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TVSI-Phoenix Onager Siege Platform

Revision: 0
Date: 10/11/2014
Version: 01.055

See forum thread http://forums.keenswh.com/post/tristavian-shipyard-inc-6997264?&trail=155 for full details.






IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE: I consider this project to be somewhat separate from my main body of work. My normal aim is to provide very well built, realistic and sustainable vessels. The Onager has been in development for so long as various things keep breaking with each patch. After a lot of thought, I have decided to release it anyway ‘as is’ as I don’t feel it’s even possible to make it 100%

This concept was originally inspired by gFleka's gravity based hanger door.

Please also check out my other crafts which can be found in my Workshop. Enjoy!


NOTES

• Before using the Onager, it must be opened and deployed. This can be done via Button1 on the central panel of the Command Deck or by remotely triggering the ‘Open/Close’ command.
  
• Once opened, firing controls will be enabled and can be triggered via the coloured consoles on the Command Deck, via the pilot chair on the Command Deck or by remotely triggering the Firing Groups (example ‘--- FIRE Sniper’.
  
• Once a firing sequence has begun all other actions will be disabled for the durtation to prevent conflicting instructions.
  
• To abort a firing sequence, use button 4 on any of the 4 firing consoles, via the pilot chair or through the remote trigger group. This process will take several seconds and will safely recover any unfired ammunition. On completion, all firing commands will be available again.
  
• The charged projectiles have the option to switch from semi-auto to full-auto fire (sequence repeats upon completion). This can be toggled only via the firing consoles on the Command Deck.
  
• Damage can vary wildly depending on the angles you hit something and exactly what it hits as it passes through. I have had the same projectile penetrate nearly 40 layers of armour or barely pierce 5.
  
• The barrel was updated just before release to use a fully merged piston system (all 4 are fully merged together for each ring).
  
• The video was an earlier test version and isn’t 100% accurate. I’ll try and produce a proper video soon but it’s not something I know much about and I’m a bit short on time to learn at the moment!
  
• A high object count should be enabled for the world as the station can easily use the default with a single shot.
  
• The files comes with a full, survival compatible set of ammunition (high object count set) and a test firing range with marked distances and copy/pastable target blocks.
  
• By default the Onager is a station but can be converted to a large ship should you wish. To do so can occasionally be a little tricky but it is fully capable of functioning in the way. Opening/closing the doors in ship mode may cause a slight rotational spin, which can be countered manually using controls.

KNOWN BUGS

• Sniper round now disintegrates over long distances. Nothing changed with the station so this is likely due to bug or change in a recent patch. This will be addressed shortly.
  
• Due to an existing game bug, the rotors will sometimes reset their displacement, damaging the station upon loading. There is no easy fix to this and they must simply be reset to +20cm. SEToolbox is useful to ‘heal’ the station, saving constant manual repairing.
  
• Performance is extremely poor in multi-player currently. I recommend offline worlds only. This is game engine related and beyond my control.
  
• Occasionally the rings will break off from their pistons. This problem seems to have been fixed by the recent change to a fully merged piston system, but long term study will be necessary to tell if this is a 100% effective solution.
  
• Occasional timer related bugs which can make a big mess! Running the abort sequence will usually reset any incorrect or interrupted sequences.

MODS IN USE

None


CURRENT CONTENT

TVSI Onager Siege Platform
Test Firing Range
Copyable Target Blocks


DESCRIPTION

Blueprints for the Onager Siege Platform have taken a long route to reach the open market. Originally developed at Tristavian Shipyards classified ‘Omega’ facility the plans were stolen by EarthGov infiltrators on the science team who escaped in a prototype corvette. The craft was extremely damaged by defensive mines while escaping and none of the crew survived the departure. The prototype was found several weeks later by a Mars-aligned civilian mining team in the Kuiper belt, its reactors destroyed and the interior open to vacuum. A routine salvage yielded little of interest beyond raw materials and several yottabytes of encrypted data. The Captain of the mining vessel is believed to have sent a sample file to a ‘private decryption contractor’ but didn’t live to see the results. Shortly after several unmarked vessels arrived and border the mining barge, departing mere minutes later and scuttling the vessel. The fate of the crew is unknown.

From there the sequence of events are unclear but several weeks later the files began to appear on black-market weapons tech sites. Although clearly of TVSI design the company remains silent on the issue.

The Onager represents a highly experimental multi-function gravity gun which starts as a closed shell for both protection and stealth properties. In this state the platform can be towed by another craft or carried in a freighter before being deployed. Once opened an extendable barrel provides multiple options for shaping and delivering rock-based projectiles via manipulation of gravity fields. An advanced safety system prevents user input error and forces sequences to be completed before another can begin, unless aborted by a specific command. The abort sequence allows for the cancellation of half-formed shots and for the raw materials to be safely recovered.

The station itself contains mostly ammunition storage along with the necessary power plant. The Onager can support a crew of 6 long term and a spacious command deck provides controls for firing the weapon. Although design to operate as a stationary platform, the Onager is capable of limited self-propulsion with a small number of manoeuvring thrusters installed for this purpose.


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