[X] 180 Meter, 3 Decks (Mass: 114kt) [Cost: 22.5]
You begin with the largest configuration available to you, although this is a trap you should be careful not to fall into - this will hurt you when it comes to engines (and the space they take up), not to mention making it less likely that the design will have a large production run. Given the need for raw hulls in the near future, Starfleet is unlikely to look kindly on a ship bloated by mass just for the improved defensive functionality if that's all it brings to the table.
The first option is a novel idea that's being called a command configuration. Rather than creating slopes or rises from the periphery of the main saucer, the upper deck will be extruded more abruptly from the center of the saucer and elongated with a spinal ridge that then runs back to the stern. By devoting the area purely to crew quarters and specialising the area as such, the flat dorsal surface of the main saucer is preserved as much as possible, providing ideal phaser mounts and minimising the ship's forward profile towards incoming fire. It would certainly be a distinctive looking design, conjuring a sense of sleek utility.
The second option is already familiar to you and any starship aficionado. The inverse slope uses a curve that begins flattened to the dorsal hull and then rises upwards, and can be seen in the saucer of the Excalibur-class. This stacks more space above the main decks but will still largely be taken up by crew quarters, but does provide some wiggle room for extra transporters and the like.
Finally there is the rising slope configuration, where almost the entire upper surface of the saucer is occupied by a bulge that begins rapidly and then slowly curves to a flat surface where it meets the bridge section. Similar designs have been seen in a more limited fashion on the Kea and Attenborough classes. The disadvantage of such a sharp increase in mass is that the ventral hull becomes much flatter and any forward torpedoes will have to be placed along the neck of the ship rather than being launched from the primary hull.
[ ] Command Configuration (Mass: 140kt) [Cost: 27.5]
[ ] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]
[ ] Rising Slope Configuration (Mass: 190kt) [Cost: 37.5]
Two Hour Moratorium, Please
