Anyone with even a passing knowledge of aerospace history will be familiar with the legendary Zeus and its undisputed role in Humanity’s conquest of the stars. Originally prototyped in the early 2100s as commercially viable transport utilizing a streamlined quantum drive, the ship had a rocky start when early test flights went publicly awry. Luckily, this would-be legacy was eclipsed by the subsequent efforts of Navy test pilot Michelle Saleno and her hand-picked squad, the original 999th Test Squadron, who worked with RSI to redesign the Zeus' hull before successfully completing a historic test flight in 2137.
The RSI Zeus Mk II is smaller than the Spirit but its cargo variant holds more than twice the cargo of the C1; more than the Mercury. Why would someone choose a C1 Spirit over the Zeus Mk II?
Firstly, the Zeus CL Cargo variant has 3xS2 shields; The 4x S2 shields are reserved for the ES Exploration model. We’ll be discussing this more in the near future, but due to the upcoming changes to components to support the Resource Network (as demonstrated in the Fix It And Fly It panel at CitizenCon), we’ll be doing a big rebalance of item numbers on numerous existing ships, so expect other ships to see their numbers changed.
Secondly, the Spirit is much more agile and has a higher top speed than the Zeus Mk II, favoring maneuverability and not getting hit over raw SCU-carrying capacity. During production, however, we’ve managed to get the C1 Spirit to hold 64 SCU versus the proposed 48 SCU.
What is the range of the QED, and is it a snare or a dampener?
It is just a quantum dampener, not a quantum enforcement device (which combines a snare and dampener). The range will be similar to the one found in the Drake Cutlass Blue.
Are the EMP and quantum dampener pilot-controlled?
We are aiming to allow any seat to control the EMP and quantum dampener, though if this causes issues, we’ll restrict it to a subset. On the MR Security variant, the gunner and co-pilot will both have control of one of the remote turrets.
)/star-citizen-rsi-zeus-v2-bounty-hunter.jpg)
Is the Zeus Mk II CL able to travel through small jump points, making it the current largest cargo ship to do so?
Likely yes, though there are lots of changes coming regarding jump points and their size/restrictions, as the design has evolved significantly since it was first discussed. Expect more info on this as we get closer to Alpha 4.0.
Why do prisoner boxes need extra space? Is it possible to place them on a normal cargo grid?
Prisoner pods can be stored in cargo grids but take up a relatively large volume and items cannot be stacked on top of them.
The prisoner pod area in the MR allows them to be stored in a more efficient “meat rack” format, like the Drake Cutlass Blue, without compromising space.
Are there any escape pods?
The beds are designed as escape-pod beds and eject out the bottom of the ship. Sleep tight!
The room opposite the armory in the MR looks empty, what is its function?
This is a room for armor-and-suit lockers and storage; the angle of the interior shot just didn’t show this well.
)/star-citizen-rsi-zeus-v2-exploration.jpg)
What is the Zeus's top speed?
As the ship is in active production, this value is ever changing, but it will be lower than the Spirit C1.
As the explorer variant will have more shields, will the bounty-hunter variant have significantly heavier armor to compensate?
That is the goal yes, trading shield power for armor to allow the MR to weather the target’s fire.
Does the Zeus have fuel recovery?
Yes, all Zeus variants have fuel intakes capable of generating hydrogen fuel.
)/99/star-citizen-rsi-zeus-v2-cargo.jpg)
Is the top remote turret pilot controlled?
Currently, the gunner seat will control the bottom turret on all versions and the co-pilot will control the top turret on the MR and the tractor beam on the CL.
What are the intended roles for each of the three crew members?
Regarding the bridge seats, one is a dedicated pilot seat and the others are co-pilot and gunner specifically. In terms of roles, we don’t want to lock players to set roles within ships, so whilst naturally one player would be flying the ship, the other two are free to assist in navigation, defense via turrets, offense via missile operator mode/emp/quantum dampening, or deal with engineering issues that arise.
Can the Zeus Mk II MR be equipped with red, blue, and white warning lights like the Drake Cutlass Blue to appear as a law-enforcement vehicle?
This isn’t currently planned, but we’ll see as we go through production.
Does the Zeus have an external docking collar?
There is indeed an airlock with our small metric docking collar, with a ground ladder access in the room to its right providing a second and third entrance to the ship respectively.
)/star-citizen-rsi-zeus-v2-group-shot.jpg)