Ship Design Philosophy

[Condottiere]

Starships: Jump Bubble and Jump computer programme

1. If it's based on pushing a jump bubble containing a standard volume and/or possible shape through hyperspace, it should be free for all intents and purposes.

2. If it's a jump grid, than it has to be individualized, possibly each time a jump is computed to take into account any variations in the hull shape, so computations will be more complex and possibly customized for each ship.

3. If it's a jump bubble, and you've attached or are tugging along another vessel, you could asume it's an unusual event, and either a jump programme has to be bought specifically for this event, or the one onboard can be tweaked.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Jump Bubble and Transition

The way I see it, using a jump bubble to transition is basically a brute force entry, and requires more energy compared to a ship using a jump grid, which normally would streamline a ship and allow it to slip in jump space like a fish, and therefore less energy.

The downside? the jump grid can't be damaged.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Jump Bubble diamater and spherical hulls

If the jump drive creates a bubble in order to enter hyperspace, and the power requirement is dependent on distance to be travelled and size of the bubble, than the spherical configuration would be the most commercially viable, though there are probably operational reasons warships still use other hull forms.

That, of course, would require a revision of jump rules and power requirements.

 

[Condottiere]

Terminology

Fictional physics - fisics.

I thought I'd share that epiphany.

 

[Condottiere]

Starships: Engineering and Jump Grids

Actually, you might not need to embed the grid into the hull, you could have it draped around like ropes, and the crew has to spend time rigging it out more or less correctly before transition, incorrect placement could be the cause of misjumps and variations in time spent in hyperspace.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Effective Pirate craft

Has to be a fast stealthed heavily armoured assault/boarding shuttle, and you probably need a pair.

You could divide that up to a pair of fighters and a boarding skiff, but economics says you need to minimize crews, so two pilots, two gunners, stealthy so that you aren't spotted until the target can't get away, large enough to carry a boarding party and cart away the loot, fast enough so that the engagement time is minimized, heavy enough armour so that any hits can be shrugged off.

 

[wbnc]

Starships: Engineering and Jump Grids

Actually, you might not need to embed the grid into the hull, you could have it draped around like ropes, and the crew has to spend time rigging it out more or less correctly before transition, incorrect placement could be the cause of misjumps and variations in time spent in hyperspace.

I personally like the grid network idea..still use it IMTU, as well as those wing thingines on some of my ships .

Even if not mentioned it would be a good bit of techno-fluff to say that you need a grid/net to sustain the bubble in flight..so a jump net would be a useful expenditure of (x)Cr/ton of cargo.

To get one of my ships cleared I had to write up a towing rig. It adds ten percent of the amount of cargo carried in the tow rig, and lets you carry multiple objects on a docking clamp...up to the maximum rating of the clamp.

It's specifically designed for towing multiple modules, on a single heavy duty docking clamp, but it could work with other objects..just no access to the cargoes unless they can be linked one to another.

And on the subject of Pirate small craft load out..Yep two fighters ( 10 ton, at least thrust 10-12, pulse laser armed), assault boat, and a couple of cargo handling boats....I'd say that was a set up for a higher end organized pirate group.

I'd add the docking clamps, and forced linkage/grapple systems, to the mix on the assault boat.

 

[cavebear]

Starships: Engineering and Jump Grids

Actually, you might not need to embed the grid into the hull, you could have it draped around like ropes, and the crew has to spend time rigging it out more or less correctly before transition, incorrect placement could be the cause of misjumps and variations in time spent in hyperspace.

While I don't think that I would personally use this kind of set up for creating a regular jump grid, I do think that it is a wonderful idea to repair a damaged embedded jump grid.

I can just picture the crew having to go out in vacc suits and drape an external jump grid net over battle damaged sections and hooking it up to the undamaged embedded jump grid in the hull. Mess the connections up and welcome to misjump land

I suppose that you could even drape it over something that you have attached to the hull so that a proper jump bubble is created by the jump grid.

 

[wbnc]

Starships: Engineering and Jump Grids

Actually, you might not need to embed the grid into the hull, you could have it draped around like ropes, and the crew has to spend time rigging it out more or less correctly before transition, incorrect placement could be the cause of misjumps and variations in time spent in hyperspace.

While I don't think that I would personally use this kind of set up for creating a regular jump grid, I do think that it is a wonderful idea to repair a damaged embedded jump grid.

I can just picture the crew having to go out in vacc suits and drape an external jump grid net over battle damaged sections and hooking it up to the undamaged embedded jump grid in the hull. Mess the connections up and welcome to misjump land

I suppose that you could even drape it over something that you have attached to the hull so that a proper jump bubble is created by the jump grid.

A good example of using the techno-aspects of a game to promote some adventure

That's why I always liked the idea of a grid, even if not encoded into the mechanics. it offers a lot of adventure idea...such as having to scavenge sections of grid plate from the other guys ship after a nasty disagreement turned into aggressive negotiations.

Not everything has to have a mechanic attached to it. Using a combo of jump bubble supported by the fuel injected into it during pre-jump, with a charged lanthanum grid in the hull to maintain the bubble gives a lot of ways to use the set up n a game.

 

[AndrewW]

To get one of my ships cleared I had to write up a towing rig. It adds ten percent of the amount of cargo carried in the tow rig, and lets you carry multiple objects on a docking clamp...up to the maximum rating of the clamp.

It's specifically designed for towing multiple modules, on a single heavy duty docking clamp, but it could work with other objects..just no access to the cargoes unless they can be linked one to another.

Well, already existing there's a Towing Rig, Grapple Lines, Cargo Net and External Cargo...

 

[Condottiere]

Depends a great deal on whether the game allows different methods of breaching hyperspace, or you house-rule it.

I mentioned this option due to two aspects, that grids can be broken by natural attrition or violence, and a harking back to the old age of sails, and an excuse to send out out people to hoist the sails, or in this case, drape them around like a Christmas tree.

Not having a hull with an integral grid should make it considerably cheaper.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Terminology

Undoubtedly, this will be overtaken by events, but all spaceborne capital ships should be called the Odyssey class, because, you know, they're everything 2001 tonnes and above.

 

[-Daniel-]

Spaceships: Terminology

Undoubtedly, this will be overtaken by events, but all spaceborne capital ships should be called the Odyssey class, because, you know, they're everything 2001 tonnes and above.

:lol:

Well played Sir, well played. :mrgreen:

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Camouflage

While drilling out a planetoid is probably cheaper, you still have to install the life support and engineering.

It would be faster to disguise your spaceship as a planetoid; that seems also very piratey.

Aaarrgh.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Tonnages

One reason I do like shaving off weight on a spaceship, is that smaller ones should be harder to hit.

A light torpedo bomber that weighs in at ten tonnes, should find itself displacing a volume of seven and a half tonnes, meaning it should be able to run away faster and be harder to hit, after discharging it's ordnance.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Engineering and the costs of fission reactors

Costs: Fuel, Operation, Waste Disposal & Life Cycle
Operating Costs

Fuel Costs

This is the total annual cost associated with the "burnup" of nuclear fuel resulting from the operation of the unit. This cost is based upon the amortized costs associated with the purchasing of uranium, conversion, enrichment, and fabrication services along with storage and shipment costs, and inventory (including interest) charges less any expected salvage value.

For a typical 1,000 MWe BWR or PWR, the approximate cost of fuel for one reload (replacing one third of the core) is about $40 million, based on an 18-month refueling cycle. The average fuel cost at a nuclear power plant in 2014 was 0.76 cents / kWh.

Because nuclear plants refuel every 18-24 months, they are not subject to fuel price volatility like natural gas and oil power plants.

Monthly Fuel Cost to US Electric Utilities (1995 - 2014)

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Costs

This is the annual cost associated with the operation, maintenance, administration, and support of a nuclear power plant. Included are costs related to labor, material & supplies, contractor services, licensing fees, and miscellaneous costs such as employee expenses and regulatory fees. The average non-fuel O&M cost for a nuclear power plant in 2014 was 1.64 cents / kWh.

Production Costs

Production costs are the O&M and fuel costs at a power plant. Production costs do not include indirect costs and are based on FERC Form 1 filings submitted by regulated utilities. Production costs are modeled for utilities that are not regulated.

Fuel costs make up 30 percent of the overall production costs of nuclear power plants. Fuel costs for coal, natural gas and oil, however, make up about 80 percent of the production costs.

Fuel as a Percentage of Electric Power Industry Production Costs (2013)
US Nuclear Industry Production Costs by Quartile (2010 - 2014)
US Electricity Production Costs (1995 - 2014, Graph)
US Electricity Production Costs and Components (1995 - 2014, Table)



Costs Related to Waste Management

Funds Committed for the Nuclear Waste Fund

$42.8 billion (1/10th of a cent per kWh of electricity generated at nuclear power plants plus interest since 1983).

Nuclear Waste Fund Payment Information by State

Estimated Cost of Decommissioning

Per plant

$300 million to $500 million—includes estimated radiological, used fuel ($100 million) and site restoration costs (about $300 million).

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: The Martian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue4PCI0NamI

Anyone interested in spaceship design and operations should watch it.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Crew Accommodations and Container Condos

So you have the basic hull of the ship, and you weld in your basic twenty foot, or whatever is standard in the Third Imperium, container in it, and use that as crew accommodations.

A new container is two thousand bucks, a refrigerated one eighteen thousand bucks, and that's probably not wholesale. Exchange rate to credits would what, half that price?

Certainly cheaper than half a million credits.

Though refurbishing it to Ikea standards might add an extra couple of thousands.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Manoeuver Drives

Since the opportunity is now present, drives that require no fuel should be the equivalent of cruising maritime diesels, economical but slow.

Drives that can react faster should consume fuel but be also capable being pushed to extreme speeds.

You want the pirates to have a chance of catching up to them.

And the Millenium Falcon to escape.

 

[wbnc]

I'm thinking of the Old Battlestar Galactica, the vipers had a button on their control stick...they hit it and kicked in turbo boosters. They could either boost speed or slow rapidly ..which the Cylon raiders never seemed to be able to do.

sounds like they were fitted with those reaction drive boosters, which let them rapidly escape pursuit, intercept targets or execute a high gee braking maneuver to through off pursuers.