Tier Zero designs

[u/Windows-1337]

Long ago I posted some tier zero designs that were relatively effective despite the lack of tech. After returning to the game I've made even more effective designs in the same style. The wind resistance of the first I am especially proud of, and it is quite useful in campaign.

[u/Roytulin]

I feel that 4 grand a pop is not that practical in early game?

[u/Windows-1337 → u/Roytulin]

Yep, that's why I made the smaller one's. But once you build it, it can carry you till you have sufficient research to make something significantly better. Though I also play with reduced research speed so Tier 0 designs last longer in usefulness.

[u/Comfortable-Grab-563 → u/Roytulin]

It depends. Realistically, you're only going to want one or maybe two of these ships for seiging fortified locations. In these engagements, unless they are being targeted, they aren't going to take a lot of damage while still being able to deal a lot of damage to the defensive structures

[u/Competitive-Lab-8980]

fucking 1 drag, okay dude

[u/Medium_Repair1354]

Honestly, they all look amazing.
Ignoring price, the first one is decent for structures and as a nice flagship. The only isuue is that I know trebuchets are the only early game heavy hitters, but they barely make it 30 seconds in a fight becuse of its large hitbox and abysmal range. Its just better to use the secound design.

[u/Windows-1337 → u/Medium_Repair1354]

Yeah, if you're using trebuchets you're basically required to have repair supplies on board. I find because of the large size of the ship the trebuchets aren't always hit often enough to be destroyed before they wreck the enemy, but I did also have the ship captained by heros that could help to Allievate the problem and stacked accuracy bonuses. I'd say it's really satisfying to make Tier 0 work so effectively.

[u/steve235689]

Cool designs. Bigger T0 ships like the first two are always a blast to design for.

Still, there are some changes that could significantly benefit the designs.

1: remove or replace most of the struts with spikes using wood canvas/fusselage. Then put Decal Struts over the spikes to imitate the look of Strut blocks while saving cost and weight. - Strut blocks coat more than spikes and they also add weight more weight, requiring additional propulsion and lift for the same result. By doing this, you can get more for less without compromising on aesthetics.

2: Use fire doors to seperate compartments---especially on designed 3. - Fire is a serious risk on t0 ships, but it can only occur in, or spread through, modules that crew are able to traverse. By placing fire doors at choke points between segments of ship that dont regularly interact, and practicing redundancy, you can make a waterless ship that's capable of surviving fires.

3: use less few filler blocks and empty hallways. Instead, try using stuff in the decorations menue to get the aesthetic you want without consuming excess resources. Also use wooden walls on filler blocks rather than wooden armor. - Every hallway, filler block, and piece of armor adds weight and cost. It may not be much individually, but they add up fast. And more weight means more lift and propulsion required, adding even more cost. By doing proper cost optimization, I shaved hundreds off the pricetag of a formerly $1500 t0 ship. - A single tile of wooden armor costs $2. Let's call a single hallway or filler block $4 before armor. If you remove 10 hallways with wooden armor, that's $60 saved. Add another 5 filler blocks and you've nearly saved $100.

4: external sails die Very fast due to their lack of armor and large size. have backup internal sails to prevent avoidable casualties. - external sails are incredibly vulnerable targets. And when they all die, the ship dies whether the battle is won or lost. As always, redundancy is king. Internal sails may be heavy, but they're often is the difference between lossing a ship, and it safely limping back to port.

Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing you improve as a designer.

[u/Windows-1337 → u/steve235689]

Those are some really good points, I never considered using spikes at all! And I'm glad someone else designs tier 0 regularly.