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Crusader Hecules Starlifter


Devil Khan

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For some reason I'm not a fan of this design. It looks too clean for a ship that seems to have a military transport focus, and the smooth surfaces don't seem consistent with the Starliner.

Or maybe that's Crusader's new aesthetic now and the rounded edges have been done away with.

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In our last Blood Moon unit meeting we discussed the new focus of RSI on Planetary Game Play (with all the vehicles) vs Space (or even interstellar) game-play.   My take on it is that I think it will be easier for CIG to focus on content to go along with a procedurally generated planet rather than creating new systems / cities / space stations / etc....   It doesn't mean that Interstellar game-play won't be coming but I just think planetary (on the ground or atmosphere) will happen first......... especially with Tumbril and now the Hercules ships.

I am also glad that CIG followed through with the Star-Lifter since it was promised awhile back with the Genesis (though back then it was going to be a variant of the Star-Liner).

I am really happy with this ship and it is my favorite concept that CIG has produced since the Pioneer and Hammerhead :)

 

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I like the look of it!  Depending on price, I might pick one up as a dedicated cargo runner.  If not affordable at this time, I'd definitely pick one up in the PU.  The cargo doors also look pretty big, bet you could fit some smaller ships in there too!

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I like the ship, however there is only one other crusader ship and to be frank see no resemblance other than the bride is kinda familiar.

Now, the flaws. it would seem that the cargo hold is raised up very high. It's kinda the opposite of real life and other space sim games who have the cargo bay as low as possible. 

The weapons are fine, just I don't see you flying solo in to the the hot zone or anything besides just transport. However the 2 top forward weapons... frankly an idiot would put them there fixed/gimbal on a ship that doesn't have the agility.     

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The Hercules Starlifter is an interesting ship that seems to have been specifically created to transport and deploy the Nova Tank planetside. It obviously has other uses in cargo hauling and close air support roles, but I don't think the Hercules would exist without the Nova Tank.

I'm pleased that CIG has already created 3 models of the Hercules and is selling them all in the upcoming Concept Sale. This is preferable to what CIG did with the Vanguard by basically having two concept sales: the first for the Warden and then a second for the Sentinel and Harbinger models, about 6 months later. The reason I bring this up is that the Vanguard was overpriced at $250, which caused the Sentinel and Harbinger to be priced even higher. By releasing the 3 Hercules variants together, they won't be overpriced, hopefully. The C2 should be reasonably priced because it's the civilian cargo hauling model, and the M2 and A2 will be priced higher because they are the military models.

If CIG was smart, they'd price the Hercules lower and go for bulk sales, rather premium pricing the Hercules to increase its rarity. I think the following would be fair concept prices for the Hercules models:

C2 = $225 / $200 warbond

M2 = $275 / $250 warbond

A2 = $300 / $270 warbond

I know those prices seem too low, but there are historical precedences for those prices.

The Hercules appears to be comparable in size to the Starfarer, based on the size of the people in some of the concept art. I think the Hercules is about the same length as the Starfarer, but wider and shorter. They appear to have the same internal cargo capacity, but the Starfarer has much greater capacity overall because of the external fuel storage tanks. Considering that the Hercules C2 is just a cargo hauler, not a fuel harvester, mobile refinery, and refueling ship, it should be priced less than the Starfarer, because it can harvest fuel for FREE, refine it, and sell it for 100% profit. Therefore, it wouldn't make sense if the C2 ended up at $300. It should be $250 max. It should be less than that for a concept sale and warbond price, hence the $225 and $200 price points, respectively.

The Hercules M2 is basically the militarized Gemini variant of the C2. The Gemini ended up at $340, $40 more than the Starfarer. That's why I think the M2 will be $50 more than the C2.

The Hercule A2 is the gunship model and has a modified hull. It's loaded for bear and has bomb bays that significantly reduce its cargo capacity to only one Nova Tank. The A2 will obviously be the "premium" model of the Hercules and CIG will price it accordingly. I wouldn't be surprised if CIG charges $400 for the A2, but I think they should price it at $300 for the concept sale. The A2's price will probably jump to $350 after the concept sale, like for this November's Anniversary Sale, and it'll probably jump to the final price of $400 when it's flyable.

I believe that the prices I've given are reasonable, and CIG would be smarter to price the Hercules lower to go for bulk sales rather than higher for premium sales. However, based on how CIG has been pricing ships recently, I think the Hercules models will be at least $50 more than the prices that I estimated.

 

Something else I want to mention is that back when the Pioneer mobile construction ship was announced last November, I suggested that Star Citizen needed a "heavy lifter" ship that could pick up the outpost modules manufactured by the Pioneer and place them on the ground. This would be better than having to move the Pioneer after it placed a few modules. The Hercules isn't exactly the heavy lifter ship that I had in mind -- I thought the outpost lifter should be small enough to land on the Pioneer's landing pad -- but I believe the Hercules could serve the same purpose. The C2 model would be the logical choice. It could be used to both pick up outpost modules manufactured by a landed Pioneer, as well as transport outpost modules from space. I imagine a Hull C/D/E would transport numerous outpost modules through space and the C2 could load one module at a time on its belly -- probably using electromagnetic clamps -- ferry it down to the planet and place it on the surface.

I'm definitely going to submit a question like that for the Hercules Q&A.

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I like the price points you've outlined, @Reavern and the reasoning too (great points!), but I think realistically they will be at least $50 greater than those if not the other higher price points you mentioned in your post.  It seems CIG doesn't follow any really great guidelines on pricing other than if it's bigger or people want it more than give it a bigger price. 

I was predicting the C2 version would be around $250-$300, the M2 version at $300-$350, and the A2 version at $350-$400.

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Double the price and you are getting closer.  This part, the business dept, frankly are evil when it comes to ship prices. Although, the Hammerhead price was cheaper, considering the number of weapons it has 28x S4 and 2x racks of 8 missiles each.

Personally I'd like it if 3x tanks, not just 2. assuming the internal cargo bay is C2 then imagine how many vehicles you could fix excluding tanks. I know it's suppose to be an role based on more armour less room inside, still it wrecks me up which one of the three should I pick...

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Well... the Chairman's Club Newsletter was just released regarding VIP Early Access Sale for the Crusader Hercules Starlifter. It provides a weblink to RSI that I presume only Concierge and Subscribers can access.

I'm sorry to say that CIG has not priced the Hercules reasonably. It's far worse than I imagined.

Prices are as follows:

C2 Hercules:      $360 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance  /   $300 Warbond w/ LTI

M2 Hercules:     $480 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance  /   $400 Warbond w/ LTI & Tumbril Cyclone

A2 Hercules:      $700 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance /    $600 Warbond w/ LTI & Nova Tank

Yeah, that's a big, fat, stinkin' pile of bullshit right there. :angry:

I honestly don't know what CIG is thinking pricing the Hercules so high.

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1 hour ago, Reavern said:

If CIG was smart, they'd price the Hercules lower and go for bulk sales, rather premium pricing the Hercules to increase its rarity. I think the following would be fair concept prices for the Hercules models:

C2 = $225 / $200 warbond

M2 = $275 / $250 warbond

A2 = $300 / $270 warbond

I know those prices seem too low, but there are historical precedences for those prices.

Well, for 4 hours the early access is on... and I can tell you that the prices are exceeding that estimation. However, the warbond M2/A2 come with an Cyclon/Nova Tank. The A2 is far more expensive than the C2/M2.

Plus VAT on my side... 

And no LTI for non-warbond standalone ships.

 

edit: too late

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54 minutes ago, Reavern said:

Prices are as follows:

C2 Hercules:      $360 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance  /   $300 Warbond w/ LTI

M2 Hercules:     $480 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance  /   $400 Warbond w/ LTI & Tumbril Cyclone

A2 Hercules:      $700 Standalone w/ 6 month insurance /    $600 Warbond w/ LTI & Nova Tank

Yeah, that's a big, fat, stinkin' pile of bullshit right there. :angry:

Holy smokes...  mark this ship off as one more I won't be buying before the game is released.

I find it very interesting (and maybe quite greedy on CIG's part) that the non-warbond do not come with the Cyclone or tank, but are extremely higher priced than the warbond versions.  Are they REALLY hurting that much for cash?  Really?

 

OTHER INFO PULLED FROM REVERSE THE VERSE:

Cargo space:

  • C2 Hercules Cargo:    624 SCU or 2 tanks + cargo
  • M2 Hercules Cargo:    468 SCU or 2 tanks
  • A2 Hercules Cargo:    234 SCU or 1 tank

Min-Max Crew:

  • C2 Hercules: 2-4
  • M2 Hercules: 2-4
  • A2 Hercules: 2-8

May be able to fit smaller ships such as snub fighters, but likely not much more

M2 will have better armor than the C2 variant

Turrets are not currently planned to allow swaps to a single larger weapon

 

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I got the warbond A2 gunship/bomber with the "free" tank; good thing I didn't buyback an Eclipse earlier today. ;p When the sale goes live next week and we can use CCUs I'll probably grab one of the others.  Might replace the Genesis (mainly wanted it for cargo anyway).

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Posted in the RSI forums, but I find it very discouraging that CIG would do this with Warbonds.

I could care less if the ships come with LTI or not anymore; per their own (multiple) statements LTI does not mean that much in the grand scheme. I think it's a great incentive for Warbond ships so CIG can encourage new backers and/or continue to bring in new cash to produce the game. Even making it more expensive to purchase the same ship with credit is OK with me, so long as it's not that much different in price.
 
I don't have more money to be able to pledge at this time, so I'm limited to either CCU'ing a ship or melting a ship I already have. if I found I really liked a new concept ship I have only a week or two to actually purchase through those means. OK, no problem there either with me. What I find very strange and a little off-putting is that this time the Warbond ship also includes additional items where the credit-bought ship does not (in this case, the cyclone with the M2 and the tonk with the A2). That seems like a kick to the shins to me as only those able to put up cash at the time of the sale will get those items with the concept ship. Screw everyone else.
 
If this is their foreseeable model of selling concept ships, they can count me out going forward.
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3 hours ago, Devil Khan said:

snip

 

2 hours ago, Buckaroo said:

snip

I'm not a fan of the Warbond insurance thing either. Sure, LTI doesn't matter much anymore, but it makes purchasing a several hundred dollar digital ship a little easier knowing you will never have to worry it so long as you buy it at concept.

If anything, this is going to make the Anniversary sale the go-to method to buy ships that have several years of insurance. Why buy the Hercules now when you can get it on the Exotic Ship Day during the sale come November and get 6 years insurance?

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