Christopher Thompson
09-11-2005, 22:34
Well, then. I see you've clicked on this link, which pobably means that you have an intrest in this thread, and hopefully know what last exile is. If you don't, google it, and go to a place in your town and rent it (or wait until I have the time to explain the tech on this thread. If you want to participtate but don't know what last exile is, TG me or post here). If you do know, then welcome! What I'm thinking is this:
Prester, pre-story. Same tech as story though. In other words, Anatoray and dissith probably assimilated several other nations in their attempts to create the two super-powers that they were before the anime started. And guess who'd play those other countries? You and me! (Alternatively, you could also play as either of them or the Guild). Right now I'm just in the brainstorming session of this idea, so all suggestions are completely open and vastly welcomed. You can use any of the nations' tech that you want, or if you so desire, create your own ships. Anything is open, however, you may not population-wank and you may not military-wank (ie, not 500 Silvanas). This will be rp-based with good OOC knowledge of the other person's tech before-hand. I will, for the moment, provide all the coordination (although my computer is kaput, so please expect delay) and eventually, appoint some of my own. So...any joiners, suggesters or questions?
Christopher Thompson
10-11-2005, 17:10
Also, if you're designing your own ships, I suggest you post them for review/critique, and for fun. For example...(It should be noted that my nation has an alarmingly small number of frighteningly good ships, not large numbers of steam-based ships like the two powers)
http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/hw2/images/display.htm?e3gs_homeworld2_screen023.jpg
Hiigaran Destroyer
The Hiigaran main-force vessel is constructed with the primary objective of intercepting enemy vessels. With that in mind, emphasis was placed heavily on long-range combat, defensive armor, and all-around turret coverage, as well as serving as a fighter Vanship carrier. Also, broad-side and upward-aiming combat is often in engagements, so the bridge and other structurally weak areas were placed on the side opposite where most of the battle damage occurs. It should be noted that the starboard side is mere armor-plating, and thus is not seen here, as there is little to explain.
Features and Armament
The Destroyer is the heavy mainstay of the fleet, and is outfitted for nuemerous roles, as Hiigarans have fewer, but more versitile ships.
Weaponry
The Destroyer employs two main methods of sinking enemy ships in ship-to-ship combat. First are the four dual-barreled sixteen inch propellant fluid-driven batteries located thrice on the deck and once on the cloudline (bottom) . These turrets are heavily re-enforced to withstand battering, and the barrels very wide and long to allow shells to be fired for hours on end at extreme distances without over-heating and at high accuracy. New to the gunner, and much loved, is the anchor system of turret engineering. Basically, the turret utilizes several gyroscopes on the turret and the ship, and then uses these relative bearings to keep the turret pointed in the same direction, even whilst the ship performs combat maneuvers. This enables gunners to more easily and readily track and kill their targets at high speeds, and has proven most effective in combat. Note that this system does not, however, track vertically.
There are two main shell-types in the Hiigaran Empire. The first is a standard armor piercing round. Cast iron, one of the strongest and heaviest metals known to date, is pressed at hundreds of pounds per square inch until it solidifies. It is then put inside another, larger mold, where the processs happens again and again until the final size is fit for a sixteen inch battery. This process creates a truly armor piercing round that punches through most armor with impunity. The second shell-type available is the incindiary-scattershot, also commonly refered to as “flak shot,” which, at times varying on what the gunner chooses, the shell explodes in a violent fury, spraying metal shrapnel, flame and smoke everywhere. The shell is filled with an explosive charge that is set off by a magnesium ribbon set into the shell which is ignited in the initial charge as the shell is propelled out of the barrel. Based on how long the ribbon is, the gunner can control with an error of approximately one second, when exactly the shell detonates. This shell finds its self being used to great effect against enemy vanships, and to a lesser effect, enemy Guild starships, as well as creating smoke-screens to confuse enemy spotters and noise to confound enemy sonar operators.
The second method of intercepting enemy vessels via ship-to-ship combat are the two forward-facing torpedo launchers that also serve as anchor-cable firers for the ship. There are two types of torpedos within the Empire. A standard torpedo is a high-yield explosive charge strapped to an outfitted vanship booster and, when it comes in contact with an enemy vessel, explodes causing massive damage. The second type of torpedo is acoustic, and is detailed later in the detection section of this document.
Detection/Counter-Detection
Detection in any battle is key. Without the enemy position, all the advanced weaponry on the ship is pointless. Therefore, the ship is outfitted with an integrated acoustical sonar system as well as four large, open survellance rooms that run most of the length of the ship. Just under the deck armor on the bow on either side, and under the middle turret bulk on either side are observation posts laden with stationary turreted spotter positions. These afford the ship a great visual detection range on nearly all vectors, as well as provide the ship with excellent visibility outside during peace-time running. All over the ship are small ports that tunnel back sound to the sonar operator of the ship who can interpret enemy positions. The only major area that is devoid of sound-collectors is the hardened vanship hangar in the rear, as hardening the entire aft of the ship made putting in the delicate and exact tunnels necessary to carry the sound all but impossible. The greatest detection device, however, is the acoustic torpedo. The acoustic torpedo, unlike the normal torpedo, is outfitted with a shaped charge that, when detonated via magnesium ribbon and small explosive chage, emits emmense ammounts of acoustic frequencies which aid any sonar operator in the vacinity greatly. This new method of detection has proven to be of great use during combat, and is being researched eagerly to perfection.
In the area of counter-detection, the ship is, when moving forward or in reverse, sleek to the air by comparison to other ships in service of the Empire. Also, the ship can be rigged, during combat, to be entirely air-tight, letting out very little sound. The armor is also coated with an ablative layer that absorbs sound waves up to an extent, however high winds and combat often damage it.
Flags and signal flares are flown or shot from the top of the bridge.
Hangar/Fighter Vanship
Relatively new to the skies of combat, at least for non-Guild nations, is the fighter Vanship. The Hiigaran Empire’s latest Fighter Vanship for use by their standard military is no joke. The construction and durability of the airframe is on par with those of standard Vanships, but because two high-output engines have been mounted inside it, it posesses power and maneuverability far greater than other Vanships. This surplus power made it possible for the first time to mount fixed armaments. It is equipped with two steam-driven machine guns as standard weapons, and also has pylons under the wings, to which range-extending drop tanks are attached. Furthermore, the Vanship can be outfitted with two two-hundred-sixty pound bombs or one torpedo of either variety. Also, in addition to a sextant for navigation, it is equipped with a field clinometer for observation, with the aim of improving its reconnaissance capabilities. Below is the spec sheet for the standard Fighter Vanship of the Hiigaran Empire.
Total Length: 28.35’ (8.64 m)
Height: 7.91’ (24.1m)
Wingspan: 10.86’ (3.31 m)
Body Length: 23.62’ (7.2 m)
Empty Weight: 3836 lb (1740 kg)
Gross Weight: 5545 lb (2515 kg)
Nominal Horsepower: 880 hp x 2
Power/Weight Ratio: 1.43
Maximum Speed: 380 kt @ 15,000 ft (703.8 km/h @ 4500 m)
Effective Ceiling (with minimal load): 44300’ (13500 m)
Fuel: 2 x 35.2 gal + 2 x 33 gal drop tanks
Range: approx. 800 nautical miles @ 140 kt (259.3 km/h)
(with full load, 30 min @ full speed + 2.5 hours @ 240 kt)
Crew: 2
Standard Armament: 2 x steam-driven machine gun (ammo: 100 duplex rounds, spare 100 duplex rounds)
The Hangar its self is the entire aft bulk of the ship below the aft-most deck gun. There are five levels with ample space each containing an entire four-Vanship squad at any given time, with the spares and jumbo Vanships stored near the rear of the third, and largest of the five, levels. The hangar door, which is made of solid cast-iron, as is the entire door casing to prevent enemy infiltration and create a near-impenitrable barrier to enemy fire, open to the second, third, and fourth levels, with the first and fifth having to move down and up one level to take-off, respectively. This enables fast deployment of twenty highly-trained expert Fighter Vanships, and enables two-way, that is incoming and outgoing simultaneously, traffic.
Bombing Bays
A relatively new idea in the Empire, four bombing bays were equipped for use in destroying key enemy structures should the Hiigaran Navy find its self on the offensive. These four bays can unleash massive ammounts of fire power in the form of bombs ranging in size (and number, respectively) from bomlets numbering in the thousands, two-hundred-sixty pound bombs in the hundreds, and the new twenty-six-hundred pound heavy bombs in the single-digit to a dozen at a time.
Defense
Being primarily defense-based, these ships’ whereabouts will normally be known to an enemy attacker, and thus the ship cannot rely upon its own offensive force and counter-detection measures to pull it through in most combat situations. Eventually, the ship will be bracketed and come under accurate enemy fire, and this ship has been equipped to deal with just that. Utilizing new armor, developed independantly and in secret, this ship can witstand intense ammounts of fire for prolonged periods of time. Combat trials have shown time and time again that this armor can and will survive, and initial tests show it to be twice as durable as standard Anatoray armor on the ships-of-the-line. On all areas of the ship where sensetive and vital areas are found, in particularly the hangar door, bombing bays, torpedo/anchor tubes, the armories found near the center of the ship, the Claudia unit which is found in the center of the ship, and the doors that open-up to reveal the anti-Vanship gunners, one will note a light grey coloration in stark contrast to the sky-blue of the rest of the ship. These areas have been highly re-enforced, often with Cast-Iron bulkheads or coated in Cast-Iron to deter enemy ordinance from damaging these vital areas of the ship.
However, simply being able to take damage is not enough. Near the bottom of the vessel aft and stern on either side are shielded, upward-retracting doors that, when open, hold sharp-shooters with anti-vanship rifles. The bottom amid-ship contains the same feature, but is thinner, allowing more cover and is three stories rather than one, allowing for many more sharpshooters with higher angles of attack to be able to cover more areas of the ship with their protective fire. There are also smaller doors located in two areas just outside the hangar, one with three horizontal-opening doors near the rear, and one more below and aft of the aft-most deck gun on either side.
Engines/Manouverability
This ship utilizes the newest, greatest model of Claudia unit known to the Hiigaran Empire. Using industrial espionage to their advantage, the Hiigaran Empire managed to recover the new Guild Mk II unit, and through laborious research and often trial and error experimanting, several improvements were made to the design, greatly expanding its abylities. Why the Guild has never seen it fit to make a newer model than the Mk II is beyond scientists within the Empire as there are several minor changes to the design that greatly increase output, but most assume that the lack of need to change their design due to their high number of them is to blame. The Five-Stage Integrated Compound Claudia Unit aboard the ship provides her with unparalleled power within the Empire, and is widely regarded nationally and abroad as one of the greatest units in current use. It can put out a whopping one-hundred-eighty-two thousand horsepower, which is enough to drive the Destroyer to its top speed of eighty-six and five-tenths knots. While Anatoray Ships-of-the-line move at one-hundred knots approximately, the lower speed is made-up by firepower, defensive armor, and versitility. The ship utilizes a balanced, re-enforced rudder that is attatched to the super-strucutre of the ship.
Below is the main spec sheet for the vessel.
Weapon Velocity Range
16" Gun 3,180 fps 120,000 ft at 45 degree elevation
Torpedo 922 fps (effective) 250,000 ft
Anti-Vanship Sharpshooters (effective) 1200 ft
Length: 1775’ (541 m)
Height: 720.8’ (219.7 m)
Beam: 333.3’ (101.6 m) (at side plating)
Beam: 468.5’ (142.8) (at deck plating)
Standard Displacement: 153,900t
Full Load Displacement: 189,200t
Powerplant: Vertical Five-Stage Compund Integrated Claudia Unit
Horsepower: 182,000 (ship design)
Speed: 86.5 knots
Maximum Armor:
External Side Armor: 15.75" (400 mm)
Cloudline (Bottom): 9.84" (250 mm)
Bridge: 9.5” (240 mm)
Deck: 15.75" (400 mm)
Crew Compiment: 2580
Vanship Lift: 2 Multi-level Design
Equipped Aircraft:
20 x Regular Use
4 x Spares
2 x Jumbo Vanships
http://well-of-souls.com/homeworld/hws/hw2/images/display.htm?homeworld211.jpg
Hiigaran Carrier
The Hiigaran flagship vessel is constructed with the primary objective of supporting friendly ships with Fighter Vanships, and for offensive roles in carrying musketeers into battle. With that in mind, emphasis was placed heavily on long-range detection, defensive armor, and troop transport, as well as serving as a fighter Vanship carrier. Also, broad-side and upward-aiming combat is often in engagements, so the bridge and other structurally weak areas were placed on the side opposite where most of the battle damage occurs. It should be noted that the starboard side is mere armor-plating (save the bulk on the starboard side where troop landings are made), and thus is not seen here, as there is little to explain.
Features and Armament
The Carrier is the king vessel of the fleet, and is outfitted for nuemerous roles, as Hiigarans have fewer, but more versitile ships.
Hangar/Fighter Vanship
The Carrier employs a single, frighteningly effective method of sinking enemy ships: Hundreds of Fighter Vanships. Relatively new to the skies of combat, at least for non-Guild nations, is the fighter Vanship. The Hiigaran Empire’s latest Fighter Vanship for use by their standard military is no joke. The construction and durability of the airframe is on par with those of standard Vanships, but because two high-output engines have been mounted inside it, it posesses power and maneuverability far greater than other Vanships. This surplus power made it possible for the first time to mount fixed armaments. It is equipped with two steam-driven machine guns as standard weapons, and also has pylons under the wings, to which range-extending drop tanks are attached. Furthermore, the Vanship can be outfitted with two two-hundred-sixty pound bombs or one torpedo of either variety. Also, in addition to a sextant for navigation, it is equipped with a field clinometer for observation, with the aim of improving its reconnaissance capabilities. Below is the spec sheet for the standard Fighter Vanship of the Hiigaran Empire.
Total Length: 28.35’ (8.64 m)
Height: 7.91’ (24.1m)
Wingspan: 10.86’ (3.31 m)
Body Length: 23.62’ (7.2 m)
Empty Weight: 3836 lb (1740 kg)
Gross Weight: 5545 lb (2515 kg)
Nominal Horsepower: 880 hp x 2
Power/Weight Ratio: 1.43
Maximum Speed: 380 kt @ 15,000 ft (703.8 km/h @ 4500 m)
Effective Ceiling (with minimal load): 44300’ (13500 m)
Fuel: 2 x 35.2 gal + 2 x 33 gal drop tanks
Range: approx. 800 nautical miles @ 140 kt (259.3 km/h)
(with full load, 30 min @ full speed + 2.5 hours @ 240 kt)
Crew: 2
Standard Armament: 2 x steam-driven machine gun (ammo: 100 duplex rounds, spare 100 duplex rounds)
The Hangar its self is the entire bulk on the front-starboard side of the ship. There are five levels with ample space each containing ten four-Vanship squadrons at any given time, with the spares and jumbo Vanships stored near the rear of the third, and largest of the five, levels. The hangar doors, which are made of solid cast-iron, as is the entire door casing to prevent enemy infiltration and create a near-impenitrable barrier to enemy fire, open to the second, third, and fourth levels, with the first and fifth having to move down and up one level to take-off, respectively. This enables fast deployment of two-hundred highly-trained expert Fighter Vanships, and enables two-way, that is incoming and outgoing simultaneously, traffic.
Detection/Counter-Detection
Detection in any battle is key. Without the enemy position, all the Vanships on the ship become pointless, especially with its lack of artillery armaments. Therefore, the ship is outfitted with an integrated acoustical sonar system as well as six ultra-massive, protected survellance rooms. Two, one looking upward and all around and one looking downward and all around are observation posts laden with stationary turreted spotter positions off the bow of the ship. Four more surround the re-enforced bridge on the far starboard side of the ship, two focused forward and two focused to the rear. These afford the ship an excellent visual detection range on nearly all vectors, as well as provide the ship with excellent visibility outside during peace-time running. Two crew lookouts, where any crew member may come to gaze at are in front of the bridge as well. All over the ship are small ports that tunnel back sound to the sonar operator of the ship who can interpret enemy positions. The greatest detection device, however, is the acoustic torpedo. The acoustic torpedo, unlike the normal torpedo, is outfitted with a shaped charge that, when detonated via magnesium ribbon and small explosive chage, emits emmense ammounts of acoustic frequencies which aid any sonar operator in the vacinity greatly. This new method of detection has proven to be of great use during combat, and is being researched eagerly to perfection.
In the area of counter-detection, the ship is, when moving forward or in reverse, sleek to the air by comparison to other ships in service of the Empire. Also, the ship can be rigged, during combat, to be nearly air-tight, letting out very little sound for a ship of its size. However, it should be noted that a ship this large is rather easy to detect. The armor is also coated with an ablative layer that absorbs sound waves up to an extent, however high winds and combat often damage it.
Flags and signal flares are flown or shot from the top of the bridge.
Command/Muskateer
The ship is outfitted with thousands of Muskateer soldiers trained in infiltrating and gaining control of enemy structures, and if necessary, can put them to good use quickly. The forward bulk on the port side of the ship is just that; a massive, six-level gathering room that funnels down to one level where massive quantities of Muskateers can be deployed at once in order to sieze an area, with theirs’ and the crews’ quarters being stationed in the three bulks fore and four aft of the main gathering room. The Muskateer command room and general assembly room for commanders in a fleet, found behind and left of the bridge (the dome structure), posesses open-air walkways and a small garden outside, on the bottom where the dome meets the ship. The dome its self is where meetings of action may take place away from the Diamid, or ruling council of Hiigara, and where parties are held as well as planning by officers. This dome, which is a structurally sound shape, is protected by solid Cast-Iron, and is fixed to the super-structure. The circular structure fore and to the right of the dome is the hardened armory for the vessel.
Defense
Being primarily defense-based and very massive, these ships’ whereabouts will normally be known to an enemy attacker, and thus the ship cannot rely upon its own offensive force and counter-detection measures to pull it through in most combat situations. Eventually, the ship will be bracketed and come under accurate enemy fire, and this ship has been equipped to deal with just that. Utilizing new armor, developed independantly and in secret, this ship can witstand intense ammounts of fire for prolonged periods of time. Combat trials have shown time and time again that this armor can and will survive, and initial tests show it to be twice as durable as standard Anatoray armor on the ships-of-the-line. On all areas of the ship where sensetive and vital areas are found, in particularly the hangar doors, command rooms and bridge, the armories found near the center of the ship, and the six Claudia units which are found in the rear of the ship under bulkheads, one will normally note a light grey coloration in stark contrast to the light green of the rest of the ship. These areas have been highly re-enforced, often with Cast-Iron bulkheads or coated in Cast-Iron to deter enemy ordinance from damaging these vital areas of the ship.
Engines/Manouverability
This ship utilizes the newest, greatest model of Claudia unit known to the Hiigaran Empire. Using industrial espionage to their advantage, the Hiigaran Empire managed to recover the new Guild Mk II unit, and through laborious research and often trial and error experimanting, several improvements were made to the design, greatly expanding its abylities. Why the Guild has never seen it fit to make a newer model than the Mk II is beyond scientists within the Empire as there are several minor changes to the design that greatly increase output, but most assume that the lack of need to change their design due to their high number of them is to blame. The Six Five-Stage Integrated Compound Claudia Units aboard the ship provides her with unparalleled power within the Empire, and is widely regarded nationally and abroad as one of the greatest units in current use. It can put out a whopping one-hundred-eighty-two thousand horsepower per unit, which is enough to drive the Carrier to its top speed of fifty-four and five-tenths knots. The ship utilizes five balanced, re-enforced rudders that run along the length of the ship on the bottom and are attatched to the super-strucutre of the ship.
Below is the main spec sheet for the vessel.
Length: 8875’ (2705 m)
Height: 720.8’ (329.55 m)
Beam: 999.9’ (101.6 m) (at side plating)
Beam: 468.5’ (304.8 m) (at deck plating)
Standard Displacement: 769500t
Full Load Displacement: 946000t
Powerplant: Six Vertical Five-Stage Compund Integrated Claudia Units
Horsepower: 182,000 per unit (ship design), 1,092,000 total
Speed: 54.5 knots
Maximum Armor:
External Side Armor: 15.75" (400 mm)
Cloudline (Bottom): 9.84" (250 mm)
Bridge: 9.5” (240 mm)
Deck: 15.75" (400 mm)
Crew Compiment: 12,350 + 6,000 Musketeers
Vanship Lift: 2 Multi-level Design
Equipped Aircraft:
200 x Regular Use
40 x Spares
20 x Jumbo Vanships