Now that the Scorpius Antares from Roberts Space Industries has been added to the 'verse, we posed a few questions to the Vehicle team about the new dedicated short-range interdiction fighter. Here are the answers, straight from the designers themselves.
Are there any advantages over the base Scorpius, such as armor, shields, and maneuverability? Will the Antares have improved speed to chase down targets over the base Scorpius?
The Antares' armor and shields are the same as the base Scorpius. However, the lack of a turret makes it lighter, so the Antares has a marginally higher top speed. For balance, its handling performance has been slightly reduced too.
Will the Antares' cockpit setup differ from the base Scorpius'? For example, will it have four MFDs instead of just two?
The cockpit setups are virtually identical, with only minor changes to the co-pilot seat to account for the extra functionality. The Scorpius was intentionally built with two MFDs, as we plan to bring back additional helmet-based MFDs in the future.
Despite losing the turret and therefore a substantial amount of its original firepower, as well as reduced angles of cover fire, the Antares still packs a punch in terms of weaponry. Would the Antares technically classify as a heavy fighter?
The Antares is still classified as a Heavy Fighter due to its remaining firepower, which, while lower in raw DPS, provides punch in alternate ways with the EMP and quantum jammer. However, it does somewhat straddle the line between a Heavy Fighter and an Interdictor.
How does the extra interdiction and EMP modules affect the Antares' signature when being scanned?
As it has more energy-hungry components and an additional powerplant to run them, the Antares' signature is higher than the regular Scorpius, meaning it can be detected more easily.
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How does the Antares' quantum enforcement device (QED) component differ from that of the RSI Mantis?
The Antares does not have a full QED, just a quantum jammer, which prevents nearby ships from using their quantum drive. The Mantis has both a quantum jammer and a quantum snare, which pulls other ships out of quantum travel. However, the Mantis does not have an EMP, like the Antares.
What advantages and disadvantages does the Antares have over, for example, the Cutlass Blue and the Vanguard Sentinel?
The key advantage is the combination of both a quantum jammer and an EMP device, whereas the Cutlass Blue and Sentinel only have one of the two. However, the Sentinel and Cutlass Blue benefit from having an accessible interior space, providing greater flexibility in role.
Will the EMP be as powerful as the Vanguard Sentinel's?
It is very similar in power to the Sentinel's, trading a slightly slower charge time for a slightly increased range. These values will likely be adjusted over time to ensure both remain competitive but different.
As the Antares is not as maneuverable or nimble as the Avenger Warlock, is the EMP's area of effect large enough to make up for this?
Yes. The Antares' EMP radius is higher than the Warlock's to account for its reduced mobility relative to the smaller ship.
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What size EMP generator will the Antares have? How many ships can the EMP take out?
The EMP generator is a bespoke item and doesn't fit within the usual component parameters. How many ships it can disable entirely depends on how close they are and their component sizes, as it's a radial effect that targets components directly.
What is the spooling time of the EMP on the Antares?
Giving concrete times for spool rates is something we wish to avoid at this point, as further balance and iteration post-launch is inevitable. Instead, it's better to think of it in a hierarchy compared to the other ships with EMP devices, such as the Sabre Raven, Avenger Warlock, and Vanguard Sentinel. Currently, the Raven is the fastest spooling, and the Antares and Sentinel are the slowest.
If someone is playing solo, can the pilot control the quantum jammer and the EMP?
No. A co-pilot is required to activate the quantum jammer and EMP.
Does the co-pilot have control of the missiles as well as the EMP?
No, the co-pilot just has access to the EMP and quantum jammer. The pilot controls the wing weapons and missiles.
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Is the e-warfare component (the EMP) of the Antares fully modular? For example, can it be replaced with the Scorpius' turret? Is the Antares a full variant of the original Scorpius?
The two ships have distinct geometry changes to the hulls, making them full variants. The components are not modular, so there is no possibility of equipping the others' items.
With the introduction of Master Modes, will the quantum jammer affect a ship's ability to quantum boost?
Yes. The quantum jammer is currently planned to interfere with the ability to quantum boost.
The possibility of extending the Scorpius' wing configuration to include the flat pattern was previously mentioned; is there any update to this?
It's still planned but low down on the priority list. We'll also be looking into other vehicles with third states (including the Dragonfly's compact state and Eclipse's tucked wings) when we do this.
What is the reasoning behind making the Antares a two-seater vs a one-seater?
Gameplay-wise, having all that on a single player would be quite overwhelming compared to splitting the load between two, especially in the heat of combat. For example, a single player having to deal with guns, missiles, the EMP, and quantum jammer when engaging a group of enemies alongside friendly ships would be too much.
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.