Horizons Need for a scout ship?

[EISENHORN01]

So it looks like (but not 100%) we're heading for a conflict with the thargoids. Thing is we're still not sure, despite all the rumours it appears very likely we've been caught on the hop and in terms of a military conflict that's is NOT GOOD NEWS.

several elements are needed to conduct a military campaign

troops
training
logistics
planning

all are very important but the top three don't matter if you don't know who or what your fighting or even where your supposed to fight. As such The fourth on the list isn't even possible with out for me the most important element that's missing:

INTELLIGENCE GATHERING

as such do we have a ship already in game capable of fulfilling such a role?

for me the ship would need to be small and fast but capable of carrying a mid level power plant to run a lot of sensory equipment as well as a larger than normal compliment of utilities for its class.
weapons and shields would not be a priority, for me the ship should be fast enough to get out of trouble if it's spotted at all meaning a high capability to run in silent running mode for extended periods.

obviously you would expect the existing military powers in the game to have such a craft but as is often the case such a craft would no doubt be highly classified. what I would like to see is such a ship in game because it's a SMUGGLERS DREAM, it would open up that game play with its own class of ship, introducing a whole new area for high paid low amount cargo smuggling missions including passenger missions and that's how it could be introduced as a variant of a stolen military intelligence prototype being used by the dark underclass but now needed in the fight to save humanity.

what ever your thoughts the only certainty is we are woefully underprepared for what's coming

 

[wcjoker]

I think being woefully under prepared for the Thargoids is the point. I imagine in the beginning that there will be plenty of encounters that end badly for the humans. It will not last long, there are so many dedicated players online and it will not take long for these players to post their findings and how they advanced their ships technology to counter this new "enemy".

Maybe they will show us the light and we will all stop killing each other, then again maybe they will eat our livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Wcjoker.

 

[Vasious]

I have my Sidewinder set up as a scout, to fulfil such a role
Fast, clean drives and low emissions PP, Wake and Manifest scanners, and long range sensors
The Diamondbacks fit the bill of being fast long range with 4 utilities and low signatures

 

[wcjoker]

I kind of hope that we have nothing to prepare for the Thargoids. We can certainly guess with our current tech but do we really know if clean drives and low emissions will even help? Maybe the Thargoids have tech that is so far ahead of ours that nothing we currently have can prepare for what's to come. But there is nothing wrong with prepping and the only way to prepare is with what we know.

should be interesting.

WCjoker.

 

[b101uk]

err we have two ships that could be considered "scout" ships, the diamondback scout oddly enough and the diamondback explorer, the former being medium-range, fast and capable, ideal for locating ships etc and probing beyond the phase-line gathering short-term "immediate" info, and you have the latter, long range, slower but more versatile platform, useful for probing deep beyond the phase-line with space to carry all manner of sensors while still being able to carry a vehicle hangar for ground recon too, else a compartment for the insertion of men or other equipment, or combat resupply of forward positions.

scouting and smuggling have very little in common in some respects, so using "conflict with the thargoids" as a fig leaf for wanting a ship that's a "SMUGGLERS DREAM" doesn't work IF scouting thargoid positions during a conflict is the main goal.

 

[Stealthie]

I wish there was some way FDev could slip some of the tools we might need into the game, if they're not there already, before we actually need them.

I've already started nailing wake-scanners to all my cargo/utility ships, just in case the "unknown wakes" left by alien ships ever yield more information.

Beyond that, the iCourier makes for a nice little scout ship.