produce. It was at that station that Terrans first developed the jump drive, which allowed for accessible interstellar travel, in 2088. At first, the prototype jump drive was extremely fuel-hungry and limited in range.

2. Even after the UNSCA produced a true jump-1 drive (in 2092), there seemed to be little practical application for the technology.

3. Beginning in 2093, the US Space Force began an ambitious program to launch a manned interstellar expedition to use the jump drive.

4. Finally, in 2097 the StarLeaper One expedition was ready.

5. One critical item developed (by 2108) was a Terran version of the Vilani jump-1 drive, allowing Terran explorers their first easy access to the nearest stars.

6. In 2115 she dispatched a small punitive expedition, which engaged a mixed collection of Terran national squadrons at Barnard’s Star.

7. In 2122, a second Imperial punitive expedition entered the frontier region.

8. The greatest success of this effort came in 2124, when the UNSCA released the specifications for a Terran jump-2 drive.

9. By 2125, Terran starships equipped with the new jump-2 drive were beginning to appear in Imperial space.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Terran Jump Drive Timeline

1. The UNSCA research station on Ceres had one more miracle to produce. It was at that station that Terrans first developed the jump drive, which allowed for accessible interstellar travel, in 2088. At first, the prototype jump drive was extremely fuel-hungry and limited in range.

Early.

2. Even after the UNSCA produced a true jump-1 drive (in 2092), there seemed to be little practical application for the technology.

2088-92 Anno Domini - prototype research and development.

3. Beginning in 2093, the US Space Force began an ambitious program to launch a manned interstellar expedition to use the jump drive.

4. Finally, in 2097 the StarLeaper One expedition was ready.

5. One critical item developed (by 2108) was a Terran version of the Vilani jump-1 drive, allowing Terran explorers their first easy access to the nearest stars.

What's the difference? Possibly technological level ten plus one advantage.

6. In 2115 she dispatched a small punitive expedition, which engaged a mixed collection of Terran national squadrons at Barnard’s Star.

Production of Venture drives ramps up.

7. In 2122, a second Imperial punitive expedition entered the frontier region.

8. The greatest success of this effort came in 2124, when the UNSCA released the specifications for a Terran jump-2 drive.

Production stabilizes.

9. By 2125, Terran starships equipped with the new jump-2 drive were beginning to appear in Imperial space.

Production model; jump/one drive still useful militarily.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Structure and Breakaway Hulls

1. Can embedded breakaway hulls be embedded in any other breakaway?

2. Or hull category?

3. I suspect they are tied to specific classes, and not generically attached to any hull with a two percent devoted to interconnections for breakaway hulls.

4. The exception might be for dispersed structure.

5. And of course planetoids can't use breakaways.

6. Dispersed structure, like the USS Enterprise, could probably have any similarly sized saucer attachment.

7. Assuming that the interlocks are identical.

8. Streamlined, in order to maintain that configuration, would have to make the breakaway hull conformal.

9. Slightly more complex:

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: One Hundred Twenty Tonne Raft Class

1. While the sections are together, drives, power plants and weapons can all be combined when calculating performance.

2. Four breakaway hulls, each thirty tonnes each; primary, three secondaries.

3. Primary streamlined ungravitated hull, six tonne bridge, ten tonne Venture jump drive, twelve tonne fuel tank, three fifths of a tonne breakaway hull, three eighths of a tonne budgetted/increased size manoeuvre drive, one tonne budgetted/increased size early fusion reactor.

4. Nine tenths, half, nine, freebie, one and one fifth, 0.5625, three tenths: 12.4625 megastarbux.

5. Secondary streamlined ungravitated hull, one and a half tonne single cockpit, one tonne fuel tank, three fifths of a tonne breakaway hull, three eighths of a tonne budgetted/increased size manoeuvre drive, one tonne budgetted/increased size early fusion reactor, two tonne stateroom, 23.525 tonne cargo

6. Nine tenth, one hundredths, freebie, one and one fifth, 0.5625, three tenths, quarter, freebie: 3.2225.

7. Total: 22.13 megastarbux.

8. Primary hull acts as jump taxi.

9. Secondary hulls are attached lighters.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

1. Don't know what the Vilani and others had their hundred tonne development of the hundred tonne starships.

2. But the Terrans were stuck on monoparsec performance for a while.

3. So during that period, their hundred tonne starships wouldn't be able to fully utilize the default factor one jump drive.

4. Unless they regularly topped up volume to two hundred tonnes.

5. That should have made the Venture jump drive much in demand.

6. And quite a lot of one hundred twenty tonne starships hopping about, in those early heady days of Terran interstellar exploration.

7. The primary consideration would be the difference of saving six megastarbux.

8. Besides the linear scaling down of engineering costs associated with lower tonnage.

9. The idea being to opening up the galaxy at an affordable level.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

A. It would be interesting to learn if Terran naval architects were working under constraints that would result in designs that follow previous editions design rules.

B. Otherwise, those early designs would follow High Guard update, with differing optimizations.

C. After the Venture experimental exploration starship, possible prefix XXSS-1 Venture, the primary hull would shrink to a blunt hundred tonnes, with a twenty tonne external cargo.

D. This could be either twenty tonnes of external cargo, jump netted, towed, or docking clamped.

E. Breakaway hull would require the primary bridge to be capable of controlling one hundred twenty tonnes, at double the cost of one controlling a hundred tonnes only.

F. At best, the twenty tonnes could be a container for supplies, a gig, or even an external fuel tank, which wouldn't count towards bridge control.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

G. At technological level nine, best sensors would be Civilian.

H. More powerful radar and lidar, which requires a power point, a tonne of space, and ups your budget by three megastarbux.

I. Current computer has ten bandwidth at one hundred and three fifths kilostarbux, but overkill for the jump/one programme.

J. While early and military production models would have the full ten tonne bridge, at a semimegastarbux, commercial models would have moved on to smaller six tonne bridges at a quarter megatonne each.

K. The type/one docking clamp would likely be standard, since it would be a more secure way to carry either an overhead luggage pod, or a smallcraft; in either case only limited to twenty tonnes from maximum thirty tonnes, if undertaking a jump.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

L. I haven't seen a game mechanic where engineering performance is degraded, either by damage or time.

M. I would suppose it would be under quirks, if it existed.

N. The Venture jump drive could deteriorate in performance by sixteen percent, before it became effectively non functional, at below hundred parsec tonnes.

O. Though it could also be power leakage, which either made it more energy hungry, or dropped performance.

P. I suppose once it dropped below hundred parsec tonnes, you could scrap it and sell it for parts.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

Q. The Venture jump drive isn't part of an integrated system of ship components, so manufacture would be effectively independent.

R. Presumably, being technological level nine, you could replace the overhead with any other.

S. Though for compatibility, likely would have to be an increased size overhead at six and a quarter tonnes.

T. Though again, that would be unlikely, since increased size is at best a dead end development resulting in the Venture model.

U. If you could combine that with three advantages of fuel efficiency, or energy efficiency, that would be something else.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: The Evolution of Scoutships and the Venture Jump Drive

V. Considering the wide margin of safety for capacitors, two hundred fifty percent, plus another fifty points, in our case, total eighty points, that's six hundred sixty six (and two thirds) percent safety margin.

W. Capacitor degradation is never going to be a problem for the Venture jump drive, or even any other ten tonne jump drive.

X. However, loss of thrust tonnes would.

Y. Scoutships would drop to monoparsec jumps, if that happens.

Z. Free Traders wouldn't be able to jump at all, being that close to the margin.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Terran Jump Drive Timeline

1. The UNSCA research station on Ceres had one more miracle to produce. It was at that station that Terrans first developed the jump drive, which allowed for accessible interstellar travel, in 2088. At first, the prototype jump drive was extremely fuel-hungry and limited in range.

Seems a about four or five year research and develop period by our group of intrepid (and commercially minded) group of engineers. Seems about the normal length of a start up period before cashing out, or initial public offering.

2. Even after the UNSCA produced a true jump-1 drive (in 2092), there seemed to be little practical application for the technology.

Knowledge sharing agreements were probably in place, so likely any final bugs in the Venture prototype jump drive would be ironed out in 2092.

3. Beginning in 2093, the US Space Force began an ambitious program to launch a manned interstellar expedition to use the jump drive.

Likely hundred tonne commercial starships would be constructed with Venture jump drives, but limited to outer system destinations.

4. Finally, in 2097 the StarLeaper One expedition was ready.

No other Terran starship would be allowed to make an attempt to reach another solar system until Starleaper either returned or was feared lost. Though you'd think some would have a go at exploration in the other direction.

5. One critical item developed (by 2108) was a Terran version of the Vilani jump-1 drive, allowing Terran explorers their first easy access to the nearest stars.

Going by the limitations of our customization process, likely the Terrans have breached technological level ten.

6. In 2115 she dispatched a small punitive expedition, which engaged a mixed collection of Terran national squadrons at Barnard’s Star.

Limit it to just Venture jump drive manufacture, client shipbuilders can build their hundred twenty tonne starships anyway they want.

7. In 2122, a second Imperial punitive expedition entered the frontier region.

8. The greatest success of this effort came in 2124, when the UNSCA released the specifications for a Terran jump-2 drive.

9. By 2125, Terran starships equipped with the new jump-2 drive were beginning to appear in Imperial space.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Twenty First century Power Plant Manufacturers

1. Technological level eight has production models of early fusion reactors.

2. So the Venture venturers don't need to reinvent the wheel.

3. Cheapest early fusion reactor, or any other, would be increased size at thirty seven and a half kilostarbux per power point.

4. I don't see the Germans or the Japanese going this route, so no Siemens or Mitsubishi.

5. Caterpillar, John Deere or General Electric, but I think more open source and less proprietary.

6. Hyundai seems a cheap shot.

7. Or a Chinese manufacturer, though I suspect more energy inefficient.

8. Rolls Royce probably costs too much.

9. General Atomics exists, and is situated in San Diego.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Engineering and Explaining Fusion Engines in Realistic Sci-Fi

Spacedock delves into the intricacies of fusion engines as applied to sci-fi space travel.

1. Lots of ways to get fusion.

2. Magnetic nozzles.

3. Engineering bulkheads.

4. Afterburner with extra mass.

5. Gasdynamic mirror.

6. Pulse thrust.

7. Lasers and deuterium.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Star Citizen's Two-Seater Fighter Problem

Star Citizen's two-seater fighters are designed for the wrong kind of dogfighting: conventional designs operating in Newtonian environments. Two-seater fighters designed to dogfight like it's 1945 that actually engage in dogfights mirroring attack helicopter duels, and the player-2 experience suffers because of it.

0:00 Top Mounted Turrets, Rear RWO, and Remote Controls are unfit for Star Citizen
0:30 Conventional Flight Modeled Dogfighting
1:48 Newtonian Flight Modeled Dogfighting
4:13 The differences between conventional dogfighting and Star Citizen's dogfighting
5:27 Front Hemisphere Dominant Dogfights Resemble Attack Helicopters
6:30 The problem with Top Turrets in Star Citizen
7:20 The problem with Co-Pilot Roles and Controls in Star Citizen
9:00 The problem with Star Citizen's Two Seat Layouts
9:36 The problem with Remote Camera Turret Gunnery in Star Citizen
10:16 The problem with Star Citizen's Two-Seater Heavy Fighters
13:32 BUT WHY CARE ABOUT ANY OF THIS?

1. Jousting, then Parthian shot.

2. Hemispheric fields of fire.

3. Chin turret implies interceptor.

4. You can always attach a GoPro on the hull.

5. Staggered double cockpit.

6. Two chairs and a spare.

 

[Sigtrygg]

1. Mongoose space dogfighting is bollocks - non-Newtonian cinematic cartoon physics NNCCP from now on.
2. Mongoose fighters are designed for atmosphere not space
3. The cockpit should be in the centre of the ship, all systems wrapped around to provide maximum protection for the crew
4. Why bother with crew?

I do have a solution to point 1. Space superiority fighters should have more than one m-drive, I would put six of them in a fighter (front back top bottom left right).
2. You don't need wings

 

[Condottiere]

I wish I could remember the name of the science fiction novel, it's basically a British policeman in a somewhat totalitarian state, who becomes Terra's last colony leader.

What stuck in my mind was that space interceptors were spheres with rockets all around, and the pilots in the middle cocooned in acceleration tanks.

As regards to multiple manoeuvre drives, stick one or two on a hamster cage.

 

[Sigtrygg]

If you want "dogfighting" in space then you need the six engines...

 

[Condottiere]

Hamster cage can be repositioned.