Ping Robject: T5 Ship-Design Errata?

[SpaceBadger]

Rob, I am anticipating receiving the T5 CD soon; in fact, based on Marc's past performance, I expect to have it waiting for me when I return from my son's AIT graduation on Tuesday.

The official T5 errata has not been updated in almost a year, but I am holding out hope that perhaps you have accumulated your own collection of the ship-design errata, since you have worked with that so much? If so, would you share, please?

 

[Spartan159]

I have noticed the cost modifier for tech level efficiency does not match between the table on 338 and page 500, and I am confused about drive size calculations and how they interact with the chart on page 338.

Furthermore I have yet to see variant tonnages for starship construction based on the table on page 500.

This padawan seeks enlightenment, oh Master Robject

 

[dalthor]

Rob has posted a LOT of ships to the list. I seem to recall that a couple of them did include some stage effect adjustments.

I'm not in Rob's class, but I did hand-build a ship, and used the tech level stage effects. The thread is at

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=31136

Don't know if that will help you, but it may be a start. I tried to build the entire ship at TL-16, and that meant of lot of stage effects applied. I did CUSTOMIZE my drives, so they have better effects than the book allows; IMTU custom-built will usually be anywhere to 10% to 20% more efficient than what is generally available.

Trial and error has pointed out some things about the BBB method that could be improved.

I have a lot of questions, too, and submitted some errata I found regarding ships. There are a couple of loose threads regarding shipbuilding, and Rob has posted more on ships than anybody.

I look forward to his posts...

 

[Spartan159]

Actually something that caught my attention is partial sizing, what if you don't need 200 tons/hour fuel scooping? can you build scoops 1/10 size for 20 tons/hour?

Another thing was time. powerplant fuel was measured in months. 30 days? 28 days? I calculated a mod. p-plant (fuel efficiency .9) as needing 3.6 tons for one month. How many days can I run it if I use 4 tons?

Thanks for the example, I will look closely at it. Rob has put out a lot of stuff, I have only skimmed at the moment of the ones I already knew from CT.

/shrug I have tons of questions but a desire to not annoy people trying to work hard on T5 already.

 

[dalthor]

For what it is worth, this is the TL stage effects table I use at this time, based on the drive table on page 338, and the stage effects table on page 500:

                                 Drive
      Model      TL Cost Mod   Eff  Fuel   Q   R   E   B   S  Ship    Gun   Thing
Exp Experimental -3  x10  -3    50%  2.0   Q  -2  -3  +3  -3   x3     x2     x3
Pro Prototype    -2  x5   -2    80%  1.2   Q  -2  -2  +2  -2   x2     x1.9   x2
Ear Early        -1  x2   -1    90%  1.1   Q      -1  +1  -1   x1     x1.7   x1.5
Std Standard      0  x1    0   100%  1.0   Q                                     
Bas Basic         0  /2    0    90%  1.1   Q      -1  +1       x1     x1.3   x1.2
Alt Alternate     0  x1    0   100%  1.0   Q   F   F   F   F   x1     x1.1   x1
Gen Generic      +1  /2    0    90%  1.1   5   0   0   0   0   x1     x1     x1.5
Imp Improved     +1  x1   +1   110%  0.9   Q  +1  +1  -1  +1   x1     x1     x1.5
Mod Modified     +2  /2   +2   110%  0.9   Q  +2  +2  -2  +2   /2     x0.9   x0.9
Adv Advanced     +3  x2   +3   120%  0.8   Q  +3  +3  -3  +3   /3     x0.8   x0.8
Ult Ultimate     +4  x3   +4   130%  0.7   Q  +4  +4  -4  +4   /4     x0.7   x0.5

IMTU a custom design can be built, with improvements based on the original type.
These components have a bonus over and above the original. It adds 20% to efficiency
over the same normal design, and has a corresponding decrease in fuel use.

Cus Custom       *   x4    *   +20%  -0.2   Q  +1  +1  -1  +1   /4     ??     ??
  * reflects the original modifier

For example, an Ultimate Custom jump drive would look like this for bonuses:
Ult Ultimate Cus +4  x4    +4  150%  0.5   Q  +5  +5  -5  +5   /4     ??     ??

It would be 150% efficient, and use 50% of the fuel compared to a standard drive.

I haven't messed with the gun or thing makers yet, which is why those two items are ?? for Custom settings.

As always, YMMV.

 

[Spartan159]

Nice... Yoink! consider it ... borrowed *grin* BTW do you have an update to that Nexus class ship?

 

[dalthor]

Actually something that caught my attention is partial sizing, what if you don't need 200 tons/hour fuel scooping? can you build scoops 1/10 size for 20 tons/hour?

Another thing was time. powerplant fuel was measured in months. 30 days? 28 days? I calculated a mod. p-plant (fuel efficiency .9) as needing 3.6 tons for one month. How many days can I run it if I use 4 tons?

Thanks for the example, I will look closely at it. Rob has put out a lot of stuff, I have only skimmed at the moment of the ones I already knew from CT.

/shrug I have tons of questions but a desire to not annoy people trying to work hard on T5 already.

Fuel fittings, at least in the Big Black Book (BBB) don't have any modifications. I posted a response to this fuel thread, with my thoughts:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=30947

In case it isn't clear, I fully support tech level adjustments. lol

For powerplants, figure one month as 30 days, based on the standard Imperial calendar. Divide base (calculated) fuel tons by 30 to find fuel use per day; in your example, the plant uses .12 (or 3.6/30) tons per day. With 4 tons instead of 3.6, you get 33.33 days.

As far as the Nexus class, I've tinkered a bit, but not much since the original. I'm waiting for errata to see if I need some adjustments. Just for kicks, see my thread regarding efficiency and ship over-mass at

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=31180

to get a feel for a way to...err...increase what you can carry on jump. Then imagine an external "pod" with a couple of hundred tons of space that could be within the jump bubble of the Nexus, and extrapolate from there.

<possible spoiler alert -scroll down to see more>





For that matter, imagine an SDB caught with the bubble, and erroneously carried along. "Gee, officer, I don't know HOW my drive malfunctioned enough to bring you along..." lmao

 

[dalthor]

Cus Custom       *   x4    *   +20%  -0.2   Q  +1  +1  -1  +1   /4     ??     ??
  * reflects the original modifier

For example, an Ultimate Custom jump drive would look like this for bonuses:
Ult Ultimate Cus +4  x4    +4  150%  0.5   Q  +5  +5  -5  +5   /4     ??     ??

It would be 150% efficient, and use 50% of the fuel compared to a standard drive.

I haven't messed with the gun or thing makers yet, which is why those two items are ?? for Custom settings.

As always, YMMV.

I added the custom section to my table as I worked on the reply. This was the first time I put it in writing, though I've been using it IMTU.

CORRECTION: the custom section quoted above should read as follows:

Cus Custom       *   x2    *   +20%  -0.2   Q  +1  +1  -1  +1   /4     ??     ??
  * reflects the original modifier

For example, an Ultimate Custom jump drive would look like this for bonuses:
Ult Ultimate CUS +4  x8    +4  150%  0.5   Q  +5  +5  -5  +5   /4     ??     ??

It would be 150% efficient, and use 50% of the fuel compared to a standard drive.

 

[Spartan159]

Actually I thought the cost on an Ultimate Custom item would be (x3*x4)=x12?

And I did read those threads, I had forgotten. Thanks for reminding me. If you can have more than one drive I see no reason you can not have more than one purifier on board. My take on the drive efficiency would be to reduce the drive size but that's just me.

 

[SpaceBadger]

The sheer bulk of alternative errata suggestions received in response to this thread demonstrates why I asked my original question, addressed to Robject:

Rob, I am anticipating receiving the T5 CD soon; in fact, based on Marc's past performance, I expect to have it waiting for me when I return from my son's AIT graduation on Tuesday.

The official T5 errata has not been updated in almost a year, but I am holding out hope that perhaps you have accumulated your own collection of the ship-design errata, since you have worked with that so much? If so, would you share, please?

Since Rob has posted so many examples of ships built with T5, I'm interested in what subset of suggested errata he has adopted for his own use in these designs.

 

[Spartan159]

BTW congratulation your son's graduation SpaceBadger, best of luck to him.

 

[SpaceBadger]

BTW congratulation your son's graduation SpaceBadger, best of luck to him.

Thanks. He's just finished his course at Fort Sill, learning to be an artillery counter-battery radar operator.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Looking forward to US Army Artillery Museum tomorrow at Ft Sill, then home tomorrow night and getting into new set of Traveller CDs.