spinwardpirate
SOC-13
Wow. This looks really cool. When I get home I'm going to give it a try!
CT Ship Builder
- Thread starter Matt123
- Start date
Pretty much done with creating these text print-outs, I've implemented everything I could think of. The next task is to implement book2 hardpoint purchasing better and add a designers notes section for registered users to save ummm, design notes (guests can't save designs). I'm about to revisit a thread from last week on hardpoints, re-read the comments and the rulebooks and try to come up with an interpretation that both makes sense and can be coded. I'll put my interpretation in the project notes so it can provide a starting point if someone wishes to revisit it here on COTI.
The Scout again and a couple of other designs
Scout/Courier (type S)
100 ton, TL 11 Civilian Design, 32.60 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
3 High/Mid passengers, 3 tons cargo
Agility 0, Emergency Agility 2
____Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| ___.__ | _3.00 | _.__ | standard hull, streamlined , fuel scoops
| _20.00 | _0.50 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1-bis (allows jump 2)
| _10.00 | 10.00 | _.__ | drive jump #2
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #2
| __4.00 | _8.00 | _.__ | power plant #2
| ___.__ | __.__ | 1.00 | agility #1
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (8 weeks powered down)
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| __1.00 | _0.50 | 1.00 | 1 x pulse laser turret #1
| _16.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 4 x staterooms
| __3.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 3 tons cargo capacity
| __4.00 | _0.60 | _.__ | 1 x 4 ton Air/raft
-------------------------
| 100.00 | 32.60 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
32.93 MCr for first ship in class, built in 40 weeks
26.08 MCr when built in volume, built in 32 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Free Trader (type A)
200 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 41.85 MCr
4 crew (Command: 1+0, Engineer: 0+1, Steward: 0+1, Medic: 0+1)
6 High/Mid passengers, 20 Low passengers, 82 tons cargo
Agility 0, Emergency Agility 1
____Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| ___.__ | 10.00 | _.__ | standard hull, streamlined , fuel scoops
| _20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1
| _10.00 | 10.00 | _.__ | drive jump #1
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| __4.00 | _8.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| _10.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 1 parsecs
| __0.67 | _0.25 | _.__ | 1 x sand caster (mixed turret) turret #2
| __0.33 | _0.50 | 1.00 | 1 x pulse laser (mixed turret) turret #1
| _40.00 | _5.00 | _.__ | 10 x staterooms
| _10.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | 20 x low berths
| _82.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 82 tons cargo capacity
| __1.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 1 x 1 ton Turret fire control
| ___.__ | _0.10 | _.__ | 1 x Hardpoint
-------------------------
| 200.00 | 41.85 | 1.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
42.27 MCr for first ship in class, built in 48 weeks
33.48 MCr when built in volume, built in 39 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
50tn Cutter
50 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 28.60 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
32.5 tons cargo
Agility 4, Emergency Agility 4
__Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| __.__ | _5.00 | _.__ | Cylinder, partially streamlined
| _2.00 | _0.10 | _.__ | 4 x control couches, no bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1, rated as model 0 (no bridge)
| _5.50 | _2.75 | _.__ | drive maneouver #4
| _6.00 | 18.00 | _.__ | power plant #4
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #4
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (16 weeks powered down)
| _1.00 | _0.75 | _.__ | 1 x HE missile turret #1
| 32.50 | __.__ | _.__ | 32 tons cargo capacity
------------------------
| 50.00 | 28.60 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
28.89 MCr for first ship in class, built in 24 weeks
22.88 MCr when built in volume, built in 20 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
The Scout again and a couple of other designs
Scout/Courier (type S)
100 ton, TL 11 Civilian Design, 32.60 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
3 High/Mid passengers, 3 tons cargo
Agility 0, Emergency Agility 2
____Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| ___.__ | _3.00 | _.__ | standard hull, streamlined , fuel scoops
| _20.00 | _0.50 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1-bis (allows jump 2)
| _10.00 | 10.00 | _.__ | drive jump #2
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #2
| __4.00 | _8.00 | _.__ | power plant #2
| ___.__ | __.__ | 1.00 | agility #1
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (8 weeks powered down)
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| __1.00 | _0.50 | 1.00 | 1 x pulse laser turret #1
| _16.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 4 x staterooms
| __3.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 3 tons cargo capacity
| __4.00 | _0.60 | _.__ | 1 x 4 ton Air/raft
-------------------------
| 100.00 | 32.60 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
32.93 MCr for first ship in class, built in 40 weeks
26.08 MCr when built in volume, built in 32 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Free Trader (type A)
200 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 41.85 MCr
4 crew (Command: 1+0, Engineer: 0+1, Steward: 0+1, Medic: 0+1)
6 High/Mid passengers, 20 Low passengers, 82 tons cargo
Agility 0, Emergency Agility 1
____Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| ___.__ | 10.00 | _.__ | standard hull, streamlined , fuel scoops
| _20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| __1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1
| _10.00 | 10.00 | _.__ | drive jump #1
| __1.00 | _4.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| __4.00 | _8.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| _10.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| _20.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, jump range 1 parsecs
| __0.67 | _0.25 | _.__ | 1 x sand caster (mixed turret) turret #2
| __0.33 | _0.50 | 1.00 | 1 x pulse laser (mixed turret) turret #1
| _40.00 | _5.00 | _.__ | 10 x staterooms
| _10.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | 20 x low berths
| _82.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 82 tons cargo capacity
| __1.00 | __.__ | _.__ | 1 x 1 ton Turret fire control
| ___.__ | _0.10 | _.__ | 1 x Hardpoint
-------------------------
| 200.00 | 41.85 | 1.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
42.27 MCr for first ship in class, built in 48 weeks
33.48 MCr when built in volume, built in 39 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
50tn Cutter
50 ton, TL 9 Civilian Design, 28.60 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
32.5 tons cargo
Agility 4, Emergency Agility 4
__Ton.____MCr.____EP.___
| __.__ | _5.00 | _.__ | Cylinder, partially streamlined
| _2.00 | _0.10 | _.__ | 4 x control couches, no bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | 1 x computer model 1, rated as model 0 (no bridge)
| _5.50 | _2.75 | _.__ | drive maneouver #4
| _6.00 | 18.00 | _.__ | power plant #4
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #4
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (16 weeks powered down)
| _1.00 | _0.75 | _.__ | 1 x HE missile turret #1
| 32.50 | __.__ | _.__ | 32 tons cargo capacity
------------------------
| 50.00 | 28.60 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.0 EPs
28.89 MCr for first ship in class, built in 24 weeks
22.88 MCr when built in volume, built in 20 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Added designer notes section for saved designs.
I have no outstanding user reported bugs, in fact I haven't had a bug report for three or four weeks and those were for presentation issues. If the app is bug free, perhaps I should bump my advertised computer skill to say computer-4, maybe computer-5. I could start taking commissions to write jump programmes or anti-hijack for PC's
Seriously though, I am not that good a programmer to get it right this fast! Please report bugs, frustrations or suggestions for improvements.
I have no outstanding user reported bugs, in fact I haven't had a bug report for three or four weeks and those were for presentation issues. If the app is bug free, perhaps I should bump my advertised computer skill to say computer-4, maybe computer-5. I could start taking commissions to write jump programmes or anti-hijack for PC's
Seriously though, I am not that good a programmer to get it right this fast! Please report bugs, frustrations or suggestions for improvements.
Just noodling around. It's intended as a mid-tech vessel capable of long term independent operations. It doesn't carry any heavy weapons (bays), so the fighters are a handy way to increase its firepower beyond the dozen turrets. Together with the ship's boats it has plenty of operational flexibility. I imagine the air rafts are enclosed versions a bit like light armoured grav cars, used for close range excursions and to give an extra planet side interface option since the vessel is not streamlined.
Patroll Cuiser
1200 ton, TL 13 Military Design, 668.11 MCr
56 crew (Command: 2+7, Engineers: 1+2, Service: 1+2, Flight: 1+16, Gunners: 1+9, Marines: 1+12, Medic: 0+1)
5 specialists, 45 tons cargo
Agility 1, Emergency Agility 3
_____Ton._____MCr._____EP.___
| _____.__ | _72.00 | __.__ | Close Structure, partially streamlined
| ___96.00 | _57.60 | __.__ | hull armour #3
| ___24.00 | __6.00 | __.__ | bridge
| ____6.00 | _27.00 | _1.00 | 1 x computer model C-fib
| ___48.00 | 192.00 | __.__ | drive jump #3
| ___96.00 | _48.00 | __.__ | drive maneouver #3
| ___72.00 | 216.00 | __.__ | power plant #3
| __108.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 12 weeks (36 weeks powered down)
| __360.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, jump range 3 parsecs
| ____3.00 | __2.25 | __.__ | 3 x sand casters turret #4
| ____6.00 | _18.00 | 18.00 | 3 x beam lasers turret #5
| ____3.00 | __6.75 | __.__ | 3 x HE/Nuc missiles turret #3
| ___28.00 | __3.50 | __.__ | 7 x staterooms
| __108.00 | _13.50 | __.__ | 54 x cabins
| ___45.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | 45 tons cargo capacity
| ____8.00 | __1.20 | __.__ | 2 x 4 ton Air/rafts
| ____8.00 | __1.00 | __.__ | 2 x 4 ton Workshops
| ___24.00 | __3.00 | __.__ | 6 x 4 ton Staterooms
| ___78.00 | __0.16 | __.__ | 6 x 10 ton Light Fighters
| ___78.00 | __0.16 | __.__ | 2 x 30 ton Ships Boats
-----------------------------
| 1,199.00 | 668.11 | 19.00 EP used, PP generates 36.0 EPs
674.79 MCr for first ship in class, built in 121 weeks
534.49 MCr when built in volume, built in 97 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Patroll Cuiser
1200 ton, TL 13 Military Design, 668.11 MCr
56 crew (Command: 2+7, Engineers: 1+2, Service: 1+2, Flight: 1+16, Gunners: 1+9, Marines: 1+12, Medic: 0+1)
5 specialists, 45 tons cargo
Agility 1, Emergency Agility 3
_____Ton._____MCr._____EP.___
| _____.__ | _72.00 | __.__ | Close Structure, partially streamlined
| ___96.00 | _57.60 | __.__ | hull armour #3
| ___24.00 | __6.00 | __.__ | bridge
| ____6.00 | _27.00 | _1.00 | 1 x computer model C-fib
| ___48.00 | 192.00 | __.__ | drive jump #3
| ___96.00 | _48.00 | __.__ | drive maneouver #3
| ___72.00 | 216.00 | __.__ | power plant #3
| __108.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 12 weeks (36 weeks powered down)
| __360.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, jump range 3 parsecs
| ____3.00 | __2.25 | __.__ | 3 x sand casters turret #4
| ____6.00 | _18.00 | 18.00 | 3 x beam lasers turret #5
| ____3.00 | __6.75 | __.__ | 3 x HE/Nuc missiles turret #3
| ___28.00 | __3.50 | __.__ | 7 x staterooms
| __108.00 | _13.50 | __.__ | 54 x cabins
| ___45.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | 45 tons cargo capacity
| ____8.00 | __1.20 | __.__ | 2 x 4 ton Air/rafts
| ____8.00 | __1.00 | __.__ | 2 x 4 ton Workshops
| ___24.00 | __3.00 | __.__ | 6 x 4 ton Staterooms
| ___78.00 | __0.16 | __.__ | 6 x 10 ton Light Fighters
| ___78.00 | __0.16 | __.__ | 2 x 30 ton Ships Boats
-----------------------------
| 1,199.00 | 668.11 | 19.00 EP used, PP generates 36.0 EPs
674.79 MCr for first ship in class, built in 121 weeks
534.49 MCr when built in volume, built in 97 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Last edited:
One of my core designs for TCS.
Also I've replaced the dashes before the totals row, with a different version of dashes. It looks a wee bit better.
Fleet Fighter
56 ton, TL 12 Military Design, 142.12 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
Agility 6, Emergency Agility 0
__Ton._____MCr.____EP.___
| __.__ | __4.48 | _.__ | Flattened Sphere, streamlined
| 11.20 | __0.28 | _.__ | small craft bridge, with 2 control couches
| _7.00 | _55.00 | 5.00 | 1 x computer model 6
| _9.52 | __4.76 | _.__ | drive maneouver #6
| 25.12 | _75.35 | _.__ | power plant #E
| __.__ | ___.__ | 3.36 | agility #6
| _2.09 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 1 week (14 weeks powered down)
| _1.00 | __2.25 | _.__ | 3 x HE/Nuc missiles turret #1
| _0.07 | ___.__ | _.__ | 0 tons cargo capacity
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 56.00 | 142.12 | 8.36 EP used, PP generates 8.37 EPs
143.54 MCr for first ship in class, built in 25 weeks
113.69 MCr when built in volume, built in 20 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Still spotting and fixing minor irritations
Also I've replaced the dashes before the totals row, with a different version of dashes. It looks a wee bit better.
Fleet Fighter
56 ton, TL 12 Military Design, 142.12 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
Agility 6, Emergency Agility 0
__Ton._____MCr.____EP.___
| __.__ | __4.48 | _.__ | Flattened Sphere, streamlined
| 11.20 | __0.28 | _.__ | small craft bridge, with 2 control couches
| _7.00 | _55.00 | 5.00 | 1 x computer model 6
| _9.52 | __4.76 | _.__ | drive maneouver #6
| 25.12 | _75.35 | _.__ | power plant #E
| __.__ | ___.__ | 3.36 | agility #6
| _2.09 | ___.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 1 week (14 weeks powered down)
| _1.00 | __2.25 | _.__ | 3 x HE/Nuc missiles turret #1
| _0.07 | ___.__ | _.__ | 0 tons cargo capacity
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 56.00 | 142.12 | 8.36 EP used, PP generates 8.37 EPs
143.54 MCr for first ship in class, built in 25 weeks
113.69 MCr when built in volume, built in 20 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Still spotting and fixing minor irritations
The bit I'm working through at the moment is adding turret charges to book 2 designs. To do so I'm having to change the database to record the number of hardpoints and what turret (or no turret) they are designed with. For example the Scout comes with an empty double turret costing 500,000Cr. The Scout's combination of hard point, fire control and double turret will displace 1 ton and cost 0.6 MCr without weapons.
In testing my solution, I've found that if applied it breaks existing designs. I'm going to sleep on it before doing this, as there might be a better way.
Is your design mysteriously no longer loading?
This is probably a good time to mention that if I break your saved design (only applicable to registered users, guest users cannot save designs as you need an identity to save to), send me a private message or email. I should be able to recover it and it is not a problem from my perspective to do so.
In testing my solution, I've found that if applied it breaks existing designs. I'm going to sleep on it before doing this, as there might be a better way.
Is your design mysteriously no longer loading?
This is probably a good time to mention that if I break your saved design (only applicable to registered users, guest users cannot save designs as you need an identity to save to), send me a private message or email. I should be able to recover it and it is not a problem from my perspective to do so.
Tackled adding turrets to bk2 designs tonight and tentatively added the code to the app. Best I can tell nothing broke , but contact me if you see otherwise.
At present the hardpoint calculation, which is tied to how many weapons you can have, assumes triple turrets. Now that single and double turrets can be specified in the design, checking for turret compliance is the next job on the list.
, but contact me if you see otherwise.At present the hardpoint calculation, which is tied to how many weapons you can have, assumes triple turrets. Now that single and double turrets can be specified in the design, checking for turret compliance is the next job on the list.
Completely re-wrote the code relating to Drop Tanks and added 60 odd tests. Test count for the app is now over 600.
There have been quite a few users creating ships, but no reported bugs for two months. If you spot something, don't hesitate to let me know and please don't assume I will see it.
My test ship for drop tanks was the Gazelle. Infamous for being impossible to build in Traveller due to including a hard point based on its additional droptank. I can't fix that problem, but I have made it possible to build it in CT ship designer by creating a special case.
This message pops up if you design a Gazelle class or similar vessel.
Gazelle Class Close Escort
300 ton, TL 14 Military Design, 342.93 MCr
12 crew (Command: 1+1, Engineers: 1+3, Flight: 0+1, Gunners: 1+3, Medic: 0+1)
no passengers
Drop tank
| 100.00 | __0.11 | __.__ | JD: 5 when dropped
Retained: JD: 4, MD: 4, Agility: 0, Emergency agility: 4
Absent: JD: 2, MD: 5, Agility: 0, Emergency agility: 5
___Ton._____MCr._____EP.___
| ___.__ | _33.00 | __.__ | Cone, streamlined
| _12.00 | __7.20 | __.__ | hull armour #3
| ___.__ | __0.30 | __.__ | fuel scoops
| __4.00 | __0.03 | __.__ | purification plant
| _20.00 | __1.50 | __.__ | bridge
| __7.00 | _55.00 | _5.00 | computer model 6
| _20.00 | _80.00 | __.__ | drive jump #4
| _44.00 | _22.00 | __.__ | drive maneouver #4
| _42.00 | 126.00 | __.__ | power plant #5
| _21.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 5 weeks (28 weeks powered down)
| _60.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| 100.00 | __0.11 | __.__ | fuel drop tank
| __2.00 | __6.00 | _6.00 | beam lasers (turret) #4 x2
| _10.00 | __8.00 | 10.00 | particle accelerators (barbette) #1 x2
| _12.00 | __1.50 | __.__ | staterooms x3
| _18.00 | __2.25 | __.__ | cabins x9
| __8.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | 8 tons cargo capacity
| _20.00 | __0.04 | __.__ | 20 ton Launch x1
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 400.00 | 342.93 | 21.00 EP used, PP generates 21.00 EPs
346.36 MCr for first ship in class, built in 56 weeks
274.34 MCr when built in volume, built in 45 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
FWIW building the Gazelle as a Book 2 design is doable and only requires changing a laser battery to a missile battery to save on energy points. Plus dropping the fuel purification plant and reducing cargo to 0. Of course it also requires acceptance of particle accelerators in your small ships universe.
Enjoy
There have been quite a few users creating ships, but no reported bugs for two months. If you spot something, don't hesitate to let me know and please don't assume I will see it.
My test ship for drop tanks was the Gazelle. Infamous for being impossible to build in Traveller due to including a hard point based on its additional droptank. I can't fix that problem, but I have made it possible to build it in CT ship designer by creating a special case.
This message pops up if you design a Gazelle class or similar vessel.
Purists may be horrified, but the more practical may see it as a way of creating a design accepted as cannon in Traveller whilst being aware of the fact it is a special case within the ship design rules.
Gazelle Class Close Escort
300 ton, TL 14 Military Design, 342.93 MCr
12 crew (Command: 1+1, Engineers: 1+3, Flight: 0+1, Gunners: 1+3, Medic: 0+1)
no passengers
Drop tank
| 100.00 | __0.11 | __.__ | JD: 5 when dropped
Retained: JD: 4, MD: 4, Agility: 0, Emergency agility: 4
Absent: JD: 2, MD: 5, Agility: 0, Emergency agility: 5
___Ton._____MCr._____EP.___
| ___.__ | _33.00 | __.__ | Cone, streamlined
| _12.00 | __7.20 | __.__ | hull armour #3
| ___.__ | __0.30 | __.__ | fuel scoops
| __4.00 | __0.03 | __.__ | purification plant
| _20.00 | __1.50 | __.__ | bridge
| __7.00 | _55.00 | _5.00 | computer model 6
| _20.00 | _80.00 | __.__ | drive jump #4
| _44.00 | _22.00 | __.__ | drive maneouver #4
| _42.00 | 126.00 | __.__ | power plant #5
| _21.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 5 weeks (28 weeks powered down)
| _60.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, jump range 2 parsecs
| 100.00 | __0.11 | __.__ | fuel drop tank
| __2.00 | __6.00 | _6.00 | beam lasers (turret) #4 x2
| _10.00 | __8.00 | 10.00 | particle accelerators (barbette) #1 x2
| _12.00 | __1.50 | __.__ | staterooms x3
| _18.00 | __2.25 | __.__ | cabins x9
| __8.00 | ___.__ | __.__ | 8 tons cargo capacity
| _20.00 | __0.04 | __.__ | 20 ton Launch x1
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 400.00 | 342.93 | 21.00 EP used, PP generates 21.00 EPs
346.36 MCr for first ship in class, built in 56 weeks
274.34 MCr when built in volume, built in 45 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
FWIW building the Gazelle as a Book 2 design is doable and only requires changing a laser battery to a missile battery to save on energy points. Plus dropping the fuel purification plant and reducing cargo to 0. Of course it also requires acceptance of particle accelerators in your small ships universe.
Enjoy
Frankymole
SOC-12
Were the C-PAWS and N-PAWS accelerators in the print JTAS of the early 1980s for High Guard or Book 2 / The Traveller Book?
Just fixed a bug preventing guests from using the app. It was quite an interesting one, it took longer to create the test case for it than it did to fix it
My thanks to Tod13 for the heads up, much appreciated.
The ship designer itself is pretty much finished so I have moved onto phase two, creating ships and fleets from the designs. I am adopting an interesting networking architecture for this part (google Service Oriented Architecture). Once I get it running ok, the existing ship designer will be refactored to comply as well. In practical terms this means I can have a free heroku server for the ship designer talking to a free xyz server which manages and saves the fleet composition. Much fun, even if it takes a wee while to pull it all together.
My thanks to Tod13 for the heads up, much appreciated.
The ship designer itself is pretty much finished so I have moved onto phase two, creating ships and fleets from the designs. I am adopting an interesting networking architecture for this part (google Service Oriented Architecture). Once I get it running ok, the existing ship designer will be refactored to comply as well. In practical terms this means I can have a free heroku server for the ship designer talking to a free xyz server which manages and saves the fleet composition. Much fun, even if it takes a wee while to pull it all together.
Overall, the program is slick. I like the look-and-feel—smooth and nice without getting in the way. I think it takes someone who has actually read through Traveller rules trying to turn them into a program to appreciate the effort involved in something like this. So, please do not take any feedback personally—I really do understand the effort that goes into this, especially when you are using it to teach yourself a new language/framework.
I am not internally familiar with the ship/small craft construction rules, so this is really a GUI/usability review. If you are ever interested in a good and entertaining book on user interface design, look at About Face by Alan Cooper. I haven't read the newest versions (3 and 4) but 1 and 2 were both helpful and fun to read. (It was cheaper when it wasn't a textbook.)
I'm looking at Small Craft Designs as a guest using Firefox on Windows 7 – basically, building a small craft tank. (I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.)
I unchecked Civilian design – this is a point-defense vehicle. I changed Ship Tonnage to 89. (No real reason for that number, other than not being max but still large.) I then played with the tonnage during design too.
Suggestion: When I enter the ship tonnage, nothing on the screen changes to acknowledge that. The Totals area still shows 44 tons left, even though I increase the size and did not add anything else yet. You should be able to make updates percolate in Ruby on Rails. And just overall, it would be nice if it would update on the fly, instead of requiring a submit. This is the largest (and most difficult to implement) issue for usability. I haven't looked over the code—are you doing the checking on the server side or client side? Let me know if you would like suggestions on what I use for dynamic updating/observables.
Suggestion: While reading the thread, you mention the sections can be dragged around. How about changing the cursor over the title area for each section to be the draggable cursor instead of the text cursor? I like the "fade-away" esthetic, but maybe adding borders to make each box look more like a floating window might signal this feature more strongly also?
Issue: I unchecked fuel scoops, but it gets rechecked whenever I submitted.
Suggestion: Put the USP/Tons/MCr, and EP (surplus) headers in the title bar (or at least at the top) of each section. When I scroll down I forget what each column is. (See next also.)
Suggestion: Maybe put the available tonnage and available energy points in the title bars too? That way when I've scrolled away from the totals section, I can still get that information. Alternatively, add an option for the Totals section to "float" so when the user scrolls, the totals stay visible.
Suggestion: Under weapons, maybe change "select an option" to "none (or select an option)"? When the user selects the "none" option, reset the corresponding "batteries" text to 0. It calculates and displays OK—it is just a minor display esthetic.
Question: My small craft never had anything but 0 for Agility. Is that an issue with my design or the code? (I've pasted the ship summary below.)
Question: The "Control couches" has 2 entered, but the Ship's Complement just says "1 Officer and 0 Ratings".
Suggestion: I think I'd like spaces in the table below rather than underscores for padding. Underscores look to much like negative signs to parse easily.
my tank, Armored Auxiliary
70 ton, TL 15 Military Design, 227.26 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
_Ton._____MCr._____EP.____
| __.__ | __5.60 | __.__ | Flattened Sphere, streamlined, fuel scoops
| 11.20 | _20.16 | __.__ | hull armour #F
| _1.00 | __0.05 | __.__ | 2 x control couches, no bridge
| 13.00 | 140.00 | 12.00 | computer model 9, rated as model 8 (no bridge)
| 11.90 | __5.95 | __.__ | drive maneouver #6
| 17.50 | _52.50 | __.__ | power plant #R
| _4.38 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 1 week (25 weeks powered down)
| _3.00 | __3.00 | _5.00 | particle accelerator (barbette) #2 x1
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 61.98 | 227.26 | 17.00 EP used, PP generates 17.50 EPs
229.53 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 29 weeks
181.81 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 24 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Now, I'm looking at Ship Designs as a guest using Firefox on Windows 7 – basically, building a hunting support spacecraft. (I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.) I'm going to have to look at this section again after looking at the rules.
Suggestion: Same overall GUI suggestions as in Small Craft, especially in regards to having to submit to get updates.
Suggestion: For both builders here: I'm not sure, but would highlighting (red or some other border or an asterisk) next to the offending area work? I know one of the problems is that an issue can be fixed in several places, but if I try to use too many hard points, having Weapons, Hard Points, and (maybe?) the Hull sections marked might help?
Suggestion: Make (an option?) the error report a floating box or put it off to the side, where I can see it when I've scrolled down.
Suggestion: In Bridge, the box (containing 0-4) after selecting the Computer Back Up is not labeled. I think this is number of backups? Maybe have the 0-4 dropdown deactivated if no backup is selected, and only activate it if a type of backup is selected, and have it only have 1-4?
Suggestion: Similarly in Engineering, the text boxes and dropdowns after the drive/plant types are not labeled.
Question: The Power Plant options in Engineering are labeled with "drives". I do not have my books here with me. I think I've forgotten how the Engineering options work together. The suggestion for labels might help with this.
Suggestion: Hard Points section has minus signs in front of zeros for weapon types.
Suggestion: For Payload, is quantity number of items (Workshops, etc) or is it quantity of tons dedicated to Workshops.
I am not internally familiar with the ship/small craft construction rules, so this is really a GUI/usability review. If you are ever interested in a good and entertaining book on user interface design, look at About Face by Alan Cooper. I haven't read the newest versions (3 and 4) but 1 and 2 were both helpful and fun to read. (It was cheaper when it wasn't a textbook.)
I'm looking at Small Craft Designs as a guest using Firefox on Windows 7 – basically, building a small craft tank. (I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.)
I unchecked Civilian design – this is a point-defense vehicle. I changed Ship Tonnage to 89. (No real reason for that number, other than not being max but still large.) I then played with the tonnage during design too.
Suggestion: When I enter the ship tonnage, nothing on the screen changes to acknowledge that. The Totals area still shows 44 tons left, even though I increase the size and did not add anything else yet. You should be able to make updates percolate in Ruby on Rails. And just overall, it would be nice if it would update on the fly, instead of requiring a submit. This is the largest (and most difficult to implement) issue for usability. I haven't looked over the code—are you doing the checking on the server side or client side? Let me know if you would like suggestions on what I use for dynamic updating/observables.
Suggestion: While reading the thread, you mention the sections can be dragged around. How about changing the cursor over the title area for each section to be the draggable cursor instead of the text cursor? I like the "fade-away" esthetic, but maybe adding borders to make each box look more like a floating window might signal this feature more strongly also?
Issue: I unchecked fuel scoops, but it gets rechecked whenever I submitted.
Suggestion: Put the USP/Tons/MCr, and EP (surplus) headers in the title bar (or at least at the top) of each section. When I scroll down I forget what each column is. (See next also.)
Suggestion: Maybe put the available tonnage and available energy points in the title bars too? That way when I've scrolled away from the totals section, I can still get that information. Alternatively, add an option for the Totals section to "float" so when the user scrolls, the totals stay visible.
Suggestion: Under weapons, maybe change "select an option" to "none (or select an option)"? When the user selects the "none" option, reset the corresponding "batteries" text to 0. It calculates and displays OK—it is just a minor display esthetic.
Question: My small craft never had anything but 0 for Agility. Is that an issue with my design or the code? (I've pasted the ship summary below.)
Question: The "Control couches" has 2 entered, but the Ship's Complement just says "1 Officer and 0 Ratings".
Suggestion: I think I'd like spaces in the table below rather than underscores for padding. Underscores look to much like negative signs to parse easily.
my tank, Armored Auxiliary
70 ton, TL 15 Military Design, 227.26 MCr
1 crew (Command: 1+0)
_Ton._____MCr._____EP.____
| __.__ | __5.60 | __.__ | Flattened Sphere, streamlined, fuel scoops
| 11.20 | _20.16 | __.__ | hull armour #F
| _1.00 | __0.05 | __.__ | 2 x control couches, no bridge
| 13.00 | 140.00 | 12.00 | computer model 9, rated as model 8 (no bridge)
| 11.90 | __5.95 | __.__ | drive maneouver #6
| 17.50 | _52.50 | __.__ | power plant #R
| _4.38 | ___.__ | __.__ | fuel, PP endurance 1 week (25 weeks powered down)
| _3.00 | __3.00 | _5.00 | particle accelerator (barbette) #2 x1
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 61.98 | 227.26 | 17.00 EP used, PP generates 17.50 EPs
229.53 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 29 weeks
181.81 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 24 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
Now, I'm looking at Ship Designs as a guest using Firefox on Windows 7 – basically, building a hunting support spacecraft. (I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.) I'm going to have to look at this section again after looking at the rules.
Suggestion: Same overall GUI suggestions as in Small Craft, especially in regards to having to submit to get updates.
Suggestion: For both builders here: I'm not sure, but would highlighting (red or some other border or an asterisk) next to the offending area work? I know one of the problems is that an issue can be fixed in several places, but if I try to use too many hard points, having Weapons, Hard Points, and (maybe?) the Hull sections marked might help?
Suggestion: Make (an option?) the error report a floating box or put it off to the side, where I can see it when I've scrolled down.
Suggestion: In Bridge, the box (containing 0-4) after selecting the Computer Back Up is not labeled. I think this is number of backups? Maybe have the 0-4 dropdown deactivated if no backup is selected, and only activate it if a type of backup is selected, and have it only have 1-4?
Suggestion: Similarly in Engineering, the text boxes and dropdowns after the drive/plant types are not labeled.
Question: The Power Plant options in Engineering are labeled with "drives". I do not have my books here with me. I think I've forgotten how the Engineering options work together. The suggestion for labels might help with this.
Suggestion: Hard Points section has minus signs in front of zeros for weapon types.
Suggestion: For Payload, is quantity number of items (Workshops, etc) or is it quantity of tons dedicated to Workshops.
Awesome thank you, I will go through this tonight and prioritise the changes to be made.
You mention "[FONT=arial,helvetica](I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.)"[/FONT]. Can you elaborate a little on how this impacted your experience?[FONT=arial,helvetica]
[/FONT]
You mention "[FONT=arial,helvetica](I'm also running Ad Block Plus and HTTPS Everywhere.)"[/FONT]. Can you elaborate a little on how this impacted your experience?[FONT=arial,helvetica]
[/FONT]
They did not impact my experience as far as I know. But it was in case you know of existing issues. HTTPS Everywhere forces HTTPS whenever possible. I've had the main site support it but then Ajax calls to other services on the same page caused problems. Same sort of thing with Ad Block Plus--sometimes code or video are blocked because ads can't load.
Very nice implementation!
I found a couple of things that might be rule interpretation or bugs:
1. Planetoid armor - I interpret book 2 rules to say that after the 20% of the panetoid tonnage for unusable space the ship has armor factor 3 without additional tonnage or cost. It appears that this applies a cost and tonnage for armor factor 3.
steps to repeat - create any ship using a planetoid (or buffered planetoid) hull and reduce the armor to minimum. Note 2 ton/.6MCr cost for armor #3 below.
_Ton.____MCr.____EP.____
| 40.00 | _0.18 | _.__ | Planetoid, not streamlined
| _2.00 | _0.60 | _.__ | hull armour #3
| 20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | computer model 1
| _4.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| _2.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #1
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| _8.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | staterooms x2
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 79.00 | 16.78 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.00 EPs
2. Drop tanks - I get an error if I create design with no internal jump fuel but drop tanks are added. I was thinking this would be a valid design choice but in any case it would be better if the app did not crash.
steps to repeat - create a ship design with jump drive and no internal jump fuel (fuel for zero parsecs) and add drop tanks.
I created the below and added 20ton drop tank:
test1, Provincial Merchant
200 ton, TL 15 Civilian Design, 56.50 MCr
3 crew (Command: 1+0, Engineer: 0+1, Medic: 0+1)
no passengers
_Ton.____MCr.____EP.____
| __.__ | 24.00 | _.__ | Needle/Wedge, streamlined, fuel scoops
| 20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | computer model 1
| _4.00 | 16.00 | _.__ | drive jump #1
| _4.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| _2.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #1
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| 12.00 | _1.50 | _.__ | staterooms x3
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 45.00 | 56.50 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.00 EPs
57.06 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 48 weeks
45.20 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 39 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
error message:
We're sorry, but something went wrong.
If you are the application owner check the logs for more information.
I found a couple of things that might be rule interpretation or bugs:
1. Planetoid armor - I interpret book 2 rules to say that after the 20% of the panetoid tonnage for unusable space the ship has armor factor 3 without additional tonnage or cost. It appears that this applies a cost and tonnage for armor factor 3.
steps to repeat - create any ship using a planetoid (or buffered planetoid) hull and reduce the armor to minimum. Note 2 ton/.6MCr cost for armor #3 below.
_Ton.____MCr.____EP.____
| 40.00 | _0.18 | _.__ | Planetoid, not streamlined
| _2.00 | _0.60 | _.__ | hull armour #3
| 20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | computer model 1
| _4.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| _2.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #1
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| _8.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | staterooms x2
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 79.00 | 16.78 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.00 EPs
2. Drop tanks - I get an error if I create design with no internal jump fuel but drop tanks are added. I was thinking this would be a valid design choice but in any case it would be better if the app did not crash.
steps to repeat - create a ship design with jump drive and no internal jump fuel (fuel for zero parsecs) and add drop tanks.
I created the below and added 20ton drop tank:
test1, Provincial Merchant
200 ton, TL 15 Civilian Design, 56.50 MCr
3 crew (Command: 1+0, Engineer: 0+1, Medic: 0+1)
no passengers
_Ton.____MCr.____EP.____
| __.__ | 24.00 | _.__ | Needle/Wedge, streamlined, fuel scoops
| 20.00 | _1.00 | _.__ | bridge
| _1.00 | _2.00 | _.__ | computer model 1
| _4.00 | 16.00 | _.__ | drive jump #1
| _4.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | drive maneouver #1
| _2.00 | _6.00 | _.__ | power plant #1
| __.__ | __.__ | 2.00 | agility #1
| _2.00 | __.__ | _.__ | fuel, PP endurance 4 weeks (4 weeks powered down)
| 12.00 | _1.50 | _.__ | staterooms x3
‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒
| 45.00 | 56.50 | 2.00 EP used, PP generates 2.00 EPs
57.06 MCr (first ship, includes architect fees) built in 48 weeks
45.20 MCr (20% discount in volume, TCS) built in 39 weeks
CT Ship Designer by Matt. Visit https://tca-2014-12.herokuapp.com
error message:
We're sorry, but something went wrong.
If you are the application owner check the logs for more information.
Fixed both of those, ta to Tod13 for finding them. Also added a couple of the suggestions jklost made.
I didn't reply to jklost's post which was a little rude. I agree with all the points made. In hindsight the javascript for the page was a bolt-on rather than planned properly. Implemented better it will achieve the suggestions made. I've slated this for a version 2.
Meantime now I have a half decent ship-designer, I'm working on a movement system for ship instances that utilizes TravellerMaps. The intention is to use a game week as the time unit (similar to TCS) and facilitate jumps, refueling and cargo pick-up. Later I'll likely enable the automation of regular runs, so someone can try running a merchant company. Not sure where I'm going with this, but its interesting and I'm attempting to better incorporate the javascript/jquery on this page.
In my future I see a server crash when someone tries to implement the xboat network...
Thanks again to jklost and Tod13.
I didn't reply to jklost's post which was a little rude. I agree with all the points made. In hindsight the javascript for the page was a bolt-on rather than planned properly. Implemented better it will achieve the suggestions made. I've slated this for a version 2.
Meantime now I have a half decent ship-designer, I'm working on a movement system for ship instances that utilizes TravellerMaps. The intention is to use a game week as the time unit (similar to TCS) and facilitate jumps, refueling and cargo pick-up. Later I'll likely enable the automation of regular runs, so someone can try running a merchant company. Not sure where I'm going with this, but its interesting and I'm attempting to better incorporate the javascript/jquery on this page.
In my future I see a server crash when someone tries to implement the xboat network...
Thanks again to jklost and Tod13.
I am just happy to help.
It has been fun to play with and I had a few designs I had worked out some time ago where I had tried to maximize a few values. I just ran those through to see what would happen. I was never sure about the game 'legality' of a ship with no internal jump fuel but using drop tanks. It seemed like a good plot device to use if you wanted to keep a group in systems with starports. Your designer makes dealing with drop tanks very easy compared to doing it by hand.
Since you mentioned writing the movement system... In a previous life, I wrote a simulation to model palletized cargo moving through a logistics network. I would be happy to share ideas if you are interested.
It has been fun to play with and I had a few designs I had worked out some time ago where I had tried to maximize a few values. I just ran those through to see what would happen. I was never sure about the game 'legality' of a ship with no internal jump fuel but using drop tanks. It seemed like a good plot device to use if you wanted to keep a group in systems with starports. Your designer makes dealing with drop tanks very easy compared to doing it by hand.
Since you mentioned writing the movement system... In a previous life, I wrote a simulation to model palletized cargo moving through a logistics network. I would be happy to share ideas if you are interested.
