for the next 5 days they will be Answering questions on the hull series day 1 and its the Hull A

Backer Question and Answer

Attention Citizens! We’re taking questions and answers on individual MISC Hulls that will appear in this space over the next week. Today’s questions focus on the Hull A; if you’re interested in learning more about the B, C, D or E, please post to this thread.

“Can containers loaded into a ship’s hull be used as external containers on other ships?” – Spacehobo

Yes! Containers in Star Citizen’s universe are fully standardized, meaning that the attach points found on the Hull series are also present on everything from the Aurora Clipper to the Bengal carrier!

“Instead of having many small containers in one section, will there be a possibility to attach one large container which fits into the same said section?” – Joevar

Yes! While smaller cargo boxes are pictured throughout the promotional images, the Hull series will be able to carry any type of container that ‘fits’ in the space allotted.

“Will the Hulls (or at least the Hull A) be flying in AC before CCUs or whatever they’re turning into in the future goes away forever?” – Valensiakol

Yes, the CCU process will apply to the Hull A once it is available in-engine. If you pick up a Hull A today and would prefer to upgrade to a Hull B, C, D or even E you’ll have that option in the future!

“Will all or some of the Hull Series come with a jump drive as standard equipment?” – queetz

Jump drives are standard equipment for all Hull series ships, from the A to the E.

“Can the hull ships carry smaller starfighters (packed or configured as cargo) such as the Super Hornet?” – queetz

Yes! Spacecraft can be broken down into their component parts for transport, or carried in their completed forms aboard larger Hulls. There is also a ‘midget fighter attachment’ being developed for the Hull E which will allow it to drop and recover escort fighters in exchange for cargo space.

“How large are the manned cabs? Are there multiple rooms/areas such as a bathroom, food prep, and sleeping quarters?” – The Bevrwolf

The manned cabs differ significantly depending on the ship, although all of them have some form of the ‘standard luxuries.’ The Hull A is more like a tractor trailer, with a small sleeper area, while the Hull D or E are large enough to have multiple decks.

“Why is the aesthetic for A and B, namely colours, different to the others? It looks like it could be two separate MISC ships.” – Icematt12

From a design standpoint, we wanted the ‘B’ and ‘E’ to feel like upgrades you might earn of the ‘A’ and ‘D’ respectively, with the ‘C’ as a unique central design. Expect to see this design concept expressed more as the ship enters the engine.

“After the unveiling of the hull series I’ve seen some players claim they got a Hull A/B so they can ferry goods from orbit to surface. Will players be allowed to do that or will this be automated (maybe using AI drones or npcs) without any player involvement?” – WalBao

Players will be able to perform this type of mission; our thought is that it would be a good ‘first step into the ‘verse’ scenario for new players. It won’t be REQUIRED for players with larger ships, though: there’ll always be automated NPCs available to unload the Hull C, D and E on-orbit.

“I also would appreciate to know whether you are planning to release an in-game APP for Merchants to nicely organize their loadings and unloadings of cargo containers along the various many Ports which they will hit on their business trip.” – Captain B’tak

Yes! Zane Bien has begun development of the ‘cargo control’ screens which will allow merchant captains full control over the contents of their cargo. This will be available on all transport ships, although it should be especially useful for the Hull series.

“If you shoot the cargo containers do they spew cargo into space when they rupture? If you target the racks can you detach them from the ship as it’s moving?” – Marcus Murphy

We’re aware that the ‘spindle’ looks like the weak point of the Hull series, but do not intend for this to carry over into the game mechanics. The cargo containers will be fully shielded and will themselves have an armor value; those that wish for additional protection can use containers that trade armor for space. (But hey, what kind of pirate risks destroying their loot in the first place?)

“Can the hull ships carry smaller starfighters (packed or configured as cargo) such as the Super Hornet?” – queetz

Yes! Spacecraft can be broken down into their component parts for transport, or carried in their completed forms aboard larger Hulls. There is also a ‘midget fighter attachment’ being developed for the Hull E which will allow it to drop and recover escort fighters in exchange for cargo space.

Pocket Carrier Here I come!

lol nice

*proceeds to launch ~400 Merlins with pilots that have been napping the entire flight*

Being one of those guys would suck, IJS.

Would be hilarious to see if it works, though.

Im all in. Purchased an E

Day 2 its Hull B answers

Backer Question and Answer

“How are you planning to land the Hull B fully loaded planet side?”

Very carefully! We are in the process of updating the landing gear design for the Hull B so that it can land with the lower cargo slot filled.

“Are there beds? How can the modules have things like a med-bay? Are they capable of long haul shipping, particularly A/B?”

There are beds, and the larger ships have room for more medical facilities (for the A and B, think more about an emergency kit under the seat.) Both the A and the B are capable of long haul shipping, and in some ways are even superior; they have more speed and maneuverability for traversing the more dangerous regions of space.

“The Hull B having TR8s while those engines are physically smaller than the Constellation’s TR5s would be ridiculous otherwise unless all ships are having their main engines changed to a new size system.”

Remember, TR rating indicates thrust and not size! For the entire hull series, especially efficient thrusters are required, as they may be required to push up to 16 times the mass of the ship.

“The A and B says max one crew. But do they only have space/seats for one or could I bring a buddy along?”

We envision at least a ‘two set’ cab, similar to a modern tractor trailer truck cab, on the Hull A and B. There is not room for multiple people to bunk down at once, but you can certainly carry a passenger.

“Will the Hull B have stronger shields than its Freelancer/Cutlass counterpart, or between the Hull A and the Hornet? It would be nice to be able to take a few hits before going down.”

The current plan is for the Hull series to have efficient shields for their class as they will lack the maneuverability of other ‘jack of all trades’ ships. This may change during game balance, but the intended role is for the Hull series to be well protected transports… but also slow, easy to chase targets.

“Will the Hull B have any upgraded cargo/ trade lane software?”

The cargo/trading software will scale depending on the ship, although it will be derived from the same based application. Rest assured that the cargo system for organizing the Hull E will be quite a bit more complex than the Hull A!

“If the Hull B lands empty and contracted/folded up, how will I put cargo on it while still on the landing pad? Will it unfold while still grounded?”

Yes! It will be able to unfold in segments to load cargo while on the ground.

“The beam dimension of the Freelancer and Cutlass are larger than the Hull B, so does that mean the Hull B might fit through smaller jump points than they will?”

The design for jump point limitations is still being developed, so there is no definitive answer yet.

“Will every arm on the spindle need to be unfolded at the same time? For example, can a “B” just use the left and right arms and leave the bottom and top folded?”

The spindle arms can be unfolded individually depending on the task at hand.

I have a Hull-D. My crew plans to make our money hauling freight. I was going to get an E but I think they are almost to big for my 5-6 person crew. Almost bought a C instead but I think we can handle manning a Hull-D and still have a couple people freed up to fly escort

Day 3 its the Hull C answers

Backer Question and Answer

“Would some of the third party addons for the spindle accommodate cargo not in a container? For example, I’d like to use a Hull C to carry salvage transferred directly from a Reclaimer in space without needing to wait for the Reclaimer to land/dock every time its hold is full. “

A case like this would require a special container that can open during flight; we’re working on developing exactly this, both for ore transfers on the smaller ships and so that fighter scan be stored and constructed from parts on the larger models (E and possibly D.)

“Maybe the Reclaimer can compact salvage into the size and shape of Stor-All boxes which can then be ejected and fastened to the Hull C’s spindle?”

In all likelihood, you would need some kind of ‘basket’ container for actually carrying the salvage. But know that the Hull series is intended to be fully modular in the Star Citizen world, allowing crews to work in tandem with all of the game’s other ‘working ships.’

“Will the larger Hulls, say the Hull-C for example, have an interior cargo area so that we can still haul some cargo without having the spindle extended?”

When the spindle is collapsed, most of the space between the cab and drive unit is filled, although you will be able to use any free space on the ship thanks to the Grabby Hands system.

“The center spine on the C D and E. Is it large enough to have crew walk through it, and for that matter is it hollow?”

Yes! We’re still working out the details, but it should be large enough to walk through on the Hull D and E, and large enough to crawl through (similar to the Jeffrey’s Tubes on Star Trek) on the Hull C. In all of these ships, it will be advantageous for an engineer to be able to reach the drive unit on occasion.

“Why should anyone NOT prefer the Banu Merchantman before the Hull C?”

The primary advantage of the Hull C is the modularity. Where the Banu Merchantman will allow you to swap fixed hardpoints, the Hull C gives you an entire spindle of attach points to access. The Hull C is also intended to be more common (and less expensive!) than the Merchantman.

“How likely will running a Hull C without escort go well for the owner?”

This will depend on what you’re going up against! We expend Hull C will make ‘safe sector’ transit without escort quite handily, and that they will have the speed and weapons to fend off some attacks traveling towards the frontier.

“Is the Discreet not an option now? Is that role for the Caterpillar or a MISC future design?”

The Hull C Discreet is still in the cards for the finished game! It will include specialized containers to support it’s ‘Q-ship’ purpose.

“Is the discreet model a separate variant or something you can make yourself with modules?”

The latter! Although per the fiction, MISC will offer the Discreet ‘purpose built’ in the finished game universe.

“What do the other 2 crew members do? Can it be operated without them?”

Additional crew members will run the turret, navigation, scanners, repair team or whatever the captain assigns them through the multi-crew seat system. One thing to remember is that we build our ships as they should ‘work’ in the game, even if some of that isn’t as exciting for gameplay. In the Star Citizen universe, it makes sense for larger transports to have crews that ‘trade off’ the pilot seat during long-duration runs.

This is an official CIG photo taken from ATV
not sure if this is the pocket carrier or just a way of moving ships as cargo
or even just a CIG wind up

Day 4 its the Hull D answers

Backer Question and Answer

“Which Hull would better compliment the operation of an RSI Orion mining platform?”

A Hull C or larger would be best for dealing with the amount of ore the Orion produces. If you’re mining in a safe area or have a good escort team, the Hull D would be best. If you’re looking to try and escape from scrapes more easily using just the two ships, a Hull C seems preferable.

“Do the Hull ships come with the containers or we have to buy them separately?”

Containers will be separate; much of the time, they will be loaned to you when you accept a cargo run. You’ll have the option to configure your Hull with different containers for different roles as well.

“How long has MISC produced the Hull Series? Is it a centuries old model like some of the other ships?”

We haven’t issued final lore for this yet, but the assumption in the design was that the Hull series is fairly old, to the point that they (or their similarly-functioned predecessors) have become the standard image of a ‘space truck’ in the Star Citizen world.

“What do the other 4 crew members do, especially the 2 that aren’t on the Hull C?”

The Hull D (and E) can be operated solo. On paper, the four other crew positions are for manning the ship’s defensive turrets. Other important roles for Hull crewmen include co-pilot, loadmaster (running the cargo panel) and engineer.

“Would it be feasible to run a Hull D or E as a solo player or would I need to stick with a C?”

Yes! The captain seat will have access to all crew functions, so you are able to fly solo if you so desire. Manning multiple turrets during a firefight will be a challenge, though! More crew (whether they’re NPCs or players) will always be a benefit.

“Is the modality of the Hull Series largely limited to swapping out cargo pods or is there sufficient room on other parts of the ship to include specialized areas?”

There will be room for internal options, as intended for most of our larger ships. We’re still working on this system, and will release details in the future (expect to see some of the room options on MISC’s Starfarer first.)

“For the Hull D…it mentions a military variant. Would that be a choice we could change our Hull D to in the future?”

Yes! The military variant (and others, such as the Hull C Discreet) will be available in the finished game world. As all of these ships are modular, you will be able to equip them on top of your existing Hull pledge if you so desire.

“Will the Hull D need to refuel after every jump or is it a long-haul cargo vessel capable of making several jumps before refueling?”

The Hull D will be capable of making multiple jumps before refueling; it will also be capable of in-flight refueling from a Starfarer or similar tanker.

“For what reasons might someone choose a HULL D over the more maneuverable HULL C or the much more massive HULL E?”

The simple answer is that the entire lineup is a sliding scale: as more and more cargo space is added, the speed and maneuverability is compromised. The Hull D is for pilots who want to move a lot of cargo, but aren’t willing to go quite as slowly and methodically as the Hull E will require. While it’s tempting to pick the highest number and decide that’s the best, it’s likely that most independent captains would get more bang for their buck with a smaller ship fully laden rather than struggling to afford as much cargo as it would take to stock a Hull E

and its the last one its the Hull E answers

Backer Question and Answer

“Will the Hull-E be able to disable some thrusters when not fully loaded?”

This won’t just be possible, it will be necessary in many cases! In automatic flight, your thrusters will adjust based on the overall load, but you will also have the option to control them more directly yourself.

“Will the Hull E Fit inside any of the hangers, if so what ones? “

We’re making plans for larger hangar expansions to accommodate ships like the Hull E or the Orion. Until then, the Hull E will come with the standard deluxe Hangar.

“How will the perception of problem with the telescoping spine and apparent fragile nature of the spindles be resolved? “

We will take a look at making the spindles look ‘stronger’ during the next art pass, but the long term answer is that they just aren’t going to be fragile. The interiors are reinforced, they telescope out and then lock in place… they’re the same as the skeletons that form the basis of all other ships.

“What kind of options will there be for automated loading if that’s not the kind of task we want to worry about? “

Grabby Hands means that you can load every part of the ship if you so desire… but in all likelihood, you won’t ever want to do that on something as large as a Hull E. Loading can be done automatically via your mobiGlas under normal circumstances (and then the cargo itself can be organized through the console interface.)

“If the Hull E can drop escort fighters does this mean the pilots of said escort fighters need to stay in the fighters for the duration of trip, or will there be a way to enter said escort fighters from inside the Hull E? “

This is going to depend on the fighter! We have been experimenting with a system where you you must ‘construct’ a Hornet from components stored in standard containers. This would be something you do in flight, similar to sub-launched aircraft in the 1940s: unfold the container, put the ship together during an EVA and then take off. In these cases, which involve heavier ships like the Hornet, you would not be able to land on the Hull. We also plan to have smaller midget fighters (such as the Merlin) which could be launched and recovered with tractor beams.

“That Hull E looks big enough to stow away on with no one the wiser. If I fly my Aurora up to the back of a cargo crate and mag-clamp on to it, can I tag along wherever the Hull E is heading?”

Good to see that you’re already imagining the Star Citizen equivalent of Marty’s skateboarding in Back to the Future! The short answer is that yes, anything you can fit in a crate (Aurora included) can be carried by a Hull E. We expect to developed ‘manned’ modules as well, if you’d like to travel on a Hull as a passenger.

“In case I transport ships with the Hull E, what kind of insurance will be necessary? Will it need a hull insurance for the transported ships, do they count as cargo or does it need hull and cargo insurance?”

When a full ship is being transported, you would need the base hull insurance for that ship rather than additional cargo insurance.

“Is there a militarized Hull E version? “

Yes! It’s nowhere near as common as the Hull D, but the UEE military does on occasion utilize the Hull E as a transport. The military designation is R5M Proteus.

“Is only the Hull E capable of transporting, refueling and refitting escort fighters?”

No. Any ship in the series is capable of mounting this equipment where space allows, the Hull E just has more space for it. (That is: the Hull D can likely be modified with refueling equipment or smaller ship attachments, while the Hull A probably can not.)

“How is speed and maneuverability scaling with the load level. E.g. HULL E with no cargo, and non extracted spindle should be like a gigantic ‘racing truck’?”

The Hull is never going to be a speeder, but you will be able to push it quite a bit more without cargo.

“Will there be a reliable source of missions available for Hull E owners to move other people’s cargo, and how would that system work?”

Absolutely; think of the Hull E as being a pure space truck, like those you might see on a cross-country trip. The cabs are owned and operated by a driver (or a corporation) and the cargo is simply picked up and moved on behalf of other parties.

“Will there be some hauling loads that physically cannot be broken down into smaller pieces, and thus must be delivered by a dedicated Hull E?”

Absolutely! The galaxy is full of wonders, some of which are quite large. Whether it’s a Xi’an megapiano or a fully intact stasis unit, there’s always something out there that you won’t want to take apart to ship.

“Will you be able to have more than one midget fighter attachment at a time, and if so, how many will you be able to have?”

This will purely depend on what attach points are available. Someone who trades in a good deal of their cargo space might be able to attach a number of fighters!

“Can the Hull E internal corridor fit a Greycat?”

We’re going to leave that to you to figure out.