I thought I’d do a brief write up on the Star Citizen Drake Herald, as it’s supposedly the next ship that will be hangar ready and made flyable in Arena Commander. The criteria used for how ships are being prioritized, is whether or not the ship is needed for the single player RPG module, Squadron 42. Bad news for some in general, even though it make sense. The needs of S42 puts some of the original backer ships like the Constellation and Freelancer behind newer ships like the Herald. On the plus side for me, I purchased a Herald from the gray market several weeks ago. My purchase wasn’t related to when it was being made flight ready. I had no idea at the time. As a person whose career centers on Business Intelligence, the ship’s role piqued my interest.
The Ugly Duckling of SC
Let’s get how ugly this ship is out of the way first. It’s not exactly butt ugly. Compared to many of the other ships with their sleek designs, it does look like the red headed step child. However, at certain points of view, lighting and shading, it’s visually interesting and appealing, in a crooked smile kinda way. But no one is going to be doing a pin-up of this ship for their wall. The design itself is Drake’s take on infusing alien design aesthetics, Vanduul, into their ships.
The Herald is a small armored ship, designed to safely deliver information and you, from one place to the next. Its speed will rival racers but it won’t have the same nimble handling. It has a powerful central engine to support advanced data encryption. It also sports data protection systems, redundant power subsystems, EMP shielding and high capacity broadcast arrays for data transmission. In a nutshell, it’s spec’d to acquire rare data, encrypt/protect it, escape with said data and/or transmit it to your cohorts. As a fallback, it has a quick method to clear your drives of evidence, in case you get caught in the act or hijacked.
Plausible Game Play
I like that the Herald will support 2 passengers. I’ll probably do a lot of the work solo but I was specifically looking for two-seater ships to play with friends. More specifically, friends that don’t traditionally play MMOs but are interested in space. I'm hoping that tagging along on non-combat missions, where they can actually work one of the stations, is a fun introduction to the game.
I’m crossing my fingers that one aspect of the Herald’s configuration is a small revelation about potential game play. The Herald is one of only 3 ships – so far, that come with Suckerpunch Distortion Cannons. These cannons are designed to disrupt a ship’s power core, disabling shields and movement. It sounds similar to tackling in EVE Online.
A few scenarios immediately come to mind. One – you’ll use that to help you avoid capture after hacking valuable information. Two – cut your losses and run from an encounter. Three – Neutralize a ship and hack its data systems! Imagine stealing Jump Point coordinates from an Aurora, Mustang or Freelancer DUR just returning from an exploration excursion!
The Distortion Cannon may enable hacking data directly from a ship without having to board it! Initially, I envisioned you’d be gathering information from installations – satellites, docking stations, etc. Stealing it from another player’s ship’s system, adds a whole new dynamic. I hope this will be possible.
The inclusion of the Distortion Cannons on the Herald was the first time I’d heard of the tech in Star Citizen. Researching further I realized they’re on the Avenger and one of the Mustang variants. I recently swapped into an Avenger but haven’t flown it yet. Now I want to try it just for that reason.
I’m encouraged see to electronic warfare making its way into SC combat. A wide variety of tactics will add depth to game-play. I just hope ship configurations never get to the point where you’ve won or lost the battle, before you even undock your ship, as is often the case in EVE Online.
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