[Karash]

I have thought and 'worked' on this for over a year, but never came up with anything I really loved without totally ripping off Battletech's tonnage/slot system. So, since this a community that prides itself on ideas, lets roll up our sleeves

This is what I had in mind when designing a ship:

============================== ===========================
Ship Properties

Ship Classification: <Light Fighter, Heavy Fighter, Transport, etc>
Mass: <Tonnage>
Base Cost: <credit cost, modifiable by tax and standings>

Shield Rating: <Total Shield Hitpoints / Recharge per second>
Armor Rating: <Total Armor Hitpoints>
Hull Rating: <Total Hull Hitpoints> (note: Hull damage effects ship components)

Electronics Rating: <Total Rating of Electronic equipment allowed>
Power Rating: <Total Power ie, Capacitor Rating>
Ammunition Magazines: <Number and Size of Magazine Stores>
ECM/ECCM Rating: <Total Strength of ECM and ECCM properties?>

Thrust Rating: <.... ?, time to max velocity?>
Max Velocity Rating: <Maximum velocity rating>
Fuel Capacity: <Total Fuel Capacity>
Fuel Burn Rating: <Burn Rate for Fuel per Mass Rating...?>

Cargo Capacity: <Total Size of Cargo Bay>

Ship Equipment Hardpoints

Nose Hardpoints: <Total Number Hardpoints/Size of Hardpoints>
Left Wing Hardpoints: <Total Number Hardpoints/Size of Hardpoints>
Right Wing Hardpoints: <Total Number Hardpoints/Size of Hardpoints>
Fuselage Hardpoints: <Total Number Hardpoints/Size of Hardpoints>

Turret Hardpoints: <Total Number of Hardpoints/Size of Turrets>
============================== ===========================

Some brief notes:

Hardpoints would be both numbered and sized. So a light fighter could have 4 weapon hardpoints on a particular hull, but they all could be sized to some small value like 2. This would prevent smaller ships from fitting obviously oversized weapons. Left and Right wing hardpoints are separate for asymetical ship models, and to give some flavor to the ships in general. Anyone want to pilot a B-Wing for example?

Turrets are there for multi-crew ships.

All ship equipment would have 3 universial values associated: Mass, Power Consumption, and Electronics 'cost'. Every ship is limited by its design on how much high powered equipment you put on by its power use and electronic use. If a ship has 600 electronic rating, you cannot fit equipment that has a sum of 601 or greater. Some ships would have a very high electronics rating but lower power rating....these ships would be more recon and covert ops type ships.

This is just what I started on...anyone want to chip in and help design a system with some actual math?

[Karash]

Hey Jump, did you move this from the suggestions forum?

Or did I post in the wrong area?

[Pyrophred]

Looks good from here. would the cargo be tied to the total mass of the ship as well? basically, yes you can carry 1000 units of uranium on your hold but at that point you could only mount Respects?

Another thing (feel free to ignore it if ya want) Asymmetrical designs might look neat on paper, but would be severly impractical as an application in fighter scale ships. (the B-Wing for instance always seems to get locked with the cockpit on "top" in the games)

[GrimGriz]

Originally Posted by Karash

Turrets are there for multi-crew ships.

Damn, ya lost me.

[Karash]

Cargo would obviously add mass to the ship. In fact, adding and overload of ammo would also be affecting your ship as well.

[Wild_Bill]

ummm I like the idea of stuffing an obviously too big weapon and a humongous engine in a small ship with virtually no armor and paper thin shields. Why not just give x number of slots/hard points and let folks work out what they think is the best combo for their current mission? Instead of having 4 small gun slots, why not just one sz 4 gun? slice and dice on the shield/cap/powerplant/engine components. Give them 30 slots or so and let the player alot them where and how they wish.

Balance you say? Why? Most will quickly work out the consensus of the "best" load outs for the average mission, but a pilot won't be bound by that consensus and can use those 30 slots anyway they wish. Doesn't have to be 30 slots. Could be 30 per small ship (light fighter/scout/ranger) 45 for medium ship (fast transport/medium fighter) 60 for medium large (transport/fighter) 100 for the large (light miner/bomber) 250 for the extra large (medium miner/medium transport) 500 for the Super (tow/heavy miner) and 1000 for the OMG (tug/super miner). Or whatever numbers you want to use, but you get the idea.

Hard to match the art-work with the equipment? Do you really care whether your ship image matches what's inside? Or have the graphics match the equipment (a rail guns looks like this a lazer looks like that. A single engine had one nozzle this size; a larger engine has a nozzle like this. Three large engines look like that. And on and on). I only look out the windshield anyway. What do I really care about what the outside looks like. It's like getting bald on the top of you head... other than sunburn, what do you really care about how it looks? Since you can't see it anyway, you end up relying on someone else's opinion anyway. If you care that is. Same in game. I care how it works not how it looks.

Currently in Jumpgate Classic you see the ship profile and you've got a pretty good idea what kind of armament they have. Particularly if you shoot at them and they shoot back. Takes almost no time at all. But with the "slice and dice" format you will never be quite sure until you're so close a mistake could immediately turn into a pod ride. Being a mostly non-combat kind of guy, I definitely like this idea!

[dahalb]

This idea has been implemented in a few single player games. Haven't yet seen it in an MMO but I'd like to.

[Karash]

Originally Posted by Wild_Bill

ummm I like the idea of stuffing an obviously too big weapon and a humongous engine in a small ship with virtually no armor and paper thin shields. Why not just give x number of slots/hard points and let folks work out what they think is the best combo for their current mission? Instead of having 4 small gun slots, why not just one sz 4 gun? slice and dice on the shield/cap/powerplant/engine components. Give them 30 slots or so and let the player alot them where and how they wish.

Balance you say? Why? Most will quickly work out the consensus of the "best" load outs for the average mission, but a pilot won't be bound by that consensus and can use those 30 slots anyway they wish. Doesn't have to be 30 slots. Could be 30 per small ship (light fighter/scout/ranger) 45 for medium ship (fast transport/medium fighter) 60 for medium large (transport/fighter) 100 for the large (light miner/bomber) 250 for the extra large (medium miner/medium transport) 500 for the Super (tow/heavy miner) and 1000 for the OMG (tug/super miner). Or whatever numbers you want to use, but you get the idea.

Hard to match the art-work with the equipment? Do you really care whether your ship image matches what's inside? Or have the graphics match the equipment (a rail guns looks like this a lazer looks like that. A single engine had one nozzle this size; a larger engine has a nozzle like this. Three large engines look like that. And on and on). I only look out the windshield anyway. What do I really care about what the outside looks like. It's like getting bald on the top of you head... other than sunburn, what do you really care about how it looks? Since you can't see it anyway, you end up relying on someone else's opinion anyway. If you care that is. Same in game. I care how it works not how it looks.

Currently in Jumpgate Classic you see the ship profile and you've got a pretty good idea what kind of armament they have. Particularly if you shoot at them and they shoot back. Takes almost no time at all. But with the "slice and dice" format you will never be quite sure until you're so close a mistake could immediately turn into a pod ride. Being a mostly non-combat kind of guy, I definitely like this idea!

I dont think a total slot system would work, but again...I agree that you should be able to fit oversized weapons on smaller craft. In Battletech you could add anything you wanted up to the total tonnage allowed for that mech. Jumpgate could do something similiar, but it would be a blatent rip off.

ND should actually go get an old AeroTech book to see how they made their space fighters. Great stuff.

[Pyrophred]

Originally Posted by dahalb

This idea has been implemented in a few single player games. Haven't yet seen it in an MMO but I'd like to.

Actually SWG has something like this. Hardpoints for various equipment, and total mass. beyond that the only limits are yer level and bank account