Following the concept release of the RSI Galaxy, we took your community-voted questions to our designers to provide you with more information on the recently unveiled modular ship.
If I don’t have any modules, is the center of the ship just an empty room, or does the Galaxy come with a stock module? Further, is the void full or empty, and can I put “stuff” in there?
If you have no module, the Galaxy has an empty void area with a shell to keep the hull airtight, allowing you to traverse from the hangar to the rest of the ship. As it’s simply an empty space, you could put “stuff” in there but, with a lack of cargo plates, it would be subject to all the normal risks of unsecured cargo.
The Galaxy does not come with a stock module for two reasons. Firstly, we want players to pick their initial module rather than be saddled with whatever would’ve been the base plus the one they want. Secondly, these modules will take up physical space in an inventory like all components. Therefore, if every ship came with a module that players didn’t necessarily want, it would unfairly penalize them.
What is involved with changing out the modules? For example, how long will it take, where can it be done, and can we change modules on the fly or do we have to transport all modules to one location first (like other ship components)?
Due to their size, the modules need to be swapped out at a location capable of that type of work, such as Cousin Crow’s shops, and will require the ship to be there for a period of time. Exact timings are still to be determined but, due to the relative ease of access (remove lower cap then exchange module), this should not be a lengthy operation providing all the required parts are at that location.
Can the Galaxy's modules be dropped off planet-side to create a temporary base of operations?
No. The modules themselves require power and cooling from the ship itself, so they are not able to function independently. In addition, they’re installed with a covering cap to lock them into place, which would need removing first.
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Will there be any medical equipment in the non-modular section of the ship?
There is no onboard medical equipment, such as a med bed, outside of the medical module.
The Galaxy doesn’t seem to be well-shielded, having just one large shield. How does the ship compensate for that? Meaning, will it be fast or will it be heavily armored?
This is part of a longer-term relook at how not just shields but all components function across our ships. Expect to see more updates on this in the new year along with further information on what ships are having alterations to their loadouts to accommodate it. In short, the Galaxy will be well shielded for its size as the role of S3/Large shields will be significantly different to S2/Medium ones and a lot of ships will find themselves with either fewer larger items or more than two smaller items to help provide greater gameplay depth.
What is under the bridge?
It’s just cool looking visual design with no intended gameplay functionality..
Can we get an explanation of what the two rooms on the first floor at the very front of the Galaxy are?
On the upper deck, the front two rooms behind the bridge are for the crew lift and docking collar. On the lower deck, the forward room is for components and the one further rearward is the crew locker/suit room for exiting the vehicle via the lifts.
Are any of the turrets pilot-controlled? If not, does the pilot have any other weapons available to use?
The pilot only has access to the missiles, the turrets are controlled by the crew.
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How does the refinery module compare to the MISC Expanse’s ability to run six separate refining jobs simultaneously, and does the module have any storage for refined ore on its own?
The Galaxy refinery module has both storage for raw and refined materials (outside of just saddlebag storage like the Expanse) as well as two reactors that are much larger than the Expanse’s. So, while it can run fewer simultaneous jobs, it can process much larger quantities per job and store them after.
Can the Galaxy refuel its quantum tank somehow from the refined quantum it has created in the refinery module?
There is no direct connection to the quantum tanks from the refineries, unlike the MISC Odyssey, so any refined Quantanium by the RSI Galaxy is for sale/trade rather than automatic refilling of its own tanks.
The Galaxy promotion website states, “[...] an afterdeck that serves as a dedicated hangar or sizable cargo hold, [...]”. Does this mean that this entire afterdeck area is a cargo grid of 64 SCU or just the sides of it? Can we only transport either 64 SCU or an XXS ship in the afterdeck, or can we transport both at the same time?
The 64 SCU cargo grids are 2x32 grids spaced at the edge of the hangar and do not interfere with the hangar metrics, allowing both an XXS ship and 64 SCU to be stored simultaneously.
Can the cargo module be used as an improvised hangar, and can one use tractor beams to pull the Tumbril Nova or Atlas-platform vehicles into the cargo module?
If you can fit the vehicle either through the door to the hangar or up the lift then this is perfectly possible… but not intended! The cargo lift is capable of loading two 32 SCU containers at a time, so vehicles up to and including the RSI Ursa will comfortably fit.
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What can you tell us about the Galaxy’s maneuverability or speed capabilities compared to the Carrack and Constellation?
Due to the Galaxy’s size, expect it to be closer to the Carrack in terms of maneuverability and speed than to the Constellation.
Does the hangar have refuel/repair capabilities?
The Galaxy has no inbuilt systems to refuel or repair, so would rely on players to bring the tools and equipment to do so.
What size ships can we fit in the Galaxy’s rear hangar? For example, will a MISC Prospector fit there? Does the rear hangar have a ramp/lift for ground vehicles, or can ground vehicles only be used with module lifts?
The rear hangar is an XXS hangar and, as such, is not capable of fitting a MISC Prospector. However, the refinery module is fully compatible with the Prospector and Argo MOLE’s cargo saddlebags, so they can still offload their materials to be refined.
The rear hangar does not have a ramp, as a ramp at the required angle would extend the ship’s footprint beyond its designated hangar metrics, denying it the use of certain landing pads and facilities. Another lift at the rear would have minimal clearance for loading compared to the central module lifts. Therefore, only the central area is compatible with ground vehicles by design.
To try and clear up some of the confusion that exists with hangar sizing, we have XXS, XS, S, M, L, and XL hangar metrics (sometimes referred to as S1-6 after the fallback XML value). A ship must fit entirely within one of those sizes to spawn. However, we do not have all hangar sizes at all locations. For example, the smallest hangar at most space stations and landing zones is S, so any XXS or XS ship spawns there instead. Landing pads at places like Port Olisar and planetary outposts go down to XXS. Examples of ships that fit the XXS metric are the Anvil Pisces, Argo MPUV, MISC Razor, Origin 85X, and Origin M50.
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.