Wild Horses - Ship Talk #8: The Mustangs

[Black Sunder]

Wild Horses - Ship Talk #8: The Mustangs

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

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

So we're back with a series of ships: The Mustang series. The Mustang series is a very diverse line of ships that fill several roles and are good for those who wish to branch into other areas after getting some money together. The Mustang was concepted by David Hobbins who also did some work other ships such as the Carrack and Javelin and recently did work on Star Wars. As you know the Mustang is the second starter available to us followed by the soon to be concepted MISC Reliant.

This series of ships marked the first time a new manufacturer entered the field for ships and made itself known to us: Consolidated Outland. You can go search for the info yourself but the design philosophy presented here makes me want to see more ships produced by them and I hope we see more in the future.

Anyway lets get started. These are the Mustangs!

My Thoughts on the Ships(Mustang Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Omega)

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 Mustang Stats
p.s. I reordered the Mustangs so they are in order like they are supposed to be instead of how RSI sorts them. Photoshop!

Descriptions and Roles

Starting with the Mustang Alpha, the 2nd starter ship, it opens up by telling us that the Mustang is the result of Silas Koerner's cutting edge vision. The ship uses ultra light alloys in its construction to push its performance to its max and beyond. It features a cargo carrier for carrying around small amounts of goods. I'd say we're off to a good start here but there arises a significant problem which I'll get to down below.

The Beta is billed as a touring and exploration ship. It claims to have long range flight capabilities and features a Leaper Jump Engine that comes standard on every Beta model. The Com4T living quarters come standard to facilitate this role of touring and exploration.

The Gamma and Omega both all about Racing. Instead of the normal 2 engines these get 50% more power in the form of an additional engine. The Omega has a custom paint job courtesy of AMD's resident artist Sektor8 and you get a damn cool looking ship. These two ships are made for racing, not fighting.

The Delta is the military ship of the bunch and CO's first attempt to enter the lucrative military contract market. The Delta features a reinforced hull with the addition of the Cavalry Class Mass Reduction Armor for a reduced cross-section which makes up for the fact it is not able to take much damage. This is the fighter of the group.

Structural and Propulsion

So remember that thing I said to keep in mind I was going to talk about? Well here is the deal. The Mustang despite it being made with ultra light materials still weighs more than an Aurora. My memory may be bad here but I remember the Mustang being described as being lighter and cheaper than an Aurora. If that is wrong then please correct me. If my recall is correct though then what's going on here? Now it wouldn't be the first time that CIG has done this sort of thing and it won't be the last but it weights a good bit more than the Aurora despite being made of ultra light materials. Moving on...

The Mustang cargo area behind the cockpit can carry 10 SCU worth of cargo. Its enough for a few cases of beer on ice or a couple kegs if you're in the Beta and out on the frontier. If you're racing it might be best to leave the beer with your maintenance team instead of carrying it with you. The Gamma and Omega even having cargo room is a bit of a mystery because of them carrying a 3rd engine. Refer to previous point about CIG doing this kind of thing before. The Alpha, Beta and Delta having cargo makes sense but not the Gamma and Omega.

The Mustang is a single seat spaceship though it may be interesting to see how many TEST pilots we can cram into the airlock tube and behind the pilot. I'm thinking 5 including the pilot. Each Mustang can carry a Class 3 Power Plant despite there being little room in the ship's frame for major upgrades. The engines of the Mustang clock in at the TR2 range with the A,, B, and D only having two main engines and the Gamma and Omega having 3.

The maneuvering thrusters are small at only the TR1 rating. There are 8 of them so you should be fairly maneuverable but again the null cargo mass number implies you'll turn slower than an Aurora on a sick day and this bugs me. Lastly the Mustang Series comes with a Class 2 shield generator on all models. You're not going to survive more than a glancing hit so stay sharp.

Weapons

As far as weapons go you don't get much on any model except the Delta which features rockets under the wings. The Alpha, Beta, and Delta feature fixed Size 1 guns and an unmanned turret which can mount size 1 weapons. Now I like the turret because it gives us something vastly different from the Aurora and allows for the ability to circle your enemy while keeping fire on them. This is a good thing. The Gamma and Omega drop the turret in favor of more engine power but keep the fixed weapons.

Equipment

Not much in the way of stock equipment here. The Beta given its role as an explorer gets a Leaper Jump Engine. The description if you recall says it has unprecedented range so it will be interesting to see how far it can go without refueling. The Delta also has a Leaper Jump Engine but probably doesn't have the fuel capacity of the Beta. The Calvary Class Mass Reduction Armor reduces the cross-sectional signature of the Delta to allow it to compete against other ships better. I don't know how it cuts the signature down but if you can move the armor to something like a Beta.....

The other ships don't have anything special but they can all be upgraded with jump engines.

Continued Below.....

 

[Black Sunder]

The Long and Short

Mustang Alpha - I think for being the starter ship we have gotten it is....ok. Its different from the Aurora for sure and that is good. Does it stand up to stress and other ships? I couldn't tell you yes or no. For my money I think the Aurora is better as far as the starter ship role goes but that's just me. The Alpha brings new ideas to the table though with a turreted weapon mount and vastly increased cockpit visibility allowing you to really get a look around to figure out your next move. The upgrade potential of the Mustang may be very limited due to the tight frame of the ship. Overall I would rate it....meh. It also doesn't have a shred of Yellow on it which is a sin beyond compare.

Mustang Beta - Now this is a ship I like. It even has a bit of Yellow! We know this is the one and only true color because we are TEST Squadron. The Beta of course is the explorer of the group. The living quarters mean you can be off planet for an extended period of time(if you can find fuel that is) and can poke around wherever you want. Now you may not be able to find the things a Freelancer DUR can or even a 315P so I propose that the Beta is a good candidate for suicide jump point mapping due to it being very cheap to replace. It may also be a good candidate for any kind of survey work if you can fit a decent scanner on board. The jump range is also welcome for long haul trips a few systems over to check out something someone found. I think this ship will also be one you load up and fly out to the black, shut down all systems and just take in the view. I certainly plan to get one in game to do just that.

Mustang Gamma and Omega - One thing Star Citizen has done right from the get go is introduce aspects to the game that are not 'normal' when it comes to MMOs. Racing is one of those aspects and it shows through. We have a total of 4 racers right now with the Gamma, Omega, M50 and 350R. While I can't say if the Gamma and Omega fare well in a race or not I'm glad we have them regardless to fill out that aspect. If you're a collector I would recommend the Omega since it will be quite rare. If any of you racers in TEST can give some options on these two ships please reply below and tell us how they do in the race.

Mustang Delta - The fighter of the group the Delta is relatively fragile compared to the armored box of the Aurora. Its weapons though are what set it apart and allow for a devastating point blank shot with the rocket pods that will probably kill or severely damage your enemy. There was mention in the brochure or a concept picture of a visual cloaking device, kind of like how a chameleon hides. The key tho using this ship is to flank as much as you can and never get hit.

Your Turn

Since these ships are in the game now I invite any of you to post your thoughts on the ships. Did I completely mess something up? Am I insane? Does the Mustang really do ok in Arena Commander? Does it maneuver like a light ship should? I and many others want to know. Shive or any of the racers, I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the racing ships. Please post your thoughts on the Mustang series.

Closing Thoughts and Other Stuff

I'll admit this isn't one of my better ones. Reason being is I was distracted by a Lego TIE Fighter that came by FedEx Wednesday and was started last night and built to completion today. Priorities! Overall I find the series lacking with a few highlights here and there. It is a starter ship line so I shouldn't put much stock into it's capabilities. It is a unique line of ships and that has value but unique doesn't dodge a missile or deflect a laser bolt. I want a Beta for the PU and have a Delta for scrap fighting if it comes to it.

The next Ship Talk will probably be the Constellation series but I know as soon as I write it it will change completely with the rework that they will post about the next week. *sadface* I'm also running out of ships to do these about and will have to start doing single ships more and more which isn't a bad thing. There are many stand alone ships that have no close counterparts so expect more of that like the Redeemer Talk. I plan to go back in the 'near' future and update the Cargo Cult Talk now that we have 'proper' cargo capacity numbers and it will include the Hull Series properly.

So the Starfarer sale is up. If you want one go get it. The Starfarer Gemini has LTI which makes it a good purchase if you fancy yourself a space fuel trucker or gas miner.

I got the Gemini

 

[WarrenPeace]

Ooh, ooh, I've actually flown a few of these so I can talk about them. First off, I'm gonna tackle the whole mass question; it's wrong right now. I can't give you any specifics, but the Mustang is a fast accelerating, quick strafing little fighter. Anyone who's done barrel rolls in a Aurora knows that you can start rolling, go get a beer, and be back before you've finished the first one. The Mustang actually can give pilots problems if they roll or maneuver too hard, especially if G-SAFE is turned off. It takes some skill to be able to pilot one of these well.

This leads nicely into a point about dogfighting and durability in general. The Mustang is a glass cannon. The Delta can be turned into a Omnisky monoboat, and the rockets bring some nice punch, but it is entirely common for a single volley of fire to punch through the shields and wreck your day. That big open cockpit that lets in so much of the view also has an unfortunate habit of letting in lasers too.

As a result, the Mustang in its dogfighter role lives and dies on maneuvering and situational awareness. The Mustang is fast enough to outrun most other fighters, and can out maneuver most of them as well. But when you're dancing around that big clumsy Hornet, keep in mind it only needs to land hits on you once or twice to win.

As far as the Beta and the exploration role, I can only speculate. I never let that stop me before, so here I go. I expect the Beta to be the most basic, entry level exploration equipped ship, as befits its status as a starter ship. "Unprecedented" is a fun word, one that can have all kinds of meanings depending on the situation. In this case, it might mean that the Beta can make TWO whole jumps before it has to refuel! Performance never seen before in a ship of that size! With that said, i adore the little camper shell in the back of it, and it seems like a good choice as a little shuttle craft to take people between systems if you want to play as a taxi driver.

Overall I like the Mustangs. I don't foresee the same upgrade potential that Auroras have, just because they've already been pushed to the limit of structural integrity in the process of designing them, but they still have a wide variety of options available, and it's a very capable little ship if you're just taking your first flights in the 'verse.

Once again, an excellent writeup. Have you considered posting links to these in the RSI forums? It might be interesting to see how some people respond to this.

 

[Black Sunder]

Once again, an excellent writeup. Have you considered posting links to these in the RSI forums? It might be interesting to see how some people respond to this.

Occasionally I'll post a link in our org thread but seeing as how toxic the forums are in general I just leave the forums alone. It also means my org invite spam is 0. :) The other reason is I write these for TEST to read and if other people read them awesome but they are primarily for TEST.

You're right about the word 'Unprecedented'. It could mean so little in the context of the ship. I'm glad you answered my question about the Mass. it was bugging the hell out of me.

 

[thanatos73]

I agree with @WarrenPeace , I have, at least flown, all of the Mustangs, I have actually owned all of them except the Alpha. They are all spry little ships, and will fly circles around most ships.

Gotta go work, so I'll finish this later.

 

[thanatos73]

OK, so back to what I was talking about....
I don't think the mass section of any of the Mustangs is correct, because of how nimble they are. The only reason the M-50 is a better racer than the Gamma/Omega is sheer speed, otherwise the maneuverability is practically the same. And the Delta will fly circles around ANY of the other combat oriented ships that have been released, to date.

Now, here is a full break down from my point of view.

ALPHA: The mustang Alpha is just that, the first ship, the original hull design. No frills, bells or whistles. It has just enough cargo space to annoy the hell out of you, because it might carry enough to pay for the docking fees at your destination. It kinda reminds me of a Miata, fun to fly, but not much else.

BETA: This is where it gets interesting. This is the ship I see starting xeno-archeologists and the like using. Its cheap, and has everything, except the upgraded sensors. Its a space RV, a Winnebago with wings, so to speak. And, hopefully, you won't lose too much by adding the bigger sensors to it, like maybe swap out the nose turret, or drop a wing gun. With the living quarters included, you won't have to do anything if you know where your going, like camping out on Hades for a week, to study the leftovers of the psychos that blew up half the planet.

DELTA: The Glass Cannon. Yup, I call it that too. I spent many missions blowing the crap out of Vanduul in this ship. It was my favorite for a while, but the lack of actual missiles kinda knocked it down a notch or two. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a better starter ship than the Aurora, if you're looking for a jet fighter in space. And before they nerfed the gimbal mounts, it was an amazing little ship, even without locking missiles. And on the defense side, it might not take much to kill it, but you have to hit it first, which is almost impossible, if the pilot knows how to fly.

GAMMA/OMEGA: I put these two together, because they are basicly the same ship. The Omega has the fancy intake on it, so I THINK the boost fills faster. A little. Maybe. Otherwise, they handle the same, have the same top speed, and wreck the same, when you clip an iris in a race. If you were looking for a good starter race ship, this is it. It will out maneuver a 350R, but that's about it. Put it against an M-50, and the M-50 will win for speed alone. If you put it against a 350R, then it falls to the type of course and how good of a pilot you are. Lots of straights, your done. Twisty, curvy, loopy, knotted mess, you got a chance, and better than you might think.

So, there is my input, for what its worth. I still plan on getting them all, in the PU, just for fun, but right now, I wanted something bigger, so I melted the Mustangs I had.

 

[BlueFalcon]

The beta sounds interesting to me for the same reasons Thantos73 said. I am planning on getting one.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what guns to put on one?

 

[thanatos73]

badgers badgers badgers badgers......mushrooms mushrooms

 

[UnderSc0re]

My first ship was the Alpha but I quickly changed it to an LN. I really love Omega and Gamma and not just for their price point and cross chassis ability. When I was learning to race during PAX free flight they helped the most being really controllable for a newbie compared to the insane speed of the 350r. When it isn't a free flight week I still mostly race my Omega to gain a little REC easily. With the currently structure of leader boards you aren't going to set any records but it's still a pretty fun ship to fly if you don't have money or REC for a 350r or m50. Another great thing about them is you can lay on the boost almost all the time to help with turning. I must be blind because I can't find where to track how much I have in the ship but I know it's a lot. I've been trying to be less of a wimp and not use ComStab on them but for now tend to have it on to stop from sliding around too much.

For Omega vs Gamma I know the Omega says it has one more intake but they are pretty much the same. There was a bit of time where I felt like the Gamma slid around more. I think that was part of the shield mass issue a few patches ago. Also 10 storage seems okay if you are running sensitive cargo across a system or maybe could be extra fuel or something if longer rally races are implemented.

I've only been in loaner Betas or a friends but I think the little apartment is kind of cool and may consider it for an explorer if I don't buy DUR or other exploring ship first.

 

[Huegpaynis]

I actually have an Alpha right now as my pledge ship, and I can corroborate what the other posters have been saying; it's nimble, it's fragile, and it's fun to fly. As long as you don't stop moving or try to joust with enemies, it should fare well enough in low-level combat, but I wouldn't recommend taking it into an actual combat zone, unless you're very good or very drunk. This fits with the backstory lore, as the delta was billed as marketed at system milita squadrons, not the military at large, and as such was not designed with protracted heavy engagements.

 

[Gearen]

Now I love my Mustang Omega more. Thanks for the post Black Sunder.

Talking about the Omega, it's a great racer, not the fastest one, but I think that is going to be changed in some point of the development. Also I would say it's maneuverability is between the 350r and the m50.

Nice and rare ship. Just love mine alot.


Also, the Mustang Beta is the definition of the space caravan.

 

[Feral Oxide]

Well done agin. I can't fly the little buggers very well, they feel twitchy, but fun. Have to rent another one soon and try some more now that I can fly well enough to place in races once in a while with an m50

 

[thanatos73]

Ya know, if they put the Delta back in the store, I would so get one.

 

[Willem Default]

I have both an Aurora (LN) and a Mustang (Beta) and can say that I love both equally. I originally had an Aurora MR and a Mustang Alpha but I upgraded the MR to the LN because of the extra firepower (and of course the yellow) while I upgraded my Mustang to the Beta because, like WarrenPeace, I love the living compartment (it's just so cool!).

The Mustang is by far the nicer to fly imo. Don't get me wrong, I love my Aurora, and it has better weapons (pew pew), but the Mustang handles so much nicer in Arena Commander. Whether that will change, I don't know, but I feel like the Mustang is meant to be that bit nippier than the Aurora.

I also love the idea of being a taxi driver, or even a private TEST taxi pilot/courier, so I hope SC will have the same mechanic as Elite Dangerous when it comes to ships, i.e. where you leave your ship you have to collect it (e.g. if you leave your ship at one station in one system and hop in another, you have to return to get that ship back). It also means you could take, say, a commander of a capital ship or a TEST diplomat to another ship by using your Aurora or Mustang as a transport.

 

[thanatos73]

That was the idea behind this: https://testsquadron.com/threads/test-spacelines-when-you-really-need-to-get-somewhere-and-dont-have-a-ship.3942/

 

[Willem Default]

That was the idea behind this: https://testsquadron.com/threads/te...d-to-get-somewhere-and-dont-have-a-ship.3942/

Oh snap thanatos, I didn't see that thread! I volunteer to be the TEST designated driver.

 

[thanatos73]

Once its official, we can start setting things up

 

[Adiran]

I haven't touched the racing variants or the military variants but the alpha and beta i have / do own respectively.

The difference between the 2 are minimal at best when it comes to actual handling and combat. Both have the turret and 2 hardpoints, 1 on each wing and both are glass cannons. The really difference is going to be what they have to begin with.

Alpha doesn't have much. Small cargo area and the starting guns is about it. The beta on the other hand is loaded with goodies. Jump drive and living space in expense of cargo starts you down a path of independence from stations and allows you to "tour" wherever you want without depending on stations or civilization when your planet side.

Warren if you read my post https://testsquadron.com/threads/exploration-guide-what-we-know-so-far.3952/
You will see that jumping threw jump points does not take up fuel.

Apart from that until the modular system is in and we can see exactly what other differences there are hard ware wise(I.e.. Scanning systems and sensors)we have to speculate based on what their roles are. But threw upgrades either one can be set up to fill a exploration role. I assume the beta will be more fuel effient out the gate allow you to "log out in the inn" so to speak with the living quarters and have better scanners for finding anomalies.

 

[Shive]

The basic mustang annoys me :( Why does it exist? If you wanted to go the racing or military way, then you're gonna fall short no matter what you do, so it's sorta locked in role, or forever condemned to not be as good as it as the delta or omega. It's modularity and freedom in w/e way it could be upgraded is an illusion. Sure you could make it like a beta, and making it a cargo ship is a sorta nono as well, as that's why you didn't go with the aurora in the first place I guess. Yop.

 

[Shive]

Regarding the delta as a fighter, it's really hard to say, because of how heavily they're changing stuff around. Before the gimbal nerf and the change to how strafing works (which was then bugged after the change) the delta was a super solid dogfighter. I'm not thinking of when it was immune to damage on certain areas, but after that, yet before the gimbal nerf. Right now, this moment, it falls a bit short, though not necessarily for its ship price. I would still like the ships to be closer together in power though. A $200 ship shouldn't be 2x stronger than a $100 ship etc. I'll leave it at that for now. Normally balancing doesn't really happen before a game enters BETA.