Hull D Blueprint Concept Art About the MISC Hull D “I started my career as hull gunner on an R4M Quasar [the military conversion of the MISC Hull D] and went on to command a lifter crew for nine years of supporting border actions and anti-piracy patrols. Got into more scrapes than I can count, shot up a dozen raiders and never lost a pallet. The fighter and bomber pilots I went to officer training with may get in the history books, but they wouldn’t be effective without the supply chain we provided. Not that there was a competition: I’ll tell you this, those boys on the front lines always make it easy… our fighter screen would raise hell to make sure the weekly mail drop came through.”
- Colonel Yurg Cathonshew, UEE Military Starlift Command
“The MISC Hull D: how civilization moves. A major leap from the standard Hull C platform, the Hull D is a capable spacecraft used galaxy-wide for shipping everything from terraforming equipment to antimatter torpedoes. A true bulk freighter, the MISC Hull D is your first solution for dealing with large (size or quantity) stocks. Featuring full crew facilities for five and four fixed turrets positions, the Hull D is anything but a sitting duck. Cargo options include three full-sized attachment spindles powered by eight high-yield main thrusters capable of pushing many times the ship’s base mass. Please contact your MISC representative for leasing and custom corporate configuration options.”
- MISC Cavalcade of Transports! brochure, 2945
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 D; if you’re interested in learning more about the E, please post to this thread.
“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.