Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: LoneFan on July 15, 2018, 06:40:45 am
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I would like some opinions for developing a space train cargo ship model for FS2, using modular connecting containers pulled by a control ship, could be very long.
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I would like some opinions for developing a space train cargo ship model for FS2, using modular connecting containers pulled by a control ship, could be very long.
Depends on what you want to do with that. It's like with normal trains - if you have only 1 unit with drives, the train will be slow and become an easy target; so you would need modular engines, too. Also, you should think about what the adavantage of say, a Triton transporting several TC-TRI instead of a swarm of Tritons each carrying 1 (maybe enlarged) unit would be. Even if you did so, you would still depend on smaller units to distribute the cargo to their final destination.
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In terms of resources expended to move the cargo, it is extremely efficient. Relying on a slower paire of ships to guide the "freight cars" to their destinations, the cars themselves would be cheap, barely hulls with minimal systems. Full starships are much more complicated because of the environmental systems and supplies needed for the crews.
Well within one's borders, it would be a viable option. There is also historical precedent for armored and armed trains.
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If you do pursue this, just make sure that it doesn't have to take any evasive maneuvers or in fact any maneuvers at all. If you have one tug ship with a long row of daisy-chained, docked cargo modules, as soon as the tug makes a turn, the cargo becomes one giant baseball bat a la Colossus.
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In terms of resources expended to move the cargo, it is extremely efficient. Relying on a slower paire of ships to guide the "freight cars" to their destinations, the cars themselves would be cheap, barely hulls with minimal systems. Full starships are much more complicated because of the environmental systems and supplies needed for the crews.
Well within one's borders, it would be a viable option. There is also historical precedent for armored and armed trains.
Depends what you want, you kind of showed the options you have here, it could be some cheap, unarmed civillian tug pulling a train of cargo containers that just needs disabling like most transports do, though unlike those ships that need to be kept intact in order to get the cargo, a train can just be blown off the front then the pirates can move in and scoop up the cargo or even attach their own tug.
Or the other end of the scale, a massive, thickly armoured train with destroyer class weaponry on it right the way down the train. Additionally in a long train some of the carriages could open up to release fighters. Or swarms of missiles... :pimp:
A train could have a problem in that it could have engines at the back burning carriages behind. Colony Wars has engine wash and cargo transports with trains of cargo. The game also has tractor beams, so that's how the issue was solved there, the tractor beams connected the cargo and the cargo was far enough back to not suffer from engine wash.
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Clearly he's going for this:
(I mean yeah Galaxy Express 999 fits the spirit more but come on)
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Something along the lines of this : http://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/AK_FR_Cintamani
That's my attempt at making a spacetrain ship. It works, as long as you follow what Trivial Psychic said and ONLY allow it to move in a straight line if the train is more than 4-5 "cars" long.
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I like this concept and enjoyed it in I-war very much. It would suit out community needs.
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If you do pursue this, just make sure that it doesn't have to take any evasive maneuvers or in fact any maneuvers at all. If you have one tug ship with a long row of daisy-chained, docked cargo modules, as soon as the tug makes a turn, the cargo becomes one giant baseball bat a la Colossus.
I can only imagine, the shear destruction. Thank you collision physics.
Its too bad FreeSpace open doesn't have gimleting physics. For joints. Wait, didn't Maxim do something like that for JAD?
In terms of resources expended to move the cargo, it is extremely efficient. Relying on a slower paire of ships to guide the "freight cars" to their destinations, the cars themselves would be cheap, barely hulls with minimal systems. Full starships are much more complicated because of the environmental systems and supplies needed for the crews.
Well within one's borders, it would be a viable option. There is also historical precedent for armored and armed trains.
Depends what you want, you kind of showed the options you have here, it could be some cheap, unarmed civillian tug pulling a train of cargo containers that just needs disabling like most transports do, though unlike those ships that need to be kept intact in order to get the cargo, a train can just be blown off the front then the pirates can move in and scoop up the cargo or even attach their own tug.
Or the other end of the scale, a massive, thickly armoured train with destroyer class weaponry on it right the way down the train. Additionally in a long train some of the carriages could open up to release fighters. Or swarms of missiles... :pimp:
A train could have a problem in that it could have engines at the back burning carriages behind. Colony Wars has engine wash and cargo transports with trains of cargo. The game also has tractor beams, so that's how the issue was solved there, the tractor beams connected the cargo and the cargo was far enough back to not suffer from engine wash.
I was aiming for more than one type of car on the train. Civilian grade and military grade, both cargo and passenger. The military grade possessing thick armor, point defenses and docking points for fighters. Also, in the setting in which I am using this transport system, all trains are owned by the government. Attacking one would be viewed as an attack against the state and invoke an immediate military response.
I was planning of offsetting the engines to the sides or above and below the main huff of the engines.
Clearly he's going for this:
(I mean yeah Galaxy Express 999 fits the spirit more but come on)
Ah, space truckers. I'm thinking of something much longer.
If you do pursue this, just make sure that it doesn't have to take any evasive maneuvers or in fact any maneuvers at all. If you have one tug ship with a long row of daisy-chained, docked cargo modules, as soon as the tug makes a turn, the cargo becomes one giant baseball bat a la Colossus.
Exactly. Something along the lines of this : http://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/AK_FR_Cintamani
That's my attempt at making a spacetrain ship. It works, as long as you follow what Trivial Psychic said and ONLY allow it to move in a straight line if the train is more than 4-5 "cars" long.
Damn, someones already thought of it.