mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
And I always thought the secret was a barely clothed Jessica Alba 
Starports
- Thread starter atpollard
- Start date
Another aspect, from a gaming perspective and previously mentioned, is also the possibility of finding out what kinds of ships are already in port. I (finally!) got the CD-ROM, and in looking over LBB7, some interesting chrome might be info about Al Morai freighters loading, some Sharurshid luxury liners, stuff like that. Potential plot hooks if not simple chrome. And the GT:Starports book had some additional details for a starport USP indicating how busy in terms of passengers/cargo tonnage per week, personnel requirements, stuff that can help flesh out a starport more than just 'a typical type A port'.
Simple tables (which I think I'll play around with sometime) based on starport type and other factors to determine the types of ships beyond the original books (which always seemed fairly paltry if you've a lot cargo/people moving around as per some TUs).
Just my Cr.02. I look forward to anything you wonderful people come up with (and as per another forum, I am simply amazed at the quantity and quality of stuff that comes up on these boards! Now if I could only get around to actually playing after my 20 year hiatus!)
Simple tables (which I think I'll play around with sometime) based on starport type and other factors to determine the types of ships beyond the original books (which always seemed fairly paltry if you've a lot cargo/people moving around as per some TUs).
Just my Cr.02. I look forward to anything you wonderful people come up with (and as per another forum, I am simply amazed at the quantity and quality of stuff that comes up on these boards! Now if I could only get around to actually playing after my 20 year hiatus!)
No Brainer that it's "Orbital" yes, but write me a book that explains a B class starport at Tech Level 13 run buy only SIX people that builds Non Starships AND has an attached Naval base. Explain to me how from B000000-D N Va Lo Ni 610, I can know at a glance how many landing platforms or berths, how many cargo dockloading berths, how many repair bay berths and how many ships in port allready from that, mmmn good luck boys.
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Cool, looks semi-organic.
Interesting you should say that Andrew. The germ which started the idea came from Ikebana (the japanese art / philosophy of flower arranging in which one tries to achieve a harmony of the heavens, earth and man's place in it - balance through asymmetry is very important).
The landing pads are meant to echo large leaves emerging from the stem. The 3 small pads are meant to represent epiphytes growing out of the main structure and represent the linkage from the base level pad (earth) to the top pad (heaven).
If you look at the underlying structure of the arrangement below, you will see what I mean.
I recommend again the book I mentioned before:
Architecture: Form, Space and Order by Professor Ching
which has opened my eyes into how to approach designing structures, whether they be buildings or starships (as you can see I'm very excited about this book).
Ravs
The landing pads are meant to echo large leaves emerging from the stem. The 3 small pads are meant to represent epiphytes growing out of the main structure and represent the linkage from the base level pad (earth) to the top pad (heaven).
If you look at the underlying structure of the arrangement below, you will see what I mean.
I recommend again the book I mentioned before:
Architecture: Form, Space and Order by Professor Ching
which has opened my eyes into how to approach designing structures, whether they be buildings or starships (as you can see I'm very excited about this book).
Ravs
No Brainer that it's "Orbital" yes, but write me a book that explains a B class starport at Tech Level 13 run buy only SIX people that builds Non Starships AND has an attached Naval base. Explain to me how from B000000-D N Va Lo Ni 610, I can know at a glance how many landing platforms or berths, how many cargo dock loading berths, how many repair bay berths and how many ships in port already from that, mmmn good luck boys. </font>[/QUOTE]That would be an adventure book. We are working on more of a reference guide.
Although I must admit that I find the personal challenge almost irresistible. As a quick answer, I would suggest:
1. The Traveller Book (Classic Traveller) lists primitive robots available at TL 12.
2. Automated mining of a strategic resource
3. Not many berths (perhaps 0) – 1 small facility for maintenance and repair of robotic small craft.
4. Naval base is an automated sensor outpost or data relay station.
5. There are seven people now, Mrs. Kramer had a baby girl.
Obviously, your point is well founded. I suspect that this starport project will focus on the 80 percent of the UPP that make sense. Correcting the 20 percent of the UPP that are random illogic (like the one mentioned above) is beyond our scope.
I liked it too. It is the preeminent architectural reference book on the subject and required reading in virtually every School of Architecture.
Arthur
EDIT [Compositionally (the picture), should you shift the structure slightly to the right to balance the left and right "border" and increase the emphasis on the central void - god's space if I recall Eastern design philosophy correctly.]
Really? I had no idea, I saw the book in a book shop, and just thought 'Traveller' when I browsed through it. (Mind you, these days I could see an egg beater and connect it to Traveller somehow).
Yes, I think you're right about shifting the structure towards the right, it would put the main structure in the golden triagle too. Bit too symmetrical in the middle.
I'm working on texturing and adding greebles to the model now I'm happy with the basic shape (Andrew Help!!) but on the next render, I'll definitely shift it.
Are you an architect by any chance?
Ravs
Yes, I think you're right about shifting the structure towards the right, it would put the main structure in the golden triagle too. Bit too symmetrical in the middle.
I'm working on texturing and adding greebles to the model now I'm happy with the basic shape (Andrew Help!!) but on the next render, I'll definitely shift it.
Are you an architect by any chance?
Ravs
Just as soon as I can pass all of the tests for my license. I graduated with a degree in Architecture, worked two years as a Land Planner, a year in construction, then ten years as a Site Planner in Civil Engineering, and three years as a Project Manager (where I finally gained the experience to qualify for the Architectural Registration Exam).
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Oh, I hate texturing. I'm not that happy about greebling either - I keep wanting to know what the bits actually do...
It might be interesting if this was *grown* rather than built.
M
Malenfant
Guest
Nice picture... but I wonder if it'd actually work on a hyd 9 or A water world. The most obvious problem that leaps out to me is that it's very exposed - water worlds tend to have 'heavy weather' and seasonal "hypercanes" (huge hurricanes, they form and just keep building up because there's no land for them to dissipate over). This sort of structure would have to be very sturdy and the ships would need to be fully enclosed too, not exposed on pads.Originally posted by ravs:
While we're waiting for Liam to contact us with the first part of the job....here's a basic concept for a downport on a hydrographic world. Have to say, thinking about starport design is at least as much fun (if not more) than starship design.
Also, is it anchored to the seabed? It'd have to be to work really (and it'd make sense to put this on a continental shelf or not-so-deep part of the seafloor to make it easier to construct).
Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
Very good points Mal but then again..
...erm Tech Level C.
Advanced Weather Control
Gravitic Structures.
Possible solutions, neh?
...erm Tech Level C.
Advanced Weather Control
Gravitic Structures.
Possible solutions, neh?
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
I like the architectural sense of it (and that could be a big factor in it actually being built) but agree with Mal on the potential problems.
Though I'm not sure it needs to be anchored, seems to me a free floating structure would work just as well, properly engineered of course, and would allow you to ride out or sail around some of the storms. It might need some good artificial gravity and inertial compensation to keep anyone from getting seasick though.
Personally I've always figured Waterworlds (and even other high hydro worlds) would have submerged cities and starports to avoid the storm problems. Possibly mobile submarine cities, like the floating grav cities of some worlds but underwater. They might even make regular trips to the surface when the weather permits to soak up the sun and fresh air, opening the great domes of the park areas to the natural outdoors. Or maybe they would spend most of the time on the surface and only submerge to avoid storm or other problems.
There's no worry about visiting starships not being able to go submarine (at least to shallow depths) to access the port since they have to be streamlined (imo and imtu) to land on a world with an atmosphere anyway. If your TU says unstreamlined ships can enter atmosphere then you could always have the submarine port surface to allow them to dock I guess.
Though I'm not sure it needs to be anchored, seems to me a free floating structure would work just as well, properly engineered of course, and would allow you to ride out or sail around some of the storms. It might need some good artificial gravity and inertial compensation to keep anyone from getting seasick though.
Personally I've always figured Waterworlds (and even other high hydro worlds) would have submerged cities and starports to avoid the storm problems. Possibly mobile submarine cities, like the floating grav cities of some worlds but underwater. They might even make regular trips to the surface when the weather permits to soak up the sun and fresh air, opening the great domes of the park areas to the natural outdoors. Or maybe they would spend most of the time on the surface and only submerge to avoid storm or other problems.
There's no worry about visiting starships not being able to go submarine (at least to shallow depths) to access the port since they have to be streamlined (imo and imtu) to land on a world with an atmosphere anyway. If your TU says unstreamlined ships can enter atmosphere then you could always have the submarine port surface to allow them to dock I guess.
It could also float like an oil platform. What you see is just the tip of the iceberg.
Some of those issues cannot be answered without a better sense of scale. If it showed a person standing knee deep in the water and leaning on it, that would be very different than if the landing pads are 1 km thick and the ships are stored inside of them.
I imagine that the smallest pads near the stem will accommodate a free trader. That makes this thing pretty big.
