Mako Reliant "News Van"

[NeoHelios_SC]

OKAY, so I get the hauler idea, and I get the researcher idea (sort of), but something in Star Citizen which has continually eluded me is the whole "news" gameplay. I mean, in a game where combat is central, I really hadn't expected some in-game equivalent to Twitch streaming to be a viable thing (disclaimer: I know Twitch is kind of a big deal; I'm saying, why do I need a purpose built ship for it?). As such, I try to tie everything back TO combat, actually. Money talks, so to speak, and I honestly don't see much demand for current events and race coverage. Maybe it is a "role-play" thing.

HOWEVER, it is touted as being a "different experience" and since I already have some other "experiences" covered (Sabre = combat, Endeavor = exploration, science / industry, combat support, greycat corridor racing), I'm tempted to upgrade my Reliant to a news van out of curiosity. There has been some discussion about the Herald officially labeled as a data courier (but we all silently nod at its possible EWAR abilities), and the Cutlass is for ambulance and police work (*cough-pirate*), and who can forget the ATV where our beloved Caterpillar was for "SALVAGE" (insert evil laughter, here).

So my LONG WINDED question is, what is this alleged "news van" REEEALLY for? Covert surveillance? Scouting out fat haulers for wolfpack pirate ops? Spying on cheating spouses as a private investigator? Skip tracing for bounty hunters?

WAIT WAIT WAIT... What bout the ambiguous white van *cough-FEDs* parked outside someone's house actually listening in on phone conversations...?

Speaking of telescopic lenses, can we speculate that they might remove the mousewheel "zoom" feature in Arena Commander and in PU combat, and only let news vans zoom their view in?

I'm reposting this in the main sale thread or official forums since devs "read everything". Maybe I will get lucky, and they will do a Q&A directed towards the news reporting minigame. Speaking of the above examples, I think there is MUCH more to it, and I would actually look forward to gathering intelligence one way or the other.

 

[vindslav]

It is my personal opinion that this is honestly a ship designed for the streamers.

It is quite easy to see the use of a ship like this in the verse for someone who desires to capture content, as it operates much in the same way as surveillance and news choppers work in the real world. That being, you have one pilot the ship, while another operates the camera. Sure, this is only two man, as compared to the usual three man setup for a news chopper, but still, the concept is the same.

The benefit of this is that the captured content should be of better quality, than of that if you were trying to one man everything, as the splitting of the tasks, also simplifies them. Think, trying to keep a target in focus, as you also attempt to follow them would not really be a simple task, and allowing any other camera mechanic could be potentially game breaking.

While, it could very well be used for other means, that is the main purpose. If you want to look deeper into it, go for it, but this just looks to be a case of honest desire on the part of CiG, with this ship.

 

[Tamarous]

Operation Pitchfork news reporters

 

[NeoHelios_SC]

The benefit of this is that the captured content should be of better quality, than of that if you were trying to one man everything, as the splitting of the tasks, also simplifies them.

This! From an (old gamer) mindset of doing everything myself, I had never stopped to think of how the real world works where multitasking is a much more complicated endeavor. As with soldiers in a tank, or crew on a ship, I can totally see how having multiple people reporting the news is made easier and higher quality (assuming: driver, journalist, camera operator) . And judging from the screenshots, it does in fact look like there is room for three people. I'd give you gold if I could, thanks :)

That in mind, I think I might have to consider whether or not I want to get involved with streaming. I think I would enjoy piloting or operating the camera, but having no experience as a camera operator, I'm not sure if I can answer this well. As for journalist, well, I'm not gabby enough for that, so I'll let someone else crew that position should I decide to CCU.

There lies a good question here, though, regarding upload bandwidth in a multi-crew situation. For those who decide to pursue this activity, who gets stuck with uploading the stream? Does the cameraman have to upload video? If so, what if their ISP is capped? I wonder if the stream could be send directly from CIG servers to Twitch (or whatever), reducing the need for purpose-built streaming PCs. Anyways, I digress.

Thanks again!

 

[Phil]

I grabbed one myself hoping to do something other than explore and combat, I also thought they might implement missions based on things going on around the systems like AI generated missions based on what is happening in the system not just for streaming, that is my hope anyways, if its just for streaming I will most likely scrap it at some point as I do not stream.

 

[Blind Owl]

It's certainly an interesting concept. Hopefully there will be content directed towards having said ship. And a way to profit from it.

 

[CosmicTrader]

Great ship - Great idea - Great plan.

 

[maynard]

...And a way to profit from it.

blackmail comes to mind

"I saw what you did there..."

 

[TexasSkulls]

What about some sort of spy plane-type use like the Lockheed U-2? The Mako could take super high resolution photos/videos from a long way out, perhaps well out of normal sensor range.

 

[The Chaos Pope]

After playing Mass Effect, I won't buy any vehicle named "Mako".

 

[Blind Owl]

blackmail comes to mind

"I saw what you did there..."

You, sir, are a goddamn rocket surgeon. Brilliant. Huzzah. Very TEST. Let's drink.

 

[Captin_Chewie]

We could also crash that Bengal Carrier in to the sun, while filming from the news ship! Oh yea, rub it to the orgs that wish they had the carrier! Go Youtube! Yea, that should make those orgs hate us!