Beginner's ship

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    Hi all, I've been playing for about 3 hours on single player and was wondering what you all think about my little cargo/salvage ship? It's very very WIP but what do you all think?

    [doublepost=1476186491,1476186418][/doublepost]
    Hi all, I've been playing for about 3 hours on single player and was wondering what you all think about my little cargo/salvage ship? It's very very WIP but what do you all think?
    Wasn't sure where in the forums to post this and also any critique/advice is very much appreciated
     
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    Hi all, I've been playing for about 3 hours on single player and was wondering what you all think about my little cargo/salvage ship? It's very very WIP but what do you all think?

    [doublepost=1476186491,1476186418][/doublepost]
    Wasn't sure where in the forums to post this and also any critique/advice is very much appreciated
    General discussion is pretty good for this stuff.;)

    I'm no expert on ships, but a few things I'd like to know are what shape it will end up in, and what you want it to be(a miner, a main ship, a corvette). Just from looking at it right now, a few things I noticed are that you don't have any shield rechargers on right now, and I might as well remind you just in case. Also, the power caps are in lines like power reactors, those positions would be great for power lines but power caps work best in big blocks. So if you made two big bricks in each wing part you could probably get the same power cap as you have now. I think. That's just not as effective as the block way.

    Btw nice picture. I only just started my first pictures a few weeks ago. Pictures are nice for everything.
     
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    Throwing this out there just in case, you know how to use symmetry mode to mirror building right? That vital tool might escape new builders. If you don't know, stop what you're doing and learn it.

    Also, do the systems onboard necessitate the need for power capacitors, and if so, that many? A core alone gives you 50k stored power iirc.
     
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    This forum or the shipyard are booth totally fine for this thread.

    Personally I think this ship is too big for a first ship.

    But as you allready have started I tell you how to finish it fast: finish the hull first. Then throw in the systems you want to use.

    I suggest to not waste money on cannons as support for the salvager, because they only give you 40% more mining speed for 10x or higher the credits.

    If you want spend your money right you dont need more cargo, you need some jump drives to scout your system, and to get up to 2000 (1k is totally fine too) salvage blocks going and then you are pretty much stuffed for the next 20 hours of building.

    Ofcourse if you want to go big and bigger like most of the guys I can't help you, thats not how I play. ;)
     
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    I sugget that you should read a bit the wiki about power capacitors, looks good about power reactors. And yeah, as said above, support on small salvagers aren't really useful, just put more salvage modules and that will be better.
     
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    My personal opinion is that for a "first ship" you have too much hull.

    My first ship is usually nothing but the components necessary for getting started. That usually means some power reactor, some thrusters, and a radar jammer. Now that they've implemented "fog of war" I'd probably try to fit a scanner, too. I'd use that to search the galaxy for a suitable system to call home.

    My second ship would be much in the same vein - just a blob of components necessary for mining and starting to collect the resources needed for a base/fancy-shmancy ship with "hull."

    I think, given that you've actually created a cockpit and some framework for a real ship, you've far outdone yourself in the few hours you've played. Well done. :)
     

    Edymnion

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    My first ships on any new server are basically just the salvage arrays in a checkerboard pattern (called waffling), a box reactor around it, and enough thrusters to make it go.

    I don't bother with hulls at all on starter ships. But then, my goal on starter ships is efficiency and function. Pretty ships are for when I have my base set up and have time to spend. Starter ships for me are tools for getting to where I can make a pretty ship.
     
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    My first ships on any new server are basically just the salvage arrays in a checkerboard pattern (called waffling), a box reactor around it, and enough thrusters to make it go.

    I don't bother with hulls at all on starter ships. But then, my goal on starter ships is efficiency and function. Pretty ships are for when I have my base set up and have time to spend. Starter ships for me are tools for getting to where I can make a pretty ship.
    Ikr. Brick miners for the win. But I just make a pure brick with the systems in every other spot. In the middle the JD and other expensive stuff. 8 or 10 power rods. 6 thruster rods, a bunch of cargo blocks.
     
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    Thats amazingly creative and the way a sandbox is meant to be played.
     
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    Looks like you've got a good early aesthetic design going on and the framework for a finished product, and you've divided your power generators into separate rows, which is good. You'll want to make sure your power capacitors are all connected, giving the biggest bonus. That's not all-important though, it would be better to invest in more generators if you're running into power problems.

    And yeah, using secondaries on the salvager arrays at this scale isn't getting you any advantage in salvaging power, but its always nice to have that cannon secondary on a small scale so you can keep them running non-stop.


    You're going to want to keep up with that design by purchasing both system blocks to fill it out and improve performance and hull blocks to complete the exterior appeal. Remember that thrusters, shield capacitors and rechargers dont get any bonus from being in a group unlike the power and computer-systems blocks, so you can use them as putty to fill in excess space.

    I would strongly suggest putting one or two tiny turrets on the exterior, covering it from both sides. Use a cannon/cannon system as small as 1 block each and set them to target missiles. That will give you extra protection against missiles, which are the biggest threat to a small vessel like that. Also, make sure you've got the power generation to run a radar jammer! Cloaking isn't necessary, but radar jamming will prevent pirates from noticing you at range, which is very important when trying to mine in such a vulnerable little craft.