Originally Posted by Botanybay:It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but I am actually now doing something like this in my current calculation for a ship class's Survivability. (The current calculation is a little different from the one provided in the original spreadsheet attached to this Log.)
I would be really interested in seeing a ranking for the different ships hulls only, based on volume (more volume needs more hits to break apart) and integrity (round shapes being harder to break then flat shapes, etc.).
The Survivability calculation I'm currently using is the sum of the following stored values (divided by a scaling factor so that the Galaxy class's Survivability equals 1.00):
Hull Integrity = Length * Decks * HullMaterial * Armor
Hard-to-Target Bonus = Size [smaller = larger bonus]
Separation Bonus = (number of Sections - 1) * 4000
Shield Strength = Shield emitter type * ShieldOutput * ShieldCount
Cloaking Device Bonus = number of Cloaking devices * 8000
Note that I'm assuming Length * Decks is a reasonable substitute for a Volume value. Multiplying this by the Hull Material factor and the Armor factor (both defined in sub-tables of the spreadsheet) yields an approximation of a class's overall hull integrity.
So the Survivability value is actually a combination of a ship class's physical features (hull integrity, small size, and saucer separation capability) and its active defenses (shields and, if installed, cloaking device).
Needless to say, by this measure the Prometheus class has a very good Survivability rating, and the rating for the Sovereign class is even better. On the other hand, the D'Deridex and the Jem'Hadar battleship are extremely survivable (relative to the Galaxy) based on their large sizes... and you really don't want to know how tough the Borg vessels normally are. :)
One thing I'm not currently doing that you suggested is taking into account the shape of a starship class in calculating its Survivability value. However, this could easily be added by defining a table of bonus values associated with the Config type (saucer, saucer+secondary, wedge, brick, etc.) of the class, which I do track in my spreadsheet for every ship class listed.
Although I like the Survivability calculation as it is now (without ship configuration), I might add that factor to the Survivability calculation some day.
(I could spend days playing with the numbers on this spreadsheet thing to make them "perfect," but I wouldn't get much else done!)
