Ship Design Philosophy

[MasterGwydion]

That depends a great deal of the relationship between jump drives and hydrogen, and transdimensional travel.

Also, where does that hydrogen go?

I guess another reading of that could mean that Antimatter Plants do not use hydrogen fuel, but duh. That would be like needing to state that apple trees produce apples and not oranges. Antimatter fuel for antimatter power plants, hydrogen for fusion.

Although it does seem like if a jump grid is used, then you do not require the hydrogen fuel for the J-Drive, since it states that with the jump grid, it doesn't form a jump bubble, so the jump grid method does not allow the use of jump tanks or any kind of exterior cargo or docking clamps as these things would not be covered by the jump grid built into the hull... So, in the end... I have no idea...lol...

Jump Drive Operation
The typical jump begins on a world surface or orbit when the ship prepares to leave. The ship leaves the world and proceeds to a point more than 100 diameters out. Along the way the astrogator has been preparing for jump using the computer. A jump destination has been selected. The computer is fed the coordinates and controlling data. [3]

Once the astrogrator knows which star system, they select a specific destination based on one of several different principles: central star, mainworld, some other world (or body), an orbit within a system, a range band from a world, or an arbitrary Point Alpha. [9]

The starting and ending points (in Real Space) are connected by a Courseline (specifically for Jump Drives called a Jumpline): a straight line course traced in Real Space. A Course cannot be changed once begun. A straight line course cannot pass through a bubble surrounding a mass of any appreciable size (within Safe Jump Distance of a gravity source larger than the ship; gravity sources smaller than the ship have no effect). [10]

When the jump drive is activated a large store of fuel is fed through the ship's power plant to create the energy necessary. In a few minutes the jump drive capacitors have been charged to capacity. Under computer control the energy is then fed into the appropriate sections of the jump drive and jump begins. [3]

A ship entering Jump Space emits an active flash of broad spectrum energy. The ship’s gravitational signature vanishes from any sensors. Entry Flash is subject to lightspeed and lasts about a minute at peak strength. [11]. With good analysis of the sensor information, the burst reveals the approximate size of the ship, and the time it left the system, and the direction of the jump (but not its distance). [12]

During the week in jump the responsiblities of the crew are directed toward maintaining life support within the ship, repair and maintenance of some ship systems, and care of the passengers.

At the end of the week in jump the ship naturally preciptated out of jump space and into normal space. Exit (also called Breakout, or Precipitation, or Transition) is the transition from Jump Space back to real space. The field sustaining the Jump effect collapses and the ship transitions to Real Space. [13]

Exit from Jump occurs without any specific input or control activity from the ship. Just before Exit, the jump drive shows signs of the jump ending (through decreased energy levels, increased vibration levels, and other readings). Rumblings occur about one hour before Exit; their absence is a sign that Breakout will be delayed; their early occurrence is a sign that Breakout will be premature.[13]

A ship leaving Jump Space emits an active flash of broad spectrum energy which is slightly less intense than an Entry Flash. The ship’s gravitational signature appears on any sensors. Exit Flash is subject to lightspeed and lasts about a minute at peak strength. [13] The energy pulse can reveal the approximate size of the ship and the time it entered the system.[12]

Because of the delicacy of jump drives, most ships perform maintenance operations on their drives after every jump. It is possible for a ship to make another jump almost immediately (within an hour) after returning to normal space, but standard procedures call for at least a 16 hour wait to allow cursory drive checks and some recharging.[2]

According to this the extra hydrogen fuel is just dumped into the power plant to generate a large burst of power when is then fed into the jump drive. So, by this write up, carrying jump fuel isn't even needed as long as you can generate a burst of sufficient power to feed to jump drive. So now I have even less of an idea how J-Drive and power plants work than I did before. This would imply that for a few minutes any power plant can expand their output dramatically with no need to increase the size of the Power Plant, just increase the amount of fuel it uses, which completely goes against how Power Plants are described as working, only putting out an amount of power dependent on their size. 15/ton at TL-12 and 20/ton at TL-15 and then 100/ton at TL-20

 

[Condottiere]

I don't think anyone really knows.

Going by collectors, I think the desired the outcome is to change the hydrogen into exotic particles.

And what connection jump drives, exotic particles, and transdimensional travel have, I can only speculate.

 

[MasterGwydion]

I don't think anyone really knows.

Going by collectors, I think the desired the outcome is to change the hydrogen into exotic particles.

And what connection jump drives, exotic particles, and transdimensional travel have, I can only speculate.

Same

 

[MasterGwydion]

I was reading over some of the stuff on Planetoid Hulls and brain had a stroke and I thought of "dwarves in space". I know. It hurt My brain too, but then I started thinking if there were any subterranean races that travelled in space and what some of their ships might look like. I designed 3 of them. Here is the first one. It is an asteroid mining/refining ship. It is the least different from the more "normal" ship designs.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/83hh4ll8xni3i1e/Planetoid%20Mining-Refining%20Ship.xlsx?dl=0

 

[Condottiere]

1. According to The Expanse, antiDwarves, taller and less robust.

2. The advantage that planetoids give in exchange for wasted space, is about ten times cheaper tonnage, with inherent life support and artificial gravity; presumably inertial compensation.

 

[MasterGwydion]

1. According to The Expanse, antiDwarves, taller and less robust.

2. The advantage that planetoids give in exchange for wasted space, is about ten times cheaper tonnage, with inherent life support and artificial gravity; presumably inertial compensation.

Haven't seen much of the Expanse yet, but I am guessing that near humans from a high g planet would be shorter and broader.

As far as I am aware, life support, artificial gravity, and inertial compensation would still be needed with planetoid hull ships. Although in the larger ships, I used the 4 types of Residential Zones from the Highguard Space Station chapter instead of Staterooms.

 

[Condottiere]

Oh, I thought you had the pegged as an asteroid inhabiting and mining folk.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Oh, I thought you had the pegged as an asteroid inhabiting and mining folk.

Since the ships are designed for a High-G sophonts, perhaps the base gravity on their ships would be increased to match their Homeworld's gravity, say 1.5G or whatever it is. This should increase the cost of powering the Basic Ship Systems, but does not, to the best of My knowledge.

Here is the Manufacturing Ship that the Mining Ships were designed to support. Caution. It is a big one. My guess is commanded by someone of noble rank as their Fief.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4trlmlifjtj9l2p/Planetoid%20Manufacturing%20Ship.xlsx?dl=0

 

[Condottiere]

Planetoid Manufacturing Ship
Tech Level 10
Tech Level Tonnage Cost (MCr) Power Effect
Hull Size Buffered Plantoid 2,000,000 270,125 400m diameter minimum Mined during constructionJ4 Refined during construction
Interior Hull Size 65% 1,300,000 650,000 650 325,000 1,625
Crystaliron Armor 10 10 (162,500) 8,125 +10 Armor 390,000 1,950 195,000 3,900
Options 195,000 3,900
Reinforced 150% 65,000 3,250
Heat Shielding 10 200,000 7,150 5,525
Radiation Shielding 10 50,000 9,750 12,675
Hullpoints 1,320,000
Basic Ship's Systems 10 (400,000)
Hardened
J-Drive/1 1 10 (50,000) 112,500 (200,000) Immune to Ion Cannons
Required Fuel (200,000)
Options
Hardened 150%
M-Drive/3 3 10 (60,000) 180,000 (600,000)
Options 7576.324532
Hardened 150%
Power Plant Fusion 8+2 (155,171) 3 1,862,056
Energy Efficient x2 120%
Hardened 150% Immune to Ion Cannons
Fuel (months) 2 (31,034) 2 months of fuel
Bridge 10 (10) 5 Immune to Ion Cannons
Computer Core/40 29 9+1 51 Rating 80
Reduced Cost x 1 75%
Hardened 150% Immune to Ion Cannons
Software: Jump Control/1 0 0
Software: Maneuver/0 0
Interface/0 0 7+3 0
Software: Security/1 (1) 10 0
Software: Auto-repair/1 (10) 10 5
Software: Library 0
Electronics
Sensors Military Grade 10 (2) 6 (2)
Mineral Detection Suite 10 8
Hardened 150%
Hardpoints 13,000
Triple Pulse Lasers 13,000 9+1 (26,000) 45,500 (253,500) 2D+2
Hardened 150% Immune to Ion Cannons
High Yield Ignore 1s for dmg
Pop-up 10
Basic Ship's Systems (260,000)
Fuel Processor 30000 (30,000) 1,500 (30,000) 200,000-Dtons/8 hours
Repair Drones (20,000) 50,000
Hardened 150% Immune to Ion Cannons
UNREP System 10,000 (10,000) 12,500 (10,000) 200,000-Dtons/hour
Hardened 150% Immune to Ion Cannons
Full Docking Bay 20,000 (60,000) (15,000)
Manufacturing Plant, Advanced 1,200 10 (30,000) 12,000 (60,000) Produces 1,200-Dtons of Advanced Goods per day 1,200
Manufacturing Plant, Agricultural 530 10 (5,303) 2,652 (5,303)
Residential Zones (238,182)
Residential Zone, Luxury 571 10 (5,711) 4,283 (286)
Residential Zone, High 2,856 10 (17,133) 4,283 (514)
Residential Zone, Average 13,707 10 (54,827) 5,483 (1,097)
Residential Zone, Low 39,978 10 (79,955) 3,998 (800)
Barracks 26,000 10 (52,000) 2,600
Common Areas 25% (59,545)
Biosphere 28,556 10 (28,556) 5,711 (28,556)
Shipyard 6,000 10 (12,000) 9,000 (12,000)
Armory 6,444 10 (6,444) 1,611
Workshop 5,800 10 (5,800) 870
Medical Bay 500 10 (2,000)
Cargo Hold 136,007 56.66976682
0 681,963 0
Crew Rate Quantity
Captain 1.00 1 (0) (0)
Pilot 3.00 30 (0) (0)
Astrogator 1.00 10 (0) (0)
Engineer 7,576.32 7,600 (0) (30)
Maintenance 4,000.00 4,000 (0) (4)
Medic 475.93 500 (0) (2)
Gunner 0.00 13,000 (0) (26)
Marines 0.00 13,000 (0) (26)
Steward 1.00 600 (0) (2)
Workers 17,070.00 17,070 (0) (34)
Purser 1,300.00 1,300 (0) (5)
Officer 2.00 5,711 (0) (29)
Total Crew 57,111 (158)
Net Finances/month (MCr) 2,736
Debit (624)
Maintenance (108)
Crew Salaries (158)
Raw Materials (357)
Credit 3,360
Manufacturing 3,360


1. At two megatonnes, I don't think they'd bother with hull armour.

2. Internally, they can set up enlarged vaults and bulkheads.

3. In theory, local gravity can be adjusted to six times Terran norm.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Yeah. The armor was more racial paranoia than actual effectiveness, but now that you have mentioned it, I may spec out adding armored bulkheads all over the place as well...

I just kind of love that the only Starships they have are all hollowed-out asteroids that are more home than ship and that all of them form a community working together.

I am thinking of making their Homeworld Chtrtlr (Sidiadl 2421) and making them psionic nulls, just to annoy the Zhodani when they finally figure out that these guys are there.

 

[Condottiere]

If they're buffered planetoids, most likely jump factor one; unbuffered, jump factor two.

However, you could have dual use cargo/fuel tanks to bump it up to two.

 

[MasterGwydion]

If they're buffered planetoids, most likely jump factor one; unbuffered, jump factor two.

However, you could have dual use cargo/fuel tanks to bump it up to two.

Actually, I like that idea. A dual use cargo bay/extra jump fuel tank on a planetoid hull

 

[Condottiere]

Starwarships: It actually IS podracing.

Anakin's podracer and the Naboo Starfighter have a deep thematic connection that gives a whole world of deep meaning to Anakin's iconic line, "now this is podracing!" It is, in fact, actually podracing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-y4prh-NJE


Yeah, I want two remote controlled spacecraft hulls with rockets, attached by two tow cables to a small hull, and do space racing.

 

[Condottiere]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Hull Points

1. In theory, the bigger the hull, the more likely economies of scale kick at twenty five and hundred kilotonnes, in terms of hull points per tonne.

2. Modularization should make no difference, since only internal alterations are made.

3. However, podularization is an external phenomena, and as such should be regarded as distinct from the primary hull.

4. In other words, if the total hull is hundred kilotonnes, and the pod twenty five kilotonnes, the primary hull only has two tonnes per hull point, no one and a half.

5. The twenty five kilotonne pod can also have two tonnes per hull point; one tonne less, it's back to two and a half tonnes per hull point.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Spacecraft: Hulls and Hull Points

1. In theory, the bigger the hull, the more likely economies of scale kick at twenty five and hundred kilotonnes, in terms of hull points per tonne.

2. Modularization should make no difference, since only internal alterations are made.

3. However, podularization is an external phenomena, and as such should be regarded as distinct from the primary hull.

4. In other words, if the total hull is hundred kilotonnes, and the pod twenty five kilotonnes, the primary hull only has two tonnes per hull point, no one and a half.

5. The twenty five kilotonne pod can also have two tonnes per hull point; one tonne less, it's back to two and a half tonnes per hull point.

Hullpoints and armor never made much sense to Me. Why are hullpoints determined by the size of the vessel and armor determined by some random unrelated number that can be increased. How can a max armor ship at 100 tons have the same armor as a 500,000 ton battleship with max armor? That never made any sense to Me.

 

[Condottiere]

Striker made hull armour a matter of centimetres and metres.

Rumour has it, hull armour is going to be revised by tonnage.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Striker made hull armour a matter of centimetres and metres.

Rumour has it, hull armour is going to be revised by tonnage.

That will be cool if they can find a good way to balance it.

 

[Condottiere]

That I don't know, since it then requires a major readjustment of the lethality of fighter borne armaments, which may be one reason missiles, and likely torpedoes, are getting more damage potential.

 

[Condottiere]

Inspiration: Robotech (Macross): Re-Entry

Modern Epic Trailer by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / Lost

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWwbylD70po


I would think that external missiles would cook off.

 

[Condottiere]

Spaceships: Armaments and Ortillery Missiles

Specifically designed for planetary bombardment, ortillery missiles are powerful but too slow to be used effectively as anti–ship weapons unless the target is not expecting an attack. Ortillery missiles suffer DM-6 to hit any moving target.

Should be manoeuvring, since if the spaceship is moving at a consistent speed and direction, it becomes predictable.