Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

L. An example would be the Vigilant Magnate class.

M. The hundred tonne auxiliary cargo bays cost nothing.

N. Even with apparent heavy power fittings.

O. Assuming the deckplans are accurate, that's twenty times two squares, which seems very skinny.

P. In theory, bay weapon system size configurations should all be uniform, and probably generic.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

Q. From High Guard, I get the vague impression of a ratio of two to five.

R. Let's say a tonne is one and a half, by three, by three metres.

S. Six metres/four squares, by fifteen metres/ten squares, leaves a height of seven and half metres/five squares.

T. Seven hundred cubic metres, six metres times fifteen metres, leaves 7.777777 metres.

U. Ten by five by four ratio.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

V. Another question would be scaling.

W. A hundred tonne bay might be more two fifty tonne bays side by side, having more or less sharing the same sized components, just twice as many.

X. Compared to scaling up by a factor of ten for the five hundred tonne bays.

Y. Exceptionally ordnance weapon systems, such as missiles and torpedoes.

Z. Unless for energy weapons they are actually batteries of the same sized emitters from fifty tonne bays, just ten times more of them.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

1. You have to wonder which customization is most optimal.

2. The problem with size adjustment, whether increase or decrease, is that if you want to switch weapon systems, they'd have to be the same configuration.

3. You could fit in a smaller weapon system in a larger bay, but it's a waste of potential.

4. Energy requirements can be balanced by a bigger power plant, or a smaller one, but it seems this is more of a minor benefit, or nuisance when compared to volume adjustments.

5. Yields also seem a minor benefit, with depending on rawness, only really benefit heavy point defence lasers.

6. Resilient and easy to repair, seem to favour long (term) engagements; though I wonder how resilient works against anti missile defence(s).

7. (In)accuracy might work with weapon systems limited to medium range and below, and accuracy at long range and above, in order to keep the opposition at arms length.

8. Long range in a way works similar to accuracy, but more by bumping a powerful weapon system a range band up; the opposite would be firmpointing, but that's usually confined to turrets and smallcraft.

9. Intense focus says lasers and particle weapons, and I'm trying to recall if fusion qualifies as particles; with mesons it doesn't matter, unless it helps penetrating meson screens.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Accommodations and Capsulation

1. Most capsule hotels are cozy but not cramped. You'll have room to move around, and of course you're free to get out of your capsule whenever you wish. A typical capsule has dimensions of something like 1.2m x 2m x 1m. Some “fancy” capsule hotels will also have pods that are closer to the size of a small room.

2. Caucasianalization probably needs an extension to one and a half times one and a half times two and a half metres, plus insulation and framework.

3. That would leave half a metre for access.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

A. Flatbed Traders would be somewhat enlarged Free Traders, but with a large capacity.

B. But the switchable part would be a five hundred tonne bay.

C. First choice would be a large bayed particle accelerator.

D. It's the longest ranged weapon system, outside of torpedoes, and arguably railguns and mass drivers.

E. Difference being that it's definitively stated.

F. You can't increase the range, being already distant.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

G. You could use as comparison that bays are the equivalent of secondary armament pre atomics.

H. Small would be six inches, medium eight inches, and large ten inches.

I. Spinal mounts would be twelve to twenty inches.

J. Barbettes would be around four inches.

K. And I guess turret weapon systems would be twenty or twenty five millimetres.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

L. Bays and turrets (and mounted fixtures) have a certain modularity, which would require compatible volume and configuration.

M. Modularity is broken, once we increase or decrease the volume.

N. While you could install a smaller weapon system in a larger platform, you would have to buffer it.

O. While, in theory, a larger weapon system could plausibly extend beyond the platform, in practice, this isn't covered in the design rules.

P. This could cause issues in upgrading weapon systems, or exchanging them for other systems.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

Q. Missile and torpedo launchers seem to have peaked at technological level seven, across the board.

R. Missiles and torpedoes, appear to have room for advancement.

S. So customization has to be clear whether it's for the ordnance or the launcher.

T. Is the launcher shrunk, or the ordnance?

U. If the launcher is shrunk, then it's the equipment, not the missile.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Virtual Spacecraft Model Construction at a Fictional VFX Studio #concept #scifi #ai #animatronics

This video features a quick clip of our animatronics followed by a slideshow intended for model-makers who grew up intensely staring at photos of the ILM model shop and other skilled artisans as they made the spacecraft of our dreams. I thought it would be an interesting test of Midjourney AI to use prompts which combined my own skills and experience of model-building with the system's ability to create work environments. I don't expect it to get many views but I'm happy to post it if only for my own inspiration.
It is also nice to see stuff that isn't promoting the massive franchises currently in their winter years. I hope someone else finds this video relaxing and inspiring.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

V. Technically speaking, Point Defence Weapons are subject to customization.

W. Likely categorized as turret(s), so no miniaturization, though you can build them bigger.

X. You can make them more efficient, but not inefficient.

Y. Intense focus might have better results against torpedoes.

Z. I doubt you can extend the range, in any way meaningful.

 

[Sigtrygg]

You know what would make a big difference - the meson missile.

Take a TL15 battlefield meson gun and strip it to the bare minimum, install it as a one shot warhead on a torpedo much like a bomb pumped x-laser.

 

[Condottiere]

I had to look that up; for some reason I thought it was a lot smaller.

I don't know about stripping it to it's essentials, since it seems about complete, but without an energy source, fire control, and motivation.

Spacecraft design rules would imply it needs sixty tonnes of volume, to which you add the above, which will make it resemble a hundred tonne scoutship.

Going by Vehicle rules, being over thirty tonnes, you could probably half volume to a minimum of thirty tonnes, which would put it in spitting distance of a miniaturized technological level fourteen meson small bay, at thirty five tonnes, though cheaper by a factor of three.

I would think final attack run, or adjacent range, or whatever the range the onboard meson screen extends to.

I'll estimate something below thirty megastarbux, maybe modular cutter size and configuration, with four dice of damage, and with proximity fuse that will estimate about the centre of mass of the target.

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: Free Traders, Pickups, and Technicals

1. Energy inefficiency wouldn't have mattered, since it's a specific case against incoming missiles or torpedoes.

2. Which would leave with you with increased size for the budget variant, which that loss of space I think wouldn't be worth it.

3. Inaccuracy would be balancing a negative modifier on guaranteed number of hits, against a twenty five percent discount; wouldn't matter in peacetime, might be critical against an opponent with lots of missiles.

4. Minus one per dice?

5. Which would mean that accuracy would be plus one per dice.

6. Resilient would be mostly proof against overheating.

7. Long range if you could cause normal damage against other targets, besides missiles.

8. Yield would work, but more as a safeguard that guarantees a minimum of hits.

9. Intense focus against torpedoes could be hits divided by two, plus two.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Mesoned Smallcraft

1. These must be mounted in turrets (if they mass one ton or less) or fixed mounts and consume no Power.

2. Sixty tonnes would be anchored to the fixed mount.

3. I'm a tad dubious as to no additional power source to energize the meson.

4. Range is one hundred fifty, and I'll assume that's default kilometres.

5. Six tonne bridge, factor nine manoeuvre drive, and firmpointed single turret; additional firmpointed fixed mount.

6. Leftover hull armour.

7. I think using a shipborne meson bay, while more expensive, makes more sense.

8. You use a hundred tonne hull, and have a hardpoint for the bay, while using default hull armour.

9. It's probably more likely that ground forces use shipborne weapon systems for their heavy weapons.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Structure, Geodetic Frame, and The Brilliant WW2 Bomber Design that Could Fly with a Thousand Holes

Under the haunting glow of a pale moon, the massive Vickers Wellington Bomber from the 75th Squadron ascended over the Zuider Zee on the Dutch shoreline, hastening homeward after a triumphant raid on Münster.

The crew’s euphoria, however, was abruptly broken as a sly German Bf 110-night fighter appeared from thin air beneath the British bomber.

The Luftwaffe predator rapidly closed the gap, unleashing a torrent of lethal cannon fire. The barrage pierced the fuel tank within the starboard wing, igniting a wild blaze that threatened to consume the aircraft.

The crew desperately attempted to put out the flames using fire extinguishers aimed through a hole in the fuselage, but the fire continued growing, threatening to swallow the entire aircraft.

With few options left, Pilot Reuben Widdowson ordered the crew to bail out.

But the plane and the men inside were not ready to give up. With its unique geodetic airframe, the sturdy plane miraculously continued to fly, enduring the fiery punishment. This gave pilot James Allen Ward an idea.

Ward volunteered to clamber out of the flying behemoth and navigate to the burning wing, smothering the fire from the exterior. Donning his parachute and climbing out of the bomber, he was immediately nearly blown away by the extreme winds.

With white-knuckled resolve, he clung firmly to the airframe. As long as the aircraft continued to fly, he would continue holding and doing everything in his power to reach the growing inferno.

1. It makes use of a space frame formed from a spirally crossing basket-weave of load-bearing members.[2] The principle is that two geodesic arcs can be drawn to intersect on a curving surface (the fuselage) in a manner that the torsional load on each cancels out that on the other.[3]

2. You stretch the fuel condom over it.

3. Engineering is going to be bracketed to the frame.

4. Portable airlocks attached to each spacecraft section, and external hatches.

5. Probably wouldn't try atmospheric reentry, unless you replace the fuel condom with something more substantial and heat resistant.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Battle Droid Sings “Fortunate Son”

Separatist B1 Battle-Droid, Roger, sings his rendition of "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Edited by Aidan Russell

 

[PeterDebney]

While these are intended to apply to spacecraft design, they are true for almost all engineering practice

Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design

(Apologies if this has already been posted in this excessively long thread)

 

[Condottiere]

Philosophy tends to be opinionated.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Cheapest Possible

1. Venture jump drive, ten tonnes, one hundred twenty parsec tonnes, budgetted/increase size; ten to twelve power points.

2. No power plant consideration required, since you could use batteries, all you need to find some available at technological level nine, otherwise switch off the manoeuvre drive and half basic systems.

3. Manoeuvre drive, probably easier to make it a single one tonne module.

4. Increased size would be eighty thrust tonnes; eight power points.

5. The jump drive is powered by the battery, which is recharged during refuelling operations by an express boat tender, described on page 204.

6. Only fusion and antimatter power plants can generate the intense burst of energy necessary to operate a jump drive.

7. So, which copy paste job is correct?

8. Not to mention collectors and exotic particles.

9. Eighty divided by one hundred twenty is two thirds gee acceleration.