User:Doneve/Support Vehicle Construction Steps

This! Is a step by step introduction, to design various Support Vehicle models and variants.

Step 1: Design the Chassis

Choose Motive Type

Simca

[Simon] - wants to design a fast and small ambulance for city use. He decides on a wheeled design, which he names the Simca. In preparation for the design process, he gets a copy of a Ground Vehicle Record Sheet ready.

RTC-215M Swiftran

[Todd] - is designing an airborne Support Vehicle ideal for medivac missions close to a battle zone, and chooses a VTOL motive type for his design. He names his unit the RTC-215M Swiftran, and prepares a VTOL Record Sheet to aid in his design.

Hesiod

[Aaron] - has a more industrial concept in mind for his Support Vehicle. Though he considers a tracked design, he sees his unit, the Hesiod, as more of an all-purpose utility vehicle, and decides on a wheeled design like Simon's. Aaron notes from the Support Vehicle Record Sheet Table that he will use a Ground Vehicle Record Sheet for his design.

Jetta Coruna 4X

[Brian] - thinks his Support Vehicle will be something for the typical Inner Sphere jet-setter: a fixed-wing luxury aircraft that he has already named the Jetta Coruna 4X. He prepares a Conventional Fighter Record Sheet for the work of designing it.

Dixon

[Christine] - has chosen to create a paramilitary Airship, used to patrol the skies over busy cityscapes, looking for trouble and coordinating with ground-based units. Naming this craft the Dixon, she prepares an Airship Vehicle Record Sheet to plan out her design.

Choose Technology Base

Simca, Swiftran, Hesiod, Jetta Coruna and Dixon

For various reasons, all five of our designers opt to use an Inner Sphere Technology Base for their Support Vehicles. Aaron, however, has decided to construct his Hesiod as a Support OmniVehicle, hoping to maximize its flexibility.

Chosse Weight

Simca

[Simon] - plans to make his Simca small and fast. Because it is a wheeled Support Vehicle, the Simca has a maximum weight limit of 160 tons in the Large size, but Simon wants something in the Small category, placing the vehicle under 5 tons. Simon decides he can make his Simca work at just 2.5 tons (2,500 kilograms). At this weight, he calculates that his Support Vehicle will have 5 item slots for equipment space (5 base slots + [2.5 tons ÷ 10] = 5.25 slots, rounded down to 5 slots). Simon also notes from the Master Support Vehicle Weights Table that the Simca will have a Base Chassis Value of 0.12 and a Base Engine Value of 0.0025.

Swiftran

[Todd] - As a VTOL, Todd's Swiftran cannot exceed a 60-ton maximum weight (at the Large size) for its motive type. Deciding that bigger doesn't equal better, he chooses a Medium-size design and places his VTOL at 25 tons in total weight. At this weight, the Swiftran will have 7 item slots to work with (5 base slots + [25 tons ÷ 10] = 7.5 slots, rounded down to 7). Todd also jots down his Swiftran’s Base Chassis Value of 0.25 and Base Engine Value of 0.0025.

Hesiod

[Aaron] - decides his Hesiod will be a Medium-size wheeled vehicle that weighs in at 7 tons. At this weight, the Hesiod will have up to 5 item slots for equipment (5 base slots + [7 tons ÷ 10] = 5.7 slots, rounded down to 5 slots). It also has a Base Chassis Value of 0.15 and Base Engine Value of 0.0075.

Jetta Coruna

[Brian] - While Brian's Coruna cannot exceed the 200-ton maximum weight of a Large Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle, he has something much smaller in mind. Choosing the Medium size class and a weight of 35 tons, he finds that his aircraft will have 8 item slots to work with (5 base slots + [35 tons ÷ 10] = 8.5 slots, rounded down to 8). The Coruna's Base Chassis Value is 0.10, while its Base Engine Value is 0.010.

Dixon

[Christine] - decides that her Dixon should be as large as she can make it, to maximize its capabilities as a floating police headquarters. She chooses the Medium size class—the largest available to Airship Support Vehicles—and a weight of 300 tons. This weight gives the Dixon a space capacity of 35 item slots (5 base slots + [300 tons ÷ 10] = 35 slots). Christine also notes her Dixon's Base Chassis Value is 0.25 and its Base Engine Value is 0.008.

Allocate Weight for Internal Structure

Simca

[Simon] - According to the Master Support Vehicle Chassis Table, Simon's Simca—a Small wheeled vehicle weighing 2,500 kilograms—has a Minimum Tech Rating of A and a Base Chassis Value of 0.12. Because the vehicle is already pretty short on weight, Simon chooses a Structural Tech Rating of D, for a Rating Multiplier of 1.0. Simon decides that he requires no additional modifi cations for the Simca's chassis, and thus computes a chassis weight of 300 kilograms (0.12 Base Chassis Value x 1.0 Structural Tech Rating D x 2,500 kg = 300 kg). The Simca has 2,200 kilograms of unspent weight remaining (2,500 kg – 300 kg = 2,200 kg). Simon sees no need for a turret and decides at this point that the Simca will not have one. Given its weight of 2,500 kilograms (2.5 tons), he computes that the Simca will have only 1 point of internal structure per location (2.5 tons ÷ 10 = 0.25 points per location, rounded up to 1). Using the Ground Vehicle Record Sheet, Simon blacks out all of the Turret circles (including those in the gray-shaded internal structure and the unshaded armor area), and all but 1 internal structure point in the gray-shaded areas of the vehicle’s Front, Left, Right and Rear sides.

Swiftran

[Todd's] - Swiftran—a Medium-sized VTOL Support Vehicle—has a Minimum Tech Rating of C and a 0.25 Base Chassis Value. Like Simon, Todd decides to use more advanced technology and gives the vehicle a Structural Tech Rating of E (Rating Multiplier 0.85). Because the Swiftran is to be a battlefield medivac unit, he chooses the Armored Chassis Modification, and so computes a chassis weight of 8 tons (0.25 Base Chassis Value x 0.85 Structural Tech Rating E x 1.5 Armored Chassis Modifier x 25 tons = 7.969, rounded up to the nearest half-ton at 8). Todd's Swiftran may not carry a turret as it is a VTOL Support Vehicle. With the Swiftran's 25-ton weight, he finds that it will have 3 points of Internal Structure per location (25 tons ÷ 10 = 2.5 points per location, rounded up to 3). Using the VTOL Record Sheet, Todd blacks out all but 3 internal structure points in the gray-shaded areas of the vehicle's Rotor location, as well as its Front, Left, Right and Rear sides.

Hesiod

[Aaron] - Because it is a Medium 7-ton wheeled Support Vehicle, Aaron's Hesiod has a Minimum Tech Rating of A and a Base Chassis Value of 0.15. Aaron wants to give the unit off-road capability, along with the flexibility of OmniVehicle design, and so adds the chassis modifications for Off-Road (Chassis Multiplier 1.5) and Omni (Chassis Multiplier 1). As the higher of these two modifications—the Omni capability—has a Minimum Tech Rating of E, Aaron's Hesiod upgrades its Minimum Tech Rating to E, and so he selects that as his Structural Tech Rating (Rating Multiplier 0.85). Aaron computes that his Hesiod will have a chassis weight of 1.5 tons (0.15 Base Chassis Value x 0.85 Structural Tech Rating E x 1.5 Off-Road Multiplier x 1.0 Omni Multiplier x 7 tons = 1.34 tons, rounded up to 1.5). The Hesiod has 5.5 unspent tons remaining (7 tons – 1.5 tons = 5.5 tons). Like Simon, Aaron also decides to place no turret on his wheeled Support Vehicle, deciding that any of its configurations will find better uses for the half-ton (minimum) he'd need to assign to turret weight. With the Hesiod's 7-ton weight, he fi nds that it will have only 1 point of internal structure per location (7 tons ÷ 10 = 0.7 points per location, rounded up to 1). Using the Ground Vehicle Record Sheet, Aaron blacks out all but 1 internal structure point in the gray-shaded areas of the vehicle’s Front, Left, Right and Rear sides, and blacks out all Turret location circles.

Jetta Coruna

[Brian's] - Jetta Coruna—a 35-ton, Medium-sized, Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle—receives a Minimum Tech Rating of B from the Master Chassis Table, with a Base Chassis Value of 0.10. For a chassis modification, Brian decides on Environmental Sealing (Chassis Modifi er 2), just in case the aircraft is to be taken any place where the atmosphere is hostile. Enviro-sealing raises the Minimum Tech Rating for the Coruna's chassis to C, but Brian decides to take it one step further and chooses a Structural Tech Rating of D instead. These factors combine to give the Jetta Coruna a chassis weight of 7 tons (0.10 Base Chassis Value x 1.0 Structural Tech Rating D x 2.0 Enviro-Sealing Multiplier x 35 tons = 7 tons). The Coruna has 28 unspent tons remaining (35 tons – 7 tons = 28 tons). Because Brian's Coruna is a Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle, it does not have internal structures to black out at this time. Instead, Brian must fi rst determine the vehicle's Thrust ratings in the next step before determining how many Structural Integrity circles he will need to black out.

Dixon

[Christine's] - Dixon is a Medium 300-ton Airship, and so it has a Minimum Tech Rating of B and a Base Chassis Value of 0.25. Though she expects the craft might see combat in its role as a police vehicle, she cannot choose an armored chassis modification because the Dixon is an Airship. She decides that no other chassis modifications are necessary as well, but does choose a Structural Tech Rating of D (Rating Multiplier 1) for the design. Christine finds the Dixon's chassis weight to be 75 tons (0.25 Base Chassis Value x 1.0 Structural Tech Rating D x 300 tons = 75 tons). The Dixon has 225 tons of unspent weight remaining (300 tons – 75 tons = 225 tons). Like Brian's Coruna, Christine's Dixon does not have internal structures to black out at this time. Instead, she must determine the craft's Thrust ratings in the next step before determining how many Structural Integrity circles she will need to black out.

Step 2: Install Engines and Control Systems

Install Engine

Simca

[Simon] - For his Simca, Simon decides that a basic Internal Combustion engine (ICE) will be cheaper and easier to employ. He also decides he wants the vehicle to be fast, so that it can reach a scene fast and get to the hospitals just as quickly. Deciding on a Cruising MP of 7 (which yields a Flank MP of 11; 7 MP x 1.5 = 10.5, rounded up to 11), Simon establishes the Simca's Base Movement Factor as 53 (4 + [7 Cruising MP x 7 Cruising MP] = 53). Furthermore, a Small wheeled vehicle weighing 2,500 kilograms has a Base Engine Value of 0.0025. Given that the Simca has a Structural Tech Rating of D, Simon decides that its engine will be just as sophisticated as the chassis (Tech Rating D). This provides an Engine Weight Multiplier of 1.5. Given these values, Simon computes that the Engine Weight for his Simca will be 497 kg (0.0025 Base Engine Value x 53 Base Movement Factor x 1.5 Tech Rating D ICE x 2,500 kg Total Vehicle Weight = 496.875 kg, round up to 497). The Simca now has 1,703 kg remaining (2,200 kg – 497 kg = 1,703 kg).

Swiftran

[Todd's] - Swiftran also uses a basic ICE, and he decides on a fast speed suitable for medivac operations at a Cruising MP of 11 (which yields a Flank MP of 17; 11 MP x 1.5 = 16.5, rounded up to 17). Todd thus establishes the Swiftran's Base Movement Factor as 125 (4 + [11 Cruising MP x 11 Cruising MP] = 125). Furthermore, the 25-ton Medium VTOL has a Base Engine Value of 0.0025. Given that the Swiftran has a Structural Tech Rating of E, Todd decides on a Tech Rating of E for its engine (for an Engine Weight Multiplier of 1.3). Given these values, Todd finds that the Swiftran's engine weight will be 10.5 tons (0.0025 Base Engine Value x 125 Base Movement Factor x 1.3 Tech Rating E ICE x 25 tons Total Vehicle Weight = 10.156 tons, round up to 10.5). The Swiftran now has 6.5 unspent tons remaining (17 tons – 10.5 tons = 6.5 tons).

Hesiod

[Aaron] - To take advantage of the plentiful resources of most agro-worlds, Aaron decides that his Medium 7-ton Hesiod wheeled Support Vehicle will also use an ICE, but will run on alcohol rather than standard petrochemicals. Giving his Support OmniVehicle a modest Cruising MP of 4 (for a Flank MP of 6; 4 Cruising MP x 1.5 = 6 Flank MP), he finds its Base Movement Factor will be 20 (4 + [4 Cruising MP x 4 Cruising MP] = 20). He also notes that, as a Medium wheeled Support Vehicle, the Hesiod's Base Engine Value is 0.0075. Aaron further decides his Hesiod will match its sophisticated chassis Tech Rating of E, which provides an Engine Weight Multiplier of 1.3. Thus, the Hesiod's engine weight comes to 4 tons (0.0075 Base Engine Value x 20 Base Movement Factor x 1.3 Tech Rating E ICE Multiplier x 7 ton Total Vehicle Weight = 1.365 tons, rounded up to 1.5). This leaves 4 unspent tons to go (5.5 tons – 1.5 tons = 4 tons).

Jetta Coruna

[Brian's] - Jetta Coruna is a 35-ton, Medium Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle. As a dedicated aircraft, it operates using Thrust Points rather than ground-based MPs. Because it is designed for cruising, Brian decides a fair Safe Thrust of 4 will be sufficient for the Coruna (giving the plane a Maximum Thrust of 6; 4 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 6 Max Thrust). Brian plans to power this aircraft using a Fusion engine with a Tech Rating of D (the same as the chassis). The Master Support Vehicle Weight Table shows that a Medium Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle has a Base Engine Value of 0.010, while the Movement Factor provided by its Thrust Points come to 20 (4 + [4 Safe Thrust x 4 Safe Thrust] = 20). This establishes an engine weight of 7 tons for the Coruna (0.010 Base Engine Value x 20 Movement Factor x 1.0 Tech Rating D Fusion x 35 tons Total Vehicle Weight = 7 tons), leaving it with 21 unspent tons remaining (28 tons – 7 tons = 21 tons).

Dixon

[Christine] - As a Medium-sized, 300-ton Airship, Christine's Dixon has a Base Engine Value of 0.008. Like the Coruna, Airships use thrust Points, rather than MPs, but they cannot achieve speeds over 3 Thrust Points. While her Dixon can be built using increments of 0.25 Thrust Points (unlike any other aircraft or aerospace unit), Christine decides to give her Airship the maximum possible speed it can handle and so assigns it a Safe Thrust of 2. (The Dixon's Max Thrust thus becomes 3, as 2 Safe Thrust x 1.5 = 3 Max Thrust.) The Dixon's Safe Thrust provides it with a Movement Factor of 8 (4 + [2 Safe Thrust x 2 Safe Thrust] = 8), which will combine with the Base Engine Value of 0.008, and the Tech Rating D Fusion engine that she decides to install here. Christine thus finds that the engine weight for her Dixon will be 19.5 tons (0.008 Base Engine Value x 8 Movement Factor x 1.0 Tech D Fusion x 300 tons Total Vehicle Weight = 19.2 tons, round up to 19.5 tons). The airship now has all of 205.5 tons remaining (225 tons – 19.5 tons = 205.5 tons).

Determine Fuel Capacity

Simca

[Simon] - Because it uses an ICE, the Simca relies on fuel, and so requires some weight devoted to fuel tanks (though fuel is not tracked in Total Warfare). Simon notes that the Simca can attain an operating range of 100 kilometers for every 1 percent of engine weight spent on fuel tanks. Feeling that an 850-kilometer range would be sufficient, he computes that the weight of fuel tanks to achieve that range would equal 8.5 percent of the engine weight (850 km range ÷ 100 km = 8.5 x 1 percent per 100 km = 8.5 percent). Because 8.5 percent of the engine weight would come to a little over 42 kilograms, however (8.5 percent of 497 kg Engine Weight = 0.085 x 497 kg = 42.245 kg Fuel Weight), Simon decides to round the fi gure down to an even 42 kg. In doing so, Simon feels he must recalculate the actual fuel range provided by 42 kg, by determining what exact percentage of the engine's weight the fuel comes to. He computes that 42 kg of fuel is actually 8.45 percent of the engine's weight (42 kg Fuel Weight ÷ 497 kg Engine Weight = 0.0845 x 100 percent = 8.45 percent). Since each 1 percent of the engine weight equals 100 km for an IC engine running on petrochemicals, 8.45 percent of the Simca's engine weight in fuel equates to an 845-kilometer operating range for the ambulance ([8.45 percent ÷ 1 percent per 100 km] x 100 km = 845 km). With 42 kg spent on fuel tanks, the Simca now has 1,661 kg left over (1,703 – 42 = 1,661).

Swiftran

[Todd] - The Swiftran's ICE also needs fuel, and so requires some weight devoted to fuel tanks. Todd notes that his VTOL—like Simon's ambulance—can attain an operating range of 100 kilometers for every 1 percent of engine weight spent on fuel tanks. He decides to invest a full ton into fuel, rather than compute the weight from a desired range. Todd finds that this single ton of fuel equates to 9.52 percent of the Swiftran's engine weight (1 ton Fuel Weight ÷ 10.5 tons Engine Weight = 0.0952 x 100 percent = 9.52 percent). Since each 1 percent of the engine weight equals 100 km for an ICE running on petrochemicals, 9.52 percent of the Swiftran's engine weight in fuel tanks equates to a 952-kilometer operating range for the VTOL ([9.52 percent ÷ 1 percent per 100 km] x 100 km = 952 km). The Swiftran's 1-ton fuel tanks leave Todd with 5.5 tons remaining (6.5 tons – 1 ton = 5.5 tons).

Hesiod

[Aaron] - decides to fi nd the Hesiod's operating range after putting the bare minimum of 0.5 tons of fuel tanks on the vehicle. At 0.5 tons in weight, the Hesiod's tanks account for 33.33 percent of the vehicle's engine weight (0.5 ton Fuel Weight ÷ 1.5 tons Engine Weight = 0.3333 x 100 percent = 33.33 percent). However, rather than achieving 100 km per each 1 percent of the engine weight, the Hesiod's use of alcohol fuel means that the vehicle requires 1.25 percent of the engine's weight to reach 100 kilometers. Applying this value to determine how much range his vehicle can attain, Aaron finds that the Hesiod can travel 2,666-kilometers per tank ([33.33 percent ÷ 1.25 percent per 100 km] x 100 km = 2,666.4 km, rounded down to 2,666). After installing its fuel tanks, the Hesiod now has 3.5 tons remaining (4 tons – 0.5 ton = 3.5 tons).

Jetta Coruna

[Brian] - As an aircraft, Brian’s Jetta Coruna uses Fuel Points, rather than determining its fuel mass by a set overland range. Consulting the Airship/Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle Fuel Table, Brian finds that a D-rated engine on a Medium Support Vehicle receives 1 Fuel Point per 20 kilograms (0.02 tons). This value is not modified, as the Coruna is neither an Airship nor a propdriven aircraft. Brian decides to give his Coruna plenty of range with 8.5 tons' worth of fuel. At 0.02 tons per Fuel Point, the Coruna receives 425 Fuel Points for that weight (8.5 tons ÷ 0.02 tons per Fuel point = 425 fuel points). After spending 8.5 tons on fuel tanks, the Coruna is left with 12.5 tons of unspent weight (21 tons – 8.5 tons = 12.5 tons).

Dixon

[Christine] - Because Christine's Dixon is an Airship powered by a Fusion engine, it requires no Fuel Points. Had the Dixon received any engine type other than Fusion, Fission or Solar-Electric, however, it would have paid only three-quarters of the weight for any fuel points required.

Determine Structural Integrity (Airships/Fixed-Wings only)

Jetta Coruna

[Brian] - Because his Jetta Coruna is a Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle, it receives a Structural Integrity (SI) Value at this stage, in place of the internal structure value found on ground vehicles and VTOLs. With a Safe Thrust of 4, Brian finds that the Coruna receives an SI of 4. On the record sheet, Brian blacks out all but 4 circles in the gray-shaded Structural Integrity area at the center of the aircraft’s Armor Diagram.

Dixon

[Christine's] - Dixon is a 300-ton Airship with a Safe Thrust of 2. Because it is an Airship, and because 2 percent of its tonnage comes to 6 (2 percent of 300 tons = 0.02 x 300 tons = 6), which is greater than the Safe Thrust value of 2, the Dixon receives an SI of 6. On her airship's record sheet, Christine blacks out all but 6 circles in the gray-shaded Structural Integrity area.

Add Control/Crew Systems

Scimitar

[Simon] - According to the Support Vehicle Crew Requirements Table, Simon's Simca—as a Small wheeled vehicle—has a Minimum Crew Requirement of 1. But because he plans this vehicle to serve as an ambulance, he adds 2 more crewmen to reflect stations for additional paramedics. All three crewmen receive seating at 75 kilograms per crewman, for a total of 225 kilograms spent (3 seats x 75 kg per seat = 225 kg). The Simca has 1,436 kilograms of unspent weight remaining (1,661 kg – 225 kg = 1,436 kg).

Swiftran

[Todd's] - Swiftran—a Medium VTOL Support Vehicle—has a Minimum Crew Requirement of 2. Because it is not a Small vehicle, additional weight need not be assigned for these crewmen (as they are considered intrinsic to the unit's chassis and control systems). However, as the Swiftran is a medivac unit, Todd adds 10 more seats for medics. For these crew alone, the seating will weigh 750 kilograms (10 seats x 75 kg per seat = 750 kg), or 0.75 tons. Todd decides to double this amount of seats to make room for passengers as well, bringing the total crew/passenger seat weight to 1,500 kilograms or 1.5 tons. This leaves the Swiftran with 4 tons available (5.5 tons – 1.5 tons = 4 tons).

Hesiod

[Aaron] - As a Medium wheeled Support Vehicle, Aaron's Hesiod has a Minimum Crew Requirement of 2, whose seating is considered intrinsic to the vehicle's chassis and controls. Aaron decides to add no more seating.

Jetta Coruna

[Brian's] - Jetta oruna—a Medium Fixed-Wing Support Vehicle—has a Minimum Crew Requirement of 2 from the Support Vehicle Crew Requirements Table. As a Medium-sized vehicle, he need not assign seating to these crewmen. Still mulling passenger accommodations, Brian continues on without assigning any weight to seating.

Dixon

[Christine's] - Dixon, a Medium Support Vehicle, has a Minimum Crew Requirement of 4, plus one officer (because the Dixon, as an airship 5 tons or more in weight, requires at least one officer). Because the Dixon is Medium-sized, Christine need not allocate seating for these crewmen. However, as she intends to arm and equip the Airship later on with additional systems that will require additional crew, she makes a note that she has pre-allocated seating and space for 5 crew (4 crewmen + 1 officer = 5), and leaves the assignment of additional quarters and seating until she has determined what her expanded crew needs will be. She also notes that she plans to install a fire-control system, meaning that tonnage will be also be needed to accommodate any gunners.