New ships under development

[Svengali]

I have placed the 2 different texture files in the texture folder named chimera_auv.png and chimerapirate_auv.png

You'll have to use the texture name in the .dat file.

Code: Select all

<key>materials</key>
<dict>
	<key>chimerapirate_auv.png</key> <- Here
	<dict>
		<key>emission_map</key>
		<string>chimera_glow.png</string>
	</dict>
</dict>

[Tricky]

Or you could use the flag --preserve-material-names when converting the object file with Obj2DatTexNorm.py

The code then becomes...

Code: Select all

<key>chimera-pirate</key>
<dict>
  <key>like_ship</key>
  <string>chimera</string>
  <key>roles</key>
  <string>pirate</string>
  <key>missiles</key>
  <integer>3</integer>
  <key>has_ecm</key>
  <real>0.9</real>
  <key>materials</key>
  <dict>
    <key>chimera</key> <!-- This needs to match the material name used for the ship. -->
    <dict>
      <key>diffuse_map</key>
      <string>chimerapirate_auv.png</string>
      <key>emission_map</key>
      <string>chimera_glow.png</string>
    </dict>
  </dict>
</dict>

Similarly for the original ship. That way you can change the diffuse_map to whichever one you want.

[Shipbuilder]

Ok I've had some thoughts about this ship and am thinking of Serpent for the name.

Also a specification something on the lines of the following: -

Length = 180m (Width and height will then be in proportion to this length)
Cargo capacity = 140T
Cargo extension = 15T
Maxspeed = 0.260 LM
Maneuverability = Roll 2.1 and Pitch 1.2
Energy = 500
Energy recharge rate = 3.5
Gunmounts = Fore Aft Starboard Port
Missile slots = 4
Shieldboost available = Yes
Military shields available = Yes
Hyperspace capable = Yes
Price = TBC following final decisions on the specification.

[Rese249er]

Out of curiosity, would the port and starboard mounts be placed dead center or closer to the bridge section?

[Shipbuilder]

Out of curiosity, would the port and starboard mounts be placed dead center or closer to the bridge section?

I haven't decided 100% but my initial thought are to have the port and starboard gun mounts approximately halfway along the hull.

[Rese249er]

Ah. Seems to me it'd make more sense having them nearer the aft.

Also, this would be even more interesting if it had some turrets along the port and starboard, timed to go off in sequence every 15 seconds or so like a naval old-time-cannon broadside.

[Shipbuilder]

Ah. Seems to me it'd make more sense having them nearer the aft.

Rese249er I had a play about with this and agree therefore I have incorporated small gun mounts towards the rear of the hull sides as can be seen in the screenshot below of a partially constructed Serpent Freighter at the GalTech industries Corporation Shipyards in the Ceesxe system.

Also, this would be even more interesting if it had some turrets along the port and starboard, timed to go off in sequence every 15 seconds or so like a naval old-time-cannon broadside.

This ship is designed to be a freighter therefore turrets are not intended to be incorporated (Having said that a pirate version may well have a turret or two...........I'll have a think about that).

I do however intend to produce some navy patrol cruisers with turrets in the future

[JazHaz]

I would suggest pricing this ship similar to the Python Class Cruiser.

[Smivs]

Well it's Anaconda sized (although with much less cargo space) and has similar spec to a Boa, priced at 650 000 Cr and 450 000 Cr respectively. As it is a new design and has some features eg Military shields which neither of those do, I'd pitch the price at around 500 000 Cr. That still represents a bargain, I'd say, although a Boa II is a better buy.

[Gimbal Locke]

I was saving for a Boa II Class Cruiser (I'm still flying the Cobra Mk III in which I started), but after seeing the Serpent my aim has changed.

I would be happily prepared to save my credits a bit longer for a Serpent military/pirate version (but without turrets).

Well it's Anaconda sized (although with much less cargo space)

I remember reading somewhere that the 750 TC of the Anaconda was a typo in the original Elite manual and that it should have been 150 TC.

[Tricky]

As a test, I combined 640 cargopods (Neolite's model) together and came up with this...

The model size ended up being: 36.705 x 38.123 x 143.652

The model size of the standard Anaconda is: 75.000 x 60.000 x 170.000

So if the maximum cargo capacity of the Anaconda was supposed to be 150TC, then that is a lot of space used up elsewhere.

BTW: This model has over 74,000 faces. (I didn't bother removing the end or side faces when combining them.)

[Smivs]

So if the maximum cargo capacity of the Anaconda was supposed to be 150TC, then that is a lot of space used up elsewhere.

Well, a ship does need other stuff in it, like engines etc, and Oolite scale suggests all this stuff is BIG! Just look at the size of the Cobby III in relation to its capacity to get an idea.

Crazy idea, by the way

[cim]

The model size ended up being: 36.705 x 38.123 x 143.652

The model size of the standard Anaconda is: 75.000 x 60.000 x 170.000

True, though the cargo block is filling most of its bounding box, while the Anaconda is roughly conical. Doing calculations with ship mass, which is usually proportional to volume, gives a maximum theoretical capacity for the Anaconda of around 500 TC

Assuming, that is, that it uses standard cargo canisters. If most of the cargo is unpacked from those and stored in some sort of custom storage system, for bulk transport rather than ease of loading/unloading, it might well take up a lot less space.

Just look at the size of the Cobby III in relation to its capacity

The Cobra III is an exception to pretty much everything, though: it's the size of a freighter, but filled with weapons, engines and various bits of defensive gear rather than being hollowed out for cargo. (By the standards of anything which is not a freighter, got room for a very sizable cargo hold, of course)

Bit of trivia: the Cobra III is about 15% larger than a Boa. The Python is larger than both, though as a much older design of freighter it probably wouldn't be as space-efficient.

[Captain Beatnik]

I´ve made a picture to show the exact proportion of an anaconda in relation to a block of 750 standard cargocanisters:

[Cody]

What was the Anaconda's cargo capacity meant to be originally - before the 'mistake' (a coffee stain, was it)?