Port Vandermier - progressive shipyard build

[Blodge]

Thanks all... don't forget to give me some comments. Feedback and especially suggestions... I haven't had any suggestions to date. I have a very specific plan that I'm following, but it is open to interpretation, and I would especially welcome suggestions as to what internal areas should be catered for as this is what I'll be moving to soon so that it doesn't end up being some mammoth arduous task at the end of the build.

I intend to have sporting facilities, leisure facilities, hangar support areas (like workshops, repair bays, etc) as well as of course medical areas, amenities, a detention area and control rooms, and some (yet to be determined) system of interlinking transporters. If you can think of other things to include please let me know!

That's it from me for now.

Do you intend to add Warp gates to the main structure? Or will you have them floating around separately, like Babylon 5?

 

[Drybreeze]

I haven't ever built a warp gate. I guess I view a warp gate as an entirely different station with a different purpose.... although I think it should be close to the shipyard rather than off in the middle of space somewhere.

I'd love to make a really nice warp gate but that's a different project I think.

 

[Blodge]

I guess that means floating around separately then. That's kinda what I hoped you'd say

 

[Drybreeze]

I am looking forward to building a bunch of other stuff, but for now I'm going to focus on the Shipyard and supporting props so that the rate at which I'm producing stuff doesn't grind to a halt.

I have uploaded a new progress video, which focuses on the internal fit-out of the hangar, as well as the filtration systems for fluid filtration and recycling.

The last few minutes of the video are a bit of a battle by some raiding Flit-Class scouts (a vessel that is produced by the Octon Corporation and shipped to a range of private, corporate and governmental buyers).

The CEO of cPho Corporation later released the following statement:

"Port Vandermier has successfully defended an unprovoked attack by an as yet unknown entity consisting of 5 Flit class scout drones.

We are currently studying the wreckage of these drones to determine the source and purpose of this raid. No injuries have been reported during this raid, however some minor infrastructure was destroyed.

All main infrastructure was at all times completely without threat from these five small vessels. cPho Corporation remains steadfast in its commitment to deliver Port Vandermier on schedule, and has increased security around the construction site to address any concerns the share holders may have."​

I have also edited the first post of this thread to contain a current index of all videos and downloadable game content to make locating stuff a bit easier for readers.

Enjoy!

 

[Drybreeze]

Half of the modules are now complete, with the exception of about 75% of the internal areas, the armor on some of the spotlight arms in the middle module, and some turret fitting.

All spotlights now switch on and off from a single switch point on the Deep Space Scanner module.
This main switch will be relocated to the main control room once it is built at the top of the middle armoured module, affording the best view of the shipyard interior and traffic.

Next comes the beginnings of the top module (the very top of the overall shipyard) connecting to those big hinge-rings. Then a repeat of what you see here, but opposite facing inwards to form the other side of the shipyard.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Half of the modules are now complete, with the exception of about 75% of the internal areas, the armor on some of the spotlight arms in the middle module, and some turret fitting.

Great progress! - Nice to see all five modules of this first side all in their place. I didn't realize yet that it will be asymmetrical due to having the giant antenna array on a module next to the middle one.

Are all the "bases" of the five modules part of the same station entity with only the spotlight arms docked? Was wondering how i'd go about building the mirror image of all this - it might be the most efficient to create a ship entity with the base of the modules copied on, plus the spotlight arms docked on and oriented in the right angle, and save a blueprint of it, then spawn in 4 copies of it, so you could dock them to each other like a chain and then onto the station itself.

The drawback this way would be the vulnerability of the docked modules if the shield pool of the main structure would go down (and perhaps there would also be a great need for rail mass enhancers). But the advantage would be much less time and effort if you would finish the interior of such a ship-entity-based module before blueprinting it and spawning copies. But this depends on whether or not you want all of the second set of modules to have a unique role and interior, of course.

It's interesting to think about these possibilities, docking parts of a modular-style structure can be a lot of fun, seeing how fast it develops

 

[Drybreeze]

Hey DSM,

All of the existing base modules (so everything except the angled top and angled bottom spotlight arms) are a single station entity.
The 45degree top spotlight arms and all of the bottom spotlight arms are docked entities.

I had originally considered making all the modules docked entities in a daisy chain... in fact due to a cut-and-paste fail I thought at one point it might be my only option... However it was overcome by copying in slices and then manually stitching all the logic back together afterwards.

The top module (which will form the "roof" of the shipyard) will also be part of this single station entity, as will the opposite side facing base modules. In that way there will be much more integrity with the shield, etc. Would be cool if this thing broke apart and rolled around if it was destroyed, etc... however you must remember that this will be an actual functional shipyard when done - using the shipyard blocks and computer. This isn't possible if they're docked entities.

I am also currently considering adding an additional layer of armour around the module joints... like a suspended layer of armour plating around the joints to protect these delicate points... maybe twice the diameter of the thinnest part of these joints, and then wrapping up a little bit over the beginning of the drum section.. like a sleeve sort of. This isn't my original design, however I feel that in reality they would protected in this way, so it would add both realism as well as interest... your thoughts?

 

[Drybreeze]

Mehr pics.

Top modules have commenced being manufactured.

Can you see it yet?

(Sorry I should have connected the lower spotlights before posting pics... next time, I swear.)

These top modules will also contain spotlights... but I'll do them slightly differently. I'll tilt the banks of spotlights while embedded within the modules, rather than the entire housing with the spotlights fixed hard to the modules. I think it'll be an interesting result...

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Would be cool if this thing broke apart and rolled around if it was destroyed, etc... however you must remember that this will be an actual functional shipyard when done - using the shipyard blocks and computer. This isn't possible if they're docked entities.

Oh, i see now... I keep forgetting some of the things i know i already heard in your videos. An actually functioning shipyard on this scale sounds really-really awesome. The framework of the upper modules you shown up there gives a true sense of the scale of this station. Definitely will be an impressive shipyard once the systems will be installed. But i can imagine that building all those shipyard arcs will be a bit tedious. The farthest i went in this regard was building a 251-diameter wedged and polished ring, fitting it with shipyard modules, then copy-pasting all of it (the ring housing with the modules inside, with a max build area setting of 260).

How will the shipyard module housings be distributed in your project? With the arcs situated right next to the edges of the spotlight arms? On second though, i guess they could go right in between two spotlight arms, with the 50 block allowed gap.

 

[Drybreeze]

Oh, i see now... I keep forgetting some of the things i know i already heard in your videos. An actually functioning shipyard on this scale sounds really-really awesome. The framework of the upper modules you shown up there gives a true sense of the scale of this station. Definitely will be an impressive shipyard once the systems will be installed. But i can imagine that building all those shipyard arcs will be a bit tedious. The farthest i went in this regard was building a 251-diameter wedged and polished ring, fitting it with shipyard modules, then copy-pasting all of it (the ring housing with the modules inside, with a max build area setting of 260).

How will the shipyard module housings be distributed in your project? With the arcs situated right next to the edges of the spotlight arms? On second though, i guess they could go right in between two spotlight arms, with the 50 block allowed gap.

Well i have to confirm the wiki which says maximum distance between arcs is currently 50m. Can this be altered in server.cfg? If 50 is my maximum spacing and each side module is 95m wide then I'll most likely put arcs down either side of the spotlight arms yes. Set within them on thin but designed and mechanic structures to keep the RP feel of the build. So this existing design will have a slightly smaller and much more fragile inner set of ribs which will act as the shipyard module housing. Tedious never concerned me. You keep your eye on the prize and it makes it easy to ease through 8 miles of sewer.

As mentioned earlier there will also be suspended armour plating in certain areas. This will make the overall end result a very layered and interesting structure I think.

These top modules wont only contain spotlights. They will also host long range weapons, observation and control decks, and various tanks and other industrial structures on their vulnerable inner sides, with armour plating and antennas and stuff on the outside.

 

[DeepspaceMechanic]

Can this be altered in server.cfg?

I'm not aware of this possibility, but i hope the devs will change it some day to allow more spaced-out shipyards on larger stations.

I'll most likely put arcs down either side of the spotlight arms yes. Set within them on thin but designed and mechanic structures to keep the RP feel of the build.

Built inside hollow parts of the docked spotlight arms too? (if i didn't misunderstand it) i guess that's doable and it will stabilize those arms too, blocking them from turning if anything should/could go wrong.

Tedious never concerned me.

Same with me actually, to be honest i personally am a little more than slightly obsessed with building in StarMade, but it's fun in the majority of the time, even though it can get frustrating when experimenting with new things on larger scales. But on most occasions i have the same attitude as you when it comes to seemingly more complex or repetitive building challenges, the "looking forward to it" attitude, with a hope for nice final results

 

[Drybreeze]

Not within the docked arms physically. I mean a separate set of smaller more fragile looking ribs set in towards the centre of the shipyard slightly as shown by the red line in the above pic.

So very small craft could fly between the spotlight arms and the shipyard module arms at some points and at other points they'd be touching each other.

 

[Drybreeze]

My evening's work: the Sagitta Class Long Range Cannon.

I was pleasantly surprised to see it pierce through almost 10 full blocks of Advanced Armour.

It is compact and tough, but can reach 6000m and bust up the insides of any target inside that range.
It is, of course, fitted to Port Vandermier.

Spoiler: Some pics fer u

 

[Drybreeze]

Hi peepz,

Some update pics for you.

One of the top modules has nearly got a completed top armour plate, and has a single Sagitta Class turret installed, along with a single Incise Class turret (1 of 2) to assist in defense of these Top Modules while they're under construction.

Attach points have also been installed for 16 Aegis Class AMS turrets. All these turret points will be repeated on all top modules, giving the top surface of the Shipyard some excellent defenses.

Nuclear fissionable material required for the Sagitta Class turret is stored on either side of the turret, and while it is not currently defended beyond the first line of electromagnetic shields, there are attach points for an armour awning that will reach over the fissionable material silo in the final design.

The square holes in the armour skin that you can see on the top of the Top Modules will contain some greeble to break up the surface armour.

The underside of the modules are mainly just framework at this point, but will very soon begin to be filled with various systems... primarily shields and various machinery required to build large-scale vessels once the shipyard itself is fully operational.

I anticipate that these modules will be completed within a few weeks time at the current rate of production.

Myard't Quadrant Press Release:

No further raids have occurred since the 5 Flit Class Scout Drones attacked recently. Intelligence gathered from the wrecks seem to indicate that the vessels were sent from the Kornastone Corporation (an armament supply corporation) under the guise of a pirate raid, in order to increase cPho Corporation spending on security, which would ultimately benefit both Kornastone Corp and (through royalties and parts supply) the Octon Corporation. Kornastone Corporation and cPho Corporation are currently engaged in legal negotiations regarding the minor infrastructure loss to cPho corporation during the raid. Kornastone emphatically denies any involvement.

Octon Corp has remaining silent on the matter.

cPho shares have spiked while Kornastone shares have slumped as a result of this revelation, prompting some in the financial sector to suggest that cPho Corporation staged the entire event.​

Spoiler: Pics of Port Vandermier shipyard station build progress

 

[Drybreeze]

This evening's efforts:

The turret attachment point for the Sagitta Class LR Cannon.

The armour awning fitted over one of the fissionable material spherical tanks supplying projectile material for the Sagitta Class LR Cannon turret. Rows of Aegis Class AMAS turrets can be seen surrounding the Incise Class pulsar turret at the top of the image.

The insides of the top modules are still largely empty. They will soon be filled with shield modules and some large-scale greeble systems to give the entire interior of the shipyard a very industrial feel.

The top of the shipyard is beginning to take its final form.

I'm fairly happy with the look of it so far. I don't want it to be crazy-busy but I also don't want it to have huge areas of no detail. I'm trying to make good use of "white space" in the structural design of this shipyard.

I could make it bristling with weapons, but I also want this shipyard to have a civilian feel to it... it can hold it's own against raiders and small-scale attacks, but in a focussed war effort would not last very long.

I'll start placing the opposite side's base modules soon to fill out the overall space taken by the shipyard, and then the final details and interior. I estimate that I'm between 33% - 50% through the overall shipyard build.

 

[Drybreeze]

This evening's effort.

cPho Corp share-holder's meeting minutes excerpt:
"CFO Nikkotami confirms the successful commissioning of Spine Module #2's four Shield Reserve systems and plasma cycling systems."

Main Quad Shield Tanks add approximately 1.25 million shield capacity each. Here the plasma exchange lines can be seen feeding from the Main Quad Shield Tanks to the plasma coolant arrays on either end of the module.

View from the Main Quad Shield tanks along the skywalk towards the Plasma Cooling Array.

Plasma Cooling Array consists of 35 plasma cycling units (adding approximately 200,000 shield capacity each) can be seen here, with the main coolant exchange line terminus shown in the middle. From here the plasma is plumbed to each plasma cycling unit individually.

The Main Plasma Exchange Line Terminus is monitored from a local computer with network access, which can be manually overseen by technicians via an illuminated gang walk. This gang walk also allows manual access to each individual plasma cycling unit.

View from the far gang-walk back across the Terminus and up the sky-walk towards the Main Quad Shield Tanks.

Many of the systems are yet to be installed, but this represents the primary shield generation capacity for the overall shipyard, and has bolstered Port Vandermier's shield capacity from 14.5M to 20.8M

Once this system is installed in each of the top Spine Modules, Port Vandermier's shields are anticipated to reach 49 million, bringing the total shield capacity of the station to around 63 million, not counting additional systems yet to be installed.

Hope you like it so far!
I'm having so much fun with this build, I'm really looking forward to seeing it finished.

 

[splatthecat]

I've tried out your three turrets. The Aegis is similar to one I use but I liked the small details of yours better. Works well as an AMS but as you mentioned, setting them to ANY makes them a useful turret to have.

The Incise is a great little turret too. I do have a slight issue with the off centre barrel design which is the profile doesn't lend itself to shoulder mounted pairs on a ship and a right handed version would be useful?

Finally the Sagitta. I was actually quite disappointed with it. I had hoped that the weapon would be largely self powered but I wasn't even able to fire a single shot. This has put me off digging a hole in my WIP ship whoc is a real shame.

They are however visually stunning.

 

[Drybreeze]

I've tried out your three turrets. The Aegis is similar to one I use but I liked the small details of yours better. Works well as an AMS but as you mentioned, setting them to ANY makes them a useful turret to have.

The Incise is a great little turret too. I do have a slight issue with the off centre barrel design which is the profile doesn't lend itself to shoulder mounted pairs on a ship and a right handed version would be useful?

Finally the Sagitta. I was actually quite disappointed with it. I had hoped that the weapon would be largely self powered but I wasn't even able to fire a single shot. This has put me off digging a hole in my WIP ship whoc is a real shame.

They are however visually stunning.

Excellent feedback thank you.
I power the Sagitta from the station - it has I think one single power block purely to power the thrusters when mounting it.
I can produce a powered version if you wish, no problem.

A right hand version of the Incise is also possible, but won't be for awhile.

Thank you very much for your feedback!

 

[yoyo2901]

this shipyard is really taking shape.. its looking amazing. you have a good eye for details

 

[Valck]

maximum distance between arcs is currently 50m. Can this be altered in server.cfg?

Not in server.cfg, but in StarMade/customBlockBehaviorConfig/customBlockBehaviorConfig.xml:

<BlockBehavior>
 ...
  <ShipYard>
    <BasicValues>
      <ShipyardArcMaxSpacing>50</ShipyardArcMaxSpacing> <!-- max distance between shipyard arcs -->
    </BasicValues>
  </ShipYard>
 ...
</BlockBehavior>