So..... Long story short, read this link: https://renegadeinitiative.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/pe-log-001-the-new-beginning/ (Personal stuff comment on the blog, not here.) It contains a long post of what I'm doing at the moment. There's a lot in there and a majority does not need to clog this thread. Since there will be a lot for this story, picture and writing wise, I decided it's own thread would be necessary. The other thread will be just for other unrelated Trek stuff. Also makes this next picture and description easier to understand where it is coming from. So without further ado (a due?).... STAR TREK GUARD 2017 Some info and stuff about the interior of the USS Sampson... Oh yea. Since I started writing my story, I decided the Sampson will have a larger role so she needed to be rebuilt. Several of my designs are also due for an update and I'm working to keep things consistent across them (i.e. same size windows, airlocks, decks of 3.5 meters, etc.). Originally she was suppose to only be seen in the prologue, but I decided I wanted to keep her around a bit longer. Her back story is still mostly intact (built during the Felgoth Crisis, command by then-Captain Russel Isodor, who is now in charge of the Guard and at the rank of Admiral). The prologue opens up with her current captain, Andres Trector, who took over for Admiral Isodor years earlier. The planet they are in orbit of is a familiar one, one you won't be expecting, and will touch on an issue I think is important and relates to today. EDIT: Amendment. Since I've been rethinking how ranks and such work in the Guard, Andres won't be the rank of Captain and instead will be at the rank of Commander. He will still be the highest ranking officer aboard the ship, but since the Guard is more citizen militia orientated, Starfleet officers with the rank of captain and above will still take charge in most situations if it is necessary. Isodor will have one of the higher ranks (undecided if Admiral will be highest rank or something along the lines of Commodore), but will still be lower than Starfleet's highest ranks. The Guard ships answer to the government of the world it is assigned to rather than the Federation as a whole, but will have a bit more say in final decisions. There will be very few instances where they 'outrank' the local government. Also Guard ships are made up of vessels from the Federation member worlds, so it won't be just Starfleet-type designs only, though there will be some mixed technology ships (Starfleet-type ships with Vulcan warp rings). The Guard is also more for worlds who can't maintain a stable space Navy, so they are very unlikely to be around Earth, Andoria, Vulcan, or Tellar Prime to name a few as they all have capable fleets (obviously). There are some other things, but it's late. Sleep time...
Thanks. Me too. More work on textures. RCS thrusters installed. Still need to work on the intercoolers, UV map a few of the grey sections, and work on the internal mechanism of the bussards.
So a quick look at the Guard fleet, comprised of ships I've designed over the years (some I've posted before, others I haven't). They are all going to be redone so there will be consistency between them (window sizes, deck height, etc.). The ones that say "-type" don't have a name yet. Stovas is there even though she isn't a Guard vessel (privately owned by Glenn Stovas).
I think it's a very cool concept and I don't see why the Bussard collectors couldn't be positioned this way. Also like the AWACS style element on top of the saucer.
*whine, bitch, moan, complain* the bussards! the bussards! but even worse.. are those impulse engines firing straight into that cross brace at the end of those nacelles? Are you related to John Eaves? But interesting design. The AWACS style hull thingy is a detachable mission pod? Also, that Zodiac class looks interesting.. Sampson also is interesting, nice and vertical.
Well, technically they are suppose to be unobstructed from the front to work at peak efficiency. But here, I feel they are back far enough and the profile of the ship is low enough for them to work properly. The AWACS thing is not detachable. The idea is it perform long range/long duration surveillance of a planet or sector of space. It would be designed for both times of peace and times of war. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So when I made this ship, I couldn't think of a name while saving the file. So, I typed the word "Toch" thinking I completely made up the word. Apparently it's an actual name belonging to several people. So I choose one from the list that I felt was most appropriate for this ship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Toch
Okay I only got a little bit done today. Worked on the endcaps a bit, basing them off the Daedalus-class (these ships are suppose to be set in the year 2245). Also added some sensor dish/dome things on the bottom of the saucer, an idea I borrowed from my Watcher-class design. Not seen in these renders I actually slightly lengthened the connection between the front of the nacelles by 3 meters. Haven't decided if I want to hide the inter coolers like the Daedalus, have only the insides ones exposed, or have a style similar to the NX. Also need to decide what to do with that aft pod. It's really only there to balance out the design, but I figure it might have some functionality with the warp nacelles, maybe help with the warp bubble or some technobabble. Also to note is that because Guard ships are small, they will have visible escape pods or at least some sort of indication of where they are.
Bit more done. Built interior components for the bussards. Added a sort of sloped cover to the end caps.Quick mock up of intercoolers.
So since I last update this: -New deflector housing -Worked on the AWACs-type module -Spread out the nacelles a bit to balance it -relocated the "laser banks" so that they are on the bottom of the saucer (laser will be used as an acronym because you know how the military loves its acronyms) -This ship has 3 decks
1: cool! 2: damn kid.. 27? yer not even dry behind your ears! Aaaaaaaaaaand get of my lawn damnit! (happy b-day!)
Thanks! Just a little bit more work done. Adjusted the deflector so now it sits inside the hull, which I think looks better. Also did some work on the bridge module, impulse engines, and the intercoolers. NOTE: The AWAC-type module is just hidden, I did not get rid of it. Also started laying out Deck 2 (ship only has 3 decks) interior so I can get an idea where to position the windows. It's a small ship so fun to cram things everywhere. I figure the crew is less than the NX, so maybe about 31-ish. It's not a long range vessel.
So apparently Decks 1 and 3 of the U.S.S. Toch have more walking space than I anticipated, which works out fine. This won't affect Deck 2 much but it does give me more to work with. This is a general layout of the interior and the actual design will be a little different. Wasn't going to give this ship any auxiliary craft aside from escape pods, but now I'm considering two shuttlepod-esque, one each side of the saucer. Most likely going to be on Deck 3 instead of 1, since Deck 3 will mainly be fire control and some other things. Also I altered Deck 2's layout a bit and it feels a bit better.
I hope you have a good job where you make a lot of money. I can't believe that you are just doing this on your own. Sometimes nerds just amaze me. I mean 'nerd' in a good way of course. Awsome stuff you have here!
Thanks. I really wouldn't want to do this as a job though. I prefer to keep it as a hobby otherwise it stops being enjoyable. I have a love/hate relationship with Dan's method of doing decals. On one hand, it produces crisp, clean decals that would normally be blurred by doing a texture map and they don't blur together with distance, not to mention they look great. On the other, it adds more polys and makes it annoying to do any damage effects without moving a lot of crap around. So not sure if I want to keep this or revert back to the texturing level, which is a bit more manageable... Also some test window cuts to get an idea of what looks good at a reasonable distance. Oh and I guess I should decide what the actual registry number is.
General layout of Deck 1 and Deck 2. Looks a bit open now, but when I start working on the actual walls, rooms, and girders it will feel more condensed, like the NX-01.