Hi, I'm trying to build in a futuristic design type. My main colour is white standard, followed by accents of grey standard and dark grey standard, with blue crystal armor as glass, and Ice crystals for lighting. I'm a bit stumped on how to make a huge slab look good, I have added accents to it in grey, and blue lights around it, but it still looks... plain. If you have any suggestions for me, I thank you in advance.
Design Ideas?
- Thread starter CosmicWolf
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I suggest setting artificial requirements for yourself, then conforming your design to those requirements. An example of this might be to create copy and paste 'modules' for all the functions you would like to include, each with different "functional" shapes.
My own habit in these games is to include a "framework" into which the "reactors", "Crew areas", "hyperdrive" etc. must be slotted. That said, I have never achieved aesthetically beyond the cargo-cult appearance of functionality. Still, try imagining where the crew will go, and attending to all of their needs such as air and plumbing if you want to add detail.
My own habit in these games is to include a "framework" into which the "reactors", "Crew areas", "hyperdrive" etc. must be slotted. That said, I have never achieved aesthetically beyond the cargo-cult appearance of functionality. Still, try imagining where the crew will go, and attending to all of their needs such as air and plumbing if you want to add detail.
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I am also referring to the exterior. The outside shape of a thing typically reflects the internal purpose. Additionally, consider which areas of your ship generate heat, and include an exterior structure to radiate that heat. Consider which areas require exterior access for maintenance, and while I do not think doors are necessary, include a "section of hull plate" which can function as a removable piece for accessing high maintenance equipment. Consider where your turrets will be installed, and shape the hull to indicate support systems commensurate with the scale of the weapon. Check out the "Engine Porn" thread for building methods for aesthetic space engine designs. Remember point defense coverage zones and thickening armor over critical areas. Finally, consider using force field blocks tied to a switch to have areas above the hull able to have temporary reinforcement, which can be turned on and off. (I typically use structures to act as "Projectors" which must stand the force fields off from the rest of the ship)
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What kind of "futuristic" do you mean? Utopian, industrial, dystopian, organic? There are so many styles as people who design "futuristic" objects. It depends on your own opinion, how you want your ship look like. Can you spezify in adjectives, how your ships shall look like?
Futuristic as in Utopian. Streamlined with light accents. Here's a picture. Credited from google.
With Blue instead of yellow at the tail. Of course I understand that this isn't a warship, but it's the general style I'm trying to replicate.
With Blue instead of yellow at the tail. Of course I understand that this isn't a warship, but it's the general style I'm trying to replicate.
Warship or not, it actually depends on what modules you place in it. For years I thought the shape's influence over turning rates is crucial. Well, believe me, it exists, but it is way smaller than expected and it's actual influence over the combat is even smaller.
But to make the shape beautiful instead of practical, then add more weight than the hull just in external decorations, then use half of internal volume for RP, all of these together are what can guarantee a ship is not survivable. If you just deviate a little from the absolute optimal, it will definitely not influence the ship's combat ability.
Really, if you have the time, make an experiment: After you build a cool ship, make a cube with the same frontal armor, same side armor and only the useful modules of the cool ship. Same reactor, same tpm ratio, same number of weapon modules and support, same shield sistem, no empty or RP space. If the resulting cube is half the cool ship's mass and perform obviously better in combat than the cool ship, then it means you did it wrong. If the cube is 80% or more of the cool ship's mass and handles almost the same, never doubt your warship building style again.
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