Advice Thread OOC Future Tech Only

[Arthropoda Ingens]

Actually, here is a picture of a WIP model of the Vengeance class Superdreadnought - the 800m behemoths I mentioned earlier. I still need to add the other three radiator panels (the thing next to the fuel tanks that looks like a wing), airlocks on the crew module (second from the front) and the thrusters on the forward engineering module (third from the front). I'm also going to do some more work on the shape of the rear engineering module (back).

The weapons module (front) is pretty much complete though, with eight graser turrets, sixteen missile tubes, one gravitic cannon for the main gun and four gauss cannons providing point-defence. Those panels of eight circles on the forward three modules are the escape pods.

Most of my ships have this basic shape, only smaller and with less guns. I won't be offended if from now on people want to refer to the Ularn Space Navy by the nickname of "the dildos" :p

I really like the design, very functional, which makes it rather attractive in its own way (To me, anyway). Plus, the overall symmetry is very nice. I'm mildly suspicious that you borrowed heavily from Culture warship designs in terms of design ethics (All weapons to the front; Dildo-shape), but that's hardly a bad thing.

The second set of turrets is fucking ugly, though.

[Vetokia Prime]

The larger Russian ships typically have a large greenhouse on the top deck, partly because we like to troll the other FT nations by having huge glass windows on our ships, but also because hydroponically grown food tastes funny.

Huge glass windows are quite difficult to engineer in a space-faring context; the difference in pressure between the greenhouse interior and the near-vacuum exterior would cause most forms of glass to shatter under the sheer stress. That's why RL space vehicles like the Space Shuttle and high-speed aircraft like the Concorde have small windows, since it's easier to reinforce a small window.

I'd suggest using something tougher than glass to contain your greenhouses.

Ah, OMG has a perfectly valid explanation for how it works perfectly, just like his Claudia Engines;

In that immortal phrase, "FUCK YOU, that's how it works."

[Ularn]

Actually, here is a picture of a WIP model of the Vengeance class Superdreadnought - the 800m behemoths I mentioned earlier. I still need to add the other three radiator panels (the thing next to the fuel tanks that looks like a wing), airlocks on the crew module (second from the front) and the thrusters on the forward engineering module (third from the front). I'm also going to do some more work on the shape of the rear engineering module (back).

The weapons module (front) is pretty much complete though, with eight graser turrets, sixteen missile tubes, one gravitic cannon for the main gun and four gauss cannons providing point-defence. Those panels of eight circles on the forward three modules are the escape pods.

Most of my ships have this basic shape, only smaller and with less guns. I won't be offended if from now on people want to refer to the Ularn Space Navy by the nickname of "the dildos"

I really like the design, very functional, which makes it rather attractive in its own way (To me, anyway). Plus, the overall symmetry is very nice. I'm mildly suspicious that you borrowed heavily from Culture warship designs in terms of design ethics (All weapons to the front; Dildo-shape), but that's hardly a bad thing.

The second set of turrets is fucking ugly, though.

Looks like we both have a similar taste for aesthetics. To me, an attractive warship is an efficient and purely functional design, with nothing anywhere that doesn't need to be there. Oh, and I have no idea what "Culture warship designs" are - a long thin shape with the guns at the front just made sense to me since it kept the ship's profile small and allowed most of the armour to be focused in one place.

As for the second set of turrets, I put them on towers like that so that they would have a wider range of fire. Being further back, the ship's hull would have got in the way if they lowered their aim as far as they were able. This let's them shoot just over the top of the bow. I'd considered making the towers' slope shallower but couldn't think of an easy way to do it - I'm still more or less a beginner with SketchUp.

[Vetokia Prime]

I really like the design, very functional, which makes it rather attractive in its own way (To me, anyway). Plus, the overall symmetry is very nice. I'm mildly suspicious that you borrowed heavily from Culture warship designs in terms of design ethics (All weapons to the front; Dildo-shape), but that's hardly a bad thing.

The second set of turrets is fucking ugly, though.

Looks like we both have a similar taste for aesthetics. To me, an attractive warship is an efficient and purely functional design, with nothing anywhere that doesn't need to be there. Oh, and I have no idea what "Culture warship designs" are - a long thin shape with the guns at the front just made sense to me since it kept the ship's profile small and allowed most of the armour to be focused in one place.

Be honest dear. You have a fetish for all things Honor Harrington. Don't worry, lots here do

[Ularn]

Looks like we both have a similar taste for aesthetics. To me, an attractive warship is an efficient and purely functional design, with nothing anywhere that doesn't need to be there. Oh, and I have no idea what "Culture warship designs" are - a long thin shape with the guns at the front just made sense to me since it kept the ship's profile small and allowed most of the armour to be focused in one place.

Be honest dear. You have a fetish for all things Honor Harrington. Don't worry, lots here do

Well, yeah. I stole the idea for most of my gravitic technology from the series (with some help from Schlock Mercenary, of all places), though this ship doesn't actually follow any of the Honorverse design principles (broadside armaments, impeller wedges, hammerhead shape, etc.) and it's a lot smaller.

[Arthropoda Ingens]

Oh, and I have no idea what "Culture warship designs" are

They've been described as flying dildos in-universe.

As for the second set of turrets, I put them on towers like that so that they would have a wider range of fire. Being further back, the ship's hull would have got in the way if they lowered their aim as far as they were able. This let's them shoot just over the top of the bow. I'd considered making the towers' slope shallower but couldn't think of an easy way to do it - I'm still more or less a beginner with SketchUp.

I'd consider an octagonal shape and putting the turrets symmetrically on the flat planes provided by it (With every second turret some distance behind the preceding one, just as you have it right now - presumably on account of internal space shortage if it) - looks a lot more pleasant, IMHO.

Admittedly, I presume it's also a fucking bitch to draw.

(I dispensed with turrets altogether because their placement fucking annoys me)

[Ularn]

Oh, and I have no idea what "Culture warship designs" are

They've been described as flying dildos in-universe.

Great minds think alike - I'll have to look into the author. What's the name of the books/series?

[Vernii]

They've been described as flying dildos in-universe.

Great minds think alike - I'll have to look into the author. What's the name of the books/series?

Iain Banks, the series starts with Consider Phlebas.

[Vetokia Prime]

Be honest dear. You have a fetish for all things Honor Harrington. Don't worry, lots here do

Well, yeah. I stole the idea for most of my gravitic technology from the series (with some help from Schlock Mercenary, of all places), though this ship doesn't actually follow any of the Honorverse design principles (broadside armaments, impeller wedges, hammerhead shape, etc.) and it's a lot smaller.

Well, they're supposed to look like a woman's vibrator, and the illustration of them looks very close to that picture you linked earlier.

[Santheres]

Be honest dear. You have a fetish for all things Honor Harrington. Don't worry, lots here do :p

Well, yeah. I stole the idea for most of my gravitic technology from the series (with some help from Schlock Mercenary, of all places), though this ship doesn't actually follow any of the Honorverse design principles (broadside armaments, impeller wedges, hammerhead shape, etc.) and it's a lot smaller.

Google image searching does yield results with similar general design, though. I know nothing of Honorverse, myself.

Me, I think I'm going for cylindrical shapes for warships and whatever-the-fuck-the-inside-requires shapes for industrials, since the outside is important for the former, and the inside is important for the latter.

Edit: or maybe ovoid blobs

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Practicality?
It's for squares.
So says the Suvorov!

[Ularn]

Well, yeah. I stole the idea for most of my gravitic technology from the series (with some help from Schlock Mercenary, of all places), though this ship doesn't actually follow any of the Honorverse design principles (broadside armaments, impeller wedges, hammerhead shape, etc.) and it's a lot smaller.

Google image searching does yield results with similar general design, though. I know nothing of Honorverse, myself.

Me, I think I'm going for cylindrical shapes for warships and whatever-the-fuck-the-inside-requires shapes for industrials, since the outside is important for the former, and the inside is important for the latter.

Edit: or maybe ovoid blobs

Ships in the Honor Harrington universe basically look like this, an ovoid shape with a wider hammerhead section at the bow and stern. My ships are just square or triangular tubes with a pointy bit at one end. The differences will be more obvious once I draw in the steering thrusters and radiators.

[Santheres]

Ships in the Honor Harrington universe basically look like this, an ovoid shape with a wider hammerhead section at the bow and stern. My ships are just square or triangular tubes with a pointy bit at one end. The differences will be more obvious once I draw in the steering thrusters and radiators.

Link doesn't work. But all the same, I'm not criticizing, so it doesn't matter overly much. I like your design, since it's different; my own nation would think it looks silly and fragile, but they have plenty of other ship designs which are sillier and more fragile to mock if they needed to make fun of something. I might suggest that instead of the little ugly blisters for the second set of guns, you use blockier geometry so it looks more organic to your design. Your smoothed geometry is mostly subtle, small, and practical in appearance, except for that.

Are the radiators the yellow spheres? Also, just out of personal interest, did you make the spheres or warehouse them?

Edit: well, now the link does.

[Ularn]

Ships in the Honor Harrington universe basically look like this, an ovoid shape with a wider hammerhead section at the bow and stern. My ships are just square or triangular tubes with a pointy bit at one end. The differences will be more obvious once I draw in the steering thrusters and radiators.

Link doesn't work. But all the same, I'm not criticizing, so it doesn't matter overly much. I like your design, since it's different; my own nation would think it looks silly and fragile, but they have plenty of other ship designs which are sillier and more fragile to mock if they needed to make fun of something. I might suggest that instead of the little ugly blisters for the second set of guns, you use blockier geometry so it looks more organic to your design. Your smoothed geometry is mostly subtle, small, and practical in appearance, except for that.

Are the radiators the yellow spheres? Also, just out of personal interest, did you make the spheres or warehouse them?

Edit: well, now the link does.

The yellow spheres are the fuel tanks (deuterium, or whatever Hydrogen isotopes are best for nuclear fusion). The radiator is that panel that looks like a wing running along the same section of the ship. Once I'm finished there will be four of them on each spine surrounding the fuel tanks. And I did the spheres myself.

The rear turret blisters are something I'm disappointed with and I probably will go back and alter them somehow. I have a few ideas but don't know an easy way to implement them in Sketchup. Right now finishing the rest of the model is a higher priority anyway.

[Sskiss]

Ularn, you design reminds me of what space craft will look like in the next century or two. Looks, for lack of a better term, " Early FT". Also, good drawing. And yes, OMGeverynameistaken, yours are too.

[Ularn]

Ularn, you design reminds me of what space craft will look like in the next century or two. Looks, for lack of a better term, " Early FT". Also, good drawing. And yes, OMGeverynameistaken, your are too.

That's basically the look I was aiming for. I wanted to give the idea of a very utilitarian ship with none of the fancy architecture you see on some people's fleets. Everything is functional and nothing is there that doesn't need to be. This is a ship which says "I am so confident I can blast you out of the stars that I don't even need to look fancy or scary!"

EDIT: Of course, this is only for the warships; civilian vessels often look fancy as hell

[Zebian Syndicate]

They tend to do that, since civilian vessels are typically built by and for people with lots of throw away money. So basically normal citizens can afford to be fancy, while the impoverished government is forced to suffer with the bare necessities.


I have completely avoided this to the 100th power.

[Ularn]

They tend to do that, since civilian vessels are typically built by and for people with lots of throw away money. So basically normal citizens can afford to be fancy, while the impoverished government is forced to suffer with the bare necessities.

The government's not impoverished; they'd just rather have a hundred-and-ten ugly warships than a hundred fancy warships.

[Sertian]

Not to mention a 110 more effective warships because they didn't let aesthetics get in the way of efficiency.

[Zebian Syndicate]

It was an exaggeration. LOL The way my nation is led (and indeed it is an integral part of it) is that if you don't make the enemy self conscious about themselves, you're doing it wrong. Whether that be having a massive figurehead carved out of a solid diamond or an entire battery of BFG's, it's a must.

It's basically and ego thing. [/wealth flaunt] Since most of the people who own or are in command of any large vessels are by the very nature of their position automatically stupid/obscenely rich or at the very least own their own criminal organisation, it's the natural course of things.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Not to mention a 110 more effective warships because they didn't let aesthetics get in the way of efficiency.

*Looks up from affixing yet another gigantic angel statue to the side of a battleship.*
Huh? You say something?

[Sertian]

Not to mention a 110 more effective warships because they didn't let aesthetics get in the way of efficiency.

*Looks up from affixing yet another gigantic angel statue to the side of a battleship.*
Huh? You say something?

Clearly, the angel statues give a morality bonus to the crewmembers.

Each statue upgrade gives a +10% fire rate to your weapons by motivating the loaders.

[Zebian Syndicate]

They also decrease defection chance by 5%, and unlock the next tier upgrade.

[YellowApple]

Another question: what are some accepted methods of achieving FTL travel? In my case, I'm thinking using the Casimir effect to stabilize wormholes, though I imagine that to be potentially unsafe if the vessel initiating the jump fails to close the wormhole due to malfunction or destruction. Basically, I'd be using my IC explanation for pony magic in this context.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

Another question: what are some accepted methods of achieving FTL travel? In my case, I'm thinking using the Casimir effect to stabilize wormholes, though I imagine that to be potentially unsafe if the vessel initiating the jump fails to close the wormhole due to malfunction or destruction. Basically, I'd be using my IC explanation for pony magic in this context.

Generally, anything that isn't "I can instantly go anywhere I want with no charge-up/cool down time" is accepted. I use a sort of wormhole like system myself, for instance. I gather that ST/SW systems are fairly popular, though.