The Type S is a specification, not a particular model of ship. Over the 3I, many models will have come and gone, made by different corporations, to different designs, in different places.
Some will be bigger, take up more room, some will be more compact. In my version of future reality, starship design won't keep to nice 100dton chunks. A variance of 35% either way isn't an issue, as we should not chain the designer to the tyranny of a ship design system, which is an abstract approximation at best. As long as it conforms roughly to the stated volume, I'm happy. So not more than 50% bigger, or half the size, anything else is just interesting variance.
Variance of the sort you find in the interior space and comfort levels of similarly specced cars.
To be phlegmatic about it, we just have another design of type S here, to go alongside the Sulieman and Bryan Gibson's "Snowbird' (my handle
). I personally prefer the Sulieman's expansive layout rather than the more claustrophobic arrangement of the other two; which, btw, can be wrangled into a closer to accurate rendition anyway (or at least fit within the stated dimensions of the wedge) - I had a version half done when my hard drive went kaput last year, but I did find ways to make it fit better. Might have another go if work allows.
On the other hand, there is the original problem that, as Kharum originally stated, the deckplan was done to conform to a design spec that is not the one printed with it, which to me seems
wrong anyway in the way that there's way too much maneuver fuel for a vessel born to skim
and with a purifier, space better used for cargo/special equipment (as per the original description). Compound this with the error of 1 sq = 1dton it makes it all very hard to work out what is actually
right, as the parameters keep on shifting, because it seems there's errors (though minor) in every aspect of it.
I've not yet assimilated the new ship design sequence so cannot confirm whether this design spec is actually correct or not.
My only
certain (though mild) criticism is the concept, which I find a bit flat when compared to the Sulieman, which is interesting and seems more spacious than it is (even with 36% too much space). It has nooks and crannies and different ways of getting around. It has more than one route getting from engineering to the cockpit. In other words, great roleplaying potential in several kinds of scenario. (It does seem to have 6 or so outer hatches but not one dedicated airlock, but you can stick an entry/exit airlock at the end of the air/raft bay corridor). The upper gallery is a great place to hide an illicit still on IISS vessels...
It seems better to me to let a designer come up with an interesting deckplan then fit a ship design around it. Traveller deckplans tend toward a saminess IMHO, though there are many honourable exceptions.
This is a bit of a crosspost from the MGT forums, but this thread is getting more traffic, and more thorough discussion too.
BTW it looks like this is Kharum's own external view of his ship. Quite nifty, composed like that. Still less interesting for me than the Suli as a
deckplan, but a nice variant to have knocking about.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=192
Oops, I think that's wrong - was uploaded by Hunter, so prob BG's ship. Looks to fit Kharum's deckplan better than the illo in the preview tho.
Is BG's ship, hence the patently obvious BG sig in the corner.
