Planetary Phaser Batteries

[Owen E Oulton]

Redwood, what's your comfort level with all this? I don't mean to hijack your project.

[Tobian]

Yeah Redwood, moi also, I don't meant to impinge, just throwing some ideas into the pot.

[redwood973]

Are you kidding! I love this!

This whole thing got started because my group was debate the need for it at all. I started developing it simply because I was unable to find anything (game wise or other) about planetary batteries. The biggest source would be the SW ion cannon from SW:TESB.

If you both would like, I could .zip the word file and send it to both of you. I am afraid I have reached the end of my abilities with this project. You guys have some great ideas and I would love to see you develop them further.

[Tobian]

Yeah that should be cool. If i get the chance I'l crank up Illustrator over the next few days and churn out a concept sketch for what I was thinking - pictures are always a thousand words!

[redwood973]

.DXF is AutoCad's Drawing Exchange File, used to export CAD drawings to other programmes. .EPS in Encapsulated PostScript, another vector programme.

If you like, I can incorporate the plans into a .PDF for you, and maybe make it look a little more flashy.

--Owen E. Oulton

With my computer skills I think it best if someone else took over the layout. All I would like to see is that the deck plan still be included with datasheet rather than on its lonesome.

Just an observation, but I spotted you used the same seat for the 'head' as on the consoles, but you have the 'back' facing the wrong way.

--Tobian

Was playing around with a friend. We thought it looked like a better pot than the one I had been using. . .forgot to remove it before posting.

I think perhaps 2 transporters - one cargo and one regular is overkill for the facility, especially because the cargo transporter is larger than the door, or any of the jefries tubes in the facility! You would be better served by a single transporter which can be set to high or low resolution and expanding the cargo facility onto the back of the transporter pad (giving you more consumable storage areas!) You miught also want to ditch the coridoor on that side of the base and just have the computer and engineering sections go right off the cargo bay.

--Tobian

I had debated the need for transporters at all, but decided it would be a good thing to have available. I thought only the Cardassians had transporters that could be set high or low resolution? If Starfleet has the ability to do so that would make much more sense than having two.

Why is the battery limited to a 180 degree arc? It would make much more sense to give it a full 360 degree hemisphere of fire.

--Owen E. Oulton

One of the few topics of I could find on-line debated the arc of a planetary battery. It was agreed that such a battery would be of limited arc (180 degree being the best that could be hoped for). They seemed to be debating it for some game, I could not figure out which. After reading their posts I had gone with the 180 as it made sense. . .but I am in way against a change, your gaming experience far exceeds mine. Anything you guys can do to make this a playable (usable) game addition would be great.

Rather than the generic, somewhat Star Wars-ey illustration of the surface emplacement, I'd use the illustration of the standard Type XI Planetary Defense Phaser from the STDS9 TM.

--Owen E. Oulton

D'oh. I had not realized that in editing my very first post of this tread I had lost some important information. . .

The picture is an edited illustration from LUG's Planets of the UFP book. . .page 93 to be exact. And the floor plan is based upon the very fine work of Owen E. Oulton. It was looking through Owen's work that inspired me to attempt a floor plan for the battery.

As for the illustration of the Type XI from STS9 TM. . .I had no idea there was one. I had no clue that a planetary battery had ever been shown. I have that book, but an not finding it. Could you point me in the right direction?

I'd also make the emplacement two levels - a surface level consisting of a pop-up phaser battery and covered landing pad with a small lift (no need for a turbolift, but why use a ladder for normal access?) down to the control centre. This would be buried metres down to survive return fire, with an escape trunk leading out.

Since the battery can support 6 crew in alert periods, I'd put a fold-out upper bunk over the bed in each crew cabin - no need making the poor saps hot-bunk it.

--Owen E. Oulton

Excellent. I am really loving this project.

My inclination, should I have a go at this, would be to make the design round, mostly because I can imagin making a round hole is easier than a square one, and I can visualise there being a small 'bridge' in the centre, with all the rooms off it, sort of elegant.

--Tobian

I also like doing round outposts - it just seems more "Federation."

As I see it, the central core would more likely be the main reactor and the EPS shaft going up to power the phaser.

--Owen E. Oulton

Having a vertical power shaft would also be a really cool location for players to play in - something like the missile Silo in First Contact (with an EPS core instead of a missile or a warp ship of course!) leading up into the centre of the weapon, with the main controll room leading off this (with a transparent aluminium viewport in) - you could also put the 'elevator' in here, which they could also use for inspecting the EPS conduit.

--Tobian

I am loving this. I like the idea of having the bunker round. . .and as Tobain said the central power shaft would be a neat place to play around in. I am looking forward to having an adventure or two in one of thse. . .Tobian has already tossed out one adventrue idea.

Sorry redwood, getting carried away.

--Tobian

Well, have them carry ya back! No, this is really great. I like where you guys are going with this. The project as I have created it is the end result of my limited computer ability (and limited computer programs. . .all my "art" is done in .paint). I was not sure where I was going with this project (or even why. . .I did not see much use for this to be honest). Thanks to you guys I am really excited about this and looking forward to even playing it! Anything you guys can do to make this more playable (and more professional looking) would be excellent!

[Owen E Oulton]

"As for the illustration of the Type XI from STDS9 TM. . .I had no idea there was one. I had no clue that a planetary battery had ever been shown. I have that book, but an not finding it. Could you point me in the right direction?"

Page 87, lower illustration. Ther desciption establishing it as a Type XI is on the next page, directly facing the picture.

"I am loving this. I like the idea of having the bunker round. . .and as Tobain said the central power shaft would be a neat place to play around in. I am looking forward to having an adventure or two in one of thse. . .Tobian has already tossed out one adventrue idea."

Ever seen The Andromeda Strain? There's a neat scene in a vertical shaft there.

Re: Transporters. I don't see a problem with tro transporter units, personally. Personnel transporters are routinely used to transport non-living cargo on the various shows. I don't see cargo transporters as being lower resolution, just not as having as many redundant safeguards as personnel transporters and, of course usually being larger.

[Tobian]

Ok Owen are we talking about the same thing here, perhaps your version of the TM is different from mine - the Deep Space Nine technical manual ISBN 0-671-01563-x ? I see three phaser guns on page 87 and nothing that looks like it could be a Type XI or am I confusing your meaning ?

Speaking of transporters. The TNG technical manual details that the cargo transporters operate on a molecular resolution, rather than a quantum resolution (recording specific atomic energy and quantum momentum) - hence using more energy to transport anything! However it also says that regular transporters can be used to work in 'cargo' mode - so yes one transporter would do fine for both (Page 108 TNG technical manual 'Molecular resolution transport')

Yes I have seen the Andromeda strain - all of the sets on their would look great if you made them for a TOS version of the beam weapon

[Owen E Oulton]

Ooops, typo - should've read Page 82, not page 87...

Sorry 'bout 'dat, chief!

[redwood973]

Okay, I got it on page 82. Hum, not what I was expecting for a planetary battery. . .but I guess it makes sense having it be a pop-up works. No reason to having sitting around when not needed exposed to who knows what. And you can't really do that with the traditional battery look.

As for transporters I thought Federation transporters were not that fine tuned? I seem to remember them being impressed that the Cardassian units did both when the Federation first took over DS9. But that was some time ago I seen that.

I had to look up Andromeda Strain. Sounds interesting. I will have to see if I can find it and check it out.

[Tobian]

AHHH found it and yes I can see what you mean there ! Yeah, it looks the part, if a little under inspired I don't think it would take too much imagination to work up something that looks nicer (if on the same theme).

With regards to the Cardassian transporters, you have it the other way round. The Cardassian transporters were much more old-fashioned because they used a live transport, rather than use a pattern buffer, and O'Brien was complaining about having to install one or something - I think that was in the Emmisary. Generally speaking Cardassian technology was shown to be inferior to Federation tecnology, as we saw in the TNG episode their sensor technology was also quite far behind the Federation. The reason that the Cardassians did so well in the war with the Federation (the first one not the Dominion war!) is they used their amazing intelegence gathering techniques and excelent strategy - an esxcercise in not relying on technology too much

[Owen E Oulton]

I found another, nicer illo of the phaser battery from the Fact Files and have incorporated it into the document.

Here's a draft of the file:
http://www.coldnorth.com/owen/game/s...er-battery.pdf

Comments?

[Tobian]

WOW excelent stuff, which is kind of annoying as I got half way through my design LOL - now that I've seen yours I am not going to bother as I would have to draw out all of those glyphs myself!

The one feature I was considering making though however was placing the Fusion reactors to one side - the idea being that if they were going to overload they could be ejected through tubes which ran up paralel to the EPS conduit - also maing last ditch missiles if needed

I had also more or less decided to make it a 2 floor facility, because of the large EPS reactors taking up about a third of the ark.

Excelent stuff Owen, I guess Ill go sulk back to my space station, which I should probably be getting back to

[Phantom]

Originally posted by Owen E Oulton
I found another, nicer illo of the phaser battery from the Fact Files and have incorporated it into the document.

Here's a draft of the file:
http://www.coldnorth.com/owen/game/s...er-battery.pdf

Comments?

Very nice schematics, the illustration is good too. Sorry, but I have to say this, it looks like a giant toaster. Personally I prefered the "cannon" look of the early versions.

[redwood973]

Wow! Excellent as always Owen. Not sure how much you plan to still do, so you may be working on this still. . .I noticed the floor plan only shows the personnel transporter, while the text still lists personnel and cargo units.

I found another, nicer illo of the phaser battery from the Fact Files and have incorporated it into the document.

--Owen E. Oulton

Sorry, but I have to say this, it looks like a giant toaster.

--Phantom

LMAO. Yeah, now that you mention it. . .it does look like a giant toaster. I like the Fact File pic much more than the one from the DS9 TM. It is also nice having the little figure with it giving an idea of its size. I new it was big but wow! While I too like the traditional battery look, I would stick with the Fact File image. . .its what is used in the show.

Tobian, Owens work could be used for modern built planetary batteries. Built within the last 25 years. You could create the batteries these newer units replaced. You could even use the "cannon" style emitter to represent the pre-Type XI emitter.

Thus narrators could have a choise of a TNG era battery or a movie to pre-TNG era battery. Just a thought.

[Owen E Oulton]

Minor tweaking done:
http://www.coldnorth.com/owen/game/s...er-battery.pdf

Tobian, there's nothing to say that there's only one design of planetary defense battery. After all the Federation's been around for a couple hundred years.