[Art]Dishonored's Starship Emporium

[Dishonored]

 I'm not much of an artist, but I do my best. I thought I'd share a few of the ships I've designed for my private universe. The only part of my art that is taken from someone else is the scales, which were posted for open use by Frank Bonura at http://deckplans.00sf.com/.





Yes, I know it's an eye-searing shade of blue; I like to give stock ships distinctive colors. 

(Assistance in making a clicky-link would be appreciated, since the site I use is being a dork.) I got it!

Edit:
  uh, you mean like this?
  -- llearch

[Dishonored]

Edit:
  uh, you mean like this?
  -- llearch

Not exactly. I was trying to post a picture with a link to the full-sized image, but I kept getting either a scaled down picture or none at all.

I'll keep fiddling with it; if no one can see the details, there's no reason to post.

[Dishonored]

 Okay, now that I know what I'm doing (HAH!), I'll post up another one. This one actually has some background info; sometimes I actually write out the long, detailed descriptions in my head.

Also, in case you're wondering, cargo capacity for every ship refers to non-specific load capability, as well as upgrade ability.



Capsule: Well-known for its' military and corporate security contracts, Selene Systems contracted with the High Command for 20,000 of their new high-speed, cutting-edge gunships. They not only completed the contract ahead of schedule, but nearly a million dollars under budget.

Unfortunately, the High Command had decided to invest their money into more of the Pohlov Avenger cruisers, and reneged on the contract. Selene Systems found themselves with a small fleet of fast and decently-armed, armored ships and nothing to show for it.

They managed to recoup some of their losses by selling half the production run at a reduced cost to private security companies, but for the first time defied the High Command and sold the remaining Corsairs to civilian and non-sanctioned customers. This was the beginning of the breakaway for Selene Systems that eventually led the majority of their designers to defect away and emigrate to star systems not under control of the High Command.

Although Corsairs have high armor, speed, and firepower for their size and are formidable opponents in combat, they have multiple design flaws. The structure of their hull armor does not make any major repairs easy outside of a full drydock, and the same goes for any modifications. The weapons placement is excellent for aggressive combat and pursuit, but puts a Corsair at a huge disadvantage if it engages multiple enemy ships.

Corsair Gunship

Craft: Selene Systems Corsair-Class Gunship
Type: Gunship/Patrol Craft
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 83.5 feet
Weight: 15
Skill: Starfighters: Corsair Gunship
Crew: 2/4
Passengers: None
Cargo Capacity: 40 tons
Consumables: 1 month
Hyperdrive: Yes(x6)
Backup: No
Trans-Temporal Drive: No
Speed: 60
Hull: 50,000
Shields: 20,000
Engines: Selene Crateria CMS-500 (two/main; Speed of 40 each)
Powerplant: M'krana crystal converter/fusion reactor
Sensors: Air/Space Radar, Multiband Radar, EM Detector, Laser Transceiver, Mass Detector, Radio Transceiver
Weapons:
Four Phased-Plasma Cannons
Fire Arc: Forward

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Oh, right. The forum is limited to 500x500 images, if the size is larger than that, it'll automatically limit it when you hit save.

[Dishonored]

 Yep. I got it figured out, though; you can click any of my ships to see a full-sized version now.

[Razmoudah]

The first design has an awful lot of open space.  Any hull-breach that reaches what seems to be cargo spaces will make it nearly impossible for the crew to get around the ship until everyone is in vac suits.  Also, what seems to be the captains quarters requires going past the enlisted barracks and is on a separate deck from the officer's quarters, which is a very non-standard design aspect for both military and civilian craft in every setting I'm familiar with.

The second design's weapons seem to lack trackability, which is a notable flaw in a craft large enough to have a proper crew due to the strain it'll end up putting on the craft's frame maintaining target lock on fast, highly maneuverable targets.

Finally, I'm not exactly clear on where the ladders between decks are supposed to be on either design.

[Dishonored]

The first design has an awful lot of open space.  Any hull-breach that reaches what seems to be cargo spaces will make it nearly impossible for the crew to get around the ship until everyone is in vac suits.  Also, what seems to be the captains quarters requires going past the enlisted barracks and is on a separate deck from the officer's quarters, which is a very non-standard design aspect for both military and civilian craft in every setting I'm familiar with.

The second design's weapons seem to lack trackability, which is a notable flaw in a craft large enough to have a proper crew due to the strain it'll end up putting on the craft's frame maintaining target lock on fast, highly maneuverable targets.

Finally, I'm not exactly clear on where the ladders between decks are supposed to be on either design.

Any small hull breach in the Osaka could be repaired using vacuum suits and repair kits in the pilot quarters directly aft of the bridge. Any hull breach large enough to not be repaired during flight would in most cases wreck the ship entirely.
The captain's quarters are whever the individual civilian captain prefers, although most either take the lower port forward cabin for luxury, or the top starboard cabin for convenience.
This universe has a rather unique setting; non-standard designs are common, since all non-military crafts are built by various civilian ship companies who range from honest, safety-conscious to cheap, fly-by-night ones, much like automobile companies.

The Corsair was designed by military contract for a specific purpose, and tracking wouldn't have been an issue if they had been assigned as planned.

You can't find the ladders because there are none. The round circle just aft starboard and the aft amidships rectangle on the Osaka and the odd rectangle amidships on the Corsair are lifts. Most of the ships in my universe rely on lifts, with ladders only being used for emergencies on certain designs. The amount of space stairs or ladders take up for anything besides emergency access far outweighs the benefits of a lift that can be used for both cargo and personnel.

Hope this helped clear up any confusion! 

[Razmoudah]

Ah, so the Osaka is a light-hulled craft then.  Still, going by what I can make out of the design it's almost forced to land in a sealed dock area to unload cargo as well, and typically what makes the smaller freighters practical in most settings is their ability to cozy up to just about anything to transfer cargo to it.

I'll just say that I am surprised the military didn't want such a feature on a craft of that size.  I can understand it on a space superiority fighter, where it may be just a pilot and co-pilot, but on larger craft it has frequently proven to be impractical.  Then again military bureaucracies seem to attract a greater than average number of idiots, part of the reason why the term "Military Intelligence" is an oxymoron.

On the Osaka I can understand it using lifts as the primary means of getting between decks, but as far as I can tell you didn't even show the emergency ladders, for the rare situation where the ship is without power (such as undergoing major repairs/refits in a dry-dock somewhere).  On the Corsair I find the placement of the lift rather questionable (glad to see I was right about that representing the means of getting between decks in it though).  It looks like the lift is in a prime location to either be blocking the lower accessway for the engines and other aft compartments or to create a fall hazard for the pilots when heading into the galley for some food from the cockpit.  Admittedly there really isn't room for a better location in the design, but unless your lifts are levitating deck plates, so they don't need cables or pistons or anything, and the areas where the lifts go through can close-up, as if they were weirdly placed yet highly sturdy doors, that Corsair could be a death trap even outside of combat.

[Dishonored]

Ah, so the Osaka is a light-hulled craft then.  Still, going by what I can make out of the design it's almost forced to land in a sealed dock area to unload cargo as well, and typically what makes the smaller freighters practical in most settings is their ability to cozy up to just about anything to transfer cargo to it.

On the Osaka I can understand it using lifts as the primary means of getting between decks, but as far as I can tell you didn't even show the emergency ladders, for the rare situation where the ship is without power (such as undergoing major repairs/refits in a dry-dock somewhere).  On the Corsair I find the placement of the lift rather questionable (glad to see I was right about that representing the means of getting between decks in it though).  It looks like the lift is in a prime location to either be blocking the lower accessway for the engines and other aft compartments or to create a fall hazard for the pilots when heading into the galley for some food from the cockpit.  Admittedly there really isn't room for a better location in the design, but unless your lifts are levitating deck plates, so they don't need cables or pistons or anything, and the areas where the lifts go through can close-up, as if they were weirdly placed yet highly sturdy doors, that Corsair could be a death trap even outside of combat.

You're thinking too high-tech, and you're unaware of the setting. The Osaka just lands on the ground, and cargo can be loaded via the port and starboard cargo lifts, or by simply driving/rolling it up the front ramp. Most ships in this setting have gravitic control; they don't really need to be aerodynamic under normal circumstances.

Again, these are stock ships. The Osaka has no emergency ladders; ladderwells can and frequently are added by individual owners after purchase, usually right after they go through the headache of trying to fix something under the circumstances previously mentioned. The Corsair makes do with sensors that alert the crew to proximity to the lift and flashing lights that are set flush in the wall next to it. The lift plate is on the top deck unless it is called down.

[Razmoudah]

Ah, so although the Osaka is technically a light-freighter it's roughly a mis-sized FTL capable ship in setting?  That's a big surprising since you just implied that your setting has the force-field or gravitic field tech needed to create 'free float' lifts.  Then again, if they never got involved in any wars (or encountered any space monsters, sorry, thinking of Master of Orion) until they'd become rather technologically advanced that would explain it, as well as the large open central interior spaces in the Osaka.

[Dishonored]

Ah, so although the Osaka is technically a light-freighter it's roughly a mis-sized FTL capable ship in setting?  That's a big surprising since you just implied that your setting has the force-field or gravitic field tech needed to create 'free float' lifts.  Then again, if they never got involved in any wars (or encountered any space monsters, sorry, thinking of Master of Orion) until they'd become rather technologically advanced that would explain it, as well as the large open central interior spaces in the Osaka.

The setting spans several hundred years in total; most ships after the first century have FTL and gravitics acquired from an alien race during a skirmish.
The Osaka dates from the third century of the setting; the Corsair from the middle of the fifth.

The majority of humans have only encountered the one race, a small group has encountered many under less than ideal circumstances. Further discussion of the setting really should be in another thread; I really didn't expect to have to describe it in such detail to justify my design choices. 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Oh, come now. We're not critiquing your design choices, we're just confused. ;-]

Would be interested in that other thread, though, if you're not otherwise occupied.

[Dishonored]

Oh, come now. We're not critiquing your design choices, we're just confused. ;-]

Would be interested in that other thread, though, if you're not otherwise occupied.

Explaining to one intelligent person more than once the reasoning behind a single design feature sounds less like confusion than critique to me, though I'm not complaining.

The other thread...would by nature have to be fairly vague, as some of my answers have been about the setting. I've only self-published a few short stories from the setting; handing out my universe along with major plot developments is unwise. Still, I could take a crack at it if I get a chance.

[Razmoudah]

No, I was critiquing some of the design aspects as they seemed to skip certain portions of natural design evolution along the way.  However, gaining Artificial Gravity and FTL techs from an alien race would explain a very sizable portion of those unusual design aspects.  Actually, that explanation alone makes everything except the lack of emergency ladders in the Osaka make sense, and from what Dishonored has said they usually get added by owners after the first time they have to do some kind of major repair without power, and the large open interior main space of the Osaka make sense.  Of course, if the crew is normally in a flight suit that can be sealed against hard vacuum, and each compartment can be pressurized individually (which is an evolutionary trait normal to getting AG and FTL without developing them) than it wouldn't matter.

[Dishonored]

 Like I said, not complaining.





Capsule: An older design from the shipyards of the colony world of St. Ekaterina, the Comrade 4400 is a fairly popular freighter that remained in production for close to a hundred years, with a production run numbering in the millions. While not a particularly fast or fancy ship, it has a simple design that many owners find attractive. It was one of the first commercial freighters to have not only an endurasteel framework, but also the entire hull and exterior plating. As one of the original designers reportedly said: "Comrade may fly like brick, and land like brick, but will bounce like brick and not spill your vodka. Is good design."

[Razmoudah]

The Comrade 4400 has a much more typical design to it, although it looks as if the forward compartments could be snapped off, what with how the design curves in between the for and aft cargo bays.  I'm guessing this is a consequence of limited manufacturing space and designing it in a modular manner?  I notice it still lacks the emergency access ladders, but I'm guessing it gets the same treatment there as the Osaka.

[Dishonored]

 The Comrade has stair/ladder access to every part of the ship except the bridge via the catwalk stairwells in each aft cargo area. The forward cargo areas could be snapped off, but any plausible scenario that would cause that would likely destroy the entire ship.

I have a few custom versions where more structural supports (besides the visible ones) have been added, as well as a few where one or more forward cargo sections were removed entirely.

[Razmoudah]

Oh, I doubted it could survive the forward cargo bays being snapped off to start with, it just looks prone to such an accident happening as it doesn't have a continuous wall flow along the cargo bays.  The catwalks do give a star access between the primary and secondary decks, so I'd expect the only place it'd be added would be for bridge access.

[Dishonored]

 Wow, it's been a year? Last year kicked my butt.
Anywho, here's another ship from my older folder for your consideration.



Capsule: Ravenholme Industries was a small company that specialized in sleek, fast civilian ships. Their sports models were limited-run, high-cost, short-range ships that the average consumer couldn't afford. The StarBird was their first attempt at making a more budget-friendly, more functional craft. It had decent speed and shields, could be crewed by a single person, and even had light defensive weapons. Besides the sleek design, it had a few touches of luxury like an advanced autochef and a spiral staircase in an otherwise simple design. Owners later complained about the low entry ramp clearance, the hydraulic extensions for the weapons mounts jamming, and the staircase making it a pain to move larger objects between decks.
Still, the StarBird sold well, and opened the way for Ravenholme to reach a broader market.

[Dishonored]

 A quick mod I did for fun.



The Skycutter is owned by the racing team of Adnoir and Ika Rasczak. Together with April Barstow, their pilot and asistant mechanic, they tour the colonies during the racing season. In the off-season, they can be found doing stunt and daredevil work on various planets.

The Skycutter is lightly modified, the main change being the enlarged rear hatch for loading and unloading the hoverbikes. The engines are kept finely tuned for peak performance; having three skilled mechanics aboard keeps everything humming.

[Dishonored]

 Here I go again...



Capsule: In 2243 TranStar, a utility shipbuilding company, decided to try to reach a broader market. They released the Haulzitall, a cargo ship advertised as capable of doing just about everything, and for a very competitive price.

Unfortunately, the Haulzitall was a failure on several fronts. In order to cut costs it was unarmed, at a time when most ships at least carried light armament for defense. Critics panned the design as "ugly", "clunky", and "boring". The linked power plants tended to become unstable, causing feedback loops that required the engines to be shut down, recalibrated, and cold restarted on a semi-regular basis.

Although TranStar tried to fix the shortcomings with an upgrade package, they were forced to cut their losses and sell the remaining stock of Haulzitalls at nearly cost. TranStar wrote it off as a bad deal, and went back to producing reliable, boring utility vehicles that consistently turned a profit.

For the owners that bought Haulzitalls at discount, the ships found new life and popularity. By replacing the main engines, removing the redundant sensor package, and adding decent armament, Haulzitall owners found themselves with a large capacity, highly maneuverable freighter. The power drain from the oversized shield generators became a boon, allowing Haulzitalls to take far more damage than a standard light freighter.

There are several Haulzitalls that have disappeared over the years, and ship collectors fervently try to track them down in hopes of purchasing an unmodified ship. There are no confirmed unmodified Haulzitalls in existence, and anyone that could find one, even in bad shape, could fetch a high price for it.

[Dishonored]

 Another fun mod:



Capsule: Major Martin Huang was a resistance fighter,  a bold strategist defying the High Command's brutal treatment of the Colonies. While recovering from losing both legs in a firefight, he acquired and oversaw the refit of an old Creek Industries CargoLiner.

When the overhaul was complete, Huang was given command of the ship, newly christened the Storm Front . He has spent the past ten years raiding High Command supply convoys as a privateer, based out of the colony world Rampart.

The Storm Front has had extra duralloy hull plating added, making her already tough hull far more resistant to damage, along with two additional heavy shield generators. More powerful, longer-range sensors have also been added, allowing the crew to scan, track, and target enemy ships at a distance of up to two a.u.

The five crewed, double light laser cannons have been replaced by twin-barreled plasma cannons, with a sixth located under the chin section. These cannons are remotely crewed from the bridge, and are capable of burning through unarmored hulls in seconds.

The cargo bays have been structurally reinforced, and ten crew-served phase-warp torpedo launchers have been installed, five to port and five to starboard. These heavy launchers are capable of launching fifteen torpedoes each per magazine load, at a speed of one minute total. The launchers can fire a torpedo "cold", and each one has enough fuel to reach and cover up to 250,000 miles before it is expended. Standard capabilities include an evasion package to correct course to avoid enemy fire, as well as a field scanner and generator. This allows the torpedo to match shield frequencies with an enemy ship, and pass through unhindered in order to do maximum damage.

The Storm Front has also been refitted with extendable airlocks, as well as two armories, port and starboard.

Although the ship has taken considerable damage at times, the Storm Front is still a formidable opponent, and is high on the High Command's most wanted list.

[Dishonored]

 This is long overdue, and will likely be amended several times as time passes.

Ship Timeline:

2069: World War 3 begins

2071: World War 3 ends

2122: FarGo Refuelers released

2143: Makaran scouts encountered

2149: Selene Systems Guardians deployed

2150: First human-built FTL-capable ships. Beginning of Fleet build-up

2164: Makaran War begins

2168: GalactiCo Rangers released

2176: Makaran War ends

2185: High Command Bureau of Ship Standards formed

2196: Genava Trailblazers released

2240: StarDesign Princess Starliners released

2243: TranStar Haulzitalls released

2255: Creek Cargoliners released

2286: Olympus Starworks Astra-Class released

2392: Ravenhome Industries StarBird released

2396: Pohlov Comrade 4400 released

2416: BoeingSony Osaka released

2536: Lophir Herald released

2626: Pohlov Avenger Corvette released

2627: Selene Systems Corsair Gunships widely released

2632: Selene Systems designers flee High Command

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Huh. I would have gone with:

2069 June 1st 12:00 GMT: WW3 starts.
2069 June 1st 12:37 GMT: WW3 ends.

... but then, I'm cynical. ;-]

[Dishonored]

 I have a much more detailed timeline than this, but this is the simplified one I use for my ships. The main war only lasted about a month; it took two years for the High Command to organize and clamp down on everyone completely.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Ah, that makes more sense, given modern weapons. People are still stupid and stubborn, even in the face of annihilation. :-(

[Dishonored]

 Been a while,but I thought I'd share another custom.



Capsule: "How in the hell does he keep that thing in the air?" - Jessa Noe, head of the Smuggler's Guild.

If you need something illegal done, you hire a smuggler. If you're really desperate, you hire Pete "Black Dog" Kahler. He's cunning, reckless, and has the worst luck of any smuggler alive.

Built from the remains of an old Comrade 4400 that he salvaged from a crash site on Rampart, the Long Odds III has been  heavily modified by Pete. The forward cargo bays were destroyed, so he moved the landing gear to the rear bays. This battered, barely functional ship was pieced back together from junk from scrap yards and junk heaps, and Pete keeps it flying mainly through stubbornness and a total disregard for safety.

The interior matches the bullet-ridden, rusting exterior. The walls and floors are caked with grime from a dozen worlds, lubricants, and used oil, and wires and components hang from the fixtures in every room. Most of the components are outdated or barely functional, and there are missing sections of floor plating in both cargo bays.

The only two "upgrades" Pete has added to his flying junk heap are two forward-facing twin flak cannons mounted between the cargo bays, and an extra "jumper" generator cabled into the ship's power plant. The cannons are mostly for show, as Pete prefers running to fighting whenever possible, and only see action if he's cornered.

The "jumper" feeds extra power directly into the drive chamber, giving it a short-lived boost that can increase the Long Odds III's maximum thrust by as much as 12%. The drawback of this, of course, is that the engines overheat quickly, and tend to shut down within minutes. As a result, the engines frequently redline or de-synchronize during normal use, and have to be taken offline completely to make repairs.