MISC Hull Series concept sale Friday 24 April

[Gorion]

I think the real issue here is safety. These ships are incredibly vulnerable. Plus they're not as modular as some

Exactly my thoughts.

Also expect a Hull going around as a big piggy bank.

[Obsydian]

I think the real issue here is safety. These ships are incredibly vulnerable. Plus they're not as modular as some

It all depends upon the context really.

If you're talking about ferrying cargo into or out of an unsafe system, then yes, you would use something a bit more secure AND you would provide an escort for it (if you think a Merchantman on its own is safe, think again - numbers are key to staying safe).

But if we're talking about a safe system, then a Hull B (or a number of them) makes sense.

If we ever find ourselves in an asteroid field with 2 or more Orions, having a C on hand would make sense as it would reduce the number of trips needed to ferry the ore back to a station, leaving the Orions to do their thing in the field.

[Justin Tolerable]

If anyone is going to buy a Hull please let me know.  I have a discount coupon still to use and it knocks 15% off the price.   It would mean me buying and then gifting your ship to you, but I can only use the coupon once and it's good for up to circa £600 of ships, so it seems sensible to only use it on a batch of ships rather than for single ships.

Well that sounds lovely!  Although I'm most likely getting a B, so probably not a good use of the voucher unless you're picking a bunch up too.  If you do buy some, pick me up a Hull B too and I'll send you the credits (or let me know when you're planning to so I can send it over first).  High five!

The more I think about it, the more I like the B.  I've not got anything great for hauling at the moment, but I don't want yet another ship with a high crew requirement.  This is my lone trucker option

[Galatoni]

There are a lot of us that will relish running escorts for you all. go team

[Gorion]

It all depends upon the context really.

If you're talking about ferrying cargo into or out of an unsafe system, then yes, you would use something a bit more secure AND you would provide an escort for it (if you think a Merchantman on its own is safe, think again - numbers are key to staying safe).

It's not just about the safety of the ship.  The Hulls carry their cargo containers outside, exposed to weapons fire, thus exposed to destruction.

Other ships store cargo containers inside their holds, which are not exposed to weapon fire unless the ship is mostly dead in the water.  Plus having good defense systems goes a long way to deter opponents.

Hulls are flying piggy banks, and everyone will know when you have cargo on you as cargo containers are shown.  A MM, or a Constellation aren't always carrying cargo, and if shielded then a would be pirate wouldn't be able to know whether you have cargo in your ships belly, thus increasing his risk since he's attacking blindly and might lose out instead of gaining anything.  If its a Hull with containers, then the would be pirate knows that he can steal cargo from you as he can see the cargo..

[Obsydian]

I Disagree, it's all about the safety of the ship. You would only utilise a Hull in an area where the likelihood of being attacked was remote, or you have a large escort to discourage too much attention. And the Hulls all have upgraded shields which covers the spindles as well as the rest of the ship. Admittedly, that's not much use against projectiles, but as I say, your escort should be your shield.

the fact that a MM or Constellation don't show their cargo is irrelevant: that's what scanners are for. Pirates will be able to tell whether you're carrying anything or not, regardless of whether it's visible. Some scanners will even tell what is in the cargo (hence the need for specially shielded containers if you want to keep the contents private).

And you will still need an escort for that MM or Constellation unless you're feeling particularly brave (or stupid).  You should never fly alone in unsafe space.

Think of it tactically: a Hull B and MM have the same cargo capacity; the Hull B has. Single pilot, the MM a crew of 8; the Hull B is 1/3 of the cost of a MM. If you undock in a MM you are risking the lives of 8 crew and a very expensive ship (and its cargo), but with a Hull B, it's a cheap(ish) ship, with one crew, and the same cargo. Another advantage to the B is that those other 7 crew could provide escort...immediately, your little B is much less enticing a target than a lone MM.

In UEE space, it will be more cost effective to use a Hull B, as the risk is relatively low and you are extremely unlikely to be attacked (and there's always insurance, right?).

Things change, though, when you decide to make a journey from one system to another.  Escorts are probably a must, regardless of whether you're in a MM or a B, and the defences on a MM are more of a bonus than a main line of defence, but again, in an MM you're risking 8 lives instead of just the one.  I think if the journey manages to stay on fairly secure shipping lanes that run close to well patrolled areas of space, you ought to be ok in the B, but if any part of the journey crosses more dangerous space, then using something a bit more armoured would make more sense, or increase the number of escorts.

As I said, it's all about context: there will be times when a B is more advantageous.

[Gorion]

And you will still need an escort for that MM or Constellation unless you're feeling particularly brave (or stupid).  You should never fly alone in unsafe space.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.  As has been already shown, a Constellation Andromeda with default equipment was capable of fending off 5 hornets at one go, without using the snub fighter.  Those two turrets pack quite the punch.  Adding to that, the Phoenix has the Class9 auto defense too, plus better missiles and the standard guns.
MM's aren't low on firepower neither.  So as you're fully crewed you should be fine against generic attacks.

I'll guess we'll see in the PU.

[Obsydian]

Sorry Gorion, that was just a tech demo, not a real fight.  As you say, we won't really know until the ships are flyable, which hopefully won't be very long from now

A further point to bear in mind is the mindset of the potential attackers: they want the cargo, so it's in their interest to avoid shooting the cargo. That's arguably more likely with a Hull than it is with, say, a MM, and I would argue that it's perhaps more likely that they will end up blowing up a MM, thereby losing the cargo.

Also, the whole point of having an escort isn't to survive a fight (that's secondary); you put your finger on it in an earlier post: the primary reason is as a deterrent. Avoiding a fight should be any haulier's primary objective, so the message to any potential attacker shouldn't be "bring it on" it should be "don't **** with us".

[Obsydian]

Quote from CIG devs:

[h=3]“If you shoot the cargo containers do they spew cargo into space when they rupture? If you target the racks can you detach them from the ship as it’s moving?” â€" Marcus Murphy[/h]We’re aware that the ‘spindle’ looks like the weak point of the Hull series, but do not intend for this to carry over into the game mechanics. The cargo containers will be fully shielded and will themselves have an armor value; those that wish for additional protection can use containers that trade armor for space. (But hey, what kind of pirate risks destroying their loot in the first place?)

[Obsydian]

And the Hull E (and possibly others?) can carry their own escorts!

[h=3]“Can the hull ships carry smaller starfighters (packed or configured as cargo) such as the Super Hornet?” â€" queetz[/h]Yes! Spacecraft can be broken down into their component parts for transport, or carried in their completed forms aboard larger Hulls. There is also a ‘midget fighter attachment’ being developed for the Hull E which will allow it to drop and recover escort fighters in exchange for cargo space.

[Obsydian]

So glad I got  a Hull C:
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14686-Hull-C

[TeaLeaf]

So glad I got  a Hull C:
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14686-Hull-C

I'm waiting for tomorrow's Q&A about the Hull D.   Then I'll decide if I want another Hull.  The Hull C sits in the same market as the Banu, albeit with some bonuses like the auto cargo loading system etc, but the Banu has some advantages too and I'm not massively keen on having multiple ship sitting in similar roles.   The Hull D might be something though for the long term, so I'm looking forward to finding out more.

[Obsydian]

I know what you mean - I've got a Merchantman as well, but I see them as being used in different roles.

Based on the CommLink above, it's clear that the Hull C is capable of so much more than simply hauling cargo and can be configured to do almost any task, so I'm happy to have both.

It looks likely that the Merchantman is in for a big boost in size. The original 6000FUs would have equated to just 1500SCUs, but they've made it larger than the Hull C, which means that it's physical size simply has to increase.  I think that anyone who has a Merchantman is in for a similar bonus to those who bought an Idris: they're going to end up with much more ship for their money than CIG originally intended

[OldBloke]

... I think that anyone who has a Merchantman is in for a similar bonus to those who bought an Idris: they're going to end up with much more ship for their money than CIG originally intended.

Suits me