Voyager - Um... How big is that thing, again?

[Alestone]

If you want some actual physics, 1 tonne of hydrogen displaces 13.5 kiloliters. On the potentially inaccurate idea that a cargo unit is a tonne, you can get a hold volume by multiplying the cargo capacity by 13.5 and expressing it in kiloliters.

Using that formula, 505 *13.5kL = 6817.5 kiloliters or 6.8 megaliters. A 1200 square foot house with 8 foot ceilings equates to roughly 8861 kiloliters, and that is only the hold, not including whatever crew accommodations are built in. Knock that down to the same 8 foot ceilings, and you get roughly a 923 square foot space.

I realize that is all swag, but the whole game is horribly imprecise when it comes to figuring this sort of thing out.

Of course it looks horrbily imprecise if you begin your calculations by defining "cargo unit" as a weight unit for the commodity and not a volume unit for the cargo hold. That however won't mean that it is indeed that imprecise or that your calculations make any sense.

Spoiler: Potentially boring mathematics post below.

I tried to come up with a polite way to debunk this, but I failed.

If you use the same values for all measurements, in this case a standard value of displacement, you can, indeed, use a weight measurement for a volume calculation because you have the same standard value through all calculations, unless you are supposing that that hydrogen's displacement changes from one moment to the next. Since a liter, the basis for the entire mathematical process, is, in fact, a volume measurement, I fail to see how you arrive at your statement.

Hydrogen is used because, as the most common chemical element, it is presumed that everyone can agree on the values even when not using the same measurement standards. I could have done the entire thing in metric, but I went back and forth between it and Imperial because most US players still think in Imperial. I could always post the math in both measurement systems, but I like to hope that I was clear enough for people to understand the first time.

[Thyrzul]

Since a liter, the basis for the entire mathematical process, is, in fact, a volume measurement, I fail to see how you arrive at your statement.

On the potentially inaccurate idea that a cargo unit is a tonne

This is how I arrived at my statement. I don't remember tonne being a volume measurement. And I doubt you'll get the same volume calculations if you, let's say, carry mercury and do your maths with that.

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[Alestone]

Alright, I'll play along. Why would you use an element that is number 80 on the periodic table as opposed to the number 1 element on the table, especially when you are using it as a displacement measurement, not as the measurement of cargo volume?

Even in the Freelancer universe, hydrogen is a lot more common than mercury, so why would you use a less common substance as your STANDARD of MEASURE?

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Alestone Enterprises

The Power To Get You There!

[Thyrzul]

I don't want to use the mass of any substance to define the volume of it's container, and I am saying that neither should you. Define a "cargo unit" with a volumetric unit, such as cubic metres, or litres, and you won't even need hydrogene for any calculations. But again, tonne is not a volumetric unit.

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[Fluffyball]

I always thought these are cubic meters.

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[Alestone]

I don't want to use the mass of any substance to define the volume of it's container, and I am saying that neither should you. Define a "cargo unit" with a volumetric unit, such as cubic metres, or litres, and you won't even need hydrogene for any calculations. But again, tonne is not a volumetric unit.

Perhaps because cargo is measured in tons or tonnes, not in volume units, because your power plant's ability to lift you out of the gravity well is based on weight, not on volume? The engine doesn't care how bulky the cargo is, it only cares that you come in equal to or under the maximum value that it can lift.

However, the original question was determining how much space a given ship would have for volume. I provided a standard for determining it. You don't have to accept my standard, but the math involved is used in several places that actually require such determinations. Freelancer, is, of course, not bound by those rules.

[Tyria Regalia]

Pilots look bigger in the cockpit because of the glass distorting what you see inside.

Nothing of any real value to add, just thought this thread was funny.

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[Hidamari]

Pilots look bigger in the cockpit because of the glass distorting what you see inside.

completely false.

also to the OP im pretty sure those info cards - based on the size of the human models in the game - could easily do just as they describe. house a small family, ei, 1-4 people comfortably. people may have to share living space as pairs, but its easily doable.

[Thyrzul]

Perhaps because cargo is measured in tons or tonnes, not in volume units, because your power plant's ability to lift you out of the gravity well is based on weight, not on volume? The engine doesn't care how bulky the cargo is, it only cares that you come in equal to or under the maximum value that it can lift.

Cargo may be measured in weight units, but a cargo hold is measured in volumetric units, and the same way your engine won't care how bulky the cargo is, neither will your cargo hold care that your engines could lift more weight if it's volume is filled completely.

However, the original question was determining how much space a given ship would have for volume. I provided a standard for determining it. You don't have to accept my standard, but the math involved is used in several places that actually require such determinations. Freelancer, is, of course, not bound by those rules.

I'd rather be comfortable with using only volume calculations if we are talking about volume and not mix "potentially inaccurate ideas" and subjectively defined standards (like the molecular weight of Hydrogene) to calculate the mass of something and then calculate the volume of something else from that. Your method seems to be overcomplicating and more importantly inaccurate, as I intended to point out in the first place.

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[pillow]

now having a bazillion crew members on a liberty dread or a labc doesn't seem so stupid now does it
(: