Ferrius' Fighting Ships, Privateer Edition

[Privateer Ferrius]

Since it seems to be an 'in-demand' topic (and why not?) I figured I'd go out and try to make a comphrehnsive guide to the various ships available in Confederate (and Kilrathi) space.

This guide will be updated as I track down various ships, and is ordered by price. It includes all available and pertinenant non-classified specifications for the ships, as well.




Tarsus (20,000 credits)

Class: Civillian Scout
Max Velocity: 300 kps
Acceleration: Average
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 600 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 77/71/77 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM
Missile Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 100 units

Manufacturer: New Detroit, Terran Confederation (Depreciated vessel: no longer mass produced)
Sources: Most backwater worlds, asteroid mining colonies, refineries


A standard exploration craft, the Taursus is the ship that most fledgling Privateers start with. It's one virtue is it's easy availablity and it's rather quickly and easily retrofitted with new components. You can find it in many backwater merchant worlds and agricultural worlds, where it's cheap cost makes it a common choice.



Demon (125,000 credits)

Class: Light Fighter
Max Velocity: 450 kps
Acceleration: Very Good
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 1200 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 140/140/140 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Missile Hardpoints:
1x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 20 units

Manufacturer: New Detroit
Sources: Military worlds, military bases, worlds with a large shipbuilding industry

Some mercenaries prefer a lighter, more nimble craft than the Centurion. This ship is for them. Despite having less armor and missile capacity than the Centurion, its four guns in a tight box formation give it unmatched firepower, and it can dodge or outrun anything except Confed or Kilrathi light fighters. However, the Demon isn't available to just anybody--you first have to prove to the Mercenaries' Guild that you've got the right stuff--which mainly entails kicking a lot of mercenary butt in Palan system.

Note: The original Privateer version of the Demon had a 1x10 proton torpedo mount. At the time of this writing, the remake does not.



Galaxy (150,000 credits)

Class: Merchant Marine
Max Velocity: 300 kps
Acceleration: Average
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 750 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 95/88/95 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
2X TURRET
Missile Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 150 units

Manufacturer: New Detroit
Sources: Worlds with large merchant marine volume

A powerful merchie hauler, the Galazy is a common choice of long-haul cargo haulers, due to it's weapons payload capacity. A lot of mining bases keep these haulers handy for aspiring merchant marines, and anywheres where there's a decent volume of commerce, you can find yourself a Galaxy.



Centurion (200,000 credits)

Class: Heavy Fighter
Max Velocity: 500 kps
Acceleration: Very Good
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 1000 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 133/124/133 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
5X LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Missile Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 50 units

Manufacturer: New Detroit, Border Worlds (Militia forces)
Sources: Military worlds, Military bases, Worlds with a large shipbuilding industry, Border Worlds

The workhorse of the guns-for-hire, the Centurion is a highly maneouverable fighter with a sizable weapons payload. A standard non-milspec fighter, you can find it in anywhere with a decent shipbuilding market.



Orion (???,??? credits)

Class: Heavy Fighter
Max Velocity: 350 kps
Acceleration: Average
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 800 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 86/86/86 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2X LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
2X TURRET
Missile Hardpoints:
1x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 50 units

Manufacturer: New Detroit
Sources: Military Worlds, Military Bases

The only non-milspec gunship available to the public, this fighter is the vessel of choice for many bounty hunters and privateers who frequent Kilrathi space. The payload capacity of this fighter is it's biggest asset - it can contain a simply devestating amount of firepower. The only civvie ship that is more threatening is the cap, Drayman. Many shipbuilding worlds keep these heavy fighters in stock, due to the high demand for bounty hunters.



Drayman* (???,???,??? credits)

Class: Transport
Max Velocity: 150 kps
Acceleration: Poor
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: N/A
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 36/36/36 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
Unknown number of turrets
Missile Hardpoints:
Unknown number of capship missile tubes
Spec. Cargo Hold: No Data Available

Manufacturer: New Detroit, Terran Confederation
Sources: Worlds with large merchant marine volume


A civvie yacht with considerable cargo capacity, it is the most common capital ship in known space. It packs some heavy heat, but doesn't compare to any other capital ship. The drayman can defend itself effectively, but isn't a frontline-worthy cap ship by any regard. You can find the odd Drayman for sale on Oxford and other worlds, but only after making a bit of a name for yourself - no responsible ship dealer is going to put a cap in the hands of some nobody.

*: this is for the overhauled second variant of the Drayman. The much earlier craft of the same name had a much different design and configuration.




If you have any insights yourself, I invite you, please do comment. I'll be adding to this main post as I retrace my steps for other ships, and also with the comments of other Privateers.

[Privateer Ferrius]

Maybe a mod could sticky this? Given the volume of "where do I buy X" threads, it would seem a valuable resource.

[ijuin]

Here's another one:

Demon (125,000 credits) - Some mercenaries prefer a lighter, more nimble craft than the Centurion. This ship is for them. Despite having less armor and missile capacity than the Centurion, its four guns in a tight box formation give it unmatched firepower, and it can dodge or outrun anything except Confed or Kilrathi light fighters. However, the Demon isn't available to just anybody--you first have to prove to the Mercenaries' Guild that you've got the right stuff--which mainly entails kicking a lot of mercenary butt in Palan system.

[Privateer Ferrius]

I'm not very fond of the Demon, but I'll add it to the list nonetheless

I beg to differ on the comment on 'unmatched firepower' - most if not all milspec fighters clearly outgun it, especially the Broadsword and Crossbow.

[ijuin]

Of player-flyable ships, only two have four forward guns: the Demon and the Centurion (yes you can get the Gothri too, but I'm counting ships you can normally buy). The Centurion has four guns in a line, which makes it hard to get all four shots to hit the target, while the Demon has them in a box formation. This is why I would say that the Demon's guns are superior for a given reactor level.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Of player-flyable ships, only two have four forward guns: the Demon and the Centurion (yes you can get the Gothri too, but I'm counting ships you can normally buy). The Centurion has four guns in a line, which makes it hard to get all four shots to hit the target, while the Demon has them in a box formation. This is why I would say that the Demon's guns are superior for a given reactor level.

Not completely true. I'd say the Gorthi, dunno if you ever flew one, has four gunslots (light-heavy)in a line, meaning every gun for itself. And yes, the Demon has all four slots in a box (But: 2x light-heavy, 2x light). But the centurion has the gunslots not in one line but in TWO boxes. You can see this when you fire all four guns (see it best when all guns are of the same type) at once. If you do sustained fire (what's the verb one uses in English with sustained fire?... ), it seems if they where completely independent from each other, but they are not.

[Privateer Ferrius]

Doesn't matter whether they do or not anyways. The main combat indicator is the volume of fire a fighter can put out in any given cone. The Broadsword is clearly the one that can put out the greatest volume of fire of any fighter. It even beats the Drayman. The Broadswords got fire coming from the front, its ass, above, below, and generally from all sides.

The Demon has the most in the forward-firing arc - but it's completely lacking in any other arc. I actually prefer the Centurion in that way, with the guns independant on each wing, its easier to hit maneouvering ships.

@Spiff: 'Use' is the correct verb for 'sustained fire'

[ijuin]

If I am a good shot, and I fire with all four guns on a Demon, then all four shots land. If I am an equally good shot, and I fire with all four guns on a Centurion, then either the leftmost shot or the rightmost shot is too widely spaced to hit the target--the spread of the guns is wider than the target.

[spiritplumber]

One thing you can do is add a little bit of autotracking to non-autotracked guns; the latest WCU binary has this (experimental). Try that? You'll also need its vegastrike.config for it to work properly.

Do NOT replace either permanently, this stuff is still under heavy testing!!

[Spaceman Spiff]

@Spiff: 'Use' is the correct verb for 'sustained fire'

... ... there is always one you can't look up nowhere...

[Privateer Ferrius]

If I am a good shot, and I fire with all four guns on a Demon, then all four shots land. If I am an equally good shot, and I fire with all four guns on a Centurion, then either the leftmost shot or the rightmost shot is too widely spaced to hit the target--the spread of the guns is wider than the target.

This assumes the target is always directly ahead of you. This is often not the case. Especially on the AI levels that actually fight back.

[Privateer Ferrius]

I've greatly expanded the guide by including the specs for each ship. The hardpoints are sketchy, as I did it from my memory. Please post any corrections you may have.

Enjoy!

[NoRespect]

Galaxy (150,000 credits)

Class: Merchant Marine
Max Velocity: 300 kps
Acceleration: Average
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 750 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 95/88/95 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM
2X TURRET
Missile Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 150 units

The Galaxy can carry 2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY guns

Centurion (200,000 credits)

Class: Heavy Fighter
Max Velocity: 500 kps
Acceleration: Very Good
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 1000 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 133/124/133 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
5X LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Missile Hardpoints:
2x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 50 units

4x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
1x TURRRET

Orion (???,??? credits)

Class: Heavy Fighter
Max Velocity: 350 kps
Acceleration: Average
Maximum Afterburn Velocity: 800 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 86/86/86 degrees/s
Gun Hardpoints:
2X LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
2X TURRET
Missile Hardpoints:
1x LIGHT MEDIUM HEAVY
Spec. Cargo Hold: 50 units

The only non-milspec gunship available to the public, this fighter is the vessel of choice for many bounty hunters and privateers who frequent Kilrathi space. The payload capacity of this fighter is it's biggest asset - it can contain a simply devestating amount of firepower. The only civvie ship that is more threatening is the cap, Drayman. Many shipbuilding worlds keep these heavy fighters in stock, due to the high demand for bounty hunters.

The description is a "bit" misleading... The Orion is actually a piece of useless crap. Only 2 Guns, 1 Launcher and 1 Turret... and so slow and cumbersome, that her stronger shields don't really help. Even the galaxy is better suited for combat. The Orion is a flying coffin. Only suicidal mercenaries would use it..

[ijuin]

Yes, the extra armor and shields on the Orion don't feel like much--maybe it's because of the better accuracy of the AI shooting at you?

Anyway, the cargo capacity on the Demon is 20 and on the Drayman is 5,000.

[NoRespect]

I don't know... but the shields in the Remake feel generally a lot weaker than in the original. I used to like the Orion in Privateer, as it was really hard to damage it. It was a really strong ship, but in the remake it is unfortunately completely unusable. Even the level 7 shields you can get in the RF campaign don't help.

[TBwaar]

I agree about the shields. The real problem here is slower ships which rely on shields over speed get the shaft. I think there should be some kind of scaling up of shield power as you get the the higher generators. The added defence of going from a generator 6 to 7 is the same as going from 1 to 2, but it costs a ton more to go from six to seven and in the end the little bit doen't do much for you. There needs to be an exponential curve from shield generators, something like each generator has double the power of the previous. For example: 2^(n-1) x 54 = shield output, where n is the shield level. Level 1 and 2 shields will be the same. But level 3 would now have the power of level 4 shields. however after that it would go up too fast. still its an idea.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I say I have to disagree. I think it quite normal, that the Orion is inferior to, lets say the centurion or the demon. The concept of heavy amored, well armed, but slow is an anachronism. One can find this in all fields of the military. This is why there are no battleships anymore and why tanks are playing a less important role today. This concept only work against technical inferior enemies, as this new US aircraft gunship (don't know the name) showed in afganistan.
And the orions main problem is not the strengh of its shield or armor, but its form. I consider the cladius and the stilleto as designed quite reasonabel, because, when the hit towards the enemy, only a small part of their surface can be hit. But the orion is a damn Borg-Cube...
But thereis also an ingamereason for my opinion. I considered it always important for privateer that there is some kind of climb-the-ladder-thing. This is why I think the orion ought to be inferior (in fighting) to the centurion...

[NoRespect]

Ok, maybe it should be inferior to the Centurion... although an Orion is much more expensive with its heavy shield generators and reactors... but anyway, in the actual game it is even inferior to a Tarsus, which is at least harder to hit, due to its shape and small size.

As I said, I agree that it should be inferior to the Centurion, but only slightly for such an expensive ship. In the actual situation the Orion is not a step on the ladder to the best possible ship... you just leave it out, because it costs an awful lot of money to equip an Orion and what do you get for all those credits? A flying butt, that will be kicked even by a bunch of Talons.

I don't know, if you played the original Privateer, but the Orion was really much better there... still not as powerful as a Centurion, but at least it was useful to some degree.

[TBwaar]

I do like the idea of climb-the-ladder. But the extra costs of high level engines and shields actually makes the orion cost more than the centurion or better yet the galaxy. Maybe instead of scaling up the shield power, scale down the cost. If you can make 125,000 than 150,000 isnt that much more and with the shield and engine costs those numbers change significantly. The orion ends up being a bad time for a newb or a challenge for more expert players. To me it just seems like you pay of a whole lot of money to be the corpulent target in a game of dodgeball. Not fun.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I don't know, if you played the original Privateer, but the Orion was really much better there... still not as powerful as a Centurion, but at least it was useful to some degree.

I think this is a good keyword.
IIRC all values in PR are the same as in Prvateer, meaning weapons loadout, shieldstrengh, armor speed... you name it. If this is so, most of the differences must have their source in the engine, the AI and stuff. I guess most of it in the AI.
This is why I would recommend that we wait until rebalancing is finished, befor we start changing the values of weapons and equipment.

[TBwaar]

No respect you beat me to it.

You last line says it all. The new orion does no justice to the old one. I do believe it's because shields all around are lower. This is more noticeable in ships with stronger shields - orion, drayman, paradigm. I think for the sake of balance it needs to be changed. I will admit these ships do have thicker armor, and this is something, but it's not enough, specifically in the case of the orion. The drayman and paradgim are just too cool and there really is no alternative for them.

[NoRespect]

I just remembered, there was another difference besides from the AI, which could possibly be responsible for the feeling of weaker shields, too...

In the original, all ships used standard weapons. For example Talons did always have 1 particle gun and 2 mass drivers. In the remake however i often encounter talons with plasma and fusion guns and the like. It is of course credible, that pirates and privateers in general use their own choice of weapons, so basically I do consider this change as an improvement (why should the player be the only person in the universe to use custom equipment?), but maybe the Talon as the most frequently encountered ship should be limited to 1 medium and 2 light guns? It is just a (very) light fighter after all. The big guns should be reserved for the bigger ships, like the galaxy, centurion and orion.

[Spaceman Spiff]

This might be a reason as well.
But this only shows, how bad changed values can be.

Does anybody know what happened to MamiyaOtaru? Is he still in charge (as far as this can be the right expression for an open source project) of PR?

[Privateer Ferrius]

I don't know... but the shields in the Remake feel generally a lot weaker than in the original. I used to like the Orion in Privateer, as it was really hard to damage it. It was a really strong ship, but in the remake it is unfortunately completely unusable. Even the level 7 shields you can get in the RF campaign don't help.

I'll give it to ya straight, lad - sheilds in the Privateer remake are a joke.

[ijuin]

Maybe shield power can increase more with each new level but less than exponentially? For example:

Shield 1: 10 cm
Shield 2: 10 cm more than shield 1 (total 20 cm)
Shield 3: 15 cm more than shield 2 (total 35 cm)
Shield 4: 20 cm more than shield 3 (total 55 cm)
Shield 5: 25 cm more than shield 4 (total 80 cm)
Shield 6: 30 cm more than sheild 5 (total 110 cm)
Shield 7: 35 cm more than shield 6 (total 145 cm)
Shield 8: 40 cm more than shield 7 (total 185 cm)
Shield 9: 45 cm more than shield 8 (total 230 cm)

This would make the level 5 and up shields significantly better (and the level 8-9 shields for the Drayman about twice as good), but would not be so powerful as to make your ship seem indestructable.

A question: Is the shield recharge rate in PR comparable to that in the original Privateer?