The reason for this suggestion is today, I was curious about past ships of the Elite series. and much like this year where the Krait and Mamba were added (2 original ships, remastered and awesomely designed!) I hope that we will see this alt more in the future updates this year, as there is ALOT of potential ships that could be made the same way. such as;
Elite 1984:
-The Boa: The new and updated version could be either true to the classic description as a smaller ship to the Python but with more cargo capacity (or more of an affordable Python step-up) or larger than the Python and a Step up to the Anaconda. either way, I envisage this ship to be a trade biased Multi-Role (like a smaller Cutter)
-The Constrictor: Staying true to the Original, this ship could be a small sized Python equivalent, However it is much more faster and "nippy" with fantastic thrusters. A Small Multi-role. or possibly and entry level medium
-Gecko: In accordance to FFE, this ship had a Larger retro-Thruster than main. this ship would prove excellent for mining. meaning one could blast to asteroids and rapidly stop if needed. this ship could be upsized as well to suit a bit better!
-Moray Star Boat: This Ship was designed with the intention as a Submarine/Ship. Meaning it's addition could potentially be linked with Atmospheric Worlds. This ship could be reinvented as a 'Planetary Vehicle' that can be deployed, flown and used underwater for various activities.
- The Worm: Was originally a deployable transporter for surface operations, could be reinvented to become a cargo ferry 'SLF', basically allowing Large ships to trade to ports they otherwise could not land on. similarly, could be used to land on surface sites too small for large ships to land, allowing for unhindered deployment of SRVs.
Frontier: Elite 2
-Interplanetary shuttle: Could be updated as a Entry level Transporter, this thing was notoriously cheap. expect a Ship price of the 10's of thousands of credits for this baby, transporter players can then work up to the Dolphin later.
-Falcon: Known previously for having "the fastest acceleration of all ships" I wouldn't mind this to be like the Mamba and FDL pairing, but with the Eagle. It will likely have just the two size 1's, or maybe size 2's in modern adaptation.
-Hawk: originally an "airfighter" this ship could see a more modernised adaptation, Again as a small ship, This ship too had a notorious Acceleration, it could be added as a Vulture equivalent, But much faster with the same agility. with 1 size 3 and 2 size 2's.
-Kestrel: Again had an awesome acceleration (but not as high as those above) and was described as almost as a SLF, It could be resized to fulfil this role as a very fast moving, heavy hitting less agile SLF. or it could be reimagined as a Imperial Courier equivalent for the Federation.
-Osprey: An imperial specific fighter with a long jump range, this already could come in handy. This purpose would not need to change. basically a juiced up Imperial eagle, with faster acceleration. I see this as being a very fast ship with great handling, compatible with two size 2's for a more modernised scaling.
-Lion: Originally being a particularly underwhelming ship, Slow, cumbersome, defenceless. the Lion could see a minor improvement, being a Trade ship revitalised for mining. medium sized as basically a more agile Type-6 with the potential of being smaller or larger. This is really up to FDev.
-Tiger: Larger Than the Lion, This ship was notoriously Bulky, But had a much better cargo capacity, this ship could be re-imagined as a Bigger step up between the type-6 and type-7. although it will fulfil the same purpose as a trader. however this ship is quite a bit faster.
-Panther: also designated the 'panther Clipper' This ship was a mammoth, dwarfing all ships we have to date available in the ship yard. To add this a new docking system would need to be required. Commonly regarded for having a poor jump range and speed, this ship has amazing defence capabilities, shields in particular, but weapons also were considerable for the time. as well as an unmatched cargo capacity, basically it is a slower, larger Cutter.
-Puma: Could be added as an entry level Large trader, possibly with a speed enhancement. more akin to that of a Imperial Clipper, but perhaps with more cargo and less speed.
Frontier: First encounters
-Griffon: Another Huge ship, only surpassed by the Panther in size, to modernise it a bit, this ship could take on a more better multi role ( the original did look pretty cool, however it was surprisingly sluggish despite it's build, this ship could be added along with the Panther as a more faster, slightly smaller version. With decent offensive and defensive measures. However, keeping true to it's original form, this ship will eat fuel like not tomorrow, a larger jump range would be nice though.
-Gyr: It had a very decent jump range for a combat craft, it could reimagined as a small-medium size interceptor. with decent weapon slots (thinking 2 size 3 and 2 size 1s). the ship is not particularly fast, but it will fir a purpose.
-Harrier: described as being akin to the AspX but with more firepower, this ship could be exactly that (although looking completely different) although the original states it had les powerful thrusters than the asp, the new model could be reinvented to be an entry level medium FDL equivalent, limited optional space, but decent agility, firepower and shields.
-Harris Fighter: Described as being a very reliable combat craft, this ship could be added as another Vulture/Icourier rival, marginally slower and with slightly weaker offensive capabilities than the Vulture, but with excellent shield defence.
-Imperial explorer: Another Huge Class ship, although smaller than Panther and Griffon. surprisingly, this ship was more effective at Combat than actual exploration. described at having a fast speed for it's size, excellent shields and amazing offensive ability. However to modernize this ship, it would be nice to see it fulfil it's named role, Exploration. with the ability to store enough fuel, Oversized FSD. and a load of optional internals to keep explores operational for many months at a time. if you need to land on the surface, just deploy a Worm (mentioned above) and all you prayers are answered A new Huge ship can be added (along with a Federal counterpart that is designed more long the lines of the original.
-Imperial Trader: Originally a Large ship that is more akin to the Cutter now, it would still be nice to see a modernisation of the ship (I do like it's tri-Nacelle configuration) as a much more Trade biased Cutter (either smaller or slightly larger) with a lager Cargo capacity but less firepower. This ship had a very nice jump range!
-Lanner: pretty mediocre ship. although suitable to match the Hauler and Adder for cargo (if not slightly better). make for an entry trade step up.
-Lanner 2: Like the Cobra MK4 to the MK3, the updated version handles worse than previous, but cargo is almost double, again a stepping stone to larger trade ships.
-Lifter: This ship would need to be revitalised in order to be useful for Modern use, As it's open frame would be useless in current use. It could however be reconfigured to be a Trade Chieftain style ship, with the moving thrusters and such. and a very large Cargo capacity.
-Mantis: originally a Medium to Large ship, this ship was an Exellent trader as well as being able to defend itself nicely, this ship could see use as a rival to the Orca in size and use.
-Merlin: Originally a alight fighter, it would be nice to see this as a smaller Icourier Equivalent.
-Osprey X: A juiced up Osprey, with superior jump range and speed, this would make for a very lethal medium entry ship.
-Saker Mk3: Originally a Sidewinder equivalent, the modernised Saker could be just a small improvement on the sidewinder, as a next level multi-role.
-Spar: Small ship with a larger jump range than most, this would be almost a Viper equivalent, although slower.
-Tiercel: a type-6 equivalent, could be added as a slower version with a higher jump range, less cargo
-Wyvern: When compared to the Asp, this thing was a tin can, it would be nice to see the ship revisited as a much faster combat vessel with a size akin to the Asp
As one can see, there is ALOT of ships from Elite's past that aren't in game, 30 to be exact (almost the entire shipyard yet again). I removed the last names on the Puma Shuttle, Tiger trader, panther clipper as these are likely to be dated concepts to be added, to have the Panther clipper added as just 'Panther' would be a bit more cleaner and can be flexible.
just food for thought, but seeing old classic renewed has been an amazing thing so far (especially if they are as awesome as the Krait
Elite 1984:
-The Boa: The new and updated version could be either true to the classic description as a smaller ship to the Python but with more cargo capacity (or more of an affordable Python step-up) or larger than the Python and a Step up to the Anaconda. either way, I envisage this ship to be a trade biased Multi-Role (like a smaller Cutter)
-The Constrictor: Staying true to the Original, this ship could be a small sized Python equivalent, However it is much more faster and "nippy" with fantastic thrusters. A Small Multi-role. or possibly and entry level medium
-Gecko: In accordance to FFE, this ship had a Larger retro-Thruster than main. this ship would prove excellent for mining. meaning one could blast to asteroids and rapidly stop if needed. this ship could be upsized as well to suit a bit better!
-Moray Star Boat: This Ship was designed with the intention as a Submarine/Ship. Meaning it's addition could potentially be linked with Atmospheric Worlds. This ship could be reinvented as a 'Planetary Vehicle' that can be deployed, flown and used underwater for various activities.
- The Worm: Was originally a deployable transporter for surface operations, could be reinvented to become a cargo ferry 'SLF', basically allowing Large ships to trade to ports they otherwise could not land on. similarly, could be used to land on surface sites too small for large ships to land, allowing for unhindered deployment of SRVs.
Frontier: Elite 2
-Interplanetary shuttle: Could be updated as a Entry level Transporter, this thing was notoriously cheap. expect a Ship price of the 10's of thousands of credits for this baby, transporter players can then work up to the Dolphin later.
-Falcon: Known previously for having "the fastest acceleration of all ships" I wouldn't mind this to be like the Mamba and FDL pairing, but with the Eagle. It will likely have just the two size 1's, or maybe size 2's in modern adaptation.
-Hawk: originally an "airfighter" this ship could see a more modernised adaptation, Again as a small ship, This ship too had a notorious Acceleration, it could be added as a Vulture equivalent, But much faster with the same agility. with 1 size 3 and 2 size 2's.
-Kestrel: Again had an awesome acceleration (but not as high as those above) and was described as almost as a SLF, It could be resized to fulfil this role as a very fast moving, heavy hitting less agile SLF. or it could be reimagined as a Imperial Courier equivalent for the Federation.
-Osprey: An imperial specific fighter with a long jump range, this already could come in handy. This purpose would not need to change. basically a juiced up Imperial eagle, with faster acceleration. I see this as being a very fast ship with great handling, compatible with two size 2's for a more modernised scaling.
-Lion: Originally being a particularly underwhelming ship, Slow, cumbersome, defenceless. the Lion could see a minor improvement, being a Trade ship revitalised for mining. medium sized as basically a more agile Type-6 with the potential of being smaller or larger. This is really up to FDev.
-Tiger: Larger Than the Lion, This ship was notoriously Bulky, But had a much better cargo capacity, this ship could be re-imagined as a Bigger step up between the type-6 and type-7. although it will fulfil the same purpose as a trader. however this ship is quite a bit faster.
-Panther: also designated the 'panther Clipper' This ship was a mammoth, dwarfing all ships we have to date available in the ship yard. To add this a new docking system would need to be required. Commonly regarded for having a poor jump range and speed, this ship has amazing defence capabilities, shields in particular, but weapons also were considerable for the time. as well as an unmatched cargo capacity, basically it is a slower, larger Cutter.
-Puma: Could be added as an entry level Large trader, possibly with a speed enhancement. more akin to that of a Imperial Clipper, but perhaps with more cargo and less speed.
Frontier: First encounters
-Griffon: Another Huge ship, only surpassed by the Panther in size, to modernise it a bit, this ship could take on a more better multi role ( the original did look pretty cool, however it was surprisingly sluggish despite it's build, this ship could be added along with the Panther as a more faster, slightly smaller version. With decent offensive and defensive measures. However, keeping true to it's original form, this ship will eat fuel like not tomorrow, a larger jump range would be nice though.
-Gyr: It had a very decent jump range for a combat craft, it could reimagined as a small-medium size interceptor. with decent weapon slots (thinking 2 size 3 and 2 size 1s). the ship is not particularly fast, but it will fir a purpose.
-Harrier: described as being akin to the AspX but with more firepower, this ship could be exactly that (although looking completely different) although the original states it had les powerful thrusters than the asp, the new model could be reinvented to be an entry level medium FDL equivalent, limited optional space, but decent agility, firepower and shields.
-Harris Fighter: Described as being a very reliable combat craft, this ship could be added as another Vulture/Icourier rival, marginally slower and with slightly weaker offensive capabilities than the Vulture, but with excellent shield defence.
-Imperial explorer: Another Huge Class ship, although smaller than Panther and Griffon. surprisingly, this ship was more effective at Combat than actual exploration. described at having a fast speed for it's size, excellent shields and amazing offensive ability. However to modernize this ship, it would be nice to see it fulfil it's named role, Exploration. with the ability to store enough fuel, Oversized FSD. and a load of optional internals to keep explores operational for many months at a time. if you need to land on the surface, just deploy a Worm (mentioned above) and all you prayers are answered A new Huge ship can be added (along with a Federal counterpart that is designed more long the lines of the original.
-Imperial Trader: Originally a Large ship that is more akin to the Cutter now, it would still be nice to see a modernisation of the ship (I do like it's tri-Nacelle configuration) as a much more Trade biased Cutter (either smaller or slightly larger) with a lager Cargo capacity but less firepower. This ship had a very nice jump range!
-Lanner: pretty mediocre ship. although suitable to match the Hauler and Adder for cargo (if not slightly better). make for an entry trade step up.
-Lanner 2: Like the Cobra MK4 to the MK3, the updated version handles worse than previous, but cargo is almost double, again a stepping stone to larger trade ships.
-Lifter: This ship would need to be revitalised in order to be useful for Modern use, As it's open frame would be useless in current use. It could however be reconfigured to be a Trade Chieftain style ship, with the moving thrusters and such. and a very large Cargo capacity.
-Mantis: originally a Medium to Large ship, this ship was an Exellent trader as well as being able to defend itself nicely, this ship could see use as a rival to the Orca in size and use.
-Merlin: Originally a alight fighter, it would be nice to see this as a smaller Icourier Equivalent.
-Osprey X: A juiced up Osprey, with superior jump range and speed, this would make for a very lethal medium entry ship.
-Saker Mk3: Originally a Sidewinder equivalent, the modernised Saker could be just a small improvement on the sidewinder, as a next level multi-role.
-Spar: Small ship with a larger jump range than most, this would be almost a Viper equivalent, although slower.
-Tiercel: a type-6 equivalent, could be added as a slower version with a higher jump range, less cargo
-Wyvern: When compared to the Asp, this thing was a tin can, it would be nice to see the ship revisited as a much faster combat vessel with a size akin to the Asp
As one can see, there is ALOT of ships from Elite's past that aren't in game, 30 to be exact (almost the entire shipyard yet again). I removed the last names on the Puma Shuttle, Tiger trader, panther clipper as these are likely to be dated concepts to be added, to have the Panther clipper added as just 'Panther' would be a bit more cleaner and can be flexible.
just food for thought, but seeing old classic renewed has been an amazing thing so far (especially if they are as awesome as the Krait
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