Q&A: Drake Corsair
Following the launch of the Corsair from Drake Interplanetary, we took your community-voted questions to our designers to give you more information on the recently unveiled exploration vessel.
Special thanks to John Crewe for answering these questions.
Can you please clarify your stance on Drake ship durability? We want tough and versatile no-frills ships, not paper ships that will fall apart when you look at them as some devs have stated. Which is it?
When we say “paper ships”, we say it with regards to our entire line-up, where Aegis and Anvil typically have more armor and can be regarded as very tough. In comparison, Drake ships are relatively under-armored, which we exaggerate as “paper thin”. While they may be less durable, their defense is more than enough for the intended role they’re pitched at and they’re often up-gunned to offset any deficit.
With Drake’s stance on barebones necessities, how will the living quarters actually be in comparison with other ships? While not as luxurious as other companies’ living quarters, Drake still provides all the necessities such as a bed, kitchen, washroom, and storage for every crewperson’s weapons and clothing. Other ships may give each crewmember their own facilities, but Drake feels this is a waste of space and resources that could be better used elsewhere.
Can the pilot get out of their seat while the co-pilot is in the downward position (this was a problem in the original cutlass that was resolved by the rework)? Yes. Unlike the original Cutlass, there’s plenty of room for the pilot to exit their seat and walk around where the co-pilot’s seat was. When the co-pilot seat is deployed to the lower level, a hatch covers the hole to provide a flat traversal surface.
Does the pilot control the 4 x S5 (S4 gimballed) front AND 2 x S4 (S3 gimballed) right wing guns? The pilot controls these weapons by default, although in the future (like other ships), their control will be able to be delegated to another station.
With this special pilot/co-pilot seating arrangement, will both seats provide the option to fly the ship? Both seats have full control inputs available, so this will be possible.
From what we saw in the whitebox-clip, there’s plenty of open hangar space left after the Rover is parked within the Corsair. Can’t there be a few SCUs left over although the rover is on board? We want this ship to have similar trade-offs as the Constellation in terms of ‘cargo space versus vehicle storage’, so currently there are no plans to allow this. However, there will always be space to put cargo items outside of the grids on all ships providing you can get them in, though they won’t be securely locked down.
I own several other exploration ships, what makes the Corsair stand out? In other words, is its only trick the big guns? The Corsair offers the same functionality as a variety of other exploration ships but is catered towards a more offensive style of gameplay. It also has a different set of roles for a crew of four compared to, say, the Constellation.
Due to the fact that it’s an exploration ship, the Corsair has a fuel intake system. Does it also have a refinery? The Corsair does not come with a refinery, nor is it capable of equipping one.
What are the component classes available to this ship? Civilian and Industrial? Correct and these two categories suit the role of the ship perfectly.
With the wings folded upwards in landing mode, will the Corsair fit in front-entry hangar doors, like those at the Rest Stops? Yes. When designing a ship, these metrics are considered and the Corsair will fit in medium/size four hangars (the same as the Retaliator and Constellation).
What types of weapon and armor storage are on the ship? How many weapons per player and what level of armor (light, medium or heavy)? Each crew member can store one set of armor (excluding what they’re wearing), two primary weapons, and one sidearm.
Are there any crew stations beyond the turrets and co-pilot, for example, an engineering computer or scanning station? There is an engineering station towards the rear of the ship.
How many people can use the forward lift at a time?
The front lift can take the entire crew, so four at a time.
Does this ship have landing lights so you can see what’s underneath you when you land on the dark side of a moon? It’s an exploration ship, so there’s not always a landing pad available.
The ship will have a variety of lighting when it’s released. This is a popular request players have asked for on existing ships and something we plan to roll out over time.