Possible new ship: Narwhal liner?

[sergeantmarcel]

Hi, I read an article in Galnet which talks about the presidential vessels. Narwhal liners. These liners are upgraded variants of the succesful Beluga Liner.

Will this ship be one we will be getting in our shipyards in a future update? Is this ship significantly different to the Beluga Liner? All things we don't know.
One can speculate

Article:
https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-FEB-3302

 

[Wavey]

I doubt it ,they only made 2 ,one went pop and the other they retired .Would be very odd if they then became available

 

[sergeantmarcel]

I doubt it ,they only made 2 ,one went pop and the other they retired .Would be very odd if they then became available

maybe like collecting classic cars, you collect the classic Narwhal Liner

 

[Arubeto]

Since they are described as "upgraded beluga liners", I think it's rather likely this is the first sign for the Beluga itself to become available, presumably with passenger gameplay in the 2.2 release, "Guardians".

 

[lysan]

Since they are described as "upgraded beluga liners", I think it's rather likely this is the first sign for the Beluga itself to become available, presumably with passenger gameplay in the 2.2 release, "Guardians".

I'm very interested in the passenger game mechanics, I am also afraid that FD will just turn it into haul X passengers to Y. The whole immersive part of viewing the passenger cabin, listening to the announcements and so on, are a huge part of the game mechanics in my opinion.

 

[knowles2]

I'm very interested in the passenger game mechanics, I am also afraid that FD will just turn it into haul X passengers to Y. The whole immersive part of viewing the passenger cabin, listening to the announcements and so on, are a huge part of the game mechanics in my opinion.

I think it will start of as haul x passengers to y. This passengers will have faces from the outset. We will have to wait until walking around for further interactions.

 

[Cynaqq]

Passengers will definitely have faces and some kind of story from the get go. Why wait until portraits and persistent MF agents are in game before releasing passengers otherwise?

 

[Jerakeen]

I'm afraid I'm not raising my hopes for passenger carrying to be anything other than just a different type of cargo. I hope to be proved wrong but I'm not optimistic about it.

 

[Cynaqq]

I'm afraid I'm not raising my hopes for passenger carrying to be anything other than just a different type of cargo. I hope to be proved wrong but I'm not optimistic about it.

We all know what will happen. Passengers will have portraits, and they will have a simple narrative explaining why they are going where they are going. They will also want to go specific routes or multiple stops with encounters to overcome along the way.

Then someone will say 'meaningless passengers no depth. We load them somewhere and unload somewhere else. I expected so much more FD!' and everyone will jump on the bandwagon.

 

[Jypson]

Jones confirmed that the remaining Narwhal will be replaced with a pair of modified Farragut Battle Cruisers, a mainstay of the Federal Navy. The formidable vessels are equipped with an extensive array of heavy weaponry, and are capable of transporting multiple Federal Corvettes and a large F63 Condor squadron.

Jeez-louise, talk about an escalation in security measures!

 

[askavir]

There is potential in the passengers feature to create various kinds of content to suit many different tastes.

1 - Standard "space bus", transport passengers from station/planet A to station/planet B. (appeals to traders)
2 - Tourism trips. Wealthy passengers want to visit galaxy POIs, like Betelgeuse, some black hole, some neutron star, some system inside a nebula and so on. (appeals to explorers)
3 - High value VIP's need to travel to X. Transport such VIP's, some people might want to kill / kidnapp them. (appeals to combat players, potential for wing gameplay). (»)

(») - passengers aside, defensive / escort missions would be a big plus in this game. Things like escorting some trading convoy, some VIP in his ship, defending a installation/outpost from an attack, etc.

 

[Arubeto]

I'm afraid I'm not raising my hopes for passenger carrying to be anything other than just a different type of cargo. I hope to be proved wrong but I'm not optimistic about it.

I am slightly more optimistic about passenger missions, since

• if passenger missions would indeed be nothing more than relabeled cargo hauling missions, than they could have easily released passenger gameplay with the initial release of ED, avoiding all the complaints about the Orca being useless
• David Braben himself, when asked about when passenger gameplays would be implemented, said during an interview that many more things needed to be in place before passengers would make sense, hence implying he wanted to make more of passenger gameplay than just trading with another name:

We haven't announced when that [passenger missions] will be. I am afraid they are way of, yet, because it's not just that, there is a lot of other things behind it to make it make sense. But they will come.

(mark 13:33 in this video from June 18th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9WURhX0Y4)

IMHO, the most important things to make passenger gameplay unique and engaging are:

• The concept of passenger cabins; i really hope they don't abandon this concept, where the different classes of cabins are available for different classes of passengers; the availability of these cabin classes wouldn't be determined by the ships size, but rather by it's class (so a dedicated luxury liner like the Orca can equip the most top-of-the-line VIP cabins, while the larger Anaconda and T-9 traders can only equip middle-range cabins etc.)
• persistent passenger NPCs that you can meet multiple times around the galaxy, with mechanics similar to those being described for the upcoming engineers and minor mission representatives
• NPCs with faces, again something we get with the upcoming engineers (see: Todd 'The Blaster' McQuinn)
• some way to interact with the passengers during flight, communicate with them etc.; sadly NPC comms have been confirmated to come later
• and, very important, unique passenger mission mechanics, like incorporating your flying style, tasking you with visiting beautiful and scenic systems etc.

Since some of these things are already underway, I dare to get my hopes up a little bit for passengers in 2.2.

Perhaps FDEV read my thread where I urged them to take their time with passenger missions and do them right!

 

[NotBiffle]

I have nothing of any value to post in this thread at the moment.

However, i would like to take this opportunity to sarcastically thank the OP for getting this stuck in my head. Thanks OP!

[video=youtube;SX9IRXIF5Ak]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9IRXIF5Ak[/video]

 

[Warmaster Will]

I have nothing of any value to post in this thread at the moment.

However, i would like to take this opportunity to sarcastically thank the OP for getting this stuck in my head. Thanks OP!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9IRXIF5Ak

Notbiffle I ever see you in space you are getting blown out the airlock.....Narwhals,Narwhals,sitting in the ocean..........to infinity

 

[Vasious]

Interesting, I thought Spacecraft One was a Farragut Class.

I am guess the Narwhales are even more luxurious that the "standard" Belua, which itself is a custom built vessel itself if we read the Orca's description

"Saud Kruger are famed for their range of luxury passenger vessels. This is their top of the line vessel (although they do offer custom built vessels that are bigger) and is capable of carrying passengers in extreme comfort and elegance. For its size and class it's also quite capable of defending itself."

I guess they, Saud Kruger, just gave the Custom Beluga for the President of the Federation its own class name to make it even more special so they could charge more

 

[Kristov]

The Beluga has been mentioned before, a much larger passenger vessel that's a custom job. The Narwhale is evidently, from that GalNet piece, a more highly customized version of the Beluga, probably more weapons, more armor, more defensive measures, faster top speed, jump range, etc, as would befit something being used by the head of one of the largest galactic powers in the Human sphere of influence. Much as Airforce One that the US President uses ISN'T just a hopped up 747.

As to passenger missions and carrying them around...sorry, but you guys are NUTS to want to do that stuff, listening to whiny passengers, dirty diapers being left in the seatback compartments, all that other nasty stuff that goes with carrying people around like that...ugh! Star Citizen is going to do that all up, supposedly, and when I was reading their proposed gameplay for it I was like, 'are you g kidding me? Who the hell would find that fun?'.

Then I realized, I love being a thousand light years out in the Black, scanning yet another lifeless ball of ice or rock, and I'll do that for months on end, so really, who the hell am I to say something is or isn't fun for anyone else? If people enjoy it, more power to them, and by the gods, lets hope FD and CIG get it right for both games, because come on, the folks who love doing that stuff really ain't got much choice in other games for it, just some flight sims, and lets face it, it's a lot more of a thrill to think, 'if that stupid mother's son in F3 doesn't shut up, I'm gonna space his ass!' then to think, 'if that stupid mother's son in F3 doesn't shut up, I'll have a massive headache when we land'.

 

[Loskene]

Interesting note that the Farragut can carry a Federal Corvette as well as a squadron of fighters. Can the Majestic class carry an Imperial Cutter? I wouldn't imagine so, since the largest ship I was able to fit inside its docking bay (before the exclusion zone was added for capships) was an Asp explorer. It was a pretty snug fit so I don't know what else could fit in there. Certainly nothing as wide as a Clipper, let alone a Cutter.

 

[Arubeto]

Then I realized, I love being a thousand light years out in the Black, scanning yet another lifeless ball of ice or rock, and I'll do that for months on end, so really, who the hell am I to say something is or isn't fun for anyone else? If people enjoy it, more power to them, and by the gods, lets hope FD and CIG get it right for both games, because come on, the folks who love doing that stuff really ain't got much choice in other games for it, just some flight sims, and lets face it, it's a lot more of a thrill to think, 'if that stupid mother's son in F3 doesn't shut up, I'm gonna space his ass!' then to think, 'if that stupid mother's son in F3 doesn't shut up, I'll have a massive headache when we land'.

Have some rep for that insight

(for the record: I am one of those crazy people who is really looking forward to ferry around customers - tbh., it's the thing I expect to do most of the time once it hits - given it's implemented in a good way and takes advantage of the many unique possibilities such a mechanic provides)

 

[CMDR Weatherwax]

Have some rep for that insight

(for the record: I am one of those crazy people who is really looking forward to ferry around customers - tbh., it's the thing I expect to do most of the time once it hits - given it's implemented in a good way and takes advantage of the many unique possibilities such a mechanic provides)

Ah but will you be saying that when that kid in F3 constantly comes over your comms with 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'. After a few hops of that you are going to be happy to just hear about the happy couple's wedding, with the groom who has forgotten to write his vows and be desperate for an adder pilot to want you to follow his wake and have a word with you about changing your mission

 

[Kristov]

Have some rep for that insight

(for the record: I am one of those crazy people who is really looking forward to ferry around customers - tbh., it's the thing I expect to do most of the time once it hits - given it's implemented in a good way and takes advantage of the many unique possibilities such a mechanic provides)

One of the members of SRM, the group I've been with for 20 years for online gaming, is a commercial pilot, the big boats, and he wants to do that in Star Citizen too, because he can space people if they annoy him. I don't get the appeal, but he doesn't get why I love exploration, so it's all good, we both still love killing other players and that's our thing when we game together. Wonder if we'll turn our Javelin into a passenger ship....interesting possibilities there...