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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1  (Read 27240 times)

Sundog

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #15 on: May 17, 2014, 12:26:31 PM »

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.

Gothars

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #16 on: May 17, 2014, 03:54:19 PM »

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.
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The game was completed 8 years ago and we get a free expansion every year.

Arranging holidays in an embrace with the Starsector is priceless.

behrooz

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2014, 04:06:20 PM »

Saw new blog post.  Cheered.

Saw poster dgbaumgart.  Tickled memory.  Thought.

Familiar somehow, dgbaumgart... from Clockwork Empires!?!

Sudden paranoia. 

Could David Baumgart right now be stealthily involved with developing more games I'm anxiously awaiting?  And if so... how?
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David

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2014, 05:17:46 PM »

Saw new blog post.  Cheered.

Saw poster dgbaumgart.  Tickled memory.  Thought.

Familiar somehow, dgbaumgart... from 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?
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ValkyriaL

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2014, 05:24:26 PM »

Its a really awesome phenomenon, i do experience it occasionally, its really rare tho.
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Megas

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #20 on: May 17, 2014, 06:55:40 PM »

Quote
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.
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FasterThanSleepyfish

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2014, 08:16:39 PM »

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!
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Toxcity

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2014, 08:17:23 PM »

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.

Quote
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.
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Linnis

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #23 on: May 18, 2014, 01:30:21 AM »

Good amount of thought put in to the design of the ship, not enough of that in the industry.
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xenoargh

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #24 on: May 18, 2014, 11:35:14 AM »

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 :)
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ahrenjb

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #25 on: May 19, 2014, 11:23:22 AM »

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.
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Wyvern

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #26 on: May 20, 2014, 11:43:30 AM »

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...
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Gothars

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #27 on: May 20, 2014, 02:44:02 PM »

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?  :)
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xenoargh

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #28 on: May 20, 2014, 04:39:44 PM »

That would be insane, lol.  Do want :)
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Megas

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Re: Let Me Draw You A Starsector Ship, Part 1
« Reply #29 on: May 20, 2014, 05:19:13 PM »

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.
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