Yarlen's most recent article, which discussed the TEC’s Akkan Battlecruiser, sparked a wave of nostalgia, prompting me to revisit the early design and conceptual phases of this intriguing vessel that transformed from a leisure craft into a formidable battlecruiser. This marked the first capital ship we created with the involvement of our art director, Craig Fraser. Our goal was to weave a rich narrative into the ship's structure and design, ensuring that every detail contributed to its story.
This capital ship stands out among the fleet for its versatility, fulfilling multiple roles: it serves as a support vessel, a colony ship, and a combat vessel. With the Mobile Trade Port upgrade, it can also play a crucial role in your economy. Many players have observed the small trade ships navigating in and out of combat zones, ensuring that the Akkan crews receive their Amazon packages promptly. Our goal was to create a ship that feels lived-in, showcasing a distinct stylistic departure from dedicated battleships like the Kol.
Collaborating with concept artist Mike Doscher, we meticulously designed this ship along with the accompanying support vessels to ensure a cohesive aesthetic. Our vision for the revamped Akkan was to evoke the essence of a once-sleek and luxurious vessel that has now been repurposed for an all-encompassing war effort against the Vasari and Advent.
Art Director Craig Fraser shares his insights on Akkan's design process:
"The original design of the Akkan, conceived nearly two decades ago, was envisioned as a luxurious galactic cruise liner, retrofitted with armor and weaponry. Cargo and shuttle bays were repurposed for military functions, while the ship was imagined as an entire city, complete with grand towers, viewing docks, and expansive public biodomes.
In our updated rendition, we aimed to enhance the ship's elegance, improve its sense of scale, and add significantly more detail. Lighting played a crucial role in showcasing the ship's grandeur. We also introduced realistic colony pods and cargo holds, while making room for an updated weapon loadout. Initially, we tried to simulate depth in the windows, but the flat surfaces didn’t work convincingly on larger panes. Thankfully, our team developed an efficient method for handling glass, allowing us to add depth and create visual interest behind the surface. This innovation not only made the biodomes more captivating but also offered dynamic parallax effects as players moved the unit around."
Mike’s first swing at the ship was extremely close to what became the final model, including the see-through glass domes. We weren’t sure at the beginning of the game’s development if we were going to be able to find time to implement see-through glass, so the final concept moved to a space-age gold film for the large glass sections instead. Thankfully, the Advent ended up heavily using glass, so we were able to swing back around and fully implement the glass domes on the Akkan.
This is the preliminary sketching of the ship’s colony shuttle and trade ship docking bays.
In the Trader Emergency Coalition, form follows function, so the design of the ship’s retrofitted support bays was meant to clearly tell the player what roles they performed. The shuttle bay was hardened with sturdy landing bays and hangars for several shuttles. This section of the ship was refined to have clearly defined docking ports for trade ships so one can imagine those ships socketing into place in one of the three available ports. The turret shelf was also given some additional structure.
The shape of our updated cargo ships was informed by the modular cargo pod system present on the Corsev Battlecruiser from Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion.
Mike Doscher’s final concept for the Trade Ship. That tiny sliver of engines and bridge in the back is whole ship, the rest are detachable cargo pods.
The design of the TEC trade ships in Sins II is heavily inspired by the cargo pods found on the Corsev-class Battlecruiser from Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion. Similar to the Akkan, which was originally a civilian vessel repurposed for military use, the Corsev also transitioned from a civilian craft to a warship. The super-freighter's pods are straightforward and easily identifiable, emphasizing modularity. One can envision these pods arranged in various configurations throughout the expansive Trader space. Perhaps, in the future, we will witness even more of these creative arrangements.
Mike Doscher’s final concept for the Akkan-class Battlecruiser, April 2022.
As players continue to explore the vast universe of Sins II, the Akkan Battlecruiser stands as a testament to the creative journey behind its design. From its humble beginnings as a leisure craft to its pivotal role in the ongoing war, the Akkan embodies the spirit of adaptability and innovation. I hope that as you navigate the stars, you find joy in commanding this versatile vessel and uncover the rich stories woven into its very structure. Thank you for joining me on this nostalgic trip.
As a final treat for this issue, Craig has shared with us his original concept for the Akkan from the early 2000’s.
