To build ships really easy. To build efficient ships.. far more complicated.
You'll want to build in creative, then save the Blueprint to spawn in survival.
Best way to learn is to subscribe to a whole stack of blueprints then spawn them in creative and see how they're put together.

Originally posted by nevryn:

To build ships really easy. To build efficient ships.. far more complicated.
You'll want to build in creative, then save the Blueprint to spawn in survival.
Best way to learn is to subscribe to a whole stack of blueprints then spawn them in creative and see how they're put together.

This^

Its not hard really but it does take practice and experience to do a "good" build. Its really about balancing many factors:
1. Cost of materials for where you are in the game at the moment.
2. Maneuverability.. enough engines/RCS to move and turn the ship.
3. Fire power and defenses
4. Enough storage?
5. Style / substance. Do you want it pretty or a brick that instantly kills the enemy or between?
6. Does it work well for its intended purpose?
7. Do you like it?

If you are new to the game, try building something simple like a logging HV. A grinder in the front, some sort of harvesting storage to collect the wood, hover engines to lift it and some engines to move it forward and back and side to side, and RCS to help it turn. You will need a generator, cockpit, and fuel tank. Try it out and if something about is does not work well, adjust it until it does. Keep it simple at first and then build on it, then rebuild it again to make it better, wash rinse repeat. Do it all in a creative game so you can play with it all you want.

I play mostly RE2, and for my first play through I probably build 25-30 ships/bases as I played. Each build built on the previous one to make it better and more powerful than the previous version. Some were failures but most were incremental successes. Most were as ugly as a cyber truck but they functioned well.

Do be careful with workshop stuff. A LOT of it sucks, so try a bunch of them and see what works for you and what does not work for you. Then rip them apart so see how it works.

Originally posted by ZomBeGone:

Originally posted by nevryn:

To build ships really easy. To build efficient ships.. far more complicated.
You'll want to build in creative, then save the Blueprint to spawn in survival.
Best way to learn is to subscribe to a whole stack of blueprints then spawn them in creative and see how they're put together.

This^

Its not hard really but it does take practice and experience to do a "good" build. Its really about balancing many factors:
1. Cost of materials for where you are in the game at the moment.
2. Maneuverability.. enough engines/RCS to move and turn the ship.
3. Fire power and defenses
4. Enough storage?
5. Style / substance. Do you want it pretty or a brick that instantly kills the enemy or between?
6. Does it work well for its intended purpose?
7. Do you like it?

If you are new to the game, try building something simple like a logging HV. A grinder in the front, some sort of harvesting storage to collect the wood, hover engines to lift it and some engines to move it forward and back and side to side, and RCS to help it turn. You will need a generator, cockpit, and fuel tank. Try it out and if something about is does not work well, adjust it until it does. Keep it simple at first and then build on it, then rebuild it again to make it better, wash rinse repeat. Do it all in a creative game so you can play with it all you want.

I play mostly RE2, and for my first play through I probably build 25-30 ships/bases as I played. Each build built on the previous one to make it better and more powerful than the previous version. Some were failures but most were incremental successes. Most were as ugly as a cyber truck but they functioned well.

Do be careful with workshop stuff. A LOT of it sucks, so try a bunch of them and see what works for you and what does not work for you. Then rip them apart so see how it works.

I'm mostly interested in ship design and not exactly interested in making a fully functional ship outside of transport.

What's RE2?

The biggest hurdle is the sheer experience it takes to grok the whole. Any general shaping and layout knowledge you have from SE will carry over, but it takes some time before you get a handle on Empyrion's resource environment.

The good news is that the process of gaining this experience is made up entirely of just playing the game. Fly around, explore planets, wander around space stations, stick your fingers in various holes. You'll know you've arrived once you've come into a situation and picture something you can build that would deal with the situation.

As far as the big ships go, I recommend starting from the inside out, room by room, then covering it with an attractive armored outer hull. It's a method that produces a high percentage of usable ships in a reasonable amount of time and with minimal crippling uncertainty.

RE2 is a scenario, Reforged Eden 2. Its just a different flavor of the game with a bit more end game.

As an example.
I'm currently running a FTF RPG campaign based on the Comic Books/Sci-Fi Series Dark Matter.
In order to run the game I needed to construct a set of Deck plans for the Razza, the prime ship in the Series.
Using the 3D model images and the other sketches and designer notes from the Fandom Wiki I built as close as an approximation to the ship as the game allows (block shapes, layout etc). It's dimensions are only 20m or so different from the original concept art.
I built it in RE2 creative mode. It works perfectly adequately as a ship, and has decent speed/manoeuvrability. But as any form of functional in-game ship, it's completely useless (well it could work as a freighter/storage vessel, sort of like a very bad carrier, although it's not even functional in that role)
It's just a curio, a vanity project with no other actual use.

Would you like to watch someone building and get an idea? I watch Spanj, he makes builds for RE2 mostly, but the building is mostly the same just different item/weapons between vanilla. The requirements are different as well. But you will get the idea.
Here is a link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgUZq2QHVgA
You can also check out his workshop page.

The other builder I watch is one of the best, if not the best, builder for EGS/RE2 IMHO, is J Randall.
Here is a link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrdHELuszzU

He is a perfectionist and well you will learn a lot from him just stick with the process. That is why he is so good. I suggest checking out his workshop as well.

Another method would be to find something small you like on the workshop, subscribe to it, then start a new creative game. Once in spawn in the vessel/structure, and look it over, take it apart and see what and how it was built. Or try and build just like it right next to it.
Either way Have fun!!

I have a different method, requires a lot of time and patience though. Everything in game, no creativity mode here. I start playing, put together a flying box with just a few thrusters, cockpit, one RCS, one or two generators, tanks, O2 tanks. Then as I level up, put more functionality/features gradually while testing the maneuverability and usability for my specific gameplay. Always using symmetry mode and the debug tools which you can find with the "n" key. It gives me a lot of fun and I can make sure, that everything is exactly where and how I want it. For the style it is important to start using interesting blocks. When you want to place a block, right click and it gives you the variations.
And put stronger material in the parts of the ship that I plan to face the enemies with of course. But to build the whole ship of combat steel is not a good idea, as makes it sluggish. Its a bit of an art form to balance it out.
Just saying, it is a fun method to build imho.