Ship & Pilot periodicals present
Gladius: First look
Star Citizen has given subscribers a neat and useful perk: Ships of the month. This month, the Gladius is front and center.
Developed by Aegis Aerospace, the same company that brought us the Sabre, the Gladius is classified as a short range patrol fighter and comes with 2 Bulldog repeaters and a Scorpion gatling gun in on the nose. These can be upgraded to an all Badger repeater setup (3 total), which gives this little craft a sizable punch.
Since I rarely use missiles, and only used one my (limited) testing time, I will avoid commentary on the expendable weapons loadout at this time.
Speed and Agility
The Gladius is responsive to both throttle and stick, easily rotating to track an enemy, while keeping them in range. Capable of going from 0-285 (combat maneuvering speed) in approximately 4 seconds, a boost speed of 385, and a cruise speed just under 800, the gladius is not a slouch, but you won't be setting any records on the racing circuit either. However, the whole combat speed and agility combination leaves pilots feeling confident and in control of situations where you may find yourself with pirate or security problems.
Shields and Armor
If these is one thing the Sabre is missing, it's the ability to take a physical hit from debris, or the ability to withstand damage after it's (considerable) shields have been reduced. The Gladius is a much different story. Built with consideration of it's size 2 shields, the Gladius has a much more robust armor protection scheme then the Sabre, meaning that when the occasion arises where you need to "go to guns" and mix up with the enemy, you don't have to worry about accidentally running into the occasional piece of debris. This gives the average pilot a little better safety system. While the shields can't take a lot of punishment, they are also quick to recharge, meaning the time of vulnerability between coming back from exploring that wreck and and full combat capability is short.
Visibility and controls
The Gladius has a large "bubble type" canopy, giving the pilot decent visibility in most directions but the rear. This gives the pilot clear view of your surroundings, making it easier to reacquire that distress beacons after fending off pirates. However, one of the biggest drawbacks (in the opinion of this author) of the large canopy is the lack of visibility of the instruments. These are tucked down at the bottom edge of your standard line of sight (at the bottom edge of the screen), meaning that unless you look down, some of the displays might be partially obstructed. This means you are much more likely to miss that new contact on radar that just came in behind you...with potentially fatal results
Range
The Gladius is designed for short patrols, not extended ones. While adequate for doing a 4-5 waypoint planetary system patrol, this is not a craft that you will want to use for long duration patrols or escort duty unless you have a good amount of tanker support. Put it this way...compared to a Gladius, the Super Hornet is an economy car with a bigger gas tank...and I would not use a Super Hornet on long range duty either.
Overall impressions
A good, well rounded patrol ship with the ability to mount a decent offense while being able to take a few hits. Not the fastest, best armed, or best armored...and certainly not the longest ranged...but it is a good reliable ship. It's about half the price of a Sabre, with probably 70-80% of a Sabre's combat ability. With carrier, tanker, or local support, the range limitation is reduced, making this ship an attractive alternative to budget minded folks who sometimes need a bit of extra muscle.
Gladius: First look
Star Citizen has given subscribers a neat and useful perk: Ships of the month. This month, the Gladius is front and center.
Developed by Aegis Aerospace, the same company that brought us the Sabre, the Gladius is classified as a short range patrol fighter and comes with 2 Bulldog repeaters and a Scorpion gatling gun in on the nose. These can be upgraded to an all Badger repeater setup (3 total), which gives this little craft a sizable punch.
Since I rarely use missiles, and only used one my (limited) testing time, I will avoid commentary on the expendable weapons loadout at this time.
Speed and Agility
The Gladius is responsive to both throttle and stick, easily rotating to track an enemy, while keeping them in range. Capable of going from 0-285 (combat maneuvering speed) in approximately 4 seconds, a boost speed of 385, and a cruise speed just under 800, the gladius is not a slouch, but you won't be setting any records on the racing circuit either. However, the whole combat speed and agility combination leaves pilots feeling confident and in control of situations where you may find yourself with pirate or security problems.
Shields and Armor
If these is one thing the Sabre is missing, it's the ability to take a physical hit from debris, or the ability to withstand damage after it's (considerable) shields have been reduced. The Gladius is a much different story. Built with consideration of it's size 2 shields, the Gladius has a much more robust armor protection scheme then the Sabre, meaning that when the occasion arises where you need to "go to guns" and mix up with the enemy, you don't have to worry about accidentally running into the occasional piece of debris. This gives the average pilot a little better safety system. While the shields can't take a lot of punishment, they are also quick to recharge, meaning the time of vulnerability between coming back from exploring that wreck and and full combat capability is short.
Visibility and controls
The Gladius has a large "bubble type" canopy, giving the pilot decent visibility in most directions but the rear. This gives the pilot clear view of your surroundings, making it easier to reacquire that distress beacons after fending off pirates. However, one of the biggest drawbacks (in the opinion of this author) of the large canopy is the lack of visibility of the instruments. These are tucked down at the bottom edge of your standard line of sight (at the bottom edge of the screen), meaning that unless you look down, some of the displays might be partially obstructed. This means you are much more likely to miss that new contact on radar that just came in behind you...with potentially fatal results
Range
The Gladius is designed for short patrols, not extended ones. While adequate for doing a 4-5 waypoint planetary system patrol, this is not a craft that you will want to use for long duration patrols or escort duty unless you have a good amount of tanker support. Put it this way...compared to a Gladius, the Super Hornet is an economy car with a bigger gas tank...and I would not use a Super Hornet on long range duty either.
Overall impressions
A good, well rounded patrol ship with the ability to mount a decent offense while being able to take a few hits. Not the fastest, best armed, or best armored...and certainly not the longest ranged...but it is a good reliable ship. It's about half the price of a Sabre, with probably 70-80% of a Sabre's combat ability. With carrier, tanker, or local support, the range limitation is reduced, making this ship an attractive alternative to budget minded folks who sometimes need a bit of extra muscle.
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