Version 6, Updating Shuttles

One of the biggest updates of V6 will be the inclusion of all shuttlecraft stats. I've poured over all the existing books, gone through a comprehensive process to assign and update stats to shuttles, and have included them in this update. 

The shuttles now have stats, blurbs, and recommended talents, just like their big sisters. These will be available via download in the ship gallery.  I apologize to those who don't want to download a second thing, but managing these projects separately helps me keep my head together. 

Two more shuttles have been added in this latest version as well. 

Along with the starships, I won't be putting these stats into the document directly. I'll leave that to you, so if you want to fine tune your shuttle, make your own (based off an existing type), or even just use my stats as inspiration, you'll have everything you need. 

Tinkering with the Shuttles Page

I did extensive testing on alternative versions of the shuttle page, including one [scrapped] page where I attempted to fit in a saucer section/additional craft. With the Aero Shuttle, Aquarius, Saucer, Sphere, and Captain's Yacht separations on many ships, I wanted to see if there was a way I could get a "featured" craft onto the zine. 

Yeah. So. As you can see, it's way, way too busy. I got a lot to fit, but at the expense of my own eyesight. So, needless to say, this was scrapped. At the end of the day, I do enjoy the visual cue of having the ships. 

Sensors Online

I often have a practice that I refer to as a "scratchdown", or, looking at something from scratch. Even if I like it, I try to reimagine it, to see if there's a better way I could iterate on it. 

With the shuttles, I spent some time trying to reimagine the way you'd view your shuttle. Would it be better to use two, with a larger reference image? Would it be better not to include the reference image, as above? Or would it be better to perhaps include some sort of cargo/storage/shuttle bay art? Something light-ink that could inspire you peering into your shuttle bay? 

Most of these exercises involve me spending hours in the Star Trek Online ship tailor, capturing vessels from every angle I can, and fiddling with them in Affinity Publisher. 

A problem I ran into, as you can see above, is that sometimes small craft in particular, have dynamic visual profiles in only one view. The captain's yacht, for example, is much more dynamic from above. Conversely, the type 8 shuttle looks like mud when viewed from that angle. From the side, however, we see it's brilliance. Original iterations of the page included a hodge podge of views, depending on which was best, but I decided it was better to utilize a single angle, and ended up choosing the side. 

Which angle do you like more? Do you even enjoy the thumbnail views of shuttles? Or, would you rather have the extra space? 

Thanks so much! V6 will be cleared for landing by the end of the week!