This year's CitizenCon ship?

Thalstan

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Yeah, something better than the starters (but not as big as a Freelancer), and that you could live off, without having to multicrew or being stupidly big.
That would be the 300, cutlass, and avenger series and it already exists. While it's possible, I don't see them putting out more smaller ships between the 300/avenger/Cutlass and the freelancer.

Seems to me there is a lot of small ships and I believe at the moment all known professions are covered by small ships.
Blind Owl is correct. There are still some starter profession ships needed. The Sen is a science ship, but I think there needs to be a medium ship that does science similar to the Vulture, Vulcan, and other medium sized profession starters. Somethings the size of the Apollo/Star Runner/Freelancer seems appropriate. This would still leave the Endeavor as top dog.

A medium solo/duo industrial ship would be really nice. Something affordable with modules and/or variants for Salvage, Mining, and Science.

Not as good in a single role as the "starter ships" like the Vulture or Prospector, but a true honest starter ship for all the major trades that's affordable enough for a sub 100 dollar ship package. Like the Hull A for a hauler- it's got nice cargo capacity (almost as much as the base Freelancer) and is (for a star citizen ship) modestly priced.
The Vulture and Prospector already fill the solo ships for Salvage and Mining. I don't think we will see more of those. We do need a better starter science ship. That said, we won't see a sub $100 profession starter ship. They have already introduced those profession starters. Unfortunately, they went away from the "every ship can mine by attaching a mining laser" etc. They need to put in the plumbing for all the various components they would want to use. Besides, you can salvage with an aurora if you want. You will need to go into wrecks and remove the equipment and place it in your store all box, but you should be able to do it.

EDIT: First Person Mining also allows you to mine without a mining ship. Get an Aurora and the multi-tool and the mining attachment and you are good to go. FPS mining and salvage will be the cheap entry methods into these professions. I also suspect you will get a hand tool for initial analysis of found items for an FPS science job as well some time into the future. (end edit)

I really want there to be an industrial ship that someone who may only feel comfortable pledging a normal amount for a game would be able to get started in- right now the cheapest industrial "starter ships" are the Vulture (Salvage, 140 USD), Prospector (Mining, 155 USD), and the only decently priced one (without any real gameplay) the Reliant Sen (Science, 85 USD)
They want people to buy generalist ships for starter to allow people to explore the most aspects of the game. This also means they get more money for the starters they do sell.

I get that the point of the "starter" industry ships like the Vulture and Prospector is to not be shitty versions of their huge multicrew "upgrades" like the Orion/Reclaimer, but when the entry tier ships are 2-3x the cost of a normal game it scares off some people who would otherwise be interested.
Everything will be available for purchase in-game. You do not need anything bigger than an Aurora or a Mustang. You don't NEED to purchase a profession starter. It will give you a leg up if you do once the game launches, but that's why it costs more.

I would suggest just starting with something like a Freelancer (Base or Max), or a Cutlass. If you REALLY want to splurge, get a Taurus. That would put you right around what other games charge for their most premium game bundles. (150). It also gets you very good all around ships that should allow you to make good money once the game goes live.


As for what ships we will get, I think 2. A BIG ship...$600 or more, maybe even a capital for 1k+
The Pieces that comes with the Carrack. This will be mostly used as an LTI token.

There might be one more ship if the Pieces can't do a quantum jump (starter ship of some sort), or it could just be a special deal on a current ship with a starter package applied for a discount.
 
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Blind Owl

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As for what ships we will get, I think 2. A BIG ship...$600 or more, maybe even a capital for 1k+
The Pieces that comes with the Carrack. This will be mostly used as an LTI token.

There might be one more ship if the Pieces can't do a quantum jump (starter ship of some sort), or it could just be a special deal on a current ship with a starter package applied for a discount.
Pisces. Nice. I'll take it. I also concur with the large ship. That's been SOP for the last few CitCons.
 
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Bambooza

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Blind Owl is correct. There are still some starter profession ships needed. The Sen is a science ship, but I think there needs to be a medium ship that does science similar to the Vulture, Vulcan, and other medium sized profession starters. Somethings the size of the Apollo/Star Runner/Freelancer seems appropriate. This would still leave the Endeavor as top dog.
So a science ship is the only one you think might be missing? At the moment we don't even really know what science does with some speculation that it might be able to modify modules or scan for anomalies. If it's just scanning then we have the explorer branch of ships which would culminate in the Endeavor. If its scanning flora and fauna for bonus attributes when consumed then the Sen would be the starting ship with a tool like the mining tool for handheld scanning.

So no I still do not see a need for any specialized profession ships. While this does not exclude the possibility that there will be more in the future or even ships for an undisclosed profession I am still of the opinion that there is no pressing need. The current ship lineup covers most areas fairly well.
 

Deroth

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Does Anvil have an actual 'Starter Ship'?
IF a new Anvil Starter Ship is announced/added this year I doubt it'd be the ONLY ship though. Anvil has a pretty stacked line-up already, only things coming to mind they don't have proper coverage for are:
  • Starter ship
  • Cargo hauler (which they might not care about since the Carrack can do this to a degree)
  • Something bigger than a Carrack
  • Racing ground vehicle (which they might not even care about)
 
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Thalstan

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So a science ship is the only one you think might be missing? At the moment we don't even really know what science does with some speculation that it might be able to modify modules or scan for anomalies. If it's just scanning then we have the explorer branch of ships which would culminate in the Endeavor. If its scanning flora and fauna for bonus attributes when consumed then the Sen would be the starting ship with a tool like the mining tool for handheld scanning.

So no I still do not see a need for any specialized profession ships. While this does not exclude the possibility that there will be more in the future or even ships for an undisclosed profession I am still of the opinion that there is no pressing need. The current ship lineup covers most areas fairly well.
a smaller passenger ship would be good too, but we don't know much about that either.
 

Randson

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Give me a heavy hitting, Slow moving Mini-Javelin for people who cant fork over for s9 turrets. make it a space tank at the size of a Polaris at the cost of speed and maneuverability. No hangar, and balance it with having large turrets only so that the bombers can destroy this thing
 

Cugino83

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That would be the 300, cutlass, and avenger series and it already exists. While it's possible, I don't see them putting out more smaller ships between the 300/avenger/Cutlass and the freelancer.
As much I know this is not going to happen now SC really need more starting and medium ships: CO for example only have the Mustang series (starter ship) and the Pioneer (capital ship)...it neeed more models and a good medium-large ship (in the Avenger or Conny category) is a must have.
Crusader is the same: only have a medium-large ship and two versi lage, definetly need a starter ship for new player (and so that I cant melt my mustang and get one form CI since I really like they stile line...)
 

Deroth

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As much I know this is not going to happen now SC really need more starting and medium ships: CO for example only have the Mustang series (starter ship) and the Pioneer (capital ship)...it neeed more models and a good medium-large ship (in the Avenger or Conny category) is a must have.
Crusader is the same: only have a medium-large ship and two versi lage, definetly need a starter ship for new player (and so that I cant melt my mustang and get one form CI since I really like they stile line...)
I completely agree.

Would also like to see one of the civilian market based manufacturers come out with a civilian targeted carrier, more comforts and better secured hangers than the Kraken, but maybe fewer hangers, better shields and hull, and a lot of computer space intended to be used to control turrets. Market it as a personal small fleet support ship for race enthusiasts.

Really feeling underwhelmed by the choice of Anvil, yes there is a lot of popularity and hype for Anvil, but a lot of that is due to the volume of ships they already have. Other manufacturers could see similar popularity with an expanded fleet of interesting ships.
 
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Cugino83

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I completely agree.

Would also like to see one of the civilian market based manufacturers come out with a civilian targeted carrier, more comforts and better secured hangers than the Kraken, but maybe fewer hangers, better shields and hull, and a lot of computer space intended to be used to control turrets. Market it as a personal small fleet support ship for race enthusiasts.

Really feeling underwhelmed by the choice of Anvil, yes there is a lot of popularity and hype for Anvil, but a lot of that is due to the volume of ships they already have. Other manufacturers could see similar popularity with an expanded fleet of interesting ships.
Agree with the polularity, for the civialn carrier that, teoretically, already exist: the Starliner is suppose to be able to be configured in serveral way for the full luxury passanger carrier to the full cargo variant.
IT may not have the defense turret but it will fit the carrier role quite well
 

Thalstan

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As much I know this is not going to happen now SC really need more starting and medium ships: CO for example only have the Mustang series (starter ship) and the Pioneer (capital ship)...it neeed more models and a good medium-large ship (in the Avenger or Conny category) is a must have.
Crusader is the same: only have a medium-large ship and two versi lage, definetly need a starter ship for new player (and so that I cant melt my mustang and get one form CI since I really like they stile line...)
I see where you are coming from, but let's take a look at the various ships available these days.
small to medium civilian ships. (not just starters)
Hull A, Hull B
Terrapin
Aurora series (5)
Mustang series (5+1)
Hawk (BH)
100 series (3)
Reliant series (4)
Razor series (3)
M50
Avenger series (4)
300 series (4)
Herald
prospector
Vulture
Cutlass series (3)
Freelancer series (3) + the MIS (military)
Vulcan
Star Runner
Apollo (2)
Constellation series (4) +1 - but technically, these are large ships.

that means of the 132 ships that SC currently has, 46 are civilian medium and smaller ships, 50 if you include the connies. I did not include counting the limited promotion ships, the MIS, or the Phoenix Emerald.

That means that over 1/3 of the ships in SC are medium and smaller civilian ships.
Of those you have the Auroras (5), Mustangs (5), 100 series (3), Reliant series (4), Avenger series (4), 300 series (4), Cutlass series (3), Freelancer series (3), Hawk, Hull A/B, Razor, M50, Herald, and Vulcan, That could all be considered "starter" ships. (at 225, the Star Runner is too expensive for a starter,). All the rest are 150 and down, which is in-line with the most expensive collectors packs out there for MMO games. This means 31 ships, or 23 percent, of all ships are "general purpose civilian starter ships" when you stop at the freelancer series in my list, and 38 are just civilian starter ships, but might be for a specific role (this is 29%)
If you go strictly by the 150 number and include military ships, etc, that gives you 53 ships to choose from, which is 40 percent of ships.

Star Citizen is not hurting for starter ships. yes, it needs a few more. Profession starter passenger ship (mini Gemini), profession starter science ship (bigger SEN), and there may be a few more as well, but I really don't see the need for yet another set of starter ships from greycat, from Consolidated outland, etc...

EDIT...one more number...98 of the ships in game are medium or smaller (including ground vehicles). Only 34 are large. So 74 percent are medium or smaller. Excluding all personal vehicles, (15) plus ships without Q drives (4), that means there are 113 ships total. so 70 percent of the total number of ships are medium and smaller. These ships are mostly solo-capable, and while they may not be great with only a pilot, they work well enough that it's fine the majority of the time.
 
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Deroth

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I see where you are coming from, but let's take a look at the various ships available these days.
small to medium civilian ships. (not just starters)
Hull A, Hull B
Terrapin
Aurora series (5)
Mustang series (5+1)
Hawk (BH)
100 series (3)
Reliant series (4)
Razor series (3)
M50
Avenger series (4)
300 series (4)
Herald
prospector
Vulture
Cutlass series (3)
Freelancer series (3) + the MIS (military)
Vulcan
Star Runner
Apollo (2)
Constellation series (4) +1 - but technically, these are large ships.

that means of the 132 ships that SC currently has, 46 are civilian medium and smaller ships, 50 if you include the connies. I did not include counting the limited promotion ships, the MIS, or the Phoenix Emerald.

That means that over 1/3 of the ships in SC are medium and smaller civilian ships.
Of those you have the Auroras (5), Mustangs (5), 100 series (3), Reliant series (4), Avenger series (4), 300 series (4), Cutlass series (3), Freelancer series (3), Hawk, Hull A/B, Razor, M50, Herald, and Vulcan, That could all be considered "starter" ships. (at 225, the Star Runner is too expensive for a starter,). All the rest are 150 and down, which is in-line with the most expensive collectors packs out there for MMO games. This means 31 ships, or 23 percent, of all ships are "general purpose civilian starter ships" when you stop at the freelancer series in my list, and 38 are just civilian starter ships, but might be for a specific role (this is 29%)
If you go strictly by the 150 number and include military ships, etc, that gives you 53 ships to choose from, which is 40 percent of ships.

Star Citizen is not hurting for starter ships. yes, it needs a few more. Profession starter passenger ship (mini Gemini), profession starter science ship (bigger SEN), and there may be a few more as well, but I really don't see the need for yet another set of starter ships from greycat, from Consolidated outland, etc...

EDIT...one more number...98 of the ships in game are medium or smaller (including ground vehicles). Only 34 are large. So 74 percent are medium or smaller. Excluding all personal vehicles, (15) plus ships without Q drives (4), that means there are 113 ships total. so 70 percent of the total number of ships are medium and smaller. These ships are mostly solo-capable, and while they may not be great with only a pilot, they work well enough that it's fine the majority of the time.
I get what you mean, but honestly I'd expect there to be over 60% of the ships to be civilian small to medium sized ships as starter and solo/small crew profession ships. This is what I'd expect most players to mostly use, and having a saturation of large multi-crew ships will leave many players feeling excluded.
 

Bambooza

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I completely agree.

Would also like to see one of the civilian market based manufacturers come out with a civilian targeted carrier, more comforts and better secured hangers than the Kraken, but maybe fewer hangers, better shields and hull, and a lot of computer space intended to be used to control turrets. Market it as a personal small fleet support ship for race enthusiasts.

Really feeling underwhelmed by the choice of Anvil, yes there is a lot of popularity and hype for Anvil, but a lot of that is due to the volume of ships they already have. Other manufacturers could see similar popularity with an expanded fleet of interesting ships.

The biggest issue I have with such a ship is a balance in PVP as this ship would be too secure for such a low cost and low crew requirements (large computer I presumed was for unmanned turret control). The reason the Kraken works is because of its vulnerabilities especially when not crewed while allowing a pirate gang to operate out of a moving base.

So ask yourself what sort of weaknesses would you be ok with this carrier? If it's going to have strongly shielded hangers then it should have limited if any turrets relying on the ships it carries to provide cover (even better if the turrets were more like flake cannons/ scattershot for short-range anti-fighter but useless at anything more then 1k away). Give it blind spots were boarding parties can dock and secure the ship if there is no crew to deny them.
 

Cugino83

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Thalstan nice round down, but you are viewing thinks by an already baker prospective.
New player that want to try Star Citizen do not invest 250 bucks or eve 100 bucks, those will came, eventually, later. New player looks, for the most, for small package, around 50-60 bucks (the standard price for a PC game more or less) and in this range we have only 2 package: the aurora and the mustang. The Avenger package is not advertised so much and it cost more, all the other ship you mentioned are even more expensive so not a valid option for someone that want to start.

What I mean is that the game need more cheap option for new player so that they can have more choices of good all round ships to strart enjoiy the PU.
If SC if often seen as a "pay to win" game is also becouse there are tons of ship that you can buy AFTER you own a starter packege. I'm not saying that there should be more starter then "upgrade ships" but a bit of variety could really benefit the image of SC.
 

Blind Owl

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I don't even know what I want anymore. Something fun, exciting, shiny and new. Jesus, I just want a ship, but I have no idea what. Medium Salvage would be cool, but really, I think I want CIG to just deliver some mechanics to game so we can play with what we have. So many awesome ships with no purpose ATM.

I think I just want SQ42 to drop so I can stop dreaming and start playing for real. That would be the best CitizenCon treat.
 
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