Some capital ships, critique them!

[NoXion]

Here are some combat starships I drew a while ago - Comments, questions and constructive criticism welcome. I have included an ISD and a GCS to scale.



The smaller, unlabled ships you see are included to scale as part of a series of drawings I've done.

I know their shape isn't very imaginative, but I decided to go for form over functionality in this case. I'm thinking of including medium sized turrets in my next incarnation in ball and socket joints for a better lateral firing arc.
What follows is some information about the ships and their capabilities - they might seem horrendously wanked out or they might not, depends on your POV

The ships' STL propulsion systems are antimatter boosted fusion rockets, a fairly simple and very powerful brute force system. Generally capable of
around about 80-90% C, beyond which fuel effeciency drops like a stone
due to the relativistic effects.

FTL propulsion is a wormhole drive that produces a temporary wormhole in the vincinity of the ship. Onboard travel times are approximately 1 hour per light year, but to an outside observer travel seems instantaneous regardless of distance.

Sensors cover the entire EM spectrum, including FTL sensors using nano-scale wormholes to take "snapshots" of selected locations.

Communications include laser, microwaves and the radio band of the EM spectrum, as well as the standard nano-wormhole comms.

Defences include layered diamandium (An artificial compound combining the best properties of diamond and titanium) armour (Up to several metres on larger ships), a non-essential structural integrity field that increases hull strength x15, a low-intensity navigational shield that annihilates gas, dust and dense metallic asteroids up to 500m wide,
a bubble-type particle shield for used against directed energy weapons,
a hull-hugging dense plasma shield for defence against physical projectiles, (The last two shields are only activated during combat)
and several thousand defence drones for eliminating mines, larger asteroids, small ships and foolish starfighters.

The antimatter cannons fire a shell (Guided or dumbfire) containing antimatter locked in a matrix of buckyballs (Basically my handwavium method of dealing with AM storage issues) upon impact, the antimatter is activated resulting in a 1000Gt explosion. Since the cannons are coilguns, they can fire a variety of shells including but not limited to chemical, X-ray laser, radiological, and multiple tactical nuclear (Tactical in this case meaning 50-100Mts)
The shells are able to penetrate earthlike, venusian and jovian atmospheres for orbital bombardment.
Maximum muzzle velocity is 25,000 km/s.

Antimatter batteries are smaller versions of the above, firing 500Gt antimatter shells and single tactical nuclear warheads.

The linear accelerators are for firing larger ordnance, mainly torpedos carrying multiple X-Ray/Amat/etc warheads, but also can be used for
firing relativistic gravel, landing craft, and for launching attack/defence drones.

All of this powered by a M/AM-Fusion hybrid generator and mutiple backups.

I'm posting this in AMP, but after deciding to include the technical details I would not mind at all if a mod moves this to a more suitable forum.

[AniThyng]

Don't you think there's way too many guns on the surfaces?

EDIT(because I don't want to pad posts needlessly ) Crossroads: Touche.

EDIT2: Looking at them a bit more, I have this urge to go an pop bubble wrap.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Don't you think there's way too many guns on the surfaces?

[Einhinder]Theres NEVER enough guns! [/Einhinder]

[NoXion]

Don't you think there's way too many guns on the surfaces?

I take Einhander's position But seriously, the amount of protective systems means that battle have to be slugging matches by necessity.

EDIT2: Looking at them a bit more, I have this urge to go an pop bubble wrap.

What do you mean?

Edited TWICE because I'm lame with quote tags.

[Lord Revan]

Here's suggestion instead of a lot of gun make few big ones, it would look better (and make more sense).

[RedImperator]

360 degree firing arc, minimal surface area for volume, no stupid "shoot me!" geegaws sticking out all over the place--good, solid design. I do think there are too many guns, though--it doesn't look like there's any room for their internal systems under the surface, and heat dissapation will be a cast iron motherfucker.

[NoXion]

Here's suggestion instead of a lot of gun make few big ones, it would look better (and make more sense).

I hate to break it to you but... those are the big guns you're seeing

Look closer:



Just to give you an idea how big these guns are, here's an image showing the shells the main guns fire; the largest on one the right is the 1000Gt shell, the smallest one on the left is the 500Gt shell, and those two pixels you see next to it is a human of average height. ignore the middle shell, that's unused in the drawings I've shown so far:

[NoXion]

360 degree firing arc, minimal surface area for volume, no stupid "shoot me!" geegaws sticking out all over the place--good, solid design. I do think there are too many guns, though--it doesn't look like there's any room for their internal systems under the surface, and heat dissapation will be a cast iron motherfucker.

I disagree about internal systems (Miniturisation, while not a panacea, will still be useful); I think the main problem will be storing suffecient ammunition IMO since the most powerful guns use physical projectiles, as well as the horrendous amounts of fuel that those beasts are going to consume if they go full wack.

Hmm, tankers and ammunition carriers. See what I can do.

I agree, heat dissipation would be a real bitch - I'm tempted to include a Culture-style trapdoor system. How do blocky Star Wars ships like the ISD deal with heat dissipation? or is it simply ignored?

I'm not actually trying to create realistic space warships, just ones designed with a bit of common sense. And a splash of wank 'cause I like powerful stuff.

[AniThyng]

Well, all those circles occuping every inch of surface area, it just gives me a sort of vague "let's pop those little guns" feeling

Er...hmm...*slowly backs away*

[Morilore]

They look like penises. Alot like penises. Still, its a basic, sensible design.

[Quadlok]

I'd suggest swapping the names of the frigate and destroyer and giving the battlecruiser bigger engines.

Star Wars vessels have large nuetrino radiators under the hull to deal with waste heat.

And a question, do these ships use rotational gravity? because that's what the hull forms, especially for the recon ship, suggest.

[Gil Hamilton]

Is that a armored space dildo?

I like the flying railgun, but I'm not a big fan of many of the others. They are a solid shape, but why do you have every available surface area on the body covered with guns? And the scale of those things are huge. What mission could they possibly have that requires warships that huge?

[NoXion]

They look like penises. Alot like penises. Still, its a basic, sensible design.

Aye, and fully loaded they can screw a star system

I'd suggest swapping the names of the frigate and destroyer and giving the battlecruiser bigger engines.

Good advice.

Star Wars vessels have large nuetrino radiators under the hull to deal with waste heat.

They must be lit up like christmas trees in the neutrino "spectrum".
Still hard to detect though. Interesting idea.

And a question, do these ships use rotational gravity? because that's what the hull forms, especially for the recon ship, suggest.

Only the recon ship uses rotational gravity, as it's it's the only ship that expected to stay out in deep space for long periods. Artificial gravity is too energy intensive for military vessels so they don't bother.
Yes, my spaceships have seatbelts.

I believe I have the most sensible bridge placement of all sci-fi universes - can you guess?

[Glimmervoid]

NoXion are you going to do some textured versions?

[NoXion]

Switched the Frigate and Destroyer labels, fixed their necks as well. Upgraded the Battlecruiser's engines. She should go a little faster now



I also have Fighter, Support Ship, Flagship, Fang Capital Ship, Transports, War Factory and Battlemoons drawings. Should I make seperate topics for them or keep them to this thread? I suspect the latter.
All these drawings have been made over a period of about 3 months, since I got more serious about worldbuilding than jotting down the occasional note or two.

I like the flying railgun, but I'm not a big fan of many of the others. They are a solid shape, but why do you have every available surface area on the body covered with guns? And the scale of those things are huge. What mission could they possibly have that requires warships that huge?

Basically, I gave up on thinking small. I thought to myself "What sort of terrible war machine will man develop, given 3000 years of continuous technological progress, then give him a relentless competitor species (the Fang) that is the very antithesis of what he stands for?

Human ships are often outnumbered by Fang ships 10,000 to 1, but the firepower wielded by human ships evens this out.
Humans go for quality because they aren't particularly militaristic, and want to get the best out of the best. Fang commanders, because their species is highly expansionist and reproduces and develops rapidly, have to go with quantity - most of their tactics consist of variations on the "wave of meat" theme. It's worked for them before, so they'll continue to use it until they have a very convincing reason not to. But it will be very hard for them to change tack as most of their society revolves around the idea of Fang superiority, and such mentality does not engender rapid change.

Oh, and the universe has barely begun to get nasty for the Human species. They've yet to meet the dark denizens of the galactic halo, the blind Outsiders.

Maybe I should start a thread in FanFic about this Dark Utopia.

[NoXion]

NoXion are you going to do some textured versions?

If I knew how. What sort texture does smooth metal have?

At the moment I'm sticking to diagrammatic drawings (Pixel lego ) but I would be interested in fleshing out the ships into something more artistic.

[Isolder74]

They are not too bad but I think that your Recon ship's ring is too large for the vessel. It needs larger bracing members and is a bit too large for its central support structure.

[Ford Prefect]

Basically, I gave up on thinking small. I thought to myself "What sort of terrible war machine will man develop, given 3000 years of continuous technological progress, then give him a relentless competitor species (the Fang) that is the very antithesis of what he stands for?

And it is far more fun to make ships big, eh?

[Isolder74]

A suggestion


Remove the Guns mounted on the top of your large turrets. The machinery to load and fire the smaller guns will get in the way of the mechanics of the large gun. Those shells can't be small it fires so must require massive machinery to load the shell in the barrel to be fired. I would also give more space(at least half a turrets of it) to allow the guns room to transverse, the more the better for as of right not they wiol be hard presses to rotate 360 degrees.

BTW have you been reading my notes? Some of your stuff is spot on for a race I have created for a story I am writing.

Good luck with your idea

[AMX]

I would also give more space(at least half a turrets of it) to allow the guns room to transverse, the more the better for as of right not they wiol be hard presses to rotate 360 degrees.

+1
Also, only one ring of guns can fire dead ahead - you might want to change that (reduce the diameter of the head on the biggest 3 ships).

[Lord Revan]

the Starfleet Museum at EAS does good gun empty space ratio on it's ships.

[Shroom Man 777]

Seriously dudes, that's an impractical number of guns on your ships! The designs and things are cool, but there's just WAY too many guns!

[Hotfoot]

I would also like to point out that while the standard battleship turret looks cool, it is horrendously impractical for space combat, since chances are just as good the turret will be firing straight "up" from the hull as firing forward or back. A turret designed to look more like an astronomy observatory would probably be better suited for all-around accuracy.

[Shroom Man 777]

It might just look blocky because of the armoring. Inside, it'll could still be a spherical dome thinggymajig.

[AMX]

I would also like to point out that while the standard battleship turret looks cool, it is horrendously impractical for space combat, since chances are just as good the turret will be firing straight "up" from the hull as firing forward or back. A turret designed to look more like an astronomy observatory would probably be better suited for all-around accuracy.

I disagree. Move the guns back a bit, and provide enough empty space below, and the flat turret allows just as much elevation as the ball design; plus, it's got less exposed surface, thus less armor, resulting in less weight you've got to move for aiming.