Fractal Softworks Forum
Starsector => General Discussion => Blog Posts => Topic started by: Alex on May 16, 2014, 11:07:56 AM
-
Blog post by David, here (http://fractalsoftworks.com/2014/05/16/let-me-draw-you-a-starsector-ship/).
-
Neat blog post. I was always curious on how David does his ships. I'm looking forward to the one next week. (Oh and is the comments supposed to be on for the blog post?)
-
Yess. Absolutely don't mind getting fresh insight into what's going on with expanding the setting and how David gets stuff done. Is this thing going to actually have a standard, takes-anything flight deck? That'll be beyond useful, and hella cute. I love the idea of the Magec system, too. Sounds like a desolate, bewitching place.
-
Very nice! Its interesting to see how much the design evolves over time. About the front universal... it might be interesting to make that into a built in weapon. A small scale mining blaster?
However, you left out a critical component: we need a picture of your cat. This is essential.
-
Neat blog post. I was always curious on how David does his ships. I'm looking forward to the one next week. (Oh and is the comments supposed to be on for the blog post?)
Yeah, I forgot to turn them off - your comment reminded me to flip the switch (thx!).
However, you left out a critical component: we need a picture of your cat. This is essential.
Oh, jeez. Sorry! Not just one cat, but two. Let's see if I can get this to attach to the post ...
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
Heh. Godiva.
Frigate carriers are always nice. Except when they get shot down of course. :P
-
My thought about the ship is 'Ah, a new toy; will it be in god tier, joke tier, or in between?'
-
I don't know why I never thought of having a 1:1 secondary view of a file while I work zoomed in. That... that will make things easier. Glad I read this :)
-
Yay cats! Also yay 5th element references, haha.
The post is awesome of course. I really do need to learn/practice some art.
-
Muy grateful, Mr.David! I will have to try this newfound method out soon!
-
Man, one these days I have to learn to do pixel art. I hate knowing that as a programmer I could probably do this, but I get stuck in the art stage.
I actually like the ship design, especially towards the end. I prefer more symmetrical ships so I would move the flight deck to the rear, replacing the empty cargo door thing. And give it one last mount to match where the deck used to be. Then maybe streamline it a bit to get a more of a pickup truck look, with a touch of mean speed.
-
Always nice and insightful having a view into the workflow of others. You do a lot of things I wouldn't, or which hadn't occurred to me. Well, still working on my lousy methodology anyway.
So much to learn still; thanks for sharing this snippet. Also, you're lucky to have such lovely cats. ... yay, kitties! ... ehem
-
I like the 'barnacle' look of the engines in that quick sketch, with all the little engine muzzles or vents protruding.
-
Hmmm...
I'd like to suggest an idea or two:
- The "original" ship is a high-maneuverability utility vessel - four multithruster engine pods at the corners of an open frame, with a central crew/bridge pod. The frame lets you attach whatever, wherever, and as such is rife with modding opportunities. In concert with that, I think the flight deck should not have the rear hangar - let it extend over the starboard-rear engine pod just like it extends over the starboard-fore pod. Instead, put a bit of overhang from the center bridge - craft get shoved sideways out into the middle of the flight deck, then fly forwards or rearwards as need be.
- I don't much like the idea of putting a full flight deck on a ship as small as a frigate. Two small weapon mounts means this thing's got almost as much offensive capacity as a Condor. I think taking a cue from the Terminator Drone system is a better idea - let the ship have a system that maintains a couple Mining Pods, or possibly mini-Mining Pods that carry Swarmers or something.
-
Two small weapon mounts means this thing's got almost as much offensive capacity as a Condor.
To be fair, Condor has no offensive capability beyond Pilum spam. I look to the Gemini as the destroyer-sized carrier standard. Compared to Gemini, Condor is a joke ship (if not spamming Pilums). Also, if this new ship will have limited peak performance, then it may not be very useful in extended combat. Assuming it has a flight deck when it debuts, its primary use would probably be to grant fighters immortality in a fleet that cannot afford an Atlas, and the admiral does not want to tie up too much Logistics (or lose burn speed) in other, bigger carriers.
-
I don't much like the idea of putting a full flight deck on a ship as small as a frigate. Two small weapon mounts means this thing's got almost as much offensive capacity as a Condor. I think taking a cue from the Terminator Drone system is a better idea - let the ship have a system that maintains a couple Mining Pods, or possibly mini-Mining Pods that carry Swarmers or something.
From the blog post:
"Wondering if this would be too strong as a dirt-cheap one-slot carrier kept in the absolute back of a battle that can actually field torpedo bombers. Maybe it’d be a special case frigate that conveys its mini-carrier theme using a low-grade deployable drone special system."
@Megas: I like the peak performance idea. That could be a good limitation for an otherwise OP carrier frigate.
-
Ship looks very nice, I like how you keep shuffling the parts around, David. I've become a great fan of the trial&error work-method lately. Not sure why it would still need the hangar door on the back, though.
Mh, an offensive drone system seems best suited for a frigate.
-
Saw new blog post. Cheered.
Saw poster dgbaumgart. Tickled memory. Thought.
Familiar somehow, dgbaumgart... from Clockwork Empires!?! (http://www.gaslampgames.com/category/clockwork-empires/)
Sudden paranoia.
Could David Baumgart right now be stealthily involved with developing more games I'm anxiously awaiting? And if so... how?
-
Saw new blog post. Cheered.
Saw poster dgbaumgart. Tickled memory. Thought.
Familiar somehow, dgbaumgart... from Clockwork Empires!?! (http://www.gaslampgames.com/category/clockwork-empires/)
Sudden paranoia.
Could David Baumgart right now be stealthily involved with developing more games I'm anxiously awaiting? And if so... how?
What is this "sleep" you speak of?
-
Its a really awesome phenomenon, i do experience it occasionally, its really rare tho.
-
Mh, an offensive drone system seems best suited for a frigate.
Starsector's dedicated carriers so far include Condor, Gemini, Heron, and Astral. Only the Condor does not have a drone system.
-
There were the assualt drone variant files that were never put in, which had one LAG gun per drone. Maybe that would suit this new minicarrier!
-
Starsector's dedicated carriers so far include Condor, Gemini, Heron, and Astral. Only the Condor does not have a drone system.
All of those carriers have defensive drones though (even though they can be used offensively). None of them are dedicated for combat like the Terminator Drone.
Mh, an offensive drone system seems best suited for a frigate.
I suspect this frigate would use one of the unused drones in the Starsector files.
-
Good amount of thought put in to the design of the ship, not enough of that in the industry.
-
Lovely and fun. One thing occurred to me: you keep juggling asymmetry on the front, but not on the rear; you might want to give it a go and see if that feels better :)
-
While the aesthetic inspiration, applied use thought process, and practical planning put into the design of this ship really appeals to me, I'm not sure that I agree with the idea of a frigate sized carrier at all. They feel out of place in every mod I've played, and I don't think they fit the lore very well. A frigate is a very compact ship with a crew compliment in the 15 personnel range. I don't imagine them to be particularly comfortable or with much in the way of crew facilities. A flight deck, even a small one, is a large complex affair that has to be integrated deeply into the ship it's a part of. It requires a large amount of equipment and storage for parts / munitions for the craft it supports, sufficient space to actually store the fighters and their replacement hulls. Not to mention landings and takeoffs. With fighters like the Xyphos or Typhoon housing multiple crew, or things like the wasp having 6 units to a wing, it seems entirely unrealistic and out of place to have a frigate sized carrier.
Fighters should be support craft for larger fleets. The destroyer sized carrier with a single flight deck, in my opinion, should be the smallest available carrier. The only way I can get behind the idea of a frigate sized carrier is if it does NOT actually have a "flight deck" in game terms, but maybe just a wing of free roaming point defense drones as a ship system. I can't imagine a ship of this size supporting anything more than that.
-
Hm... I wonder if the engine could handle a special carrier that was capable of refits/repairs, but not actually replacing destroyed fighters during combat? Eh, probably not that good an idea.
That said, a frigate "carrier" that had, oh, a pair of the Tempest's drones (or some low-tech equivalent), would be something I'd enjoy playing around with.
Hm... Converted mining ship... I could see a good argument for drones with mining lasers, or even one or two built-in mining lasers (possibly with hidden mount points). Toss an antimatter blaster in that front hardpoint, and a light needler in the turret, and you'd have a pretty solid little frigate. Well, assuming your shields could hold out...
-
Hm... Converted mining ship... I could see a good argument for drones with mining lasers, or even one or two built-in mining lasers (possibly with hidden mount points). Toss an antimatter blaster in that front hardpoint, and a light needler in the turret, and you'd have a pretty solid little frigate. Well, assuming your shields could hold out...
Heavy mining drones with Mining Blasters? :)
-
That would be insane, lol. Do want :)
-
Drones with mining blasters insane? I think not. Mining laser is an unviable weapon - terrible DPS and as slow as tactical laser. The mining drones should have mining blasters. If I made ships of my own, I would give my faction's mining drones blasters.
-
He did say mining blasters :D And yes that would be insane.
One of my fighters I play with has an antimatter blaster on it - its a surprisingly balanced little piece of death.