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Side Mount Weapons & Battleship class ships |
Sandals
Fleet Admiral
Agents
Joined: January 21, 2002
Posts: 2001
From: Redmond,WA,USA
|  Posted: 2004-03-16 00:17
It doesn't matter what shape you make em. If you're trying to go high relativistic speeds, say, near a solar system, you're going to need more than a hull to protect you. A field, a ramscoop, a plate of ice; something.
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Southpark
Admiral
Joined: February 25, 2004
Posts: 132
From: Texas
| Posted: 2004-03-16 01:40
whatever, we are the borg, you will be assimilated! j/k
http://gallery.scifi-meshes.com/showphoto.php?photo=1138&password=&sort=1&cat=501&page=3
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JackSwift
Cadet
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: October 30, 2002
Posts: 1806
From: Where the Sun dont Shine (Seattle-ish)
| Posted: 2004-03-16 02:00
Quote:
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On 2004-03-16 00:09, Juxtapose wrote:
Bend, Fold or puncture space and you can build Cube shaped ships. Til then, make them sleek.
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All you need to make a hole in space...
hehe 
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Coalition
Cadet
Joined: October 21, 2003
Posts: 7
| Posted: 2004-03-16 07:57
Ignoring vacuumdynamics and so on (though in a nebula, the large front face would matter), I would like to look at the relative advantages of each type:
1) Sphere - most volume for surface area. You have the least surface area to shield, and can pck the most weapons/geenrators inside. This form is primarily used when an enemy can come from any direction, and you want to be able to deal with them equally, and survive the longest.
2) Cube - Similar to sphere, as it can have equal amounts of firepower and shielding in all directions. Unfortunately, the corners of it would be vulnerable to weapons fire. Better to go with a sphere.
3) Ovoid - a stretched sphere, this vessel features increased surface area, requiring more armor and shielding, but also features a smaller cross section, from 2 directions, thus making it harder to hit from those directions. The sides can mount more weaponry proportionally, but are also easier to hit.
4) Rectangle - as an ovoid, but with the rough corners that are waiting to be shot off.
5) Triangle/cone - offers the most surface area to be brought to bear forwards, ideal for quick raider ships, or those designed to fight from long distances. Has minimal cross section from the front, reducing its target profile, but side profile is large, leading to easier attacks there. Has ~75% its surface area facing the front, allowing it to mount a massive amount of firepower that can fire forwards.
Tech base also is a factor here. The B2 bomber is curved as we can easily make a stealth hull in a curved form for its size, but the stealth ship is flat hulled, as we don't have the tech to make curved hulls of that size. Flat panels are easier to make and replace.
So ship shape would depend on tech level and function. Stations I see as spherical, as their maneuverability stinks.
Dreads/battleships are ovoids/rectangles.
Smaller fry would be the triangle/cone types.
Lower tech races (ICC) trying to build the same size hull would use flat panels, as they can be made far easier than the larger curved hull preferred by UGTO DN.
Kluth would be organically weird, as usual.
Also, for the Spinal mount, we'd have to get a 20-30 degree weapon, front arc only. Massive damage, but scouts and such can get out of the way easily. If they get tagged though, you will quickly see a cloud of debris.
For ships with poles sticking out with weapons on them, wouldn't those be easy to kill after the shields go down? Second, if you extend the shields to cover them, you are increasing the size of the shield bubble, making you an easier target, and the shields weaker for their surface area, making you a softer target as well.
For traveling at high fractions of c (60%?), you do have interstellar dust impacting on the ship, and causing damage. Travel high enough, and the background radiation also becomes a hazard. So ships would take damage at higher speeds, unless we decide to ignore it, or bring in Star Trek's navigational deflectors.
For side mount weapons, I see the Iowa class coming out soon. 2 forward turrets mounting the Spinal weapons (and turning very slowly), and a rear turret the same way. Very slow hull, all turrets have 270 arcs, and if you can get someone at long range in the side arcs, it dies.
Other side mount weapon types would be side-mounted missiles, but with forward firing capability. Fighters are an exisiting side firing weapon, but they don't really count.
You could get the Tau fleet in space, with (lots of) missiles fired from the sides, and angling forwards, plus other weapons firing forwards.
Has anyone ever wanted chaff or decoys, so you jettison a chaff bundle, and enemy fire hits it until it dissipates? Useless vs small guys (they go around it), but annoying to the other guy who just tried an alpha strike on you. You target a vessel, fire the chaff, and it goes out 5 gu from you, and sits there, soaking up fire for ~4 seconds. It then dissipates (deleted from server), and you have to fire it again (1 sec reload time).
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Southpark
Admiral
Joined: February 25, 2004
Posts: 132
From: Texas
| Posted: 2004-03-16 14:49
keep in mind, that any curve can be reduced to an infinite number of infinitely small "flat panels". and fairly big curves can be approximated by a finite number of panels. hence the whole way 3d graphics work ^_^. anyhow!
Your functional description of the chaff bundle would lead it to be too powerful, however, make it create a "ghost" radar image (red box target) near you would be interesting. that way if someone is just clicking on boxes/hitting nearest enemy key, and spamming the spacebar, they can end up shooting empty "ghost image" space. but someone paying attention or visually looking at you will know its not a real target, just as real chaff doesnt' always fool the radar operator today.
Along the whole idea of chaff, we could also add in a "dixie" decoy, that is streamed behind your ship like a noisemaker, distracts torpedos following you (like the good old anti-sub destroyer days hehe).
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Trinny
Cadet
Joined: March 08, 2004
Posts: 32
| Posted: 2004-03-17 03:56
Yes, if something were to travel at very high speeds then it would be a perfect teardrop shape. The weapons would be on poles that fold back into the side.
But that looks nothing like the ships in Darkspace. So I go back to this being a very fun fantasy game. ^_~
And I believe going at the speed of light would make it like traveling in teh Earths atmostphere at nearly no speed.
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Ascension(Purge)
Admiral
Joined: March 04, 2003
Posts: 194
| Posted: 2004-03-17 18:30
This is all in zero gravity and humans OBVIOUSLY still have nuclear technology so technicaly
(say your facing dessie and below)
about two nuclear explosions of the size we have now
(Plus this IS the future and nukes would be better)
Would throw any low class ship at immense speeds towards a properly aimed planet. Its zero gravity and America has nukes that can supposedly put us into an ice age with only 3 three...beep beep beep FOOOOM!
There he goes again Mr. Kluth flying into the sun  !
Now THATS physics for today kids!
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Coeus {NCX-Charger}
Admiral, I can't read,
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 16, 2004
Posts: 3635
From: South Philly
| Posted: 2004-03-17 21:25
I'd love to see that... ships react to whats hitting them, knocking them outa the way & off course... oh man... imagine being nailed by a stray PCM... ouch
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Astral Viper
Cadet
Joined: February 27, 2003
Posts: 343
| Posted: 2004-03-17 22:00
imagne would the alpha from an ead would do to a dessie just flung it across the galaxt with no engines hehehe oooh that would be fun to see
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Coeus {NCX-Charger}
Admiral, I can't read,
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: February 16, 2004
Posts: 3635
From: South Philly
| Posted: 2004-03-17 23:22
ROFL, I'd pay to see that...
There should be limits though, mass of a ship & the reletive explosive potential of the impact - beams obviously having no impact & IT missiles having large impact. Ship & station destructions should have the most - since an explosion would send out a concussion wave (I think - would there be one in space? Not sure of the physics...)
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