Following the concept release of the Crusader Spirit series, we took your community-voted questions to our designers to provide you with more information on the recently unveiled ships.
Is a secondary entrance included in the design, or will we only be able to access the Spirit series via the ramp?
There is no secondary entrance. The relatively small and straight-line layout of the Spirit wouldn’t really benefit from an additional entrance, nor was there space to put one without other compromises.
This ship almost looks stealthy. Will the spirit have a lower EM/IR signature than the Cutlass?
IR/EM signature is generated by the components attached to the ship and their use, so the ship’s appearance has no impact. However, the cross-section signature is affected by the shape, so coming at targets head-on (or running away) will give a reduced signature.
Can the tractor beam mount on the C1 be swapped to the remote turret mount of the A1 and E1?
It is not currently planned to allow this, but as the ship progresses through the pipeline, we’ll evaluate whether it’s a tradeoff we need to look at it.
Will there be different types of bombs, like precise strikes or carpet bombs, that we can use with the A1 Spirit?
At launch, we only plan to support a single type of bomb, which will be a dumb high explosive. However, in the future, if alternate options do exist, they’ll be swappable just like we support on other ships where you can customize your missile tracker type.
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Which weapon systems can be controlled by the pilot and which can be controlled by the co-pilot?
By default, the pilot has control over the nose and wing guns, with the co-pilot having control over the rear turret. The nose guns can also optionally be controlled by the co-pilot if desired.
Looking at the stats of the Freelancer and the Cutlass Black, the Spirit seems to be in the low-end equipment-wise (shields, firepower, cargo capacity, defense capabilities). Is this ship going to keep up with the high-speed capabilities of Crusader? How does the speed and maneuverability of the Spirit compare to ships of similar size/role, such as the Cutlass and the Freelancer?
Just like other Crusader ships, the Spirit will be more maneuverable than its size would normally dictate, allowing it to run a lower component loadout whilst still being effective.
Can the rear turrets on the A1 and the E1 fire forward?
No. They specifically cover the rear arc of the ship.
What docking capabilities do these ships have? For example, can they dock to a larger vessel?
There are no docking capabilities as the Spirit is small enough to land at any location within an enclosed hangar.
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What kind of living amenities can we expect to see for the crew? Will the E1 have better living amenities for the crew, and will the E1 passengers have a separate VIP bathroom?
All three variants have the same crew living quarters, with a shared space featuring beds, a small kitchen area, and an integrated shower and toilet. However, on the E1, passengers have a separate toilet and shower located beneath the main seating area.
The A2 Hercules has an option slated to swap out the S10 bombs for a cluster bomb system. Will the A1 Spirit have a similar option?
There are no plans at this time to provide alternative bomb launchers as in the A2 Hercules.
Will it be modular? For example, could we buy one model and then, maybe at some time in the future, swap modules to make our C1 into an E1 or A1?
No. Early on during development we looked at making the ship modular but decided against it as it would require fundamental changes to how the sections were made. This particularly affected the E1, which would’ve been much more limited in scope and size.
The PDF shows 48 SCU of cargo capacity for each variant. This is probably a copy/paste error. Could you confirm?
This was a copy/paste error. The website has the correct details now.
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Which Spirit variants can carry vehicles, and of what size?
Only the C1 Spirit is designed to fit a vehicle, which can be Cyclone-sized or smaller. The E1 and A1 do not officially support any vehicles, although we fully expect players to cram some of the smaller ones in the entrance area.
The A1 Spirit bomber variant has a round 'dish' on top of the roof, but the specs don't show the same S2 scanner/radar as other variants. What is this round feature?
The round dish on top is just a “rule of cool” aesthetic feature and provides no gameplay benefit.
Spirit seems to be a break from the naming convention for the Crusader line. Most Crusader ships are named in reference to Greek and Roman mythology. Where did the name Spirit come from?
“Crusader is seeing the Spirit as a new direction for the brand. Starting with the Star Fighter, the company has been moving away from its transport-dedicated roots and expanding into new markets. With the Spirit’s multi-role functions, it decided to leave the old nomenclature behind.”
- Narrative Team
Disclaimer
The answers accurately reflect development’s intentions at the time of writing, but the company and development team reserve the right to adapt, improve, or change feature and ship designs in response to feedback, playtesting, design revisions, or other considerations to improve balance or the quality of the game overall.