Craver Shipyards - Current project: Carrier. Daily updates!

[Eirich]

I haven\'t been able to spend as much time on the carrier today as I might have wanted to due to various RL reasons, but I did finish the first iteration of one of the fighter docks.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlVkhialRsX0JoOFE/edit?usp=sharing

I\'m not entirely sure I like the two smaller windows at the back wall, might remove them tomorrow just to see how it looks without them. Behind the big one I\'m planning to create a small control room, but at the moment it\'s only consisting of basic framework.

Feedback on the dock would be highly appreciated!

JustSpawned:
What voxel engine/tool do you use and is there a chance that the recreation process will be recorded and uploaded to YouTube?

Trollerbobman:
Once this project is done I\'ll zip the blueprint folder and upload it to the same Goggle Drive directory where you can find the frigate. I think it will be hard to miss the post that will announce that the project is done =)

Speaking of the frigate, it still seem to be some issues with the turrets. I\'ll see if I can\'t fix that tomorrow.

That\'s it for the daily update.
Tomorrow I think it\'s time to start working on the frame work for the command bridge.

 

[Eirich]

Tried to fix the misbehaving frigate today, it\'s the turrets that keep causing me problems as only one of each kind of turret seem to be properly saved as an entity of the ship..
I did also go over the engine room since the setup there was far less than optimal. Managed to more than strengthen the shields by another 10k capacity, increase the thrust by a nice bit and still add another 10k e/sec to the energy regeneration without making any adjustments to the hull or increase its mass.

If I can\'t get the turrets saved properly tomorrow I\'ll upload the different pieces needed to assemble the complete ship and hopefully make it work on another computer.

I did complete a first version of the command bridge for the carrier and this is how she looks from the outside:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlUzZfN2kwZEc4NW8/edit?usp=sharing

I don\'t know what to think really, it just made her look more like a oversized fighter and less like a capital ship to me..
Ignore the structure at the back of the ship, it was a quick mockup I did for testing a different position for the bridge. Kinda liked it, but would require me to construct a whole new carrier to be able to use it properly due to the current core placement. It would also require me to design a whole new front section for the ship.

Anyway, that\'s it for today.
I really hope I can make up my mind tomorrow, in a \'worst\' case scenario I\'ll just end up building two carriers of similar design since I really like how the main body and the wings of the current one turned out.

 

[Eirich]

Not much progress today.
Still pondering about the command bridge and I\'m starting to think that building a mark two version with the bridge in a new position might be the easiest way out of it.

Did take the time to do a quick piece of comission work though, something I might do again in the future as it turned out to be a nice break from the design issues.

Unless something happens tomorrow I\'ll most likely start working on a second mark of the carrier and work on both just to set my mind at ease.

 

[DeltaE93]

in regards to the command bridge issue you\'re having, i would decrease the height of the window, and divide it into halves or more, depending on the size of the bands you put through it. seperating it would give it a larger and more reinforced feel. It may also break up the \"oversized fighter\" feel you get from it. But i can\'t be sure as i don\'t have the ship to tinker with. i don\'t think it\'s in need of a redesign, so much as a little fiddling. Either way, good luck!

PS. the main hull and wings are a great design, and look forward to whichever fix you find.

 

[Eirich]

When I started the work today I set out to create some quick framework for a mark two of the carrier with the core and command bridge in a new position, but after two or three hours I took another good look at the \'old\' carrier again and realised that it doesn\'t look too bad. It actually looks really promising.
So I went back to the mark one once more.

I\'ve added a small dock at the back of the front section, capable of housing a shuttle or perhaps a small fighter. Any ship that wish to use that dock will have to be quite agile since there ain\'t much space to maneuver in.

Down below, the framework for a large dual barrelled shotgun turret has been added. Might attach a pair of missile launchers to it later if I can make it fit with the rest of the design.
On each side of the front section I plan on mounting two rapid fire turrets. Hopefully this will be enough vertical firepower to keep the carrier safe from anyone who tries to avoid the bigger guns by going above or below them. Only a first test design for these turrets have been created and mounted.
All turrets will be of a PCT design of course.

Here\'s the result of todays work:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNld01qOUF4ZHJZLUU/edit?usp=sharing

Tomorrow I plan on creating the first turret mountings on the main body and try to design the main walkway between command bridge and main body.

 

[Eirich]

Today I\'ve created the last turret mounts on the front section and liked all the features in there together with walk ways.
The paths take quite some time to design since I want the ship to be easy to navigate and yet feel interesting to explore and walk around in.

At the back on the main body I\'ve created two large turret docks and a quick framework turret that looks very similar to the one beneath the command bridge.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlWDYyREt2T0xjeTg/edit?usp=sharing
I might change the two barrels on the turret for a single larger one.

In the area between the two turrets I could mount yet another one, but I\'m thinking about creating a decently sized recreational area with a coverable glass cieling (as mentioned earlier) below there just to add a nice feature to the ship and quickly reduce the ammount of internal space I\'ll have to figure out what to do with.

That\'s it for today.
I\'m sure there will be even more turrets tomorrow.

 

[Eirich]

As the subject says, that\'s what this day has mostly been about.
The hangar doors to the fighter bay and the small shuttle dock are now in place. There\'s also a framework of plex doors covering the frigate bay.

Along the sides of the entry to the frigate dock I\'ve created six small turret docks. No prototype for these turrets have been made yet, but I think I\'ll arm them with a single rapid fire AMC and perhaps a small missile pod.

The command bridge has now been connected to the main body with a 9m wide (including walls) hallway and all turrets on the main body have been connected to one another.

I\'ve created the framework for the recreational / garden deck at the back of the main body. Below the door framework there\'s a layer of glass acting as a ceiling for the decently large room.

The daily results:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlOWVQdzVMMlFfc1U/edit?usp=sharing

On a side note. This weekend I\'ll be quite distracted by the EVE Online Alliance Tournament stream, but I manage to move the project forward between the matches.

What can you expect tomorrow?
I\'m not quite sure, guess we\'ll have to wait and see.

 

[Eirich]

Did some improvement on the frigate dock today:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlUGlqYndUVGN2QVE/edit?usp=sharing

By accident I discovered that overlapping docking areas doesn\'t interfere with eachother so I decided to make the large space more useful.
The large room now contains the following docks: (, , )
1x 41m, 16m, 91m - Frigate size
2x 41m, 16m, 45m - Corvette size
4x 20m, 16m, 45m - Heavy fighter size
8x 20m, 16m, 20m - Fighter size

So a frigate can be replaced by two corvettes, a corvette can be replaced by two heavy fighters and a heavy fighter can be replaced by two normal fighters. I won\'t list all possible combinations, but there are quite a few.
If you like drones or light fighters you could potientially use all 15 docks simultaneously.

Other than that she has gained another turret mount on the main body, just in front of the frigate dock, and the first twenty crew compartments have been created.

Tomorrow I\'ve got a piece of comission work to take care of and then I\'ll try to get started on the internal structure of the wings.

 

[DeltaE93]

I\'d just made that discovery about docking a few days ago, a rather nice surprise that allows for closer spacing of certain docked craft. The ship is starting to come together now and looking really good in the process.

 

[Eirich]

There haven\'t been too much work done on the carrier today. The comission work I took on turned out to take a bit longer than expected due various reasons.

I\'ve redone a few ramps in the main body to create shortcuts between the sides of ship instead of forcing players to either walk around or through the main dock. (formerly known as the frigate dock)
I\'ve also created the box for the engine / reactor room wich will be located directly below the recreational deck and I\'ve added more framework to the wings.
On top of each wing I\'m planning to mount one small turret at the front and one medium sized turret further back. Below each wing you\'ll find one large turret and a few small ones, if it turns out the way I want it to.

First screenshot of the day is taken from directly above the ship.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlQ2h3b09wZkcxdEU/edit?usp=sharing

And here\'s the first screenshot of what\'s currently to be found beneath the hull.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlVV95eWFwU0xYaDQ/edit?usp=sharing
As you can see it\'s mostly just outlines and I\'m aware that it might be hard to what\'s what in there. (other than the main dock) What\'s easy to see however is that there\'s still plenty of space left to fill in the main body and there\'s even more in the neck between command section and body, not to mention inside the wings.

DeltaE93:
I\'m growing to like her more and more, despite my earlier issues with the command bridge. There\'s still some way to go before her maiden voyage, but it\'s getting closer every day!

What can you expect to see tomorrow?
Perhaps some first views from the reactor room and a few new turret designs. There will definetly be more work done on the internal structure.

 

[Eirich]

I spent some time on the reactor today and while thinking of a design I remembered that I saw someone write a short story about building ships around the captured remains of collapsed/condensed stars. But why capture a star when you can create one on your own?
Mankind are doing some heavy research on fusion powered reactors (not to be confused with fission reactors, aka nuclear powerplants) which generate power based on the same processes that are occuring in the stars.
The nice thing about one of the fusion reactor setups is that you can extract the required fuel from normal water.
I won\'t go into further details since wikipedia can provide you with those, instead I give you my take on a small reactor:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlRHJaWnQ0NzlZVHM/edit?usp=sharing
The glass pipes actually contains water, but since that can\'t be seen through the glass so you\'ll just have to take my word for it.

Along the walls you\'ll find the fuel storage and the actual reactor\'s in the middle.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlc3AxYkQ2aEthTG8/edit?usp=sharing
Since most water you\'ll find in space is bound to be frozen I filled the inner section of the fuel tanks with ice. The following hull section will be made to look like a piece of machinery to thaw the ice and the seemingly empty space is once again filled with water.

Here\'s a better view of the actual reactor:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlMG96Ym81a2VqTW8/edit?usp=sharing

Other than the reactor I fitted a few turret mounts on the wings. One large, one medium and two small to be precise.
I also made a turret for the large mount:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlMDFJeV9uUm9HOFk/edit?usp=sharing
Armed with ten AMCs, five in each barrel, and eight SD-BB missiles, four per barrel, it\'s almost putting my frigate to shame. The shields are around 60k.
Might make it a little bit narrower before I\'m done with the project.

As a bonus, a small turret:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlb2F2VlEzUmNKWVU/edit?usp=sharing
What you see is pretty much what you get. Nothing overly impressive but it sports 6k sheilds and enough power generation to not be depending on the carrier for it to work.

The update tomorrow will be a short one since I\'ll be heading for the southern parts of the mountain range here in Sweden for a few days, but I\'ll be back on saturday and by sunday evening (local time) it should be business as usual again!

 

[Dire Badger]

I am so tired of everyone building black ships. what\'s with all the black?

 

[DeltaE93]

that reactor is just beautiful, and the fact that you based it on real world tech is even better. (I\'m a big science buff) and it really gives a sense of immersion. i also like the small turrets most, not that i dislike the large one, but i like seeing the designs people come up with with limited space.

As for the black ships, I have no answer, maybe people think its liike camouflage? (its not) Black is beginning to become overused in starmade, not that there isn\'t some good projects that are black. But i try to avoid it, my carrier is white mainly. In a world full of black ships, it\'s amazing how much a simple paint job can make it look even more unique.

 

[Eirich]

I\'ve returned from my little vacation and have made some more progress on the ship.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlZ1VqZG9RaC01bTg/edit?usp=sharing

This is a first view from the onboard laboratory, but due to the large amount of glass the screenshots become rather lousy.
The plan is to make it look like the focus is on geological and enviromental research. The central, circular display will house a tree and some other plants from temperate planets. The smaller displays will be made to represent other biotopes.

I\'m quite fond of the reactor and I really like the idea of fusion power. It has made mankind produce temperatures equal to or even surpassing the sun, it produces extremly small amounts of radioactive waste and can never go critical and blow up thanks to the very exact temperatures needed for the fuision reaction to occur. If you lose control over the reactor and you stop supplying it with additional heat the reactor will stop producing power.
The bad part is that in order to fire up the reactor you need great amounts of power in order to reach the required temperatures and to keep the electromagnets that keeps the plasma of the walls running...

Regarding the color of the ship I just happened to have a good amount of black hull at my disposal when I started. It also puts less strain on my eyes when I end up working late on the ship.
I\'ll give her a proper paint job once I\'m done with the interior and can finish the hull. I\'ve spent far too much time on the design to not give her a more pleasing outer shell.

 

[JWA]

I agree but my issue with the white is that in certain light it is just a blinding wall. The textures need to be fixed.

 

[Eirich]

Today I\'ve mostly adjusted various small things. I\'ve added another floor to the captains quarters, two new walkways connecting the front section with the main body and four new crew compartments.
Nothing worth showing really.

Here\'s a quick list on rooms I plan on adding:
- Medical deck
- Canteen
- Factory / Storage
- About twenty crew compartments

I doubt there will be much space left to fill after all that has been created.

That\'s it for today.
Will try to make sure there\'s some images in the post tomorrow.

 

[Eirich]

More walkways today and quite a few new stairs to allow easier access to the different floors in the main body.
I\'ve also created even more crew compartments in the neck area of the ship filling it up nicely and raising the total number to about 36. The plan is to have a compartment for each player needed to operate the ship at maximum combat efficency. (18 pilots and 26 turret gunners if I remember correctly)

As the internal layout gets closer to completion the work pace slows down due to me spending more and more time thinking about the placement of every new room I add, not to mention where to create new corridors and stairs in order to make it easy to get where you want. But at least there ain\'t that much space left to fill, the problem lies in finding what to fill it with that makes for an interesting ship.

Shortly before I decided to call it a night I started the work on the medical bay, located in a well protected section of the main body. This will most likely end up with two storeys in order to house both normal beds and intensive care pods. The medical bay will be where you\'ll find the undeathinator of the ship, so it won\'t be without function. (Given that you can actually mount them on ships, haven\'t tried yet)
Came up with a decent first version of the intensive care / stasis pods:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlZ0J1bU41ZXNBb28/edit?usp=sharing
Too bad that the internal lighting decided to not iluminate the interior properly..
Anyway, these will be lowered one block into the floor and will be much less black in the end.

Tomorrow I should be able to give you a view of the rough bay with beds and pods in place.

 

[Dire Badger]

Mind if I steal the idea for the pods? I have been looking for a way to make cryopods for the...well...invisible crew

 

[Eirich]

No, I don\'t mind at all =)
Feel free to copy any design elements you find interesting in this project.
I only wish to be credited if someone decides to copy a larger feature such as reactor, fighter bay or lab.
Other than that I\'m just happy you\'ve found something interesting and useful amongst all the images I\'ve uploaded and linked so far =)

 

[Eirich]

The layout for the medical bay is complete, only needs a few finishing touches and it shoud be good enough.
It\'s not an extremely large area containing only eleven beds, one of them in an isolation chamber, and thirteen intensive care pods on a seperate floor.

Bed area:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlSlg0MWNnWFRGOW8/edit?usp=sharing
Isolation chamber:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNlS1VPRDJ6Vi0xM28/edit?usp=sharing
Intensive care pods:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzBwd48DUtNldFpHSzhFaXNaMFU/edit?usp=sharing



Tomorrow I\'ll get to work on the canteen and do some more work on the fighter bay.