ScriptKitt3h

Alright, here we go! COMMENCING THE FIRST BATTLE OF 2016: THE BATTLE OF DUNA! I've deployed 3 ships, with a total tonnage of just under 180 (I'm at 171 or so, give or take with fuel losses in combat). First off, two of the first Generation Two NX-series warships, the NX-12 Monument! NX-12 Rocinante NX-12 Alternative Negotiator Just as well, I've deployed the all-new NX-11 Super Valkyrie Space Superiority Fighter for close-range harassment of any hostile vessels. Persistence link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/59zbh8il5z7pbjs/DUNAFIGHT2K16-FEBURARY.sfs?dl=0

Alright, lemme whip up a persist. I'll try to stay under 180 tons, but that all depends on mass added through munitions... I'll see about battling you once I go through with Spartwo; gives ya some time to work on ships.

So... anyone wanna fight? Also, new fighter poked a Drek and lived... (Missile mounts keep burning off from separatron exhaust.)

AVT-10 Splinter is now up on the Exchange! Link: I'll try and get some of my other craft out and availible ASAP.

Yup, the dropship from D9 was indeed a major inspiration for this design.

Craft File: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7y8taoffl62rqb4/AVT-10%20Splinter.craft?dl=0 (NOTE: This comes in a drydock setup with no launch vehicle; I'll eventually try and make one, but for now I'd say your best bet is to either put it in a fairing atop a tall rocket and/or hyperedit it to the planet of your choosing.) Controls: 1- Toggles engines on/off G- Landing Gear Piloting at surface-level is done via the horizontal view (via the internal crew seating or probe core), while in-space piloting is done via the top-mounted docking port for a vertical view inline with the CoT. Supplementary Information: -This craft is partcount-heavy for a small dropship, so beware if your computer isn't capable of handling a 200 parts-or-so craft. -Crew can only be loaded/removed by placing them inside the chairs in the internal "roll cage" cockpit in the center of the hull. To do so, get your kerbal either on top of or under the hull, clip your camera inside, and then place them into the chair by right-clicking on the seat and selecting the menu option to do so. Powered by twin LV-909 rocket engines, the AVT-10 Splinter is a reliable, aesthetically pleasing, and Safe!tm VTOL dropship capable of transporting up to 2 kerbals in style at high speeds on airless worlds (and Duna). With a proper transfer vessel to haul it around, the Splinter is capable of flying on a variety of worlds, provided they aren't Kerbin, Eve, Tylo, or Laythe (high gravity and/or oxygenated air and the Splinter do not mix). A robust design with a high degree of crew survivability means your crew can walk away from even the worst high-speed crash-landings in the Splinter unharmed! Enjoy, and let me know what you think of the Splinter! -ScriptKitt3h

So, I think I've fallen in love with this pyramidal/tetrahedral aesthetic... A twin LV-909 VTOL dropship, with an internal "roll box" cockpit for two. Has enough RCS/SAS control and TWR to easily hover on the Mun, or on Duna (pic's of an earlier prototype): Hopefully I'll have this ready for posting in SE tomorrow, if not later today.

Yeah, there's plenty of SAS control in the dropship, and I offset the VTOL panthers enough to compensate for the mass distribution.

Most of my newer craft are built with the design principles multiplayer-ready combat vessels would likely be based around, which is heavily based off of modern day armored warfare/air combat tactics- 1. Beyond visual range combat will likely be possible, so plan accordingly. -Hence my usage of guided missiles on nearly ALL my newer craft, as well as 'chaff' (this being admittedly inspired by Vaos Human, but it still is a great idea regardless, as it reduces an opponent's ranged targeting capability). 2. Armor isn't totally worthless, but needs to be designed well, and not over-used, so as to preserve dV and agility. 3. Larger ships will likely be used against equally strategically important targets, and fighters/turrets/small in-close weapons/drones will handle close-range combat between larger vessels (this is also a guess, but it makes sense in terms of efficiency and from a "rule of cool" perspective). 4. A large variety of stock weapon designs exist, so trying to find ways to make your ship (or ships) a survivable as possible is a trade-off game: Do I want to make a tank, or a scout? Or, perhaps box 'o missiles that sneaks up close in disguise and then dumps a load of said missiles into the nearest target? I think that these are just a few things that'll likely make MP warships stand out from older ones, but those concepts work just as well in turn-based KSP space combat. I will say, though, that I hope SQUAD starts moving towards making official multiplayer a thing in the next "major" update post-1.1, since U5 will likely give them much more leeway for such a massive undertaking.

3 compact guided missiles (1.25 meter, recessed into the hull). They're meant for mid-to-long range engagements, since close-range combat will likely involve more fighting between drones and fightercraft than capital ships. For perspective, Obelisk also uses guided missiles in its weaponized variant (though it's more for looks and cargo capacity), and can carry 9 ASMs in 3 tri-cluster pods, or 3 2.5 meter missiles capable of being used for orbital bombing of ground targets.

Hey cupcake, I got inspired for building dropships a bit again after looking through here yesterday... The VTOL is provided by twin Panthers, and dual Junos allow it to get a kick in the pants for forward-flight. The Panther's afterburner mode also comes in handy for fast landings.

I cut down the pyramidal/tetrahedral aesthetic down in size a bit, and got the Monument. I'm likely going to designate this the NX-12, and it'll probably see some use, since I did a much better job in terms of packing it to the gills with fuel while giving enough armor to satisfy my need to prevent fighter missiles from punching holes in my ships. Carries 3 (both ASM rounds AND crew), and runs on clean, efficient nuclear power.

Obelisk's done, but will likely be held for release until KSP's engine can handle a massive, 1000 part+ monster (hopefully post-1.1). I also have a similar, more economical design derived from Obelisk, the NX-12 Monument. This ship will likely see its craft file get released, since it is use-able in KSP 1.0.5 in terms of performance, and has a much better fuel efficiency (Obelisk runs on chemical fuel, Monument is a nuclear boat).

Yeah, I hope that KSP 1.1 will have somewhat of a noticeable boost in partcount limits when it comes to performance. (U5 being a newer engine, plus (hopefully) proper 64 bit support.) I might try making another tetrahedral-styled ship for hell of it. Between The Expanse, Homeworld (DoK and Remastered), and tons of concept art I've got saved to my PC, I've got design inspirations for years...

Ah-hem. However, at over 1k parts, this isn't gonna see a fight until likely after 1.1, if not further down the line.

*testing, testing, one-two-three* SoonTM

I've been fairly inactive too, especially due to things beyond my control. However, I'll get right to work prepping a new thread for KS. HatBat, please let me know when you're planning on accepting new submissions post-1.1, so I can schedule a good time to put up the thread.

Yup, I'm alive and well. I've just had many things going on in my life for a while, and I've not been totally cold-turkey-quitting from KSP... just taking a break. However, I'm still working on things, and I'm hoping to release craft soon (provided I can find the time to set-up everything and get my formatting right), but in the meantime, here's a look at something that I'm extremely excited about that I've been working on...

After seeing The Force Awakens twice recently, I've been working on trying to make a replica of the new T-70 version of the Incom X-Wing starfighter... It's far from the most maneuverable, but that can be worked on. Kerbin/Laythe-only for now, since it runs off of quad Junos.

Gonna have to challenge someone in combat soon, prove once again that my ships are tough.

Hoo boy, here we go again... The ships look great, and the Recurrance looks quite fearsome with that massive torpedo load in the bow.

After seeing the sub-craft from the new TV show The Expanse (I think it's referred to as the Tachi), I felt inspired to make a similar design in-game. Albeit somewhat more like this design: That being said, I had to swap the space-CIWS turrets from the show with a pair of recessed guided missiles, but it still is similar. The nice new SSME-style engine not only replicates a single-nozzle, high-TWR engine, but also lets it land on planets, like here:

Well, turns out I work pretty fast still, despite my relaxation of KSP play. Inspired by the Tachi from the TV show The Expanse: Carries a crew of four, has a nice TWR for a ship of its type (i.e., one that can land on certain planets and moons) and can be loaded with up to 2 cargo modules or compact torps. As well, due to some parts getting remodeled in the latest updates, I've had to re-work my "ASM Evo" missiles as well; the assault transport above carries two compact versions of these new v3 ASMs with the larger, better-damaging tip stripped off in place of a plate, so it would fit inside the ship's hull better.

Not dead quite yet... Something that will be coming out in a large release of crafts soon, inspired by the Tachi from the TV show The Expanse: Carries a crew of four, has a nice TWR for a ship of its type and can be loaded with up to 2 cargo modules or compact torps.

After watching some episodes of The Expanse, I kinda feel a bit re-invigorated to build warships. Might have some new stuff in a day or so, depends on how well KSP cooperates.