In Search of Humanity: Humanity Ships of 2.7.1

Design Forum
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I saw someone around here asking for more designs for this new forum. Here are the ships of my Humanity, game version 2.7.1. I’m at an early stage of the campaign, so the designs would be simple.

This is the first ship of the campaign, responsible for surveying Sol. Initially designed for geo-surveys only, it was turned into a universal design that can do both geo and grav exploration.

Sapphire class Exploration Ship 3,977 tons 65 Crew 360.6 BP TCS 80 TH 125 EM 0
1571 km/s Armour 1-22 Shields 0-0 HTK 22 Sensors 5/5/1/1 DCR 2-5 PPV 0
Maint Life 8.36 Years MSP 613 AFR 63% IFR 0.9% 1YR 16 5YR 234 Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required

Commercial Nuclear Radioisotope Engine EP62.5 (2) Power 125.0 Fuel Use 11.18% Signature 62.5 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 250,000 Litres Range 101.2 billion km (745 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 10 Range 4m km MCR 359k km RES 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

The follow up design is a larger, jump-capable long range exploration ship that can carry Humanity for decades to come. Slow and steady.

Zirka class Exploration Ship 10,000 tons 126 Crew 582.4 BP TCS 200 TH 320 EM 0
1600 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 47 Sensors 5/5/1/1 DCR 6-6 PPV 0
Maint Life 5.77 Years MSP 718 AFR 133% IFR 1.9% 1YR 37 5YR 549 Max Repair 100 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months CDE 10% Morale Check Required

JC10K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 10000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Commercial Nuclear Thermal Engine EP80.00 (4) Power 320 Fuel Use 10.06% Signature 80 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,088,000 Litres Range 194.6 billion km (1407 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 10 Range 4m km MCR 359k km RES 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
Geological Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (1) 1 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

The next design is a universal frontier transport ship, capable of delivering installations, minerals and a small amount of colonists in cryo berths. It doesn’t need stable jump points, it doesn’t need to be fast. It works.

Chumak 2 class Cargo Ship 50,000 tons 217 Crew 905.2 BP TCS 1,000 TH 1,000 EM 0
1000 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-120 Shields 0-0 HTK 72 Sensors 5/5/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 11 Max Repair 250 MSP
Cargo 25,000 Cryogenic Berths 10,000 Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months CDE 30%

JC50K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 50000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP100.0 (10) Power 1000 Fuel Use 8.94% Signature 100 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,244,000 Litres Range 50.1 billion km (579 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 10 Range 4m km MCR 359k km RES 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Colony Ship for auto-assignment purposes

As Humanity also needs to transport Police units to its new colonies, Chumak 2 was repurposed into a troop ship very easily. A shipyard tooled for Hannibal-class ships can also produce Chumak 2 ships. Not the other way around for some reason, but oh well.

Hannibal class Troop Transport 47,258 tons 247 Crew 1,066.4 BP TCS 945 TH 1,000 EM 0
1058 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-116 Shields 0-0 HTK 86 Sensors 5/5/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 14 Max Repair 320 MSP
Troop Capacity 25,000 tons Cargo Shuttle Multiplier 1
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months CDE 30%

JC50K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 50000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP100.0 (10) Power 1000 Fuel Use 8.94% Signature 100 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,000,000 Litres Range 42.6 billion km (465 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 10 Range 4m km MCR 359k km RES 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Troop Transport for auto-assignment purposes

The last design currently in service is the jump point stabilisation ship. It’s called a station because of the default hull designation, but whatever. It’s still a ship.

Mississippi class Jump Stabilisation Station 47,738 tons 222 Crew 1,332.2 BP TCS 955 TH 1,000 EM 0
1047 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-117 Shields 0-0 HTK 71 Sensors 5/5/0/0 DCR 1-0 PPV 0
MSP 17 Max Repair 600 MSP
Commander Control Rating 1 BRG
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months CDE 30%
Jump Point Stabilisation: 360 days

JC50K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 50000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Commercial Nuclear Pulse Engine EP100.0 (10) Power 1000 Fuel Use 8.94% Signature 100 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 2,000,000 Litres Range 84.3 billion km (931 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS3-R1 (1) GPS 10 Range 4m km MCR 359k km RES 1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-5.0 (1) Sensitivity 5 Detect 1000: 17.7m km

This design is classed as a Commercial Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Stabilisation Ship for auto-assignment purposes

There are no combat ships or anything else produced so far. Humanity knows no aliens, no hostiles. Maybe I’ll do a police warship, maybe.

1 Like
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Thanks for these - may I ask one question?

my ships in my game bear a very similar role and design - but I have no sensors on my ships (thermal, EM) is this a security measure in case there is a surprise out there or does it serve some extra grav/geo search ability

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On a big ship like this, small sensors cost almost nothing and take up almost no space.
Those two passives and the single active probably cost a total of ~14BP and they take up 105t.
That’s ~1% of the ship’s cost, and ~0.2% of tonnage.

Almost all of such sensors added on to commercial ships will never even see a hostile contact, much less a contact that would not otherwise have already been spotted.
But in that very rare case when they do pick up something surprising, the knowledge that would have otherwise been missed is likely to be incredibly valuable.

6 Likes
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Thermal it EM sensors do not aid in geo or grav survey. Purely a security measure. I would argue it doesn’t even help with SECURITY in the sense that your survey ship is probably dead if it runs into trouble, but it does help with intel on the ship that kills them.

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No, sensors on the ships do not give extra grav/geo points. But they are definitely a must on an exploration ship. They can find… things :slight_smile:

As for putting sensors on all my civilian ships, RP wise these are navigation equipment. There are many sensors on civilian vessels IRL, optics, radars, weather sensors, etc. In Aurora, any sensor of 50t or below is considered civilian and does not change ship classification, so you can put them freely on anything.

As for their usefulness, passive EM sensor is great for early warning against ships with any active sensor with resolution > 1-10 (those that tuned to find big hulls at long range), like res 100. You can see them much further than they can see you, I think. Or at least detect them relatively early.

Thermals are far less useful, but they are part of the package. I think they help classify engines of ships and missiles better? Don’t remember.

Active res 1 sensor can’t see very far, but it is also stealthy, can only be detected from up close, so you don’t give away your position to the whole system usually.

Generally speaking, these sensors are playing a part in the overall information game. It can be useful once or twice in 100 years, but intelligence gained can be valuable for you to make decisions at the point of contact or really soon after. Have you ever seen messages and wrecks of your civilian (uncontrolled) ships being destroyed and not knowing what is attacking them? I was in that situation and it’s frustrating. If I had to choose between 3 types of sensors, I’d put at least EM passive on every ship for early warning.

2 Likes
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Id argue for putting thermal on, because it tells you if a ship you meet has civilian or military engines. That’s a pretty important piece of info!

I haven’t personally used EM passive sensors much, but I hadn’t considered the point L0ckAndL0ad raised about detecting ships with coarse resolution active sensors from far away, so I may need to reconsider.

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Ha! The troop transport class in my current game is Carthago Novo, and the second ship built was the Hannibal.

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I consider passive sensors as fundamental on every class.
IIRC, you can improve survey ability if the ships have a Science Department module installed.

4 Likes
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More recent generation of ships. New exploration ship is better in every way possible, while having the same mass. I can have fewer of them for the same result. Also less management hassle.

Zirka 3 class Exploration Ship 10,000 tons 192 Crew 1,164.4 BP TCS 200 TH 500 EM 0
2500 km/s JR 3-50(C) Armour 1-41 Shields 0-0 HTK 43 Sensors 8/8/3/3 DCR 7-7 PPV 0
Maint Life 4.07 Years MSP 1,009 AFR 114% IFR 1.6% 1YR 98 5YR 1,463 Max Repair 125 MSP
Captain Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG SCI
Intended Deployment Time: 48 months CDE 40% Morale Check Required

JC10K Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 10000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Commercial Nuclear Gas-Core Engine EP500.0 (1) Power 500 Fuel Use 3.35% Signature 500 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 571,000 Litres Range 306.4 billion km (1418 days at full power)

Active Search Sensor AS6-R1 (1) GPS 16 Range 6.4m km MCR 574.5k km RES 1 ECCM-1
Thermal Sensor TH1.0-8.0 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect 1000: 22.4m km
EM Sensor EM1.0-8.0 (1) Sensitivity 8 Detect 1000: 22.4m km
Geological Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per Hour
Gravitational Survey Sensors (3) 3 Survey Points Per Hour

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes
This design is classed as a Survey Ship for auto-assignment purposes

We’re still alone in the vastness of the void. But the first Patrol Ships are already built. Their job is to provide police force to the colonies. Not really needed, but I thought it would be nice to make a “police” warship. It’s not a proper navy warship, but can be useful in a pinch.

Atlantis class Patrol Ship 12,500 tons 324 Crew 1,951.5 BP TCS 250 TH 1,250 EM 2,130
5000 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 4-47 Shields 71-426 HTK 63 Sensors 16/16/0/0 DCR 16-12 PPV 26.32
Maint Life 1.81 Years MSP 915 AFR 208% IFR 2.9% 1YR 348 5YR 5,223 Max Repair 312.5 MSP
Troop Capacity 500 tons Boarding Capable
Captain Control Rating 4 BRG AUX ENG CIC
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months CDE 40% Morale Check Required

J12500(3-50) Military Jump Drive Max Ship Size 12500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
Ion Drive EP625.00 (2) Power 1250 Fuel Use 22.36% Signature 625 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 750,000 Litres Range 48.3 billion km (111 days at full power)
Delta S71 / R426 Shields (1) Recharge 426 seconds (0.2 per second)

31.250cm C4 Near Ultraviolet Laser (1) Range 320,000km TS 5,000 km/s Power 26-4 ROF 35
Twin Gauss Cannon R300-50.0 Turret (2x6) Range 30,000km TS 20000 km/s Power 0-0 ROF 5
Direct Fire Control R320-TS5000 (SW) (1) Range 320,000 km TS 5,000 km/s ECCM-1
Direct Fire Control R80-TS20000 (1) Range 80,000 km TS 20,000 km/s ECCM-1
Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor R7 (1) Total Power Output 6.6 Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor AS66-R100 (1) GPS 8000 Range 66.2m km RES 100 ECCM-1
Active Search Sensor AS9-R1 (1) GPS 32 Range 9m km MCR 812.4k km RES 1 ECCM-1
Thermal Sensor TH2-16 (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect 1000: 31.6m km
EM Sensor EM2-16 (1) Sensitivity 16 Detect 1000: 31.6m km

Ground Forces
1x Marine Detachment

Marine Detachments are the real deal, however. Heavy armor and all. And don’t tell me there’s no need for supplies during boarding. I know. I want them to be “properly equipped” nonetheless.

Marine Detachment
Transport Size: 500 tons
Build Cost: 50 BP
42x Heavy Marine Rifleman
12x Heavy Marine Automatic Rifleman
6x Heavy Marine Rifleman (Anti-Tank)
4x Heavy Marine Supply
1x Heavy Marine Detachment HQ

2 Likes
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Your “not a proper navy warship” is way bigger then my Acheron class Destroyers, that saved Terran civilization fighting off the first and massive spoiler icursion in my current campaign! :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes
11

May I ask how many game years your empire has been around?

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IMO, in Zirka 3 class you don’t need an active sensor, as it has no guns or missiles to direct. Unless you think to use it to designate targets for other ships.
It’s essentially a geo- and grav-survey ship, and already has passive sensors with larger ranges that can do the job.

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As a slight counterpoint, I have occasionally found active sensors on survey ships useful for getting tonnage reports on NPR ships during first contact situations. It’s not much, but for 50 tons maybe it is worth it.

1 Like
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I do use the minimal tiny 1-res radars on my geosurveyors to have immediate intel on:

  1. planetary forces sometimes found in some tiny numbers outwhere;
  2. enemy ship and/or missile sizes, when a surveyor attacked.
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52 years since game start. The design in question was built around year 45 or so, I think.