[X] 0: Midline Engine (Maneuverability: Low) [+2 Civilian Industry]
[X] 1: No Torpedoes
[X] 2: Four Phaser Emitters (+4 Average Damage) [+12 Starfleet Industry] [Prototype]
Not really going to argue against the people who dislike torpedo launchers in light of the whole "can't launch probes from the same launcher" thing (which is disappointing), but if we're going to cut back on engines we shouldn't cut back on phaser emitters - if nothing else because it's been expressly mentioned that they have more limited firing arcs than the turreted phase cannons present on previous ships. Which means that a ship with limited maneuverability and a limited number of phaser emitters is going to potentially run into situations where it can't keep a target within any of its firing arcs - for all we know, that listed "average damage" would be higher, if there was any feasible chance of this getting up to a higher maneuverability bracket.
I'm not sure where the assertion that torpedoes take internal space comes from. The update text says space but I think it's just meaning hull space, since it's occupying a key spot on the ventral hull. But that's not really a deal breaker for our science score.
I'm not sure where the assertion that torpedoes take internal space comes from. The update text says space but I think it's just meaning hull space, since it's occupying a key spot on the ventral hull. But that's not really a deal breaker for our science score.
[X] 0: Dual Engines (Maneuverability: Medium) [+1 Civilian Industry]
[X] 1: No Torpedoes
[X] 2: Two Phaser Emitters (+2 Average Damage) [+6 Starfleet Industry] [Prototype]
In the end you decide to eat the cost of duplicating the thruster assembly, pushing more work to Avidyne Propulsion. While strictly speaking personal money is no longer a 'thing' in the New World Economy, the Terran Credit (soon to be Federation credit) is still the main unit of exchange for major industrial work and access to United Earth owned manufacturing utilities. By that measure Avidyne is going to come out of the Brahe a little bit more able to accomplish its goals and Starfleet a little bit less, but sometimes that's the price you have to pay for performance.
The torpedo system, on the other hand, is scrapped entirely. While it's a nice function to have for any starship, the need for the Brahe is not quite so pressing. It's already prototyping a pair of the new phasers, which you hope will give it the teeth it needs to dissuade any of the unlikely but entirely possible opportunism it might face out in the stars. With the major fixed systems installed, you are now able to turn your attention towards the internal utilities. There are plenty of ideas for what to put there, some that provide new capabilities for the ship and some that simply synergize with its design goals. Now you just have to walk that line between making the ship capable of multiple tasks and making it good at its primary role.
Ok, we probably don't need the cargo bay or anti-mater pods. Other two are a bit more debatable.
Arguably, astrometrics shouldn't be Optional on a survey ship...
[ ] 1: Astrometrics (+2 Science)
[ ] 2: Biological-Rated Transporter Room (Transporter Capability)
[ ] 3: Science Labs (+2 Science)
[ ] 4: Deflector Array Sensor Analysis (+1 Science, Advanced Scanners)
I'm liking this config so the nerds can survey planets and get to their base camp without using a shuttle.
I'm inclined to go for the Advanced Sensors and Transporters - otherwise, All Science All The Time seems an appropriate refrain.
Transporters are something useful enough that not having them when we had the option would be rather silly, and we can still get up to +5 Science while having the transporters and sensors - and, of course, it saves the industrial cost of the Auxiliary Computer Core.
SCIENCE! I think we can do without the biological transporters thanks to having the shuttle bay which can carry them instead. As for #4 I'm not quite sure yet, the advanced scanners is probably a better general purpose module, but the biosciences/medical lab is likely how we could do something like the previous quest's biohazard rated ships.
We don't need a long range on this thing since she'll be putting around our internal territory.
Transporters are a nice-to-have option but we have shuttles for transit capability and ideally this ship should not be poking things that require such immediate bug-out capability - that's what the explorers are for.
And lastly this thing is a survey ship, not a cargo hauler. If a Brahe needs mass transport capability on hand the crew can call for a cargo vessel or something.
Personally i want to go all in on the science. Crank this bad boy up as high as we can and see how much science it can science. Also Transporter because using this as the test bed is way better than throwing it on the next enterprise untested. And of course, can't forget the medbays for proper emergency hospital ships and/or bioscience research!
