Posted by: Omnivore
« on: May 14, 2020, 07:28:52 AM »Given the present system, about the best you can do without getting into 'exploity' grey areas, is to create a base design that has the desired size and performance of all the variants you wish to build. Fill in the tonnage where the variants differ with high cost per ton zero crew requirement components. Retool the yard for your base design and you should be able to build reasonable variants in that yard.
There are limits to that approach. For example using it I was able to get a light carrier, a collier, and a fleet support vessel to all share the same yard. However, similarly sized scout and escort variants still could not as they were just too different in the unshared component costs.
Ideally we'd have a system that was perhaps even more restrictive on size, hull armor, and speed rating, but totally ignored cost except for the actual building charges.
If you really must get, in the above example the scout and escort designs to share the same yard, you might be able to do it but it starts getting into the grey area some would consider an exploit. Change the base design to a size such that all desired variants are barely within the -20% size differential. Then fill up the entire base design with high cost zero crew components. Personally I prefer not to do this but it is possible and is the only way I can find to do the equivalent of an AC-130 Spector variant and a C-130 base transport in the same facility (such as was/is done historically).
Hope this helps,
There are limits to that approach. For example using it I was able to get a light carrier, a collier, and a fleet support vessel to all share the same yard. However, similarly sized scout and escort variants still could not as they were just too different in the unshared component costs.
Ideally we'd have a system that was perhaps even more restrictive on size, hull armor, and speed rating, but totally ignored cost except for the actual building charges.
If you really must get, in the above example the scout and escort designs to share the same yard, you might be able to do it but it starts getting into the grey area some would consider an exploit. Change the base design to a size such that all desired variants are barely within the -20% size differential. Then fill up the entire base design with high cost zero crew components. Personally I prefer not to do this but it is possible and is the only way I can find to do the equivalent of an AC-130 Spector variant and a C-130 base transport in the same facility (such as was/is done historically).
Hope this helps,