Questions about SC and its many options

[Memory]

I wonder if any of you guys could give me a primer or some basic opinions on the various ship packages available.  i'm thinking of picking one up (finally).  I have no idea what i'm looking at with these various ship models.  there seem to be several different versions of the same ship chassis and i can tell there are different settings and different functions, but they're also different prices, which leads me to believe they're somehow...better? 

 

is it P2W in that sense? i can't imagine it is. Whats your opinion on the various ships available to a new player? 

[Tessaya]

Hi Memory,

 

To start with the p2w question : everything in the store can be acquired in game ( bought with in game credits or stolen/captured ), the price is more there to give a sense of relative starting power (starting as we will probably change pieces of our equipment only a few hours in) and rarity.

 

The first thing you'd better ask yourself about is whether you are one who'd enjoy the step by step progression you'd have to do if you choose to start with a starter ship (aurora/mustang/reliant) or you'd rather start with a ship that's already able to perform what you intend to do with more efficiency ?

 

If you enjoy step by step progression I'd recommend you to jump on the cheapest Aurora package ( only with included arena commander pass if you intend to play during the alpha/beta phases, understanding that the game is still pretty early in development ).

Edited September 5, 2015 by Tessaya

[Tessaya]

If you'd like to stay in starter price bracket but in a more specialized ship, the Mustang is more offensive and the Reliant is about cargo.

 

If you'd life something with a little more punch but still a generalist, Avenger and 300i are the way to go.

 

After those you enter the more expensive and specialized ships bracket, with the dedicated fighters being the Hornet and Gladius, the "pirate" ship being the Cutlass and the cargo ship being the Freelancer.

 

For even bigger and expensive ships the Constellation is kind of a Millenium Falcon jack-of-all-trades and the Redeemer is a gunship.

 

I intentionally omitted the variants because in most cases those are variations of the starting equipment to accommodate for different roles, so I wouldn't choose a ship based on its variations. Once you have chosen a ship I'd help you with the variants if you want :3

 

Hope it is readable enough

[theJaeks]

Hello Memory,

 

Tess provided some good basic info. to go further into the P2W as that is something many ask about, I'd like to give you some background.

 

CR, Chris Roberts, in the past has specifically mentioned games like World of Tanks which he is not building this game to be. he does not believe in the idea of making your supporters pay for something those without funds can not earn thru play. Also, there are no monthly costs to Star Citizen. SC is modeled after games of the past, or Guild Wars, where you pay for the game and online play is part of that price.

 

As such, all ships sold to date, and until release, are "pledges". You are "pledging" your support for the project. it's up to 88.5 million now. The original game concept was expected to need 23 million, so clearly they have plenty of funds to cover all the development they are doing now along with covering the costs of servers for years. And they haven't even sold the game yet at retail. Pretty crazy and awesome.

 

As for why so many ships, simple answer is: diversity.  it would be boring with 10 million plus PCs and NPCs running around in 10 ships.  And ships are just like modern day cars, trucks, ships and planes. Take the Aurora, it's been called a pickup truck, like the small ones. the Mustang would be a lot like the car Mustang. the Reliant more like a van.  the Avenger has been called the Crown Victoria of the world, an ex cop ship just like the Vic is the most common old cop car today.

 

As you progress up, ships go from single seat/player to 2, 4, 5, and up. so for many the ship they pick is dependent on will they have friends along or if they will hire NPC's to help run their ship. The goal is for NPC's < PC's to encourage more co-op play.

 

Some of the ships are military grade, like the Hornet, a single seat fighter, think F-16, F-15 etc.  Then there is the Vanguard, a 2 seat bomber, up to a 6 crew Retaliator torpedo bomber which is like a B52 or B1 bomber style.

 

There are cargo ships like the Freelancer and Catepillar which would be like a box truck, and maybe up to a small tractor trailer. the Constellation is as Tess said designed to be the games Falcon for those wanting to let out their inner Han Solo / Lando Calrissian. does everything for major cargo hauling, to space superiority, to exploration. The Taurus variant is probably the most like an 18 wheel tractor trailer, perhaps like the double trailer versions.

 

And then they continue up to true cargo haulers which become things akin to cargo trains and cargo hauler ships. the Hull E looks like a space born super cargo container hauler for example.

 

Then there are some specialist ships. Ships designed to be racers, like formula 1 style, or "information" traders, ships that intercept or pick up delicate data packages and deliver them to opponents or clients who may not be completely above board. Some are designed for bounty hunting, useful for pirating, some for scouting for a larger fleet, or others for counter measures to restrict an opponent ship/fleet's combat functions.

 

Then there are the capital ships. the Idris is one of the most beautiful ships you'll ever see. needs about 20 person crew if i had to guess. it's even been stated players could "steal" a carrier like the Bengal shown in the intro movie.  The problem beyond stealing it would be keeping it, as it cannot be landed/logged out of the universe, so stealing one would require manning it 24/7 to prevent it's theft back from you. All of which also assumes the UEE doesn't decide they want it back from you and send a full fleet after you. Don't expect to win that one

 

 

so, sorry that went so long. The point of it all, there are so many choices so you can grow threw the game into the style/role you want to play. Pledging now just lets you get a head start once the PU (persistent universe) is released for real.

 

 

Which brings up another point. if you haven't read "death of a spaceman", you might want to track that down. In it, CR explains how death will work in the game. And yes, that means you will actually die, your character's existence will come to an end thru injury, old age, explosion, etc. at which point your heir or beneficiary inherits your estate.  So you won't need multiple characters to play multiple "roles".  Ships fill roles, characters have "reputations" which determine safe/unsafe zones, trading etc. the idea is everyone plays 1 character until that character dies, then the heir takes over and gets to decide if they will follow a new path or the same path. though surely many with have a 'good' toon and a 'pirate' since being both on the same character will be hard.

 

though supposedly there will be letters of marque for legal pirating.

 

 

if you've made it this far, the only other advice I can give as one who has too many ships already: decide if price point or specific role is what interests you most in choosing a pledge ship. The amount is how much you are comfortable using to support the game. the ship is a thank you in essence. if you don't "know" what you want to do, and want to get a slight head start at launch, then a Freelancer or Constellation Taurus might be very good choices. Freelancer is a 2 player ship which should be easy enough to fly solo as a trader/merchantman. The Connie is a 3 crew cargo hauler (flyable solo, you'll want to have NPC's though at a minimum) with about 4 times the capacity of the base Freelancer. Not much of a combat ship, all about the bass, er i mean cargo.

 

At a minimum, buy one of the 3 starter ships and if you decide on a larger ship later, you can always trade up.

[theJaeks]

oh and the Connie they are planning for it to take 40-60 hours of play to earn. so you have an idea of their target pace.

[October]

Hi Memory,

 

To start with the p2w question : everything in the store can be acquired in game ( bought with in game credits or stolen/captured ), the price is more there to give a sense of relative starting power (starting as we will probably change pieces of our equipment only a few hours in) and rarity.

 

The first thing you'd better ask yourself about is whether you are one who'd enjoy the step by step progression you'd have to do if you choose to start with a starter ship (aurora/mustang/reliant) or you'd rather start with a ship that's already able to perform what you intend to do with more efficiency ?

 

If you enjoy step by step progression I'd recommend you to jump on the cheapest Aurora package ( only with included arena commander pass if you intend to play during the alpha/beta phases, understanding that the game is still pretty early in development ).

you mean you could spent hundreds of dollars on a virtual item only to have it stolen from you?

[Memory]

this has been way helpful.  thanks for the clarity.  i've been asking on the Q&A board on star citizens forums too.  i'm really leaning heavily toward the avenger.  that is a Jeepers pretty ship, and (even tough i don't understand anything about engine fittings yet) it looks like it's probably the most maneuverable and fast ship you can get. i love being fast.  i love dictating the range and pace of the engagement. it's always been one of my hallmarks in any game i play. 

 

Tell me more about the Cutlas.  in what way is it "for pirating."  in what way are other ships "for bounty hunting?" what advantages does it have that qualify it for that? 

[Firedancer]

yep, avenger and 325's are like the "advanced starter" ship class.   
Still able to do bits and pieces of everything you'd expect to do in a space sim, but sure with more speed, firepower and potential cargo space than the three base starter ships.

 

Cutlass: technically its a fighter-cargo hybrid with a central, modular section.

Its a rather big ship for a fighter, a little bit slow and clumsy - but decently armed and very well armored. Assuming equal piloting skills, you may not want to take it toe to toe with heavy fighters like a super hornet, but tough as it is, it will outlast an encounter with something like a 325A or other light fighter. Also since up to 3 people can make themselves useful in the ship, you can still boost its combat power a bit further with a trained team. On the other hand it also has a decent cargo bay and plenty armored space.

So overall a good ship for a rough transport route... and as said - it may not have the firepower to take on military ships, but it does have plenty firepower to take on freighters and enough space to bring back the best of the valuables found... making it also a good combo for any pirate. Also the central cargo is modular and you can replace it (so far) with either a medic station or a jail module... so instead of stolen cargo, you can also pick up and bring back the criminals you find instead - though for a bounty hunter, I'd rather pick a faster ship like the avenger. No good to have all the gear to capture a guy, if you can't catch up with him in the first place.

[Tessaya]

you mean you could spent hundreds of dollars on a virtual item only to have it stolen from you?

All ships are sold with insurance, and it's been made pretty clear that except if you have no choice to (stolen ships may be hard to insure as an example), you won't want to fly uninsured. So yes technically any ship can be stolen/captured, but if you bought that ship you're expected to have insurance replace it.

 

And the insurance fees for the basic hull insurance have been described to be negligible, with better insurance (non basic equipment and cargo primarily) being more expensive, to the point that it may not always be the wise choice to do.

 

 

Memory, about the Cutlass as a pirate ship, the in universe background of Drake Interplanetary is to make rough, cheap ships that are obviously designed to appeal to pirates, but are not advertised as such. That means that even if you can be a pirate with any ship, the Drake ones tend to be better suited to the job due to the way they have been designed. That doesn't mean every Drake ship in space will be a pirate ( the 2 variants of the Cutlass are about Search & Rescue and Police ).