Ascendant Salvage Yards

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Welcome to the Ascendant Salvage Yards
The ship showcase with the scrap metal left in!

Let's face it, not every ship you start building turns out the way you planned. For every glistening, streamlined ship that wows the fine folks in these forums, there's probably an ugly, lumpy failed prototype rusting in a dark corner of space.

And that's just fine! Nobody's perfect, not even the masters can be expected to craft a perfect ship the first time every time.

Since I've gotten into ship building, I've found that each and every ship I design has it's own unique development history which is as interesting as the ship itself. Sometimes there are a number of prototypes that are functional but just not good enough, so I start over and make a better version. Sometimes a design looks really inspired but fares as well as a ball of meat in a school of piranhas, so I just scrap the whole project. Sometimes I actually get it right on the fourth or fifth try, so I start using the ship and showing it off, just like you people.

But rather than destroy the failed designs, I tend to collect them. This is the story of the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

If you regularly visit these forums and find yourself intimidated by the immense ships and the immense building talents of the well known shipwrights who build them, then this is the place to go for some hope (and maybe a pointer or two). If you're already a master builder, then this is a good place to go for a laugh (but don't get too smug, you were once in the same position as me).

I invite you to journey with me and see how I went from a total noob, to someone who may have a design or two worth showcasing. Come meet the various rusting denizens, doomed to an eternity in the Ascendant Salvage Yards; and the lucky few who have ever made it out.

Together, we'll laugh and we'll learn.

Spoiler: Quick Navigation

The Ascendant Templar classify ships by their longest dimension in meters

Strike Class

• Microships [002-008 M] Includes service pods, exoships and drones
  • Service Pod
  • Class-zero Worker
  • Carrion Crow
• Strike Craft [008-028 M] Fighters and bombers
  • Yellow Jacket Interceptor
  • Scorpion Series Interceptor
• Fast Attack Craft [024-064 M] Small gunships and patrol craft
  • Corvid-class Fast Attack Craft
• Corvette [064-096 M] Larger patrol ships designed for escort and light combat
  • [None yet]

Assault Class

• [None yet]

Utility Class

• Beetle-class Light Freighter
• Acquisition-class Resourcer
• Jackal-class Scavenger

[THIS LIST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!]

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Class-zero Worker
Retired

Succeeded by: Acquisition-class Resourcer
Variants: Carrion Crow

Lore
The Class-zero Worker was a very early space utility vessel developed by the Ascendant Templar to test integrated ship systems, sample asteroid resources and perform simple salvaging operations. Though it would later be supplanted by the much larger Acquisition-class Resourcer, the Class-zero's small size did allow it to poke into the hulls of larger derelicts with ease. This tiny vessel had little in the way of armor and the less efficient mining tools of its time greatly overtaxed the ships' tiny reactor. Class-zero operators found it easy to fly, but frustrating to operate. Though the design was a flop, it did establish the asymmetric "left handed" appearance that a lot of Ascendant Templar utility ships possess. A handful of these vessels can still be found in use in the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

Notes
My first ever ship -sorta. I made this thing just to see how ships worked. It's small and not very powerful but it has all the basics; a tiny seven block reactor, two thrusters, a basic hull to protect some of the more vulnerable bits, and twin salvage beams hooked up to a storage module. You could probably build a replica just by looking at it. I used this thing as a salvager much longer than I should have.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Carrion Crow
Retired

Developed from: Class-zero Worker

Lore
The docile Class-zero Worker grew talons when it was refitted with a laser weapon system. Rather than poke at defenseless asteroids, the aptly named Carrion Crow was designed to peck holes in disabled enemy strike craft, allowing capture teams to rush inside and stabilize the wreck for salvage. The Carrion Crow is small but very agile, allowing it to perform its duty while evading enemy fire. In a pinch, it could even chase after enemy fighters and annoy them. The apparatus performed adequately at its extremely specialized task, but that task quickly became redundant as the Ascendant Templar developed more capable strike craft. More recently, advances in armor have put the final nail in the Carrion Crow's coffin. Large numbers of these ships now patrol the Ascendant Salvage Yards as refitted drones, picking the bones of hapless pirate Isanths.

The Carrion Crow wears the infamous "mud n' blood" color scheme of the ancient World Archivist Guild

Notes
It's a weaponized Class-zero Worker! Need I say more? It has bigger engines, bigger beams and more armor. It may not be much, but I still think this thing looks cool. The fancy red fins are both decorative and functional. I feel that they make the whole thing look a lot more aggressive and they also protect the core and beams a little. These would make pretty neat looking drones.

Trivia
I scored my first ever pirate kill in a Carrion Crow with support from nearby Diamondback Turrets.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

3 Block Ships? Call Them Service Pods!

Notes
The simplest functional ship that can be built in Starmade is a core attached to a single reactor and thruster. If you can't figure out how to put one of these together, you probably shouldn't be playing this game. These are great to use when you just want to scoot out and recover a lost or damaged ship since they are lightning fast and can be disassembled and rebuilt with almost no effort.

I've taken to calling three block ships of this sort Service Pods. The title is very apt since they are generally used just to shuttle an astronaut to another location and are immediately disassembled afterward.

Service Pods are so simple and ubiquitous that no corporation or faction can claim official ownership of the designs

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Diamondback Turret
Outmoded

Succeeded by: T-42 Archer AA Turret

Prototypes are often left unpainted during the initial testing phase

Lore
During the heyday of repulsor field technology, the Ascendant Templar dabbled in the construction of defensive turrets levitated on repulsor "cushions". The advantages of these turrets were that the entire chassis was self-contained, the repulsor field allowed the weapon to swivel in a variety of directions without the need for a complex rotating gun house and trunnions (for horizontal and vertical movement respectively), and fewer moving parts meant that there was less chance of a breakdown. A major disadvantage of such a system was that the turret was always severed from its mount. Repulsor turrets were essentially drones without propulsion and they needed to house many of their own systems.

The Diamondback Turret was one such weapon system. Each of these turrets hovered above a specialized repulsor field generator which held the device in place with opposing repulsive and magnetic fields. The defensive drone housed a pair of fixed mass drivers capable of firing solid metal slugs at high velocities. The turrets were designed primarily to repel infantry and light ground vehicles away from planetoid bases, but could shoot at low flying spacecraft as well. Unfortunately, the turret had a rather low rate of fire, minimizing its chances of scoring a hit on a fast moving target. Given the high speed of most strike craft, Diamondback turrets were unlikely to kill one unless it was stupidly hovering in low orbit for a long period of time. A concerted effort from multiple turrets would yield better results, but the job was best left to a dedicated AA gun or SAM system. Still, Diamondbacks were better than nothing if no other air defense was available.

Alternate hull variation found in some prototypes

Notes
The Diamondback Turret is the first stationary defense I ever constructed. And boy, does it show. The prototype was severely underpowered and served more as a distraction to pirate Isanth VI's than as an actual defense. With only standard armor and no shields to speak of, even the weakest pirate squadrons had an easy time tearing these defenses to shreds, but at least they looked kind of cool.

Frustrated by the turret's poor quality, I went with quantity. One turret is nothing to write home about, but a focused assault from five of them can be withering for a strike craft. Each "Diamondback" is designed to be cheap and self sufficient, they generate their own power and require no docking enhancers of any sort.

This turret's paint job marks it as a production model

The final version has somewhat more powerful guns and even cooler looking armor but still lacks shields (though the power system can easily be replaced by shield generators). I generally use them as an inexpensive form of anti personnel support for larger, more capable defenses. They may fall short against enemy ships, but a hostile astronaut would be hard pressed to approach a location guarded by Diamondback Turrets.

Shutters on the underside of the armored chassis permit access for technicians

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Stinger SAM T-1A
Outmoded

Variants: Stinger SAM T-1B

Lore
The SAM T-1A is another defense drone anchored by the now-obsolete repulsor field turret mount. Designed to protect faction home bases from pirate raids, these surface to air missile launchers are an Isanth pilot's worst nightmare. Each launcher fires two homing missiles with exceptional range and unprecedented power. Any strike craft hit by these missiles is unlikely to do very much else afterward.

In spite of its ostentatious "blood soaked" paint job, the launcher itself is actually quite simple. In addition to the necessary AI and weapon control systems, the launcher is equipped with a battery intended to mitigate the turret's initial drain on a terrestrial base's power system. Though it's not a tremendous amount of power saved, the Ascendant Templar find that every little bit helps.

The launcher is only one part of the entire missile system

The amount of energy required to run multiple launchers is considerable, but any planetoid guarded by multiple "SAM sites" supported by Diamondback Turrets is virtually impossible for an enemy strike craft squadron to approach without suffering heavy casualties.

Ascendant Templar terrestrial defenses in their natural environment

The repulsor field systems that allow these turrets to operate were eventually rendered obsolete. However, the stinger missile itself remains in service and conventional launchers were developed for them afterward.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Lancer Turret
Outmoded

Lore
The Lancer Turret is an unconventional and ornamental point defense weapon that highlights the meticulous skill and madness of the Ascendant Templar's weapon engineers. the "lancer" was developed in tandem with the Ascendant Templar's Repair Craft to serve as a small point defense for the unarmed utility ship. Commanders were hoping for an effective and simple weapon system that they could also use on future warships. What they got was a complex and beautifully designed machine that was more a piece of art than a weapon.

The Lancer is equipped with A single vertical launch missile tube that sits behind an armored shield. An "overclocked" coaxial rapid fire mass driver, easily visible on the left side of the turret, provides short range defense while the missile tube reloads. The turret has respectable energy shields for its size and punches well above its weight, but it is rather unpopular with the crews that have to maintain them.

Though the turret's densely packed systems are efficient, their interlocking design makes repairing and recalibrating the systems a huge headache for technicians. The control systems must be installed and connected in a specific order, often forcing the grumbling technicians to disassemble half the turret just to access a single component.

For better or for worse, the repulsor field mounts that these turrets rely on are no longer viable and the turrets themselves have been rendered obsolete. Most were simply jettisoned and scrapped for parts when the Repair Craft prototypes were retrofitted with more conventional magnetic rail systems. New point defense weapons based on these "magrail" linkages were put into development, but the weapon engineers were made to promise that they would practice more restraint with their future turret designs.

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[virtue1987]

How come you dont have any replys yet? This stuff is really nice. Love those turrets.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

How come you dont have any replys yet? This stuff is really nice. Love those turrets.

Thank you! This thread is actually pretty new and features some rather flawed designs. As time goes on I will work my way towards the bigger and better stuff.

You haven't seen anything yet!

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Yellow Jacket Interceptor Prototype
Rejected

Production model: Yellow Jacket II Light Interceptor

Lore
The proposal of a light interceptor was not met with favorable views from Ascendant Templar naval commanders, they were quite pleased with the Strike Scorpion V heavy interceptor that had been in service for some years. They argued that light interceptors with less armor, less range and less weaponry had no place in the vastness of space and were best left to terrestrial garrisons. A corporate wing of the Ascendant Templar Aerospace Engineering Department delivered a batch of prototypes anyway and nearly killed off the light interceptor concept. Test pilots liked the prototypes as little as their commanding officers did. The fact that the initial prototypes were ugly as sin didn't help either. They were quickly labeled "flying garbage cans" by flight crews due to their bulbous appearances.

The nickname proved to be oddly prophetic. After a short testing phase fraught with technical problems and minor accidents, the entire batch was mercifully sent to the Ascendant Salvage Yards to be broken up for scrap. The ships were dissected by engineers working the yards and a detailed list of glaring design flaws was sent back to the Aerospace Engineering Department as per standard protocol.

A pair of Yellow Jacket prototypes await disassembly

Embarrassed by the debacle, the Aerospace Engineering Department started fresh. Though the new prototype would be based on the same blueprint, they named the project Yellow Jacket II to escape some of the stigma surrounding the first prototype. The result was a much improved version with a sleeker airframe and better avionics. In a final effort to appease the testers, the prototypes were uncharacteristically painted in a color scheme reminiscent of the Strike Scorpion V. The psychological tactic was not without some success, testing crews reacted much more favorably to the prettier new prototype, but were quick to point out that the craft had the same underpowered weapons and short flight range as its predecessor. The Aerospace Engineering Department promised to address these concerns in the final version.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Yellow Jacket II Light Interceptor
In Service

Developed from: Yellow Jacket Interceptor Prototype

"MEET THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE ASCENDANT TEMPLAR FLEET!"
-Excerpt from a news release hyping the cutting-edge interceptor

Lore
Soured by the dismal failure of the first Yellow Jacket Interceptor prototypes, naval commanders were poised to reject the production model on principle. But once test pilots got their hands on them, there was no stopping the Yellow Jacket II. The aces fell in love with the agile fighter and new tactical doctrines had to be written just to incorporate it into the fleet. The fast fighter is involved in the first part of the now infamous "swarm, form, fire!" technique.

The Yellow Jacket II is sometimes referred to as "The Gunslinger" by fighter jocks (a nickname that has as much to do with their crazed pilots as the craft itself), Yellow Jacket IIs are meant to be used as forward scouts and as decoys. Scouting squadrons are typically small, consisting of just two or three interceptors. While those used as decoys operate in larger squadrons consisting of at least seven members.

A Yellow Jacket II undergoes atmospheric flight trials

Though their only armaments are a pair of small mass driver cannons, Yellow Jacket IIs have the advantage of being small and evasive, the fighter is also difficult to track thanks to an on board radar jammer that confuses enemy targeting computers. They are best deployed against similarly sized craft but can go up against larger interceptors such as the pirate Isanth-VI. In large swarms, even light gunships such as the Isanth Type-Zero can be brought down quite easily.

These interceptors come off the assembly line with spare room for one additional subsystem. Overdrive systems are favored by some scout pilots, while decoy squadrons typically prefer energy shields.

The oversized intakes found on many Ascendant Templar strike craft double as radiators during exoatmospheric flight

Statistics
Length: 15m, Height: 6m, Wingspan: 13m
Armament: 2 mass driver cannons (5.2 rounds/sec)
Equipment: radar jammer, AI autopilot, shield generator / overdrive system

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[Tydeth]

I like the concept of this thread. So far, its implementation via the ships and their stories (especially Yellow Jacket 1&2) is going well, too.

As for the products themselves, the Stinger and Lancer turrets and the Yellow Jacket II are looking nice. You have a good color scheme going with this set.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

I like the concept of this thread. So far, its implementation via the ships and their stories (especially Yellow Jacket 1&2) is going well, too.

As for the products themselves, the Stinger and Lancer turrets and the Yellow Jacket II are looking nice. You have a good color scheme going with this set.

Thanks for commenting!

We don't see very many small ships around, or failed ships for that matter. I want people to see and understand the trial and error process that evolves the successful designs.

The "mud n' blood" color combo is not one that people think to use very often but it has nice contrast. The ships are meant to have earthy colors (brown, black and grey) with red wings and stripes for a blood soaked motif. To tell the truth, I kind of wish the brown was more dark chocolate than tan, that would really bring out the red!

For those tired of these colors, a utility ship containing lots of yellow is up next.

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Acquisition-class Resourcer
In service

Preceded by: Class-zero Worker

"It's uh... cute."
-A miner's first reaction to the newly unveiled mining apparatus

Lore
The Ascendant Templar needed a better mining vehicle than the Class-zero Worker, this fact could not be denied. When asked for requirements by the engineers, the mining crews suggested stronger phased disassembler beams and a lot more of them. They also demanded a much better reactor to keep up with the huge energy requirements of the inefficient beams.

The engineers took these suggestions way too literally and designed an enlarged version of the Class-zero Worker. Each beam projector carried by the Acquisition-class Resourcer is one meter longer than its predecessor's and the two single beams were multiplied into arrays of three. The enlarged reactor pod on the right side was able to sustain both beam arrays for a longer time than the Class-zero but the frustrated miners still had to limit themselves to short bursts to avoid draining their ships of power. To make matters worse, it was often difficult to aim both arrays at a specific area, most miners simply disconnected one of the arrays to lengthen the amount of time they could sustain constant beams from the other. Some enterprising crews tore out the second array and replaced them with repair beams, turning the resourcer into a general purpose laborer.

Acquisition-class Resourcer with added batteries and repair beam array

When more efficient burst fire phased disassembler beams were retrofitted by mandatory order, the power problems of the ship were solved. The Acquisition-class Resourcer now has the opposite problem. Its reactor is far too powerful for the underpowered tools it carries. The apparatus remains in service for now, but the need for larger mining vehicles has been expressed. In the meantime, some crews have jury rigged their resourcers to fire constant beams from one array by installing cannon modules into the other.

Modified resourcer with radar jammer and larger mining array capable of sustained fire

The apparatus is controlled from a cramped cabin underneath the armored shell. One camera offset to the left allows the operator to view the action while flying and mining. If this camera is knocked out, the operator is essentially blinded, there are no windows in the utility ship. The view on the inside is instead dominated by a screen interface where resource quotas from fleet command can be entered, an aspect of the design that is much appreciated.

Some miners call the screen interface "the only smart feature in the entire stupid machine"

Trivia
This vehicle's appearance is partially inspired by the Hiigaran Resource Collector from Homeworld 2.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Beetle-class Light Freighter
In Service

Succeeded by: Kabuto-class Light Freighter

"What, no cupholders?"
-A potential buyer

Lore
General purpose vehicles produced by the Ascendant Templar are seldom sold outside of their own fleets. Even then, the sales channels are usually restricted to those who have pleased the organization in some way. The Beetle-class Light Freighter is one of these rare exceptions, anyone can technically purchase one of these vehicles, but those not in the favor of the templar will find it more difficult and expensive to do so. The process of sucking up to Ascendant Templar merchants can be bypassed by buying them used from other sources. Some occasionally appear on the pirate market.

Ascendant Templar commercial products are notoriously lacking in creature comforts, but they're also incredibly efficient and built to last. The Beetle-class Freighter is appreciated for its bare boned utility by couriers who shuttle small loads of freight within faction controlled space. The craft's small size permits it to dock with stations or larger ships while the detachable runners make it easy for the shuttle to touch down on planetoids. A fleet of these ships routinely deliver loads of scrap to the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

Notes
The Beetle-class Light Freighter is the moving van of space, I'm actually quite pleased with it. There are many other transport ship designs out there, this ship isn't the biggest or the fastest, it doesn't have thick armor or powerful shields, it doesn't have weapons or point defenses, it doesn't even have a hyperdrive. What the Beetle-class Freighter does have are two banks of storage modules and an automatic sorting system.

When any of the four storage modules in the rear of the cargo compartment are loaded with items, the sorting system automatically shunts them into the sixteen main storage modules by official Trading Guild shop category. Some modules hold more than one category to save space but all are clearly marked by screens above the storage banks. There's even one just for those worthless "colored dirt" and "burnt dirt" items that they refuse to remove from the game for some bewildering reason. With just a little added management from the operator during initial setup, this little ship can store vast small quantities of every single item in the game, and still have space left over for anything they might add in the future. The cargo update has pretty much negated the usefulness of this system, but it was an interesting experiment.

This freighter's average thrust and complete lack of defenses would make it vulnerable to piracy, but if the route is safe or the cargo is of little value, then this is a convenient ship to have, even if it's just for personal use. In the future I will create more capable freighters and possibly dockable storage crates based off of this design.

The floodlights are left on while the ship is in transit

Trivia
This ships' design bears a passing resemblance to the male Japanese rhinoceros beetle.

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[Mike the Reaper 86]

Scorpion I and II Interceptor Prototypes
Rejected

Succeeded by: Scorpion III Interceptor
Production model: Scorpion V Heavy Interceptor

A gutted skeleton is all that remains of this Scorpion II Prototype

"You want to hear about the development history of the Scorpion Interceptor? Better make yourself comfortable, we're going to be here awhile."
-A retired aerospace engineer on the Scorpion series design

Lore
During the construction of their first expeditionary fleet, the Ascendant Templar knew they would need agile fighters to defend themselves. Basic plasma drives and fighter chassis had already been designed and tested before the organization even sent their first personnel into space. These early Scorpion I and Scorpion II designs bore many of the features that distinguish the Scorpion series today, but they were significantly less powerful than the present ships that bear the same name. The first prototypes in fact, weren't much larger than the Yellowjacket II that was unveiled in the recent past.

The frame for the thrusters and air intake/radiator assembly is still visible on this Scorpion II

Right from the start, the Scorpion was designed with an oversized mass driver cannon to tackle opponents larger than itself while still retaining the agility needed to chase down similarly sized craft. Since the chassis could not be wrapped around such a weapon, it was instead mounted haphazardly to the top of the machine in a dorsal configuration. This dorsal gun offset the craft's center of gravity and made it tricky to master. Even those pilots who could fly the unbalanced ships reliably didn't fare well in combat tests.

The interface systems in this ship's darkened corpse still eerily welcome those who enter

The first and second prototypes were officially rejected but were still used as scout ships until the Scorpion III could be completed. A handful of them even survived long enough to be torn to shreds by pirate Isanth VIs. Today, the mangled scraps of these first scorpions can only be found in bits and pieces in the Ascendant Salvage Yards.

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[Keptick]

Tons of really nice designs in here, great job!

Damn this is good.

 

[virtue1987]

The more you add, the better it gets, im in love with your Acquisition-class Resourcer btw, im totally going to build something like that for myself . Keep it comming!

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Tons of really nice designs in here, great job!

That's high praise coming from you. Thanks for the support!

 

[Mike the Reaper 86]

Scorpion III and IV Interceptor
Retired

Preceded by: Scorpion II Interceptor Prototype
Production model: Scorpion V Heavy Interceptor

"We're certain these will work."
-An aerospace engineer's assurance to fleet command

Lore
The Scorpion III Interceptor is a difficult craft to track down outside the Ascendant Salvage Yards but once in a while you will still see one of these decommissioned ships in service as a scout craft or target drone. The fighter is now regarded as an obsolete relic by the Ascendant Templar but it retains some dignity as their first successful exoatmospheric interceptor. Of course, successful and effective mean two separate things to the Ascendant Templar. The Scorpion III was considered a success because it could destroy a comparably sized interceptor such as the Isanth VI, but it couldn't take on larger gunships like the Isanth Type-Zero without considerable difficulty. Fleet commanders and pilots desired a craft that could reliably hit above its weight and the Scorpion III and Scorpion IV fell short of these expectations.

This Scorpion III was sent to the Ascendant Salvage Yards after being torn apart by a pirate Isanth Type-Zero Mb

The Scorpion III's Achilles heel was its limited power supply. The craft was the first to utilize jamming fields to confuse enemy targeting computers but running the field took considerable power, the interceptor's drive torch could provide enough energy to sustain the field but only if all other systems were left idle. Pilots had to perform a constant balancing act during combat maneuvers to keep their jammers active, when their power began to run low they had to either cease attacking and drift while their capacitors recharged or deactivate their jamming field for a moment and leave themselves vulnerable to attack. The latter option was especially risky, even with shields, the squat interceptor would not have taken much abuse. In addition to their insufficient power output, the plasma drives were vulnerable to overheating and often had to be shut down to prevent damage.

The Scorpion III lacked the distinctive large radiators leading to chronic overheating problems

What few Scorpion III and IVs that remained in flying condition after the Ascendant Templar's exodus were sent to the Ascendant Salvage Yards to be broken up for scrap. Some nostalgic personnel working the yards utilize the craft to patrol for trespassing pirates. The ships may not be very resilient, but their dorsal mass drivers and homing missiles are still dangerous weapons.

These models of the Scorpion Interceptor were infamously reverse engineered by pirates to develop their own comparable craft, the Akrep Interceptor.

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