SaltEMike Reacts to The Drake Ironclad Q&A Post

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[@Juxer_SC]

The main competitors haven’t been conceptualized yet.

[@IdleWorker]

More for the backlog! It must feeeeeed!

[@lunamaria1048]

Competition isn't feature complete

[@SpaceDad42]

Not everything is a competition. Some things are just a preference. Diff strokes for diff folks, you know.

[@robertchandler2063]

The best ship is the next ship 😂

[@hephaestion12]

Exactly ... C2 mk2 will punch well above its weight 😂😂😂

[@GrizzySC]

@SaltEMike - on your comment about switching to the base iron clad over the assualt based on losing the secured cargo bay...the assualt doesnt have one to begin with. again a miss on CIG but also a giant miss on you...if you look at the ironclad page it clearly shows that at the release of the concept the front Cargo bay was already replaced with 32x jump seats. this was actually the reason i went with the base in the beginning...i dont fkn need 32 jump seats but with this change of adding a armory it looks better now. losing the tractor beams make perfect sense to me..i dont seee why it doesnt to you or others.. it is called the "assualt" for a reason. its primary reason for being is that to drop vehicles on the front lines while laying massive fire down to protect itself and the exiting vehicles and returning to pick up and repair afterwards... JUST because all of us as a community can see the potential for pirate gameplay with either variant should not justify us saying the assualt not having them (tractor beams) is a L.....wut? 0.o

[@zantrag]

I know I would be FAR happier with the Assault, having just 24 jump seats, and the ability to store weapons, equipment, environ suits and storage lockers for all 24 of those soldiers. (The armory, should fit the need.)

[@CainSeldon]

just throw your guns and armor into a box, BOOM armory

[@cavok_o7]

I totally agree with you. Assault is heavey dropship. not a carg9 hauler

[@Billy-bc8pk]

@@CainSeldon Yeah I don't get why a lot of people don't just consider this for their dropship needs? Plenty of ships that have storage space for a 2 SCU or 8 SCU box can very handily be used to store all your armour or weapons.

[@derkatzenfuerst6077]

I'm pretty sure they when mentioned the fact that the Assault doesn't have the secure cargo storage in the initial Ironclad ISC.

[@stefanosgeorgiou621]

Btw, is it just me, but the C2 was never pitched as a dedicated hauler, wasnet it supposed to be a vehicle transport, designed for easy unload and load? I dont see a ironclad landing in a hotzone to drop off tanks...

[@angerskarin9222]

it wont because its a fat slow brick lol but this guy mindset is just, can carry more so its better.

[@Volf1916]

During the Invictus launch week page CIG presented the Ironclad assault as specifically being pitched as a vehicle delivery for hot zone and drop ship reinforced front ramp and door, lots of drop seats, major jump in turrets and number of guns on the turrets. And the M2 was pitched as the military vehicle delivery hauler where as the C2 is the dedicated civilian multi purpose hauler not just vehicles in line with how the Basic Ironclad is being done.

[@rolinthor]

They’ll just say whatever helps you give them cash right now. They’ll downgrade/upgrade it depending on future cash flow needs.

[@BizzMRK]

iirc the Herc C2 was alway pitched as a multi-purpose hauler for racing teams, ship dealers, manufacturers, construction orgs, mining corps etc so basically anything cargo, while the M2 was more pitched as the armored vehicle and supply dropship.

[@niklasdahlgren7641]

@@Volf1916 Yea, the Ironclad Assault is a front line hot-zone vehicle delivery attack option and the C2 or M2 is more of a stay back and drop off and then lift off while the Assault has the firepower to clear the landing zone as well.

[@Roob_65]

Face it. CIG is 70% pretty pictures, 15% marketing, 10% social engineering, and 5% game development. They’ll draw another pretty picture that trounces everything else on paper, put it on sale, then take 5+ years to update us on all the problems they’ll have getting it to work in game. Classic CIG.

[@rupert456]

My opinion: CIG historically lost the team who were designing the original pledge ships. They had to get a new team. Train them up and the Polaris is their first big reveal. Hence why old ships arent being worked on and we keep seeing new concepts. I think you can write off those BMM's, lads

[@zantrag]

I never cared for the "new" humanized BMM anyway. ALL of the alien goodness was lost. No aggressive stance, no pointed nose, or upturned wingtips, no outward appearance of alien materials, no longer awesome. In ANY ship, space is always at a premium. Being an alien race doesn't change that. Massive open room for just one turret?

[@yulfine1688]

old ships are being worked on actually, but they started with the 600i i think and a couple others, they need funding as well, so people are more excited over new ships over reworked old ships, I think part of the issue lies in the size of the team its probably not very large compared to the backend, software engineering team etc.

[@Witters_]

@@zantrag I hate it not being pointy, that's what made its profile look so striking, kind of loses its character without it.

[@EvilAszu]

@@zantrag I get that the BMM is disapointing rn I agree, but the Banu are not an agressive Alien species, they survive by doing trades, they cannot have their capital ship looking like a death destroyer that implies threat to the life of those that are doing business with them.

[@Birbucifer]

@@zantrag Old BMM looked too much like a vanduul ship. New one is actually distinct.

[@captainharlock3998]

"Galaxy shits on the Ironclad" The Ironchad has the Galaxy's whole firepower on ONE of it's turret.

[@Billy-bc8pk]

Doesn't the Galaxy also have less cargo capacity?

[@Haegemon]

The roles of the two ships are completely different. The Galaxy is multipurpose ship, most thought to be a deep space exploration ship, the Ironclad is a cargo ship.

[@riosasin3086]

Galaxy has been advertised as capable to building large bases with modules which is the sale point of it right now, ironclad best can only build medium while carrying an MCV which is a carrier role, their role was different

[@dystrakshyn4627]

Also, the galaxy’s cargo module only holds 512 scu compared to the ironclad’s 1536, literally only a third.

[@captainharlock3998]

@@Haegemon The Galaxy isn't a deep space exploration ship. It does exploration just as the Ironclad will do exploration. The Ironclad is a multipurpose ship. The Galaxy is a MODULAR ship. You'll have only one purpose with each module. The Ironclad is a pocket carrier, a tank carrier, a cargo ship, a repair ship, a raiding ship, you name it. It does it all

[@hortwort]

Secure storage in the taurus is said to be able to block criminals from being scanned. Maybe a critical feature for a "cargo" ship.

[@jedi_drifter2988]

The Caterpillar is a dedicated freighter, even the separate cargo sectiones has its own components for life support, power and most likely temp control.

[@kishkin8743]

Park an Argo Tractor inside the Assault and you've got Tractor Beams.

[@zantrag]

@5:15 Based on the literature, the secure storage area was replaced by jump seats on the Assault Ironclad. It seems they want to add an armory in that area as well. Great news, unless you are at the rear of the ship. *(perhaps gun racks, lockers, suit storage, etc. will be included in the crew quarters as well!)*

[@kendallfoord6726]

I'm hoping there are gun racks in the back of the ship as well, but slowly pausing the video they showed off at conception, they do have suit lockers I believe 6 of them right next to the airlock leaving the starboard side of the ship, 2nd floor. I hope they dont change that and add some gun racks. And I was hoping if the 3rd floor hallway near the flight module, looks like a doorway to the top of the outside was answered, given all the rails. But no luck 😁 hopefully we dont wait to many years lol

[@niklasdahlgren7641]

The C2 is a drop off-lift off ship and the Ironclad lands to stay, two different jobs.

[@CyrusKazan]

The M2 will be able to swoop in faster, land faster, deploy its vehicles faster, and get out faster. It also has more options for LZs because it has a smaller footprint. But they didn't say any of that because gotta market the new hotness lol

[@thediadect8914]

Lol wut? Will? In a decade?

[@luvit579]

Plus the Hercules series can easily do some solo bounties, 890 boarding mission and such.

[@superpinoi]

I don't think everyone is here to min max. If they like the look of a ship, they will use it. Simple. There will always the best ship spec. But I think there's a freedom of this in sc for all careers.

[@shizuoheiw]

Roof panel argument was pretty mellow, I remember the legendary argument of which way that Merchantman flew, now that was an argument

[@MILSPECMOM]

Perfect timing! I need my barrack cleaning BG SC podcast. o7

[@reamoinmcdonachadh9519]

That secure storage area on the base version indicated People traffiking or Slave Running as the 'cells' look more like detention cells than Cargo Storage.

[@JG26EZ1]

Just build/finish the BMM already.. On the other hand, thanks for the vids Mike!

[@l6gaming]

IT has been mentioned by CIG months ago that the hand held tractor beams ARE changing. Best I can make out is the Pyro Tractor beam will deal with up to 2scu, the large one up to around 8SCU, and bigger ones need ship/vehicle tractor beams - need to find the ep's where it is mentioned, been some time

[@Needlesse]

Reclaimer is a far better salvager than the vulture, untill you get into atmo. For planetary cargo I think the C2, Galaxy and Caterpillar will outdo the ironclad on fuel consumption and flight performance and the simple fact that the raw amounts of cargo thats spawnable is very limited on most outposts. Its a Hull C competitor, and the hull C is not intended to land on planets.

[@drksideofthewal]

I love the Ironclad concept, but I hope it flies like absolute shit in the atmosphere for balance reasons. Like, "Reclaimer in the atmosphere of Crusader" bad. The Hercules being good at moving cargo to and from planets is implied by the "Starlifter" name, so it should have its niche.

[@BizzMRK]

I don't think that even the cat, c2 or galaxy will be viable for outpost trading in the future considering the lack of auto (un)loading and limitation to smaller box sizes there so larger ships like these will probably stick with delivering to distribution centers while smaller ships like freelancers, Connies or C1 deliver to and from the outposts instead, atleast thats the Idea they are going for. While you could technically fill a C2 with, for example, 4scu boxes to deliver to outposts it wouldn't be time efficient to do so.

[@bladioYT]

I almost always choose to fly the Caterpillar over a Hercules because I want to feel like I'm flying a massive ship when I'm flying a massive ship. Bring on more huge ships that handle like a flying brick.

[@BizzMRK]

I prefer rear mounted cockpits to front mounted ones due to the sense of scale it gives you even if it limits your visibility but honestly even in a Herc you mostly land in third person anyway.

[@Kyle-sr6jm]

Depending on your point of view, the Ironclad is the ship backlog rolling either a natural 1 or a natural 20.

[@Vioblight]

What’s with the hate on the Galaxy. Galaxy is amazing and provides so much with its modules! Ironclad is sick for cargo but it’s not a Galaxy. 512scu is good enough for me. I don’t think people realize the won’t be doing Huge cargo runs without a huge amount of support and players with them, not everyone can get that many people online at night. Or maybe I’m wrong and people will solo huge cargo runs idk

[@aimesblack]

Who would have thought the new concept ships are powercreap what a new thing

[@niklasdahlgren7641]

It fits the Drake mentality of low cost and cheap solutions. - You have 3 tractor beam stations - You replace 3 tractor beam stations with more turrets - You swap tractor beam controls into turret controls

[@pistachio8859]

I can't believe you sat their, saw the dimensions, and had the balls to say "they don't tell us how high the ceiling is".

[@eramires]

You might have misunderstood, he talked about the ceiling door dimensions not being the full side of the area, to put down a ship inside. 🤔 But those dimensions were not disclosed.

[@ericwollaston5654]

S-Mike: first, it has been mentioned during SC broadcasts that the current hand held tractor beams ARE overclocked and will be reduced in the future. I did grab a cheap upgrade for the base Ironclad but my Galaxy will be my Freighter so far. Less capacity by far but like the aesthetic and modularity.

[@TheEddieguy82]

think the Galaxy is going to get its guns reworked too I'm just wait for the other mods to come out for it as well it is a dam good looking ship

[@ericwollaston5654]

@TheEddieguy82 I like the RSI styling, I used a coupon to grab the Freighter version back then.

[@JuffoWup78]

My view of the ironclad is that in terms of hauling progression, it fills a gap that was empty before. The gap between the hull-b, cat, or c2 herc with the hull-c. So in a progression tier, you can actually now go from the 4 or so scu space of a starter ship and walk fairly cleanly to the hull-c. And from there, income stream should be such after filling a hull-c, handling the ability to fill out a hull-d and later hull-e should be trivial. The c2 and cat have always shared space with each other imo. The cat has a partial leg up because of the extra firepower of drake and being modular (who knows, might be able to double as a crude light medical carrier in the future as a tier point before getting a hope medical ship) to the c2. But as said, the c2 does handle atmo better. I would agree about handheld tractors getting nerfed in the future. I can see as more of these ship tractors come online, the less handhelds will be as useful. In that same vein, the forklift ursa thing once they fix it to handle 32scu boxes (or does it handle it now? I thought it was limited to smaller ones), along with the personal hangar spaces with the cargo elevators should be the end of the handheld tractors super handling. Smaller sizes it'll still work on, but larger ones I agree should require either the ship size tractor or that forklift truck. The cat needs a rework for sure, and I think sooner rather than later once they get the freight elevator and personal hangars implemented. I'm surprised they don't just have the modules just drop down. Just have the entire cargo box individually drop down for us to load would at least shortcut to more functional. The ship side doors and catwalk could stay. Just be a breach point/walkway to the front/rear with other modules that are enclosed.

[@austin.t5557]

My worry for the Ironclad stays the same, its a slow moving large cargo ship. I feel like its intended to be boarded and captured. if the images are correct and all of the external hand railings leading to an entrance/exit. So many blind spots.

[@zantrag]

It seems that the Prospector will fit in the Ironclad; while the Drake Vulture, will not quite fit. You would think it would, being another Drake ship, and being soooooo close. (1.5m too tall)

[@Billy-bc8pk]

Couldn't you just leave the top door open?

[@jamesgale9722]

@@Billy-bc8pk No because you cannot Quantum with doors open.

[@jedi_drifter2988]

CIG will make another small salvage ship ... eventually and dimension's may change before the Ironvlad is flyable.

[@Ruutzy]

C2 and M2 are not competitors, they're stepping stones with their own niches. Just like aircraft in the real world. The funny part to me is that CIG wants us to play that 'competitor' game because it drives sales. The devs know the ships are different and do different things but they're likely coached to play into the competition angle.

[@Leo_Getz1]

New ships and MK2’s keep them coming woo!!

[@itllBuffGaming]

To be fair, in theory there will be closer competitors to both the iron clad and the C2. The 2 ships shouldn’t even be compared, however they currently are because there’s no gap. Can’t wait to fly one, but I’ll be getting it in game. Gotta earn something! 😅

[@lifes2short4bs73]

i picked up an Argo Tractor to park in the back corner of my IC Assault.. Doing some size comparisons in Hangar link.... I think two F7A will fit comfortably in the Assault

[@SundaeOfDoom]

Would be cool if they do keep the tractor beam on the Ironclad's command module. I wonder if it will have docking rings on the opposite side, so a ship could dock for easy transfers of components to repair in the Assault.

[@caseygalerneau4448]

The last section on the Galaxy actually makes me rethink the Galaxy a bit.

[@aguspuig6615]

i mean tbh by that logic the Liberator makes the ironclad AND Hercules both obsolete, as an even bigger enclosed cargo/transport ship

[@zantrag]

But, the Liberator can't defend itself. And that is REALLY going to matter, when attacked.

[@yulfine1688]

@@zantrag its not meant to be by itself most of these ships aren't they're meant to be flown with an escort, ontop of that for dedicated hauling there are advantages they each have for actual hauling, currently it matters little until the rest of the changes come online. Something like the ironclad will be great for larger hauls, orgs etc, its not going to be a ship every person needs or should have, the ironclad needs to fully function more than a single person upwards of 6, something like the galaxy is more or less for one a hybrid ship, but also is meant to handle things like medical, supplies and base building and not be a cago hauler for other things, it also needs less people to fully function, but its a small difference, its more for medical and base building not for hauling materials etc. The c2, m2 etc weren't designed as cago haulers they're meant to drop off ground assets, troops etc. The caterpillar he isn't wrong it needs a rework but its also not really a dedicated cargo hauler, its one of the weird ships without a good identity to it.

[@robertchandler2063]

Caterpillar just needs many different modules and some rework for 32 scu boxes

[@BizzMRK]

@@zantrag The liberator can defend itself much better if you bring 2 fighters with you on the top landing pads and ontop of that it has a turret with 2 s5 laser repeaters and two dedicated point defense turret. Having 2 fighters to protect you is always going to be the better option compared to 2 manned turrets on the ship because you not only eliminate potential blindspots but also greatly increase your effective range.

[@Rockyroad321]

@@yulfine1688doesn’t matter what anything is meant to be, most players fly solo anyways lmao.

[@qutatrongaming]

For me Iron Clad assault is a great ship to earn in game.

[@TairnKA]

I keep thinking that the first version of hand held tractor beam (attachment) should be limited to an 8scu container, while the second version (rifle?) should be limited to a 32scu container and the ships tractor beam should be limited to multiple 32scu containers (3 max), except for the SRV? ;-) I would consider an Ironclad, except for it requiring a multi-crew (to work properly), versus a C2 (doesn't require, in most circumstances)?

[@jamesgale9722]

CIG stated it's by weight not size. I do agree with you that even there should be a size restriction too. That said mass is important so the two handed one shouldn't be able to move the larger heavier crates unless we start to have three guys for example use their two handed beams to shift the crates.

[@thepurpleperp4564]

I view it as Ironclad is better Space to Space cargo loading and C2 is better planet-side loading.

[@Tentacl]

I'm a simple man. I want RL money ships that can make me go back into having cash if things go south ingame. I'll keep a reclaimer (or upgrade it to the Arrastra) and a Ironclad cargo and that's it. MAYBE a smaller daily driver like the Zeus CL, but I could buy it ingame and save some money cause I already spent WAY too much.

[@eramires]

Love the Spirit as a daily driver (loaner for the Zeus) I hope the Zeus is as good a daily driver as the Spirit is, or I will change the Zeus for the Spirit 😆

[@Tentacl]

@@eramires yeah, I actually have the C1 and my Zeus upgrade from it is in my acc - so.hopefully the Zeus is also nimble and flexible because I'd really lime the extra cargo, otherwise I'll keep my C1 and just buy a connie Taurus ingame if I need a bit more space but not a large cargo.

[@eramires]

@@Tentacl yeap yeap thats exactly it :D

[@wor.g]

IC Assault never had a secure storage area that was base IC. The armory is going to go in that location where it would be if it ever had one. Makes sense since its flanked by drop seats.

[@Plunkidunk]

The secure storage area is in the back of the ship while the drop seats are in the front so the armory all the way back there seems like a hassle. Ironclad base is the move.

[@zantrag]

Perhaps there will be storage lockers, suit storage and weapon racks in the crew quarters too.

[@user-bh6hi6cr5h]

The secure storage on the base variant is in the front of the ship above the ramp.

[@Plunkidunk]

@@user-bh6hi6cr5h Oh yeah you're right. My mistake.

[@jamesgale9722]

They always said that cargo will have weight at some point so the hand held tractor beams will be limited by weight class. This isn't anything new. So handheld would be up to a certain box weight...Then the two handed ones and finally ship tractors being S1 / 2 & 3 in size class.

[@digitalben420]

“Galaxy Coping Guy” had me fuckin dying 😂💀.. PS- I got the IronChad as well my friend!

[@Diogenes76]

My bet is on the Hercules series getting a cargo nerf because even the C2 is listed as a vehicle transport ship, not as a cargo ship.

[@xannith2099]

When I first saw the ironclad, I wondered if it would be able to fit 2 vultures inside with some space left for cargo. So, I bought one for the dream! lol

[@Hudson_Hawk2024]

The MPUV Tractor tractor beam can be used in armistice. Reason I know this is I was landing my Reclaimer on a pad and exploded for some reason. Came back with a C2 and used the MPUV to tractor the boxes onto the pad and loaded the boxes onto the C2 as normal.

[@BizzMRK]

You can probably easiely get away with using the command module for tractoring in/out cargo or find a corner where you can squeeze a MPUV-1T inside without losing too much if any cargo capacity. I wouldn't be suprised if they suddenly started selling a tractor beam variant of the Mule either once more of the bigger atmo capable cargo ships get implemented A quick sidenote for the Galaxy, it doesn't have a rear ramp or lift so you can't enter/exit it through there and the hangar area is seperated by a much smaller door from the cargo area. While the cargo module is supposed to have a central lift and roof mounted tractor beams, you can only fit two 32 SCU containers on there at a time, so depending on how fast that lift is, it may take some time to unload it. On the bright side that thing should fly pretty nicely through atmo since it is arrowhead shaped.

[@modusponen1447]

11:11 The door is big, but that's not the cargo box, you go through a much smaller door at the back of the hangar into the cargo area, so maybe won't be better than a C2 after all.

[@DismayingHades6]

that galaxy guy out here makin the rest of us realistic galaxy owners looks bad, i just wanna use its specific modules like a sane person LMAO

[@SpaceDad42]

Sometimes you can buy based on looks. It doesn’t always have to come down to min/max stats.

[@squigglychris8396]

A lot of people here think that a reconcept of an old ship wouldnt make CIG as much money as just selling something new. I think I'd disagree. There's a ton of older ships that I've just passed on or melted because of glaring design flaws, or certain aspects just dont work well in the modern game. I even considered picking up a Retalliator until I saw the Gold Pass was just making the old model work a tad bit better. The interior kinda sucks, and if they'd acknowledged that and put time in for a bigger rebuild, they would have had my money! I would LOVE a reworked, modernized Caterpillar, but fear they'll just go with a quick fix.

[@alexanderdooley5833]

We need fuel costs to be more than what we have. operation costs are going to be the main determinate of use of a ship, plus trade lane restrictions. if your sale point can't get an ironclad to it or you have no money for fuel or fuel costs destroys profits you take a smaller ship.

[@jedi_drifter2988]

Also C2/M2 large ships W/med fuel tanks tells me in system or possibly 2 system travel , not a long haul ship like the Ironvlad.

[@Accuracy158]

We compare to the Ironclad to the Hercules but the Hercules primary use case was never supposed to be cargo boxes or trade. It was a vehicle transport ship which it still good as having a ramp on both sides. I guess the Ironclad Assault also kind of falls into this role though it looks like a bigger slower ship that's not as simple to use when it come to vehicles. This is our first large freight ship in the game besides the Hull C.

[@saltemikereacts]

That’s probably why I love it so much…good points.

[@Aaron-oe4yr]

with things like the ironclad coming out that is optimised on the new/upcoming gameplay, if they keep the caterpillar around it needs to be much cheaper in game vs ironclad

[@lordfraybin]

I picked up a CCU for the Ironclad as a replacement for my Caterpillar. Love the color of the assault but I dont plan on assaulting anything.

[@dayne8653]

Shocked no one asked "Ironclad vs BMM"

[@I3ladefist]

What for? Both will be pure virtual for a loooooooooong time, and it seems like bmm may get the achivement of the "longest concept ship ever" or "concept of the eternity"

[@durtyred86]

It would definitely be listed up there with some of the dumbest comparisons I've ever heard. Let's be happy nobody did, lol....

[@eramires]

@@I3ladefist I think the Orion will beat the BMM on that? 🤔 lmao.

[@I3ladefist]

@@eramires cig beats everyone selling concept ships that no-one will be able to use for a long time ...

[@MrCabledawg45]

Trying to decide. Catty or upgrade to ironclad?

[@reamoinmcdonachadh9519]

The internal Turret is for defense against boarders

[@themando-smith]

Just use an argo tractor as the tractor beam on the assault. Problem solved and even more versatile than a fixed tractor beam station. What I'm still asking myself: is the command module a one and done disconnect (literally only to be used as escape raft) or is it a seperate craft that I can detach and atach as often as I want.

[@BunkerSquirrel]

The Galaxy is a jack-of-all-trades type ship. Does it all but not one thing particularly well, which in of itself still makes it incredibly useful for small to medium org work. The ironclad isn’t as flexible but more than makes up for it in cargo capacity and ship hauling potential. Better situated for medium to large orgs.

[@BizzMRK]

honestly the only thing that makes the galaxy remotely interesting is the base building module that can build up to large outposts they announced at citcon. Funneling two 32 scu containers through the elevator at a time seems like a huge bottleneck for cargo with no rear ramp or lift and the narrow door dividing the cargo and hangar area.

[@JD-of2ps]

@@BizzMRK Yea, I looked at the Galaxy and thought it was cool, but didn't really see myself getting it until they announced the Base building module coming for it, that puts it right near the top of my list now.

[@grimnirstormcrow6597]

i want the assault version because im curious of its capability fo being a base either strategic ( like mining or cargo or military forward base) or just a home garage on some planet where you don't need to pack up everything and can just refuel the command module

[@secretweapon7764]

The C2 has pilot controlled weapons AND I'll bet the C2 can turn and maneuver a lot better. Overall the C2 is a better solo ship, but with a crew the Ironclad will dominate.

[@blackeagle_138]

Hopefully if the cargo gameplay becomes as expansive as we all hope, the Hurc will become a dedicated vehicle hauler instead of traditional boxed freight hauler. which is fine, I think that it is important for ships to become specialized for certain activities as the gameplay develops.

[@captainharlock3998]

The Ironclad still beats it as both a vehicle hauler AND a cargo hauler. It also can carry small ships. The Ironclad beats the Herc in literally everything the Herc does.

[@blackeagle_138]

@@captainharlock3998 If cargo is always going to be a matter of volume then yes, the IC is better. My hope is that hauling will have a variety of contracts that don't always favor volume in every scenario

[@stoanes]

The one thing that is a bit.. interesting to me is that in the FAQ they mention that the cargo area is not shielded, so if you open it in space, the entire cargo area will be in vacuum. That makes me sort of question if the tractor functionality will even be useful, as I can only think of using the top loading area in space. Obviously space traversal and everything works well enough currently, but it also runs the risk of having all your cargo sucked out into space depending on how they eventually make decompression work.

[@captainharlock3998]

There is a cargo grid. If your cargo is put as it should, nothing will fly out. Only stuff that are unsecured.

[@BizzMRK]

the cargogrid consists of magnetic plates that locks cargo into place and with the resource network in 4.0 you will be able to decompress certain sections of your ship without losing the oxygen or uncontrollably rapidly venting unsecured stuff into space.

[@wertacus]

Damn, 7M height means no vulture carrier. Maybe I can park it with the gear up 😂

[@Traumglanz]

I don't think they will nerf hand tractor beams, I think they will buff ship tractor beams. 250m range, better grip, etc and maybe give those turrets better arcs too. Would be so cool if tractor beams could move strafe a bit up for more utility similar to a some construction cranes.

[@zantrag]

I hope that the tractor beam crew can actually see the entire cargo area. (Control room needs glass floor?)

[@sidewithwerewolves]

Depending on how they distribute valuable commodities the big bulk cargo ships are all about cheap volume [scrap] or for long haul not potentially moon -> planet / leo -> distro center commodities. C2 and caterpillar are just as "the best" Going by EVE cargo logic the largest cargo ships arent the best and take a ton of other cooperation to have those ships are for specific types of cargo runs and require a team of scouts before you leave a station to bring its cargo anywhere. Small cargo does short hops and where you need speed. The iron clad and c2 will be just as fun/ profitable but not for long haul bulk

[@bobstark4201]

I wonder how much time has been diverted from starting and finishing older concept ships to making concept art to sell new ones? I would guess a considerable amount of time.

[@---H-E-L-I-X---]

i bought both ready to melt whichever is less useful

[@riosasin3086]

Here is my question, can ironclads roof stay open while quantum travel?

[@GNZ-uo1lr]

9 more days for the 4.0 season :D We gonna have a lot of good content for the rest of the year

[@Cornerboy73]

I picked up an Assault Ironclad too. I just assumed that even if it didn't have the stock tractor beam setup designed for the base model, that I could either buy it separately in-game and add it if I wanted to or just get a tractor beam for the command module in case it didn't come with one (I'm assuming it is; I mean, why wouldn't it?). If all else fails, I have a tractor argo or i'll just use FPS beams, whatever.

[@Acklend]

the dimensions means vulture won't fit much sadness

[@zantrag]

Not currently, but if they would just bump the roof up by only two meters... It will!

[@mechamotollc]

I'm keeping my C2 because I mainly play solo so I don't see having enough people to pilot a 6 crew member ship.

[@joshua41175]

7:35 so what is the raft? Is it just a bad design for short range cargo?

[@Rangar-dt3ti]

Well, the cargospace with 7.5 m height is too low for the Vulture with 9 m height and the Prospector with 8 m height. So you can probably only fit a fighter inside or something like a C8R Pisces Rescue. That means I will stay with my Liberator.

[@saltemikereacts]

What about the MPUV? Was thinking of that for a tractor

[@Rangar-dt3ti]

@@saltemikereacts MPUV has a height of only 4 m.

[@GamerFromSpace]

I'm so close to melting my galaxy to get this, but I don't know, the galaxy might not be the best ship but I love the damn looks so much

[@GamerFromSpace]

Ps not the biggest fan of drake styling

[@Volf1916]

As nice as pure metrics seem to be fawned over and speculated on. May I throw a few monkeys in the barrel? Hangers. Limited locations for extra-large ships (Reclaimer has how many locations to get doors closed over them) will be available to have secure hangers with closed doors thus allow for transfer of the physicalized cargo containers. So, Cats with the I guess for some, just way to irritating smaller max size on the containers and C2 will get parked inside hangers at more locations for loading and unloading. Not everywhere, but a larger number than the ships in the size category of the Iron clad and certainly the Hull C that will remain an out of atmo hauler used primarily at stations and orbitals for regular load and unload. Under current systems there is starting to be, if not fully implemented, limited cargo stocks for hauling. As well as the prices and limited need at some locations. For a few phantoms though expected (and may be ingame prior to some ships) in the future considerations to adjust ship choices. Engineering, upkeep, availability of jump point access due to size, fuel and resource costs, and the ever present but constantly power morphing combat and defense capabilities and whether or not a three man crew or a 6 man crew is required. Examples when large ships are involved - Hammer Head compared to a Persius. (concept compared to an in game available ship? yeah just like a C2 compared to an Ironclad) And for any -RAWR YOU DON"T KNOW ANYTHING- emotionally desperate to an asset in an alpha of a game ranting. Its just considerations, you do you is my view on it. I don't have a horse in this race. I am happy to stay with doing chill light runs in my easy-to-handle C1 that just gives me overly focused effort on entering and exiting hangers.

[@FoxVelox222]

Don't forget on the galaxy there is only a small door into the cargo bay from the hanger. It's definitely going to be slower that way. However the bottom of the galaxy lowers like the connie.

[@BizzMRK]

only the central lift that fits two 32scu containers at a time lowers, not the entire cargobay does. This might become a massive bottleneck depending on how slow that lift is since you would need to lower and raise that lift 8 times to fully (un)load the cargobay. The galaxy will probably be much faster and much more agile in atmosphere though due to its arrowhead shape.

[@danielbauch5569]

Mike! I think there might be a perspective here when comparing the viability of the ironclad to the C2/M2 that hasn’t been addressed. That’s the crew to SCU comparison. Max crew / SCU. C2 = 336, ironclad = 256. It will take less reliance on blades npc crews or random players to move cargo in the C2. For people with orgs this may not be as much of a consideration. But for us with few friends very much keeps the C2 as an option. Instead of trying to blade or npc crew 4-5 spots on an ironclad when we don’t know what the resources will take to fill those spots.

[@BizzMRK]

You can still effectively fly the Ironclad with the same amount of people as the Herc, you just won't fill every station all the time, which is perfectly fine. There's really no point in crewing the tractor beam stations all the time, same with the turrets or the still pretty useless co-pilot seat. If you have 3 people on the ship thats enough to pilot and crew both manned turrets at the same time or two of the tractor turrets to (un)load if needed.

[@danielbauch5569]

@@BizzMRK solid points with the types of crew positions on the ironclad.

[@LemonToGo]

It’s not often that Mike makes an inforunner-esque kind of video

[@saltemikereacts]

I certainly dont recommend buying anything, but I think this ship is game design not ship design…

[@JMaddog2001]

Ironclad is prison ship from the 100 show lol

[@eramires]

hahahaha xD

[@scottro79]

Using terms like better or worse right now is weird because we have no idea how efficient the ships systems are, how much fuel is consumed. Operational cost will at times make smaller ships more useful and efficient for specific cargo runs. Burning excess fuel with a hull that is half empty is hardly "better".

[@ConradLarsonGaming]

Logically the Herc should be faster, more agile, and better in atmosphere than the Ironclad. The Ironclad having maybe better straight line speed. That's the obvious answer to the first question, but I do agree that it stinks of marketing the way they answered it instead. As for the Assault roof I do not think it was obvious. Pointing to an obviously concept model that has had minor tweaks and a paint change and saying "Same panels" wasn't enough for me when the marketing materials seemed to suggest the opposite in MULTIPLE places.

[@I3ladefist]

like someone said ... battle of the jpegs, nothing more ... for a loooooooong time.

[@hannoversa]

It's going to be hard to see in front of you with your bridge all the way on the back, where Hercules' bridge is at the front.

[@idn]

C2 and M2 are fantastic currently. Extremely useful. Long-term, maybe not. The Caterpillar is garbage currently, hopefully they fix and modernize it.

[@warjax88]

Great clip. I'm not man enough to handle the IRONCLAD..lol I'm waiting for the galaxy.

[@martinschemmel84]

well the tractor beams dont just matter to cargo hauling. You need them for piracy as well to interact with really anything around you. Ofcorse you can also use other tractor beamed ships, but if you want to pirate someone and pull their ship into your cargobay or their external cargo, then you should have the tractor beams. Also I think if you want to have an assault carrier for vehicles and ships, the Liberator does way better. The only thing that is teasing is the repair bay, but there is way too much to sacrifice for it.

[@patrickbolding9729]

I have the IC, but I'll switch to the ICA if it can fit two Buccaneers inside.

[@JD-of2ps]

From the pic with the 4 Nova tanks in there, I'd be surprised if two Buccaneers wouldn't fit. I have CCU's to both, but pretty sure it's going to be the Assault for me.

[@omnipresencetv8929]

well Tractor beams will def get a nerf because using them will require batteries and long as the Freght lift is agacent to the tractor beams on ships too that might be VERY important to make a note of. if we get simulated weight and boxes having phyiscs properties like liquid displacement makes the containers movements slosh around etc. idk i like how IN MY BRAIN CIG have been lately like you know when you get adverts for things you want well CIG have been doing a lot of that from last feb it's very weird how fast it's happening too. Just picked up a CCU for my reclaimer. i can always rebuy that shit with an upgrade later. (just 2 jumps) next year

[@kennyb5537]

CIG s marketting team right working right out of hell

[@timberland6988]

Secure storage to me, is CIG saying it's an unscanable storage area without openly saying it.

[@saltemikereacts]

That’s my thought too

[@karmauk68]

Anyone else notice how they removed all the upgrade ships above mole in the store.... and replaced them with this. So now its the only way into a large hanger for the hanger update with its cat loaner... in fact i think its now the only ship in the store that uses a big hanger, reclaimer is gone, cat is gone, c2 is gone :(

[@N0V-A42]

I noticed that to. It must be because there's no sales event going on right now where limited availability ships like the C2 and Cat are available for purchase or upgrade.

[@karmauk68]

@@N0V-A42 Could be, pretty sure cat and C2 have been in the store for months though, if not he entire last year. My thought was they know people will want a bigger ship for the hanger update, so they removing some of the cheaper options haha

[@idn]

No, the C2 and M2 don't just get shit on. They are better in atmosphere without question. Why CIG, why? This is why marketing + devs + product owners (does CIG even have these?) need to align on roadmap, features, and presentation before doing such a Q&A.

[@raven9ine]

It's so dumb that the Cat doesn't snap 32 containers, becasue containers clearly snap in the middle when you buy from a terminal, so it makes absolutely no sense containers don't snap there when loading manually.

[@master8127]

CIG Marketing: Pew pew pew, die old ships!

[@Acklend]

the galaxy should had the hanger bay large enough to hold two prospectors that way would have been better.

[@captainharlock3998]

Why stop there? It should hold at least 2 moles. or 2 Vanguards for Bounties.

[@vik12D]

Everyone seems to go with the ICA. I went IC with the ICA in my buyback.