Fed Dropship Mk 2, really FD???

[Rafe Zetter]

That would be quite disappointing. Variants are not entirely new ships. I hope they don't count individually because FD wants to cut corners.

Sadly you are going to be disappointed as in another thread it was stated that FD see each variant as a separate entity - I think it was regarding the diamondback variants, which are being officially treated for "ship numbers" purposes as not 1 and 1.1 but 1 & 2.

 

[Krait_79]

Different variants of ships is a bit lame from FD considering the huge amount of ship choices from previous games.
I was really thinking we would have 30 ships of unique design but alas we are getting short changed on this one (Imperial Eagle anyone).

I really don't understand why we are getting variants of the same ship instead of more of the original ships. Very disappointed about this to be honest, especially as you often see posts wanting more of them.

 

[Rafe Zetter]

Must be wonderful to come in to work each day, knowing that whatever you do, there will be a thread telling you so are so wrong to do it, or not do it and how you have personally disappointed someone or ruined their life or whatever.

I would proffer to the learned gentleman the same answer as I gave to a very similar post (and possibly even by you) in a different thread:

"They are getting paid for it, and very handsomely too. E: D has elevated FDev from little more than an "indie" developer with barely a handful of titles produced into a major player, with all the spoils that comes with it - like backing from MCsoft (who showed no previous interest) - and everyone involved now has a AAA title on their resume to barter with, (not to mention the significant company stock shares) so don't pity them too much."

Yeah, must REALLY suck to be them. The days of games software developers working like dogs to all hours and mainlining pizza and redbull are LOOOONG gone.

 

[Trafalgar Law]

I really don't understand why we are getting variants of the same ship instead of more of the original ships. Very disappointed about this to be honest, especially as you often see posts wanting more of them.

It's easier and quicker to design variants than entirely new ships. I wonder if they're under pressure to fulfil the Kickstarter stretch goal of 25 ships.

 

[Backelaer]

FD just proves that it doesn't play the game themselves. There is no point in adding Dropship Mk2 without military dropship missions. King Cobra, Asp Mk2 and Python Mk2 would have made more sense.

I really, really don't get you or the OP. The ships you mention are all perfectly fine, if not excellent ships. They're the most popular models for crying out loud. FD trying to correct less succesful shipdesigns is bad in what way exactly?
They get flamed for not fixing things that are broken, and when they do try to fix something that is broken (well not broken, but there aren't a lot of dropships out there in Open) they get attacked for that..

And again, who needs a 'king Cobra'?? The Cobra is a fantastic ship as it is. A King Cobra would overlap with the ASP probably, a Python mk2 would get in the way of the Anaconda perhaps. Designing stuff like a king cobra or python mk2 should be the last thing on their to do list. There's a lot you can criticize FD for, but IMO they really excelled at ship design.
Ok the standard Dropship is meh. And the Feds deserve a better exclusive ship, but aside from that, they did a fantastic job.

 

[Apos]

And yet you use the Python as an argument once again, even though already admitted to be the exception that indeed requires a look at in terms of size.

It's a good thing you won't be replying back, since not only are you being intellectually dishonest at this point, it's also quite clear that you have little regard to what others might find enjoyment from in the game, like story development and overall realism that the ships show (once again, apart from the python, you seem to be eager to forget that.) On top of that, you have no willingness to find a middle ground either, having the thought that you can throw band-aids like silly cliches for story and everything is fine.

You might think I'm stubborn, but at least I was trying to find a compromise on your cobra 2.0 numbers wet dream.

 

[h347h]

It's easier and quicker to design variants than entirely new ships. I wonder if they're under pressure to fulfil the Kickstarter stretch goal of 25 ships.

They said they are not counted as the 25, they also said they threw that number out of the window when they decided to do more variants.

 

[veryinky]

FD just proves that it doesn't play the game themselves. There is no point in adding Dropship Mk2 without military dropship missions. King Cobra, Asp Mk2 and Python Mk2 would have made more sense.

Problem is that the Cobra MK1/3 and Python are built Faulcon DeLacy, a huge holding company which owns manufacturers and the only "new" ship they build that isn't a copy of a 300+ year old design is the Hauler under Zorgon Peterson which they recently acquired. Faulcon DeLacy is the Electronic Arts of the Elite universe, buy small companies and run them into the ground while churning out the same product year after year after year.

With this in mind, the Tiger class freighter from Elite:Frontier is a good candidate for a "king cobra" roughly the same shape as the Cobra, just bigger and fatter. It'd fall between the Cobra and Imperial Clipper(Trader).


As for the Asp, the one we have access to is a civilian grade version of the Federation's military grade Asp.

 

[Apos]

The 30 ships was obviously never supposed to be a hard cap either. If the game continuous on being successful (truly up to FD, the game obviously is material for greatness, but plenty of us has seen such material flopping in the past), then they will obviously eventually move over the 30 ships cap, most likely introducing ships that don't fill a price range that doesn't already exist as well.

 

[Trafalgar Law]

They said they are not counted as the 25, they also said they threw that number out of the window when they decided to do more variants.

They do still legally need to meet that Kickstarter stretch goal regardless of how many ships they eventually produce. As I said I wonder if they feel the need to meet that number sooner rather than later.

 

[jonny taco]

I'm just hoping the gunship is a completely unique design compared to the FDS and FDS mkII.

 

[Futuristic Kung Fu]

If there's any truth to last night's revelations that 1.4 will have four new ships, one of which is the Fed Dropship Mk 2.
Don't see any sense to having an upgraded model for one of the most unpopular ships in the game that has only been introduced a year or so ago. Surely the Cobra Mk 4 is way more deserving, the Mk 3 is an awesome ship but it is the original iconic ship from 1984 that is, sorry to say, sadly in need of an upgraded model, hardpoints, power plant and utility points mainly, slightly different look but keeping the original shape mainly.
Can't help feeling huge disappointment over this but maybe in future plans yet, I suppose FD can't please us all

Sorry for my ignorance, but what revelations are you talking about?

 

[h347h]

I'm just hoping the gunship is a completely unique design compared to the FDS and FDS mkII.

Crossing my fingers the model for the Corvette is not the gun ship as well.

 

[Unfluffydave]

Different variants of ships is a bit lame from FD considering the huge amount of ship choices from previous games.
I was really thinking we would have 30 ships of unique design but alas we are getting short changed on this one (Imperial Eagle anyone).

Exactly, there are so many models especially from FFE that could be introduced.

http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/First_Encounters/Ships

 

[Apos]

What happened to the Organisation again? We obviously can't have their ships if they are pretty much out of business.

At least with variants. we might be seeing the Boa being introduced as a freighter variant of the Anaconda in order to fit the mail slot, less weapons, less modules size, bigger compartments, bigger ass.

The conda was originally a trader and now it's a bad-ass all-purpose, so might as well.

 

[Iskariot]

If there's any truth to last night's revelations that 1.4 will have four new ships, one of which is the Fed Dropship Mk 2.
Don't see any sense to having an upgraded model for one of the most unpopular ships in the game that has only been introduced a year or so ago. Surely the Cobra Mk 4 is way more deserving, the Mk 3 is an awesome ship but it is the original iconic ship from 1984 that is, sorry to say, sadly in need of an upgraded model, hardpoints, power plant and utility points mainly, slightly different look but keeping the original shape mainly.
Can't help feeling huge disappointment over this but maybe in future plans yet, I suppose FD can't please us all

I disagree wholeheartedly.
The mere fact that the current dropship is so rarely seen in the hands of cmdrs is a good reason as any to update it.
Personally I feel the Dropship is one of the most interesting models in the game.
It would be great if this new version also looked recognizably physically different from the current model.
There is some great concept art of dropship versions.
I hope they will use version A, with the cockpit higher up the nose:




And who knows the Cobra Mark IV might still get some attention too. I hope so.

 

[Stealth Gamer92]

I disagree wholeheartedly.
The mere fact that the current dropship is so rarely seen in the hands of cmdrs is a good reason as any to update it.
Personally I feel the Dropship is one of the most interesting models in the game.
It would be great if this new version also looked recognizably physically different from the current model.
There is some great concept art of dropship versions.
I hope they will use version A, with the cockpit higher up the nose:

View attachment 52656


And who knows the Cobra Mark IV might still get some attention too. I hope so.

Version A look best of those four to me as well.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

I like the dropship to. And to make different versions of a ship is also a great way of getting more ships into the game. In the real world there are different version of cars and planes. A more combat focused dropship will come in handy for the Federation. If the Federal gunship is the Federal Corvette model, well who knows. I hope it is big and bad and will give the Clipper some competition.

 

[h347h]

Exactly, there are so many models especially from FFE that could be introduced.

http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/First_Encounters/Ships

Yes, sadly making a scratch built ship takes roughly 2 months from what FD says. So I assume they are making them as fast as they can. They are not just silly looking polygons with extremely low textures anymore.

 

[W4rSkuLL]

meh, the imperial Eagle was in the previous games though (or was it the Eagle MK III but only available in Imperial ports?)

It even had the two bars on the wings

Hear, hear. Ive actually forgotten this among the mere number of ships in other Elite games. This is true. The Imperial Eagle is really the Eagle Mk 3. So there is an Eagle Mk 3 So Frontier is listening to us and introducing old ships to the game. Though maybe in some upgraded form