(SBEP) Starfreighter

Garry's Mod general
#1

The two added gigs of RAM to my computer have allowed me to pursue old projects originally hindered by lag, among them this specimen; a freighter belonging to my fictitious conglomerate, Integrated Resources; specifically its subsidiary United shipping and logistics.

Still in the works- there are a number of components I need to work out, especially the cargo loading and berthing mechanism. Its design is kept rather simple for framerate efficiency, as well as maintaining the hard sci-fi aesthetic for which I’m striving. Construction of the bridge has been a little tricky thus far, and below images have an incomplete fore-section.

Design inspired by Reactor-Axe-Man

Thank you so very much, Valve, for those rocket engines. :3

Still figuring out the fore-section.

Cargo berth; yet to figure out the loading mechanism and clamps and whatnot. I’m unsure if the loading system should be port-based, or on the ship itself (I attempted a prototype of the latter, with rather depressing results). I’d like to be able to make reskins of the vanilla containers- if I could code I’d like to have a version that act as resource caches so they would have an actual application.

What I need to work on-

-Bridge design and cohesion (current design uses modbridge and is difficult to make compatible with PHX/HunterTubes)
-Airlock (outcropping just aft of where bridge will be)
-Maneuvering thrusters (I’m unsure how I’ll be able to get them to be controlled with wire; might have to resort to numpad control).
-Cargo berth (Loading mechanism, and mechanism to hold containers in place).
-Life Support (I plan on making the four orange tanks in the fore section act as oxygen tanks or coolant tanks or something- I know it’s possible, but I’m unsure how to do it.)

#2

Very realistic. First time I’ve seen a ship like this out of Garry’s Mod.

Very NASA.

#3

I like it…
Well done.

#4

An actual hard sci-fi ship. That’s a rare sight, well done.

#5

pretty basic

#6

If you didn’t already know…
Complex shit in spacebuild doesn’t work well.

#7

That is cool. you could parent the containers onto a large resource cache. Then just change the material of the containers to whatever you like. Unless you wanted each container to come off individually…

You can easily make that ship mouse aimed. There are lots of tutorials on here and on wiremod.com for how to make a mouse aimed E2. The best one that comes to mind is Paper Clip’s applyAngForce system.

Try his Example Spaceship Flight System at:
http://www.wiremod.com/forum/contraptions-saves/17737-applyangforce-system-identification-dead-beat-controller-design-chip.html

#8

I am very impressed, it’s not a freaking flying box like most ships! :slight_smile:

#9

Call me a negative piece of shit, but I don’t like it.
It looks like a failed attempt at a 21st century mix of a space craft and a sattelite.
And the engines uuh are just horrible :confused:
Rate me (dis)agree.

#10

As stated, kinda the point. Trying to keep it performance-friendly and realistic, but it’s not quite done and there’s a lot of details I’ve yet to add.

No, I plan for them to be individually attachable. I know there’s some way to change the model of LS components, so I’ll have to look it up.

As for mouse aim, I’d rather not; I plan on using manual-control maneuvering thrusters on fore and aft pylons for that, to keep it a bit more realistic. But I ought to keep that link handy for a certain plane I’m working on.

I figure you could have gone into more detail as to how exactly it’s failed, and how the engines are horrible, and how I might improve, but I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks anyway for the heads-up. :slight_smile:

#11

You move quantity over quality on those engines, plus some of them are apparently missing…
Why does a NASA-like sattelite/space craft have such huge rusty (does not fit the other parts) engines and so many of them? The size of that thing would mean the engines would consume all the fuel in a matter of around 1 minute with all those engines on. Atleast in real life :v:

I actually like the basic shape of it, make it smaller and drop everything you have right now and try a different approach at the same basic shape.

#12

I’m steadfast with the engine array, given that I’d have to pull a new prototype rig out of my ass and change the whole damn thing around, which takes a lot of time and calculations and… math (eeeuugh); plus there aren’t any “better” engine models, and making realistic-looking engines would make it less performance-friendly and would make them substantially less reliable. Plus, vanilla props don’t quite work with other materials. But they seem to fit well enough to me- It’s more that the material I chose for the bulk of the ship was to plain, but there’s no better alternative there either.

Can’t make it any smaller- has to be massive to support the weight of the cargo, and have a lot of room to support it, and I don’t plan on scrapping what I have already. More just adding and tweaking.

#13

Slightly reminds me of a ship from Nexus - The Jupiter Incident. I like it but I think it should be made longer and the arms that hold the solar panels should be slightly shorter (just my oppinion though), I do like it and I’m planning on making a cargo hauler similar in design :).

#14

It will be longer, the fore section isn’t finished yet. And the panel trusses are extended to such a length to allow for plenty of room for cargo.

#15

Is it 100% solar powered? Will it have any defenses?

#16

Yes it is; and no, it won’t have any defenses. It’s a civilian cargo-freighter. If defenses are in any way needed, it would likely rely on armed escorts.

#17

Wow, i really dig this! Definitely a good NASA type feel. Will you get some pics of this up in my SBEP contraption collection thread? It would really help get the ball rolling.
here’s the link:http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=899572

Keep up the good work dude!

#18

Wait, so, does this transport stars :v: o o o o

#19

Yeah of course.