Afew times a month, I like to take time to simply dive into certain pools that whirl around in my head.

So, what not "create" a(nother) Sc Fi styled Sim game.

My ideal game of this type would be based in "real time," meaning, it would not be turn based.

Where does one even begin?

I think it's best to just start with a basic foundation and build it more complex from there.

So, whats a space sim without space ships?

I think the best way to come up with ships is to keep cars in mind.

Model A-This sends your first being into space. Congrats! There were some other things to build before getting to this point but this is about the ships. Enjoy your single spin around the planet and go back home before you hurt yourself.

Model B-This is simply a second version of your Model A. Only, this one is capable of doing more then one spin around the planet.

Model C-This ship is capable of short stays in space (more then a day).

Sat Orbiter-This ship is capable of orbiting it's home planet's moons.

Sat Lander-This will land on the moons.

Scout-This ship begins the journey to explore the solar system.

IS Scout (Inter Stellar)-After the jump gate is discovered, this ship can explore outside it's home sector.

Sedan-These are your all around general ships. They can transport anything across long distances.

Luxury-They are what they are. Somewhat larger then the Sedan class, the luxury ship is mostly a being mover. These beings would be of some level of importance. Early on, this would make a good flag ship for a fleet.

Super Luxury-More of the same to a greater extreme. Later in the game, this would make a good flag ship in an armada to support flag ships governing fleets.

Zippers-These are mostly a faster but smaller scout class ship. They are small enough to be missed by certain types of radar and can go through debris belts with a certain level of ease. Even if an enemy ship locks on, the Zipper can out run most hostile fire.

Fighters-Space Fighters are an animal for another day. But I thought they deserved to be mentioned.

Buttons-The moped of the scout class. Still, in safe "waters," they may be all you need. Sub classes of the button include the mini, micro, and nano. Each is slower and smaller then the one before however, a nano ship is said to be capable of slipping through a hostile PDS (Planetary Defense System) completely undetected.

Utility-If your expecting hostile fire in a debris field, this is an excellent class of ships for making an exit or making an insertion in a debris field without hostile fire.

Super Utility-A unique class of ships best described as the neighborhood bully class. This is a good ship to start trouble with or to stand up to trouble without punching back via a more defensive mode. This is also a good ship for those that want to perform the insane tacit of interstellar ship ramming. Against a much smaller class, you can leave a horrific level of destruction to be discovered by opposing scouts later on. Kind of a ship of terror. A good ship for bad guys but available to all, per say.

Transports-Subclasses include the taxi, bus, and super bus. They can transport anything but they are designed with people in mind. Non-being transports are possible but it will degrade the ship faster.

Trucks-The opposite of transports, beings can easily contaminate a ship like this. It's best to use these ship for product movement only. Subclasses include the mini, general, the awesome train subclass discovered much later, and the even more awesome planet transport discovered still later, much-much later. It's said that a fleet of these can move a small planet, which doesn't sound like a smart thing to do. To those that don't believe in PC speech, these are sometimes referred to as planet rapers. They are capable of changing the class of a planet in a single visit in some situations.

Palace-These are strictly VIP ships and make great late game flag ships to govern the Luxury class. For political reasons, these ships are supposed to act dignified in space and therefor, shouldn't be used as an attacking ship (although they can attack). Unless your packing allot of heat, attacking this ship is foolish. Their influence is strong enough to take over some planets by simply showing up.

Super Palace-Although you can build bigger ships, this ship supports the Palace class. Only the highest level of VIPs would fly on this. Generally, it doesn't have any offensive or defensive weapons on it. It's assumed you will compliment it with defensive ships (it costs allot to build and allot to maintain so....). Attacking this ship isn't a good idea and you likely won't put more then a dent in it unless it's unguarded. Still, attacking a Super Palace is like begging for trouble. On the other hand, allowing a Super Palace to be attacked will quickly turn you into a galactic joke. It may promote ideas you don't want your opponents to consider. A paper tiger effect?

Claw-These are your law enforcement ships but also make great pirate ships. They are great if you want to board a submissive vessel. If you want to disable but not destroy a ship, these are the best for the task.

Rescue-These are the ships you want around if you survived a terrible attack. Think of it as an ambulance or a fire truck.

Morph-This is your trojan horse class. They actually display a false hull and will show up as that false hull on enemy scans (and friendly scans). Only the most advanced technologies can detect them. They aren't great attack ships or boarding ships but to an unsuspecting enemy, they are often all you need.

Stealth-These are, without debate, the best "preemptive strike" class. Some ships can receive a stealth technology but it's a standard feature on these.

Tug Boat-Got a problem? Hook `er up! These can tow an awesome amount of weight. In theory, these are the best planet movers. But it takes allot of tow to pull that off! They also have the best tractor beams but once an enemy ship docks, you better have a plan because their defenses are highly ineffective.

Speeders-These are offensive attacker ships. They are ships of war and they are good at what they do. And fast.

Super Speeders-These can keep up with the zippers. They are the only class capable of war at warp speeds. If this thing follows you into a star gate, YOU...ARE...DEAD!!! Even the best weapons are close to useless at warp speeds. Unless your a super speeder.

(TBC)

(To Be Continued)

Destroyers-What they lack in speed, they make up for in fire power. Once you have completed the first wave of attacks, Destroyers make great second waves. And third waves. And so forth. They can take a beating but not forever. But the amount of fire they can produce makes surrendering a great option.

Planetoids-These take generations to move but if you want to special order a metal planet, it's time to eat metal. This IS the last thing a hostile planet wants to see. It's the last thing a friendly planet wants to see to. This thing can actually bump a planet right out of orbit! Generally, not a ship of a good guy's choice (but a good guy could make it work). Surprisingly, it's the nano class ships that a planetoid fears most.

City Ship-A nice compliment to a flag ship (and vice versa). This is a civil ship, not a war ship. Beings live their; it's a cradle to grave ship. Staying way in the back (ideally), it supports war ships rather nicely.

Star Holes-These are late game ships. They can do one of two things and that's about all they can do; they can destroy a star - resulting in "some" issues with the locals. *OR* they can transverse through a black hole. Since you don't know what the other side of the black hole has waiting for you, traveling through it sounds insane. But if you bare bones the ship down, you can carry a very small amount of beings and product to start a very tiny colony. That's IF you aren't destroyed on the other side. Big if. Or is it?

Atom Ship-Painfully slow and painfully defenseless, these ships can actually destroy a neighboring star system. A late game ship, of course.

King Ship-Only afew of these can be built in the entire universe. These are ships that have an effect by merely showing up to say hello. They are capable of destroying almost every ship in the sector with the push of a single button. Only the very best and very worst will have a ship like this.

Divinity-Only two in the entire universe can be built. But a Divinity Class ship only works properly when it is the only one that exists. When it is the lone ship in it's class, it can power down any other ship in it's sector. At that point, Divinity can have it's way. When there are two Divinity ships, upkeep cost more for both of them and they are the only ships that can attack a fellow Divinity class.... Because all the other ships are sleeping. When these two ships meet in the same sector, LEAVE! Because the ripple effects will destroy EVERYTHING in the sector, including (maybe) the resident star.

Escape Class-It is what it sounds like; an escape option. The first version holds only one person per pod; captain first? The second version allows for more people per pod.The third class is an escape ship. This entire class is designed to move beings, not care of them. Be happy you even get air! They travel a short range, have no defenses whatsoever, and are easy to capture or destroy. Have a nice trip!

Shield Ship-It usually has only one weapon, a very big shield. Big enough to protect a number of ships but only on one side and only for a limited amount of time. A shield ship can only protect so much mass. Shield ships are a temporary fix to a permanent problem. Enough of them can protect all sides in a fleet and even more could do for a sustained amount of time. Meanwhile, more bad guy ships show up. What now?

Wave Motion Ship-Another ship with only one weapon and no serious defense; this ship is capable of sending a wave motion from the safety of a sector, through a star gate, and into the next sector. The effect would be horrific. It is known to severely effect it's primary star gate and it may cause problems in other star gates to. Which could upset your FORMER friends.

Flying Dock-The docked ships support the dock and the dock supports the docked ships. A nice option in war but otherwise, an expensive waste.

Power Ship-If you need to "gas up" and there is not a local option, the Power Ship comes in handy. They make a nice target to. BOOM!

Concept Ship-Can't find your hull of choice (seriously???)? Throw your money and research points into a concept ship. It's a random shot in the dark, like it or not. If you like it, build them and good luck with them. If you don't like it, destroy all of them and then re-research it (with penalties). You may get lucky with such a ship. Or you may not.

???-There are some that say it's possible to over take a Divinity class ship without another Divinity. The legend/prophecy goes something like this; only one can be built but only with the help of many empires. And then, total control must be given to only one empire despite the resource efforts of all. It's abilities are unknown but if it can kill a Divinity.....

My next message will get into space probes, beacons, commercial traffic, and space stations (as well as other objects that might orbit a planet and/or moon).

I'm just doing this to kill time. Your all welcome to chime in. If a programmer wants to turn my idea into something, be my guest!

[edit on 9/3/2007 by Genfinity]