I've been following this discussion and I decided to try making a new Barge which followed at least some of the suggestions there.
It's still just a vague concept, I don't consider what's already done as permanent. I'll follow the feedback and try to adjust it to the community's liking, or just withdraw it if I find that I'm unable to do so.
I like the idea but I can't say I'm keen on the huge amounts of metal on show. What about a long ship with the base parts attached to a central mass, think like a prison liner but with tower blocks, a refinery, cargo holds, docking bays and maybe a biodome bolted along it's length. Biodome on the top of the ship, refinery and tower blocks on the sides and underneath etc.
I probably haven't described my idea very clearly, I'll have another try at it later.
I like the barge as it is. Yours kinda looks like a small moon with a small settlement on it with some massive engines poking out it's rear end. Looks like something used to ram through asteroid fields.
(11-22-2013, 04:32 PM)Lonely Werewolf Wrote: I like the barge as it is. Yours kinda looks like a small moon with a small settlement on it with some massive engines poking out it's rear end. Looks like something used to ram through asteroid fields.
I've always wanted to fly a city built on the back of a giant space sperm.
Try doing something else with the front end to make it look more like a factory. Maybe something like a big docking bay/mooring yard. Cranes, conveyors, shipping containers, cargo manipulation arms. Big airlock doors.
Maybe some big arms on the front, one with a claw within a claw within a claw for grabbing cargo containers or asteroids of various sizes. The other, a drill or asteroid masher or something. Or, maybe a big grinder on the front, the asteriod version of a wood chipper.
Then, the middle is the factory - I don't think it should look like a bunch of individual buildings, though. It should be hull all the way around, like the middle of the current barge.
And then the back, above the engines, another loading dock where finished goods/ships can be taken away.
I would love to see something done with the barge to make it more than just a giant transport - if it could actually take some commodity and turn it into another commodity of higher value over time.