Stars Above - Ship Talk #9: The Constellations

[Black Sunder]

Stars Above - Ship Talk #9: The Constellations

Welcome back to Ship Talk! For those of you new to this series(where have you been?), Ship Talk is where I take the current on paper stats for a group of ships similar in either role or hull, analyze them, and give my own thoughts on how they compare to each other. Below you can find links to previous Ship Talks and Ship Talk Commentary:

Ship Talk #1 - Exploring the Unknown: The top 4 Exploration Ships
Ship Talk #2 - Aurora Rain: All about the MVP of TEST, the Aurora + Variants
Ship Talk #3 - Squadron Reporting - Ship Talk #3 'Fighters' Part 1
Ship Talk #3 - Squadron Reporting - Ship Talk #3 'Fighters' Part 2
Ship Talk #4 - Cargo Cult: The Cargo Haulers
Ship Talk #5 - Avast Me Hearties! - Ship Talk #5: The Cutlass
Ship Talk #6 - Goin Freelance: The Freelancers
Ship Talk #7 - The Redeemer
Ship Talk #8 - Wild Horses: The Mustangs

The Aegis Vanguard - Ship Talk Commentary #1
The Hull Series - Ship Talk Commentary #2

Well let me apologize first. I've been playing Dawn of War Dark Crusade again so I had been writing things later and later in the week on top of building Lego sets in the evening. Derp. I'm building the last Lego for a while now so next week will see Ship Talk back to a Friday slot because I'm going to force myself to play Dark Crusade only after writing some every night. Herp.

The Constellations are cool. ok they just are. Like the Freelancers there is a ship that can do most anything you want to do with the exception of some of the highly specialized professions such as salvaging. Well who knows maybe you can outfit one to do that too. They are an incredibly diverse set of ships and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more variants for other types of professions. Now in the past I discussed the Aquila and Taurus and you can find those in the various Ship Talks 1 and 4.

The Constellation was the first ship I pledged for. I went right in from the start for the biggest ship available to me on my budget and because 'multi-functional' sounded best. Before the variants and new upgrade system there were things called upgrade slots and the Constellation had a whopping 20 of them which made it even more appealing. Since then the Constellation has become what it is now and is even being redone to fit the new modular deck swapping system which is very cool. Without anything further here are the Constellations.

My Thoughts on the Ships(Constellation Andromeda, Taurus, Aquila, Phoenix)

General Thoughts on Stats

First let me acknowledge again that these stats and listed equipment are all subject to change. However, unless something drastic occurs in testing I would expect these stats to still give a good overall direction and capability for each ship. Below is a link to a composite picture I made with all the stats listed from the RSI site:

All Constellation Stats

Descriptions and Roles

First of all these descriptions are somewhat dated, especially the base Andromeda description since the new Cargo Capacity changes. The new SCU numbers destroyed the Constellation cargo capacity. While grateful we have an actual metric to go off of now instead of wild guesses, the hammer came down hard and none of the Constellations can carry what the old numbers alluded to. Nevertheless we will push on because the variants descriptions at least are 'mostly' still good. Poor Taurus you sorry SOB.

The Andromeda is the original Constellation given a name to match. It boasts that it is a multi-function ship that is the most popular in RSI's current production line. The Andromeda is billed in the description as a freighter....which I dispute, but as I said I don't think the description has been looked at in a long time. Still, the ship should be able to take on multiple roles and be modified as the captain sees fit to fulfill those jobs.

The Taurus is the hauler of the group...sorta. It was? Is? The Taurus is a good starting point if you're looking to get into multi-crew ships and learn the ropes. The Taurus is the dedicated freighter of the group and as such contains none of the bells and whistles of the others.

The Aquila is the explorer of the Constellations. Featuring advanced sensors, a redesigned cockpit an an onboard rover you can truly explore in style. If you're looking for a better and upgraded explorer without going to the Carrack this ship may just work. Finally the Phoenix is the dedicated luxury vehicle. The Phoenix can be operated as a command ship while retaining that refined quality. The ship includes a sensor dampened hold for those kegs of 100 proof beer. The Phoenix comes with a rover and an upgraded P-72 Archimedes snub fighter.

Structural and Propulsion

There is nothing unique in the measurements department aside from minor variances. Moving down to cargo capacity. I said it before but I'll say it again, the Constellation series got it in the cargo hold hard with the new SCU units. I fully acknowledge that the old units were probably made up completely and the new SCU capacity was done with actual measurements taken on the models as they are now. Nevertheless the Andromeda despite the description is no longer any kind of freighter and the Taurus barely qualifies as one. The Aquila and Phoenix because they were never made out to be haulers before are a bit better off.

Ok on to the actual numbers. The Andromeda's SCU capacity comes in at 134 with the Aquila able to carry the same but this may or may not be with the rover. I imagine that this number does not include the rover so the Aquila has somewhat less free space to use. The Phoenix clocks in at a fair 66 SCU with some of this being dedicated to the shielded cargo area.

The Constellation Series is the first serious multicrew ship experience. The Andromeda needs a crew of 5 to operate efficiently while the others only require 4. The Taurus being the most simple one of the group states in the description that it would be a good ship to learn multi-crew functionality on. The power plants of the Constellations are all a class 6 with the exception of the Phoenix which has a 7. Bright lights and entertainment hot tubs take a lot of power.

The engines are nothing special. All of them have 4 TR5 engines of various kinds. The thrusters are also nothing of note: 8 TR3s. While nothing groundbreaking the ship probably won't move like a sloth when you want to turn it unless a thruster is knocked out do to their size. Finally is the shield. The Constellations each have a Class 6 except for the Taurus which has a Class 5. I would put this down to the Taurus being the hauler.

Weapons

YAY Weapons! There is a lot of them this time. First of all there are no fixed weapons which is a relief because the ship can't maneuver as well as say a Freelancer. However each Constellation has 4 gimbal weapons. Moving on we have the missile racks and here is where the weapons differ. The Andromeda being the more capable 'fighter' of the bunch comes with 4 Size 1 launchers and 2 Size 2 launchers with 28 and 20 missiles respectively. The Taurus being a stripped down Andromeda only has 2 Size 1 racks with 14 missiles. The Aquila has 2 Size 2 racks with 20 missiles like the Andromeda and finally the Phoenix has four Size 2 racks with 14 and 24 missiles as the picture shows. That alone is a lot of firepower and enough to swat any fighters out of the sky twice over.

Rounding out the Constellation line are the manned turrets. The Andromeda and Phoenix feature two turrets with 2 Size 4 weapons each and the Taurus and Aquila only having one turret with 2 Size 4 weapons. It is important to note that the Aquila can replace its top sensor array with another Turret if that is desired. The Phoenix also has a point defense system for keeping those hot tub patrons safe...er. We don't know how the Point Defense system works but it is sure to be cool.

Continued Below....

 

[Black Sunder]

Equipment

I like Equipment and the Constellations come with plenty of it. Except the Taurus. Poor poor Taurus. All Constellations come standard with a Jump Engine to travel the stars they are named after. The Andromeda comes with a P-52 Merlin close range fighter for distraction purposes or getting last hits in. Personally until we see how good the snub fighters are I would label them as distractions that hit back. The Aquila on the other hand trades its Merlin for more advanced sensor equipment such as a Long Range Scanner and 2 Jump Point navigation sensors. It also features a Ursa Rover for exploring the terrain planetside. Finally the Phoenix holds an upgraded P52-Merlin, the P-72 Archimedes Fighter and in its belly is a Lynx Rover for taking down to the planet for Dukes of Hazard play. Bring your own beer and have fun!

We don't have any information on rovers at the moment but it was revealed recently that David Hobbins is working on their concepts so I expect we'll see something on that in the near future.


The Long and the Short

So what can we say about the Constellations in general? Well they are all awesome in their own right but a bit expensive to operate when it comes to manpower unlike the Freelancer which can practically be solo flown or with an AI whereas the Constellation you really need a couple more humans to make it worthwhile, especially if you are hauling any sort of valuable cargo. These are good ships and when I purchased mine it were when there was only one to pick. I now have a Phoenix though and I don't regret it.

Constellation Andromeda - Back before the variants were released this would have been the Constellation you bought. A multi-functional do-it-all with plenty of upgrade space and can cruise around with some friends to do missions or trade goods. It is heavily armed which makes it a go-to ship for fleet action against other forces and that is only the stock ship. The upgrade potential of this ship is not to be underestimated given its original stats and the new modular system being integrated. Its main drawback as I've stated before is that it needs 5 people to operate unlike the 4 of the others. I am unsure why this is, it could be a type(it wouldn't be the first time!) but maybe the 5th person is for the 2nd Turret. This doesn't hold up though as the Phoenix only needs 4 unless that ship is more automated than the Andromeda. Overall this is a solid ship not unlike the Freelancer which I would consider to be a younger brother to the Andromeda in terms of function and role.

Constellation Taurus - So I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Taurus got kicked in the reactor seriously when the new cargo numbers were published and I'm still not sure how to feel about it. If I'm hammering on this hard...well I am. What may have been a decently sized ship with a moderate cargo capacity is now about half of a Caterpillar's capacity and about 2/3 of that of a Hull B. That isn't bad but I would have liked to see it be a bit more say 320. Enough of my ranting though and I apologize. The Taurus is a good ship for those looking to get their feet wet into the more serious multi-crew ships and learn how to operate them. You don't get that kind of experience operating a Hull B. You have some decent defensive weaponry against people looking to steal your cargo and given some time and effort you may be able to upgrade it to be a bit harder to crack or give it better weaponry to suit your style. If you're looking to haul cargo for a living you may be better served with a Hull B because it only requires the pilot but for org transport ops a Taurus may be a viable alternative if you can find the people. It is a balancing act for sure of manpower, speed and time. If you want something with protection then a Taurus is your ship.

Constellation Aquila - I spoke of this way back when I did my first Ship Talk so I'll end up rehashing a bunch of stuff here. The Aquila I would consider to be the step down from the Carrack but a step up from a Freelancer DUR in size, ability, and capacity for upgrades. I don't see this ship as much of a solo explorer although you could certainly do that but as a flagship of a much larger operation with DURs and other smaller explorers sending data back to the Aquila to analyze before taking a closer rook themselves if required. The Aquila is probably the most generalized explorer we have right now with the Carrack being the supreme specialist of the field. The rover deserves mention. It is unknown(like a lot of things) what you could explore planetside. Ruins? Old crumbling city? We don't know yet but you'll probably need this thing to do that. Or you can go off-road and try to ramp off something before crashing because exploring means exploring EVERYTHING such as vehicle stability.

Constellation Phoenix - Like many of you I bought a Phoenix upgrade based on really laughably wrong stats when it was first put up for sale. I don't regret it though even with the revised stats that were put out shortly after. The Phoenix is as much of a luxury ship as you can get without getting an 890 Jump. And it is white, a color you don't see in space too often so it is also a bigger target. It features a hidden shielded smuggling compartment fo hiding your most illegal beer from the authorities. It is not defenseless though and features an array of weaponry second only to the Andromeda and even then it is a tossup due to the point defense gun. The only thing it has less of is missiles. Stripped down and redone the Phoenix may make a better fighting ship than the Andromeda but at a much higher price tag. The Phoenix has almost anything you could want in a ship but with more style. It even comes with a rover so you can really enjoy yourself. Overall a good ship like the rest of the line. This will be a harder ship to get in the PU though due to its limited availability.

Closing Thoughts

Again I'm sorry this one took so long but blame my Lego addiction. I'm just one step down from a Warhammer 40K addiction because I spend less money than the people who play that game do. The Constellation line is a good line. Like the Freelancer line you have a bit of everything included in here. I wish there were other variants that included Mining and Salvaging, and Repair but maybe we can get those later or modify one to do that. I'm expecting to see these ships everywhere in the PU in one form or another due to their prominent look and how iconic they are to the game as a whole. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these ships as long as you have friends to fly with. I wouldn't NPC crew it fully because thats how you lose an Idris.

The next Talk will be the Hornets. It is time they get their shot in but after that I will be taking another week break and then do some single ships like i did the Redeemer starting with the 890 Jump. At some point in the future I am going to redo my Cargo Cult Ship Talk to bring it up to speed using the new SCU numbers and include a few more ships in it so expect that to be split into 2 parts. I don't know when I'll do this but I am going to do it. I am also in the process of rewriting and expanding my post for Rock Raiders to give it more detail. It will be a new thread because of the 10K character limit so be on the lookout for that if any of you are interested and I think you are.

As always thanks for the support on these writings. You guys are awesome!

-Edit-

It was brought to my attention that I needed to do a Talk on the 3 starter ships now that the Reliant is coming this week so expect that this coming weekend sometime in addition to the Hornets.

 

[SPRNinja]

I wanted a taurus till it got kicked in the ballsack... now im not sure, I think i want a hull B or C instead (even tho the connies look way cooler)
An andromeda as a multi role ship maybe?
shit i have no idea...

i do* want to thank Sunder for keeping this shit up tho... good job mate :)

 

[Kahoshi]

All I got from this is that I wish I could afford more Lego sets.

No seriously, awesome write up. I have an Andromeda right now locked in an old physical Rear Admiral pack, but man do I want to upgrade it to a Phoenix.

 

[RedjackQuisterJr]

I think Phoenix has better fire power both stock and upgrade capability.

 

[WarrenPeace]

The first ship I pledged for was an Aurora... but that was when I was living hand-to-mouth, and shelling out 40 bucks for a game was a long-hard decision. As soon as I had money, I upgraded that original package to a Constellation and never looked back. When they brought out the variants, I took was attracted by the stats... but I was sold by the interior, and the idea of having a luxury party ship with a hot tub. Although based on the poll numbers, it's not nearly as exclusive as I had previously thought.

I'm very much looking forward to taking to the skies in my Phoenix. I personally suspect that the larger size of the Phoenix's missile launchers will offset the drop in numbers from the Andromeda, and the larger powerplant will give some room to play around with more energy-intensive setups. Still, this isn't going to be my first choice as a combat vessel. What I foresee using my Phoenix for most is VIP passenger transport, high-class discreet smuggling, and just going out on space cruises.

 

[thanatos73]

@Black Sunder are you going to do one on the Reliant, or all the starter ships together?

 

[Black Sunder]

@Black Sunder are you going to do one on the Reliant, or all the starter ships together?

Good question. I had not thought of this actually. The answer is........YES!

 

[Adiran]

I have 2 cents to give just not the time at the moment. Will do a write up once I get off work tonight.

 

[Black Sunder]

Really not surprised that the Taurus is lagging behind the others. I thought the Aquila would have a couple more votes at this point because of the interest exploring generates.

@Adiran Where is your 2 cents man? I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for it!

 

[Adiran]

lol in-laws coming over for a week on short notice. I have been on a short leash as a result and haven't gotten away form wife long enough to do anything.

 

[thanatos73]

lol in-laws coming over for a week on short notice. I have been on a short leash as a result and haven't gotten away form wife long enough to do anything.

Dude, I feel so sorry for you.....

 

[Black Sunder]

lol in-laws coming over for a week on short notice. I have been on a short leash as a result and haven't gotten away form wife long enough to do anything.

Guess we'll take a rain check on that.

 

[WarrenPeace]

I like the Aquila. I really like the bridge on the Aquila. I'm going to catch a Aquila in the PU and cut the bridge off, just so I can paste it on my Phoenix and have the best looking vessel in space.

 

[thanatos73]

I like the Aquila. I really like the bridge on the Aquila. I'm going to catch a Aquila in the PU and cut the bridge off, just so I can paste it on my Phoenix and have the best looking vessel in space.

You know, they are talking about being able to swap hull parts between compatible ships, like any Connie part will fit on another Connie, if there is space.

 

[Haxta]

The Aquila does come with the P-52.

Source: I own it. :D

 

[Black Sunder]

The Aquila does come with the P-52.

Source: I own it. :D

My mistake. Its good to know though. Makes it more valuable.

 

[Kahoshi]

Might lose the P-52 after the current modeling pass.

 

[Adiran]

according to developers many times they have stated every coni will come with a pocket fighter. the phoenix is the only one that gets the special one. they just haven't ever updated the website. we will know if they have been lying to us or not once the new info on it comes out and we can fly them in game with multicrew release.

 

[Adiran]

Constellation Andromeda:
The coni I own right now (intend to use it for testing/arena commander as its better for pvp but upgrade to Aquila before game release) is the multi-function variant set up to be a base model with lots of upgrade potential. Out of the box it is by far the most combat ready of the conies (apart from the phoenix witch has larger sized missiles((less in total number but all size 2)) ) sporting 2 manned turrets with 2 size 4 guns each, 4 gimbaled forward facing lazer cannons, x28 S1 missiles, and x20 S2 missiles. Medium range of cargo capacity for the hull, this ship is able to bring with you or take back home spoils of your travels while also carrying resupply of missiles. They have stated in ship shape mini show in around the verse that they have added in functional reloading of missile racks inside the cargo bay, giving you the ability to bring extra if needed and have a crew member or two extra on board to reload ammo (Gunners mate anyone?). About the only spot I can think of to attack it from without being seen and shot in a smaller fighter is directly up the tail pipe using the engines to mask your approach. Having one turret on top and one on bottom allows you to defend the ship from any angle. Probably the one thing that adds most to its fighting potential that each coni is suppose to have is the snub fighter, the P52 Merlin. ill add a write up about that as well since at the moment it only comes with the coni's. But there is no better defence for a ship alone in the verse than a pocket ace in the form of a small maneuverable scout/fighter to stack the odds a little more in their favor.

This variant also requires one extra crew member at 5 over the 4 each other variant has. Best guess at this point as to each crew members position will be different based on what upgrades you put on her. According to current stats she comes stock with 2 upgrade slots allowing things like sensors, scanners, fuel tanks, or anything ells you might want to add. But we definitely have the pilot, 2 manned turret gunners, 2 other seats on the bridge giving you the 5 crew member seats, however this does not include the merlin pilot or the gunners mate reloading ammo both of witch in my opinion would be needed in a fleet battle. They have stated that the captain can give certain controls to each station. Meaning he can focus on one thing and give piloting to one seat and shields/engineering to the other, allowing him to focus on commanding the ship like calling targets or controlling the 4 gimbaled turrets leaving the pilot to only worry about positioning the ship and not getting side tracked and out of position chasing targets. I am expecting based on what they have said for it to be like star trek where you have multiple officers on the bridge each with their own job to do making the ship run smoothly.

Crew Member positions
Captain: Overall command/owner of ship. Can fill any other role he wishes but his primary job is coordination of the crew. Finding the right man for each job and getting them to work as a team. Gives orders to each station i.e. shields forward, gimbals fire on target, turrets fire on target, bring the ship around, ect.
Engineering: They have also stated that certain items can be repaired from the consoles but that other items will need you to go to that section of the ship to repair it meaning you will want 1 crew member dedicated to engineering. His job would be to focus on physical aspects of the ships defenses i.e. shields, hull, repairs, ect. I would expect unless he cannot repair what is damaged from his seat/terminal at the bridge he would remain there focusing on ships defenses. Changing shield power levels based on what you are up against at the time and updating captain on ships condition.
Pilot: Has direct control of the ships maneuvering. Can also control the gimbaled forward facing weapons/missiles. Directly responsible to captain to place the ship in the correct position in a fight allowing optimal performance of the craft and crew.
Turret Gunner: When out of combat/not in his turret his job is muscle. Your marine/security of the ship. He repels boarders and performs VBSS (Visit Board search and Seize) plus provides security for ship when landed. He mans the turrets as needed in a fight focus firing targets the captain calls.
Snub Fighter Pilot: His job is more encompassing as he gets his own ship to fly. He can be considered another member of the fleet but ultimately needs to be under his parent ship working in tandem to eliminate targets. Pilot should be skilled in stealth gameplay for scouting and be able to handle himself in a dogfight.
Gunners Mate: Can also be considered a general deck hand, Weapons Specialist, cargo operator, and craft security specialist. When not reloading missiles or dealing with cargo he would be first line of defense against boarders until the turret gunners arrive as backup. Can also be utilized as a second engineering member able to quickly respond to fix when is broken in the rear half of the ship.

I have more than the 5 they say it will take but this is from my experience in the navy as to different member positions that could be possible on this ship.

P52 Merlin Snub Fighter
The P52 is a specially designed craft for the Constellation series. This extremely light fighter is a short range craft that is incapable of being equip with a jump drive leaving it totally reliant upon its mother ship for interstellar travel. The smallest ship in the game and likely the lightest this nimble fighter should be able to out maneuver any other ship in the game, but its light armor means your only defense is piloting skill. This craft has also been stated to be conventionally propelled meaning it is more along the lines of rocket fueled and less the fusion engines other ships use. This is stated to give it unique advantages when it comes to being detected and locked by missiles. The ships stock armament is 3 fixed turrets. 1 size 3 and 2 size 1 guns, meaning it is packing a large punch for how small it is. Exactly what the Additional equipment is I do not know but it comes with x1 starlight II and x1 INK-1.

This fighter I see being used mostly as a recon craft. Its small size and speed give it a unique advantage when it comes to scouting. I also have no doubt it will be essential when fighting smaller ships than your coni.