Well breaking down smaller craft and packing them up for shipment would be normal I would think... Although I do believe there was talk of a "service" that would ferry your smaller craft to other locations (I would assume hub type locations).  That's not going to be much help when the ship is attacked other than providing pirates with an M50 if they capture it though right?


Having a smallish fighter or two attached to points at the spine wouldn't be that big of a deal, as long as the weight is accounted for.  They've made a big deal that weight needs to be distributed properly. Again though, I wouldn't expect that you'd be stopped or concerned about a couple of auroras and a broken down cutlass. If its a group of Hornets, Gladiators, and a Redeemer or two what are you going to do? Several dev comments make these things out to be far tougher than they have any right to be for a "space truck only to be used in safe shipping lanes".

Must resist temptation to buy a hull. . .

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14681-Hull-A-Q-A

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14684-Hull-B-Q-A

 

i decided to buy a hull.

Now i have an F7R that came with my original pledge pack
A Connie Taurus, i melted my freelancer max because for the same cost, i can carry a metric fuck ton more cargo
A hull A, what the hell, its like a happy little bug

Disregard

Interesting how the Hull's capacity have decreased since the sale.  My B dropped from 600 to 385?

After reading that, I poked around the SC website.  I think the guy that made the chart got goofy on the math somewhere.  CIG still states it is 600 SCU.  Deleted that post while I do a bit more searching.

He definitely got goofy on the math. How the fuck does he have the Hornet carrying more SCUs than the Avenger when the Avenger's got twice the cargo capacity of the Hornet's Big Box cargo module?

EDIT: It seems it came from here: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14684-Hull-B-Q-A

Apparently CIG has cut the Avenger's cargo capacity in half to be equivalent to a tiny box on a fighter. I'm trying to figure out how the hell my huge-ass cargo area in my Avenger is equivalent to the tiny modular storage box that would go on my Ghost and explanations not involving 5D space aren't forthcoming.

Not to mention cutting Hull capacities part way into the sale. I understand rebalancing cargo, but that's a little... fast.

Because you still have to be able to get around the cargo in the Avenger to use the ramp when the Hornet can stuff the box absolutely full, the Avenger also comes with the holding cells taking up a chunk of the cargo bay.

If you want to complain about changes during the sale, you're a little late to the party. Constellations got engine nerfed late in the Phoenix sale, the Redeemer got a huge gun boost, etc. The Hull B has two Size 8 engines and the C has 6 Size 8 engines, when the Phoenix went from 7s to 5s with a comment along the lines of "Size 7 engines are for battleships, one engine would be the size of the Phoenix," so who knows wtf they're doing with engine sizes.

Kharn

No, I get rebalancing, I get they're still figuring out a standardization for weapon sizes, engine sizes, and all that. We're early in development. It's just... I mean, I'm looking at the Avenger and the Hornet Ghost in my hangar. This is like saying I can fit more in a Corvette's hatch than in a pickup truck. Even with the cells in there, that's...

wat

And let's not even talk about the Retaliator.

As long as it still comes standard with those torpedoes that contain 28 size 2 cluster missiles a piece. Because fuck you and your Idris.

Say what now?

Yeah, apparently that's (currently) what the stock torpedoes are on the Retaliator. I... am anxious to see someone fire those at a cap ship just so I can watch the fireworks. That's more boom than I fire off in an entire match of Swarm in one shot.

Hell, lob two of those and then two regular torpedos.  Saturate the point defense before BOOM!  Man, I hope CIG lives up to expectations.  Will be downright amazing if they can pull it off.  Even 75% of their promises would be huge.

Speaking of remodels though, they are redoing the interior of the Freelancer too.

Backer Question and Answer

Attention Citizens! We’re taking questions and answers on individual MISC Hulls that will appear in this space over the next week. Today’s questions focus on the Hull C; if you’re interested in learning more about the D or E, please post to this thread.

“Would some of the third party addons for the spindle accommodate cargo not in a container? For example, I’d like to use a Hull C to carry salvage transferred directly from a Reclaimer in space without needing to wait for the Reclaimer to land/dock every time its hold is full. “

A case like this would require a special container that can open during flight; we’re working on developing exactly this, both for ore transfers on the smaller ships and so that fighter scan be stored and constructed from parts on the larger models (E and possibly D.)

“Maybe the Reclaimer can compact salvage into the size and shape of Stor-All boxes which can then be ejected and fastened to the Hull C’s spindle?”

In all likelihood, you would need some kind of ‘basket’ container for actually carrying the salvage. But know that the Hull series is intended to be fully modular in the Star Citizen world, allowing crews to work in tandem with all of the game’s other ‘working ships.’

“Will the larger Hulls, say the Hull-C for example, have an interior cargo area so that we can still haul some cargo without having the spindle extended?”

When the spindle is collapsed, most of the space between the cab and drive unit is filled, although you will be able to use any free space on the ship thanks to the Grabby Hands system.

“The center spine on the C D and E. Is it large enough to have crew walk through it, and for that matter is it hollow?”

Yes! We’re still working out the details, but it should be large enough to walk through on the Hull D and E, and large enough to crawl through (similar to the Jeffrey’s Tubes on Star Trek) on the Hull C. In all of these ships, it will be advantageous for an engineer to be able to reach the drive unit on occasion.

“Why should anyone NOT prefer the Banu Merchantman before the Hull C?”

The primary advantage of the Hull C is the modularity. Where the Banu Merchantman will allow you to swap fixed hardpoints, the Hull C gives you an entire spindle of attach points to access. The Hull C is also intended to be more common (and less expensive!) than the Merchantman.

“How likely will running a Hull C without escort go well for the owner?”

This will depend on what you’re going up against! We expend Hull C will make ‘safe sector’ transit without escort quite handily, and that they will have the speed and weapons to fend off some attacks traveling towards the frontier.

“Is the Discreet not an option now? Is that role for the Caterpillar or a MISC future design?”

The Hull C Discreet is still in the cards for the finished game! It will include specialized containers to support it’s ‘Q-ship’ purpose.

“Is the discreet model a separate variant or something you can make yourself with modules?”

The latter! Although per the fiction, MISC will offer the Discreet ‘purpose built’ in the finished game universe.

“What do the other 2 crew members do? Can it be operated without them?”

Additional crew members will run the turret, navigation, scanners, repair team or whatever the captain assigns them through the multi-crew seat system. One thing to remember is that we build our ships as they should ‘work’ in the game, even if some of that isn’t as exciting for gameplay. In the Star Citizen universe, it makes sense for larger transports to have crews that ‘trade off’ the pilot seat during long-duration runs.

Oh, yeah!





Also, I melted my Mustang Beta and bought a Hull A.





 

There will be a variant of the Hull C is what they mean by discrete.  And a Q ship is a civilian looking ship that's armed to the teeth.  They were used in the U boat campaigns to lure them up to the surface for an easy deck gun kill then they would blast them away.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship

Although I worry about them giving a bunch of "oh yeah, it'll do that too".  It's a big freighter.  Let's watch the scope creep.  

Jumped on UTC and played this tutorial.  It was fun.  Really looking forward to all the pieces coming together.



 

Hey, leave my Bradmans main infantry fighting tank carrier vehicle alone.  It'll take about a half hour for the one troop to crawl over the ammo stacks to dismount, but he'll get ya.

Honestly though, compared to the other ships a little creep would be nice since the C is supposedly the most common ship out there.  Within reason, though.

Sure.  But they're making promises including a new pocket fighter when they have a shit load of ships that are already committed to making but haven't gotten around to yet.  The best answer for most of these questions at this point is "not initially, but we can look into it in the future".

I'll agree with you there.  So long as the ships get done, I won't bitch too much but it does seem to be getting into overpromising crap for launch.  Now if they started announcing the SC 1.5 content pack that is nothing but ships, upgrades, and content post launch, I'd be okay with that.  Crossing my fingers though, $81 million is a lot of cash to work with.

Apparently AMD is going to be having CIG present a featured game at E3

They've been promising the Hull C Discreet since they announced the Hull C. If there's been creep anywhere, it's in the four additional Hull ships they just released.



People keep forgetting that this isn't just the same four guys in a dungeon somewhere struggling to slog through an ever-increasing list of ships.  A genuine plan exists, we're watching them follow it real time, and all the sour grapes about promised ships not being delivered just proves a general lack of reading comprehension.



 

Oh boy... I hope those particular cargo containers can go on a Starfarer! If so, I'm totally carting my three small craft under my Starfarer's belly when changing base star systems.

“Which Hull would better compliment the operation of an RSI Orion mining platform?”

A Hull C or larger would be best for dealing with the amount of ore the Orion produces. If you’re mining in a safe area or have a good escort team, the Hull D would be best. If you’re looking to try and escape from scrapes more easily using just the two ships, a Hull C seems preferable.

“Do the Hull ships come with the containers or we have to buy them separately?”

Containers will be separate; much of the time, they will be loaned to you when you accept a cargo run. You’ll have the option to configure your Hull with different containers for different roles as well.

“How long has MISC produced the Hull Series? Is it a centuries old model like some of the other ships?”

We haven’t issued final lore for this yet, but the assumption in the design was that the Hull series is fairly old, to the point that they (or their similarly-functioned predecessors) have become the standard image of a ‘space truck’ in the Star Citizen world.

“What do the other 4 crew members do, especially the 2 that aren’t on the Hull C?”

The Hull D (and E) can be operated solo. On paper, the four other crew positions are for manning the ship’s defensive turrets. Other important roles for Hull crewmen include co-pilot, loadmaster (running the cargo panel) and engineer.

“Would it be feasible to run a Hull D or E as a solo player or would I need to stick with a C?”

Yes! The captain seat will have access to all crew functions, so you are able to fly solo if you so desire. Manning multiple turrets during a firefight will be a challenge, though! More crew (whether they’re NPCs or players) will always be a benefit.

“Is the modality of the Hull Series largely limited to swapping out cargo pods or is there sufficient room on other parts of the ship to include specialized areas?”

There will be room for internal options, as intended for most of our larger ships. We’re still working on this system, and will release details in the future (expect to see some of the room options on MISC’s Starfarer first.)

“For the Hull D…it mentions a military variant. Would that be a choice we could change our Hull D to in the future?”

Yes! The military variant (and others, such as the Hull C Discreet) will be available in the finished game world. As all of these ships are modular, you will be able to equip them on top of your existing Hull pledge if you so desire.

“Will the Hull D need to refuel after every jump or is it a long-haul cargo vessel capable of making several jumps before refueling?”

The Hull D will be capable of making multiple jumps before refueling; it will also be capable of in-flight refueling from a Starfarer or similar tanker.

“For what reasons might someone choose a HULL D over the more maneuverable HULL C or the much more massive HULL E?”

The simple answer is that the entire lineup is a sliding scale: as more and more cargo space is added, the speed and maneuverability is compromised. The Hull D is for pilots who want to move a lot of cargo, but aren’t willing to go quite as slowly and methodically as the Hull E will require. While it’s tempting to pick the highest number and decide that’s the best, it’s likely that most independent captains would get more bang for their buck with a smaller ship fully laden rather than struggling to afford as much cargo as it would take to stock a Hull E.

Wow... This is a tech demo from the guys doing the facial capture stuff for SC  Still uncanny valley but getting closer.

https://vimeo.com/122667590

I know the meaning for all of these individual words, but not when used in sequence and combination.  Any help?

noun
used in reference to the phenomenon whereby a computer-generated figure or humanoid robot bearing a near-identical resemblance to a human being arouses a sense of unease or revulsion in the person viewing it.
"anyone attempting to build a believable human facsimile also has to beware of the uncanny valley"

So getting a lot closer to photorealistic, but still not quite there and that feeling of 'something's fucky'  (posted the definition since it would say it better than I could though.  Wasn't being a smartass)  Soon enough, you won't be able to tell it is a computer generated image.  That'll be a strange day indeed.

Today I went for a long jog and started thinking of how to counter the pirate threat so i jotted down a few thoughts.  I determined I needed to first figure out how a pirate will operate. These are the stages of a pirate attack.  If you have suggestions or ideas let me know and I will keep it updated. I figure we can use it as a good starting point for our pirate or mercenary organization's tactics and doctrine.  I also need ideas for a good escort fleet.
















 

The best anti-pirate escort fleet would be Aegis military hardware, I'd imagine. Retaliators to kill capital ships and severely discourage medium-sized ships. Vanguards to kill Constellations, Freelancers, Cutlasses, etc. and cover Retaliators, while also being able to reportedly function as better SWACS/EWAR vs. a Hornet Tracker. Gladii to kill everything that's too maneuverable for a Vanguard to safely engage.

The only really wink link is the Gladius. It has one weakness, and that's its skill gate is very high. As it currently stands, there's no such thing as a mediocre Gladius pilot. Both pilots being of high to extremely high skill, the Gladius will shit all over the Super Hornet. All the top players in competitive have moved over to it for that reason. But if a Gladius pilot is bad, he's really bad. Thus that suffers a total reversal below high skill due to the Hornet's ease of use and superior firepower. A mediocre pilot in a Hornet will contribute a lot more to a fight than the same pilot in a Gladius. So perhaps figure out who are the best pilots, and put them in the Gladius. Average Joe pilots, give them Hornets or Super Hornets.

Of course, pirates could fly the same setup, but their main objective discourages them from doing so. That escort setup becomes a big issue if you're planning to pirate. None of those craft can carry jack shit, at least not in meaningful amounts. They're dedicated killers and that's it. Great for mercenary work, great for military work, great for straight-up escort. Terrible for plundering. Throwing Cutlasses and Caterpillars at Vanguards and Retliators is probably going to result in a lot of dead pirates.

EDIT: Another thought is using an ambush group of Hornet Ghosts. I've been playing a lot with mine, and even with the stealth mechanics only partially in, I've found it extremely effective in Swarm to power down everything but shields and drift toward the enemy from range. They aim for your allies and don't see you, and you can power up weapons and engines at the last second and burn into the fight and get a kill or two before they can react. Given the AI has a higher situational awareness than most human players, that should be rather effective if it continues working that well in the PU. Having a handful of Ghosts pop in unexpectedly right where they can do the most damage could decide a fight.

A lot of would-be pirates are discussing making the main attacks with Cutlasses and light fighters, while Caterpillars hang well back from the fight. All that plan needs to completely fall apart is one Vanguard or Hornet Tracker on SWACS duty telling a few Ghosts where the pirates' cargo ships are. They drift out its way while the main groups are mixing it up, power up in weapons range, and dish out heavy damage. Then even if they win the main engagement, the Caterpillars aren't there to carry the plunder. Starfarers aren't there to refuel, so if there are a lot of light craft, they can only run a jump or two and you're free to chase them down and eradicate them.

I guess an escort fleet could look a lot like the basic pirate fleet i described.  We should come up with a set of tactics for pirates and a set for escorts.  Then compare them and come up with counter tactics.  When the AC 2 comes out we can test them.

 

See the edit. Decided to expand the thought a bit. I don't think a pirate fleet and escort fleet will look too much alike, honestly. The escort fleet only needs to be dedicated killers, plus a Starfarer or two if they're going beyond the range of some of the escorts. A pirate fleet needs range, docking collars, and ample cargo space. They'll also need support for roaming about and staying on station for ambushes, whereas an escort fleet that knows exactly where it's going and what it needs to get there doesn't need that. Pirates could technically could bring military hardware to the fight, but every piece of military hardware they bring sacrifices docking collars and cargo for firepower. Even if they win, they have nothing to haul their booty home in. So that forces them to change up their fleet composition.

• Pirate goals and requirements
  
  
  
  
  










• 
  
  
  
  
  Travel long distances and stay on
  station for long periods of time
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    
    Fleet capable of long range and
    duration
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Refueling support
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Scout and detect possible targets
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Ship with long range
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Ship with good sensors
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  
  
  
  Determine if target is worth
  attacking without tipping off target that pirates are near
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Ship with good sensors/scanners
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Stealth
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  
  
  
  Close gap to target once pirates
  ships are spotted
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    
    Stealth, speed, enemy sensors
    jammed
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Destroy escort ships
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    
    Ships to destroy light fighters,
    gunships, bombers, and cap ships
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  
  
  
  Disrupt enemy communications and
  computer systems
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    EW suite
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Disable cargo ships
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    
    Torpedoes to disable engines on
    large ships
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Board cargo ships
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Ships with docking collars
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    
    Well armed and armored boarding
    crew
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  
  
  
  Move captured cargo to pirate
  ships
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    A cargo ship
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Method of moving cargo
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Repair and crew stolen ships
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    A means to repair disabled ship
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  • 
    
    Extra crew
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  





• 
  
  Defend support ships
  
  
  
  
  










• 
  
  
  
  
  Defenders needed to stay with
  vulnerable support assets
  
  





• 
  
  Support assets hidden
  
  
  
  

Anything to add?  I figure we start with the basics.  Then figure out the basic tactics to use.  Then fill in the specifics like which ships to use, equipment, etc.





 

I think you're adding artificial limiters to the engagement.  A pirate "fleet" that's more than half a dozen BF3 junkies in "official" space pirate ships will have a strike arm that looks very much like an escort fleet, if not more deadly.  If the pirates have support ships nearby, they don't need long legs.





Not everybody engaged in the attack needs, necessarily, to be shooting at the targets.  Support ships with their own guard contingent in their own lager seems viable, with, perhaps something capital sized acting as an impromptu space station.  Space is deep and spherical, so it isn't like they'll be easy to spot just because they aren't on the far side of a jump.





They've already told us that it is going to be possible at some point to ship your craft and/or retrieve them.  To me, that kind of guarantees we'll see tugs of some sort.





So, here's how I see it, always assuming we aren't facing the BF3 crew, who probably don't need a whole bunch of planning against.





Big ship with outlyers, support ships, and CAPs.  Think Battlestar Galactica (the old one) or Niska's space station, but on a smaller scale.  A Bengal or one of the yet to be announced smaller carriers or cruisers, say.  Just hanging there in a likely area-- perhaps someplace they've heard will soon see an influx of something valuable.  Possibly even  to cover a shortage they or their cronies have arranged.





A layer of scouts ranging far out in shifts.  Wouldn't have to be many depending on intel.





When the targets are located, the strike arm moves out while scouts keep an eye on the targets, relaying strength/composition/ deployment.





Engagement.  At this point, none of the support ships may even have left the core cluster.  Somebody or multiple somebodies need to be putting a lock on target comms.  The most important thing in this engagement (other than not dying) is to keep the victims from calling for help.  There should be at least some attackers whose entire mission is to kill the engines of the freighters.  If those guys get away, it's all over regardless of how things go with the main engagement.  Freighters' guns need to be dealt with as well.





When and if the attackers look to be getting their own way, the support ships move in.  No docking collars, no boarding parties.  The engines are dead, where are the crews going to go?  Don't worry about boarding or taking over.  Not yet.  Get your tugs in there, or your salvagers or whatever, and just tractor those bitches home.





Once more at your base, perhaps with some of your scouts off in some random other direction pretending to be the victims and obscuring the true location of the fight, NOW you address the captive crews.  At this point you can either talk them out and release them, talk them out and trade them away, or board and kill them, but all on your timetable.





If no messages went out, rinse and repeat.  Otherwise, once the crews are dealt with either scuttle or repair the captured ships and jump to another system.





Either way, if you're dealing with any pirate band big enough to tackle a convoy with a solid military escort, it behooves you to expect them to know what they're doing rather than expecting them to come at you with a hodge podge of unsuitable craft.





ETA: Not that I've given any of this pirate stuff any thought, mind you!  Straight on the up and up, this lad, I can assure you!





 

Let's also remember player instances are currently planned to be around 50 or so. A big pirate fleet with a big military wing and a big cargo wing hitting a big convoy is not that likely. If no other reason than all these sumbitches ain't gonna fit. Under instancing, you might never see more than 25 against 25, and that's with every single player in the instance being on one side or the other with no onlookers. Hence why I'm expecting pirates to be more inclined to use ships that are useful for piracy.

If they throw 20 fighters against 20 fighters and win... well, congrats. Now there's no way to get the booty home other than boarding and commandeering the cargo vessels, and you just sustained a shitload of expense in damage and spent munitions. It might work, you might win, but it doesn't seem a very workable plan for coming out the other side with a profit.

There's also the NPC equation. That number over again or twice as many could be NPC ships in the same instance. Or more. It's already been said many times the plan is for NPCs to outnumber players 9:1. Unless this is totally lawless space, a big furball like that is likely to attract the attention of Johnny Law. We don't know exactly how it'll work, but we do know the UEE military and law enforcement is going to be a lot more active, noticeable, and downright powerful presence in the systems they control compared to something like EVE. It might behoove pirates who are good at what they do to be quick in and quick out rather than having the Battle of Midway and then slowly towing away Hull Es. A pair of Javelins or a Bengal showing up because of a huge scuffle is going to be a bad day.

Plus instancing bringing in the issue of both fleets might be in the same location, but not the same instance, so they don't even see each other.

Basically: it's not EVE.

From the April monthly report:

Overall, April has seen a lot of great progress for our long-term itemization in Star Citizen. With the continued work on all of the ship components, we’ve been working on a full overhaul and standardization of all of our component sizes. Having these in place is going to help with all aspects of ship design and development. From the ground up, we can use these sizes to build out much more detailed component plans for each of our ships, as well as starting to help us plan out just what our increased modularity of ship components will mean when putting together a loadout.

Having these sizes locked in, we’ve already started planning out some of the possible component swapping that will be available in the future. Some of our current experiments are exploring Power Plants, Shield Generators, and Cooling systems sharing more interchangeable placement. This is still going to take a lot of testing and tuning to make sure these choices feel meaningful enough to make while also keeping the overall power of each ship balanced.

Another set of components we’ve needed to rethink the sizing on are our Ammo Boxes, Battery Packs, Fuel Tanks, and Ballast systems. With our resized components, these all now share the same size, allowing them to easily be replaced with one another. Running a ballistics-heavy ship? Bring some extra ammo. Need to make a long-range flight next? Swap that ammo out with some spare fuel tanks. While not all of these components are adjustable on a ship currently, they’re going to help play a major part in loadout customization.

===============

Throughout April members of the Santa Monica ship team have been coming together to update the Freelancer. This process has been an intricate one as it touches many facets of the games core mechanics including some new up and coming features. Coordination between studios has been crucial to this update. Concept artists in the UK have been hard at work fleshing out the Starfarer’s design and with this has come a particular aesthetic that solidified the MISC look in the Star Citizen universe.

Unity among manufacturers is a must so artists here in Santa Monica are applying those concepts to the Freelancer interior and exterior areas. This update has involved many changes such as proper metrics for character interactions, creating zones for cargo and adding areas for modular components. Maintaining the original experience and purpose of the ship will of course be maintained. As a whole the Freelancer has increases in size but the interior has remained a narrow and functional space as the previous design intended; allowing players to be immersed in the multi crew experience of a personal ship.

Throughout the community there has been a lot of feedback concerning the Freelancer, and we’ve listened! Worries about entering the cargo bay while it is full, accessibility to the back turret and the small mid-section as well some other issues have all been addressed. (No more clipping through bathrooms or popping up and down while trying to get to your bed). When the update is completed we believe the community will be pleasantly surprised.

=======================

The ship team in Manchester is working on multiple capships full force, and we are making really good process. Our goal is to make these massive ships a living and breathing world for the player to explore. The Idris and Javelin and Bengal are all going into final production, to meet the F42 standards! A huge undertaking. The Starfarer production is also making good headway, Matt is systematically working through the whole ship ,a big project, his second project after the Gladiator. We are also working on a Xi’an Cargo ship, a ship that is needed in SQ42.

======================

In other news, other Planetside locations are still being developed. Mariana, Odyssa, Crusader and Hurston Designs have passed from 2D level layouts to the whitebox stage. If you recall, we’ve stated in previous reports that we would get faster and faster in the development of Planetsides thanks to the Tag, Room and Tier systems. The four planets mentioned fit under the same Architectural style as ArcCorp, making them great candidates to prove that we can build them efficiently. So far so good! You can dig up more info and concepts about these Planets; it’s available on this very site.

As mentioned above, our little army of artists has spent a good amount of time ‘arting-up’ the various shopping locations, but also working on an all new modular set to be used in future planetside locations. For this new set, we’ve integrated a better pipeline that makes our work more efficient and with better visual results. We can’t wait to show you those results!

You’ve probably seen mock-ups of the holotable revamp. We are continuing the effort on this side as well. The visuals are still being defined while our engineers are making slight tweaks and fixes. To preserve its functionality for the soon to be released modes, we cannot dive in the full revamp just yet. You’ll understand that before making it better we’ll need to break it. Of course we don’t want you to end up with a broken holotable. For now you’ll see tweaks such as better visual cues for the REC equipment versus owned equipment.

Somewhat related to the holotable, but also affecting various systems throughout the game, we have made some progress on the holo-object refactor to reduce entity usage. In a nutshell, this means better performance which directly translates to more players in multiplayer instances!

Our engineers are also hard at work supporting the FPS access, the loadout customization in the lobby and the multi-crew lobby implementation. On top of that, the chat feature has been updated to support basic features and private conversations. These aren’t accessible to you yet but they’ll come in handy when we finally roll out the multiplayer hangars, which our guys are actively working on.

====================

The design team was mostly focused on tweaking the feel of movement and gun-play over the last few weeks. Now that they have all of the parameters needed exposed to them, they have been dialing in breathing, aiming down sights and recoil. Work also continued on a new map and game mode. The new mode will focus on some asymmetrical gameplay, which we are all very excited about! All of the modes that are being worked on for the FPS module are there to simulate actual scenarios that players could run into in the persistent universe. Things like infiltrating a held location quietly, possibly stealing cargo, or just running protection. With the open nature of the game and how many options the player will have in Star Citizen it’s hard to imagine every possible case, but we think we have a solid handful of situations that you might run into.

======================

CCU system

As you know the current CCU system has been outgrown with so many ships now flyable. Design and basic implementation work has been done this month to bring you an alternate way to CCU. May should have more substantial progress on this subsystem. With more ships becoming flyable, this system will be required so that you can properly upgrade your existing Alpha/LTI pledges without sacrificing those precious items.

=========================

New way to enter the cockpit on an Avenger

http://i.imgur.com/sd8497R.gifv

I've been paying attention to discussions regarding the instanceing system. It looks to be much more fluid than you're giving it credit for. Far from throwing fifty PCs in an isolated bucket, it looks like you'll flow seamlessly from instance to instance, possibly as part of a large, multi-instance battle.  But, meh. You project whatever constraints you like onto an unknown enemy using an unknown mechanic with unknown assets.



One thing I promise you, though-- At least one of those guys at CIG has already thought of the gag where you load up fifty (or whatever the cap eventually becomes) guys into your convoy to immunize yourself from attack. Thought about it, talked about it, fixed it. I fear that you're preparing to fight the wrong war.



 

“Will the Hull-E be able to disable some thrusters when not fully loaded?”

This won’t just be possible, it will be necessary in many cases! In automatic flight, your thrusters will adjust based on the overall load, but you will also have the option to control them more directly yourself.

“Will the Hull E Fit inside any of the hangers, if so what ones? “

We’re making plans for larger hangar expansions to accommodate ships like the Hull E or the Orion. Until then, the Hull E will come with the standard deluxe Hangar.

“How will the perception of problem with the telescoping spine and apparent fragile nature of the spindles be resolved? “

We will take a look at making the spindles look ‘stronger’ during the next art pass, but the long term answer is that they just aren’t going to be fragile. The interiors are reinforced, they telescope out and then lock in place… they’re the same as the skeletons that form the basis of all other ships.

“What kind of options will there be for automated loading if that’s not the kind of task we want to worry about? “

Grabby Hands means that you can load every part of the ship if you so desire… but in all likelihood, you won’t ever want to do that on something as large as a Hull E. Loading can be done automatically via your mobiGlas under normal circumstances (and then the cargo itself can be organized through the console interface.)

“If the Hull E can drop escort fighters does this mean the pilots of said escort fighters need to stay in the fighters for the duration of trip, or will there be a way to enter said escort fighters from inside the Hull E? “

This is going to depend on the fighter! We have been experimenting with a system where you you must ‘construct’ a Hornet from components stored in standard containers. This would be something you do in flight, similar to sub-launched aircraft in the 1940s: unfold the container, put the ship together during an EVA and then take off. In these cases, which involve heavier ships like the Hornet, you would not be able to land on the Hull. We also plan to have smaller midget fighters (such as the Merlin) which could be launched and recovered with tractor beams.

“That Hull E looks big enough to stow away on with no one the wiser. If I fly my Aurora up to the back of a cargo crate and mag-clamp on to it, can I tag along wherever the Hull E is heading?”

Good to see that you’re already imagining the Star Citizen equivalent of Marty’s skateboarding in Back to the Future! The short answer is that yes, anything you can fit in a crate (Aurora included) can be carried by a Hull E. We expect to developed ‘manned’ modules as well, if you’d like to travel on a Hull as a passenger.

“In case I transport ships with the Hull E, what kind of insurance will be necessary? Will it need a hull insurance for the transported ships, do they count as cargo or does it need hull and cargo insurance?”

When a full ship is being transported, you would need the base hull insurance for that ship rather than additional cargo insurance.

“Is there a militarized Hull E version? “

Yes! It’s nowhere near as common as the Hull D, but the UEE military does on occasion utilize the Hull E as a transport. The military designation is R5M Proteus.

“Is only the Hull E capable of transporting, refueling and refitting escort fighters?”

No. Any ship in the series is capable of mounting this equipment where space allows, the Hull E just has more space for it. (That is: the Hull D can likely be modified with refueling equipment or smaller ship attachments, while the Hull A probably can not.)

“How is speed and maneuverability scaling with the load level. E.g. HULL E with no cargo, and non extracted spindle should be like a gigantic ‘racing truck’?”

The Hull is never going to be a speeder, but you will be able to push it quite a bit more without cargo.

“Will there be a reliable source of missions available for Hull E owners to move other people’s cargo, and how would that system work?”

Absolutely; think of the Hull E as being a pure space truck, like those you might see on a cross-country trip. The cabs are owned and operated by a driver (or a corporation) and the cargo is simply picked up and moved on behalf of other parties.

“Will there be some hauling loads that physically cannot be broken down into smaller pieces, and thus must be delivered by a dedicated Hull E?”

Absolutely! The galaxy is full of wonders, some of which are quite large. Whether it’s a Xi’an megapiano or a fully intact stasis unit, there’s always something out there that you won’t want to take apart to ship.

“Will you be able to have more than one midget fighter attachment at a time, and if so, how many will you be able to have?”

This will purely depend on what attach points are available. Someone who trades in a good deal of their cargo space might be able to attach a number of fighters!

“Can the Hull E internal corridor fit a Greycat?”

We’re going to leave that to you to figure out.

Well, admittedly we don't have a whole lot of nailed down material to work with at this point. Likely all plans made right now aren't going to last past the first minute of the PU alpha.

My preparations for war at this time are "the pointy end goes into the other man."

Yeah so for now it's a matter of be better than the other guy with the pointy end...... oh and have a BIG pointy end :P

 

WLeverett.CIG
WLeverett_CIG
Posted: -
Hi everyone!

The 1.1.2 patch is live and players are now able to download and play now. Please note this is a large 20.8GB patch as many .pak files have changed.

Also, please be aware of the "Rubber Banding"/'Teleporting"/"Client Freezing" post at: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/258903/1-1-2-known-issue-rubber-banding-teleporting-and-client-freezing-in-match

This patch contains the Tutorial update as well as *many* other updates. Full Patch Notes will be available soon, but some of the most critical aspects are:

- Added the Flight Tutorial "Basic Training" inside Arena Commander
- Added a conversation system that allows NPCs to detect a character’s location and initiate dialogue
- Multiplayer Free Flight public lobby party limit increased to 8
- Capped party size to 4 players for public games aside from Murray Cup Racing
- Implemented UI messages explaining reasons a player may have been kicked back to the hangar (we'll continue to work on language)

Key Known Issues:

- "Rubber Banding"/'Teleporting"/"Client Freezing" (More info at: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/258903/1-1-2-known-issue-rubber-banding-teleporting-and-client-freezing-in-match)
- Characters will sometimes spawn as a pair of eyes
- Client crash when exiting the game
- Ship components and ammunition can go missing when using the holotable. Deleting the username_inventory.xml file will help fix this.
- Killing a Cutlass will sometimes not award kill credit on the scoreboard

Thanks everyone and happy hunting!

The Starfarer G (military version) is listed to go on sale tomorrow per Ben @ CIG during the new Starfarer concept sale.

Very tempted to melt my hulls A + B for one of them.  Would rather haul/scoop/refine fuel than cargo anyhow.

Edit:  This is the standard NEW Starfarer.  The Gemini is supposed to be a lot meaner and revealed tomorrow.