Optimizing Traveller Ship designs Post TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS

hal · 05-15-2019, 08:21 AM

Hello Folks,
As I look into updating all of my Traveller ship examples from the classic books printed prior to GURPS TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS, I got to wondering...

Most of the ship designs from the earlier books were not "optimized" in that they didn't use the compact bridge option nor the Small Utility option (for hulls less than 500 dTons in volume). Those two options alone generate 1 additional dTon worth of volume that can be taken up with another ship system (such as a sickbay, extra cargo capacity etc).

For many, this extra 1 dTon capacity will not much matter - and will not be worth updating with an "optimized" design.

However - one of the things that bothered me about the original design system for TL 10 maneuver drives was the fact that the designers wanted to keep the math simple and have the drive only supply 40 sTons of thrust. When I compared the amount of volume utilized in a TL 12 Maneuver drive and contrasted it against that of the TL 10 version, I found that the TL 10 version under-utilizes the available space by a significant margin.

As a consequence of that, I redesigned the module such that it provides 49 sTons of thrust instead of 40. This brought the TL 10 Maneuver drive in line with the TL 12 (as far as volume utilized) and had the following result:

10 standard TL 10 Maneuver drives provide 400 sTons of thrust. 9 Improved TL 10 Maneuver drives will provide 441 sTons of thrust.

For a 100 dTon Sulieman scout using 20 Maneuver Drives for its 800 sTon trust engine, we can simplify that to 17 Improved Maneuver drives providing 833 sTons of thrust.

In short, we optimize the old design by increasing its available extra volume from the original by as much as 4 dTons that can be utilized for other purposes.

Would it be a problem if I were to post a few optimized designs for the older craft based upon GURPS TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS? Would it even be worth anyone's time?

05-15-2019, 08:21 AM	#1
hal Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Buffalo, New York	Optimizing Traveller Ship designs Post TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS Hello Folks, As I look into updating all of my Traveller ship examples from the classic books printed prior to GURPS TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS, I got to wondering... Most of the ship designs from the earlier books were not "optimized" in that they didn't use the compact bridge option nor the Small Utility option (for hulls less than 500 dTons in volume). Those two options alone generate 1 additional dTon worth of volume that can be taken up with another ship system (such as a sickbay, extra cargo capacity etc). For many, this extra 1 dTon capacity will not much matter - and will not be worth updating with an "optimized" design. However - one of the things that bothered me about the original design system for TL 10 maneuver drives was the fact that the designers wanted to keep the math simple and have the drive only supply 40 sTons of thrust. When I compared the amount of volume utilized in a TL 12 Maneuver drive and contrasted it against that of the TL 10 version, I found that the TL 10 version under-utilizes the available space by a significant margin. As a consequence of that, I redesigned the module such that it provides 49 sTons of thrust instead of 40. This brought the TL 10 Maneuver drive in line with the TL 12 (as far as volume utilized) and had the following result: 10 standard TL 10 Maneuver drives provide 400 sTons of thrust. 9 Improved TL 10 Maneuver drives will provide 441 sTons of thrust. For a 100 dTon Sulieman scout using 20 Maneuver Drives for its 800 sTon trust engine, we can simplify that to 17 Improved Maneuver drives providing 833 sTons of thrust. In short, we optimize the old design by increasing its available extra volume from the original by as much as 4 dTons that can be utilized for other purposes. Would it be a problem if I were to post a few optimized designs for the older craft based upon GURPS TRAVELLER: STARSHIPS? Would it even be worth anyone's time?