Prometheus class
- Thread starter USSHermes
- Start date
Engineer - "Admiral, I'd like to show you our latest in Multi-Vector Assault Mode"
Admiral - "Excellent! What have you got for me?"
Engineer - "Well, we came up with a new method that reduces cost, improves tactical options, and also increases peacetime functionality"
Admiral - "Wow! That's great! How does it work?"
Engineer - "Well, we start with 4 hull elements -"
Admiral - "Not 3 like the Promy? Now you have me excited!"
Engineer - " - um, yessir. Anyway, we build them out as fully capable independent fleet units that in peace time would be able to function purely on their own, similar to ships we have today"
Admiral - "Intriguing. Go on, go on"
Engineer - "Now this is the key part - during times of need these 4 units would form what we are calling a squad and would work together in fleet actions - "
Admiral - "Wait, this sounds familiar"
Engineer - " - much as our ships do currently"
Admiral - "OK, I think I understand how this works, but tell me, how does this differ from the Promy?"
Engineer - "Oh, sorry sir. I guess I didn't make that clear. These units don't interface into a single ship. They are in essence (and reality) 4 separate starships."
Admiral - "What!?!"
Engineer - "Yessir, from a practical standpoint we could not come up with a logical reason to have 3 ships interlock into 1. It compromised too many systems on the ships, complicated construction, and gave no tactical advantage that we could find."
Admiral - "..... . ."
Engineer - "Sir, what do you think? Sir?"
Admiral - "Get out of my office!!"
Admiral - "Excellent! What have you got for me?"
Engineer - "Well, we came up with a new method that reduces cost, improves tactical options, and also increases peacetime functionality"
Admiral - "Wow! That's great! How does it work?"
Engineer - "Well, we start with 4 hull elements -"
Admiral - "Not 3 like the Promy? Now you have me excited!"
Engineer - " - um, yessir. Anyway, we build them out as fully capable independent fleet units that in peace time would be able to function purely on their own, similar to ships we have today"
Admiral - "Intriguing. Go on, go on"
Engineer - "Now this is the key part - during times of need these 4 units would form what we are calling a squad and would work together in fleet actions - "
Admiral - "Wait, this sounds familiar"
Engineer - " - much as our ships do currently"
Admiral - "OK, I think I understand how this works, but tell me, how does this differ from the Promy?"
Engineer - "Oh, sorry sir. I guess I didn't make that clear. These units don't interface into a single ship. They are in essence (and reality) 4 separate starships."
Admiral - "What!?!"
Engineer - "Yessir, from a practical standpoint we could not come up with a logical reason to have 3 ships interlock into 1. It compromised too many systems on the ships, complicated construction, and gave no tactical advantage that we could find."
Admiral - "..... . ."
Engineer - "Sir, what do you think? Sir?"
Admiral - "Get out of my office!!"
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I have a question. The promethus class carry 4 warp cores onboard. Are we to assume that these are 4 weaker power generating warp cores so that the power signiture generated is inline with the promethus's size, or are they 4 cores that could power the promethus separately if needed. Cause to me, i dont see the point of have 4 cores that are weak, why just put some class 9 warp cores in there and have it overpowered considering its mission role.
I think the Prometheus works as a vessel capable of separation.
I would imagine in difficult situations, SF designed all 3 sections to be equally powerful in both separate or connected mode.
If you are faced with multiple enemy ships for example, just divide their firepower between the separated sections, while each section would still deliver the same firepower like it would in fully connected mode.
I think this type of feature would have worked when Voyager was for example ambushed by 4 Kazon carriers.
Voyager had to create holographic ships to divide the fire-power of Kazon carriers and prevent from being prematurely taken over.
Prometheus doesn't have to do that since it can separate in 3 ships, and have them deal with equal firepower from multiple directions.
I can understand how people find the MVAM impractical ... but in some situations it can be practical ... especially if you can't afford to send 3 ships on a singular assignment.
Just send one that can separate into 3 ships and deal with any potential threats.
In any event, the Prometheus MVAM proved to be a success since it penetrated Nebula class shields very quickly and also destroyed a Romulan Warbird with a couple of shots.
I would imagine in difficult situations, SF designed all 3 sections to be equally powerful in both separate or connected mode.
If you are faced with multiple enemy ships for example, just divide their firepower between the separated sections, while each section would still deliver the same firepower like it would in fully connected mode.
I think this type of feature would have worked when Voyager was for example ambushed by 4 Kazon carriers.
Voyager had to create holographic ships to divide the fire-power of Kazon carriers and prevent from being prematurely taken over.
Prometheus doesn't have to do that since it can separate in 3 ships, and have them deal with equal firepower from multiple directions.
I can understand how people find the MVAM impractical ... but in some situations it can be practical ... especially if you can't afford to send 3 ships on a singular assignment.
Just send one that can separate into 3 ships and deal with any potential threats.
In any event, the Prometheus MVAM proved to be a success since it penetrated Nebula class shields very quickly and also destroyed a Romulan Warbird with a couple of shots.
This is the same as saying "if you can't afford to send one ship, just send 3 ships that can join into 1". If your going to the trouble of building 3 ships to begin with, what is the practical purpose of having them merged into one?
If you need the advantage of "Multiple Vector Attacks" it would be much more efficient to just use fighters launched from the main ship.
If you can afford to build a Prometheus, you can afford to build three ships, and hence have the ability to send three ships in the first place.
Building MVAM just because there's an off chance the ship might be thrown half way across the galaxy with no support seems a poor reason to do it, as I've mentioned before in a previous thread where you used more or less the same example.
No, what this means is that Prometheus' phasers were a success.
Or, heavens forbid, missiles.
just for the record the Nebula class had somehow managed to overtake the Prommie. Presumably in order to do this the Nebula was 'flying itself a part' and could very well blown up on it's own accord.
If I remember correctly the Romulan Warbird when struck showed no shield flares- meaning it's shields were down & it had also been taking fire from other starships.
If I remember correctly the Romulan Warbird when struck showed no shield flares- meaning it's shields were down & it had also been taking fire from other starships.
You may recall that in MVA mode two of the three sections could operate unmanned and autonomously do battle with their designated targets, using computer-orchestrated tactics but with priority normally placed on protecting the manned primary hull.
Then why not just have unmanned drones you can launch to do the same thing?
Someone has yet to come up with a rational argument for splitting an entire ship in 3.
If this were Starfleet Battles, I would take 1 droneship against 3 smaller ships with equal Battle Point Value any day of the week.
One might say that Starfleet had a very valid experiment going on there: perhaps in the future, only one combat starship out of ten in any given fleet will carry a crew? That's radical technology, though, and you need to test it somehow. Perhaps with three pre-existing starships flying in remotely controlled formation? But perhaps remote control is difficult to retrofit to an existing ship, and a dedicated prototype is better? In that case, gluing the prototype ships together for ease of experimentation might be a valid thing to do.
Defending the operational use of MVAM is more difficult. But not impossible: perhaps flying three ships (two of them drones) as a tight package allows them to be flown with the warp engines of just one, or with all of their engines at 1/3 power, resulting in major savings on propulsive costs of deployment? Now that makes very good practical sense.
Timo Saloniemi
Defending the operational use of MVAM is more difficult. But not impossible: perhaps flying three ships (two of them drones) as a tight package allows them to be flown with the warp engines of just one, or with all of their engines at 1/3 power, resulting in major savings on propulsive costs of deployment? Now that makes very good practical sense.
Timo Saloniemi
If I ripout lifesupport, living spaces, hanger decks, cargo spaces, labs, etc and compact the hull down to just weapons, shields, power/propulsion, I can build a drone just as combat capable as one of the parts of the Promy. probably more so. Don't mistake a drone for a missile.
Still no reason to have living spaces in a purely combat oriented drone.
All I know is that I'd hate to be the Chief Engineer on the bloody thing... Talk about a freaking Engineering Nightmare!! *yeeeesh*
Cheers,
-CM-
Cheers,
-CM-
So essentially, a fleet of oversized drones controlled by a Command Vessel?
I think I can fic that out.
Gah, put that way, it's the M-5 networked! Skynet!
It worked so well for the Colonial Fleet.
