I was thinking of doing a full review of this book, having finally gotten a used copy a few months back, but frankly it wouldn't be much more than what I'm about to say here... as a GURPS fan no less.

Seriously in need of structure.

If I were to say it was disorganized, this would be misleading. You'd think the rules for designing engines was mixed with the rules for designing tires.

That isn't the case.  Everything is fairly cleanly put in sections with like stuff... its not perfect... the motive sub assemblies that starts the entire book do not include the motive sub assemblies for space ships, which are later.  Masts are viewed as a seperate sub-assembly from Sails for ships.

But there is no structure. You are given, in apparently an arbitrary order, a bunch of rules for making components to a vehicle and expected, in some arcane fashion, to make a complete vehicle FROM these jumbled components.

Let me add that, at approximately 100 pages (120+ if you count the weapon design chapters), it feels grossly incomplete as well.  In its attempts to cover ALL sorts of vehicles, many are abused to pointless origami to get them 'in there'.

Lastly, and at least with regards to high(Ultra) tech, in a sentence I would never associate with with GURPS normally: The book is in serious need of some abstraction.  There is a weird disconnect between having to practically redesign standard calibers of ammunition but having to build a submunition shell as only a FASCAM... a REAL version of a REAL shell... if that makes sense.

The last third of the book is GURPS-tastic rules and situational noodling advice, and is rock solid, as ususal.  But who buys it for that?

Amusingly: This is the second or third copy I bought from Half Price books (I kept forgetting I'd gotten it...), and this copy has several missing 'corners'... I suspect some one was clipping out artwork.  Damn Steve Jackson for selling books where people could steal the physical artwork! Damn him!

Oh: And I generally hate GURPS artwork. In this case its the Dan Smith guy. I've NEVER liked his style.... personal peeve, but his shit was everywhere in the 90's.

I never liked Smiths art either. I'm guessing he was fast and cheap.

I like GURPS, but that book is the work of madmen.

I guess there was a software version, which is the only way I can even conceive of using that thing.

It's fine, brilliant even just not a linear process.  Sometimes you're better off making a list of everything you want to put in and build a box around it and sometimes you need a certain size of box.

The real problem is the Imperial measurements.  Damn you Darth (cubic feet) Vadar!

Quote from: Spike;435150In this case its the Dan Smith guy. I've NEVER liked his style.... personal peeve, but his shit was everywhere in the 90's.

You mean SMIF? Holy shit, but I love that guy's work! One of my favorite RPG artists.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;435236You mean SMIF? Holy shit, but I love that guy's work! One of my favorite RPG artists.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;435236You mean SMIF? Holy shit, but I love that guy's work! One of my favorite RPG artists.

You're just joking, right?
I think he's a step below public domain clip art.

He's got a real gift for black and white minimalism.  What he does isn't easy and he does it well.  That said he does churn it out and did get to be ubiquitous across a number of publishers.