Favorite ship design and why

[Durden T.]

ELITE: Imperial Cutter

Mainly because the looks, the color, its shape and beautiful nose. Love the feel of luxury and comfort that emanates from the ships bridge. Overall I like the style of GUTAMAYA most because they’re very aerodynamic and look more or less like an actual aircraft.


ELSE: Valhalla (from the X3-Reunion X-TENDED MOD)

We're talking about a mega-capital ship with probably 2 or 3 kilometers long and many millions of tons.

 

[Warmaster Will]

Ingame probablly a viper
outgame....a Gloriana Class flagship from WH40k

 

[Macros Black]

Just one word - The Imperial Cutter.

Spoiler

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[Rich H]

Appreciate this isn't in the latest Elite but I really liked the Krait from older versions. And the Python is it 'bobbled' when you followed it. Two good looking ships.
.
Fave ships from non-Elite... There are so many!

Gotta love the X-Bomber from Starfleet (it could transform after all), the Liberator from Blakes 7, Slave I and the X-Wing from Star Wars, the Romulan Bird of Prey and Enterprise from original Star Trek series, the Kilrathi Dralthi Fighter, and the freakin' Tardis to name but a few.

 

[grae3107]

Elite has to be the clipper.

Non-elite is the Mass Effect Normandy

 

[Bill Clement]

No-one gone for the Cobra III? Really?

It's the perfect ED ship- fast, agile, well armed, flexible and above all, drop dead gorgeous!

Non-Elite is the Armageddon class battlecruiser from Battlefleet Gothic. Recycled from knackered Luna class cruisers, over powered, over gunned, massively over manned they're 5km long, 30 million ton spaceborne fortified flying gothic cathedrals. Stunningly OTT, utterly impractical and beautifuly realised in a handful of drawings Games Workshop released. The miniature was a bit pants and the (redacted)s pulled the board game right after the management buy out! Still, there's a new video game out soon, so I'll be seeing them again...

 

[specialsymbol]

Elite Dangerous: Type 9 Heavy. The Cobra is iconic, granted. And it's beautiful, too. But the T9 is pure awesomeness. Unfortunately it's utterly bugged at planetary landings (you always clip through the bottom on rough terrain with the buggy).

Other spaceships:
The Tarsus from Privateer. It absolutely delivers what it promises to be - the old vessel of some distant relative, basically patches held together with duct tape. Everything fits, the exterior design, the interior design with that small window where you can glance out at the hostile universe, yet feeling somewhat safe and enclosed, like in a womb. It's the best art direction I've ever seen in a game. The Galaxy would have been a close follower, because for me it's still the prototypical merchant vessel - but I grew more attached to the Tarsus. Mostly because the Galaxy with it's turrets and lacking multicrew or at least auto-turrets sucked in Privateer.

 

[Makya]

I have to go with the T9 Heavy. To me, that's how a real space ship might look. Aerodynamics mean nothing in space - at least not until we can land on planets with atmospheres. In it's own brutish ugliness, it has a design aestetic that somehow appeals to me. I wish FD would allow it to be equipped with unique scientific instrumentation and living quarters for true deep space immersion.

I also like the Orca as it looks so much like its namesake. Too bad it has such limited functionality. I hope someday to be able to stand on the upper level and view the cosmos from it's fantastic-looking upper canopy.

 

[PiLhEaD]

....As a kid I had both hanging with dozens of other ships hanging from my bedroom ceiling via fishing line

Me too.

 

[EUS]

Elite, hands down the Python.
Non-Elite, gotta say the X-Wing. Seeing that ship in '77 open it's wings....

 

[Brujah]

The Asp. It can just about manage to do everything and it has great visibility from the cockpit, which is also a really pleasant place to be.

Yet to find another ship that is so satisfying just to be in.

Outside of Elite, I'd say the Firefly.

 

[Brujah]

Appreciate this isn't in the latest Elite but I really liked the Krait from older versions. And the Python is it 'bobbled' when you followed it. Two good looking ships.
.
Fave ships from non-Elite... There are so many!

Gotta love the X-Bomber from Starfleet (it could transform after all), the Liberator from Blakes 7, Slave I and the X-Wing from Star Wars, the Romulan Bird of Prey and Enterprise from original Star Trek series, the Kilrathi Dralthi Fighter, and the freakin' Tardis to name but a few.

Surely the Klingon Bird of Prey is the superior ship, aesthetically?

 

[Red Anders]

...the Kilrathi Dralthi Fighter...

Hell yeah. Assuming you mean the original one from the first game and not the more angular one they made later, I modelled one of those for a Starlancer mod years ago; sadly I don't have a picture of it but it was awesome if I say so myself.

In ED the Viper Mk3 is a fantastic design, as is the Python especially when its wearing white. The Imperial Courier is probably my favourite though, it's just so pretty.

Vipers aren't bad outside Elite either:

 

[StarfireIX]

USCSS Prometheus.
It is a beautiful ship, and would also be extremely fun to fly for exploration (if something like this is made for ED). I guess I have a love for the big ships out there.

 

[Red Anders]

I also like the Orca as it looks so much like its namesake. Too bad it has such limited functionality. I hope someday to be able to stand on the upper level and view the cosmos from it's fantastic-looking upper canopy.

You're right actually. I'm still looking forward to the day that I can afford to buy one and not care that it has no specific role in the game at this time.

 

[happyfunball]

Elite: Imperial Clipper
Non-Elite: Klingon K'vort Class

Yes, I love them wings. In space.

 

[Zenith]

In Elite : Imperial Clipper. In black. It's just so "right".

Out of Elite: Shadow Battlecrab from Babylon 5.
A living ship that screams in your mind as it goes past.

Honourable mention: Icarus II from Sunshine, for having a believable functional design of protecting the main ship behind a mile wide gold plated sunscreen.

 

[Becks]

In Elite: Federal Corvette and Imperial Courier

Outside Elite: Normandy Mk2 from Mass Effect and the Ragnarok Titan from Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion.

Spoiler

Described laconically as a giant gun with more guns added to it

 

[Auditore]

In Elite: Python

In Non-Elite games: Mass Effect's Normandy

In general: Battlestar Galactica

 

[Trafalgar Law]

I've always liked the simple geometric designs of the earlier Elite games such as the Cobra III or Krait although I also like the design of the Imperial Courier and Clipper in E: D and the Hauler, Adder and FdL designs with their space-shuttle-on-steroids aesthetic.

In Film/TV I like the human ships from the original Battlestar Galactica series and the Imperial ships from Star Wars.

From other games I'd probably pick the designs from the old Imperium Galactica (1997) strategy game, which had some great fighter, cruiser and destroyer designs.