Keelback Multicrew

Richard Brannigan · May 3, 2017

See also: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/333141-Keelback-Multicrew

I mean... seriously? How is this not a thing? Come on, Frontier! Show the Keelback some love. It's basically the coolest ship in the game. It looks like the Defiant, it's pretty much Serenity and it can launch a fighter.

How come I can have NPC co-pilots but my mates can't join me? Putting another chair in that cockpit isn't rocket science (harr harr)...

Please...???? [heart]

Chris Simon · May 3, 2017

Agreed. Keelback needs a second seat. I wouldn't mind if it were located anywhere in the hull, even, if the cockpit is too small.

Thalion Solarstorm · May 3, 2017

Put a Seat in the Toilet and call it done ^^

BL1P · May 3, 2017

Thalion Solarstorm said:
Put a Seat in the Toilet and call it done ^^

+rep this should so be a thing !
If only just for the funny videos

Stealthie · May 3, 2017

Asked the same thing myself a few days ago.

The Keelback is the cheapest, and most accessible, ship capable of launching an SLF so it's bonkers that it can't actually be used for that purpose in multicrew.

Monk · May 3, 2017

It doesn't have a second seat? Is t here room? I could swear there is room but it has been a long time since I've had a T6 and never tried the Keelback.

Cmdr NCarter · May 3, 2017

Yep. This ships needs a second seat. I was very surprised it did not get a small revamp when multicrew came along.
Also, it really would be a nice thing to do, because the closest ship with multicrew and a hangerbay is the federal gunship, which require not only lots of money to buy and also a grindy rank to get. What's the next ship after that? Type 9? Some 70 million credits for that.

Personally, i'd like to see more ships added to the list who can equip hangars. I'd sacrifice a class 3 hardpoint on my python for a hangar if i must!

Richard Brannigan · May 3, 2017

Monk said:
It doesn't have a second seat? Is t here room? I could swear there is room but it has been a long time since I've had a T6 and never tried the Keelback.

The cockpit isn't huge, but from the internal cameras it does look like there'd be space if you move the main seat around.

Edit:

If you compare external cockpit size of the Asp X, the Vulture and the Keelback, it certainly looks like it should fit a second seat. But then, the Type-7 has only one chair as well. It's a bit weird.

Monk · May 3, 2017

fabsh said:
The cockpit isn't huge, but from the internal cameras it does look like there'd be space if you move the main seat around.

It'd be kinda funny if the Keelback was the only ship where it put you in a seat in the fighter hangar like a lowly NPC crew.

Richard Brannigan · May 3, 2017

I actually think that would be cool. Have an internal crew station without windows and just monitors. Why not?

Chris Simon · May 3, 2017

Monk said:
It'd be kinda funny if the Keelback was the only ship where it put you in a seat in the fighter hangar like a lowly NPC crew.

I think it could be really cool to have a seat that overlooks the hangar. I don't need to see outside the ship and when I do, I have the external cams.

Conde · May 3, 2017

I just happen to be in mine here in Euribya, it's a tough little ship with a nice surprise waiting for any troublemakers. With the fighter bay installed you can still get 56t of cargo if you don't need a fuel scoop or more if you risk it without shields and it has the same hard points as Cobras and Vipers. With some tweaking of the floor space a co-pilot could be installed easily.

Hellfire85 · May 3, 2017

I'd say reduce size of the vulture "bridge", give the Keelback the seat that doesn't fit anymore (multicrew in a Vulture... pfff... it's not a taxi, neither a schooling ship and turrets? rofl)

FDev, Deal?

Andovar · May 3, 2017

Sandro answered this in one of the livestreams a while back.
Basically said it was designed before multicrew, and while a redesign could be done, there were no plans for it, and it would be very low on the priority list.
Coming from Mr. "no eta's, no guarantees", it sounds to me like this will never happen.

Julio Montega · May 3, 2017

Andovar said:
Sandro answered this in one of the livestreams a while back.
Basically said it was designed before multicrew, and while a redesign could be done, there were no plans for it, and it would be very low on the priority list.
Coming from Mr. "no eta's, no guarantees", it sounds to me like this will never happen.

So the KB was designed with fighter capability,
and in all gameyness, they didn't give heck
about where the NPC crew would be placed and seated?!
Seriously. They redesigned so many cockpits,
get the KB done already, it is a mighty fine ship!

Andovar · May 3, 2017

Julio Montega said:
So the KB was designed with fighter capability,
and in all gameyness, they didn't give heck
about where the NPC crew would be placed and seated?!

details...

Chris Simon · May 3, 2017

Andovar said:
details...

Seriously if someone's going to say that Keelback is a mile wide and an inch deep I'm going to die of laughter.

Bunkerkind Anni · May 3, 2017

the volume of the keelback/t6 cockpit is equivalent to the one of the ASP or the T9

ASP has two seats, T9 has three.
the difference is that the keelback/t6 pilot has about 4-6m of empty and useless space above his head.
same in the T7.

Loskene · May 3, 2017

Andovar said:
Sandro answered this in one of the livestreams a while back.
Basically said it was designed before multicrew, and while a redesign could be done, there were no plans for it, and it would be very low on the priority list.
Coming from Mr. "no eta's, no guarantees", it sounds to me like this will never happen.

Thing is though, the Keelback isn't even that old. At what point did they start developing the plans for multicrew if it wasn't even considered at the time they modelled the Keelback?
I mean they say they have some kind of secret development roadmap but it sounds like they just make it up as they go along, update to update, without knowing what's going to be coming afterward, beyond the major strokes like planet landings. If multicrew was on the books from day 1 then every ship would have been designed with that in mind. But since they weren't, multicrew can't have been conceived of any earlier than the Keelback itself. This isn't the first example of severe lack of foresight in their development though, and I don't think will be the last either unfortunately, but it does explain the lack of cohesion between the various game mechanics. How can you design for futureproofed integrated systems when you don't know what you're going to be adding a year from now, or a month?

Monk · May 3, 2017

Loskene said:
Thing is though, the Keelback isn't even that old. At what point did they start developing the plans for multicrew if it wasn't even considered at the time they modelled the Keelback?
I mean they say they have some kind of secret development roadmap but it sounds like they just make it up as they go along, update to update, without knowing what's going to be coming afterward, beyond the major strokes like planet landings. If multicrew was on the books from day 1 then every ship would have been designed with that in mind. But since they weren't, multicrew can't have been conceived of any earlier than the Keelback itself. This isn't the first example of severe lack of foresight in their development though, and I don't think will be the last either unfortunately, but it does explain the lack of cohesion between the various game mechanics. How can you design for futureproofed integrated systems when you don't know what you're going to be adding a year from now, or a month?

I think there is an end, big picture vision for the game but a lot of the in-between is just shoot from the hip and hope it hits.