High Port design
- Thread starter MacTrom
- Start date
I would expect A's and B's to have High Ports. Not sure if C's would, and certainly D and below would be too minimal. Size and TL would reflect the general TL of the main port, so if a TL8, then probably something like the Int'l Space Station. Higher tecks would have be more expanded and larger. The size would also reflect the traffic. The Revelation Station would be a pretty back water station. It can only land small craft (100-200dt) and not much room for handling cargo from bigger ships. The Argos on the other hand, is sufficiently large enough to handle dozens of ships of all sizes.
Back in CT, we are informed that Class A and B starports have orbital facilities.
Given that Class C starports cannot even refine fuel, much less effect major repairs, it is unlikely that they or any lesser grade are likewise capable of maintaining highports.
Movies and Trav are about the only place you'll find many highports; the low cost of gravitic drive operations and the high cost of maintaining gigantic, sprawling orbital operations complexes pretty much mean that except in cases of truly inhospitable mainworlds, highports are just showy ostentations. Expensive ostentations.
I mean, why spend 5% of a world's entire annual GDP just to maintain an orbital warehouse/resort for starship owners who are too cheap to buy streamlining and/or their own small craft?
The ISS barely qualifies as a port facility at all (it's more of an experimental spacecraft in its own right), although I'd give you that -- at least as a group -- we have nearly a Class B starport running on Terra at present.
The interesting alternative I have embraced IMTU is instead of giving Class A & B ports highports, I allow them "farports": waystations and fuel depots positioned outside the mainworld's 100-diameter limit (typically at a Lagrange and/or Trojan point with respect to the mainworld and its primary) to facilitate rapid processing and turnaround of scheduled mainline shipping. Small (and sometimes big) craft than handle the multi-hour shuttle duties from farport to mainworld...
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Yep, for the travelling public at large anyway. World powers (and even Megacorps) may have facilities beyond and even better than the Imperial Starport. In my take anyway. And then there are possible Imperial Bases in addition.
Again, for the travelling public through that Imperial Class C starport, yes. But others on the world may have better.
(to be continued... )
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
(...continuing)
Not Canon references but I've been toying with my own ideas again. I see any system possibly having highports, dependent on TL, not starport class.
In my take:
Class A always has a highport and minimum TL9.
Class B always have highports and a minimum TL7.
Class C (minimum TL5), D (minimum TL3) and E (minimum TL0) will have a highport if the local TL is 7+.
There will be a lowport if the mainworld size is 1+ (size 0 mainworlds are only highports, it's just one of the asteroids converted into a space craft/station).
That's a brief on the way it's shaking out at the moment.
As for what they'd each look like, that's more complicated. Dependent on local TL, world size (lowport capacity), world pop (highport capacity), other world conditions (lowports mostly), system conditions (main, subsidiary, tertiary, frontier) and location (interior, outlying, border), etc. etc.
They may all look the same superficially, but each is as unique as the star system that spawned it.
Not Canon references but I've been toying with my own ideas again. I see any system possibly having highports, dependent on TL, not starport class.
In my take:
Class A always has a highport and minimum TL9.
Class B always have highports and a minimum TL7.
Class C (minimum TL5), D (minimum TL3) and E (minimum TL0) will have a highport if the local TL is 7+.
There will be a lowport if the mainworld size is 1+ (size 0 mainworlds are only highports, it's just one of the asteroids converted into a space craft/station).
That's a brief on the way it's shaking out at the moment.
As for what they'd each look like, that's more complicated. Dependent on local TL, world size (lowport capacity), world pop (highport capacity), other world conditions (lowports mostly), system conditions (main, subsidiary, tertiary, frontier) and location (interior, outlying, border), etc. etc.
They may all look the same superficially, but each is as unique as the star system that spawned it.
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
My take is that only class A have 'orbital city' type highports with hotels, entertainment complexes, offices, recreation spaces, etc.
Class B ports are largely industrial and shipbuilding oriented, with maybe a passenger lounge and small 'duty free' mall for passengers to await a connection or shuttle.
Both A and B ports will have a metropolitan downport.
Class C is a typical 'Mos Eisley' downport, with maybe a few small independent orbital stations used by corporations or the military.
Class D is your frontier station - just a couple of landing strips/pads with a collection of modular cabins and fuel reservoirs spread around it - picture a wild west town with tumbleweed bowling along the main street.
Class E is what it says in the book, a flat spot of bedrock with a beacon. There may be a modular cabin with some supplies, restocked periodically by a visiting scout patrol, like a mountain rescue hut.
Class X has no prepared facilities, you scout out your own landing site.
Class B ports are largely industrial and shipbuilding oriented, with maybe a passenger lounge and small 'duty free' mall for passengers to await a connection or shuttle.
Both A and B ports will have a metropolitan downport.
Class C is a typical 'Mos Eisley' downport, with maybe a few small independent orbital stations used by corporations or the military.
Class D is your frontier station - just a couple of landing strips/pads with a collection of modular cabins and fuel reservoirs spread around it - picture a wild west town with tumbleweed bowling along the main street.
Class E is what it says in the book, a flat spot of bedrock with a beacon. There may be a modular cabin with some supplies, restocked periodically by a visiting scout patrol, like a mountain rescue hut.
Class X has no prepared facilities, you scout out your own landing site.
Higgipedia
SOC-11
I don't even see much in the way of supplies, unless they are vending machines. I see an Imperial office, which may or may not be open given when you show up, with a desk, terminal, vending machine, and water cooler.
And, other than a really bored worker who either LOVES or HATES company, that's about it.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
GT:Starports covers this in detail, including plans.
You know I constantly forget to check GURPS, its not on my radar. My experience with the Modular Cutter book has been good though, and I think I'll be picking up a few more GURPS Traveller books in the near future. You say it has plans? Mmmm!
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
The GT books are excellent, even if (like me) you don't play GURPS.
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
Gurps Starports is an excellent ideas mine, and enables you to design starports of realistic size, number of berths, personnel, etc. The plans are just to give you a few ideas really, a typical hotel floor, a typical restaurant - don't expect a complete room-by-room deckplan.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
The "class" of the port and the presence of a high port are related, but not hardwired except at the extremes. 'A' ports "always" have highports, while 'X' class ports "never" do. Everything in between is subject to Library Data.
An orbital component to a 'C' port might be as simple as a floating hotel, concourse, and cargo transfer, with all visitors docked externally. The station powerplant doesn't require purified fuel, so no facilities are in place to do so. Even if there were, the real threshold for becoming a 'B' port is the shipyard, and "we don't have the people here for that."
Remember folks, the UWP is "fast and sloppy". Fitting human endeavor like a port facility into so few pigeon-holes is asking for misfits.
An orbital component to a 'C' port might be as simple as a floating hotel, concourse, and cargo transfer, with all visitors docked externally. The station powerplant doesn't require purified fuel, so no facilities are in place to do so. Even if there were, the real threshold for becoming a 'B' port is the shipyard, and "we don't have the people here for that."
Remember folks, the UWP is "fast and sloppy". Fitting human endeavor like a port facility into so few pigeon-holes is asking for misfits.
Thanks for the tip. I picked up a copy on eBay for $10. Will get it sometime next week. In the meantime, I'll toss up the Vanguard as control and use the room plans from Argos for details of the other modules.
Somehow, on a balkanized planet with TL 10 and an A port, I don't see them building one big station. I still see a conglomeration of structures all interconnected. A tinker toy meets erector set.
My take on it is much the same as yours. The difference is that a D port has a few more fuel reserves and 10 or so landing pads, while an E port has a port control office (usually), the flat spot of bedrock is deliberately cleared and maintained, has a couple of cargo warehouses and there is fuel there ... well, there's fuel if there's a port control office.