Universal Reference Categorization System
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 6:15 pm
Might as well make a topic on it.
Essentially while we're moving forward with the RP and carefully tweaking it to be less of an individualistic clusterfuck, I was thinking it would be a good idea to establish a set of naming conventions to hold true for every faction's vehicles and ships regardless of what they themselves like to call them. It would help a lot as far as coherency; after all, importing naval terms into space on a subjective basis leaves a ton for error and confusion. Adopting such a system would allow for easy * measuring, letting you know at a glance how a vehicle or ship stacks up against the competition. Bear in mind that this does not mean you can't call your stuff other names; the universal terms would just be a standard for comparison.
My proposal for these generic categories are as follows
Strikecraft: If you have a ship with one-to-three crew and is supposed to be deployed en masse, it is categorized as a Strikecraft.
Harrier: Any class that's too large to be deployed effectively as a Strikecraft but too small to be used as an Escort.
Escort: Classes that fulfill the function of a multi-role, utility vessel while being both larger and (in most cases) better armed than the Harrier category.
Lancer: Anything bigger than a Heavy Escort but smaller than a Lineship; used almost exclusively for direct combat.
Lineship: Comprised of mid-tier classes that form the backbone of a fleet element's "line" when in conventional engagements. Tend to be mid-tier; may also serve as the centerpiece of Lancer/Escort task forces depending on the faction and commander.
Juggernaut: Any class larger than a Lineship, and/or designed with the ability to take punishment first and foremost. Serve to anchor battle lines, draw enemy fire, act as command ships, be the most effective carriers, etcetera.
Experimental: Any class exceeding the mass of a faction's largest contribution to the Juggernaut category is probably extremely expensive and thus Experimental. Note: Must be at least semi-mobile.
Modifiers:
Weight classes (can be combined with below
Light: Explicitly designed for maneuverability in mind, with little in the way of armor.
Medium: Balances speed and defenses admirably; the 'default' if not specified.
Heavy: Damage sinks possessing much armor but very cumbersome.
Tactical: Ships torn down to fit one explicit role and nothing else.
Super: Denotes a 'super-sized' variant of the hull class. May be combined with Heavy, Medium, or Light plus those below (total of three).
Pocket: The opposite of Super; ships falling under this are small for their class but pack just as much punch. Can be combined with Heavy, Medium, or Light in addition to those below.
---------------
Recon: Maximizes sensor ability for the purposes of gathering intelligence (not necessarily offensively)
Support: Any vessel that fills a niche role such as long range fire support or medical ships.
Command: Similar to Support, though only applicable in scenarios where a starship is designed solely for the purposes of coordinating fleet movements and battles.
Strike: Ships in this category are fast and manage to pack a punch; typically used for hit and run actions.
Escort: Anything extensively fitted to combat a particular threat, eg. strikecraft.
Assault: Designed for protracted conflict - opposite of Strike.
Missile: A ship in which no less than 2/3rds of the armament are dedicated to slow-moving projectile weapons such as torpedoes and rockets.
Carrier: A ship carrying less weapons and/or armor for the capacity of transferring and deploying a substantial amount of vessels of lesser classes. Note that the correct formatting for this would be as a postfix, eg. 'destroyer-class carrier'.
Attack: Fusion of Carrier and Assault, balancing the innate support role of the former with the combat prowess of the latter.
For the ships.
For ground stuff
Vehicle: Pretty much anything, from speeders to cars to trucks.
Walker: A vehicle...with legs.
Mech: A walker, differentiated by the use of 'arms' on the chassis for manipulation of tools.
Tank: Superheavy vehicle possessing enough armor to negate multiple anti-vehicle rounds.
Aircraft: Anything that flies solely atmospheric at rates exceeding those of any flying Vehicle.
VTOL: Aircraft that can go up and down, too.
Modifiers:
Civilian: Anything not used by the military (precludes tanks)
Combat: Anything used by the military
Armored: If it possesses a significant degree of armor, it falls under this category. This is, however, less than the 'Light' modifier.
Light: Can be applied to anything but Vehicle; specifies an amount of protection exceeding that of Armored when comparable.
Heavy: A more extreme version of Light.
Hover: Anything that is not solely restricted to direct contact with the ground.
(I didn't spend much time on these by comparison)
So.
Essentially while we're moving forward with the RP and carefully tweaking it to be less of an individualistic clusterfuck, I was thinking it would be a good idea to establish a set of naming conventions to hold true for every faction's vehicles and ships regardless of what they themselves like to call them. It would help a lot as far as coherency; after all, importing naval terms into space on a subjective basis leaves a ton for error and confusion. Adopting such a system would allow for easy * measuring, letting you know at a glance how a vehicle or ship stacks up against the competition. Bear in mind that this does not mean you can't call your stuff other names; the universal terms would just be a standard for comparison.
My proposal for these generic categories are as follows
Strikecraft: If you have a ship with one-to-three crew and is supposed to be deployed en masse, it is categorized as a Strikecraft.
Harrier: Any class that's too large to be deployed effectively as a Strikecraft but too small to be used as an Escort.
Escort: Classes that fulfill the function of a multi-role, utility vessel while being both larger and (in most cases) better armed than the Harrier category.
Lancer: Anything bigger than a Heavy Escort but smaller than a Lineship; used almost exclusively for direct combat.
Lineship: Comprised of mid-tier classes that form the backbone of a fleet element's "line" when in conventional engagements. Tend to be mid-tier; may also serve as the centerpiece of Lancer/Escort task forces depending on the faction and commander.
Juggernaut: Any class larger than a Lineship, and/or designed with the ability to take punishment first and foremost. Serve to anchor battle lines, draw enemy fire, act as command ships, be the most effective carriers, etcetera.
Experimental: Any class exceeding the mass of a faction's largest contribution to the Juggernaut category is probably extremely expensive and thus Experimental. Note: Must be at least semi-mobile.
Spoiler:
Weight classes (can be combined with below
Light: Explicitly designed for maneuverability in mind, with little in the way of armor.
Medium: Balances speed and defenses admirably; the 'default' if not specified.
Heavy: Damage sinks possessing much armor but very cumbersome.
Tactical: Ships torn down to fit one explicit role and nothing else.
Super: Denotes a 'super-sized' variant of the hull class. May be combined with Heavy, Medium, or Light plus those below (total of three).
Pocket: The opposite of Super; ships falling under this are small for their class but pack just as much punch. Can be combined with Heavy, Medium, or Light in addition to those below.
---------------
Recon: Maximizes sensor ability for the purposes of gathering intelligence (not necessarily offensively)
Support: Any vessel that fills a niche role such as long range fire support or medical ships.
Command: Similar to Support, though only applicable in scenarios where a starship is designed solely for the purposes of coordinating fleet movements and battles.
Strike: Ships in this category are fast and manage to pack a punch; typically used for hit and run actions.
Escort: Anything extensively fitted to combat a particular threat, eg. strikecraft.
Assault: Designed for protracted conflict - opposite of Strike.
Missile: A ship in which no less than 2/3rds of the armament are dedicated to slow-moving projectile weapons such as torpedoes and rockets.
Carrier: A ship carrying less weapons and/or armor for the capacity of transferring and deploying a substantial amount of vessels of lesser classes. Note that the correct formatting for this would be as a postfix, eg. 'destroyer-class carrier'.
Attack: Fusion of Carrier and Assault, balancing the innate support role of the former with the combat prowess of the latter.
For the ships.
For ground stuff
Vehicle: Pretty much anything, from speeders to cars to trucks.
Walker: A vehicle...with legs.
Mech: A walker, differentiated by the use of 'arms' on the chassis for manipulation of tools.
Tank: Superheavy vehicle possessing enough armor to negate multiple anti-vehicle rounds.
Aircraft: Anything that flies solely atmospheric at rates exceeding those of any flying Vehicle.
VTOL: Aircraft that can go up and down, too.
Modifiers:
Civilian: Anything not used by the military (precludes tanks)
Combat: Anything used by the military
Armored: If it possesses a significant degree of armor, it falls under this category. This is, however, less than the 'Light' modifier.
Light: Can be applied to anything but Vehicle; specifies an amount of protection exceeding that of Armored when comparable.
Heavy: A more extreme version of Light.
Hover: Anything that is not solely restricted to direct contact with the ground.
(I didn't spend much time on these by comparison)
So.