Q&A: Anvil Pisces
Following the reveal of the Pisces from Anvil Aerospace, we took your community-voted questions to our designers to provide you with more information on the recently unveiled mini-explorer.
Does the Pisces have special scanners or just a generic one like any non-exploratory ship? The Pisces comes equipped with a regular radar and scanner that can be upgraded and changed. Originally, the Pisces was designed to operate within range of the Carrack, so it didn’t need any exploration-specific items as it could share the mothership’s radar data.
Will the Pisces be able to detect mineable rocks or other things an exploration shuttle should be able to detect? As standard, the Pisces cannot detect mineable rocks, though the scanners can be upgraded to do so. Currently, the detection of mineable rocks and other items is tied to specific radars and scanners, so any ship with these equipped will be able to detect them. In the future we plan to experiment with enabling all scanners to do this, with dedicated scanners having better range or sensitivity.
What level of exploration capacity does the C8X have? Should we expect it to be on par at finding things with the Origin 315p, or is it mostly for very short-range use? Is the exploration capacity the same between the two variants? The Pisces is designed for much shorter duration expeditions than the 315p due to the lack of onboard facilities, such as a bed and toilet. Historically, it operated out of the Carrack, so had no need for these as the crew would return to the mothership. The exploration capability between the C8 Pisces and C8X Pisces Expedition is identical.
When Whitley’s Guide talks about the Pisces having ‘convertible cabin space’, what do you mean? Will the Pisces have more variants/customization options for the interior, such as medical facilities, beds, more cargo space? The convertible cabin space reference was placeholder text from a previous interior revision of the ship where the jump seats impinged on the cargo space. This is no longer the case and has been removed from the website.
Will both Pisces models be able to equip a bed and sacrifice the cargo grid? There are no current plans to enable additional interior modifications or release new variants of the Pisces.
Will the C8X Pisces Expedition come stock with a Jump Drive, and can the normal C8 Pisces equip a Jump Drive? Neither variant comes equipped with a Jump Module (the device that attaches to a Quantum Drive to form a Jump Drive) as standard. However, both can be equipped with one.
A useful feature for an away ship would be an autopilot that can send it back to the Carrack and call it down. Any plans for something like that? This is an oft-requested feature and while we don’t plan to implement it soon, we are considering it for review further down the line.
Will the Pisces get headlights? Yes. This was an issue in Alpha 3.7.2 that has been fixed for Alpha 3.8.
Will there be a gun rack able to fit firearms larger than a pistol? There are no current plans to add additional interior modifications to the Pisces.
Will it be possible to refuel the Pisces’ hydrogen and QT fuel tanks from the Carrack when it’s in the hanger? Yes. The Carrack (and other ships with dedicated hangars) will be able to refuel ships that are landed correctly within them from their own fuel reserves.
Will the Pisces get a life support component and can it build up atmosphere inside? Yes. Like all other ships with interior spaces, there will be a life support item to replenish the atmosphere inside the ship.
Will the Pisces be well armored to safely carry my Carrack crew to places and wormholes? While it’s not the most armored of ships, as it’s expected to be used for exploration in hostile environments, it is more resistant than other ships of its size.
Will there be an in-game upgrade path from the Carrack’s C8 Pisces to add the two additional weapon hardpoints? Aside from a few limited-edition ships and variants, all vehicles can be earned standalone in-game.
Will the Pisces float on water? It is not envisaged that the Pisces will be able to float on water due to its weight and construction.
Can the Pisces deploy from the carrack while inside a jump “tunnel” to explore alternative paths? This is not recommended as the Jump Drive itself helps stabilize the entry and exit of the tunnel. Launching a ship mid-transit will likely not end well for all involved.