Starfield Ship Build: Colonial Authority Frontier

 

Colonial Authority Frontier

 

Introduction

This was one of those builds that just came together. I was itching to build that evening and I had some thoughts about how the "white space" of a ship is just as powerful as filling in the empty places with habs or structural pieces. 

The head canon came because I had just finished to first few missions of the Vanguard questline and decided that I wanted to mount the Obliterators. I don't usually fall back on them, but this character is rather high level and I've used plenty of other weapon combinations. As I was talking to Vae Victis, it struck me and not for the first time, that he is criminal mastermind material left to rot as a glorified Mission terminal. Well, one thing led to another and the head canon was created.

I figure, if Bethesda is going to create a multiverse of identical universes, it's up to us to throw in the variety.

 

Head Canon/Lore

In one of the infinite universes that make up the multiverse, Vae Victis did not sit idly in the confines of his cell. Instead, he seethed with rage at the indignity of his situation all the while promising to help the UC put down their wartime liabilities. Always the clever tactician, Vae Victis chose another path. While he smiled at the intelligence officers and earned their trust, he recruited a small group of elite soldiers and spies to begin his ultimate goal; the overthrow of the UC government and the installation of himself as its new leader. After many years and the unwitting help of a Vanguard recruit, Vae Victis was able to enact his plan and succeeded with the coup.

Dominion became Vae Victis's goal. He gathered the disparate elements within UC space and reorganized them into an efficient machine of war. Part of that was the nationalization of Constellation and combing it with aspects of the organization formerly known as LIST and Vanguard. The new organization, renamed as the Colonial Authority, was tasked with the exploration and foundation of colonies. This new, militaristic UC, dispensed with the gentle probing into expansion and fully embraced it. Pushback from the Freestar was inevitable. Tensions are presently high and the United Colonies are preparing for war.

From this tension, the Colonial Authority received a great deal of funding for their exploration ships. As much warship as explorer, the new Frontier-class Deep Space Exploration Vessel serves as the new flagship of the Colonial Authority fleet. Heavily armed and armored, the Frontier is capable of "liberating" distant worlds from troublesome elements. It also serves as a long range patrol vessel, checking on distant UC colonies.

 

Components

 

1. (4) Deimos Skeg A - (3) Aft, (1) Fore
   
2. (4) Deimos 320 CB Landing Gear
3. (2) S202 Cargo Hold
4. (2) Nova Cowling
5. Deimos 120 LD Landing Bay
   
6. Deimos Belly - Fore
7. (2) Amun-7 Engine
8. (2) Deimos 220 CB Landing Gear
9. (2) Horizon Weapon Mount with PBO-300 Auto Neutron Turret
10. Deimos Workshop 2x1
11. (4) Deimos Bumper - (2) Aft, (2) Fore
    
12. (2) Stroud Engine Bracer
13. (2) Deimos Wing B
14. (2) Nova Galactic NG-15 Landing Gear
15. (3) Deimos Spine F - Fore
16. (5) Deimos Spine F- Aft
17. Deimos Infirmary 2x1
18. Deimos Engineering Bay 3x1
19. Deimos Computer Core 2x1
20. Deimos All-in-One Berth 2x1
21. (2) Deimos Spine C - Aft
22. (2) Deimos Spine D - Aft
23. Deimos Living Quarters 2x1
    
24. Deimos Companionway 1x1
25. (2) Amun Dunn X-300 Engine
26. Theta Pinch D9 Reactor
27. (2) Deimos Wing B with mounted Jishaku ND Rf Rapid Railgun Turret - Port/Stbd
    
28. (2) Deimos Wing A
29. (2) M50 Ulysses He3 Fuel Tank
30. Deimos Armory 2x1
31. Deimos Captain's Quarters 2x1
32. Assurance SG-1800 Shield Generator
33. Deimos Control Station 2x1
34. HopeTech Hope 11 Docker - Fore
35. J-52 Gamma Grav Drive
36. (4) Taiyo Side Cap covering the outer edges of the Reactor and Grav Drive
37. Deimos Tail A with mounted (2) PBO-300 Auto Neutron Turrets - Aft
    
38. Deimos Spine E - Aft
39. Deimos Spine E- Fore with Equipment Plate and Jishaku ND Rapid Rf Railgun Turret - Aft
40. Deimos Cowling - Aft
41. (2) Horizon Weapon Mount mounted with (2) Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojectors (4 total)
    
42. Deimos Phobos Cockpit (DS 10.1 used in build, but any of the Phobos cockpits are viable)
43. Deimos Spine C - Fore
44. Deimos Spine A - Fore
45. Deimos Spine C - Aft, with (2) Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojectos on the side mounts and a Jishaku ND Rf Rapid Railgun Turret - Fore on the top mount.
    

 

Assembly

The bottom three levels of the vessel should snap together pretty intuitively. Before placing the fourth deck, with the Amun Dunn X-300 Engines, remove the Deimos Spines C & D (#21 & 22). Group select the aft portion of the fourth deck and it should snap into place without issue. Flip Merge the Deimos Spine Pieces under the X--300 Engines.

Mount the shield to the second Deimos Spine F behind the Companionway 1x1. Group select the remaining pieces of the fourth deck and place them.

Everything else should just snap into place.

 

Upgrade Path

Without drastically changing the shape, there are only a few upgrades that are likely. The Dunn-7 engines can be replaced by the more cargo friendly White Dwarf 3xxx engines. The 3030's would probably have the best cargo pushing ability.

That might warrant a Reactor upgrade to the SF40 Sheared Flow, to offset the power cost of the new engines.

The Vanguard weapons are quite effective, but you could place larger PB-175 Helion beams or even PB-300/PBO-300 class C particle weapons in their place. That's more a matter of taste, because those Vanguard particles provide more than adequate damage output.

Final Build

Starfield Ship Build: Trade Authority Caiman

 

Trade Authority Caiman

 

Introduction

WARNING: This ship uses extensive merging techniques to combine the Reactor, Fuel and Grav Drive together. The Engines are also merged together. Rather than try to explain each step, please visit Crimson Flyboy's tutorial video on merging. I used Flip and Drop Merging technique on this build.

The Trade Authority Caiman just started out as an experiment to see just how far I was willing to take the whole merging thing. I really didn't have a story for it. I made it, flew it around a bit, and went back to the Dependable, which is featured both as another entry on my blog and a Crimson Flyboy video.

For literal months it just sat there in the character's roster of ships until I was scrolling through them one day and noticed that the Caiman and the Greenback had similar color schemes. As often happens, I started thinking about how they would work together and the connections became pretty obvious. The Caiman is very much an escort/fighter and the Greenback is very much a cargo hauler. Why wouldn't the Trade Authority pair up a couple of Caimans to safeguard a Greenback, particularly if said Greenback is shipping something of great value.

 

Head Canon/Lore

In an effort to expand their fleet and provide additional protection to valuable cargo vessels, the Trade Authority decided it needed a heavy fighter. After a lengthy process of elimination and refinement, the Caiman came in as the winner.

 

Components

 

1. (4) Hope 6 Landing Gear (Port/Stbd, Aft/Fore)
2. (2) NG-20 Landing Gear - Mid
3. (2) Nova Cowling 2L-BF
4. 100 DP Slim Docker - Bottom
5. Nova Galactic Storeroom 1x1
6. Taiyo Ship Bed 200 Landing Bay
7. (2) Jishaku Nd RF Rapid Railgun Turret
8. (3) Reza 300 PHz SX Laser
9. (2) Deimos Wing A
   
10. (4) Deimos Wing E
11. (2) Stroud Cowling
12. (2) Supernova 2100 Engine (Merged)
13. J-51 Gamma Grav Drive, SF-30 Sheared Flow Reactor, 600T He3 Tank (Merged)
14. Nova Galactic All-in-One Berth A 2x1
15. Magellan C2 Cockpit
16. (2) Stroud Cap A
17. (2) Deimos Tail A
18. (2) Deimos Spine A
19. Assurance SG-1800 Shield Generator
20. Equipment Plate
21. (2) Tsukisasu 40k Missile Launcher
22. (3) Nova Cowling (Aft, Fore, Mid)
    

 

 Assembly

Being such a heavily merged build makes this a little challenging. The engines will need to be merged into one entity and the Reactor, Grav Drive, and Fuel will need to be merged into another distinct construct. A merge tutorial video by Crimson Flyboy is linked in the Introduction above, if you need help. The assembly instruction below assume that the two merged constructs are built and the larger Structural and Hab pieces are attached to them as pictured.

We will start with the Weapons and Structural pieces to the right and work left.

1. Attach the Missile Launchers (#21) to the inner connect points of the Deimos Tails (#17).
2. Detach the Aft Deimos Wing E (#10) pieces.
3. Select the Deimos Tail (#17) and Deimos Spine A (#18) pieces and attach the Tails to the aft points of the Stroud Cowling (#11).
4. Flip merge the two Aft Deimos Wing E (#10) pieces into their previous locations.
5. Attach the two Aft Lasers (#8) and Railgun Turrets (#7) to the Deimos Wing A (#9) pieces.
6. Attach the Shield Generator (#19) to the Aft point on the All-in-One Hab (#14).
7. Attach the Equipment Plate (#20) to the Fore point of the All-in-One Hab. Attach the Fore Laser to the Equipment Plate.
8. Flip merge all three Nova Cowlings (#22) to the top of the Main Deck, starting with the Aft one. The aft one attaches to the top of #13. The Mid piece connects to the Aft and the Fore piece connects to the Mid.
   
9. Connect the 100 DP Slim Docker to the bottom of the Storeroom 1x1.
10. Group select the assembled Main Deck and drag it over to the Lower Deck and connect it so that the 2x1 Hab sits on top of both the Landing Bay and 1x1 Hab.
11. Attach the Fore Hope 6 Landing Gear to the forward points of the Landing Bay
12. Flip merge the Aft Hope 6 Landing Gear behind the Fore ones.
    
13. (Optional) - You could copy two additional Deimos Wing A and flip merge them into the Stroud Caps. It is not necessary and only fills into a little bit of the open space.The effect is very subtle. The pictured one has this merge done.
    

 

Upgrade Path

The biggest weakness that this vessel has is the lack of cargo. One or both of the Stroud Cowlings can be replaced with roughly equivalent cargo pods. This will necessitate the more powerful versions of the Supernova engines and may even require that a third one be merged in.

Aside from that, it's the same old song about better Reactor and particle weapons, though you really don't need the latter.

Final Build

Starfield Ship Build: Trade Authority Greenback

 

Trade Authority Greenback

Introduction

The Trade Authority Greenback is the product of a Starfield Anonymous Discord Build-Off challenge. Crimson Flyboy challenged the community to build a Trade Authority vessel and the Greenback was my submission.

 

Head Canon/Lore

The Trade Authority has always experimented with ships customized to suit their particular needs. A recent addition was a contract for a dozen ships that could move a large amount of cargo, to include delicate parcels. A sub-contract with Gal-bank necessitated the ability to encrypt data, so a Computer Room was included in the plans. Finally, the Trade Authority sometimes deals in materials of questionable legality. Counter-scanning measures with incorporated into the design schematics.

This new class of vessel is known as the Greenback, after the period slang for the currency of the defunct United States of America, back on Earth. Each vessel was painted in the Trade Authority Green, Yellow, and Gray palette, reinforcing the Greenback nomenclature.

 

Components

 

1. (2) Hope 5 Landing Gear
2. HopeTech Livng Quarters 2x1
3. HopeTech Nose A Stbd/Port
4. Deimos Belly - Aft
5. HopeTech Engineering Bay 3x1
6. (2) HopeTech Companionway 1x1
7. HopeTech All-in-One 2x1
8. Hope 4 Landing Bay
9. (2) de Gama 1010 Shielded Cargo Hold
10. Deimos Skeg B
11. (6) Galleon S202 Cargo Hold
12. HopeTech Captains Quarters 2x1
13. (4) SAE 5660 Engines
14. RD 3000 Beta Grav Drive
15. HopeTech Cargo Bay 3x3
16. 800T He3 Tank
17. (3) Hope 55 Landing Gear
18. HopeTech Hab Spine
19. (2) HopeTech Thruster
20. HopeTech Mess Hall 3x2
21. HopeTech Infirmary 2x1
22. Hope 11 Docker - Fore
23. (2) HopeTech Pipes - Mid
24. HopeTech Radiator - Top
25. HopeTech Pipes - Fore
26. (2) HopeTech Hab Cross Brace
27. (2) Horizon Weapon Mount
28. (3) KE-42 Cannon Turret
29. (3) Scorch-S 80MW Pulse Laser Turret
30. Z-Machine 4000 Reactor
31. HopeTech Computer Core 2x1
32. HopeTech Workshop 2x1
33. HopeTech Control Station 2x1
34. Armstrong 10 Cockpit
35. (4) Equipment Plate
36. CE-39 Missile Launcher
37. Multi-Frequency Scan Jammer
38. Deimos Spine A - Aft
39. Deimos Spine B
40. 28T Defender Shield
    

 

Assembly

There are a fair number of smaller parts, so we are going to assemble this beast from Right to Left, starting with the weapons and structural off to the right of the main structures.

1. Starting with the Equipment Plates (#35), snap those to the top of the Engines (#13) on the Top Deck and the top of the HopeTech  Hab Cross Brace (#26). Snap the Aft facing Laser and Ballistic turrets to the engines and the Missile Launchers to the Hab Cross Braces.
2. Attach the Scan Jammer (#37) to the weapon point on the Deimos Spine A - Aft (#38).
3. Attach the Deimos Spine B (#39) and Deimos Spine A - Aft (#38) to the top of the Companionway (#6) and Forward snap point of the Control Station (#33).
4. Attach the Horizon Weapon Mounts (#27) to the ends of the Hab Cross Braces (#26). Attach the Laser and Ballistic Turrets to the Horizon Weapon Mounts. Some Flip Merging might be required to seat them.
5. Detach the Hopetech Pipes - Fore (#25).
6. Group Select the entire Top Deck, minus the HopeTech Pipes - Fore, and drag it over to the Main Deck, so that the Cockpit sits right behind the Docker. Flip Merge the HopeTech Pipes - Fore into position at the forward point of the HopeTech Pipes - Mid.
7. Group Select the combined Top and Main Deck structure and drag it over to the Bottom Deck, so that the Landing Bay sits right behind the Docker.
8. Double check that the Deimos Skeg B is properly connected to the Cargo Hold Above it.
   

 

Adding the Mtfreeman Crane

I separated the crane that Mtfreeman came up with, as it is not my original work. If you wish to add it yourself, you can assemble it as follows;

Components

1. HopeTech Riser A
2. HopeTech Riser B
   
3. Stroud Engine Mount
4. HopeTech Companionway 1x1 (or, alternatively a Deimos Hull Part)
   
5. (4) Porthole (Top, Fore, Port, Starbord) 
6. HopeTech Pipes - Mid
7. HopeTech Pipes - Aft

 

 Assembly 

1. Place the HopeTech Riser A, just behind the Deimos Spine A - Aft
2. Attach the Stroud Engine Mount to the top of the HopeTech Riser A
3. Attach the 1x1 Hab or Structural Piece to the front of the Stroud Engine Mount
4. Attach all of the Portholes to the 1x1 Hab.
5. Attach the HopeTech Pipes - Mid to the rear of the Stroud Engine Mount
6. Attach the HopeTech Pipes - Aft to the rear snap point of the HopeTech Pipes - Mid
7. Attach the HopeTech Riser B to the bottom of the HopeTech Pipes - Aft.

All credit to Mtfreeman on the Starfield Anonymous Discord. The crane is pictured in the Final Build section. You can get an idea of what it looks like there.

 

Upgrade Path

I left a little bit on the table that you can upgrade. The shield is the max protection B-class shield, but the Reactor and Weapons can both be upgraded. It should have plenty of Fuel and Cargo.

Final Build

Starfield Ship Build: Copinger

 

Copinger

 

Introduction

We recently lost one of our members of the Starfield Anonymous Discord. Before his passing, he posted a Build-Off challenge to make ships based on the Expanse TV series. This prompted me to watch the Expanse and I can totally see why he wanted to build around this incredible series.

This build uses Ballistics and Missiles only. The missiles are ideal for stripping shields and the ballistics are used to finish off the enemy.

This wasn't built with fully developed in-game lore. I designed it to be a smuggler ship but haven't really developed any sort of cast of characters. I didn't know what to name it, so I looked up famous smugglers and came across a British character known as Cruel Copinger. Thus the ship got its name.

 

Components

 

1. (2x) 500 He3 Tank
2. (4x) Hope 6 Landing Gear, 2 Fore/2 Mid
3. (2x) Accu-Lander 11 Landing Gear
4. Stroud-Eklund All-in-One Berth A 2x1
5. NG-6 Landing Bay
6. (3) Supernova 2100 Engines
7. Theta Pinch D9 Reactor
8. (4x) Jishaku Nd RF Rapid Railgun Turret
9. (4x) Horizon Weapon Mount (note two forward mounts not labeled)
10. (2x) Stroud Engine Bracer A
11. (4x) de Gama 1020 Shielded Cargo Hold
12. (2x) de Gama 1020 Cargo Hold
13. Aurora 13G Grav Drive
14. Assurance 1800 Shield Generator
15. Stroud Workshop 2x1
16. Stroud Control Station 2x1
17. Nova Weapon Mount
18. (4x) Jishaku Nd Railgun 
19. CE-59 Missile Launcher
20. 10ST Hauler Shielded Cargo Hold
21. Stroud Storeroom 1x1
22. Stroud Companionway 1x1
23. Magellan C1 Cockpit
24. Porthole-Top
25. 100 DP Slim Docker - Top
26. (4x) Nova Thruster Array
    

There is also a Multi-Frequency Scan Jammer attached to one of the Horizon Weapon mounts. It is not labeled. You can pick one up from the Red Mile and it mounts to any weapon point.

Assembly

Assembly should be relatively easy. There is one flip merge to cover the Shield with the aft Cargo hold. Starting from Right to Left, simply place the Porthole, Docker and Missile Launcher directly on top of the component to the left. Place the Shield on top of the Grav Drive.

Select the Top Deck, minus the Cargo Hold, and drag it over to the Main Deck. Flip Merge the Cargo Hold over the Shield.

Group select the new combined layer and drag it over to the Lower Deck.

 

Final Build

Starfield Build: Dependable-class

 

Dependable-class

Introduction

Here is the Dependable-class. She was once the pride of the, now defunct, Deimos Commercial Fleet. Luckily, HopeTech purchased that division from Deimos and there is a lot of cross-compatibility.

The Dependable-class is designed to hall freight as well as 2nd and 3rd class passengers  in berths that run underneath the fuel and power systems. 

This particular Dependable-class, known as the Constant is one of the oldest examples of this model. It is run down, tired, and held together as much by faith as anything. It has a pretty limited jump range, but its power systems are so old that it has to divert power from weapons in order to jump. This is, in part, due to recent upgrades to the weapons and shield systems.

For defense, the Constant is armed with two Disruptor 3320 Neutron Turrets and a Warden SG-100 Shield Generator. The old Nova engines have recently been supplemented with SA-4110 engines from Slayton Aerospace. The extra engine power provides enough thrust to keep the Constant from being a total pig.

The Dependable makes use of several of the new Empty Habs that I have decorated. https://stupid-fat-fingers.blogspot.com/2024/05/video-tour-dependable-class-vessel.html for more information.

Thanks to Mtfreeman for his suggestions and guidance in decorating the interior. His experience with "working" ships was an invaluable asset.

 

Head Canon/Lore

The Constant was officially christened on September 9, 2251. It was purchased by Hickenbridge Consolidated Mining Corporation and spent many years ferrying miners and supplies to various ventures around the explored galaxy.

In the 2280's, Hickenbridge suffered several financial setbacks and the Constant was sold to a small, privately owned company known as the Marmalade Consortium. There, it sat for over a decade and was finally slated for decommissioning and salvage when an unlooked for salvation presented itself; the outbreak in hostilities between the UC and Freestar.

During the Colony War, it was briefly commandeered to supply troops and supplies to various posts, but rarely saw action.  Upon the cessation of hostilities, the Constant was returned to its civilian owners, who in turn sold it to an undisclosed private interest. 

Components

Undercarriage

1. (4) Stroud Engine Bracer A
2. Hope 4 Landing Bay
3. (2) 320CB Landing Gear (Deimos Shipyard)
4. Nova Bracer

Lower Deck

1. (4) Hope 55 Landing Gear
2. 100G He3 Tank
3. (2) Stroud Engine Bracer A
4. (3) HopeTech Captain Quarters 2x1 (empty)
5. (2) Nova Bracer
6. (5) HopeTech Companionway 1x1
7. (4) HopeTech Hab Spine
8. Hope 11 Docker - Fore
9. Porthole-Aft
10. (3) HopeTech All-in-One 2x1 (empty)
11. HopeTech Infirmary 2x1 (empty)
12. (6) Porthole (2 Starboard, 4 Port).
13. (2) Porthole Fore

 

Mess Deck

1. (4) Porthole (2 Starboard, 2 Port)
2. Porthole Aft
3. HopeTech Living Quarters 2x1 (blank)
4. (2) Deimos Spine F - Fore

Main Deck

1. (4) Stroud Engine Mount in Bottom, Square configuration
2. (6) StorMax Cargo Holds (choice of which ones)
3. (6) Pantoptes DeGama 1000 Cargo Holds
4. (12) Nova Bracer
5. (2) HopeTech Bumper A
6. Porthole - Aft
7. HopeTech Engineeering Bay 3x1
8. (2) 800T He3 Tanks
9. SF30 Sheared Flow Reactor
10. RD-3000 Grav Drive

 

Upper Deck

1. (4) Supernova 2000 Class-C Engine
2. (4) Nova Engine Strut
3. (4) HopeTech Riser A
4. (4) Equipment Plate, mounted on top of HopeTech Riser
5. (2) Disruptor 3320 Neutron Turret, mounted on aft Equipment Plate facing forward
6. (2) PB-300 Alpha Beam, mounted on fore Equipment Plate
7. HopeTech Workshop 2x1
8. Porthole - Aft
9. HopeTech Companionway 1x1
10. HopeTech Control Station 2x1
11. HopeTech All-in-One Berth 2x1

 

Command Deck

1. (2) HopeTech Riser A
2. (2) Equipment Plate, mounted to HopeTech Riser
3. (2) Disruptor 3320 Neutron Turret, mounted on aft Equipment Plate facing aft
4. (2) Porthole (Starboard and Port)
5. (2) 100G He3 Tank
6. Porthole Aft
7. HopeTech Companionway 1x1
8. HopeTech Captain's Quarters 2x1
9. Porthole Fore
10. Assurance SG-1800 Shield Generator
11. Overseer 300 Bridge

Assembly

Undercarriage Reference

Build each level as shown above. Each level should nicely stack with the one above and below it, with the aft portholes creating a single vertical line down the back.

Deimos Spine F Reference

 

Upgrade Path

As-is, the Dependable is Kryx (Hard) ready. After some pretty extensive testing, MTFreeman and I determined that the turrets only need a couple of pips of power to perform. I used three pips and only ran out of power for about five seconds towards the end of the Kryx battle.

The Shield Generator is the best C-class in the game.

You could use upgraded Supernova engines on higher level characters than the one who I built the Dependable on, but it's supposed to be massive, imposing, and move a bit like it looks...slow. Better engines would allow for more cargo though, and that is certainly a design path that I can respect.

Final Build

Video Tour: Dependable-class Vessel Custom Habs

The Dependable Custom Habs Tour

The short video below is just to show off the new blank Habitat modules that can be decorated. The Dependable is a tramp freighter that takes on 2nd and 3rd class passengers, as well as cargo. The video clip only shows the scale of the vessel and the interior Habs that are custom. 

I was unable to get the video small enough to publish directly to the blog, but instead had to publish it to YouTube. It will not appear in searches and can only be accessed by the Link: https://youtu.be/x5fg8jj23N4

I did not narrate the video. It starts out at the front of the vessel and continues down the middle section, around the back and into the Landing Bay. The first thing you see is a passenger check-in. From there, it shows off the 2nd class staterooms, 3rd class bunkrooms, and Infirmary before heading up to the second floor. There you can see the common Mess Hall before the video ends. All of the Habs above the second floor are standard, pre-decorated Habs.

A full breakdown of the Dependable will be coming to the blog soon.

 

Starfield Build: Vertibird

 

XVB-12 Vertibird

 

Introduction

WARNING: This ship uses extensive merging techniques to combine the Reactor, Fuel, Grav Drive, Shield, and Docker together. Rather than try to explain each step, please visit Crimson Flyboy's tutorial video on merging. I used the drop merging technique on those pieces.

Just for kicks, I decided to make a kind of Vertibird to celebrate the Fallout 4 Remaster that is about to be released. Obviously, it isn't going to be a 1 to 1 conversion. The scales are completely different. I was more interested in getting the general feel of the Vertibird down.

 

Head Canon/Lore

In one of the many universes out there, Earth was not destroyed by the tidal gravitational forces created with early grav drive technology. No, it's demise was the product of more direct means, by way of global thermonuclear war.

In the centuries that followed, mankind began to recover. It was a glacially slow and painstaking progress, often set back by the petty squabbles of factions trying to establish power bases and footholds. One such entity, known as the Brotherhood of Steel, led the charge.

At first, the Brotherhood's goal was to amass technology and control its use. As with many such organizations, that focus changed to not only collecting dangerous technology, but developing it. Some three hundred years later, the Brotherhood has taken to space. One of their own, Scribe Aiza, developed a method of interstellar travel that he dubbed the Grav Drive and it has enabled possibilities far beyond shepherding the denizens of a broken Earth.

The XVB-12 Vertibird is the Brotherhood's mainline personnel transport and fighting craft. Somehow the Grav Drive technology escaped the Brotherhood's iron fist, and now other factions have taken to the stars as well. The Brotherhood must be ready to face them.

 

Components

All of the components should be available at the Outpost Landing Pad with Builder. This ship was constructed on a Level 30 character with Ship Design 3.

1. HopeTech Hope 5 Landing Gear
2. HopeTech Hope 4 Landing Bay
3. (2) Horizon Weapon Mount
4. (2) Flare P 15 MW Pulse Laser, attached to Horizon Mount
5. (2) KE-20A Autocannon, attached to Horizon Mount
6. Deimos Tail A
7. Deimos Spine D - Aft
8. Nova Galactic All-in-One Berth A 2x1
9. (2) 220 B Landing Gear (Port, Starboard)
10. Armstrong 10 Cockpit
11. (2) White Dwarf 1020 Engine
12. Merged Components (see below)
13. HopeTech Nose B Fore

Merged Components

1. 110 DP Docker Top
2. 154MM Toroidal Reactor
3. R-3000 Grav Drive
4. 500T He3 Tank
5. 40S Protector Shield Generator

Assembly

Merge all of the components listed in the Merged Components section together. Let those sit, as it is easier to move the non-merged components to connect with them later.

Assemble the remainder of the components, except the Engines and the Nose B Fore. Group Select the Hope Landing Gear, Landing Bay, and Horizon Mounts. The forward connect point of the Landing Bay attaches to the underside of the Cockpit.

Group select the assembled structure and move it so that it connects to the Merged Components at the  top, front of the 2x1 Hab. 

Attach the Nose B Fore to the front of the Merged Components. It will need to be Flip Merged to get it to stick. Attach the Engines to the sides of the Merged Components.

 

Upgrade Path

A lot of the components can be upgraded directly from the Upgrade window, without needing to re-merge them. For example, when the final version of the Toroidal Reactor is unlocked or the you want to upgrade the Grav Drive to the R-4000, that is easily done.

Upgrading the Reactor class, and any of the merged components, to B-class will require the Merged Components to be reassembled.

Aside from the internals, there are two open connect points on the aft of the All-in-One Hab. These can be used to mount cargo bays, extra engines, or even some Bracer with additional weapons.

Final Build

Starfield Build: Star Vault

 

Nova Galactic Vault-Tec: Star Vault

 

Introduction

Okay, @Mtfreeman (on the Starfield Anonymous Discord) made a passing comment about making a Vault-Tec space vault. Here is my answer to that comment (he never made it an official challenge). I give you the Star Vault. 

My operating hypothesis is that Vault-Tec got a hold of some Zetan technology and did their absolute best to duplicate form and function within the scope of then current technology. They paired up with the Nova Galactic in their version of reality to create the most powerful ship that they could and put aboard a  small compliment of Vault occupants.

Head Canon/Lore

In the spirit of the malleable Fallout canon, this ship is equipped with anachronistic Engines, Reactor, Grav Drive, Weapons, and Shield. It's insidious experiment was to test the occupants' ability to adapt by Grav Jumping once every 24 Standard/Earth hours to a random star.

The very few occupants exited the Star Vault after a few of these random jumps nearly led to disaster and formed a small, now abandoned and desolate colony. The Star Vault, however, kept jumping until it was out of fuel. It remained in orbit of Heinlein 4B until it was discovered by a salvage team. Excited about finding such an interesting pre-exodus ship, the fuel tanks were restocked. The salvage team has not been heard from since. 

 

Paint

The Star Vault uses two colors. One is a custom blue and the other is the standard orange. The cursor points to the orange color, while the blue is in the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness sliders.

Components

With the exception of the Docker, all parts are available at the Titan Vault-Tec Ship Technician on Titan. The Docker can be replaced with the 100 DP Slim Docker and Connect Pro Docker.

Undercarriage

1. (2) Vault-Tec Braking Engine
2. (4) Vault-Tec VT-20 Wide Landing Gear
3. (4) Vault-Tec Cowling 2L-B (2 Aft, 2 Fore)
4. (2) Vault-Tec VT-20 Fore Landing Gear
5. Vault-Tec VT-6 Landing Bay
6. (4) Vault-Tec Cowling 2L-BM

 

Main Deck

1. (6) Vault-Tec Cowling Side: 2 Fore, 2 Aft, 2 Mid. 1 each (Port and Starboard)
2. (4) Vault-Tec Cowling 2L-BA
3. (2) Vault-Tec Living Quarters 2x2
4. (2) Galleon S202 Cargo Hold
5. (2) Vault-Tec Storeroom
6. (2) Vault-Tec All-in-One 2x2
7. (4) Vault-Tec Wing (2 Port, 2 Starboard)
8. (2) 40 T Hauler Cargo Hold
9. J-52 Gamma Grav Drive
10. Vault-Tec Workshop 2x1
11. Vault-Tec Messhall 2x3
12. (2) CE-59 Missile Launcher, attached to inner wing on either side
13. Cabot C3 Bridge
14. Vault-Tec Infirmary 2x1
15. Vault Tec Engineering Bay 3x1
16. SF-40 Sheared Flow Reactor
17. Vault-Tec Science Lab 2x1

 

Upper Deck

1. (3) Poseidon DT230 Engine
2. (2) Vault-Tec Wing (Port, Starboard)
3. Vault-Tec Brig 2x2
4. (2) Porthole - Fore
5. (8) Vault-Tec Cowling Side: 2 Fore, 2 Aft, 4 Mid
6. (2) Vault-Tec Storeroom 1x1
7. Vault-Tec Armory 2x1
8. (2) Vault-Tec Bracer
9. Vault-Tec Cargo Hall 2x3
10. (2) Blaze 2GW SX Laser, attached to inner point of Forward Cowlings
11. Odin 3050-C Shield Generator
12. (2) 500T He3 Tank
13. Vault-Tec Overseer's Cabin 2x1
14. Vault-Tec Battle Stations 2x2
15. Vault-Tec Computer Core 2x1

Structural

1. (3) Vault-Tec Cowling IL-TA (2 Aft, 1 Fore)
2. (4) Vault-Tec Cowling 2L (2 Aft, 2 Fore)
3. (2) Vault-Tec All-In-One Berth 2x1 A
4. (2) Vault-Tec Engine Strut
5. Galleon S204 Cargo Hold
6. Vault-Tec Storeroom 1x1
7. Extender Port 200 Top
8. (2) MKE-9A Auto Gauss Cannon, attacked to Forward 1L Cowling.

 

Assembly

Undercarriage reference

Starting with the Structural Layer, select everything and drag it over so that it connects to the top of the Upper Deck. The Engine Struts should rest on the forward, top of the Cargo Hall.

Group select the combined Upper Deck and Structural Layer and drag it over to the Main Deck. The Cargo Hall should rest directly on top of the Mess Hall.

Select everything on the Undercarriage Layer. Drag it over so that the Landing Bay connects to the aft connection point of the Infirmary

 

Final Build

Starfield Build Theory: Ship Scavenging: Part 1

 

Ship Scavenging: Part 1

 

Introduction

One of the methods I use to build my ships is to cannibalize the parts from one ship to make another ship. There are several advantages to this, the first being that you can very quickly change manufacturers/style without a great deal of cost. You can also build a nice starter ship that, over time, you can add to and upgrade into your end game beast.

For this discussion, I am going to do a very quick and easy transition from a Crimson Fleet Phantom II to a HopeTech Hopper custom build. If you have 10k credits and a Phantom II, this should take you about five minutes. This is a really basic example of scavenging one ship to make another. I might cover the entire process of scavenging the parts to make an entirely custom ship in a later article

 

Head Canon/Lore

The HopeTech Hopper is a small, light, short-range fighter designed to quickly intercept incoming enemies. It is HopeTech's answer to the Deimos Achilles and even shares many of the same components that make the Achilles a successful platform.

 

Assembly

Step 1: Group Select the Landing Bay, Landing Gear, Reactor, Grav Drive, Fuel Tank, Shield, and Weapons and pull them aside. Move the weapons to the side so that they are not in the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Delete the rest of the Phantom II.

Step 3: Change the NG-20 Landing Gear to the Wide format and snap it to the bottom of the Grav Drive.

Step 4: Attach a HopeTech 2x1 Hab to the Front of the Grav Drive. Flip the Landing Bay and snap it to the bottom of the 2x1 Hab.

Step 5: Attach a 1x1 Hab and Armstrong 10 Cockpit to the top of the 2x1 Hab. Snap a Hope-11 Docker to the Front of the 2x1 Hab

Step 6: Attach Fuel Tank to top of 1x1 Hab. Attach Shield to top of Reactor.

Step 7: Attach Horizon Weapon Mounts to the front snap points of the 2x1 Hab. Attach the weapons to the Horizon mounts. You can do it however works for you. I snapped one Ballistic to either side, the Laser to one side, and the Missile Launcher to the opposite side from the Laser.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 8: (optional) Group Select everything but the Landing Bay and Fuel Tank. Open the Color menu. Set all three colors to one pictured below. If you like the default colors or want to add your own flair to the build, ignore this step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost to Build: 6,547 Credits and a Crimson Fleet Phantom II

Final Build

 

Upgrade Path

Obviously, the HT Hopper is a starter ship with all of the potential for expansion that you could ask for. If you want to maintain the same general shape, you can upgrade Reactor, Grav Drive, Engines, Shield, Fuel, and Weapons pretty easily. B-class internal components are all the same size as A-class, so you could make a deadly little stinger.

There are also two open snap points on the 1x1 Hab. You can add cargo or more Horizon mounts. Whatever suits your fancy and will fit. Just make sure that you balance mass to your engine strength.

Alternatively, you can expand this little beast into something larger and more imposing. Add Habs, upgrade to C-class, you name it.

For the character that I built this on, I upgraded to a B-class 102DS Reactor, exchanged the default weapons for PBO-100 Auto Neutron Cannons, and upgraded the Shield to a Warden SG-200. As the character gains levels and points in Ship Design, I will eventually reach a 104DS Reactor and some powerful B-class shield. I'm not worried about cargo on this character. The default cockpit cargo, so that I can store a supply of Ship Parts, is all that's needed. Because of that, I have a secondary weapon in the form of CE-29 Missile Launchers, mounted on Horizon Weapon Pods snapped to the 1x1 Hab.

Another possible way to go is to expand upon the size of the vessel and make it into an A-class Cargo/Passenger Hauler. I don't want to go too deep into the components, but there is an image below of how it might possibly turn out. Ultimately, the end result should be something custom to you. These are just examples of the process of taking a basic, scavenged build and making it into something more customized.

 Example Upgraded Builds

And that's all I have to say for now. I hope that you enjoyed the essay. If you happened to get something from it, even better. Keep on building.

Starfield Build Theory: Making Your Own Junker Ship

 Making Your Own Junker Ship

Introduction

I was thinking that "Junker" builds don't necessarily have to be entirely scratch made. Perhaps you want to roleplay as a Junker type but it's just too much effort to build out an entire ship to do it. Well, while I've done that with earlier builds on my blog, just about any ship can be transformed into a Junker with minimal effort.

Most Junker ships would actually not be full builds like I made. Most would be the salvaged wrecks of vanilla ships that might have been repaired using non-standard parts. As in the title photo, you might take an Ecliptic Falcata and junk it up. The head canon can simply be that the captain of the vessel salvaged a very damaged Falcata (or the civilian equivalent) and pieced it back together with whatever parts were at hand.

 

Techniques

Junking up a vanilla ship is really quite easy. You can 

• Replace standard parts with parts from another manufacturer.
• Add extra parts purely for visual impact.
  
• Leave "holes" or gaps in the structure (as long as it doesn't impede the function of the vessel)
• Repaint a portion of the vessel to represent that the replacement parts might have come from another vessel or vessels. 

 Personally, I think it is best to use a combination of these techniques. In the Falcata above, I removed the Stroud Cowling from the Port side. I replaced it with three HopeTech Pipes - Mid and drop glitched both a Nova Bracer and Deimos Bracer into spot. Technically, there is no advantage to having both, but I think it looks neat. I also removed a 1x1 Hab and moved the He3 tank into its spot. That gave me room to drop a Deimos Tail into the spot between the engines.

Next, I replaced the Stroud 2x1 with a HopeTech 2x1. It doesn't matter what variant you set that to, but I chose a Control Station. It doesn't even have to be HopeTech. Nova Galactic would probably be the preferred "patchwork" manufacturer but any other manufacturer would work.

Getting close to the end of the line here, I moved the Missile Launcher and Ballistic Cannon over to the Horizon mount on the Port side. I also shuffled the Nova Radiator over to the top of the Nova Bracer. I left the Equipment plate in and placed the Shield right behind it.

Finally, I painted the areas around where I imagined the original ship was damaged at. This includes the replacement parts. Let your own taste and imagination rule the day here. I wanted to go for something a little bit tonally consistent, with a few outliers.

Another Example

Here we have a Crimson Fleet Phantom II. Spacers salvaged her from the Muphrid system and pieced her back together. Obviously she had sustained significant damage to the top and starboard sides and the spacers cobbled together some parts to get her moving again.

We replaced her Starboard Landing Gear with a similar equivalent from Nova Galactic. The bridge with a Nova Galactic cockpit. We put on a HopeTech docker and a shortened wing. We replaced the Landing Bay with the NG-6 Landing Bay and moved the NG-20 Landing Gear to just behind the bay. Finally we moved some of the weapons around. How you might have junked it up is entirely up to you. The part that makes it a Junker build is that it doesn't look like it comes from a factory. It should retain most of the general shape of the original vessel, but with junk parts. Changing it too much will essentially turn it into a custom build. That's perfectly okay too, but falls outside of the scope of this essay.

Once the skeleton is assembled, it was time to paint. I chose a patchwork of colors that look like a cross between a darkened vanilla Deimos with some Crimson Fleet. Again, go wild with your choice of colors. Junker ships are a patchwork of colors. I often desaturate colors a little to suggest a worn and used appearance.

Conclusion

This article was more of a tutorial than a full-fledged ship build. Functionally the Falcata and Phantom work precisely the same as if they were just captured . They just look like something salvaged and patched together. I can't imagine not being able to give the same treatment to any vanilla ship.

Starfield Build: Raba

Raba

 

Introduction

This is the final entry in the Pocket Cargo Vessel series and was the most difficult one to finalize. I have rebuilt this time and time again until I settled on this version. If I'm being honest, I am juxtaposed between not liking the end result and not being sure that I can make it better. In my head canon, this is just one of those duds that somehow makes it to market.

Now that the series is complete, I can move on to other projects.

Made with 70k Cr and Ecliptic Stiletto/Bounty Hunter at Taiyo Astroneering on Neon.

 

Head Canon/Lore

"In summary, Taiyo was caught flat-footed by HopeTech's unexpected innovation. They had to rush both design and production. The end result? A purely functional offering that sacrifices the essence of what it means to be a Taiyo vessel.

Oh, don't get me wrong. It fits right in with the sudden surge of compact, entry-level consumer cargo vessels. It's got plenty of cargo space, decent crew accomodations, and all that. It sizes up pretty well against the competition, but that's the problem. You can buy any of the other products on the market and get a similar result. Buying Taiyo should be an experience that transcends it's competition. The Raba is not that."

- excerpt from an article published in Popular Astroneering about the Taiyo Raba

 

Components

Lower Deck

1. (4) Taiyo Pinpoint 4G Landing Gear
2. (2) Horizon Weapon Mount 
3. (2) PB-30 Electron Beam, attached to Horizon Weapon Mount
   
4. Ship Bed 200 Landing Bay
5. Taiyo Infirmary 2x1
6. Taiyo Braking Engine
   

 

Deck #1

1. (2) Taiyo Cap - Aft
2. (4) Taiyo Mid Cap (2 Port, 2 Stbd)
3. (2) Taiyo Breaking (Port, Stbd)
4. Nova Bracer
5. Taiyo Engineering Bay 3x1
6. Porthole - Fore
   

 

Deck #2

1. (2) Panoptes DT30 Engine
   
2. (2) Stroud Engine Brace
3. (4) Panoptes de Gama 1010 Cargo Hold
4. Reladyne R-3000 Grav Drive
5. Taiyo All-in-One Berth 2x1 Top B
6. Taiyo Forward Sensors
   

 

Deck #3

1. (2) Panoptes DT30 Engine
2. (2) H10 Atlas He3 Tank
3. (2) Panoptes de Gama 1010 Cargo Hold
4. Xiang Tokamak X-100 Reactor
5. Taiyo Control Center 2x1 Top B
6. Taiyo Samurai Cockpit
7. Taiyo Captain Quarters 2x1 Top B
8. Taiyo Cowling - Fore
9. Nautilus Bastille S81 Shield Generator
10. Taiyo Extender Port 200 Docker - Top
    

 

Assembly

Assemble all of the decks as outlined above. The DT30 engines on Deck 3 will need to be flip merged once the Stroud Engine Bracers are attached. Stack each deck so that the aft portion of all of the combined decks create a vertical line.

 

Upgrade Path

This is a starter build and it could certainly use upgrades to every system. There are a couple of open slots for additional cargo bays.

Final Build