datubaman

Well, sad to say but this one is not going into space, at least not now. After much deliberating, I decided to scrap this design and go for a much simpler and sleeker design. Don't worry, it's still gonna be a very similar design, I'm just cutting down on the crew compartments and some other things. Currently, the new design is going great, and I think I may have a winner. And a war-winner at that. I may try the old design again if they make bigger panels, but not before then.

Wow...I seriously underestimated the number of parts that the BB-X would be comprised of. This is the BB-X as it stands now. It is about 1/3 to 1/4 completed and it is already at 1200 parts... I do believe, that when it come time to try to get it into space, I will come to know the true meaning of lag. Any bets as to whether this thing will ever get into space?

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of everyone here at SkySound, I am proud to announce the launch of our most ambitious endeavor yet: The BB-X Project! The BB-X Project is a massive undertaking, gathering the combined resources that the greatest minds here at SkySound have to offer. The Goal? The development of the first ever true, long range, long endurance Battleship for use in combat around Laythe. The BB-X will be enormous, with an estimated part count ranging from 6-800 parts, and will be very heavily armored. It has a projected crew of 36, distributed across 26 crew stations, including a Main and Auxiliary Navigation Bridge placed atop two conning towers, one on the top and one on the bottom, two, rearward facing Communications Bridges, a heavily defended Main Command & Control Station, an equally fortified Auxiliary Command & Control Station, a Main Fire Control Station placed on the prow of the ship, an Auxiliary Fire Control Station buried deep within the ship, and twenty Fighter Defense Control Stations situated around the ship. Its primary armament will be two, triple-stack Hades Cannons, with an entirely self-contained reloading system that leads from an internal magazine that houses spare ammunition. It will also feature an extensive array of Anti-Fighter Missiles and a battery of small Guided Anti-Ship Missiles. As progress continues with this project, we will keep you posted. See you in Space! P.S To the person who put a picture of Dr. Hanland's face on the dartboard in the break room, you need to take it down. It's already full of holes and we're gonna be replacing that dartboard with a full 3'x4' full body portrait of him as a replacement. We haven't quite figured out where to put the bullseye, but we have some ideas...

Alright, here is something I would really like to see done. I think it would be really cool if we came up with and used a standardized designation system, like those that are used in today's navies. I already gave an example of one with my previous post with the Rontop Kerman-class Destroyer. The designation system I use is a set of four letters followed by a number, in which the first two letters identify the manufacturer of the vehicle, the latter two identify the type of ship, and the number is a hull number. So, for example, the designation of the KSS Gene Roddenberry is SkDD-10. Here, the "Sk" identifies that ship as being made by Skysound, the "DD" identifies that ship as a Destroyer, and the 10 identifies it as being the 10th Destroyer built. Now, you all must be thinking, what's the point? Well, let's look at a real-life example. Think of how many different ships have borne the name Enterprise. A quick look on Wikipedia reveals that there are quite a few. But, when you refer to OV-101, you know that you are talking about the first Space Shuttle Orbiter. And when you refer to CVN-65, you are referring to the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. And when you are referring to NCC-1701-D you are referring to the one that was captained by Patrick Stewart and went where no man has gone before. The point is that it allows for names to be reusable, or for two different coexisting ships to bear the same name simultaneously. In other words, we can have another KSS Spirit of Kerbin (albiet with a different designation)! Plus, it would add a greater level of depth to Macey's series, and who doesn't want that? P.S. Also, another classification that I feel is very, very much needed, if not for the necessity then just the sheer epicness of having one. Battleship - BB Heavily armored ships with plenty of firepower to spare. Think the KSS Vanguard, but bigger, MUCH bigger.

Ladies and Gentlemen, after a hefty great deal of testing and fine-tuning, the first of SkySound's new Rontop Kerman-Class Destroyer have finally been commissioned! The KSS Rontop Kerman (SkDD-1), the lead ship of the Rontop Kerman-Class of Destroyers, stands ready to fight. The Rontop Kerman-Class is the finest Destroyer to ever grace the stars. It is designed to defend against Fighters and Destroyers. Capable of interplanetary travel, it can also provide protection for Convoys travelling to Laythe or any other planet. It is armed with twenty SMS Anti-Fighter missiles, and four Mk. 2 "Jebalizer" Anti-Ship Torpedoes, and four Astro Droids for auxiliary duties. Class Overview Name: Rontop Kerman-Class Destroyer Company: SkySound Allegiance: Spiritwolf Class: Destroyer Part Count: 383 (Fully Loaded) 223 (Unloaded) 644 (On Pad) Armament: x20 SMS Anti-Figher Missiles, x4 Mk. 2 Anti-Ship Torpedoes, x4 ED-type Droids Propulsion: x 4 LV-N Atomic Rocket Motors Proof of Orbit: Here: http://imgur.com/a/XnPRL Download: Here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/of4mntnk1wbw6lb/Rontop%20Kerman%20Class%20Destroyer.craft As of this writing, the current class list is as follows: Launched Commissioned Under construction SkDD-1 KSS Rontop Kerman SkDD-2 KSS H. G. Wells SkDD-3 KSSJules Verne SkDD-4 KSS Mary Shelley SkDD-5 KSS Isaac Asimov SkDD-6 KSS Ray Bradbury SkDD-7 KSS Arthur C. Clarke SkDD-8 KSS Orson Scott Card SkDD-9 KSS Robert A. Heinlein SkDD-10 KSS Gene Roddenberry SkDD-11 KSS Stephen Moffat SkDD-12 KSS George Lucas SkDD-13 KSS Ridley Scott SkDD-14 KSS Michael Chriton SkDD-15 KSS James Cameron SkDD-16 KSS Stephen King SkDD-17 KSS Niel Gaiman SkDD-18 KSS Leiji Matsumoto SkDD-19 KSS Katsuhiro Otomo SkDD-20 KSS Brad Bird SkDD-21 KSS Shinichiro Watanabe SkDD-22 KSS H. P. Lovecraft SkDD-23 KSS Steven Spielberg SkDD-24 KSS Philip K. Dick SkDD-25 KSS Pierre Boulle SkDD-26 Unnamed SkDD-27 Unnamed SkDD-28 Unnamed SkDD-29 Unnamed SkDD-30 Unnamed

Well, thing is, I was thinking more like having them classified more by the roles they are intended to fill than their physical characteristics. I also disagree with you on your classification of a Cruiser. A cruiser is a cross between a destroyer and a battleship. Of course, there are different variations of this, Light Cruisers, Battlecruisers, etc... But, beyond that, there are some roles that I do not see currently being filled at the moment, such as these: Monitor Essentially a regional defense and patrol craft that would be restricted to Low Planetary Orbit. Essentially the space equivalent to modern day River Monitors. Minelayers & Minesweepers I am quite honestly surprised that no one has looked into the idea of Orbital Mines. Someone needs to fix this. Escort Carriers Escort Carriers are essentially smaller Aircraft Carriers. They mostly are used for fleet defense. CONVOY SHIPS!!! I am quite honestly disturbed that very little effort has been to developing Convoy Ships. More than anything else, we need to be making more of these. Logistics is the biggest and most important part of any military operation. Bad Logistics have, quite literally, ended empires. Let's start making some cargo ships, people! EDIT: Hey! I found something to use as a basis for our designations! Clicky Clicky Link! http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/us-navy-ship-classifications.asp

Alright, before we go any further, can we come to an agreement on our terminology? I am seeing no consistency in what people are designating their ships and it is starting to confuse me greatly.

You know, I just realized quite painfully that while getting something to, say, Laythe is easy, getting it to STAY there is a different matter entirely.

Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of SkySound Aeronautics and Technology Corporation, I am pleased to unveil the prototype for our new line of Destroyers, the DD/X-1! The DD/X-1 is designed to perform Anti-Fighter, Anti-Ship, Reconnaissance, and Orbital Patrol and Defense duties. It is equipped with four, twin-linked, forward mounted Mk 2 "Jebalizer" Torpedoes (so named for their resemblance to a can of the popular Jebalizer® Energy Drink), a total of twenty SMS Anti-Fighter Missiles, four ED-type Astro-Droids, a full long and short range communications suite, complete with encoding machines, long and short range Surveillance and Detection suites, and kevlar five-point safety harnesses. It is propelled by four LV-N Rocket Motors and has four massive Solar Panels for electrical power. Further capabilities are still, as of yet, unknown, as the ship is still undergoing orbital testing, but as testing reveals its capabilities, we will keep you posted. Name: DD/X-1 (Proposed: Rontop* Class Destroyer) Part Count: 372 (Armed), 208 (Unarmed & w/o Droids), 582 (w/ Launcher) Company: SkySound Aeronautics and Technology Corporation Allegiance: Spiritwolf Craft File: Will be available once the design is finalized. *Rontop Kerman, callsign Red 3, was a famous aviator who was a casualty at the Battle of Vulture's Drift, the first major battle of the Spiritwolf-Hanland War.

At the current moment, managing your fuel is a time consuming and tedious process in the BEST of situations. The Fuel Management system currently in place needs improvement. Here are some things that can be done that I believe would make it much easier to manage fuel. 1. Make it possible to open and close fuel tanks through Action Groups. Having this option would be a major time-saver for us. There are times where we don't want certain fuel tanks being used at certain times. Currently, if you want to open or close a tank, you have to manually select it and hit the icon to do so. This is nice and all, but that becomes a hassle when you have a large number of tanks that you need to close off, or if the tank is obscured from view. So, having the ability to put them in Action groups would greatly improve the Fuel Management System. 2. Change how Fuel Transfer works. This one needs a bit of explaining. Currently, when you want to transfer fuel between tanks, you have to select both tanks and then select which tank you want to send fuel to/from upon which the fuel immediately begins being transferred. Again, this would be fine, except when you want to transfer fuel from one tank to six tanks, or six tanks into one, or five tanks into four. There are also those occasions where you want to transfer one tank into eight, but there isn't enough fuel to go around. So, how can it be improved? First, instead of the current system, you would select all the tanks you want involved in the transfer, then you would designate which tanks are going to be sending/receiving through the UI (if it is not designated as one, it will automatically set itself to the other), then, to begin the transfer, you would select a Begin Transfer icon on the UI, whereupon the fuel will transfer into each of the receiving tanks equally. There would also be an Equalize icon on the UI that would equalize the fuel levels in all the tanks to the same level proportionate to their capacity.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Spiritwolf Corporation, on behalf of the Skysound Aerospace and Technology Company, I would like to introduce you to our extremely popular ODS-1 Defense Satellite. The ODS-1 is our most popular product, and is the Certified #1 in Orbital Asset Protection. All you need to do is place this in orbit next to the asset that needs protecting and any attempts to destroy that asset will be met with failure. The ODS-1 is propelled by four Ion Drives which are powered by a combination of four Large Solar Panels and sixteen Nuclear Batteries. All of our older ODS-1's are equipped with two of our Mk 1 Torpedoes, which can be reloaded easily and are shielded behind a protective cowling. However, we are also pleased to announce that production has started on a new series of ODS-1's that are equipped with three Mk 2 Torpedoes, and production on a series with our Mk 3 Torpedoes is about to begin. Another feature of the ODS-1 is an advanced sensor suite, capable of targeting a target at ranges up to 3 km. It also features an advanced firewall that protects it from being hacked and used against you. Now, for the sake of all of us at Skysound, I would really like to clear the air with you guys. Truth of the matter is that Hanland did indeed come to us wanting to purchase some ODS-1's, and we began business with them. Then, the Battle of Laythe happened and we saw them for what they really were. So, we cut all ties with them and stopped all shipments headed their way. However, by the time we did so, they had already received a shipment of 25 ODS-1's, along with some of our other tech. It is only a matter of time before they take them apart and reverse engineer them and start making some of their own. Although we only sided with them for a short while, we immensely regret our decision to support Hanland in their barbaric acts of greed and terror. So, as penance, we, the Skysound Aerospace and Technology Company give our full support through our weapons program. Because while Hanland fights to make space free for them, Spiritwolf fights to make space free for all. Craft Name: ODS-1 Company: Skysound Aerospace and Technology Company Alliegance: Spiritwolf (formerly Hanland) Part Count: 229 (Unarmed), 367-403 (Armed & On Pad) Proof of Legitimacy:http://imgur.com/a/rrd6y Craft File: Mk-1 https://www.dropbox.com/s/kz9csq3pirp0ge6/ODS-1%20w_%20Mk-1%20Torpedo.craft Mk-2 https://www.dropbox.com/s/k1ovvpppwi60ik3/ODS-1%20w_%20Mk-2%20Torpedo.craft Mk-3 https://www.dropbox.com/s/hli3y2xes9uum8y/ODS-1%20w_%20Mk-3%20Torpedo.craft

Don't give up! If you can't get it up in one piece, then try taking it up in several? Or, give us the .craft file and let us see what we can do with it.

Why is it that when I read this, I immediately imagined a Kerbal with an afro?

Hey there, my name is datubaman (as in Da Tuba Man) and I look forward to flying (and exploding in spectacular fashion) with you all!