(ZWS) Widgecian Systems

Zeralas · Feb 28, 2016

Hello and welcome to Widgecian Systems! My name is Zeralas (the Z in ZWS) and I am a new player of StarMade.

I will be using this thread as a placeholder for my personal designs and for my Sins of a Solar Empire conversion project. I hope to build my own versions of ships based on the in-game models of various designs found in SoaSE. Along the way I hope to discover more effective knowledge of the building system and shipwright skills. I welcome suggestions, tips, and constructive criticism!

This page will be updated with progress on my projects, but I will post replies with full descriptions.

Personal Designs:

COMPLETED

WIP

Sins of a Solar Empire Conversion Project:

COMPLETED

TEC Stilat Corvette

TEC Stilat Corvette v01
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WIP

TEC Hangar Defense (Space Station Conversion)

Current dimensions are Length: 6985m, Height: 660m, Width: 1005m. Will be growing larger, but primary functions will be within this initial size. I intend this to be capable of housing a small fleet in one Bay Wing and possible a capital ship in the other Bay Wing. I flew SchnellBier 's SBS Jupiter into the right wing bay for sizing.

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*update* So I've replaced some of the hull with standard armor to balance the colors that I wanted. Also starting work on the central core of the station.

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Zeralas · Mar 9, 2016

After playing around in StarMade for another week or so I've decided to start building my first proper Space Station. I couldn't pin down a solid idea or at least decide on one out of many. So I've decided to start my next project in the SoaSE Conversion Project: the TEC Hangar Defense!

In Sins of a Solar Empire one of the planetary defense options is to create a strike-craft hangar. Strike-craft come in the simplified duality of Fighters and Bombers, which are the smallest ships in the game and are generally left to the AI.

I find the aesthetics of most TEC ships and structures to be the most compatible with the voxel engine of StarMade. My conversion of the TEC Hangar Defense will include an enlargement and retrofit for use as a Space Station. The base design has two primary wings for deploying strike-craft, each with three landing decks. I intend to maintain the design of three decks in the left wing, but increase the bay size of the right wing by removing one or two bays. This will allow me to dock ships larger than standard fighters and frigates and possible up to the size of a generic capital ship.

If I maximize the docking space of the right wing, then I should be able to fit a ship with the dimensions of about 280m tall x 280m wide. The left wing will have three equally sized decks that should fit ships with the dimensions of about 80m tall x 280m wide. Lengths will be limited to the purpose of a bay, which could be a partial enclosure or a full enclosure. I currently plan for the left wing to have a depth/length of about 250m to 400m, which should allow for organized storage. The right wing will have a maximum depth/length of 400m, unless I choose to open the rear hatch, in which case a ship of any length with the appropriate height and width will fit.

Let me know what your opinions are on the right wing bay! I will be uploading the completed project to the Community Content and it is my hope that others will find it useful.

Images below in the cut.

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****UPDATE*** I flew SchnellBier 's SBS Jupiter into the right wing bay as a size comparison.
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***UPDATE*** Added a bit more macro detail and shapes. Will be adding the command center and factory to the central line soon.
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*Update*
So I discovered how to use a wonderful feature of the advanced build mode: the Remove/Replace filter! I was about to break something expensive when I realized I had made vast sections of the station in the wrong color/texture, but thankfully I found a way to prevent that. :p

Zeralas · Mar 13, 2016

More updates on the TEC Hangar Defense. I knew I was going to have lots of open space to fill, but this is getting ridiculous. XD
These towers are likely going to house copious amounts of shielding systems or power. What isn't pictured is the enormous, quad-fuel tank block I just built. It will sit at the rear of the station behind one of the primary walkways between the bay wings.

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Zeralas · Mar 13, 2016

So I've hit a roadblock in my design decisions.

My reference images for the Hangar Defense show fuel pods at the rear of the central structure, which are housed in a top-down enclosure. The lowest parts of the fuel tanks and their fuel lines are exposed. I am unsure how to "attach" the fuel tanks to the mega-structure of the enclosure, as well as how to make the upper, cap-like portions into something aesthetically pleasing (or role-play acceptable). I have tried searching the web for some ideas, but all of the imagery for fuel tanks and such are pretty bland industrial shots, which emphasize function over form.

I'd like to make the fuel tank enclosure accessible to a player with some catwalks at a few levels, but the most interesting sections will be the top portions with the caps, the anchoring structure, and the fuel transportation lines at the bottom.

Here are some screenshots of the basic, macro shapes. Colors and materials will be changed once I get a better idea of how I want to change the shapes.

Please suggest some ideas!

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Minor Update: Did a little reshaping and recoloring to the macro structure.

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