CT Only: Great Rift Stalker (Aitiylyawaihih) - Aslan starship class

[Spinward Flow]

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Great Rift Stalker (Aitiylyawaihih)
Ship Type: AP (Merchant-A, Provincial)
TL=13 (LBB5.80) (AM:1 Aslan)

Tonnage: 320 (custom hull)
Configuration: 2 (Streamlined, 35.2 MCr)
Fuel Scoops (MCr 0.32)
Armor: 0

Jump-4 (16 tons, MCr 64, Capacitor storage: 6.4 tons = 230.4 EP maximum)
Maneuver-2 (16 tons, MCr 11.2, Agility: 2 requires 6.4 EP)
Power Plant-4 (25.6 tons, MCr 76.8, EP: 12.8, Surplus EP: +0.4 @ Agility 2)

Fuel Purification Plant: 5 tons (MCr 0.03, 200 ton capacity) (LBB5.80, p27, 36)
Fuel: 144.7 tons (4 parsecs = 128 tons) (4 weeks operations = 12.8 tons, up to 16 weeks powered down)
L-Hyd drop tank couplings (a wide variety of tank tonnages can be used) (LBB5.80, p27) (LBB A5, p14)

Dual Turret: Missile, Sandcaster (1 ton, MCr 1, EP: 0)
Dual Turret: Pulse Laser, Fusion Gun (2 tons, MCr 2.5, EP: 3)
Batteries: 1 Missile (code: 2), 1 Pulse Laser (code: 2), 1 Fusion Gun (code: 4), 1 Sandcaster (code: 3)

Bridge (20 tons, MCr 1.6)
Computer: 5 (Code: 5, 5 tons, MCr 45, TL: 11, EP: 3)
Staterooms: 5 single occupancy (20 tons, MCr 2.5)
Aslan crew skills required (minimums):

• male Captain: Pilot-2, Gunnery-2 (missile), chief gunner, highest social level male
• male Gunner: Gunnery-2 (energy, laser)
• female Navigator: Navigation-2/Engineering-2
• female Technician: Engineering-2/Medical-2, chief engineer
• female Purser: Admin-1 or Broker-1 or Trader-1, executive officer

Cargo: 64 tons (Imperial base-10) / 100 tons (Trokh base-8)
Collapsible Fuel Tank: 64 ton capacity (0.64 ton, MCr 0.032)
Waste Space: 0.06 tons

Great Rift Stalker  AP-3242451-030000-24002-0   MCr 192.1456   320 tons
    batteries bearing           1     11  1                      TL=13.
    batteries                   1     11  1                Crew=5. FPP.
Passengers=0. Cargo=64. Collapsible=64. Fuel=144.7. EP=12.8. Agility=2.
Jump-3, Maneuver-1 @ up to +80 tons (400 tons total)
Jump-2, Maneuver-1 @ up to +213.3 tons (533.3 tons total)
Jump-1, Maneuver-1 @ up to +480 tons (800 tons total)

Interplanetary Travel (distance, acceleration, time) (link)



Single production

• Total Cost: MCr 240.182
• 20% Down Payment: MCr 48.0364
• Architect Fees: MCr 2.40182
• Construction Time: 58 weeks (Imperial) / 270 eakhau (Aslan days) (LBB A5, p33)
• Annual Overhaul: Cr 240,182 (LBB2.81, p8)

Volume production

• Total Cost: MCr 192.1456
• 20% Down Payment: MCr 38.42912
• Construction Time: 46 weeks (Imperial) / 216 eakhau (Aslan days) (LBB A5, p33)
• Annual Overhaul: Cr 167,602 (LBB2.81, p8)

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• Life Support: Cr 10,000 per 2 weeks (Imperial) / Cr 10,715 per 10 eakhau (Aslan days) (LBB2.81, p7-8)
• Crew Salaries (minimum skills): Cr 12,313 per 2 weeks (Imperial) / Cr 13,193 per 10 eakhau (Aslan days) (LBB2.81, p8, 11, 16, 23)
• Berthing Costs: Cr 100 for 6 days (Imperial) / 4 eakhau (Aslan days) plus Cr 100 per additional day/Cr 150 per additional eakhau (LBB2.81, p8)
• Surface to Orbit Shuttle Costs: Cr 10 per cargo ton, Cr 20 to 120 per passenger (LBB2.81, p9)
• Fuel: Cr 500 per ton (refined), Cr100 per ton (unrefined), Cr 0 (skimmed) (LBB2.81, p7)

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• 
Mail Delivery: Cr 5,000 revenue per ton per delivery (LBB2.81, p9), limit 5 tons (Imperial), 4 tons (Aslan Hierate) or 8 tons (Great Rift)
• Interstellar Cargo Transport: Cr 1000 per ton (LBB2.81, p8-9)
• Interplanetary Charters: Cr 1 per hour (Imperial) per ton of ship (Cr 320 per hour), minimum 12 hours (Imperial)/Cr 1.5 per tekhaao (Aslan hours) per ton of ship (Cr 480 per tekhaao), minimum 8 tekhaao (LBB2.81, p9)
• Interstellar Charters (2 weeks (Imperial) / 9.3 eakhau (Aslan days)): Cr 900 per ton of cargo, Cr 900 per low passage berth, Cr 9000 per high passage berth (Imperial) (LBB2.81, p9), Cr 7200 per middle passage berth (Aslan) (CT AM:1, p31)

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• Imperial subsidies reduce gross revenue receipts by 50% for passengers, cargo and mail (LBB2.81, p7)
• Aslan corporation or clan financing make other arrangements (AM:1, p33)

​

 

[Spinward Flow]

Standard Fuel/Cargo configuration limits (range dependent)

1 parsec, J1 = 64 tons internal cargo (clean)
1 parsec, J1 = 64 tons internal cargo, 480 tons external cargo

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2 parsecs, J2 = 64 tons internal cargo (clean)
2 parsecs, J2 = 64 tons internal cargo, 200 tons external cargo
2 parsecs, J1+1 = 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo, 480 tons external cargo
2 parsecs, J1+1 = 32 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 480 tons external cargo
2 parsecs, J1+1 = 32 ton drop tank (retained), 64 tons internal cargo, 448 tons external cargo

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3 parsecs, J3 = 64 tons internal cargo (clean)
3 parsecs, J3 = 64 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo
3 parsecs, J2+1 = 28 tons collapsible fuel, 36 tons internal cargo, 200 tons external cargo
3 parsecs, J2+1 = 32 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 200 tons external cargo
3 parsecs, J2+1 = 32 ton drop tank (retained), 64 tons internal cargo, 168 tons external cargo
3 parsecs, J1+1+1 = 80 tons drop tank (dropped), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo, 480 tons external cargo
3 parsecs, J1+1+1 = 80 tons drop tank (retained), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo, 400 tons external cargo

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4 parsecs, J4 = 104 tons internal cargo (clean)
4 parsecs, J1+3 = 40 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo
4 parsecs, J2+2 = 80 ton drop tank (dropped), 2 tons collapsible fuel, 62 tons internal cargo, 200 tons external cargo
4 parsecs, J2+2 = 80 ton drop tank (retained), 2 tons collapsible fuel, 62 tons internal cargo, 120 tons external cargo
4 parsecs, J1+1+1+1 = 160 ton drop tank (retained), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo, 320 tons external cargo

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5 parsecs, J4+1 = 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo (clean)
5 parsecs, J1+4 = 32 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo
5 parsecs, J2+3 = 80 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo
5 parsecs, J2+3 = 80 ton drop tank (retained), 64 tons internal cargo
5 parsecs, J2+2+1 = 104 ton drop tank (dropped), 28 tons collapsible fuel, 36 tons internal cargo, 200 tons external cargo
5 parsecs, J2+2+1 = 104 ton drop tank (retained), 28 tons collapsible fuel, 36 tons internal cargo, 96 tons external cargo
5 parsecs, J1+1+1+1+1 = 240 ton drop tank (retained), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo, 240 tons external cargo

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6 parsecs, J3+3 = 64 tons collapsible fuel, 0 tons internal cargo (clean)
6 parsecs, J2+4 = 64 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo
6 parsecs, J3+3 = 96 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo
6 parsecs, J3+3 = 80 ton drop tank (retained), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo
6 parsecs, J2+2+2 = 184 ton drop tank (retained), 64 tons internal cargo, 16 tons external cargo

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7 parsecs, J3+4 = 96 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo
7 parsecs, J3+3+1 = 120 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo
7 parsecs, J3+3+1 = 80 ton drop tank (retained), 40 tons collapsible fuel, 24 tons internal cargo

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8 parsecs, J4+4 = 128 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons internal cargo
8 parsecs, J3+3+2 = 120 ton drop tank (dropped), 40 tons collapsible fuel, 24 tons internal cargo, 80 tons external cargo

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9 parsecs, J4+4+1 = 128 ton drop tank (dropped), 32 tons collapsible fuel, 32 tons internal cargo

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10 parsecs, J4+4+2 = 128 ton drop tank (dropped), 64 tons collapsible fuel, 0 tons internal cargo

 

[Spinward Flow]

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Known to Imperials as the Great Rift Stalker, and to Aslan in their native Trokh as the Aitiylyawaihih, this class of starship has been in almost continuous production at a few shipyards in the Riftspan Reaches sector in only recent centuries, with construction continuing up through the present year of 1105 on the Imperial calendar. The capabilities of these starships are simply too well suited to the extreme challenges of astrogation and endurance needed in the Great Rift although at a higher level of required technological sophistication than previous generations of the starship lineage. The TL=13 construction of this starship class also means that a smaller, though usually still adequate, number of type A and B starports can provide spare parts, annual maintenance and repairs, making operational logistics support an operational sustainment consideration for Pursers. The more limited manufacturing support and supply base needed by these starships creates conditions under which only relatively wealthy Aslan clans (huiha), prides (ahriy) and corporations (all run by females) being the majority of owners and operators for this class of starship, with most families (ekho) unable to afford the expenses these ships tend to generate.

Still built in the tradition of being a proverbial "go everywhere, do everything" starship capable of taking on almost any civilian task role from belter to envoy courier to scientific research duties in addition to light paramilitary support, supply and surveying roles, the one thing the ship class is built for from the landing claws on up is the interstellar range and reach needed to transit across the vast distances between stars in the Great Rift. With the use of L-Hyd drop tanks available at most type A and B starports, even transits of up to 7-10 parsecs one way (in three consecutive jumps) with a modest cargo load are possible without needing to refuel en route, making some of the remotest Aslan dominated systems in the Great Rift at least modestly accessible (if not necessarily affordable or economically profitable to visit).

An Aslan design built using a 500 ton (in Trokh base-8) or 320 ton (in Imperial base-10 standard) hull size, everything about these ships is intended to be multipurpose and fulfill multiple possible roles and missions over their useful operational life, with the potential to refurbish and reconfigure capabilities based on need and purpose. The ship class features Jump-4, Maneuver-2 and Power Plant-4 drives, capable of delivering a constant 2G Agility (sufficient for VTOL on even big worlds with higher than standard gravity) while also fully powering weapons and the ship's onboard model/5 computer with a small surplus of reserve power to spare. The bridge contains work stations for all 5 crew so as to accommodate all crew aboard in the event of an abandon ship situation. The bridge is detachable and can be used as a crew lifeboat in an emergency.

Fuel scoops are integrated into the flattened cone shaping of the ship's hull, along with a fuel purification plant which is an absolute necessity in the Great Rift where misjumps due to use of unrefined fuel are more likely to cause starships to go missing (permanently) with no hope for survival. Consequently, use of unrefined fuel to jump with is a more serious hazard to both ship and crew than might be considered acceptable in other regions of Charted Space. Internal fuel tankage is 144.7 tons, sufficient for 4 parsecs of jump range, with a collapsible fuel tank of 64 tons capacity fitted for use in the 64 tons (Imperial base-10) / 100 tons (Trokh base-8) internal cargo hold as a jump range extender. L-Hyd drop tank fittings are also included as standard, although a wide variety of drop tank sizes (from 32-184 tons) are needed depending on where (and how) the captain intends to reach the ship's destination (and with what external cargo loaded). The adequately sized 64 ton internal cargo bay is a double deck into which 8 standard 8 ton cargo containers can be loaded in a port/starboard roll-on/roll-off fashion through ventral cargo bay doors that open on both sides for ramp access in a gravity well. Cargo is loaded at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the starship into the 12m long by 12m wide by 6m high main bay, with one single deck slot 3m long by 12m wide and 3m high space at one end of the main bay often desginated and used as a reconfigurable space for a mail vault (very common) and/or other consumable supplies needed on particularly long endurance missions.

In a clean configuration, with no external loading, a transit along the entire J-5 Trans-Rift Hierate Route can be made in as few as 14 jumps (87.5 to 102.1 days Imperial / 58.4 to 68.1 eakhau (Aslan days) spent in jumpspace, not including normal space operations), a very modest improvement over the previous generation starship class (previously a 15 jump minimum when limited to Jump-3). Owing to the time and distances involved, such transits along the entirety of the J-5 Trans-Rift Hierate Route coreward/rimward are relatively practical using an extended range Jump-4 capable starship, even in modern times where higher tech levels and more advanced jump drives are more readily available. Additionally, the J-6 transit to Trailing through the Verge Connector into Imperial space can also be accomplished with these starships, albeit with a very limited cargo capacity due to the enormous fuel fraction required to make such a long journey across deep space. There is however sufficient cargo capacity to house 8 staterooms for a male Noble Envoy plus entourage and attending female Steward(s) from the envoy's own family. pride or clan when an 80 ton L-Hyd drop tank is retained (limiting the starship to Jump-3, Maneuver-1 performance) during the journey from spinward Aslan Hierate controlled space to and/or from Imperial controlled space in the trailing Verge sector across Great Rift.

Cargo can also be mounted externally, allowing the starship to act as either a maneuver tug within a star system or as a jump tug for hauling cargo across interstellar distances. Use of this external loading option does reduce drive performance and efficiency, however, but can be invaluable for the transport of significant mass quantities of goods over interplanetary and interstellar distances in support of military, paramilitary and commercial needs as they arise.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Standard armament remains a pair of mixed dual turrets on two hardpoints (a third hardpoint could have been added but was omitted in the original design) located on the longtitudinal axis along the ship's dorsal ridge. This arrangement allows both turrets to be boresighted dead ahead forward if necessary along the ship's centerline.

The aft dorsal dual turret holds a missile/sandcaster combination which is usually remotely controlled by the the captain/pilot from his workstation on the bridge. These two weapons are more of a "fire and forget" type which have a reduced workload that allows the captain/pilot to focus more on evasion and defense in ship-to-ship combat situations. The missile launcher can be loaded with a variety of probes (in addition to the standard HE warhead combat loads) which can be useful in anything from exploration scouting to scientific surveys to prospecting roles. Clan Space Forces can, and have at times been known to, optionally arm these ships with nuclear warhead missiles in the event of declared clan wars and/or open hostilities with non-Aslan powers, although this is rarely done outside of declared wars. At TL=13, advancements in automation and fire control have increased the accuracy, precision and effectiveness of the missile launcher over earlier technological standards.

The forward dorsal dual turret has been updated to mount a fusion gun/pulse laser combination which is remotely controlled by another gunner from his respective workstation on the bridge. The pulse laser is fitted with a multipurpose beam modulator allowing it to be used as anything from a precision drilling mining laser at extremely short ranges to a coded pulse target designator, laser rangefinder/communicator and even a laser guide star for atmospheric turbulence corrections to scientific surveys when operated at lower power settings suitable for various types of utility work. At full power, the pulse laser is quite capable of inflicting damage on other vessels and can be used in the anti-missile role. At TL=13, the pulse laser can now be tuned into the x-ray band of wavelengths, in addition to the standard infrared through ultraviolet bands of earlier technologies. The plasma gun has been replaced with a fusion gun is also likewise multipurpose in that it can be used as a makeshift signaling device and/or star shell gun for providing illumination (and warning) shots, while also being capable of a form of general demolitions work without needing to rely upon consumable (and therefore potentially expensive) demolitions charges, in addition to the standard ship-to-ship combat roles of anti-missile and direct fire. Of course, specialized demolitions tasks will still require the skilled employment of carefully placed demolitions charges to achieve desired results.

With the upgrade from a model/3 to a model/5 computer, all of the armaments onboard become dramatically more effective, difficult to defeat and counter in ship-to-ship combat. Since this generation of the starship has been deliberately designed and built to be as indistinguishable as possible from previous technological generations, adversaries who feel confident they can attack either of the previous versions of the Great Rift class series tend to have a rather rude awakening when they find they have drawn the combined computing and firepower of a ship of this class and technological era. Consequently, as a side effect, would be pirates tend to be a bit more cautious and circumspect around the Great Rift Jumper and Pouncer starship classes, since it can be difficult to discern from a long range sensor return whether or not the sensor contact is in fact a Great Rift Stalker class of starship instead. So in proper savanna hunter tradition, the presence of a stronger hunter among the pride works to the benefit of all, including the less capable.

A crew of five Aslan is standard on these ships, consisting of a male captain who acts as the ship's patriarch and as a pilot/chief gunner, a second male gunner, a female navigator/chief engineer, a female engineer/medic and a female purser who acts as the second in command under the captain. The male crew members are typically ihatei although this is not always the case, with some males merely waiting for their inheritance of land to be formally transferred to them. All five crew members have individual staterooms as personal quarters on the crew deck above the cargo hold between the bridge (forward) and the engineering section (aft). The captain can bring aboard up to 2 of his wives as crew members, while the gunner can bring at most 1 of his wives as crew members. It is not required that the female Aslan on these ships be married to the males (before, during or after serving aboard together), although it for mates to serve together as crew. It is relatively common for the Purser to remain unmarried if she is on the corporate management career path (as many of the best Pursers often are). Crews can all be members of the same family (ekho) or pride (ahriy), but this need not always be the case, and some crews are even multi-clan (huiha).

All things considered, life aboard these ships can be considered to be better than average for most Aslan and Humaniti crewed starships of similar displacement and construction, although all crew members do need to work hard in their assigned crew roles (life aboard isn't luxurious for crews). Copies of the class can also be obtained from Imperial shipyards (with minor detail changes that human crews find more comfortable/familiar) which have duplicated the overall performance profile similarly enough to be constructed in a mutually compatible form factor. The primary use for these Imperial ships is to gain access to the New Islands and Old Islands subsectors in the Reft sector without needing to resort to use of deep space fuel caches or the services available at Chandler Station or Riftspan Station to complete the 7 parsec transit into the Islands Cluster. Shipyards in other locations along the Imperial border of the Lesser Rift to trailing may also keep their version of the class in continuous low volume production to supply attrition replacements for starships of the class that age out of inventories over time.

The dominant Aslan corporation in the Riftspan Reaches sector is the Ku Su'ihk controlled by the Aroaye'i clan and their (now in Imperial 1105) vassal, the remnants of the Wahtoi clan that the Aroaye'i clan have taken into service for protection from the Fteweyeakh clan. The Ku Su'ikh corporation still maintains and operates a flotilla of ships of this class in the Aokiylair and Ryuhleiea subsectors where it is economically viable (and profitable) to do so, although many of them are owned and operated by a multitude of other corporate subsidiaries, locals and a variety of other interests. So the Ku Su'ikh do not have a monopoly on control or interest in this class of starship after construction.

Occasionally, more "prestigious" and artistically venerable versions of the starship design will be ordered as a unique "one off" construction for select Aslan clients. In such circumstances, use the single ship construction and architect fees pricing for these unique ships and then multiply those costs by 1-6x (2D divided by 2) to represent the rarity and uniqueness of the artistry and aesthetics markup costs involved in their construction. Needless to say, annual overhaul maintenance fee costs rise commensurately with the increase in construction prices, representing the extra costs involved in maintaining such unique works of art in full working order. Such higher end vessels can sometimes be found in use as patriarchal yachts for heads of clans/prides/families, as well as transports for high ranking noble envoys and even business ships for top ranking corporate females who need to make a memorable impression on potential clients and rivals alike. Traditional Aslan Baroque is merely one of a multitude of styling options available for these uniquely built starships in which artistry trumps consciousness of price (which is primarily a female concern anyway, among Aslan).

Riftspan Reaches + Verge sectors navigation in the Great Rift (Imperial 1105) (CotI forums link)

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[Spinward Flow]

1. TL=11 J2 Great Rift Jumper class (link)
2. TL=12 J3 Great Rift Pouncer class (link)
3. TL=13 J4 Great Rift Stalker class (link)
4. TL=14 J5 Great Rift Prowler class (link)

 

[McPerth]

Viewing your designs, maybe you could be interested in reviewing my own Jump Frame and Barges Freighter design (for Mgt, I'm afraid).

 

[Spinward Flow]

Viewing your designs, maybe you could be interested in reviewing my own Jump Frame and Barges Freighter design (for Mgt, I'm afraid).

So basically a 2000 ton configuration code: 7 Jump Tender and a collection of 200 ton streamlined non-starship Riders configured for mix'n'match commercial service.

It's a solution but also one that requires relatively deep pockets (just for the 20% down payment to get started) and a pretty sizeable crew, so very much an All In™ on the Merchant Prince angle.

To be fair, I'm thinking that a Tender+Rider setup would make for a better "exploration trader" than the Leviathan class of LBB A4, since you would be able to use the Tender to deploy "trader outposts" into uncharted star systems to conduct business longer term in parallel (the Tender simply moves on and comes back later for each Rider) rather than tying up the entire asset of the starship in a single star system at a time.

However, in the lower end Adventure Class Starship range, I'm excessively pleased with how this series of ship classes turned out.



Pardon me while I digress a little bit for a moment to recount the history of how I got where I wound up with these.

I'd originally started with a 192 ton hull (because 192 = 300 in base-8) thinking I wanted to stay in the hull code: 1 range and keep the crew as small as possible while also trying to get enough cargo/collapsible fuel fraction to be able to get out to 6 parsecs on internal fuel alone.

It ... "worked" ... but I wasn't all that happy with the results. I was basically needing to "skimp" on everything (especially the computers) in order to make everything fit and what I was winding up with was basically Pirate Bait (which was NOT a good sign). Low weapon factors with low end computers and low agility does not make for a good combination when it comes time to repel boarders. The main problem was the constraint of needing to work with a single hardpoint (meaning a single turret, meaning that a missile/laser/sandcaster combo was about as good as I could get).

At first I was just looking at TL=11-12 for the J2/J3 engines and thinking that would be fine, crossing 6 parsecs in 2 or 3 jumps. At those tech levels, the drive fraction was 3+5+6=14% and 4+5+9=18% minimum (2/2/2 and 3/2/3 respectively) ... but then I started thinking about extending the collection out to TL=13-14 for J4/J5 and noticed that the drive fraction stayed relatively stable at 5+5+8=18% and 6+5+10=21% minimum (4/2/4 and 5/2/5 respectively). The biggest change was the fuel fraction going from 22% up to 55%, devouring the cargo capacity, but the rest of the ship components (bridge, computer, weapons, fuel purification plant, staterooms for crew) could all stay relatively "common" between technological versions. So then the challenge became to design the "first one" right with sufficient untapped "growth factor" in it to make all the later versions possible with higher jump numbers (and better computers).

At first I was trying to cram everything down into 160 tons (because 35/0.21=166.67) so as to be able to fit the Jump-5 version into a small enough hull to have under 35 tons of drives and thus only 1 engineer crew required to maintain those drives (ignoring for the moment the limitation of not being required to have engineers at under 200 tons of displacement). Needless to say, the J5 version ... suffered ... since 76% of the ship's tonnage was drives and fuel, leaving only 38.4 tons remaining for bridge, computer, weapons, staterooms and cargo hold. To put it politely, the cargo hold was a joke (pretty sure it was like 12.4 tons of cargo) and the whole thing wound up being and overpriced flying fuel tank.

I tested out the permutations (at 160 tons) for the TL=11 through TL=14 variants and found that because the bridge occupied such a large fraction of total tonnage (minimum 20 tons) that it was hard to get a large enough cargo hold in anything other than the TL=11 ship version to be able to carry enough collapsible fuel plus some spare cargo space in order to make the 6 parsec range requirement in a "clean" configuration without needing to resort to L-Hyd drop tanks. Compounding the problem was that if the 160 ton ship class WAS going to engage in external cargo load hauling, it was essentially "too small" (at 160 tons) to be able to haul all that much through jump space before getting to TL=13 and J4. But the weapons options were still anemic and the computer situation didn't look good (lack of EP was a major constraint) and the whole thing was just feeling "a bit too cramped for comfort" to me. The real deal breaker though was when I tried to model the kind of (quality of) crew life on board and started getting Death March™ vibes from the imagined workload on a crew of 2 (1 male, 1 female) and just couldn't justify it to myself (even when taking a few liberties).

So the 160 ton hull just wasn't a good fit for what I wanted the series of ships to be able to do.



I then tried 240 tons (which is 375 in base-8), which necessarily increased the crew size (go figure) but also made another hardpoint available, allowing me to finally do the missile/sandcaster plus laser/energy weapon combo I'd really been wanting to do since it made for such a compelling capability mix (lots of roleplaying potential!). The increase in tonnage also bumped up the EP produced by the power plant(s) enough to be able to power not only the weapons but also an increase in computer models above the baseline 2 and 2bis that I had been stuck with up until that point.

So I built out all 4 versions in 240 tons and did a quick analysis of relative costs and capabilities ... and the 240 ton ships were simply SO much more capable than the 160 ton versions that I decided to drop that 160s as being economically non-viable (and a bit of a death trap to fly). I was also curious how much the 240 ton ships cost relative to the 160 ton ships and found a price increase of around 140% per ton on a 150% tonnage increase (so the "we'll make it up in volume" effect was making itself known for the economies of scale).

The problem was, at 6 parsecs of range, the 240 ton ships still had an absurdly tiny surviving cargo fraction (like 12 tons or less) which would make them non-viable through the Verge Connector except with the TL=11 J2 version.

So again, the ships "worked" ... but the results weren't all that satisfying and they all had very little cargo margin at long range. The real bugaboo though was that at 240 tons with a drive fraction of 17-21% I was looking at drive sections of 40.8-50.4 tons across the 4 variants, which meant I was needing 2 engineers on staff but substantially "wasting" a lot of crew capacity on the second engineer (since 2 engineers could maintain 70 tons of drives).



At that point I approached the problem from the other end and decided that if I'm going to have to pay for 2 engineers anyway, why not simply find out what the hull size limit for 70 tons worth of drives was.
70 / 0.21 = 333.333 for Jump-5, Maneuver-2, Power Plant-5 @ TL=14

The closest "conveniently divisible by 64" number below 333 was ... 320 ... exactly 2x the 160 tons that I had started out at.
320 * 0.21 = 67.2
320 * 0.22 = 70.4
So if I didn't want to have to add a 3rd engineer to the crew, I would need to settle for a 21% total drive fraction in order to keep combined total drive tonnage under 70 tons.

After that, a lot of things started to fall into place (like all of the drop tank tonnages trending towards wanting to be divisible by 8 all the time). At first I wanted to go with a single role crew for everything and had 3 turrets (because 320 ton hull), but the extra staterooms needed for that meant there wasn't enough cargo space for collapsible fuel to extend the range of the ships far enough out into the 5-6 parsec region without needing to resort to L-Hyd drop tanks (and the J4 and J5 versions still do need drop tanks to reach 6 parsecs, although the J2 and J3 versions can do so without drop tanks). The larger hull size (and power plant EP output) then made possible upgrades to both computers and weapons (specifically the Fusion Gun on the TL=13-14 variants) in combination with better computer model numbers than I had been able to afford previously.

When I priced everything out, even when accounting for the increased computer model numbers (which put a serious dent into the price increase measurements) the 320 ton version was running around 170-180% the price of the 160 ton starting point versions, while having 2x the displacement tonnage and a significantly large cargo bay size capable of carrying useful load quantities (not just single digits of cargo capacity remaining). It was the economy of scaling while still being able to limit the crew size (adequately) that allowed everything to finally come together into the form that you can see in all four of these posts.



Apologies for the sidetrack ramble, but I've been "living with" these 4 ships in my head for the last 2+ weeks and it's good to finally be able to get them "out" and published (finally!) so I don't have to keep spending (as much) headspace on them.

 

[Spinward Flow]

I then tried 240 tons (which is 375 in base-8)

Gah.
240 in base-10 = 360 in base-8

The management regrets the math error.