Ambitious Star Trek Mod Idea

[Max Power]

If I could also suggest possibly including other races in the trek universe at some other date..I realize that such a project would take a sizeable effort, and thus is better kept small. I'd volunteer myself to assist but unfortunately I'm afraid that I know nothing on how to do scripting or editing in this game, so I can't see how I'd be of any use. I do know some people that might be inclined to use artistic talents if they thought the result might be interesting.

Also, newbie question..how on earth do you edit the preferences here? The Last post made is on top for me, and it's driving me up a wall..

[Suicide Junkie]

For the propulsion system, how about:

- Impulse drives give the "afterburner" combat movement ability.
- Nacelles are 70-100KT each, and provide 7-10 MP.
- ships from escort to frigate and colony ship require one nacelle (7 to 10 engines per move). (Cheap stuff)
- ships from destroyer to battlecruiser require 14-20 EPM. (2 nacelles) (Most ships)
- Battleships require 3 nacelles (21-30 EMP). (Future Riker's Modded Galaxy)
- Dreadnaughts require 4 nacelles (28-40 EMP). (Beastly warships)

- M/ARCs (AKA warp core) provide from +3 to +8 bonus movment points, depending on tech and size of the reactor.

Tweaking the engines-per move in the range given allows you to require larger nacelles on slightly larger ships. There is always the possibility of putting one more of the smaller nacelles on, but that's just wasting space on your design.

Any ship with insufficient nacelles is completely immobile on the strategic map, no matter how powerful their reactor is.
Once you get enough nacelles for 1 MP, then the reactor kicks in. 80% to 90% of your speed will be based directly on the reactor's output.

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

Defenses.

We all know about the Exploding Panels of Doom (tm). This is really easy to simulate, and once again, I bring up the non-armor armor solution .
For low tech, this NAA will consist of just the bare deck plating & maybe a touch of outer hull plate.
For trek ships, the required number of crew quarters should be quite large (look at all the windows!), so this is not a problem. When the shields are breached, or just plain weak, hull ruptures will happen, and space will be filled with red cloth.
For medium to high tech, we get ablative armor. very nice, fewer hull breaches, but the panels are still exploding after a few hits. Non-Armor ablative armor! Most of the initial bLasts past the shields will be absorbed, but it starts leaking after a while.

Now, how do shields fit in?
Shields are quite good at first, but once they're down to 50% or less, the fireworks begin. That's a job for non-armor-armor! Take some non-armor armor, and increase the size to be appropriate for a shield generator. Leave the hitpoints, so the armor effect is not disturbed. Don't forget the crystalline effect; we want the shields to be partially breached when they're weak, remember?

So, we have a non-armor ablative armor and shields. The shields are, say 20KT, and 20 hitpoints. The ablative armor can be 4KT and 20 hitpoints.
If the shield generates 200 hitpoints, it should get a crystalline amount of about 20 as well.

Don't be afraid. The way crystalline works is thus:
40 shields, 50 crystalline, 50 damage:
- breach shields, 10 damage left
- 10 damage hits armor/internals, shield raised to 10.
10 shields, 50 crystalline, 50 damage:
- breach shields, 40 damage left
- 10 + 40 damage to armor/internals, shield raised to 40.

So, the crytalline effectively negates 50% of the damage hitting internals.
What happens?
The shields start out at 100%. Shots will strike, and fizzle.
The shield energy drops, but 100% absorption continues.
Once the SE4 shield meter reaches zero, the Trek shields become porous. Due to the crystalline effect they are now absorbing 50% of the damage.
Since the armor is non-armor armor, we have our Exploding Panels of Doom happening (yay!)
Now, since the shield generators are also non-armor-armor, they will be struck down fairly quickly. The crystalline ability of the shield generators is worn down, and soon it becomes less than the 50% of the weapon damage in each burst.
Our 50% absorption now starts to fade, and the shields finally collapse to a true 0%.

At this point, the hull/armor is torn up pretty bad, and the ship has probably lost a critical system or two.
Without reinforcements to save the day, the ship quickly breaks up.

Also, newbie question..how on earth do you edit the preferences here? The Last post made is on top for me, and it's driving me up a wall..

Preferences are under "my profile", a link right beside the post buttons, and the register/search/faq/forumhome bit. Top right of your screen.
The Last-post-on-top is part of the forum, and I don't think you can change it.
Fear not, it will soon become your best friend, and, just like a wheelie mouse, you will wonder how you lived without it .

[ May 29, 2002, 00:26: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie. ]

[Fyron]

Kwok:
Yeah, they'd take up more space, but it would not be proportional. The same percentage of space used for engines would get a higher movement rate on larger ships. I like SJ's ideas. In fact, that is similar to what I had come up with for the Sci-Fi Crossover Mod.

Here are the facilities that I had made for that mod. They aren't much, but at least it's something.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/newup...1015288527.zip

[TerranC]

Kwok:

In reply to your PM:

I can help at my free time: but I'm busy a lot which accounts for my slow reaction to PBW turns.