User:Doneve/Aerospace Construction Steps

< User:Doneve
Revision as of 11:26, 22 September 2012 by Doneve (talk | contribs) (...work in progress)

This! Is a step by step introduction, to design various Aerospace models and variants.

Step 1: Design the Chassis

Choose Unit Type and Shape

MechBuster

[Robert] - wants to build a Conventional Fighter for atmospheric dogfighting and close ground support, which he will call the 'Mechbuster.

Sabutai

[Scott] - wants a fighter he can use in space as well as in atmosphere. He chooses to make an aerospace fighter that he has dubbed the Sabutai.

Astrolux

[Bruce] - wants a craft ideal for space cruising and in-system passenger transport for the wealthy elite and space tourists. He chooses to create an aerodyne Small Craft, and dubs his vessel the Astrolux Star Yacht.

Nekohono'o

[Chris] - is looking to create a large spacecraft for the Draconis Combine that will challenge enemy fighters and DropShips alike. He chooses to build a Spheroid DropShip, and dubs this craft the Nekohono'o.

Arcadia

[Dawn] - plans to build a ProtoMech transport vessel for Clan use, and selects an aerodyne DropShip for her design, which she names the Arcadia.

Choose Technology Base

MechBuster

[Robert] - sees his 'Mechbuster as the standard conventional fighter for Inner Sphere planetary defense forces and chooses an Inner Sphere Tech Base for the craft. Because the Buster is not an aerospace fighter, he cannot construct it as an OmniFighter.

Sabutai

[Scott] - decides to build his Sabutai for the Clans and so picks a Clan Technology Base. He also decides to enhance its flexibility by creating it as an OmniFighter.

Astrolux

[Bruce's] - Astrolux is not meant for combat. He decides his civilian craft is more appropriate for the Inner Sphere and so chooses an Inner Sphere Tech Base. Because it is a Small Craft and not an aerospace fighter, Bruce may not make the Astrolux an Omni.

Nekohono'o

[Chris] - Because he already has an Inner Sphere faction (the Draconis Combine) in mind for his Nekohono'o, Chris decides on an Inner Sphere Tech Base for his DropShip. As a combat vessel, it automatically qualifies for military construction standards, but as a DropShip, it may not be built as an Omni.

Arcadia

[Dawn's] - Arcadia ProtoMech transport will use Clan technology, and is by its nature a military vessel. As it is not an aerospace fighter, it may not be constructed as an Omni.

Choose Weight

MechBuster

[Robert] - wants his 'Mechbuster to be a true terror of the conventional fighter class, and so he chooses a weight of 50 tons for this unit—the maximum weight limit for conventional fighters.

Sabutai

[Scott] - chooses a heavy 75-ton weight for his Sabutai OmniFighter, hoping to make a powerful craft suitable to dogfighting and DropShip support.

Astrolux

[Bruce] - Because he intends to cram his vessel with luxury accommodations, Bruce decides his Astrolux needs to be as big as possible for a Small Craft. He chooses a weight of 200 tons for his unit.

Nekohono'o

[Chris] - For his Nekohono'o-class DropShip, Chris chooses a fairly hefty 16,000-ton weight.

Arcadia

[Dawn] - As her Arcadia shouldn't require much weight to carry its cargo, Dawn chooses a weight of 3,000 tons for her DropShip.

Step 2: Install Engines and Control Systems

Install Engine

MechBuster

[Robert] - decides to give his 'Mechbuster decent mobility in the air, with a Safe Thrust of 5. This gives the conventional fighter a Max Thrust of 8 (5 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 7.5, rounded up to 8 Max Thrust), with an Engine Rating of 250 (50 tons x (5 Safe Thrust Points) = 250 Conventional Fighter Engine Rating). As a conventional fighter, Robert's 'Mechbuster may use a standard Fusion Engine or an ICE (turbine). Robert chooses the turbine, and consults the Master Engine Table to find that the weight of the ICE comes to 25 tons. The Buster now has 25 unspent tons remaining (50 tons – 25 tons = 25 tons).

Sabutai

[Scott] - As his Sabutai is an aerospace OmniFighter, Scott must choose a fusion engine for the craft. He decides on a solid 6 Safe Thrust Points (for a Max Thrust of 9; 6 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 9 Max Thrust), and uses the Aerospace Fighter Formula to find its Engine Rating. Calculating an Engine Rating of 300 (75 tons x [6 Safe Thrust – 2] = 300), he consults the Master Engine Table for his options. With only standard and XL fusion engines available to Clan-made aerospace fighters, Scott picks an XL engine for his Sabutai, which weighs 9.5 tons. This leaves the fighter with 65.5 unspent tons (75 tons – 9.5 tons = 65.5 tons).

Astrolux

[Bruce] - decides that a good "space cruise" acceleration of 5 Safe Thrust will do for his Astrolux, providing a Max Thrust of 8 (5 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 7.5, rounded up to 8 Max Thrust). However, as his unit is a Small Craft, it may not use the fighter Engine Rating formulas, but instead must compute its engine weight directly, like a DropShip. To do this, Bruce must first compute his Astrolux's Base Movement Factor, which comes to 1,000 for its size and desired acceleration (200 tons x 5 Safe Thrust = 1,000). Because the Astrolux is an Inner Sphere design, its engine weight comes to 65 tons (1,000 Base Movement Factor x 0.065 for Inner Sphere DropShips and Small Craft = 65 tons). The Astrolux has 135 tons left over (200 tons – 65 tons = 135 tons).

Nekohono'o

[Chris] - chooses a Safe Thrust of 5 for his Nekohono'o-class DropShip, so as to better hunt larger, slower-moving transports and the like. This provides a Max Thrust of 8 (5 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 7.5, rounded up to 8 Max Thrust), and a Base Movement Factor of 80,000 for the vessel (16,000 tons x 5 Safe Thrust = 80,000). This in turn yields an engine weight of 5,200 tons (80,000 Base Movement Factor x 0.065 = 5,200 tons). The Nekohono'o now has 10,800 tons remaining (16,000 tons – 5,200 tons = 10,800 tons).

Arcadia

[Dawn] - wants her Arcadia to excel at fast insertions, and so selects a Safe Thrust of 6 for her DropShip. This provides the 3,000-ton craft with a Max Thrust of 9 (6 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 9 Max Thrust), and a Base Movement Factor of 18,000 (3,000 tons x 6 Safe Thrust = 18,000). As a Clan DropShip, the Arcadia's engine weight comes to 1,098 tons (18,000 Base Movement Factor x 0.061 = 1,098 tons), which leaves the DropShip with 1,902 tons left to spend (3,000 tons – 1,098 tons = 1,902 tons).

Determine Fuel Capacity

MechBuster

[Robert] - For a fuel reserve, Robert decides to give his 'Mechbuster the minimum recommended amount of fuel at 2 tons. This amount provides the conventional fighter with 320 fuel points (2 tons of fuel x 160 points of conventional fighter fuel per ton = 320 fuel points). As a conventional fighter, however, the 'Mechbuster cannot use strategic fuel expansion, and so does not receive a "Tons per Burn Day" value. The Buster now has 23 unspent tons remaining (25 tons – 2 tons = 23 tons).

Sabutai

[Scott] - True to Clan style, Scott sees his Sabutai as a short-term brawler, designed to engage and destroy its enemies quickly. For that, he plans to devote as much weight as possible to weaponry and armor, and so he decides on a mere 3-ton fuel capacity. This provides the craft with 240 fuel points (3 tons of fuel x 80 points of aerospace fighter fuel per ton = 240 points). As an aerospace fighter, the Sabutai may not use strategic fuel expansion, and so does not receive a "Tons per Burn Day" value. This leaves the fi ghter with 62.5 unspent tons (65.5 tons – 3 tons = 62.5 tons).

Astrolux

[Bruce] decides he wants his Astrolux to be a good long-distance space yacht, with enough capacity for a long-distance hike. The minimum recommended fuel capacity for a Small Craft or DropShip is 5 to 10 percent of the craft’s weight. For the Astrolux, 10 percent comes to 20 tons of the craft's weight (10 percent of 200 tons = 0.10 x 200 = 20 tons). In reviewing that, Bruce notes that Small Craft have a 1.84 tons per burn day value (at 1 G). This means his luxury craft can run for nearly 11 days straight at 2 Thrust Points of acceleration (1 G) with a 20-ton fuel tank (20 tons ÷ 1.84 tons per burn day = 10.87 days of fuel at 1 G). This amount of fuel also equates to 1,600 combat fuel points, which Bruce feels is more than sufficient for touring or running from an explosive situation. For his craft's 20-ton fuel capacity, Bruce finds he will need an additional 0.5 tons of fuel pumps (2 percent of 20 tons of fuel = 0.02 x 20 tons = 0.4 tons, rounded up to 0.5). After installing the fuel tanks and pumps, he finds that his Astrolux has 114.5 tons remaining (135 tons – 20.5 tons = 114.5 tons).

Nekohono'o

[Chris] - For his Nekohono'o-class DropShip, Chris decides on a nice round 400 tons of fuel. Though this is well below the recommended 5 to 10 percent of the DropShip's weight, he reasons that the vessel will be employed as a defensive unit close to planets and friendly JumpShips. He also notes that despite the Nekohono'o's size of 16,000 tons, its military design yields the same 1.84 tons-per-burn-day rate that a Small Craft enjoys, enabling the ship to cruise at 1 G for up to 217 days before running dry—a fine endurance record for him (400 tons ÷ 1.84 tons per burn day = 217.39). This fuel capacity also provides 12,000 points of combat fuel (400 tons x 30 fuel points per ton at 16,000 tons total ship weight = 12,000 points). Satisfied with his craft's 400-ton fuel capacity, Chris finds he will need an additional 8 tons of fuel pumps (2 percent of 400 tons of fuel = 0.02 x 400 tons = 8 tons). After installing the fuel tanks and pumps, his Nekohono'o has 10,392 tons remaining (10,800 tons – 408 tons = 10,392 tons).

Arcadia

[Dawn] - decides to place her Arcadia's fuel capacity at 200 tons, falling within the recommended 5 to 10 percent minimum range. She computes from this that her 3,000-ton vessel will receive 6,000 fuel points (200 tons x 30 fuel points per ton at 3,000-ton ship weight = 6,000 fuel points). Because the Arcadia is a military craft, it will burn fuel at 1.84 tons per burn day under strategic fuel use. This means her DropShip can maintain a continual 1-G (2 Point) thrust rate for nearly 109 days straight before running out of fuel (200 tons ÷ 1.84 tons per burn day = 108.70 days). Dawn feels this is more than enough for her needs. At 200 tons of fuel tanks, the Arcadia requires 4 tons in pumps (2 percent of 200 tons = 0.02 x 200 = 4 tons). After installing this necessary equipment, Dawn’s DropShip has 1,698 tons remaining (1,902 tons – 204 tons = 1,698 tons).