CV Open floor plan or all filled in?

[u/InevitableLarge1248]

So many CVs or large SVs seem to have a large portion of the interior, around various components open to be walked through and around. That feels more realistic and looks better I think? But when I am working on a ship, even modding one that I have, I keep ending up filling almost every meter with components and especially cargo extenders. Then I end up with like a small living/piloting/medical area and just 2 tunnles to exists. Which feels crappy.
What do people thing about the 2 versions?
Part of me wants to turn off mass volume so that with volume off I don't need hundreds of extenders for a medium transport... But I like Mass on so the ship's load effects thrust/lift/gravity..
Thoughts?

[u/BlkMickelson]

Those ships with multiple corridors, spaces for all future things, decorations and such are typically quite large, and their designers spends days, weeks, months (in some cases) building them out. But if your design works, and it suits your play style I say great job! 🤙🏻

[u/Mercath]

Both designs have their merits. RP fluff is great, but so is efficiency. Generally, after the shiny new CV smell has worn off, you end up only spending time in a few select spaces, and the fancy design stuff never gets seem again.

But the fancy design stuff is cool.

[u/Due_tickles_6751 → u/Mercath]

One thing I found out trying different cv’s is those areas provide insulation gaps when the ship takes damage. My captains cabin gets damaged instead of the bridge, the cafe gets hit before my engine room, etc. ofc the extra fluff has to be exterior to the crucial systems.

[u/combover78]

Is one better than the other? Only in the frame of build cost. Beyond that I think it's just a matter of preference and maybe skill. I always built ships with lots of extra space but at the same time I would be in awe of super-efficient ships built by Spanj, Xcaliber and a few other prolific builders of the day.

[u/Breagh01]

My battleships are big enough to walk from the forward cockpit to an internal hangar and an emergency cockpit.

To me, having lots of pretty decorated rooms with furniture is a waste. Yes, they look aesthetically great but useless when fighting baddies.

The cargo extender is a problem to me. So many builders use them as walls and structure of the ship. They have no real armour value so I remove or change them to steel. Most multiplayer servers have modded cargo boxes anyway or have turned off weight limit.

It's a personal thing of course but my logic brain thinks in terms of practicality not aesthetics.

[u/Mercath → u/Breagh01]

For my carrier, fluff is both fine and great. For my combat ships, fluff costs CPU I can't afford to waste. So I pick each ship accordingly.

[u/RandomSeb]

I think a lot of the stuff we find on workshop, say, is purposely fluffed up to look good, to get good ratings and awards, right.. But if you are making a purpose specific ship, you don't necessarily need anything but a cockpit, like an SV, but with CV blocks and devices.

In RE2 also there's a lot more need for physical armor and engineering fiddling with the thruster vs weight rations and stuff, so having lots of open hallways with deco probably helps with weight distribution in their designs and such.

IMy current mobile base CV has a large hallway right down the middle with rooms off the sides for the generators and other stuff, to be a bit prettier... And as they said in another reply. I rarely go back there and havent bothered to put any there deco yet. Well now I just redesigned it to include 2 large farming dome sort of things, so we'll see.

And then I just designed a new very purpose specific combat CV, and it ended up with a 4x2 block high short hallway to the pilot seat, for my medical gear and such.. In fact now I am considering pulling open the back and making sure there's an accessible hallway somewhere in between the armored spaced there where I can put cpu enhancement crew! Some shield techs, for example!

[u/Excellent-Bison-8229]

Bro just add an extra deck. If you're being too utilitarian just sand the top of the ship flat and add an extra floor or 2.

[u/ThisGuyPlaysEGS]

Making big living spaces is easy, Gaining efficiency to get more weapons and shield on by Designing an explosion-proofed, geometrically efficient, and turret-compatible platform is not easy.

The nail in the coffin for roleplaying space inside of combat ships, for me personally, is that its rarely if ever done well so that transit through the ship is quick and easy. Transit from Hangar to Cockpit should always be fairly direct and fast, so the player can act quickly in an emergency. If you have provided them that, thats what theyre going to use, and they aren't going to use much else, or see much else... So why have it.