Greetings Citizens, You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers! Earlier this week, we kicked off a concept sale for the new Endeavor science ship and its modules. Today and next week, we’ll be answering questions collected on the forums (the second and third Q&A will post on Wednesday and Friday next week.) Thank you to designer Dan Tracy for helping with these questions, which will hopefully clear up anything you’re wondering about the ship. Please also note that questions about the design/gameplay mechanics will be addressed by Tony Zurovec in next week’s Q&A sessions. Enjoy!
Question & Answer What ship combinations (besides two Cutlasses) can fit in the Landing Bay and successfully be launched and maintained? “Like the Javelin’s hangar, the number of ships allowed depends on the size of those ships, specifically. The Landing Bay is currently spec’d to be 30m wide, 65m deep running underneath the main spine of the Endeavor, and 10m tall. The included facilities and systems can accommodate possibly to 4 craft as space allows. Remember, that the general rule in Star Citizen is that ‘if it fits, it sits’ (with a max limit of four with regards to munitions/stores/etc.); so you can calculate the space any individual ship using those measurements.
Is the 500 SCU listing for cargo in the explorer cab only? Can the fuel pod be used for cargo, and if so, for how much each? The Cargo space is inside the Explorer cab as it will be the section breaking off and landing for deliveries. The Fuel-Pods would not be able to double-up as cargo, but they could store other in-flight consumables like battery packs or ammunition in certain configurations.
Can the hangar bay be used to store cargo? If so, how much? Dimensions of the Hangar. It would be possible to install optional Cargo-locking plates to the Landing Bay and use some of the space for hauling. Overall, you’d be able to add roughly 4500 additional SCU of cargo to the ship if you used half of the available space in the Landing Bay (with the remaining space being used to enable a Cutlass to land/take-off with that cargo.)
Can I own only the Explorer cab? We considered this as an option, but decided against it; without the ability to equip a jump drive, players starting with an Explorer cab would be trapped in one star system… not so much fun for exploring!
Do the modules have to be used in pairs, equal parts on each side? We want asymmetry! At the moment, all modules are ‘twofers’ that give you both the left and right slot, which maintains symmetry. Remember that asymmetry makes balancing thrusters significantly more difficult, so the ship has been intentionally designed to ‘pair’ modules in this fashion. (It’s possible in the future that disparate 1×1 modules might be made available, but this is likely something we would wait until the game launches to create so that players can see them in action with the impact they’ll have on the ship before choosing to buy them.)
The landing bay is 2×1. Can I equip 3 landing bays? No, as noted in the SKU the landing bays are limited to one per ship. This is because the additional bays would block one another when slung under the ship!
If you add additional pods later in development, will they be included in the Master Set? No, the Master Set includes only what is listed. In general, we try not to avoid packages that might someday limit discovery in the persistent universe! Buying a ‘module subscription’ today just wouldn’t be as much fun in the long run…
Why doesn’t the Explorer Cab come with a jump drive, when smaller ships already in the game have that capability? Can a jump drive be added aftermarket? There is no slot for an aftermarket jump drive. From a game design perspective, this is important because every ship should not be able to do every job (else, why operate a dedicated explorer ship?); in the game world, the intention is that the Explorer cab uses all its space for armor and shielding, and does not have the power plant to also support a jump drive.
Are the module spots pre-determined? Can I install the modules in any spot they’ll fit, either fore or aft? Module spots are not pre-determined. Modules can fit anywhere on the 3×2 grid not blocked by another module. For an example of this: the Olympic mounts two sets of biodome pairs; the domes are pretty large and the reason you can’t mount three is that the space that a third would need is crowded out by the other two. You could mount a different 2×1 between the Bio-Dome modules as long as it’s one that has a small footprint.
Can any of these pods be equipped on other MISC ships like the Hull Series, and can cargo pods from the Hull be used for the Endeavor? Cargo pods from the Hull are standardized and can be stored aboard the Endeavor. We have not determined whether or not you can ‘plug them in’ to the sides. The scientific pods cannot be attached to the Hull series.
Endeavor & Pods