Approved Starship Lucet-class Cruiser

[Olivia Dem'adas]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To make a pretty, pretty internet spaceships.
Image Source: Space Battleship Yamato Anime Series, Airone Frigate,
Canon Link: NA
Primary Source: NA

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Outer Rim Coalition / Ancorans
Model: Lucet-class Cruiser (A and B Variant)
Affiliation (B Variant): Outer Rim Coalition / Ancorans / Closed Market
Affiliation (A Variant): Ancoran Navy (ORC Subfaction)
Modularity: Two Variants
Production: Minor (B Variant) / Limited (A Variant)
Material:

• Ancoran Steel Hull
• Ancoran Steel Hull Armor Plating (B Variant)
• Ancoran Crystasteel Armor Plating (A Variant)

Spoiler

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Classification: Light Cruiser
Length: 550 meters
Hyperdrive: Average
Hangar: Very Low (0 Squadron)
Speed: Low
Maneuverability: Low
Defense: High (B Variant) / Very High (A Variant)
Armament: Very High

• 3x Dual Gun Agrocite Enhanced Heavy Turbolaser Turrets
• 4x Dual Gun Agrocite Enhanced Light Turbolaser Turrets
• 12x Keel-mounted Agrocite Enhanced Light Turbolaser Cannons
• 2x Capital Ship Grade Prow-launching Torpedo Tubes
• 8x Escort Grade Lateral-launching Torpedo Tubes
• Numerous Point Defense Laser Canon Batteries

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• Sundiver Field Projector (A Variant Only)
• Advanced Sensor Package (ELDAR/PADAR)
• Advanced Power and Navigational Systems (WPC/EBS)

STANDARD FEATURES

• Double-layered Quick-recharge Deflector Shields
• Military Grade Core Sensor Suite (HSI/DER/EPR/ETS/AS)
• Military Tracking and Targeting Systems
• Military Grade Encrypted Communications System (CL/CUS/CWD/IS/RT/SM/IFF)
• Military Grade Ship's Computer (BAC/CS)
• Military Grade Hyperspace Navigation Computer
• Military Grade Special Warfare Protection System (IS/CD/HIMS/Degaussing Coils)

Strengths:

• Highly destructive Turbolasers excel at piercing thick armor and shields
• Light Turbolaser Turrets excel at tracking and damaging Corvettes
• Double-layered, rapidly regenerating shields recover quickly from being drained and excel at withstanding numerous strikes from lesser craft
• High grade steel construction affords the craft exceptional structural integrity
• Thick armor plating stands up to high power, high caliber, and armor piercing weaponry very well
• Advanced sensor suite capable of long range detection of stellar phenomena and offer abnormal means of starship detection
• Capable of diverting power away from maneuvering thrusters to overcharge primary Ion Drives, affording the ship a temporary +1 Rating to Speed at the expense of a temporary -1 Rating to Maneuverability
• Capable of diverting power away from primary Ion Drive to overcharge weapon systems, affording the ship a temporary +1 Rating to Armament at the expense of a temporary -1 Rating to Speed

Weaknesses:

• High powered Turbolasers may over-penetrate lighter starships
• Double-layered, rapidly regenerating shields are more likely to be pierced by high powered weaponry
• High grade steel is exceptionally hard to cut through or otherwise manipulate, making the ship particularly difficult to repair when structurally damaged
• Built from a high density metal, these ships are heavy and slow to move and maneuver
• Built from a high density metal, these ships appear quite prominently on gravity based and magnetic based sensors, often appearing as significantly larger ships while still at extreme ranges
• Weapon Power Converter and Engine Boosting System cannot be active at the same time, nor can either system be rapidly activated and deactivated (IE, no rapid toggling of stats mid-post)

Spoiler

DESCRIPTION

Named for a city on Ancora, the Lucet-class Cruiser is a heavily armed and armored warship used both by the Ancoran Navy and allied nations throughout the Outer Rim Coalition. Though many of the larger galactic powers would consider it an escort, the Lucet-class is large enough to serve as a ship of the line throughout most of the Outer Rim and is frequently used in such a capacity. The ship boasts an impressive offensive armament via an assorted battery of high powered turbolasers, supported by an impressive ordnance complement and an assortment of point defense weaponry. More than a simple weapons' platform, the Lucet-class incorporates a number of advanced sensor systems into its sensor suite. Additionally, the ship is constructed from a particularly high grade of steel and incorporates a redundant superstructure system that affords the ship with a great deal of structural integrity. This durability is further enhanced by a double layered armor plating comprised of the same high quality steel and a double layered Deflector Shield system that recharges very quickly.

The primary weapons of the Ancoran warships are an impressive battery of high powered heavy turbolasers. These weapons are arranged into three prow turrets with two guns on each turret. Two turrets are dorsal while one is ventral. Four light turbolaser variants of these turrets are arranged along the aft sides of the ship and four batteries of three such guns are arranged along the prow of the ship's hull. These weapons and their placement affords the Lucet-class of Cruisers with numerous overlapping fire arcs and an impressive range of engagement options. While many of these weapons are designed for use against smaller ships, such as frigates and corvettes, the lethality of these weapons is greatly enhanced by the incorporation of a highly volatile fuel source that significantly improves the destructive potential of these weapons without also requiring a lower than normal rate of fire. Supporting this primary armament is a somewhat situational secondary weapon.

In additional to the standard package of sensors (Hyperwave Signal Interceptor, Dedicated Energy Receptor, Electro-photo Receptors, Electrotelescopes, and Aural Sensors), Lucet-class Cruisers incorporate two additional advanced sensor systems: The Electromagnetic Detection And Ranging Sensor and the Particle Detection And Ranging Sensor. Called ELDAR and PADAR respectively, these two sensor systems are unique to Ancoran Scientists and offer Lucet-class Cruisers a number of abnormal detection methods that enables these ships to perform a number of scientific missions as well as affording these cruisers an entirely unique capacity for starship detection.

There are currently two known versions of the Lucet-class Cruiser. The most common variant is the "B Variant" and is considered the standard model of the class. The less common of the two known variants is the "A Variant" that incorporates a rarer and more durable armor plating than the B Variant. Another difference between these two variants would be the inclusion of a Sundiver Field Projector in the A Variant, a device that, in conjunction with the strength of the ship's hull and armor plating, enables the A Variant to operate well into the atmosphere of gas giants and even in the upper-most layers of a star (albeit for a limited time).

Both variants of the ship also incorporate an advanced power distribution system that affords a great deal of flexibility in the ship's performance profile. Commanders of this vessel can elect to divert power away from Maneuvering Thrusters to supercharge the ship's Ion Drive, or can divert power away from the ship's Ion Drive to supercharge the ship's weaponry. With proper use of these systems, Lucet-class Cruisers can quickly adjust their performance profile in response to shifting conditions in an ever changing battlespace.

 

[Gir Quee]

Under Review.

 

[Gir Quee]

Advanced Sensor Package (ELDAR/PADAR)

We can't really move forward with this submission until these two subcomponents are approved as well. However, from a starship forums perspective, I'm going to bring up Starship Forum Rule #1:

1. 
   

   Particularly rare or powerful special features may necessitate using a lower production (for example, cloaking technology, gemcutters, crystal gravtraps, equivalent stealth or anti stealth technologies, or rare canon technologies and their equivalents will only be permitted at Semi-Uniqueproduction)

If this sensor technology is going to be very proficient at detecting stealth or cloaked ships, the production of this ship is going to have to be reduced to semi-unique.

 

[Olivia Dem'adas]

[member="Gir Quee"]

I wasn't aware that CGT are restricted to Semi-Unique production now.
How does that factor in with Restricted Material rules and Tier 6 company production rules?

All the same, neither of these advanced sensors offer anywhere near the accuracy of a CGT. The sensors are highly situational and dependent on range and positioning. Neither one offers the level of detection accuracy of a CGT. In most cases, neither sensor offers much more than a standard HSI or DER sensor and both of which offer more of a "hey, there's something over there" form of detection than the pinpoint detection that comes from a CGT.

Sure, at close and medium ranges, these sensors are capable of a bit more fidelity and have some secondary utility functions that HSI and DER don't have.

The PADAR sensor isn't very good at pinpointing positions, but serves as a nice long range early warning system. And while it offers a bit of hail-marry detection against ships that are relying upon Hypermatter Reactors for power, it doesn't offer any notable detection against other ships. And even when it's working to track ships (either because of their reactor or because they just arrived from hyperspace), it just lets you know that something artificial is moving around in a general direction and won't give you any specific details, distances, or 'continuous' tracking. It just picks up the occasional exotic particle.

As for the ELDAR... most of its capabilities are in-line with what you'd get from a finely calibrated DER. And even then, it doesn't detect a ship itself or offer precision targeting data. It simply detects the disturbance caused by a ship being in close proximity to a planet's electromagnetic field. Which... is more in-line with detecting a ship's Ion Trail than detecting the ship itself. It's particularly useful around planets, but (just like a DER) can be countered by ships that are predominantly made of plastic, lined with a material that is non-reactive to electromagnetic fields, or possesses some other form of anti-magnetic protection. The ELDAR sensor does come with the nice benefit of being able to detect fluctuations in solar winds, but that is dependent on a ship being almost directly sunward of the sensor and is highly situational. And as far as the active ping is concerned, that's highly dependent upon range, there being no obstructions between the sensor and a hidden ship, and a lack of ambient electromagnetic fields to disrupt the pulse-wave. Also, while anti-magnetic stealth protection can prevent a ship from being directly detected by the sensor, the hole left in the pulse-wave as it passes the hull of the ship would be detectable. But that doesn't pinpoint the ship either, it just lets the detecting ship know that "hey, there's something over there."

So... yeah. They're neat sensors because most people (IC and OOC) would not think to design ships to counter these detection methods, or would not think to maneuver their ships in such a way as to avoid this means of detection (IC). But their lack of accuracy and situational nature leaves them both lagging well behind what you'd get from equipping a ship with a CGT. Key word here ends up being that "equivalent" mentioned in the rules. While the sensors offer a great deal of utility, they're not even close to being equivalent to a CGT. The only sensor I made that would have come close to the capabilities of a CGT would have been the original draft of the SUNAR sensor, which was significantly nerfed by Lily and is now... situational, offering near identical detection capabilities to a DER with the addition of an active scanning mode that is easily counter-able if someone (IC or OOC) knows that they should be hiding from those type of sensors as well.

 

[Gir Quee]

I wasn't aware that CGT are restricted to Semi-Unique production now. How does that factor in with Restricted Material rules and Tier 6 company production rules?

CGTs and advanced stealth detecting technology are not related to Tier 6 company production rules.

So...yeah. They're neat sensors because most people (IC and OOC) would not think to design ships to counter these detection methods, or would not think to maneuver their ships in such a way as to avoid this means of detection (IC). But their lack of accuracy and situational nature leaves them both lagging well behind what you'd get from equipping a ship with a CGT. Key word here ends up being that "equivalent" mentioned in the rules. While the sensors offer a great deal of utility, they're not even close to being equivalent to a CGT. The only sensor I made that would have come close to the capabilities of a CGT would have been the original draft of the SUNAR sensor, which was significantly nerfed by Lily and is now... situational, offering near identical detection capabilities to a DER with the addition of an active scanning mode that is easily counter-able if someone (IC or OOC) knows that they should be hiding from those type of sensors as well.

I see a lot of potential of disagreements about the specifics of how stealth and anti-stealth technology works. We as OOC writers may disagree on the specifics and effectiveness of vaguely worded and theoretical stealth and anti-stealth technology like this. I'll note that personally, you and I have had disagreements about the capabilities of magnetic sensors and just how magnetic some materials are.

I do not bring this up to salt old wounds, but to point out that this likely will not be viewed as neatly or as cut & dry in the wild as I currently understand them to be.

That being said, I do not see an issue with these being equipped at this level of production if at the end of the day, if the end result literally is this:

But that doesn't pinpoint the ship either, it just lets the detecting ship know that "hey, there's something over there."

But that's going to pretty specifically and be very explicitly stated as being able to give the vague idea that there's a stealth ship around in a very large area. Or as you put it, not something that can pinpoint a location, be used for targeting purposes, or predict where a stealth ship is headed.

 

[Olivia Dem'adas]

[member="Gir Quee"]

Both sensor systems have been approved.

This sub is ready for further review whenever you get time.

 

[Gir Quee]

[member="Olivia Dem'adas"], as Alric mentioned in his judging of the PADAR, as long as the sensors aren't being used to auto-detect ships, I don't think we'll have any issues with this ship. This will be approved shortly.

 

[Gir Quee]

Approved.