Joe asked about the Droyne ships. So, here's some ideas I've been
collecting on alien designs. Some of it has appeared in the TML
before, but I've rewritten bits of it. Copyright 1993 Scott
Kellogg
Question: Just how do the different alien races design their
control panels. We kinda take it for granted that they are
different, but just how different are they? For simplicity's
sake I just took a look at pilot stations.
FLIGHT CONTROLS
SOLOMANI (start off simple right?)
Solomani (and most Imperial) flight controls generally
consist of stick, throttle, and rudder pedals. The stick is
usually mounted in the center of the console, but is sometimes on
the left side, while the right hand generally controls the
throttle. This allows the co-pilot or navigator (generally
seated on the right) to be able to reach the throttle. If the
pilot were incapacitated, the co-pilot can easily take control.
If the stick is on the left side, it and the throttle are mounted
in the arms of the acceleration couch. This allows the pilot to
rest his arms on the chair. This can be nice when you don't have
inertial compensators working.
On most ships, especially fighters, all combat funtions are
mounted on the stick and throttle. This allows a pilot to
conduct all combat operations without having to move his hands to
different controls. This design philosophy is known as HOTAS.
(Hands On Throttle And Stick)
Darrians tend to use Solomani control design philosophy,
though with a greater emphisis on center mounted sticks. This is
because of the high proportion of ambidextrousness and left
handedness in Darrian gene pools.
VILANI
Vilani controls are a bit more automated. Auto pilots tend
to be a bit more sophisticated (and are heavily relied on) The
control lay out is on the clumsy side. Design engineers opted for
a single design to ease training of pilots and to avoid their
having to study their ship to understand what is going on. Thus
the same control panel exists on the Vilani Fat Trader as exists
on their most sophisticated fighters. This greatly reduces stress
on pilots as the panel they learn to fly with in Dad's Air/Raft is
identical to the one they might fly in the Imperial VF-102 Rippers
Advanced Fighter Wing. The compromise design is a good one, but
any compromise in engineering tends to lessen performance.
Vilani pilots are generally seated to the right of the copilot
allowing the copilot the use of his or her right hand for central
control panels common to pilot and copilot thus freeing the pilot
of some of the awkward control spacings during critical maneuvers.
Vilani attitude controls look like a cross between a control
yoke and motorcycle handle bars. Rudder pedals are not present as
they are in Solomani designs, and yaw control is linked to the
handle bars. The bars control yaw in a similar manner to
motorcycle bars. (This makes a cross controlled 'slip' maneuver
somewhat more difficult in Vilani aircraft) But it simplifies the
controls for most normal flights. The throttle is mounted on the
left handle bar as if it were a motorcycle.
All Vilani aircraft have cross control landing gear. While
advanced controls would allow for high speed taxiing, Vilani Air
and Starports are simply not built to allow high speed taxiing.
Strict ground speed limits are vigorously enforced by Port
Authority at Vilani ports as offenders will often roll off the
tight curves and narrow tarmac and sink into soft ground.
IMPERIAL
Imperial designs tend to vary from region to region, but tend
to be a fusion of Vilani and Solomani designs. The actual design
used seems to be a function of proximity to Terra or Vland, but
that is not the only factor as many regions were settled far from
their point of origin. Example: The Spinward Marches, though far
from Terra, has a high percentage of Solomani racial and cultural
stock and tends to follow Solomani design patterns.
ZHODANI
Almost all Zhodani pilots come from the noble ranks. Flight
controls for their ships are open for flicking. Thus the psi-
trained Zhodani pilot may change the ship's attitude, throttle
settings, and weapons by flicking. Special safe guards are in
place to prevent outside psionic interference in the piloting of
the ship. Up to and including a psi-shield surrounding the
pilot's station. This is demonstrated in the Shivva class patrol
frigate and her fighters. The fighter pilots are open to
telepathic contact from their flight controller, but the flight
controller can not affect flight controls of the fighter.
There also exist manual controls for all craft. Not all
pilots are nobles. The enlisted pilots use the manual controls.
Also proles operating grav vehicles and the like have a need for
manual controls. While one would think that manual flight
controls would be of lesser quality because of the depencance on
psi-controls, this is far from the truth. With their wealth of
insight into the human mind, data presentation among the Zhodani
is a fine art. Screens with flight data are very well presented
in such a manner so as not to swamp the pilot with data.
However, manual controls do tend to recieve secondary attention
in Zhodani cockpit design.
Controls are generally mounted on the arms of the flight
acceleration couch. The stick is generally mounted on the left,
and the throttle on the right. Often times, with a Psionic pilot
in command, the controls are stowed inside the chair arms and,
with a press of a switch, can be deployed in emergencies.
Yaw control is subsumed into the stick in a rotational
manner. Turn the stick to the right and the ship yaws right.
This last is a reflection of how manual flight controls are
considered secondary.
ASLAN
Aslan flight controls are a set of half gloves set into the
arms of the acceleration couch. They look somewhat like large
balls on the ends of the chair arms. The hand is placed atop the
ball in deep indentations in it for the hand. (Picture a big wax
ball with a hole the shape of your hand melted into it.) (Rather
like Hiver controls with deeper indendations)
This design meshes with the Aslan philosophy that the ship
is but an extension of the pilot. The 'gloves' make the ship
part of him. The ship follows the motion of the hand. The
extension of the dew-claw fires the ships weapons on ship's where
the pilot is in control of the guns. A similar control is for
the aiming and firing of ship's weapons.
Attitude control is controlled by both hands on separate
controls. With roll and pitch on one hand and yaw on the other.
Throttle control is in foot pedals.
VARGR
Vargr flight controls do not follow general lines making it
difficult to generalize. But, their control systems tend to be
similar to human designs at least where hands are concerned.
Their degitigrade stance makes their foot controls quite
different. Rudder pedals are rare, and yaw control tends to be
absorbed into the stick as Vilani and Zhodani designs. Psionic
controls are rare, but are more common among Gveug and Aekhu
designs.
Aslan control systems are sometimes copied by Vargr.
DROYNE
Droyne controls are one of the most unusual. A wide variety
of psionic controls are also encompassed under Droyne designs, but
primary flight control input is taken from the pilots wings.
Attitude controls are mounted beside the pilot. At Tech Level 8
and above, they are low level infra-red sensors that sense the
position of the pilot's wings and tail. Though the Droyne
generally have great difficulty in flying, they do still possess
the equipment for rudimentary flight, and the instincts to do
so(though buried). To raise the nose of the ship, the pilot would
increase the angle of attack of his wings. The sensors see the
change in wing angle and perform the maneuver. If the pilot raises
his right wing, the ship will bank left, and so on.
Below Tech Level 8 controls consist of mechanical linkages
which are stapped to the pilot's wings and tail.
Throttle controls are more conventional: a lever mounted in
the center of the panel.
The Ael Yael, while unable to build their own ships will
commonly adapt control panels to this type of configuration.
While Dolphin crewed ships are uncommon, flight control
systems have been built to their specifications using these type of
body position sensors for control of attitude and propulsion
systems.
HIVER
The Hiver controls are balls mounted with control studs.
This is the form best suited 'ergonomically` to their limbs.
Hiver controls are very difficult for anyone but a hiver to
operate. Thus, many of their ships employ dual control panels,
to allow for a member race to use them. The Federation Member
control panels are similar to Aslan designs, though the
indentation in the control globes is not so deep as the Aslan
half gloves. This arrangement allows the hiver better control
than he would mangage with a Solomani design.
K'KREE
The K'Kree have probably the most bazarre arrangement of
attitude control. The pilot lies in a couch arrangement with his
four hooves touching the floor. By leaning in one direction or
another, the ship's attitude is changed. It looks somthing like
flying a hang glider. To roll left, lean left. To lower the
nose: lean forward. To pull up: lean back. Yaw control is by
twisting the body to the right or left. Throttle control is by
hand levers.
The leaning method of attitude control dates back to the
earliest K'kree experiments in flight. Their earliest gliders
used this method of steering, then their primitive aircraft.
After that, it was too entrenched in K'kree engineering
philosophy to ever change.
===============================================================
NAVAL ARCHITECTURE
Human ship designs (above Tech Level 9) tend to evoke the
image of ocean going ships. Relatively few decks exist, but those
decks tend to be large and flat, parallel to the direction of
travel, making the image of a ocean liner travelling though space.
This design, while comfortable for human living, is inefficient in
terms of energy. It requires that the ship must maintain both
internal gravity and inertial compensation during engine burns.
Zhodani designs tend to disdain the use of staircases due to the
fact that their taller build make stair climbing more
uncomfortable. However, gravitic lifts adequately compensate for
this.
At Tech Level 9, inertial compensation and artificial gravity
are not available. Thus, the ship tends to resemble a skyscraper
with many floors all perpendicular to the direction of travel. In
this manner, the engine thrust provides the `artificial gravity'.
Large military ships (including Zhodani), and designs that do
not land, take advantage of this towerlike structure. Thus, such
a ship may divert power from the gravitic and inertial compensation
systems in an emergency without disrupting operations overmuch.
(Example: Azhanti High Lighting).
Droyne ships all tend to follow the towerlike structure.
Droyne are far more comfortable with the more three dimensional
layout of the tower. A common design feature on Droyne vessels are
long low gravity tubes which run the length of the ship. These are
not lift tubes per se, but flight tubes. The lower gravity of the
tubes allows even those incapable of flight the ability to fly
easily but they are not so disoriented by the total lack of
gravity. Also of note is the fact that Droyne maintain the
internal gravity of their ships at about half that of a Human ship,
as that is one of their "G's".
BTW, whoever designed the Type M Subsidized Liner's deck plans
clearly gave no thought to this. The ship never lands, and has
maneuver drives of only 1 G of acceleration. Yet, the layout
requires inertial compensation AND internal gravity. If he'd
rotated the deck plans 90 degrees, both problems would have been
simplified. (sigh)
Scott 2G Kellogg
BTW, Congratulations to Mrs. Doctor Metlay on recieving her PhD.
Hip! Hip! Hooray! :-)