New Starship Design -- Need Help!

[Gabe Mitchell]

I've spent the last few days trying to come up with some sort of starship for post-Dominion era, but am admittedly having a few problems with making it into a reality. Hopefully some of you knowledgeable folks (like Sea Tyger, for instance... excellent work on your Starfleet conversions, btw) can help me out.

Like Sea Tyger, I've been looking at trying to make a large, multi-mission capable starship to buck the growing tide of smaller, specialized starships... in fact, I had idly been considering a starship capable of actually going intergalactic, but I've not completely decided on that just yet.

My problem, alas, is trying to make the elements fit together into a cohesive whole.

My original thoughts were a quad-nacelle design (possibly an exploratory or heavy cruiser, but also possibly an explorer or heavy explorer) utilizing variable geometry warp nacelles (similar to the Intrepid-class starship's warp nacelles) to simulate a prototype co-axial warp drive, or perhaps a quantum slipstream drive with a backup conventional warp drive as a secondary FTL propulsion system. While I like the Prometheus-class design (as it tends to fit best in comparison with the design I see in my head), the size of the ship makes several aspects of my vision space and cost-prohibitive. It appears that, in order to put together everything I'm wanting, I'm going to need a size 8 spaceframe, minimum... and I'm not certain I should go much bigger, unless I decide to make the design capable of intergalactic travel (since, if I have the calculations right, it would take something like 278 days to get to the Andromeda galaxy using a reliable QSD).

I had also originally considered making this a Zodiac-class, but Sea Tyger already has dibs on that class name, and I don't want to copy it... but that's something I can figure out on my own.

Any thoughts or ideas on how to make the design work? All comments are more than welcome.

[KillerWhale]

I don't see what would be wrong with a Size 8 ship. After all, this design intends to do some heavy exploration work, and the QSD would give it a wide range of action. So I would have no quibbles with a ship that big.

As for the design, AFAIK the QSD does not show any exterior signs. The nacelles would therefore go for the backup warp drive, and then I would say two for a backup system are enough.

[Gabe Mitchell]

Forgot about that. Now that I think about it, though, I do remember that the Dauntless didn't have any sort of apparent nacelle design (at least not that I remember from the expanded second-edition Star Trek Encyclopedia), so that makes sense.

Probably, if I go the QSD route, it'll just be a twin-nacelle configuration (though I think I'll stick with the variable geometry stuff). If I go the co-axial warp drive (assuming anyone's come up with any sort of game mechanics for it), that's when I'd want the quad-nacelle look, since I'd be trying to go for two nacelles each on the horizontal and vertical axes... alas, I've not seen the Voyager episode with the co-axial warp drive testing, so I've no idea whether I've even got the basic idea right, or whether it can just be done with two warp nacelles. My idea was to try and maximize the efficiency of maintaining the subspace field at higher warp factors.

[KillerWhale]

AFAIR the coaxial warp drive is not so powerful or anything, it's just going a tad faster that the classical warp drive, works differently, but it's nowhere near a QSD or a transwarp coil. I thought about including the coaxial warp drive into E.S.O. but frankly, it's just a classical warp drive with a different visual effect to me. In the era where you're playing, I'd say the big thing is the QSD, it's the best technological advance available.

Just my two cents

[IceGiant]

And becasue it is just a new type of "warp drive" you could always just have a ship refitted with the co-axial drive, saving yourself the bother of a new design and what it looks like.

Just my thoughts.

[Gabe Mitchell]

Ah, okay. I've evidently been confused about how good co-axial warp drives would be, then. I had thought it was something akin to the QSD or the Borg transwarp coil...

At any rate, I plan on trying to sketch out the stats for my new class of starship, and probably post them tomorrow for everyone's viewing pleasure (and critiques). Thanks for the help, guys.

[Tobian]

I would have to disagree on the point about the Co-axial ar Drive, it is a space folding drive, hence it is far faster than the Qantum Slipstream drive! - as I seem to themember the unit was fed with a stream of subatomic particles. It then rearanged the internal geometries of these particles and this created a distortion field around the vesel, effectivelly folding space. This is a space folding technique akin to Frank Herberts DUNE technology.

Now as to what you should have.. I do agree there's nothing wrong with taking a vessel spaceframe like the Dauntless (which does have traditional Warp Nacelles, though they may not do anything for the drive) and scale it up to size 8.. The more modern ships in Starfleet (such as the Promethius class) seem to have these pointy forward sections for speed.

I would say if you buy he ship you would have to purchase both a Warp drive and a Quantum slipstream drive. The Nacelles are the functional part of the Warp drive, but the Deflector array is the QSD's essential component - so you'll need t remember that if it's taken offline during combat!

Personally I would avoid the Space folding drive - it's too powerful and as shown in that episode was the size of a PC tower case - i think it's too far into the realms of Q to be something you should be having.. besides as you say - Andromeda is reachable in half a year - and don't forget - there are other things to aim for - The Milky way also has several other much smaller but much closer neighbours too. I would have thought that Starfleet would avoid the Andromeda Galaxy for now anyway.. they don't want to upset the Kelvans

[KillerWhale]

I don't remember such a powerful device for the CWD? I'd have to check the ep (somebody remember the title? Was it Alice?). I don't think it travels that fast, otherwise the Voy people would have installed it on Voyager a long time ago, as they had total access to the technology and had plenty of time to study it - AFAIR.

[Tobian]

Read about it here..

http://www.ditl.org/scitech/hedcoaxial.htm

[KillerWhale]

Thanks for the resource! I should have been able to find it alone

Well, I see nothing in that that means the CWD is more powerful than the QSD... Granted, it folds space and renders travel immediate, but IMO the distances covered in one jump does not make it essentially more efficient than a classical warp drive. Folding space over vast distances requires a high amount of energy, and only "short" distances can be covered in one go. Otherwise I would say Voyager would have installed this drive onboard... No?

[Tobian]

not really, because they installed it on a shuttle. If a shuttle can power it enough, then a starship can too.

Yes this is just another one of those inconsistent 'wouldn't that be cool' epsiodes where Voyager got yet another 'faster than normal warp drive' of the week, which it then conveniently forgot about... in this case they never even bothered to explain it with 'fractures on the hull' or some such other nonsense.. or why Seven, who was a Borg drone for the last 15 years or so - still couldn't figure out how to make a functional Transwarp drive!

Lets just brush it under the carpet with the rest of the collection

[KillerWhale]

'xactly

Well, at least they didn't forget about the QSD... Because it's the most efficient? I think so but, hey, to each his own

(Dang it, just tripped over an Iconian portal under the carpet... )

[JonA]

Hello,

If you're interested I've got the stats for the ship in my current campaign, the USS Cortez. A Size 10 Heavy Explorer with QSD and warp drive (and yes I did take the additional cost for having QSD four times so it can power a ship of size 10). The QSD is based upon the designs Voyager brought back and the ASDB (Advanced Starship Design Bureau) at Utopia Planitia worked on it for a Starfleet version.

It's my own design but it's fairly decent. Crew of 1500 though so it might be a bit big for your needs. Not exactly for the purist Star Trek fan i'll admit but the players are enjoying the campaign and thats what really counts.

In my campaign the ship is also escorted by a heavily modified Defiant Class with QSD (purely there as a bit off compacted muscle). Got stats for that too but it's probably a bit small for your needs.

Let me know if you want me to post them. Although it'll be next Tuesday before I'm back on the boards (Monday being a Workers Holiday - or Bank Holiday as we call it - in the UK).

[Gabe Mitchell]

Well, I held true to my word, and statted up a possibility. My flavor text is gonna be on the fly, as I didn't have enough time before bed to get it completed to my satisfaction, but hey, I'll deal.

At any rate, here we go...

==============================================

Starfleet Odyssey-Class Heavy Explorer; Commissioned: 2384

Hull Data

Structure: 40
Size/Decks: 9/36
Length/Height/Beam: 738/144/285
Complement: 900

Tactical Data

Phasers: Type XII (1 av, 1 fv, 1 ad, 1 fd) (C)
Penetration: 5/4/4/0/0
Torpedo Launcher: Photonic Missiles (1 av, 1 fv, 1 ad, 1 fd) (D)
Penetration: 8/8/8/8/8
Deflector Shield: FSS-3 (F)
Protection/Threshold: 18/6

Propulsion Data

Impulse System: FIG-5 (D)
Warp System: QSD (x3) (9.9999) (D); LF-62 (8/9/9.4) (F)

Operational Data

Atmosphere Capable: No
Cargo Units: 150 (60 units designated for repair parts, shops and fabrications facilities)
Life Support: Class 4 (E)
Operations System: Class 4 (E)
Sensor System: Class 5 (F)
Separation System: Yes (standard)
Shuttlebay: 2 ad, 1 av
Shuttlecraft: 27 size worth
Tractor Beams: 1 av, 1 fv, 1 ad, 1 fd
Transporters: 8 standard, 8 emergency, 8 cargo

Miscellaneous Data

Maneuver Modifiers: +4 C, -2 H, +3 T
Traits: Prototype (+1 QSD reliability); Design Defect (-1 beam, -1 missile)

==============================================

The Odyssey Class Project was originally developed as a sister design to the Sovereign Class Project of the mid-2360s. However, the Odyssey Class heavy explorer design was shelved in 2368, when Starfleet opted instead to concentrate solely on the Sovereign Class Project. It was ten years before the design would be retrieved and brought back into production at the suggestion of the ASDB, following the return and debriefing of the USS Voyager (NCC-74656) from it's trip back from the Delta Quadrant.

The Odyssey class was intended to function as Starfleet's first true long-range explorer, capable of travel throughout not only the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, but also engage in exploration of the Gamma and Delta Quadrants. With the return of Voyager, Starfleet Command realized the necessity of a long-range exploration platform capable of achieving self-sufficiency while on-mission, and elected to re-start the Odyssey Class Project, taking advantage of the technology and knowledge gleaned from Voyager's own experiences.

The Odyssey class heavy explorer is the pinnacle of Starfleet engineering, with the first reliable quantum slipstream drive in operation. In addition, the Odyssey class sports the LF-62 warp drive as a backup, should the quantum slipstream drive be damaged or otherwise out of commission.

While more than capable of defending itself when the necessity arises, the Odyssey class suffers some minor drawbacks in offensive capability. The Odyssey class comes equipped with Type XII phaser arrays and the new photonic missile launchers obtained from the Borg (courtesy of the Delta Flyer from Voyager), the power constraints from maintaining both the quantum slipstream drive and the warp drive result in a slightly reduced offensive capacity. However, the Odyssey class comes equipped with the FSS-3 regenerative shield grid to help off-set the slight reduction of offensive firepower. In addition, the Odyssey class is capable of independent separation and reconnection, in situations where separation becomes a necessity. Unlike the Galaxy class explorer, however, the Odyssey class, when separated, give full warp capability to each section; however, in such situations, the Odyssey class cannot make use of the quantum slipstream drive.

The Odyssey class also takes some of the past achievements of the Galaxy Class Project, allowing for crews to travel with their families. While not a decision Starfleet and the ASDB liked to make, both groups recognized the necessity of maintaining close family ties, given the long-term mission profiles that the Odyssey class is now undergoing.

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(Dang it, just tripped over an Iconian portal under the carpet... )

KW you're weird...funny but weird (you got a giggle out of me thanks, I needed it for a Friday!).

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