Drake Dragonfly - Concept Art Greetings Citizens, Another Concept Sale, another Question & Answer session. Since last Friday, we’ve been collecting questions from the dedicated Q&A post here and today our designers working on the ship will answer 13 more questions! We are very excited to discuss this ship in more detail, so let’s jump right into part 2!
Special thanks to Matt Sherman for taking the time to answer these questions for us.
Question & Answer Loaded on a capital ship, can the Dragonfly be stored in the cargo bay or does it need to be placed on a port like any other ship? For the Compact Mode to be actively deployable, the Dragonfly will need a clear access port inside the ship, though we’re not fully locked in if this will be a full ship-port, or possibly a vehicle-port like the Greycat currently uses in hangars. We’re also still exploring crate-storage for ship transport, which would be more flexible in cargo placement, but any ship stored in this manner would not be immediately accessible for flight.
What does the maneuverability feel like while riding a Dragonfly? We’re still working out the exact handling and feel of the Dragonfly as it’s being built out. At low speeds, it should feel nimble for its size, but will lose agility at its top speeds. As the trade-off though, expect extremely potent acceleration to its top speed.
Can the Dragonfly still maneuver/fly while in compact mode? They are still operable in compact mode, but would be restricted to Precision flight speeds until they have been fully deployed into either space or ground modes.
Will you be able to tow anything behind the Dragonfly? i.e. Salvage support. We’re actively looking into low-speed operations of a handheld tractor beam for the rider, but not in the sense of a deployed tow-cable or trailer-hitch behind the Dragonfly.
What is the fuel consumption like on the Dragonfly? Are these for short stints planetside, or longer journeys? Consumption is still being worked on for its general performance. Overall, in space you’d be a little more limited in range through a combination of both fuel and EVA suit life support. On a planet, you should definitely feel like you have the range to explore, especially so on one with a breathable atmosphere.
The sale page says this ship can be used as a scout. Can you go into more detail about how this ship might be useful in a scouting capacity? Does it possess any specialty equipment useful to scouting? While not possessing dedicated scouting equipment, the lower baseline signatures the Dragonfly emits paired with a high acceleration will help it to dart around land and space mostly unseen, blending into the background noise of their environment.
Are there any plans to have some form of emergency exit? I know that Drake ships don’t have ejection seats, but will I be able to push off in time of need? Yes, both the pilot and the rider would be able to directly bail off the ship in case of emergency.
Will the small size and presumably lower powered components in the Dragonfly mean that it is relatively difficult to detect? Yes, between its small size and lower resource consumption to operate, expect the Dragonfly to be a hard target to pick up on radar, especially at a distance.
Can you go into more detail about how much protection the shield will really offer? Realistically, it would be minimal protection. It can help deflect some fire, but will not stand up to a direct assault, especially from a dedicated fighter.
What type of cargo do you predict being held in the saddle bags on the Dragonfly? Overall, it’s going to be smaller objects, with the most functional being other vehicle-class components. It’s not a large freight hauler, but enough space to carry some essentials with you.
Is the Dragonfly modular in any way? Can it be modified to assist in Salvage, Mining, or Repair by equipping tractor beams or other equipment? We’re currently focused on getting the base version of the Dragonfly setup and don’t have any custom modules or variants planned out for it at this time. It’s definitely something we can revisit once all of its core gameplay is setup which will let us better determine what additional functionality we can add.
Will the Dragonfly have a HUD like current ships, or will it perhaps use some 30th century version of Bluetooth, to feed that information to the mobiGlas augmented reality? The Dragonfly will have limited on-board HUD displays with more information able to be fed directly to the users helmet.
We know that oxygen in our space suits will be valuable in EVA. Is there any mechanism on the Dragonfly to extend your oxygen levels? No, the Dragonfly does not carry any form of on-board life-support, so the pilot and rider would be dependent on their EVA reserves while operating in space or on a planet with a non-breathable atmosphere.