OMG! Design the next USS ENTERPRISE (Offical Contest)

[Stark]

Because its huge and slow and nobody with a ship that worked would ever do it and it has extremely limited arc?

I hate to support this amazingly stupid idea, but just having a thruster pack on the powerplant would mean you can eject it in any direction and then accelerate it towards the target without the absurdity of placing it in a fore/aft tunnel and firing it like a fucking gun.

If you're shooting at a borg cube, why not just gaff tape a bunch of torpedoes together? Stack them in a shuttle, even. Firing your powerplant out of a gun (and borg cubes do demonstrate significant agility at times) remains amazingly stupid.

Since a cube can laugh off the nav-deflector weapon, this won't even do shit.

[Kenny_10_Bellys]

In theory the core is a matter/antimatter mixing chamber, so if it lets go its going with a bang caused by whatever residual fuel is in it. However, photon torpedoes are purpose built matter/antimatter bombs which can be charged with varying amounts of antimatter as required. I would think they would be at least as powerful, if not much more powerful than a core explosion, and yet ships shields are able to withstand them to a degree.

I think a core explosion is like setting off a torpedo inside a ship, its not the ultimate big bang. If your ship is so wasted you are having to eject your reactor i doubt you would be looking to give it guidance systems, various exits and additional engines. You want rid of it to save your ass, anything else is wasted design effort.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I've got 162 escape pods btw, so 10-20 people per pod, that's a crew of 1,620-3,420.

She has 26 decks, compared with the E which had 24 decks and a crew of 750, so I think the she probably has a crew of about 900, and escape pods that seat 10, with enough pods to accommodate the standard crew plus an extra 2/3rds more if need be.

[ShadowDragon8685]

That's probably a good escape pod ratio for a Starfleet ship, since they often may wind up carrying a lot of refugees.

I'm not at all thrilled about your whole idea of a fore-and-aft ejector port to use the warp core as a last-ditch torpedo, but the space on the model could definitely be used for the fore and aft torpedo hardpoints.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

When did photon torpedoes change from glowing red to blue? Is it quantum torpedoes that are blue?

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I'm basically done with both the submission and animation now, and in time to add a nice layer of polish

I really can't wait to show you. The little boy inside me is screaming "Lookit! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit!" but I must resist the urge to submit early, as other legitimate entries are being screen-shotted, altered slightly (if at all) and re-submitted under a different name.

I'd hate for there to be any question as to my entry's authenticity, so I'll wait if it kills me... which it might.

[ShadowDragon8685]

When did photon torpedoes change from glowing red to blue? Is it quantum torpedoes that are blue?

Photons are still yellow-red, it's Quantum Torpedoes that are blue.

[Molyneux]

I'm basically done with both the submission and animation now, and in time to add a nice layer of polish

I really can't wait to show you. The little boy inside me is screaming "Lookit! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit! Lookit!" but I must resist the urge to submit early, as other legitimate entries are being screen-shotted, altered slightly (if at all) and re-submitted under a different name.

I'd hate for there to be any question as to my entry's authenticity, so I'll wait if it kills me... which it might.

That is utterly, completely crap. I hope whoever tries any shit like that gets the reward they so justly deserve.
Good luck to you and all the other legitimate entrants.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

The competition is heating up!


Schimpf


Shick


Kastner


Beagle


Trexler


Holts


Gardner


Brooks


Wyman


Tourangeau

[Eternal_Freedom]

Wyman, Beagle, Trexler and Tourangeau look good because they are different and new and interesting. Most of the rest look like re-hashed Sovereigns, or Sovs crossed with other ships.

For instance, Schimpf looks like a Sov/Galaxy/Connie hybrid with the shape and style.

And Kastner looks like an amalgam of Excelsior, Ambassador and Galaxy classes.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

What do you think of Brooks? His perspective lines are a bit broken (The saucer is angled down compared to the engineering section) but I really like the concept.

I also like the delta shape of Trexler's nacelle struts.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Brooks...hmmm.

The pylons look like they are too far back along the nacelles, and I dunno why but that kind of hull form just doesn't look right with a circular saucer. With the shape of the hull section it looks like it should have sov-type saucer, reaching further forward.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I almost want to see his neck connect with the middle of the saucer (rather than the rear), moving the center of gravity back, and moving the nacelles below the saucer. I think a forward elongated saucer would work well too.

His engineering section and nacelles though are my favorite thus far. Very very sexy.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Agreed on that one

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Something that occurred to me, and you can apply this or not, but might it be aesthetically feasible to round off the engineering hull around the main deflector? Instead of a right angle where the deflector ends, why not slant that back to allow for some parallelism with the sleek slant of the neck into the engineering hull. Do you think that's at all ideal, Fuzzy?

I just saw this post while re-reading this thread from start to finish, and I wish I had noticed it earlier. Indeed, the deflector's cavity ought to angle upwards to match the curvature of the neck (like the Enterprise-D.)

Very good idea Prannon. Sorry I missed it

[Molyneux]

To me, Brooks' design almost looks like he's trying to set up an IDIC when seen from below. I quite like the idea.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the first attempt at printing my model with my friend's reprap.







The final product will be 5x that size, and printed in six separate parts. I'll then assemble it, putty over the extrusion contours, and paint it

More pics to follow, but I'll likely take my time with this project.

____________________

I'll also be printing out interchangeable sections of castle wall, and then little grainarys and inns and stables and towers and cathedrals and such for the inside. I'll then paint the pieces and give them away as gifts. I think swappable castle parts would be a cool little coffee table toy.

[Eternal_Freedom]

For a quick rought and ready prototype that actually looks pretty good. Shows the shape of the ship quite well and that's what you want after all. I don't suppose you'd consider making more of the finished models and selling them to members of SD.net? I would certianly be interested.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Based on the slim chance that I might actually pull it off and win this thing, I don't want to entertain notions that might break the rules. If I fail to even place, ask me again

_

My friend's machine has now nearly completely self replicated. He wants to have ten going by his birthday. I'm hoping to talk him in to printing one out for me too. Intimidating new software to learn, but think of the possibilities!

[Molyneux]

Damn...good luck in the contest, and for what it's worth, I'd love to get in on something like that as well!

[ShadowDragon8685]

Based on the slim chance that I might actually pull it off and win this thing, I don't want to entertain notions that might break the rules. If I fail to even place, ask me again

_

My friend's machine has now nearly completely self replicated. He wants to have ten going by his birthday. I'm hoping to talk him in to printing one out for me too. Intimidating new software to learn, but think of the possibilities!

Wait - self-replicated? He's using a rapid prototype machine to make more rapid prototype machines?


That's kinda scary, really. In a good way, but scary. Anyway, even if you don't win, I doubt anyone else is going to this much length.

And if you do win and get it in the game, you'll be the only person on Earth with a real model of the new Enterprise in your ready room.

[Molyneux]

Based on the slim chance that I might actually pull it off and win this thing, I don't want to entertain notions that might break the rules. If I fail to even place, ask me again

_

My friend's machine has now nearly completely self replicated. He wants to have ten going by his birthday. I'm hoping to talk him in to printing one out for me too. Intimidating new software to learn, but think of the possibilities!

Wait - self-replicated? He's using a rapid prototype machine to make more rapid prototype machines?


That's kinda scary, really. In a good way, but scary. Anyway, even if you don't win, I doubt anyone else is going to this much length.

And if you do win and get it in the game, you'll be the only person on Earth with a real model of the new Enterprise in your ready room.

Look up "RepRap". It's an interesting project, though it won't truly be complete until they have a device that can print out circuit boards, I believe.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Printing circuit boards is hypothetically easy. You would just need two high quality extruders, one pumping something conductive and the other pumping silicon, though you can't make anything too complicated at 0.1mm mind you (like a processor).

We don't HAVE extruders that nice... yet, but my friend is already pretty good at making circuit boards by hand. He's actually the guy who trained me to be a PC tech, and he was the only one of my friends from Alaska to visit me while I was living in Albuquerque, and he performed my wedding ceremony. I've known him since my first year of college. Good guy. Brilliant and intensely motivated. It's nice to have friends who inspire you to accomplish things

The machine obviously can't print out it's own extruder either, but you can make them by hand with a great deal of difficulty and common household parts, or you can buy a cheap one for around $30.00

It's also worth mentioning that this is all open source

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I still need to clean a lot of excess crap off of it, but here is the final draft, full scale, highest possible quality:

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Agreed.

Some more new competitors, some of them quite impressive/intimidating:


Samuelson


Inabinet


Rinaldi


Anderson


Summers


Calloway


Gordon


Reynolds