Pondering starship evolution

[bookwyrm]

So 100% for one and 50% for the other instead of 75% for both.

I like that it's an easy 'fix' to use. Checking it out soon.

 

[Spinward Flow]

So I was wanting to take another Analysis of Alternatives look a 6G Fighter small craft intended to be able to tow external loads as a "utility factor" when not engaging in combat. In this analysis, I've stripped the small craft down to their "mandatory minimums" of installed equipment, intentionally leaving any "spare tonnage" in the form of a cargo hold (which can then be obviously refitted/repurposed as needed for specialized roles).

The important thing to note, in terms of "upgrades" is:

• Replace model/2 computer with model/3 computer @ TL=9 requires the allocation of +4 tons (+1 ton for computer, +3 tons for power plant generating +1 EP).
• Replace model/2 computer with model/4 computer @ TL=A requires the allocation of +8 tons (+2 tons for computer, +6 tons for power plant generating +2 EP).
• Replace model/2 computer with model/5 computer @ TL=B requires the allocation of +12 tons (+3 tons for computer, +9 tons for power plant generating +3 EP).
• Replace model/2 computer with model/6 computer @ TL=C requires the allocation of +20 tons (+5 tons for computer, +15 tons for power plant generating +5 EP).
• Replace 1 missile launcher with 1 laser (pulse or beam) requires the allocation of +3 tons for power plant to generate the +1 EP *IF* the laser is intended to be used in combat. However, if the laser is meant to be used for utility/mining purposes only (and is routinely powered down in combat) when reduced agility shouldn't be an issue, no additional tonnage for increased EP generation need be necessary.
• Single occupancy small craft staterooms cost 2 tons, each.
• Single occupancy starship staterooms cost 4 tons, each.
• Vehicle berths for an air/raft or prospecting buggy cost 4 tons, each.

So with those "upgrade" factors in mind, what are the base bones baselines for 6G small craft with a bridge+computer+turret in the 20, 30, 40 and 50 ton displacement classes when using LBB5.80 design paradigm criteria?

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Fighter Provincial (Type-FP, TL=9)
20 tons small craft hull, configuration: 1 (MCr2.4)
0 tons for Armor: 0 (TL=9)
3.4 tons for LBB5.80 custom Maneuver-6 (Agility=6 requires 1.2 EP) (MCr1.7)
3.6 tons for LBB5.80 custom Power Plant-6 (EP=1.2) (MCr10.8)
1 ton for fuel (16d 06h 41m endurance @ 1.2 EP output+basic power continuous) (basic power only consumes 0.01 tons of fuel per 7d)
4 tons for bridge (crew: 2, pilot, gunner, acceleration couches life support endurance: 12-24 hours) (MCr0.1)
2 tons for model/2 computer (EP: 0) (MCr9)
1 ton for triple turret: missile, missile, missile (TL=9, batteries: 3, codes: 1/1/1, EP: 0, 3 missiles per battery, 12 reloads in turret shared between missile launchers) (MCr3.35)
* External Docking: 150 tons capacity (MCr0.3)
5 tons for cargo hold

= 0+3.4+3.6+1+4+2+1+5 = 20 tons
= 2.4+0+1.7+10.8+0.1+9+3.35+0.3 = MCr27.65 (21x HE Missiles = MCr0.105, post-construction)

• 1G, Agility=0: 170 - 20 = 150 tons external load
• 1G, Agility=1: 120 - 20 = 100 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=1: 68 - 20 = 48 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=2: 60 - 20 = 40 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=2: 42 - 20 = 22 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=3: 40 - 20 = 20 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=4: 30 - 20 = 10 tons external load
• 5G, Agility=5: 24 - 20 = 4 tons external load
• 6G, Agility=6: 20 - 20 = 0 tons external load

=====

Fighter Provincial (Type-FP, TL=9)
30 tons small craft hull, configuration: 1 (MCr3.36)
0 tons for Armor: 0 (TL=9)
5.1 tons for LBB5.80 custom Maneuver-6 (Agility=6 requires 1.8 EP) (MCr2.55)
5.4 tons for LBB5.80 custom Power Plant-6 (EP=1.8) (MCr16.2)
1 ton for fuel (10d 20h 27m endurance @ 1.8 EP output+basic power continuous) (basic power only consumes 0.015 tons of fuel per 7d)
6 tons for bridge (crew: 2, pilot, gunner, acceleration couches life support endurance: 12-24 hours) (MCr0.15)
2 tons for model/2 computer (EP: 0) (MCr9)
1 ton for triple turret: missile, missile, missile (TL=9, batteries: 3, codes: 1/1/1, EP: 0, 3 missiles per battery, 12 reloads in turret shared between missile launchers) (MCr3.35)
* External Docking: 225 tons capacity (MCr0.45)
9.5 tons for cargo hold

= 0+5.1+5.4+1+6+2+1+9.5 = 30 tons
= 2.4+0+2.55+16.2+0.15+9+3.35+0.45 = MCr34.1 (21x HE Missiles = MCr0.105, post-construction)

• 1G, Agility=0: 255 - 30 = 225 tons external load
• 1G, Agility=1: 180 - 30 = 150 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=1: 102 - 30 = 72 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=2: 90 - 30 = 60 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=2: 63 - 30 = 33 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=3: 60 - 30 = 30 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=3: 46 - 30 = 16 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=4: 45 - 30 = 15 tons external load
• 5G, Agility=5: 36 - 30 = 4 tons external load
• 6G, Agility=6: 30 - 30 = 0 tons external load

=====

Fighter Provincial (Type-FP, TL=9)
40 tons small craft hull, configuration: 1 (MCr4.8)
0 tons for Armor: 0 (TL=9)
6.8 tons for LBB5.80 custom Maneuver-6 (Agility=6 requires 2.4 EP) (MCr3.4)
7.2 tons for LBB5.80 custom Power Plant-6 (EP=2.4) (MCr21.6)
1 ton for fuel (8d 03h 20m endurance @ 2.4 EP output+basic power continuous) (basic power only consumes 0.02 tons of fuel per 7d)
8 tons for bridge (crew: 2, pilot, gunner, acceleration couches life support endurance: 12-24 hours) (MCr0.2)
2 tons for model/2 computer (EP: 0) (MCr9)
1 ton for triple turret: missile, missile, missile (TL=9, batteries: 3, codes: 1/1/1, EP: 0, 3 missiles per battery, 12 reloads in turret shared between missile launchers) (MCr3.35)
* External Docking: 300 tons capacity (MCr0.6)
14 tons for cargo hold

= 0+6.8+7.2+1+8+2+1+14 = 30 tons
= 4.8+0+3.5+21.6+0.2+9+3.35+0.6 = MCr43.05 (21x HE Missiles = MCr0.105, post-construction)

• 1G, Agility=0: 340 - 40 = 300 tons external load
• 1G, Agility=1: 240 - 40 = 200 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=1: 136 - 40 = 96 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=2: 120 - 40 = 80 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=2: 85 - 40 = 45 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=3: 80 - 40 = 40 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=3: 61 - 40 = 21 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=4: 60 - 40 = 20 tons external load
• 5G, Agility=5: 48 - 40 = 8 tons external load
• 6G, Agility=6: 40 - 40 = 0 tons external load

=====

Fighter Provincial (Type-FP, TL=9)
50 tons small craft hull, configuration: 1 (MCr6)
0 tons for Armor: 0 (TL=9)
8.5 tons for LBB5.80 custom Maneuver-6 (Agility=6 requires 3 EP) (MCr4.25)
9 tons for LBB5.80 custom Power Plant-6 (EP=3) (MCr27)
1 ton for fuel (6d 12h 16m endurance @ 3 EP output+basic power continuous) (basic power only consumes 0.025 tons of fuel per 7d)
10 tons for bridge (crew: 2, pilot, gunner, acceleration couches life support endurance: 12-24 hours) (MCr0.25)
2 tons for model/2 computer (EP: 0) (MCr9)
1 ton for triple turret: missile, missile, missile (TL=9, batteries: 3, codes: 1/1/1, EP: 0, 3 missiles per battery, 12 reloads in turret shared between missile launchers) (MCr3.35)
* External Docking: 375 tons capacity (MCr0.75)
18.5 tons for cargo hold

= 0+8.5+9+1+10+2+1+18.5 = 30 tons
= 6+0+4.25+27+0.25+9+3.35+0.75 = MCr50.6 (21x HE Missiles = MCr0.105, post-construction)

• 1G, Agility=0: 425 - 50 = 375 tons external load
• 1G, Agility=1: 300 - 50 = 250 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=1: 170 - 50 = 120 tons external load
• 2G, Agility=2: 150 - 50 = 100 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=2: 106 - 50 = 56 tons external load
• 3G, Agility=3: 100 - 50 = 50 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=3: 77 - 50 = 27 tons external load
• 4G, Agility=4: 75 - 50 = 25 tons external load
• 5G, Agility=5: 60 - 50 = 10 tons external load
• 6G, Agility=6: 50 - 50 = 0 tons external load

---

Because of the ... fungibility ... of cargo hold tonnage, these three designs make it rather apparent that the overall pattern is:

• Add +10 tons of hull, get +4.5 tons of cargo hold capacity

Which makes sense, because @ TL=9-B ... 6G maneuver costs 17% of the hull displacement, power plant-6 costs 18% of the hull displacement (@TL=9-C) and the bridge costs 20% of the hull displacement. Add those together and you get 17+18+20=55% of the hull ... so naturally if you increase the hull size by 10 tons, you gain a net 4.5 tons to allocate elsewhere to internal systems other than drives and bridge (which for the purposes of this Analysis of Alternatives defaults to cargo hold).

Incidentally, for anyone "playing the home game" with this kind of analysis, using the LBB5.80 design paradigm for small craft ... a 4G maneuver drive costs 11% of the hull displacement, power plant-4 costs 12% of the hull displacement (@TL=9-C) and the bridge costs 20% of the hull displacement. Add those together and you get 11+12+20=43% of the hull ... which in the context of a 50 ton Modular Cutter means that you're 3% short of being able to squeeze a 30 ton Modular Cutter Module "internally" into the design (since that would cost 60% of the 50 tons total displacement). And that's not even including the necessary "extra" tonnage for fuel (minimum 1 ton), computer (minimum 1 ton if the craft is to be armed) and turret (minimum 1 ton for fire control).

So ... yeah ... the LBB2.77/81 small craft have some "explaining to do" with regards to their design parameters.

 

[Spinward Flow]

What I'm noticing from this Analysis of Alternatives is that, from a military standpoint:

• In terms of TL=9, the 20 tons Fighter is "all you need" with its 5 tons of (multi-purpose) cargo hold payload fraction.
  • This is sufficient to upgrade to a computer model/3 (top of the line for TL=9) and still have 1 ton remaining for cargo hold payload fraction, if you want a short range (12-24 hour life support endurance) small craft. For longer life support endurance absent a support parent craft, 1-2x small craft staterooms or 1x starship stateroom will be required, precluding the option of an upgrade to a model/3 computer.
• In terms of TL=A, the most broadly flexible option is actually the 30 tons Fighter with its 9.5 tons of (multi-purpose) cargo hold payload fraction.
  • This is sufficient to upgrade to a computer model/4 (top of the line for TL=A) and still have 1.5 tons remaining for cargo hold payload fraction, if you want a short range (12-24 hour life support endurance) small craft. For longer life support endurance absent a support parent craft, 1-2x small craft staterooms or 1x starship stateroom will be required, which is compatible with an upgrade to a model/3 computer, but not a model/4.
• In terms of TL=B, the most broadly flexible option is actually the 40 tons Fighter with its 14 tons of (multi-purpose) cargo hold payload fraction.
  • This is sufficient to upgrade to a computer model/5 (top of the line for TL=B) and still have 2 tons remaining for cargo hold payload fraction. The remaining 2 tons could then be spent on a small craft stateroom to be used by a crew of 1 (pilot/gunner) or a crew of 2 (pilot, gunner) or (pilot/gunner, pilot/gunner) in either single or double occupancy.

This means that the TL=9-B range is more or less the "heyday" for small craft fighters, when they're able to (somewhat) economically mount computers that put them at parity with all competitors in their tech level range. By TL=C+ you're starting to need "heavier" (and heavier!) fighter tonnages in order to keep pace with the advancements in computer models. Eventually, it is no longer possible to mount "current TL" computer models into small craft (the computer tonnage and EP requirements are too large to fit within a small craft hull), so "fighters" have to move into the realm of Big Craft (100+ tons) in order to keep pace with increasing computer model numbers.

From a "minimalist" perspective, the 20 ton Fighter @ TL=9 can do "everything you need" in a combatant, but will be rapidly outclassed by tech level advancements (in computers, especially, since model/2-3 do not remain "competitive" for long).

However, in terms of a "kinetics per credit" perspective, the 30 ton Fighter @ TL=9-A has a large enough (multi-purpose) cargo hold/payload fraction to be broadly useful in a remarkably wide variety of roles, ranging from (mere) utility to direct combat, up to and including a variety of Q-craft options, as well as long endurance shuttle mission roles (depending on accommodations outfitting).

The 40 ton Fighter @ TL=B, however, looks like an extremely compelling option for a system defense patrol (small) craft. With a model/5 computer and a stateroom (1) for the crew, such small craft would be able to undertake multi-day patrols, widening the defensive perimeter around parent craft/support bases these 40 ton Fighters would return to for replenishment of life support supplies, expended ordnance, fuel and (of course) crew rotations.