Starter Ships

[Tenebrous Pirate]

Ship.................Hull / Armor / Engines / Solar Sails / Crew / Cargo / Guns / Torps / Speed / Agility
Vae Victus.........12......5..........13..........14..........35..........40..........18........6........Med.....High
Aperio Caliga.....10......4..........10..........14..........22..........52..........15........5........Med.....High
Neutiquam Erro..8........4..........13.........16..........21..........56..........10........2.........Med....High
Serpent Tooth....8........4..........11........16.........32..........20..........15........4..........Med.....High
Picky Beggar......9........4..........12.........16..........45..........40..........10.......8.........Med.....High
Tempus Fugit.....7........3..........14..........14..........20..........52..........8........4........Med.....High



Alright, so I am trying to dissect the starter ships I have unlocked, and figure out what is better for what. They all have descriptions, but their stat numbers are so close to each other that it is hard for me to understand why one ship is better than another for a specific job.

Like the Serpent Tooth. It is billed as a fast attack craft well suited to Military Officers and Pirates. But how is it any better than the Vae Victus? Those two ships have very similar engine and sail numbers, and the Vae Victus has more guns, cargo space, and crew.

Honestly, the only ship I have found a good use for that is better than the Vae Victus has been the Picky Beggar used for a starting Explorer. The decent cargo space and large crew capacity helps makes early runs doable and profitable.

But what about the rest of them? I am kinda disappointed as to how the Serpent Tooth is tooled out to be after I spent so much effort unlocking it. I mean, I must be missing something here. What am I missing?

[oldalchemist]

I'm a fan of the Fugit for Smuggling. I'll take every point of Engines I can get. As a Smuggler, you run from every fight you can't talk your way out of. I think the small hull size gives you an edge vs your Pilot skill, too.

[Tenebrous Pirate]

Yeah, I love me some high engines. I can see the benefits of the Neutiquam Erro (great for merchants), the Picky Beggar(great for explorers), and the Tempus Fugit(great for smugglers).

But for any combat class? The Vae Victus just seems to be the best choice, and the other unlockable starter ships don't seem to offer much.

[Cory Trese]

well make some suggestions ... what can I do to fix? I am not going to say no if it improves game

[Tenebrous Pirate]

Fair enough sir! I appologize for not offering constructive criticism. I hate when someone complains but doesn't offer input or corrective options, and wasn't trying to do that.

Mostly I was asking what advantages the other ships had that I was not noticing, but I will go ahead and offer my two cents.

For the Serpent Tooth, I would change the stats to this:
Ship.................Hull / Armor / Engines / Solar Sails / Crew / Cargo / Guns / Torps / Speed / Agility
Serpent Tooth....8........4..........16........11...............32........20........15........4..........Med.....High

Here is my rationale. This ship is for pirates and military. It has a cargo of only 20, which when you first start severly limits your operational range because you can't carry much fuel. It also limits how much you can loot from your prey and still have gas to get back and sell it. So this is the balancing factor for the ship. By swapping the engine and sail numbers, you do a few things.

One, you need high engines for a pirate ship, so that you can close quickly and your prey can't run away from you.

Two, those engines power the 15 guns that the Serpent Tooth boasts, which while less than the Vae Victus, are still nice to start with.

Three, by lowering the sails down, you match the fact that this ship only has 4 torps on it. It really seems a waste to me for 16 sails to only have 4 torps, and my experience as a pirate is to use guns over pirates almost exclusively. Swapping the numbers for the sails and engines would really help specialize the ship I think.

As far as the Aperio Caliga, I am really not sure what to make of it or do with it. It seems like a middle of the road compromise between the Vae Victus and the Tempus Fugit. Ultimately, except for cargo space being increased, it is inferior to the Vae Victus, and I don't know why you wouldn't go for the Tempus Fugit with better speed for fast freight trips and pirate avoidance if you do want that increased cargo space. I guess the added durability of it, and its increased armament does make up for the slower speed.

I might suggest this change.

Ship.................Hull / Armor / Engines / Solar Sails / Crew / Cargo / Guns / Torps / Speed / Agility
Aperio Caliga.....10......4..........12..........12..........22..........52..........15........5........Med.....High

My rationale here is similar to what I had for the Serpent's Tooth. It is a shame to see that many guns with so few engines to power them, and with that low of engines, it would be hard to run from pirates or other predators when you were hauling a bunch of cargo. Evening out the sails and engine numbers would help.

[oldalchemist]

I'd like to see a bigger difference in the starting ships. They're all very similar.

As it is, you really only need to hold onto your starting ship until you can get lucky against some pirate with a vessel better than his skills. Take that ship and repeat until you've got the cash to buy one you like.

How about a Merchant vessel with more hold available to start? The starting ships are all really small to be able to launch a trading career. Give me the option to start in a container ship with much crappier agility. Big hull, no armor, crappy engines, decent sails, fat hold, low crew, piddly arms.

The VV should be good in everything, but the other ships should excel in one particular area with big flaws in other areas.

Also, let's get Signature listed. If I'm a Smuggler, the main factors in ship choice are Signature, and speed. I don't want to be seen. If I am seen, I want to run. I'd be willing to start in a ship with lower stats if the signature was lower (lower is better, right? Like Armor Class)

Military Officers and Zealots probably don't care about signature, but everyone else does.

[slayernz]

I don't want a ship with piddly arms. I want a ship with big muscly arms. And legs. Need legs too. Otherwise the ship will just sit around all day bemoaning its lot in life wishing that someone would help carry it to the nearest soup kitchen.

[oldalchemist]

If you want the starting ship choice to matter at all you need to make them a little more different. As it is right now, you might as well ram the first pirate crossbow you come across and grab it, regardless of class, faction, or starting ship.

[madmatt]

Alright, here are my two creds worth:

Currently:
Ship.................Hull / Armor / Engines / Solar Sails / Crew / Cargo / Guns / Torps / Speed / Agility
Vae Victus.........12......5..........13..........14..........35..........40..........18........6........Med.....High
Aperio Caliga.....10......4..........10..........14..........22..........52..........15........5........Med.....High
Neutiquam Erro..8........4..........13.........16..........21..........56..........10........2.........Med....High
Serpent Tooth....8........4..........11........16.........32..........20..........15........4..........Med.....High
Picky Beggar......9........4..........12.........16..........45..........40..........10.......8.........Med.....High
Tempus Fugit.....7........3..........14..........14..........20..........52..........8........4........Med.....High

Proposed:
Ship.................Hull / Armor / Engines / Solar Sails / Crew / Cargo / Guns / Torps / Speed / Agility
Vae Victus.........12......5..........13..........14..........35..........40..........18........6........Med.....High
A very good beginning compromise ship.

Aperio Caliga.....10......4..........8..........16..........22..........70..........10........5........Low.....High
Good for infant Merchants.

Neutiquam Erro..8........4..........16.........16..........21..........52..........10........2.........High....High
Entry-level Smuggler vessel.

Serpent Tooth....8........6..........14........16.........40..........20..........18........10..........High.....High
Excellent choice for those aspiring to sector dominance.

Picky Beggar......9........4..........12.........16..........45..........45..........10.......8.........Med.....High
A nice alternative to the Vae Victus.

Tempus Fugit.....7........3..........20.........20.........20.........40..........2........2.......High.....High
A nice reward for those who like to move about in a hurry, but can't fight back worth a damn, as speed is her primary benefit.

Again, just my view.

[Cory Trese]

mad matt : i am plugging these into Excel for evaluation and simulation now. Thanks, I will respond with the results after the next release

[Cory Trese]

lots to like here, IMO. Anyone like/dislike these suggested stats?

[rudeboy]

I'll second those suggestions... I'm a Fugit fan myself, and those changes would suit my early style of play well.

[slayernz]

My 2 cents as well ... I reviewed each ship against the original description in the game, then adjusted the stats to better match the descriptions.

For those ships that have good firepower, I ensured they were weaker in other areas, and vice versa.

The ships should each provide a different challenge, be they small cargo hold, or poor offensive capabilities.

In terms of Speed and Agility, these are indicative as no doubt they are actually determined by the attributes of the ship itself

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Vae Victus	12	5	13	14	35	40	18	6	Med	High

Summary: good allround ability without being exceptional in any one area
* Good size, Avg Engines, Avg Efficiency, Avg Cargo, Good Guns, Avg Torps

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Aperio Caliga	10	4	8	18	25	70	8	2	Low	Med

Summary: merchant ship, great for efficient shipping but avoid unfriendly faction-space
* Avg Size, Low Engines, Good Efficiency, Great cargo, Low Guns, Low Torps

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Neutiquam Erro	9	4	16	12	21	52	10	4	High	High

Summary: High speed but short-range commerce ship, great for smugglers
* Small Size, Good Engines, Avg Sails, Good Cargo, Avg Guns, Avg Torps

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Serpent Tooth	12	6	18	14	40	25	20	10	High	High

Summary: Excellent choice for those aspiring sector domination
* Good size, Great Engines, Avg Efficiency, Low Cargo, Great Guns, Great Torps

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Picky Beggar	14	6	14	18	45	40	16	10	Med	Med

Summary: Heavy Attack Craft for those who like combat
* Great size, Avg Engines, Good Efficiency, Avg Cargo, Good Guns, Great Torps

Ship	Hull	Armor	Engines	Solar Sails	Crew	Cargo	Guns	Torps	Speed	Agility
Tempus Fugit	8	4	20	20	18	35	18	2	High	High

Summary: Small, fast, Heavily armed and armored
* Small size, Great Engines, Great Efficiency, Small cargo, Good Guns, Low Torps

[titor2054]

Total noob with no game design experience, but I wonder if one way to balance out the starter ships would be to have a total number of points - say 140 - for each ship. So the sum of the values assigned to Hull, Armor, Engines, etc. is 140 for all ships. You could also break it down into subsets - like Armour + Weapons = 24, Crew + Cargo = 50, etc.

[Cory Trese]

The way they were balanced is that each one costs around 100K and had the same simulation effectiveness values.

Simply adding up all the points doesn't work very well (IMO) because the values of +1 Armor is much higher than +1 Crew.