Aquilla?

General discussion about anything related to Transcendence.
Cpt. Niceguy
Miner
Miner
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:14 pm
Location: Heretic.

Doesn't the Aquilla kinda look like a star-destroyer?
It just popped into my mind.. :|
This signature is here solely for the purpose of you wasting time to actually read it.
Drako Slyith
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1036
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:28 am
Location: Researching how to make St. Kats star go supernova.
Contact:

See: Xenophobe Defender

But yes, it sort of does. That is because a wedge is the theoretical ideal shape for a military space ship. If it has a conical or wedge shape then it can bring as many weapons to bear as possible on a target with as minimum surface area visible. The Ferian warship is ideal for a bombarding ship or a ship with a single heavy weapon, because it has almost no forward area visible and very little side area visible. The side arms of the Aquila are a helpful addition because they can have additional weapons with almost no additional area visible for the enemy to attack.
Image
Image
Play in over 100 systems in a network. Play the 2011 Mod Of the Year
and the highest rated mod on Xelerus, The Network.
Play the July Mod of the Month, Fellow Pilgrims!
Play My other mods as well
(Drako Slyith)* I am a person
(Eliza chatbot)> Do you believe it is normal to be a person?
User avatar
Atarlost
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2391
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:02 am

Correction. Only for a ship where the rear is effectively invulnerable, and a triangular or pentagonal cone is at a significant advantage in broadside fighting if it can avoid multi-access engagements and at no disadvantage in bow on engagements.

The "dagger" form looks nifty, but is not really optimal.

But the real reason the Aquila looks like it came from the studios of that other George is the bridge tower, and there's no way those are ever remotely optimal.
Literally is the new Figuratively
User avatar
Song
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2801
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:27 am

Atarlost wrote:Correction. Only for a ship where the rear is effectively invulnerable, and a triangular or pentagonal cone is at a significant advantage in broadside fighting if it can avoid multi-access engagements and at no disadvantage in bow on engagements.

The "dagger" form looks nifty, but is not really optimal.

But the real reason the Aquila looks like it came from the studios of that other George is the bridge tower, and there's no way those are ever remotely optimal.

Aha, but it's actually a decoy, so the swotty farm-kid crashes into it/shoots it rather than the *actual* bridge.

Yeah, conning towers in space are cool, but not the most practical design, unless you armor them to hell and back again.
Mischievous local moderator. She/Her pronouns.
Drako Slyith
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1036
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:28 am
Location: Researching how to make St. Kats star go supernova.
Contact:

Right, towers are really pointless. The best thing to do would be to put the bridge in the middle of the ship, and have cameras with video feeds going to screens in the bridge.

And yeah, when I was saying the conical ship was optimum I meant with a commander who didn't let the enemy surround him. A spherical shape would be best for fighting at any angle because it has no weak point.
Image
Image
Play in over 100 systems in a network. Play the 2011 Mod Of the Year
and the highest rated mod on Xelerus, The Network.
Play the July Mod of the Month, Fellow Pilgrims!
Play My other mods as well
(Drako Slyith)* I am a person
(Eliza chatbot)> Do you believe it is normal to be a person?
User avatar
stealthx
Militia Lieutenant
Militia Lieutenant
Posts: 127
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:45 am
Location: At the edge of chaos (sovereign)

Drako Slyith wrote:See: Xenophobe Defender

... a wedge is the theoretical ideal shape for a military space ship. If it has a conical or wedge shape then it can bring as many weapons to bear as possible on a target with as minimum surface area visible...
Theoretically, shouldn't space combat be multidirectional since we don't have a gravitational reference? And if that's the case, shouldn't a spherical shape be ideal as the LARGE ship can then bear as many weapons as it can on its all-directional surface area, without it having to execute the slow turning? (But I think a spherical ship is not exactly esthetically appealing.)

Edit: Oops! :oops: I see this has been addressed above, please ignore.
Be the hope of humanity. Be a Gundam Meister.
Drako Slyith
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1036
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:28 am
Location: Researching how to make St. Kats star go supernova.
Contact:

Space is 3d, but a competent commander in space wouldn't let his ship be surrounded. A cone would be best as an assault ship, a sphere would make the best support/vanguard and open defense, and a planetary defense ship would have either a large, flat surface or be built in a grid pattern so they are hard to hit.
Image
Image
Play in over 100 systems in a network. Play the 2011 Mod Of the Year
and the highest rated mod on Xelerus, The Network.
Play the July Mod of the Month, Fellow Pilgrims!
Play My other mods as well
(Drako Slyith)* I am a person
(Eliza chatbot)> Do you believe it is normal to be a person?
User avatar
Atarlost
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2391
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:02 am

Rotating a ship will always be faster than circling it at reasonable engagement ranges (ie at least as far as current naval gunnery). A long, narrow spindle, cone, or cylinder can roll ship very fast relatively speaking and can bring as many as 2/3 of its guns to bear on a single target if triangular in cross section. I favor a pentagonal cone or spindle since it isn't quite as lopsided if attacked from two widely seperated vectors as projected on a plane perpendicular to its axis of thrust.

A flattened ship like The Other George's franchise uses has two opposite "tough" broadsides where the armor is steeply sloped and the cross section is minimized, but has two "barn" broadsides where the armor is shallowly sloped and it presents the biggest target it possibly can. This makes it particularly vulnerable to flanking.

TOG's star destroyers don't actually follow the plan they're touted as exemplars of either. Their main turrets are positioned such that they are weak to the front, and nearly defenseless to the rear, and are not mirrored ventrally leaving them completely without armaments large enough to be visible on the model from below. They're effectively non-superfiring except turrets along the spinal ridge in front of the "cortex" on the ANH model. Essentially they're forms without even the barest lip service given to function.

So is the Aquila actually. Its not as bad, but it too lacks ventral turrets, though with more excuse since it's designed to be rendered only from above. The underside isn't completely undetailed though.
Literally is the new Figuratively
User avatar
Ttech
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2767
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:03 am
Location: Traveling in the TARDIS
Contact:

so theoretically a Gigan tower type ship that is much tinner would be better?
Image
Image
User avatar
Resident-Pyromaniac
Militia Lieutenant
Militia Lieutenant
Posts: 207
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 5:11 pm
Location: Looting the Wreck of the CSC terra.

Remember the Borg Cubes? they are the Perfect design. :)
If Transcendence was made in 3D, I would die of Happiness.



If you are reading this, then I have planted a deadly virus into your CPU. (not really, but you can never be too careful.)
Drako Slyith
Fleet Officer
Fleet Officer
Posts: 1036
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:28 am
Location: Researching how to make St. Kats star go supernova.
Contact:

I'd say the Borg spheres are better.
Image
Image
Play in over 100 systems in a network. Play the 2011 Mod Of the Year
and the highest rated mod on Xelerus, The Network.
Play the July Mod of the Month, Fellow Pilgrims!
Play My other mods as well
(Drako Slyith)* I am a person
(Eliza chatbot)> Do you believe it is normal to be a person?
User avatar
Atarlost
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2391
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:02 am

A good ship should not look like a plumber's nightmare.
Literally is the new Figuratively
Yama
Militia Lieutenant
Militia Lieutenant
Posts: 114
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:32 am
Location: in the apprenticeship program at a Tinker station....

Atarlost wrote:A good ship should not look like a plumber's nightmare.
The wisdom of Atarlost! :D

I love it! :lol:

If you don't mind, I'd like to quote that in my signature.
"A good ship should not look like a plumber's nightmare."
- Atarlost
User avatar
Ttech
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 2767
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:03 am
Location: Traveling in the TARDIS
Contact:

That is an amazing quote. :P
Image
Image
User avatar
stealthx
Militia Lieutenant
Militia Lieutenant
Posts: 127
Joined: Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:45 am
Location: At the edge of chaos (sovereign)

:arrow: http://mentilucent.net/media/1/20070107-comparison.gif

I wonder how many of those are good ships..
Be the hope of humanity. Be a Gundam Meister.
Post Reply