Star Citizen Megathread - Fly FREE thru Dec 14th! Link in OP

[dai]

[QUOTE=Visorak06;49172976]Not sure why I'd melt a ship I really wanted[/QUOTE]

A: there's a bigger ship you REALLY want

[QUOTE=the_killer24;49172993]no

if you're [B][U][I]really[/I][/U][/B] quick you might be able to snatch up one of a thousand $30 game packages but other than that nope[/QUOTE]

the last batch went in 1 minute 45 seconds

[elix]

[QUOTE=Visorak06;49172976]Not sure why I'd melt a ship I really wanted, but I'll do that. Last question for anyone that knows: Is this sale tomorrow going to be limited? Like there's only so many upgrades that will be available before they're sold out, or what have you.[/QUOTE]

Melting allows you to exchange it for store credit, and when the unmelt tool comes online, it can play to your advantage.

For example, I currently have a LTI Avenger Titan which I bought using store credit; I'm going to melt it so I can recover my Khartu-al (with 3year insurance over the 2yr I previously had, OR LTI via upgrades if I don't care about the hangar) tomorrow. I definitely want to keep my Xi'An especially since it's so close to flight-ready, so the Avenger Titan is very much temporary.

When the unmelt tool goes online (probably not before end of 2015 but who knows), if I decide later that I [I]do[/I] want that Avenger Titan, all I need to do is either melt something else for enough store credit, or plunk down $50 more and unmelt the Titan, and now, poof, I have an LTI ship on my account and I didn't actually pay cash specifically for it for months.

The discounted Aurora starter packages are vanishing in under 2 minutes now, so you've gotta be on the ball. They restock at 9am EST/6am PST.

On the topic of limited CCUs, not tomorrow, but [I]sometimes[/I] that does occur, but for special ships like the Constellation Phoenix (a luxury touring variant) or the 890 Jump (a deluxe space yacht) where the devs only want so many of them to be in the game at launch. Meanwhile they could care less how many Auroras are in the game.

[Techbot]

[t]http://3kv.in/~techbot/ShareX/2015/11/23/23-54_185.png[/t]

[Mai]

re: the CCUs, I'd recommend on Friday you pick up a bunch of free Taurus to Cutlass Blue/Retaliator Base tokens so you can try those out too

[Visorak06]

Well I just bought the Mustang Beta Package and a LTI Archimedes on the side, so I guess that puts me on a solid start. I'll have to keep a lookout for the upgrade CCU's tomorrow. Is that Mustang Delta with the 3 year insurance going to be available much longer? I just noticed that on the ships page and it looks like a meaner variant of the Beta.

[Mai]

until tomorrow and then fri-sun, after that you'll have to wait for another sale

[elix]

The Delta's a rocket boat, primarily, and is the combat-focused variant.

If you miss today/tomorrow, just wait until the weekend when everything goes up at the same time.

[QUOTE=dai;49172568]on the note of hangars, I believe if you buy a cutlass package or larger, you get all 4 hangar styles.[/QUOTE]

Hangars vary by packages; "piracy"-related ships above a certain price point get asteroid hangars because the R&Y and Aeroview hangars are probably going to be concentrated primarily in civilized UEE space - no place for outlaws. Asteroid hangars can be [I]anywhere[/I].

The Khartu-al, at least as of last year, includes only up to the R&Y, leaving out the VFG. More hangar types are theoretically coming eventually, but they're hardly priority compared to getting 2.0 out and all that.

[Mai]

the delta isn't even a good rocket boat because the rockets are hella slow and easy to evade

the real value of the delta is (assuming they haven't changed this) the fact that you can yank off the pods to reveal two more S2 hardpoints, allowing you to pack near-hornet levels of firepower in a much smaller and more agile package

[img]http://i.imgur.com/RaZ1tCz.png[/img]

laser rave delta is/was the shit

[Visorak06]

I wonder if we'll see a Xi'an hangar to match the more exotic ships they put out. I heard the Khartu-Al design was actually bought by RSI from an independent artist on a whim, so I wonder if that means it'll be the only Xi'an ship we see or if they'll take a crack at other alien race adaptation ships. The design possibilities are just so cool.

[dai]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/dGNh6mF.jpg[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/fEx6Uqll.jpg[/t]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/sjBnnwe.jpg[/t]

far from being as elegant as the KA, I'd bet they'll get an overhaul long before we see these again. That escort ship is ugly 70's sci fi trash

also oh hey

[t]http://i.imgur.com/jijUdF3.png[/t]

[Timebomb575]

[QUOTE=dai;49173371]
far from being as elegant as the KA, I'd bet they'll get an overhaul long before we see these again.[B] That escort ship is ugly 70's sci fi trash[/B]
[/QUOTE]

fuck you it looks like the nightmare from eve which is awesome

[t]http://eve.aeonoftime.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-02_Nightmare_In_Space.jpg[/t]

and that battleship looks sexy as fuck too

I might be slightly biased though because I have a huge hard on for verticool ships :v:

[ScottyWired]

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;49173455]fuck you it looks like the nightmare from eve which is awesome

[t]http://eve.aeonoftime.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-02_Nightmare_In_Space.jpg[/t]

I might be slightly biased though because I have a huge hard on for verticool ships :v:[/QUOTE]

VERTICAL MINMATAR SUPERIORITY

[dai]

ugly 00's sci fi trash :v:

I love vert ship designs but looking at these next to the current khartu al is unfair

[Visorak06]

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;49173455]fuck you it looks like the nightmare from eve which is awesome

[t]http://eve.aeonoftime.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-09-02_Nightmare_In_Space.jpg[/t]

and that battleship looks sexy as fuck too

I might be slightly biased though because I have a huge hard on for verticool ships :v:[/QUOTE]

I actually flew a Nightmare in Eve as well! Absolute bastard of a ship to go up against. The KA reminds me of a much stranger looking Cynabal mixed with a Nightmare so it immediately got me hooked. I hope the rest of the Xi'an ships maintain that vertical, sleek aesthetic. Those designs Dai posted are cool but look a little too blocky and militaristic to fit with the theme I think the KA established. As he said though they'll probably be refined and reworked a lot if they're early concepts, so I'm putting my hype on the back burner for now.

[Timebomb575]

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;49173481]VERTICAL MINMATAR SUPERIORITY[/QUOTE]

the Naglfar is so verticool I cant even handle it

I'm very min-max in that I like really really smooth curvy looking verticool ships like that escort concept or the Nightmare, but I also really like extremely angular, industrial looking verticool ships like the Naglfar and the Tornado.

what I hate is stuff like the retaliator and connie, that jagged, hyper-futuristic look really doesnt do it for me at all. Reminds me a lot of Caldari designs from eve

[elix]

[QUOTE=Visorak06;49173354]I wonder if we'll see a Xi'an hangar to match the more exotic ships they put out. [B]I heard the Khartu-Al design was actually bought by RSI from an independent artist on a whim[/B], so I wonder if that means it'll be the only Xi'an ship we see or if they'll take a crack at other alien race adaptation ships. The design possibilities are just so cool.[/QUOTE]

Uhhh where did you hear that?

Because the Khartu-al was the $23 million stretch goal and represented the first taste of the Xi'An we got. [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13305-Letter-From-The-Chairman-21-Million"]The $21 million letter[/URL] (announcing the Khartu-al as the $23mil goal, as stretch goals sometimes broke faster than CR could write letters for them) includes the following:
[QUOTE]In addition, we are unlocking a new $23 million goal: the addition of a Xi’an Scout as a playable asset in the game. We’ve recently begun putting together concept art of Xi’an worlds, which got us thinking about the game’s Xi’an ships: how can we make them play differently than the standard human ships? We have a few ideas and with this stretch goal we can put them into the game! In addition to alien designs and interfaces, the Xi’an craft will feature a totally different maneuvering system.

Xi’an ship design will be focused on a vertical aesthetic and maneuvering jets that can combine to thrust in multiple directions. Gimbaled, larger-than-normal thrusters sit on the four points of a star in the centerline, allowing each thruster unobstructed hemispherical coverage. The Xi’an scout can rotate on all axes and direct four thrusters to the rear or front! Because of this configuration the Xi’an ship has superb linear maneuvering abilities on all axes. This extra maneuverability comes at a cost however. Xi’an ships favor maneuverability over heavy armament or defensive protection.

Instead of picking up an alien ship that simply looks different, it will feel different!

Here’s the description:

Xi’an Scout Unlocked! The Khartu is the light attack craft of the Xi’An military. Contrary to Human ship design, the Khartu doesn’t have a traditional main thruster, instead featuring an array of maneuvering thrusters on articulated rigs. This design allows for incredible agility, making them the bane of UEE pilots, who bestowed the nickname ‘Quark’ because when all of the thrusters are firing, the ship looks like a spark flying through space. The Xi’an Aopoa corporation also manufactures an export model, the Khartu-al, for sale to human civilians as a dedicated scout/explorer. The export model features the same Xi’an maneuvering rig, but control surfaces modified for human use and a more limited armament. (Designer: Aopoa)[/QUOTE]
[IMG]https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/bhe3x4aihmem0r/post_section_header/RihlahIV_Final_4k.jpg[/IMG]

[I]Eight months later[/I], [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13954-XiAn-Scout-Available"]the Xi'An Scout went up for concept sale[/URL], which is/was the typical length of time for concept art to get done then.

The concept for the Xi'An Scout was done by [URL="http://www.eddiedelrio.com/"]Eddie Del Rio[/URL], and somehow I don't think he built the concept and waited for CIG to find it and offer to buy it off him. I'll be happy to be proven wrong but that just doesn't seem likely.
[t]https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/g66aqqdh554kgr/source/Scout_ship_Variation_05.jpg[/t]

And, on the note of more Xi'An ships, the Volper bomber is confirmed (and very likely [I]not[/I] for pledge), and there is an unnamed Xi'An cargo ship being built that they're not showing us at all. In the big leaked build in the spring, a [I]very[/I] early blocked-out version of what is probably the Xi'An cargo ship appeared; it's vertical and has a big boxy section in the middle, MISC Reliant style, that likely represents Hull-style cargo box clustering for hauling. There have also been lore mentions of bigger Xi'An ships as you'd expect from a civilization.

The Xi'An play a significant role in the lore (the UEE was at war with them until the fall of the Messer regime two centuries ago, and the war is still in living memory for the long-lived Xi'An) and I expect they'll play a significant role in the game, as with the other alien races. The Vanduul are the immediate and massive threat, but the dominated Tevarin may stage an insurrection, the Xi'An are not entirely our friends yet, the trading Banu are basically Ferengi and can be trusted about as much, and the Kr'Thak are a giant unknown because the Xi'An won't let us make first contact.

[Mattk50]

[QUOTE=dai;49173371]That escort ship is ugly 70's sci fi trash[/QUOTE]

One man's 70's scifi trash is another man's 70's scifi treasure.

At least it's not a moden fighter plane in space.

[Bradyns]

[QUOTE=Mattk50;49173711]One man's 70's scifi trash is another man's 70's scifi treasure.

At least it's not a moden fighter plane in space.[/QUOTE]

Are you givin' me crap for buying the [del]F-18[/del] F-7CM Hornet?

[Visorak06]

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;49173657]Uhhh where did you hear that?[/QUOTE]

He said he read something on the forums about it and thought that the ship was originally purchased as a placeholder model for a prop in the (Bengal?) Carrier's hold in the original kickstarter trailer. On closer look it doesn't seem like the same ship even if there's a resemblance from the rounded orb-like design if he's talking about the one I think he is. Either way, supposedly the ship was purchased from a modeler/artist. I don't know myself admittedly, but he said he'd try to dig up where he heard that from to clarify it himself.

[Mattk50]

[QUOTE=Bradyns;49173813]Are you givin' me crap for buying the [del]F-18[/del] F-7CM Hornet?[/QUOTE]

I like the hornet, it's only kinda a fighter plane. The gladius though... the fucking gladius...

[elix]

[QUOTE=Visorak06;49173830]He said he read something on the forums about it and thought that the ship was originally purchased as a placeholder model for a prop in the (Bengal?) Carrier's hold in the original kickstarter trailer. On closer look it doesn't seem like the same ship even if there's a resemblance from the rounded orb-like design if he's talking about the one I think he is. Either way, supposedly the ship was purchased from a modeler/artist. I don't know myself admittedly, but he said he'd try to dig up where he heard that from to clarify it himself.[/QUOTE]

Oh, you mean this thing.

[IMG]http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/371/950/371950706_640.jpg[/IMG]

That's just a stock prop they licensed/bought from the artist and threw in to add variety in the GDC reveal trailer (in the Bengal) and then reused elsewhere very early on. That ship was never intended for permanent use in Star Citizen.

The Xi'An Scout is a completely different ship, it just happens to be painted red and vertical (in its concept-art representation).

P.S. that concept pic is how big they originally envisioned planetary landing zones, since the budget was much smaller. Compare to ArcCorp now.

[editline]blah[/editline]

Via Reddit, who the fuck needs a ship?
[video=youtube;91fW5O_UyQk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91fW5O_UyQk[/video]

[Visorak06]

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;49173850]Oh, you mean this thing.

[IMG]http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/371/950/371950706_640.jpg[/IMG]

That's just a stock prop they licensed/bought from the artist and threw in to add variety in the GDC reveal trailer (in the Bengal) and then reused elsewhere very early on. That ship was never intended for permanent use in Star Citizen.

The Xi'An Scout is a completely different ship, it just happens to be painted red and vertical (in its concept-art representation).

P.S. that concept pic is how big they originally envisioned planetary landing zones, since the budget was much smaller. Compare to ArcCorp now.[/QUOTE]

Ah thanks for the clarification, I'll pass it along to him that he just got the ships mixed up. Its rather amazing to see just how drastically the vision changed for the game between then and now. He was one of the constellation tier backers way back when and was telling me about all the little changes and scope adjustments the concept went through. Really cool stuff.

[elix]

This image via Reddit is a good indication of how much the Connie has changed and improved over the lifespan of the project so far:
[t]https://i.imgur.com/Mfy7H1L.jpg[/t]

[krail]

isn't the middle picture older? back when the merlin docked in the central area and the beds were in the back with that oversized bathroom

[editline]24th November 2015[/editline]

how trash do those old ones look though, it really shows the foundry 42 magic touch (and also how god awful cgbot's work is)

[Bradyns]

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;49174064]This image via Reddit is a good indication of how much the Connie has changed and improved over the lifespan of the project so far:
[t]https://i.imgur.com/Mfy7H1L.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]

I was going to post the video I uploaded to youtube forever ago showing off the Connie an hour after the initial hanger release, but I cannot find it.

[elix]

[QUOTE=krail9;49174289]isn't the middle picture older? back when the merlin docked in the central area and the beds were in the back with that oversized bathroom[/QUOTE]

I've never seen the Connie look as shitty as the top one, and the middle one is what I'm more familiar with, but I also wasn't a backer at this stage in development so I wasn't there.

I found this video from end-of-August 2013 of the Connie in the initial hangars, at least.

[video=youtube;ScbtI3SM5qU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScbtI3SM5qU[/video]

[Korro Bravin]

Downloading the latest PTU patch, hopefully it'll be a wee bit more stable now.
They also added a direct to crusader option to the main menu, excellent

[Mai]

so is the only known difference between the stalker and titan the presence of the prisoner pods?

[editline]23rd November 2015[/editline]

I take it that's a yes

since I was gonna tear out the pods in the PU anyway for more cargo space might as well plop down another $15, shuffle some packages and CCUs around, and trade in my Stalker for an MR+LTI Titan

[elix]

The Titan and Stalker probably have different engines/shields/shit because the Titan is a cargo carrier, not a Party Van. However, in the grand scheme of things, the main selling point seems to be trading prisoner cells for cargo mount points/crash webbing in the back.

The modularity system should let you swap the ass module around anyway, so you can haul cargo on days you don't feel like fighting. They're just not selling the modules separately the way they are on the bigger ticket ships (either as Battlefield Upgrade Kits or straight up major modules), at least not yet.

Thinking about that, it'd be pretty amazing to get a Connie Phoenix and then refit all of the internals to be a battle-ready Connie without changing the external appearance, pimping it out beyond the Phoenix's already-superior stock fittings (like its point-defense turret). Self-rescuing bait ship. :v:

[Capgun]

Still no ptu, but that's okay, my fucking laptop charger died and I can't do anything for the time being