GALACTICA

March 2003

A little bit of history needed here... a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, a brilliant programmer called Ed Zevada was developing a new version of a shareware game for Mac, called Galactica: Anno Dominari. The game was excellent, but the graphics were not as good, so I offered Ed to design a new set of graphics for it. These are the preliminary sketches and a semi-final version of the starships I designed for Galactica, they are very similar to the version used in the actual game. All the images are hand drawn in Photoshop® The game is still published by Monkey Byte All images © Claudio Berni 2003

TRAVELLER Class I kept the original ship design for the first class to mantain a coherent continuation from the previous releases. Beside I kind of like it and I'm sure people grew somehow affection and confidence with it. I made some small changes and add details to better harmonize it with the others classes drawings.

RAMA Class I draw this configuration as the very first sketch and a few days later I got a message from Ed who had some idea for the new starships... when I saw Ed's picture I couldn't believe it, it was almost identical! I guess it is just the logical evolution: discs conveyors become modular as they grow more efficent. While relative to the window ships looks about the same the absolute size would probably increase with technological advance. I try to render this altering proportions whitin the ships.

HAWK Class Increased efficence in last generation disc conveyors allow a more favourable proportion between propulsion and payload. Advanced technology convection fields reduce the needs for large surfaces.

FALCON Class New ring conveyors based on convection fields technology are introduced. Increased performance are granted also by the oversized converter-engine group.

BATTLESTAR Class Improved ring conveyors now support truly impressive hulls. This class sign the apogee of this propulsion system.

WALKRIE Class Introduction of sail conveyors determine a revolution in the modern ships looks. The elegant semitransparent web structure of the sails take the place of the massive disc and rings of the past. Ships are now much bigger while the engines rapresent in proportion a much smaller part.

WOLVEN Class The new fantastic speeds allowed by modern ships create manouverability problems. This class of ships face the problem with the use of smaller high-gain modular sails which grant unprecedented performance. Hulls now feature the caratteristic front opening of the much feared Nova cannons.

AVENGER Class Advanced sail technology open new perspectives. Sail now are narrow and act mostly as charge carriers, while energy is channeled trough new revolutionary flow fields.

ENTERPRISE Class Relying on the unmatched efficence of needle conveyors this class bring flow fields technology to the limit. Propulsion systems however generate now such amounts of power that lenght of support structures gradually increase.

BANSHEE Class The ultimate ship design, since the introduction of beam conveyors no more significant changes will appear... Banshee class ships are almost hundred times bigger and more powerful then the first interstellar ships and nearly ten times faster!

All images © Claudio Berni 2003