Ships

File:Docking.jpg

Ship docking

We are planning to have 25 different playable ship types at launch. Some will have variant versions, and each will have a huge range of different equipment levels, so you could equip them as freighters, attack ships, explorers, etc.

David Braben Exclusive Interview at: MMORPGITALIA

• Adder
• Anaconda
• Asp
• Cobra Mk III
• Eagle Mk II
• Freighter 3 (Name will change)
• F63 Condor
• Krait
• Sidewinder Mk I
• Viper Mk II

Frontier are developing a family of ships for the navies of each faction in the game. Example:

• Empire Fighter
• Empire Courier
• Empire Capital Ship

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Here is the hierarchy of fleet-class ships that are available to the game’s major factions:

Cruisers (Battle cruisers, Battleships, Interdictors): Long range, independent ships that are capable of controlling entire systems. Heavily armed and capable of deploying large fighter squadrons. The capital ships already shown are an example of this class. In the Empire they are usually known as “Interdictors” – named after the first successful class of cruisers. Currently the most common and most successful is the Majestic class – generally referred to as a “Majestic class Interdictor”. As ships that can also carry out ambassadorial missions they can be used for ‘soft’ power projection, as well as hard.

Frigates: These are large ships designed for escort duties. The actual vessels vary greatly between navies, but are all designed to engage multiple small, fast enemies (typically fighters and missile swarms) and are loaded with point defence batteries. They will also have some anti-ship capability, but are not designed to go up against other warships.

Destroyers: These are anti-warship vessels, but are generally no longer used in the front line, though some are still in service.

Carriers: Designed for the deployment of fighter squadrons. Obsolete in the fleets of the major factions due to the popularity of Cruisers, but small navies still make use of them and some have even been converted into transporters.

Transporters (Couriers): Armoured warships designed specifically for transporting valuable assets and cargo quickly and safely.

Corvettes (Cutters): Light multirole warships, capable of recon, incursions and escort missions. These small warships are also popular with smaller factions, organizations and even wealthy individuals due to their adaptability. The Imperial Cutter is a lighter and faster Corvette-class ship, which players will be able to get their hands on in the final game (assuming they can make the right contacts).

Fighters: Small short-range craft that generally cannot operate independently due to having no jump capability. Their main roles include the defense of stations and the large warships that they are deployed from. Commercial fighters are typically jump-capable and are therefore much more flexible than their faction-specific counterparts.

Drones: Small automated ships that have largely been phased out due to the existence of effective counter-measures.

From: Newsletter #7

• Viper Mark II
  Viper Mark II
• Anaconda
  Anaconda
• Damaged Anaconda model
  Damaged Anaconda model