Starfleet Design Bureau

We'll be bringing a lot of science, engineering, or cargo so this isn't a concern. When they see just how tanky this is and the phaser strength they'll know we designed a great anchor. Anchors are solid units and that's what this ship will be.
Thought science was optional beyond the minimal in this design brief? Could focus down on engineering and/or colony support.
 
Im very much in favor of a big ship. I voted for it.
But Im willing to course-correct when the QM checks me.
And I think you're over-reacting to a statement the QM made. Again, if we were being told not to do something, it wouldn't be an option we can vote for.

There was a lot of enthusiasm for building a big ship going in to this vote, and it'd be a shame to see it all disappear and have us land on yet another unexceptionally-sized ship. Not when the ship's role (and our curent shipbuilding tech) stands to gain so much from maximizing size.
 
[X] Rising Slope Configuration (Mass: 190kt) [Cost: 37.5]

I'm going to be really sad if we end up with yet another medium-sized ship.
 
Damm the flats! We can't pick options that'll leave this ship a confused and less capable halfway house, maximum mass is only a downside if we can't justify it, and between the modules we'd be able to fit and the advantages this will bring to both offensive and defensive capabilities it will justify the mass!

Furthermore, according to my calculations* even an integrated secondary hull for the command option leaves the ship well short of the 255,000 tonnes of the Kea - even going for 4x nacelles might not let it grow greater.
Meanwhile a 2x nacelle inverse slope with a Connie style secondary hull will exceed 300,000 tonnes.

[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]
[X] Rising Slope Configuration (Mass: 190kt) [Cost: 37.5]


*
Something interesting to note, the canon Connie style secondary hull is ~35.714% of the mass of the saucer and the integrated hull is ~42.571% (though admittedly these do factor in 2x nacelles, so we could end up greater).

Assuming we can mirror these mass choices for a third saucer stage/they get mirrored anyways (to simplify things I'm just going to assume pure command:command and the like, rounded to the nearest hundred)
Command: 166,000 tonnes, Connie style secondary hull is 225,300 tonnes, an integrated secondary hull is 236,700 tonnes
Inverse: 226,000 tonnes, Connie style secondary hull is 306,700 tonnes, an integrated secondary hull is 322,200 tonnes
Rising: 266,000 tonnes, Connie style secondary hull is 361,000 tonnes, an integrated secondary hull is 379,200 tonnes

I don't think any of us can in good conciseness vote for the command option when it'll likely leave the ship with less mass than the Kea-class.
 
Thought science was optional beyond the minimal in this design brief? Could focus down on engineering and/or colony support.
We could make it that way but I read it as them wanting a tanky heavy cruiser that was also a capable generalist. Has enough capabilities in every area to support any mission without being barebones in any.

Miranda capabilities:
As an in-territory vessel with only basic scientific facilities, the freed space could be utilised for tactical, engineering, and utility concerns.

Federation relevant portion:
The second proposal is for the other end of the scale. Project Federation envisions a cruiser more along the lines of the Kea-class, using a higher mass than other contemporary starships to produce powerful defense fields and a depth of capability in vital areas of interest.
We could choose specific stuff to limit it's ability to science and I think Starfleet would be fine with it as long as we didn't monofocus. They might be happier with an all rounder though unless we get some really useful synergy with a slightly narrower focus.

That's my read though and I'm throwing a bunch of biases and reading the tea leaves I imagine between the lines.

Edit: Adding in my vote. Reactions received are unrelated to it.
[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]
 
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I don't think I'm understanding the nature of the rising slope configuration here, reading it again. We're told it prevents us from mounting torpedoes on the saucer, but nothing about the description seems like it should do that?
 
VOTE
[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]


Vote's open.
Im taking the option that gives extra mass for shields and phasers, with volume for modules.
WITHOUT maxing out weight, because we were warned against it.
 
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[X] Command Configuration (Mass: 140kt) [Cost: 27.5]

Because, as previously mentioned, I like the aesthetics.

[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]

Approval vote, because CHONK.
 
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[X] Rising Slope Configuration (Mass: 190kt) [Cost: 37.5]
[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]

It's so huge that it's going to be a torpedo magnet no matter what, and I think at this scale the extra shields will help it more than the narrowed profile. In a fleet battle it's going to be expected to slog it out and return fire instead of trying to maneuver anyway.
 
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[X] Rising Slope Configuration (Mass: 190kt) [Cost: 37.5]

We wanted big ship, we just have to have limited torpedoes, but the modules Im hoping would be lots, we can have this craft do lots of stuff, while still having plenty of room for weapons.
 
[X] Inverse Slope Configuration (Mass: 170kt) [Cost: 33.5]


The sticks to beat here are the Kea and the Excalibur. Command, while on the light side does offer us better coverage - something else Starfleet has placed on their Wishlist.
 
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Not voting for mass here, but "ideal" phaser coverage which is supposed to be one of the primary objectives of this design in the first place, as an anchor in a battlespace

[X] Command Configuration (Mass: 140kt) [Cost: 27.5]
 
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