Displacement

A spacecraft's volume is very important to many details for the designer: the placement of its propulsors, the size of its hyperdrive, the amount of space needed within for its crew, and so on. For this reason, the first choice made by a spacecraft's designer should be its volume. The ship's volume, also called displacement, is measured in cubic meters (m³).

Spacecraft are classified by the Deneb Accords according to their displacement:

• Small Craft: Displacements of 1,000 m³ or less.
• Light Ships: Displacements above 1,000 m³ but not exceeding 10,000 m³.
• Heavy Ships: Displacements above 10,000 m³ but not exceeding 100,000 m³.
• Capital Ships: Displacements over 100,000 m³.

These classifications are particularly significant for naval forces, as the Deneb Accords limit the number of each size of craft a navy can possess. Light ships often serve as frigates or destroyers, while heavy ships typically function as cruisers or battlecruisers.

After determining your vessel's displacement, you'll need to calculate its Linear Value and Area Value, which are essential for various equipment selections.

Linear Value is used to find the thickness of the ship's armour and the capability of its sensor suite, among other things. To find the Linear Value for your chosen hull:

1. Take the cube root of the ship's volume.
2. Round this value up to two significant digits.

The Area Value affects the cost of adding stealth features and is used to determine the crew complement, among other things. To find the Area Value:

1. Square the Linear Value.
2. Round this value up to three significant digits.

To make calculations easier, a spacecraft is divided into fifty slots, each representing 2% of the ship's volume. This is, of course, only for design purposes. Divide your Displacement by 50 to find your slot volume.

When installing equipment, each slot must be given over to the same sort of equipment; they cannot be installed in partial slots.

A spacecraft will have hull points equal to its Area Value. Hull points are reduced when the ship takes damage. When all hull points are lost, the ship has lost structural integrity, and will fly apart.

A ship can increase its hull points by adding a reinforced hull. However, since a ship is more likely to be disabled through critical hits rather than depleting its hull points, only the largest of military vessels bother with this option.

If you don't fancy doing the math manually, refer to the table below to find the appropriate values for your hull size. Locate the smallest volume greater than your chosen displacement.

For ships (not small craft), adjust the values as follows:

1. Divide the Displacement by 1,000.
2. Multiply the resulting Area Value by 100.
3. Multiply the resulting Linear Value by 10.