The Chieftan is annoying

[Cmdr Bolamshea]

This whole topic is stupid and pointless.... making assumption of how big engines is and how they work in space game in thousands years from now.
Perfect topic of mirroring stupidity of humanity.

If you're completely happy going through life not wondering how things work and not giving a damn about his thing fit together, that's fine.
If, like me, you enjoyed taking things apart as a kid (leading to them rarely going back together properly!) Who enjoys learning how things go together and how they work, that's also fine. It's how things are learnt, expanded on and improved.
If you think like that in real life, then you'll think like that in game too.
Just because you don't care about something, didn't make it stupid.

 

[h347h]

Can't things just be cool or fun sometimes? Does every little detail in a science fiction game need to be believable?

Yes and yes, and somewhat yes.

The ship is cool looking I've admitted that. Fun - it probably is. Believable - FD have made efforts to try and be as scientifically accurate as possible in a space travel game so this small bit here just breaks that a little for me.

What if I told you nothing about any of these ships is remotely realistic and it is all rule of cool.


Seriously just don't think about ship design more than one would think about the Simpsons never changing clothes.

 

[WR3ND]

Unfortunately, semi-plausible sci-fi ship design is cooler than throwing all cares to the stellar winds.

 

[cyberus]

If you're completely happy going through life not wondering how things work and not giving a damn about his thing fit together, that's fine.
If, like me, you enjoyed taking things apart as a kid (leading to them rarely going back together properly!) Who enjoys learning how things go together and how they work, that's also fine. It's how things are learnt, expanded on and improved.
If you think like that in real life, then you'll think like that in game too.
Just because you don't care about something, didn't make it stupid.

In matter of fact I do.

But it's not the point. The whole thing about this topic is that a lot still thinks about engines in current age we live. big chunk engines.

But if I look on my own experiance in live.... when I was studying mechanics on the armored vehicles just before the military.... the vehicles we had has twin engines inside the engine section.... yet year later in military we got almost same hull of the vehicle but with only 1 engine inside.... though more powerful then those both twin engines. What left? The engine compartment was not changed and we could even lower us self to the side of engines sometimes to get to the lower part on it without any hassle.

So it was I big win in space. After that I have worked with some small armored boxer engines as well which were even smaller and more powerful then we had one in our vehicles.

So my point here .... the development don't stand still there is always improvements in size and power .... but even this we can't relate to the case here with Chieftan.

None of us can even exactly know how this engines looks like 1300 years from now.... like I said... whole idea of topic is pointless.

 

[EUS]

When I saw the live stream it bothered me too.
But not as much as when the landing gear is out, the rear thrusters tilted, thrusters active, but the ship keeps flying in a straight line, instead of pitching end over end.

 

[Rubbernuke]

If the dorsal thrusters counter that upward force then the ship would remain pointing forwards.

 

[Redomus]

I'm not sure why some people have to complain. It looks fine. Designers choice. I can only assume the OP also hates cars with gul-wing doors. If it costs them more to produce cool "in the real world" then that gets reflected in price.

 

[Stealthie]

But it's not the point. The whole thing about this topic is that a lot still thinks about engines in current age we live. big chunk engines.

Kinda missing the point there.

If the thrusters don't fill the pods and the pods are there for the purpose of containing the landing-gear then there's no reason for the front pod to be a pod.

Either the pods are filled with thrusters, in which case the back end is silly, or they're not, in which case the front end is silly.

Take your pick.

 

[Chris Simon]

Kinda missing the point there.

If the thrusters don't fill the pods and the pods are there for the purpose of containing the landing-gear then there's no reason for the front pod to be a pod.

Either the pods are filled with thrusters, in which case the back end is silly, or they're not, in which case the front end is silly.

Take your pick.

I think people are reading too much into this. It's a space ship in a video game. Its main purpose is to look cool.
It can also look "plausible" (which it does) as a bonus. I fail to see a problem, here.

 

[Jex =TE=]

When someone calls ED an arcade game and not a simulation is where the conflict is. Could you imagine trying to play ED at an arcade.

*cough*.... CQC... *cough*

 

[Monk]

Why would the engine be in the nacelle next to the thruster? I don't have an engine in each wheel of my car. Even today we have sophisticated systems for transferring mechanical/electrical energy to wherever it is needed. No need for significant housing around every thruster.

It would seem these ship engines produce immense amounts of energy and then routes it to the demanding systems. Thrusters are just one system.

 

[Stealthie]

I think people are reading too much into this. It's a space ship in a video game. Its main purpose is to look cool.
It can also look "plausible" (which it does) as a bonus. I fail to see a problem, here.

Oh yeah, it's not something I lose sleep over.

It's just a bit of a shame when these things could have been even better if somebody with a bit of technical expertise had a chance to provide some input early on in the design process.

Besides, I don't have time to get upset about the landing gear on the Chieftain.
I'm still too busy raging about those bloody stupid, ugly, half-baked hardpoints built into the nacelles on the iCourier.
Why, oh why, couldn't those hardpoints have been fitted into the underneath of the wings, somewhere, instead?

 

[Chris Simon]

Oh yeah, it's not something I lose sleep over.

It's just a bit of a shame when these things could have been even better if somebody with a bit of technical expertise had a chance to provide some input early on in the design process.

Besides, I don't have time to get upset about the landing gear on the Chieftain.
I'm still too busy raging about those bloody stupid, ugly, half-baked hardpoints built into the nacelles on the iCourier.
Why, oh why, couldn't those hardpoints have been fitted into the underneath of the wings, somewhere, instead?

Ah, don't even remind me of those hideous things!
To be honest, Courier is my favourite ship, but 90% of the time I don't use the nacelle hardpoints at all.

 

[Stealthie]

Ah, don't even remind me of those hideous things!
To be honest, Courier is my favourite ship, but 90% of the time I don't use the nacelle hardpoints at all.

I always knew you had good taste. [up]

 

[UmbraRex]

When someone calls ED an arcade game and not a simulation is where the conflict is. Could you imagine trying to play ED at an arcade.

CQC

 

[popuptoaster]

You scoop hydrogen to power everything so most likely Fusion

The hydrogen could be powering a fusion reactor that supplies electricity to the thrusters, i'm not sure anyone has clarified what tech the ships drive units use, if they even all use the same drive systems? They could be firing anything from photons to microwaves to something we haven't even thought of yet out the back for all we know.

Also as regards the other posters comments about landing gear locations, it is right that many planes have under carriage in or close to the engine nacelles, but that is often due to space considerations where you might as well make space for a wheel as well if you have room behind an engine as it saves internal wing or fuselage room, the other consideration is weight, engines are heavy, having the wheels under them makes sense as far as stress on the airframe when landing goes.

 

[Kenneth McGrew]

its also one internal short of a picnic but alas, FD like to screw everything up.

if FD had a restaurant they would advertise this;

and serve this;

 

[DanTheMan]

Its a game. Rationality and being believable are not required. Its not real, it doesn't matter.

 

[Chris Simon]

Its not real, it doesn't matter.

 

[cyberus]

What a lot of people still think is this:

But in reality it's more likely like this:

And this: