JinMs Gameplay and Build Diary

[JinM]

08.10.7016

Turret Designing
I am still obsessed with the railgun from the Expanse, that I saw firing from the Donnager in the 3rd episode.
The designs I came up with tried to reenact the style in the smallest manner possible. These turrets do penetrate roughly 15blocks of basic hull with their 52-52 cannon-beam setup. For RP purposes they are a nice thing I think. Ofcourse they are only a small mirrorimage of what the railguns in the Expanse universe are cappable of. Still I will try to see if I can find a place for them.

In all the turrets the middle line of blocks is filled with decoration instead of weapons, but what seems like wasted space is in reality a amount of 7x3=21 blocks wasted. If I tried to go most efficient I could get 20% more damage (but remember diminishing retrurns with higher block count). Also their projectile is yellow and comes out of the middle of the turret, so it moves along the accelaration line in the middle of the turret resembling speeding up a shell in a magnetic field.

I even phantasized about using logic one day in a bigger turret to mirror the charging and shooting style of the firing weapon by activating the lights inside the barrel with the right timing.

Spoiler

09.10.7016
Expansion circular Staircase

I wanted to build some more ships now and that needs an additional docking port that I want to add into the top direction of my station. I am still used to building staircases instead of spaceish pipes and modules, but the staircase is a nice template for the time being. A bit to colorfull but its a game not a designer contest, and I had no other blocks around at the moment to build it (yes I still don't cheat my stuff into survival and I still don't have made that mega salvager and mining operation that basically turns the game into creative unless you want to build titans). =)

Spoiler

 

[DrTarDIS]

I came for the milk. Was not disappointed to find expanse references and cool base. Have a brownie point.

 

[Gasboy]

Those are really neat turrets.

 

[JinM]

10.10.7016
SLV Fira

This salvager is meant to be used as first vessel on a multiplayer server. It has 2 versions, the first one costs below 50k credits, and the second one has overdrive, jumpdrive, cargospace and more thrust. 140 salvage modules, 225 thrust and no shields. Maybe I even add antennas when the server is set up like I need those. I am not jet sure if I use this ship to scout me a nice base and set it up, or if I use it to buy me a stronger salvager with like 500 salvage modules and use this one to gather the ressources for a settlement.

The special thing is, that I separated some mechanic rooms from each other, so I know exactly where to put the missing modules if I purchase the cheaper one and get the money for some upgrades later.

This vehicle is meant to be not that pretty, it has a very strange form I know. I would be glad to design a salvager ship that looks good, but I don't have that much ideas, and when I try them they allways turn out not that pretty.

The idea behind the form is, that this ship is thrown together piece by piece and colored again at rusty places, even some punks used their blue paint at a harbour when the officer dutyfull took his second part of the night-shift nap.

I took the back-picture as cover on purpose because...well it's the side that looks the best.

Spoiler

Sadly Starmade renders some textures behind glass wrong, but the bottom left is meant to be a bullseye.

 

[Gasboy]

Eeeh, a ship doesn't have to look pretty. She just has to function as described on the box. And as long as the interior is completely sealed in, it's all good. Does she have a bunk for hot swapping? For those extended mining trips?

Edit: I mean, have you seen my cargo ship? She doesn't have the same exterior character as yours does. Mine's boring, but she does what she is meant to do, haul cargo around the galaxy. Yours is an inexpensive salvager, and she does what she is meant to do.

 

[JinM]

No, my ships don't get sleeping rooms or bunks. Haha. ^^ Or did you mean something else with hot swapping?

Nah I am happy with my ship. When I say I dont find it pretty I try to give an impression about what I think is my requirement as design-level. So people don't think that this particular style is my standard.

I think you try to say, that you want your ships to look as they look like. Or do I understand that wrong when you say you want it to get the job done? Btw. if you are efficiency focused you can do a really big load with the logic stuff. Some minigames and the like. The logic gives far more abilities than in Minecraft if you played it.

 

[Gasboy]

No, my ships don't get sleeping rooms or bunks. Haha. ^^ Or did you mean something else with hot swapping?

Nah I am happy with my ship. When I say I dont find it pretty I try to give an impression about what I think is my requirement as design-level. So people don't think that this particular style is my standard.

I think you try to say, that you want your ships to look as they look like. Or do I understand that wrong when you say you want it to get the job done? Btw. if you are efficiency focused you can do a really big load with the logic stuff. Some minigames and the like. The logic gives far more abilities than in Minecraft if you played it.

No, you got it in one. Hot swapping is when people share a bunk in shifts.

And I mean you design ships to do things well, and that being 'pretty' is secondary.

Logic is fantastic in Starmade.

 

[JinM]

15.10.7016
Multiple Projects Await
So I have done several things in the last few days, but didn't finsh one of them. Still I wanted to maintain this topic and not let the documentation of the progress fail.

Maybe for the next entries I sometimes write about what I started, even though I thought I would only write about the things I finished when I started this threat.

The first thing I started was some chess game:

After that I distracted myself with designing a cargo silo I saw in a lets play of Planetside 2.

For my several ships a new airlock was needed. Also I figured the logic for having a fail save area detector using airlock (use button after the activation module ), but did not jet implement this technique, because I want to go further and have the classic: first close one door before the other opens.

Then I wanted to design some new fighter, with some unique thruster design.


Finally I added a new power capacitor, that I can copy and paste next to each other and mirror it upside down as well to place it at its bottom. Very flexible design. =)

Yes, that one thing is a free floating cable. Just popped into my head when I was not sure what to add as detail. I mean I have never seen a detail in Starmade, that emphasises on the lack of gravity. I think we are very used to gravity in our imagination.

 

[JinM]

7016.10.22

Level 2 Starter Salvager Progress




It's not jet finished, but I am quite happy about how it turned out. For the sides I have no more ideas what to add.

Specs are 800 s.modules, 220 thrust, 20k cargo, some jump drives and 10k shields.

Its purpose is to be affordable after like 20 minutes of mining with my first small salvager "Fira".

Spoiler

 

[Gasboy]

How did your chessboard turn out? I've been pondering making a shogi board.

 

[JinM]

How did your chessboard turn out? I've been pondering making a shogi board.

I didn't work on the chessboard since the last uploaded picture of it. The pieces are complete, and there will be some rails to drive out 2 slain men platforms. But the salvager inspired me more the last days.

Btw. who in the world knows what shogi is? Had to google it myself. But I think for chess I will never find players neither in Starmade. =)

 

[Gasboy]

I didn't work on the chessboard since the last uploaded picture of it. The pieces are complete, and there will be some rails to drive out 2 slain men platforms. But the salvager inspired me more the last days.

Btw. who in the world knows what shogi is? Had to google it myself. But I think for chess I will never find players neither in Starmade. =)

Well, I'm a gamer in the truest sense of the word. :D I play many things besides StarMade. Casual players of chess might not know about shogi, but people who've taken an interest in the history of chess will know what shogi is.

 

[JinM]

7017.02.12

Fighter Colonial Viper mk II and Salvager Fedora



So yesterday I came back to Starmade, after some time off this game. The main reason was, that survival didn't really move me anymore. But after the updates playing this game made me having fun again. Also I reconsidered my building focus. I think I go even more into the RP-building direction, because Starmade gives me a lot of possibilities that way.

Anyway, I finished the last touches on my Salvager, I began some months ago, and also I wanted to share with you some pictures from the one-day project: my interpretation of the Colonial Viper mkII. =)

Stats: 225m/s; 1370 (99 s/s) shield; Jump Drive, 10x10x5 Cannon-Cannon-Punch (constant firing even if the ship moves)

Spoiler

For the salvager I went a little bit crazy on the interiour detailing. I tried to hook up all the lights onto a button-flipflop system and also gave the silo also a remote control button. I think this small details really add to the builds. Also the ship has some navigational displays, so you allways know where you have to go and where you are. For such a small ship its hard to get lost, but its not about figuring out where you are, but to get some different more immersive sense of the ship. It just feels different to me.

Sadly I only can upload 10 pictures, if you are interested I am happy to upload more. I just don't wanna spam some pics noone likes to see anyway.

Salvager Album

Spoiler

Notice the camera arm, also you can see the 2 silos on the port side: remote buttons and a button in the machine room can open and close their top gates.

The keel access door is installed, if you ever park the ship onto a platform. I preffer to use docks. But I thought: hey if the ship ever has to land on a flat surface, it needs at least one landing gear arm to it doesn't just fall to the side.
To the bottom left are some pipes that are directly connected to the cargo silos, so you also can transport liquids and empty them though those 2 ports.
This is the port entrance floor after you enter the upper USD in the picture above. Notice the navigational markers on the bottom right. If you take the staircase right after the USD to the lower maintenance levels, you first reach this sort of workshop. It has a control button for the silo top gates, that is also accessible via remote control and from a server (button via flipflop) installed at the bridge. The plex door to the left leads to the bottom of one of the round cargo silos. Each of the systems of the ship are exposed, so if you enter the corresponding rooms, you can reach the salvager arrays, cargo crates, shield or thruster modules from one side. The small logic place of the ship. I thought it somehow adds.
The left server controls all the lights of the ship. All over the entrances of the ship and at the bridge I installed lightswitches. The engine lights are hooked up to this buttons, too.

At this place I just want to point out one thing, no one else makes a big fuzz about: I don't understand how anyone could build a spaceship without lights on the outside. I mean it's space! Darkness everywhere! And you tell me you don't install lights at your ships that cost so much money. I mean compared to the money you spend on the whole ship, installing lights is like nothing. After all we are humans, and every spot that is a little bit brighter in the vast darkness of space should be welcommed.

 

[Gasboy]

Those are great looking ships. Love the fighter.

 

[JinM]

13.02.7017 WIP Donnanger and Rocinante inspired ship

Is this size a...Bomber? Fregatte?

The grey cubic hull parts are meant to resemble armor plates on the ship. The 4 pipes at the rear part of the ship are meant to be some sort of turrets, and maybe I make the upper middle exposed part of the ship (where the pipes are comming out from the power conduit blocks) as a turret as well.

Also I had in mind to make some retractable point defense turrets hidden as part of the long side armor line at the middle part of the ship.

 

[Madman198237]

Is there any chance we could get an image without Lighten on? Because Lighten makes it really hard to appreciate the ship.

 

[Reilly Reese]

I like that shape a lot.

 

[JinM]

18.02.7017 Progress for the new military ship
So I made some progress. The hardest part for me is to decide about the color code atm. Right now I will use orange or red all over the black base hull and leave the armor plates in greyscales. Black and dark grey looks cool but is something I'd like to use less, but nothing else works for me. =) The big armor plates sadly are some really big one color squares even if I detail them. But maybe I figure something out to make somewhat colorfull. But this bland grey look gives it this wanted military feel...I am undecided. =)

I plan on making the hangar with an elevating platform, combined with logic: If the platform is up and the hangar open, I want it to retract as soon as I dock my ship.

The left turret will be changed for sure, I want to replicate the rail gun from the Donnanger.

Spoiler

Here we go with the unbrighted version Madman198237

 

[JinM]

23.02.7017 Hangar stuff

I just wanted to upload this pic of my hangar view. I really like that this place actually gets some use.

To the bottom left is a new fighter prototype design with 2 prototypes for turrets mounted onto it. In the upper right corner is a size test for a new flak-turret I really desire to manufacture: The grey hull is smallest possible size for my planned turret.

The flak is supposed to break 2 basic hull blocks with each shot, with the smallest size possible, but still having a fire rate that it feels like curtain fire. The most suitable setup I found through testing was 30 c - 25 c - 30 overdrive. As design I opt for the flak turrets that were mounted on the Battlestar Galactica. Google-Image

The black-grey shell in the middle right is also a turret design.

To the bottom right is my new scout Scorpion I built yesterday - a full time cloaker and jammer, suited with a radar antenna and a jump drive. With dimensions of 16x7x9 meter he is even smaller as the first full-cloaker I made. I needed a smaller one that fits into the hangar of my military ship. Even though the cloakers are never really nice to look at. =)
You might also notice, that I finished the interior of my hangar. There are even ladders that lead from the upper walkways to the roof.

 

[JinM]

26.02.7017 FGT Nioker mk1

Made some small new fighter, that I also can fit into the small hangar of my planned frigate.

Specs: 2 smartmissile 16miss 16 beam of 2 outputs each
cann-cann (3x3)
piercing defensive effect at 25% (3 modules)
jump drive

I am pretty sure, that I will redo the weapon systems. But I wanted to stuff it for the time being.

Using a very small shield and the piercing effect with clever armor plating is hopefully a good bet. I hope I find out one day if using no shields but armor is clever in some cases. Ofcourse on big ships you use shields but on small ones it might be different.

Spoiler