Let's say the escape pods are concealed beneath a tear-away skin, just for kicks and giggles - it looks like the rest of the hull, and doesn't scream "target" to an enemy who decides if they disable the pods first, the crew is frakked .
Vektor, it looks SO much better without the visible escape pods breaking up the ship's lines. But if you feel you have to have them visible I suggest you think about a an alternate design, perhaps one that is less angular.
Personally, I'd put the escape pods behind panels. The Defiant pretty much proved that it looks cool in action. And it's slicker.I'd reccomend a "minivan-style" panel that pops out slightly and slides back, or a hinged panel. I think while blow-aways are cool, they pose a potential hazard to escaping pods.
Yeah, but when do you use escape pods? When the ship's systems are failing and the ship has been battered. A complex cover mechanism might jam if there has been a battle. Why not just use a thin paper-like plastic or ceramic that looks nice but lets ejecting escape pods punch through without impediment? EDIT TO ADD: Vektor, there's something about this texturing that I don't like. Maybe it's the way the panels appear to radiate outwards from the center, it just makes the ship look a lot smaller and toy-like. Is it my imagination that the panels look smaller the closer they get to the bridge? I think each of the modeled segments on the saucer needs a unique texture with slight "weather" streaking running from stem to stern to unify the overall look.
Bah! this starship ain't so great. It'll NEVER fly. Sure, it's a great, new, innovative design, and it executed flawlessly with GRACE, STYLE, FLAIR and ÉLAN... But it was designed to be crewed by super-advanced penguins... and everyone knows penguins can't fly.
The escape pods are proving to be a real pain in the ass. I'm trying to approach the issue the way an actual starship designer might, accounting for function as well a form, and I have to admit I keep coming back to the Sovereign class. If you're going to have escape pods, it really makes the most sense to do them that way, without any needlessly complicated doors or hatches. The only good rationale I can come up with for concealing them is to protect them behind armored covers so they don't get obliterated by the same massive damage that is likely to necessitate their use. Then again, that's a pretty darn good reason. For the pods themselves, I'm leaning toward the smaller, hexagonal pods used on the Defiant and Intrepid classes. They just seem like a better fit for the scale of this ship. Whether they sit on the surface or get buried under armor plating remains to be determined.
Yes, getting the lifeboats right can be a pretty big deal, indeed. Just ask Captain Edward John Smith.
Just because the escape pods aren't protected by an extra door or hatch doesn't mean they have to stand out. Why not just make the outside of the pods the same material and color as the primary hull? Maybe make them match that blue-ish color you have on the outer rim of the saucer. If you want the pods to be the hexagonal shape, you could maybe even incorporate that pattern into more of the hull so that the escape pods don't stand out as much.
Yes, that's it! And make the seam lines very small and tight - like the gap between a Mercedes hood and fender. The outline of the shapes of the lifeboats would be very subtle. Then, alter the pattern of the paneling in the immediate area surrounding each bank of lifeboats - but very subtly.
Exactly. If you've gotten to the point that its time to abandon ship because of an exterior threat then exterior mounted pods are a bad idea. That same exterior threat will likely start shooting at escape pods anyway. That is why the TMP Enterprise has the best solution. Warp core problem? Evacuate to the saucer and separate. Anyone that can't get out of the engineering hull needs to get to the shuttle bay, or to one of the few real escape pods (as visible in Kimble's layout and Probert's drawings, and were concealed behind the hull). Otherwise, you're SOL. Why complicate your design when the simpler solution makes more sense?
The hex pods are under covers/hatches anyways The Drexler has a useful page on the hex pod that shows the Intrepid and Defiant setups. To get the hexes flush, you'd have to redesign them a bit, I think. Otherwise, it'd end up looking even more greebly intensive.
perhaps leave the exterior smooth and unmarked. within the starship, the doors marked 'emergency escape pod' merely open into disintegration chambers. quick, painless.
The stuff shown for the Defiant escape pods on Drexler's website is pretty close to what I had in mind as far as hinged hull plates swinging open and allowing the pods to be jettisoned. Just need to play with the hull details to figure out exactly how to factor them in.
Okay, I think this is how the escape pods are going to work: I haven't done much detailing on the interior of the pod compartments, no hinges or supporting framework on the back side of the armored panels, nothing like that. I have a pretty good idea what all of that would look like and I might do it some time down the road, but probably not any time soon. I think this also has the added benefit of breaking up those larger hull plates a bit and adding more visual interest without cluttering things up. Opinions?