SSSF- Standardized Ship Specification Format
At the end of this page you can find a short history of how the SSSF came about. But here is a short introduction of the SSSF. Before submitting any design to the Engineering Department you should first read the Ship Submission Policy.
All specs are required to conform strictly to the format below when posted in the ED. Unless otherwise stated, all sections and information are mandatory. When and if a spec is approved, the official edition will be maintained in XML by the ED. An HTML-ized version of the spec will be hosted on the STF server, and will serve as the normative version of the spec. The complete is available online.
The Category and Variant in the spec header are based on the Milwaukee Plan, the ED's Ship Specification Categorization System (SSCS).
The SSSF also serves as a Designers' Guide, and includes vast amounts of information intended to help designers improve their specs and keep them within ED bounds. Side comments are listed in [brackets] and are not part of the design proper. Note that only the designers' real names are used, without rank.
The Ship Standardized Specification Format
The Standardized Ship Specification Format
FUBAR-CLASS CATEGORY: DESTROYER VARIANT: MEDIUM DESIGNER: Arthur Wendle Funnyname, Bob Dole, Hugh Grant Mark I [Revision of an approved spec is Mark II, next is Mark III, etc.] Draft 1 [Increments with each posting of this Mark version.] DATE: 19 February 2000 REFERENCED URLs: [Links to images for this spec.]
HISTORY AND MISSION OVERVIEW
This section covers the IC background and history of the project. It serves mostly for the designer's ego, but also includes the ship's mission profile, purpose, and so on. The question "So why do we need this ship anyway?" should be answered in this section. A bulleted list of mission profiles is recommended. (Some designs currently have this already.)
STRUCTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
This section should create an accurate, detailed picture of the ship in the reader's mind. From this section the reader should be able to close his eyes and visualize the ship almost exactly the same way as the designer. External view images of the design should be included in this section, if present, and are encouraged. URLs from above can be listed here for clarity. In the final normalized copies, they will be linked from here using thumbnails.
Also included in this section is a discussion of the spacecraft construction. Hull type, armor (if applicable), hull materials, and back-story discussion (literary embellishment on the part of the designer, always encouraged) are included here. If the ship is capable of separating into multiple sections (saucer separation, the Columbus' Sffina Kitana, etc.), a description of same would be included here. If the ship is capable of landing on a planetary surface and taking off again, it must be stated here. If not stated, it is assumed that it cannot.
Additionally, if the ship supports swappable mission modules, that fact must be stated here. The location of the modules, whether they require dry-docking the vessel or if modules can be swapped at your local corner starbase, and a list of usable modules must be included. The list should include any and all modules that a crew may use for that design, and should be assumed to be exhaustive. (GMs are given more flexibility with regards to the list, but a list must still be provided.)
SCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS
This section details any scientific and sensory equipment the ship carries, above and beyond "standard" sensors present on every ship. The ship's computer system, if applicable, should also be described here.
References to external Tech Submissions are permitted if applicable, in which case a URL must be provided. Unless stated otherwise, the computer system is assumed to be an isolinear computer core using the standard Starfleet LCARS OS and interface (same as Galaxy-class). This data is primarily characterization and literary embellishment, but not always. Any non-standard computer systems are expected to be compatible with canonical descriptions as cited in the Designers Guide, most notably the relationship between isolinear and bioneural circuitry.
If the ship carries any holo-crew, they are included and discussed here. Unless explicitly stated, a design is assumed to not carry any holographic crew of any kind.
This section also includes a discussion of the sensor systems on the ship. This section will likely be relatively short, as the main question of sensors is their range, which is listed in the Tech Spec section below.
If the ship possesses any digital weaponry (vis, electronic warfare systems), those would be included in this section.
WARP PROPULSION SYSTEM
This section includes a discussion of the warp system. Information that must be included here includes the number of nacelles, location of nacelles and warp core, maximum 12-hour warp speed, maximum sustainable warp speed, standard cruising speed (recommended to be no higher than warp 6, remember this is the ship's "strolling along the sidewalk" speed), and optionally the warp core's cochrane rating. The cochrane rating must be in sync with the warp speed rating, based on the chart in the TNG TM. Also to be discussed is whether the ship is capable of warp flight while in separated mode, if applicable, and which sections are capable of same.
This section should also state whether the ship uses traditional ("fixed-wing") or variable-geometry ("swing-wing") nacelles. Unless otherwise stated, a ship is assumed to have traditional fixed nacelles. As it is apparently possible, through unexplained means, to have both traditional and variable-geometry configurations be non-damaging to subspace, all designs are assumed to be subspace-safe unless otherwise specified. (A designer can specify that the ship is not subspace-safe, if for some bizarre reason they really want to.)
It is recommended that designs do not exceed warp 9.9 as their maximum warp factor. After warp 9.6 or so the warp scale increases exponentially, so every 0.1 increase is an extra several thousand light-years per hour.
IMPULSE PROPULSION SYSTEM
A discussion of the impulse system should also be included here, including the location of impulse engines, literary embellishments, and maximum impulse as a multiple of c. The maximum impulse of all ships must be less than 0.35c and 0.30c is recommended for most larger vessels. Smaller craft may have a speed up to and including 0.35c. (This sublight speed limit is intended to avoid relativistic considerations, and is based on a cruising impulse speed of 0.25c for the Galaxy-class. A deal signed with the GM department over a bottle of Romulan ale restricts threat vessels to this same speed limit.)
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
This section must include, in the following order, defensive shields, phaser systems, torpedo systems, and other weaponry. If any item is omitted the ship is assumed to be lacking that featured. (Vis, if the design doesn't mention torpedoes, then the ship explicitly does not carry torpedoes of any kind.) It is highly recommended that a design use subsections to separate each component.
Defensive shielding is generated in sections by shield generator layers on the exterior of the hull (the main navigational deflector is not responsible for defensive shielding against hostiles, only interstellar hydrogen while the ship is in motion). This section may include the shield strength, using the following system: Maximum Graviton Load (Continuous) in megawatts (MW) and Maximum Primary Energy Dissipation Rate in kilowatts (kW). Shields should NOT be listed relative to any other design. For comparison, the Galaxy's numbers are listed below in Tech Spec.
The discussion of phasers systems must include type, location, strength, and number, and optionally range. Phasers come in two varieties; strips of linked phaser emitters and pulse phaser cannons (formerly known as "Defiant-style"). Phaser strips are the type used by the Galaxy and Intrepid classes, and may be aimed at any target within an appropriate degree range from the location of the strip, by channelling all phaser energy from the emitters down the strip to a single point where it is directed at the target. For reference, the Galaxy-class has 200 emitters per strip on the saucer section. Pulse Phaser Cannons contain a single emitter with is mono-directional. It is aimed by moving the ship, or a turret to which the Cannon is affixed.
Phaser power is rated by its type. The Galaxy-class sports Type X emitters. Type X+ phasers, also known as XI and strongest currently in use, are restricted to ground-based installations and large space stations, and cannot be placed on starships due to their strength. Deep Space 9 is armed with a mixture of Type IX, Type X, and Type X+ phasers. Designers should limit themselves to phasers in the VII to X range for capital ships.
Type X phaser emitters have a maximum output of 5.1 MegaWatts. Hand phasers are limited to 0.01 MW. We can safely assume a strength of Type VII-IX phasers in the 3.5 MW to 5.0 MW range.
The maximum effective range of the Galaxy-class phasers is 300,000 kilometers. Designers are encouraged to not exceed this number by all that much, if at all.
According to the DS9 Technical Manual, photon torpedoes, quantum torpedoes, and probes all use the same launching tube. Therefore a design should not differentiate between them. The primary data to list for torpedo tubes is number and location. The Galaxy-class has two torpedo tubes, on in the forward dorsal ("neck") section and one tail launcher. Torpedo systems generally have fire-and-forget programming allowing for 360-degree coverage from just two tubes. Designers should take care to not overpower their designs by bearing in mind that the Galaxy needed only two tubes total. Most vessels are stocked with a complement of photon torpedoes rather than quantum torpedoes, due to the high cost and limited availability of the materials necessary for quantum torpedo construction (DS9 TM). As a rule of thumb, a design should not in most cases specify which is used, but rarely if ever will a non-warship be equipped with quantum torpedoes.
Any additional weaponry or defensive systems should be listed in this section as well.
COMMAND AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS
This section covers all the traditional and non-traditional areas and subsystems in a Star Ship that have yet to be addressed. Examples of traditional areas include the Bridge, Brig, Main Engineering, and Science Laboratories. In-depth descriptions of these areas should be included here. Unless a traditional location is defined here, it is assumed to be roughly equivalent in features and layout to the Galaxy-class. Non-traditional locations not listed here do not exist. Subsections for each location are encouraged.
UTILITY SYSTEMS
This section deals with all systems and areas of a ship that support and aid in the maintenance of the ship and crew. These systems include Cargo Bays, Tractor Beams, Transporter Pads, and Turbolifts.
Cargo bays are assumed to not be present unless otherwise stated. Cargo transporters in cargo bays are assumed to not be present unless otherwise stated. Cargo transporters are incapable of transporting living matter, as they operate at a lower resolution.
Tractor beam systems with location and range should also be included here. Range and capacity of the tractor system is dependent on payload mass and delta-v (acceleration, vis, change in velocity). At a nominal delta-v of 5 m/sec^2, the main tractor beam emitters are capable of handing a mass of 7,500,000 metric tones at less than 1,000 meters. For a mass of one metric ton at the same delta-v, the effective range is 20,000 kilometers. The main tractor emitters use a pair of 16 Megawatt graviton polarity sources, for a total of 32 Megawatt graviton displacement power. (The above numbers are taken from the TNG Technical Manual.)
At a minimum, the number and location of transporters should be included here. Unless otherwise specified, all transporters have six pads and a range of 40,000 kilometers. Emergency transporters, if listed, are outgoing only and limited to 15,000 kilometers. Transporter rooms are typically built in pairs so that they can share a pattern buffer, which is located on the deck beneath the transporter.
Designers are encouraged to not significantly vary from these numbers. Separate subsections for each system are strongly encouraged.
CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS
This section is the "catch all" for crew support systems. This includes medical facilities, replicators, holodecks, recreational areas such as 10 Forward, and the number and general description of Command, Crew, and Passenger Quarters.
This section must include a description of sickbay, and if needed any secondary medical locations.
A design may include holodecks, holosuites, or neither. Holosuites are one deck tall but have a limit on the types of objects and scenes they can display and the number of occupants, due to their size. Holodecks are two decks tall and have a wider range of programming options as well as a larger capacity. Unless explicitly stated, a ship is assumed to not have any holo-facilities. Similarly, a ship is not assumed to have any dedicated recreational areas unless explicitly stated.
Any sections of the ship which can be configured for environments other than Class M with approximately 1.0g gravity should be listed here as well. If no such areas are specified it is assumed that the ship is incapable of any significant environmental variation.
Should the ship have any non-standard or "Swing" positions that are specifically included or forbidden, such should be stated here.
Separate subsections for each system are strongly encouraged
AUXILIARY SPACECRAFT SYSTEMS
This section details the location of any shuttlebays, runabout pads, etc., as well as the ship's complement of auxiliary craft. Unless otherwise stated, a ship is assumed to not possess any auxiliary or support craft facilities. Auxiliary craft includes shuttlepods (sublight only), shuttlecraft (very limited warp, less than warp 2 in most cases), runabouts, fighters, bombers, and the captain's yacht, if applicable. Additional craft such as the Columbus' Sffina Kitana would also be listed here, in addition to their mention in the Structure section above.
For reference, the Galaxy-class carries a complement of 10 standard personal shuttles (the limited warp kind).
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
[This is perhaps the most important section, and the one with the strictest layout. It is a series of cascading bullets, denoted here by the number of asterisks. Unless otherwise specified, all entries are mandatory and must use the given numerical system. The data provided below is that of the Galaxy-class, according to the TNG TM and DS9 TM.]
Dimensions & Structure: * Length: 642.51 meters * Beam (Width): 463.73 meters * Height: 195.26 meters * Decks: 42
[Height divided by deck count should be between 4.2 and 4.8 meters per deck except in unusual circumstances, such as a freighter in which there will be many decks that are just cargo holds, and therefore don't really exist.]
Crew Complement: * Officers and Crew: 1012 ** Command: XX [OPTIONAL] ** Engineering: XX [OPTIONAL] ** Medical: XX [OPTIONAL] ** Science: XX [OPTIONAL] ** Security: XX [OPTIONAL] * Visiting Personnel: 200 * Maximum Evacuation Limit: 15,000 [This is standing room only.] Computer Systems: * Core: Isolinear data core x3 * Software: Starfleet Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS)
[The above may be expanded to include chipset, OS and UI modules, etc. at the discretion of the designer. This is intended primarily to allow for systems such as GORBI, EUNIX, Linnux, etc., and are mostly literary embellishment.]
Warp Systems: * Power Plant: One 1500+ cochrane MARA core feeding two nacelles * Cruising Velocity: Warp 6 * Max. Sustainable Velocity: Warp 9.2 * Max. Velocity: Warp 9.6 (12 hours) Impulse Systems: * Full Impulse: 0.25c * Zero-0.25c: XX seconds * 0.25c-Zero: XX seconds Defensive Systems: * Shield Maximum Graviton Load (Continuous): 2688 MegaWatts * Shield Maximum Energy Dissipation Rate: 7.3x10^5 kiloWatts Offensive Systems: * Torpedo tubes (x2) ** Standard payload: 275 photon torpedoes * Phaser systems ** 11 Type-X phaser strips * .....
DECK LAYOUT
[This section should include a deck by deck listing of the location of all relevant locations, and then some. Most ships will use a bulleted list format, which is fine, but a few may prefer a literary description if location on a given deck is being described as well. Diagrams of given decks are permitted, but should be provided via external links rather than inline images. A limited partial example is given below.]
Deck 1: * Bridge * Conference Room * Ready Room Deck 2: * CO's quarters * XO's hot tub Deck 3: * Main Engineering * .....
SHIPS OF CLASS
This section is a bulleted list of all proposed ship names and their registry numbers. It is recommended that ships be numbered sequentially. No two designs may include the same ship name, however, an existing ship that has already been commissioned may be upgraded to this class while keeping its original name and registry (with suffix increment), with Presidential approval. The list here does not reflect that change, nor does it list the ship's current status (commissioned, destroyed, NPC, etc.). A designer may, at his discretion, provide two lists, one that is reserved for commissioned, active use and one that is reserved for NPC, recyclable use.
* USS Montgomery, NCC-84704 * USS Trafalgar, NCC-84708 [Class Ship] * USS Normandy, .....
CONCLUSION
A literary recap of the vessel, primarily for the designer's own edification. It does not serve any descriptive role but should be included for consistency and appearance. It should not include any new information, except perhaps additional IC and historical embellishment.
SUBMITTED 19 FEBRUARY 2000 Arthur Wendle Funnyname, Bob Dole, Hugh Grant
History
It was an idea long in coming. For years, ED regulars had debated the idea of a standardized format for ship specs to make it easier to compare and review spec proposals and to make it easier for STFers to look up the information they wanted. The first idea, an internal plan by Mike Ballway and Larry Garfield known as "ZMP Format", never saw the light of day. Colin Wyers revived the idea with a massive proposal and argument in favor of the concept in September of 1999, but it was not until he had left STF that the SSSF would finally become a reality. Under pressure from EDir Owen Townes, Larry Garfield compiled the first draft of what would later become the SSSF in September of 2000. It was finally approved by EDir Townes in October of 2000, and on 15 October Townes decreed that all specs were required to conform to the SSSF by 15 April 2000, Insurance Day. A minor upgrade, SSSF 2.0, was released on 19 February. SSSF 2.1, including clarifications on where certain ship systems should go, was finalized in August 2001, and is the current version.
