Skip to content

VehicleDesignScreen

Jump to bottom
Ed Kolis edited this page Aug 31, 2019 · 1 revision

Vehicles in FrEee need to be designed before they can be built, just like in Space Empires IV. This page details the process of ship design.

To create a design, first click the Design button on the main game window, or press F3 or Shift-D, to bring up the design list window. Then click the "Create" button on the design list window to bring up the vehicle designer.

ship-designer.png

In the vehicle designer, there are three main areas of concern:

  • General Info
  • Components and Mounts
  • Warnings

##General Info In the upper left of the vehicle designer there are several controls which let you specify general information about your design. You will need to choose a hull by clicking the Choose Hull button and picking a hull from the hull picker window which appears. You should also give your design a role (e.g. "Attack Ship") and a name (e.g. "Constitution"). If you specify a name that you have already used for a previous design, a Roman numeral will automatically be appended.

##Components and Mounts Next you will want to install components on your design. You can do so by clicking them in the Components Available list. If you want to apply a mount, you can do so by clicking the Use Mount button, then picking a mount from the mount picker window, prior to clicking the component. If you try to install a component that cannot use the selected mount, it will be installed without the mount. You can clear the selected mount by clicking the Use Mount button again and choosing No Mount.

There are two check boxes which allow you to filter the list of available components. The first, "Only Latest", is enabled by default, and hides any components that are obsolete. The second, "Filter By Mount", hides any components that cannot use the currently selected mount.

You can remove a component from the list of installed component by clicking it.

If you right-click on any component, either in the available list of the installed list, you will get a report with detailed information on the component. This report will take into account the effects of any mount you may have applied.

##Warnings Certain hulls have requirements - for instance, ship hulls tend to require a bridge component, and have a limit on how many engines they can have installed. If any of these requirements are not met, then appropriate messages will appear in the Warnings section in the lower left. You will not be permitted to save your design while there are warnings.

##Other Features If you acquire details of another empire's design, either with Long Range Scanners, by engaging in combat with a vehicle of that design, or via diplomacy or espionage, then the design will show up as an unlockable item on the research screen when you are about to unlock the last item (component, hull, or mount) required to build it. You can then copy the design so that you can build an equivalent vehicle yourself, or upgrade it to replace any lower-tech components with your best technology.

When you save a design, not only will it be saved for the particular game you're playing in, but it will also be saved in your design library for use in future games you play, much like in Galactic Civilizations III. Like with alien designs, library designs will show up as research results.

##Future Plans

Clone this wiki locally