Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

1. We'd have an overhead of two and four fifths tonnes for a highly technologized deflated one shot drive.

2. That requires four and one fifth tonnes of jump core that needs to be filled.

3. That would be three hundred parsecs at 7'031'250 starbux.

4. Expensive, if you can only use it three times.

5. You could scale it up to a limit of thirty five tonnes.

6. Twenty three hundred parsecs at 35'156'250 starbux.

7. The basis would be one dedicated engineer, keeping a close eye on the one shot drive's operations.

8. Scaled down from a default sixty two and a half tonnes, at one hundred forty and five eighths megastarbux.

9. What's worth a thirty five plus megastarbux depreciation?

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

A. I suppose you could refurbish it.

B. The one shot manoeuvre drive costs one tenth of default, and requires one fifth of default to refurbish it.

C. It would be cheaper to replace it.

D. If you remember that it's a major refit.

E. Which means, half cost again to remove it, and one and a half cost of the new system, to install that.

F. So refurbishing saves time, and logistical costs.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

G. So the cheapest one shot drive would be two and a quarter megastarbux.

H. After the third transition, you probably would want to refurbish it, before contemplating another trip down the rabbit hole with it.

I. Still, you'd have to be pretty desperate sacrificing five and an eighth megastarbux of parts (not sure of services).

J. Doubtful that you do have five and one eighth megastarbux of jump drive parts onboard.

K. So, for any starship you plan to use more than twice, you're probably better off investing in a normal jump drive.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

L. At it's simplest, the Wanton Drive is a rip off of the Venture Drive.

M. Minimum volume requirements forced an improvement from one hundred twenty to two hundred parsec tonnes.

N. Graft and time constraints caused a switch to cheaper materials, and ignoring safety margins.

O. The Wanton Drive is still manufactured by the Confederation Navy.

P. It's primarily utilized in two roles.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Rebellion in the Stars: The Mutineers Saga Books 1-4 | Complete Audiobook

Doesn't feel dated.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

Q. The first one would be as a lifeship.

R. One would assume that it's unlikely to be needed.

S. In the event that it is, you'll want that option.

T. Most noticeable on large Confederation passenger liners.

U. And on quite a number of Confederation Navy starwarships.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

V. There would be various ways to comply with the regulation for having a lifeship.

W. The most obvious one would be having a jump capable hundred tonne hull spacecraft onboard.

X. And somewhat promoting the fact in a positive manner.

Y. It doesn't have to be inactive, as it could be used as an auxiliary for any number of functions.

Z. The jump drive would be installed onboard, and a sealed off console in the bridge, which deals with jump drive and astrogation.

 

[Condottiere]

Startrucks: Engineering and the Venture Drive

1. The Venture Drive can also be used in the role of a lifeship.

2. The primary differences between it and the Wanton Drive, is that it costs three times more, it can be used continuously, and has only sixty percent of the performance.

3. In theory, at technological level eleven, the Wanton Drive can jump two parsecs at a hundred tonnes, which should be enough for most disaster scenarios.

4. The Venture Drive can transition one hundred twenty tonnes at one parsec at a time.

5. But, at least for a year, assuming recent maintenance.

6. Fuel/cargo container option would allow an increase in range, or use as a lighter.

7. Ten tonne ramscoop would allow unlimited range, per annum.

8. If I remember correctly, it's cheaper to buy unrefined fuel and install a fuel processor.

9. But, probably the cheapest way to cross a rift.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

1. A pressure hull consumes 25% of the vessel’s tonnage and costs 10 times the normal hull cost.

2. It is considered to have intrinsic Armour +4.

3. Six and a quarter percent per armour factor.

4. Planetoid hulls provide a ship with armour Protection +2 (Protection +4 if they are Buffered Planetoids).

5. Probably seven and a half percent per armour factor, plus five percent overhead.

6. Also, four kilostarbux per tonne.

7. Twenty five plus thirty five percent pressured buffered planetoid.

8. Forty percent usable volume, at forty kilostarbux per tonne.

9. Factor/eight organic armour.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

A. A minimum TL is required for each type of armour and there is a maximum amount that can be attached to a hull – this includes any armour the ship had prior to modification.

B. In theory, this could include the pressure hull.

C. But, if it didn't, you'd be up four armour factors over the technological level of construction.

D. Apply the Armour Volume Modifier from the Hull Configuration table to the base armour tonnage.

E. Titanium steel is ten percent per armour factor, at really low volume.

F. At fifty kilostarbux, per tonne.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

G. Ten tonne smallcraft, pressurized buffered planetoid, four tonnes usable volume at four hundred kilostarbux, and armour factor eight.

H. Ten tonne smallcraft, standard, two tonnes usable volume at nine hundred kilostarbux, and armour factor eight.

I. Though, you only need to pressurize usable volume, much like armour is based on usable volume that needs to be protected.

J. Six and a half tonnes usable volume, one and five eighths tonne pressure hull, four and seven eighths tonnes remainder.

K. Cost is somewhat undetermined, since four kilostarbux is based on the entire volume of the planetoid, not the usable volume.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

L. Ten tonne smallcraft, standard, crystaliron, six tonnes usable volume at one and three tenths megastarbux, and armour factor eight.

M. Ten tonne smallcraft, standard, bonded superdense, 7.44 tonnes usable volume at 1.78 megastarbux, and armour factor eight.

N. This is valid upto fifteen tonnes.

O. At this end of the spectrum, usable volume would have to account for the payload.

P. In this case, single cockpit, armament, power plant, and manoeuvre drive.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

Q. Alternatively, dispersed configuration hull.

R. Doubles required armour volume.

S. Ten tonne smallcraft, pressurized dispersed structure, seven and a half tonnes usable volume at two and a half megastarbux, and armour factor four.

T. Ten tonne smallcraft, titanium steel, dispersed structure, two tonnes usable volume at thirteen twentieths megastarbux, and armour factor four.

U. Ten tonne smallcraft, crystaliron, dispersed structure, six tonnes usable volume at one and one twentieth megastarbux, and armour factor four.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

V. Twenty five percent pressure hull, thirty five percent buffered planetoid, eight percent manoeuvre drive; sixty eight percent.

W. Single cockpit, basic sensors, computer factor/five, one and a half tonnes.

X. Five tonnes, one and three fifth tonnes balance.

Y. Two tonnes usable, basic services one/half/quarter power points; factor/eight manoeuvre drive, four power points.

Z. Four and one quarter over fifteen, 0.2833333333333333 tonnes power plant.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

1. Why the effort?

2. It's about as cheap as you can go, for a heavily armoured gunfighter.

3.

4. Pilots really tend to appreciate layered protection.

5. If you can't make their rides invisible.

6. In our case, the three components that can't scale would be armaments, power plant, and cockpit.

7. Sensors, if you want more than basic.

8. For acceleration, we don't really have physics limitations.

9. I'd say, not having an afterburner, keeps it metaphorically subsonic.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and "Messy" Design Styles for Sci-Fi Spaceships

Spacedock delves into the greeble-heavy "busier" designs of sci-fi spaceships.

1. Dispersed structure.

2. Close structure.

3. You have to worry about stuff ripping off during acceleration.

4. Like solar panels, and extended arrays.

5. The question might be, how fast can you accelerate, without external stuff getting ripped off.

6. It's more than acceleration factor/zero, and less than factor/one.

7. Semi organized chaos.

8. Improvisation.

9. Junk rules.

A. Organic inspiration probably more close structure.

B. And, to some extent, streamlined.

C. Sensor magnet.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

A. Radiation shielding costs twenty five kilostarbux per tonne.

B. Reflec coating another hundred kilostarbux per tonne.

C. They don't add volume, and makes them rather tough to kill.

D. However, effective armour factors of eight and eleven respectively, does allow further investment.

E. Sensors take up space, so likely offshored to a third party.

F. You can improve the computer and add more programmes.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

G. Until thirty five tonnes, you only get one firmpoint.

H. I'm going to say that quarter tonne groundscale slots have no cap, beyond usable volume.

I. Though a twelve kilogramme fusion gun with two dice seems rather wasteful of space.

J. A torpedo grapple is free, including attached ordnance.

K. So you need to fill a tad of under a third volume with twoish tonnes, single cockpit, fuel tank, power plant, and quarter tonne groundscale weapon system slot.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Armaments and Missile Acceleration

1. I've always wondered how a technological level eight fragmentation or long range missile has an acceleration of factor/fifteen.

2. At best, our spacecrafts' reactionary rocket have a cap, at that technological level, of factor/six.

3. That takes up, at default, thirty percent of volume, twenty five kilogrammes, at five kilostarbux.

4. Even early prototype would at best be factor/twelve, at eleven times the default cost.

5. Fuel required for an hour of flight would be thirty seven and a half percent, or sixty seven and a half percent total.

6. Advanced missile at technological level fourteen actually has the optimum platform, at fifteen percent fuel, total forty five percent.

7. It is, evidentially, not technically possible at the stated introductory technological levels.

8. I mean, wouldn't you just bundle these rocket motors together, and warp speed a technological level eight smallcraft?

9. It makes you think that something isn't quite kosher.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Intrinsic Armour

L. Computers and their programmes are expensive.

M. And now, hull armour for smallcraft is relatively as well.

N. It's one reason I tend to look for sweet spots in smallcraft design.

O. Especially for fighters.

P. And bombers.