Star Citizen Information thread..

For all those interested in the game, there's a lot of information out there, try and distill it down in this thread so we have a one stop shop for anything you want to know about the game. Maybe keep this to info links/posts, and requests for info about the game..
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The Star Citizen Economy

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Star Citizen Economy

Ship Components/Elements

Components overview

Ship Roles/Functions


Insuring your ship
Insurance FAQ

Physics of flying in the game
SC Physics

Information threads on Pirating

Discussion on Pirating in SC

Information threads on Exploration

Discussion on Exploration

Guild Hangars!! (@ 13:22)

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Star Map

Interactive Star Map Link




Even better map here:

 

Caveat: all info here is subject to change and/or correction as I'm just understanding it myself

Anyone relatively new to the whole space sim idea might get a feel for if these ships fit their style by the weapon possibilities; obviously turret weapons begin to require multiple players or hired crew (i.e. a bit more micromanaging). Some ships may fit your style because they sacrifice weaponry for utility. None of this also takes into account, no weapon related upgrades, speed, armour, maneuverability, etc etc..

Weapons and Hardpoints

Different weapons have varied "classes" and you can tell what weapons will mount on your ship by the available hard point slots..

HARDPOINTS
Every ship has hardpoints on which a variety of different weapons can be mounted. Each hardpoint has a classification. A lower classification can always be mounted on a higher classification hardpoint, but not the other way around.

CLASS 1
Fixed Gun. This is your standard forward facing laser, neutron cannon, particle gun, etc.

CLASS 2
Articulated Gun. Think the guns in Freelancer or the smart weapons found in later Wing Commanders. Class 2 hardpoints are rarer and more expensive, but they allow guns to rotate on an arc rather than fire point blank.

CLASS 3
Pylon. This is where you mount missiles, ECM units, radar pods, drop tanks, additional ammunition, special scanners, etc.

CLASS 4
Turret. Uses the same fixed guns as class 1, but mounted in a separate area of the ship which may be crewed by another person. Turret slots can also mount pylon-type weapons (i.e. a tractor beam or a chaff dispenser.)

Class 5
Manned point defense turrets, generally mounted on larger ships and capital ships.

Class 6
Heavy manned capital ship turrets – used for ship-to-ship combat.

Class 7
Spinal mount lasers – heavy hitters that are effective against medium and large ships.

Class 8
Capital ship cannons – extended range heavy weapons used for capital ship battles in space.

Ships and Hard points

Aurora
[ES] - base model (no weapons included)
2 - forward fixed hard points available (CL -1 )
1 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)

[MR]

2 - fixed lasers (CL - 1)
1 - missile pylon hard point available (CL -3 )

[CL] trading/hauling variant

2 - forward fixed hard points available (CL - 1)
1 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)

[LN] Combat variant - more maneuverable

2 - fixed repeater guns(CL - 1)
2 - forward fixed hard points available(CL - 2)
1 - 4 mounted missiles (CL -3 )

[LX] Combat variant - more maneuverable

2 - fixed repeater guns (CL - 1)
1 - 4 mounted missiles (CL -3 )


300 Series

[300i]

2 - fixed lasers (CL -1 )
1 - forward hard point available (nose cannon) (CL -2 )
2 - missile pylon hard points available (CL - 3)

[315p] - explorer

2 - fixed lasers (CL -1 )
1 - tractor beam (CL - 2)
2 - missile pylon hard points available (CL -3 )

[325a] - combat variant

2 - fixed lasers (CL - 1)
1 - forward mass driver (nose cannon) (CL - 2)
2 - 2 Talon Stalker missiles (CL - 3)

[350R] - speed?

2 - fixed lasers (CL - 1)
1 - forward hard point available (nose cannon) (CL -2 )
2 - missile pylon hard points available (CL - 3)

M50 Series

[M50]

2 - forward hard point available (wing cannons) (CL - 2)
2 - missile pylon hard points available (CL - 3)

Hornet Series
[F7A] - base chassis

2 - fixed Neutron guns (nose) (CL - 1)
2 - Tactical Mantis (?) (CL -2 )
2 - 4 Talon Dominator missiles (CL - 3)
1 - Top turret (2x CF117 guns), rear turret (2x CF007 guns) (CL - 4)

[F7C-R] - Tracker, AWACS

2 - fixed Neutron guns (nose) (CL -1 )
2 - CF007 Badger (wing guns) (CL - 2)
1 - Radar package (CL -4 )
1 - Cargo option

[F7C-S] - Stealth Fighter

2 - CF007 Badger (wing guns) (CL - 2)
1 - Cargo option
Stealth Armour plating

[F7C-M] - Super Hornet, Heavy Fighter

2 - fixed Neutron guns (nose) (CL -1 )
2 - Laser Cannons (wing guns) (CL - 2)
2 - 4 Talon Missiles (CL - 3)
2 - 1 - Top turret (2x CF117 guns), should have canard turret, but not listed in brochure(CL - 4)
Jump Drive standard

Avenger Series

[Avenger]

1 - 2x Wingtip, 1x nose hard points available (CL - 1)
1 - 2x under wing hard point pylons (CL -3 )

Cutlass - heavy fighter (?)

2 - forward fixed hard points available (wingtip) (CL -1 )
1 - articulated weapon hard point (CL - 2)
2 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)
1 - turret hard point (CL -4)

Gladiator - light bomber

2 - forward fixed hard points available (CL -1 )
6 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)
1 - turret hard point (CL -4)


Freelancer - explorer

2 - articulating laser cannons (CL -2 )
2 - articulated weapon hard point (CL - 2)
2 - executioner missile (CL - 3)
1 - twin turret (CL -5)

Caterpillar - explorer

4 - articulated weapon hard point (CL - 2)
2 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)
2 - turret hard point (CL -4)

Retaliator - heavy bomber

12 -missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)
5 - point defense turret hard point (CL -5)


Constellation - freighter

4 - articulating laser cannons (CL -2 )
4 - missile pylon hard point available (CL -3)
2 - missile "8-packs" (CL - 3)
2 - twin turret (CL -5)


Starfarer - fuel ship (?)

2 - articulated weapon hard point (CL - 2)
1 - missile pylon hard point available (CL - 3)
1 - point defense turret hard point (CL -5)

P52 Merlin

3 - fixed foward guns (CL -1)

Idris Class

Idris

6 - Manned turrets (CL -5)
2 - Manned heavy turrets (CL - 6)
1 - Spinal weapon rail gun (CL - 7)

Idris-P

7 - Manned turrets (CL -5)
1 - Manned heavy turrets (CL - 6)
1 - Spinal weapon hard point (CL - 7)

 

Over a year old footage, of a very non-alpha prototype build, but gives you an idea of how far along they were a year ago.. It's pretty raw, but shows you what they are improving and optimizing from. Not bad..

Bit of info on what they're thinking about how to fly etc..

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Nice find Sent! Something we should keep on top of, as manipulating that could be a great source of income

 

Player vs player interaction

The "PvP Slider"

There's been some talk about this in various threads, with some very vague references; thought I'd toss some points from the SC forums out to maybe help clear up what this is; the above article from Chris Roberts gives an indepth view of the whole player vs player vs environment issue.

Think of it as an Interaction Slider, not so much a PvP slider as it's basically a way to limit, but not turn off player interaction.

Keep in mind that by default, an instance is entirely filled by NPCs. So if you're on an escort mission to protect a convoy from pirates, then the server is going to spawn some pirates for you to fight. What happens if your PvP slider is up though, is that it will start looking for player pirates in the area who are also set for PvP, and those will bump the NPC pirates. If there are no hostile players fitting that description, you'll just be fighting regular AI pirates.

The slider only works for random encounters in space.
It ha no effect when in fixed locations like in orbit around a planet or at a starbase and other similar locations..
The effect of the slider is also determined my the security rating of a star system.
In the lower the security rating of a system, the more likely you are to be matched with another player instead of an NPC

When you autopilot to places, you may get random encounters with enemies during that trip, the PvP slider determines whether you fight an NPC or a player.
That is the only time it's used, a lot of people seem to think that it's used in the entire universe

You get less rank increase, less rewards, and less reputation gain if you fight against NPCs (slider down) instead of players (slider up).
Furthermore, the slider doesn't work in Null Security space. You will always encounter players in null sec. (I think the rank/rewards issue is probably for random encounters, there's still profit to be had from taking actual missions against NPCs)

Pretty much that's what it is, it also lose effectiveness the further you are from the starting zones.
so as said, it only works with random encounters, and not constant areas

Slider works Only close to UEE space and lose its effect the further you go
Slider Only works On random encounter when you travel from Point to point
Slider Does not work if you are POI with some one else
Slider Does not work If warp to a Nav point or Set location
Slider Cant be put up to 100%
SC is PVA, you cant pick and chose


Good Summary of the Issue:
_________

There seems to be alot of misconceptions regarding the PvP player interaction slider. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, or quote this in the inevitable future PvP/PvE threads to clear up any misunderstandings.

The vast emptiness -- It only functions on auto-pilot.

The Player Interaction Slider will NOT function in "persistent areas". Space stations, points of interest, mining fields, etc. are persistent, instanced (100 player cap*) areas. If you're mining away at an asteroid belt, someone (player -=or=- NPC) CAN happen across you and demand your cargo or your life. Likewise, some Bounty Hunters can come to your defense and blow those Pirates into hard vacuum.

It WILL function in the "dead space" between points of interest. Due to the immense emptiness of space, the chance of happening upon another soul while travelling between important places is close to nil. To combat this lack of interaction, when you're on cruise in the middle of no-where the game will engineer random encounters. If your slider is set to PvE, these encounters will be more likely to be NPC ships, if it is set to PvP, it will populate your random encounters with other players, if they're available.

Diminishing returns -- not all space is safe

As we know, there will be varying levels of security forces in different systems. While there's a heavy UEE presence on the core systems, the fringe worlds are somewhat lawless. The PvP player interaction slider reflects the varying degree of safety on Core vs. Fringe systems. When in High-Sec space, the PvP slider will be 99%* effective, i.e., 99% of your randomly generated encounters will be NPCs (or players, depending on your setting and player availability). If you move out to Medium-Sec space, this effectiveness drops to 90%*, and so on out to lawless space.

The great debate -- Risk vs. Reward

As many players have mentioned, it's easier to get things done when other players aren't in your way / trying to kill you. The mission rewards and trade prices will vary depending on what risks you took in completing them. If you set your slider to no player interaction (full PvE), you will earn less for your trade run or mission. If you jack it all the way up (full PvP), your mission rewards and trade prices will reflect that extra risk and pay outs will be higher. To combat exploitation, the system remembers what setting you had during your endeavours, so you can't just put it all the way up to PvP before you cash in your cargo/mission.

Hope this clears up any misconceptions. Feel free to correct any errors, I'll edit the post.

*numbers for representative purposes only, subject to change.

 

Again, on PvP, piracy, bounty hunting etc.. Don't think he's taken the concept of goonswarm into account with regards to how the community will handle griefing, but as long as he is thinking in that direction he can come up with something..

Looks like the concept of "piracy", the kind where you start losing status, get people hunting you, revolves around attacking people in "law and order" areas, or high security space.. It's looking like the more lawless regions of space will be sort of open season.. Anything goes.. So some parallels can be drawn between EVE and SC in that regard.

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I think ultimately, he's designing it how it should work. This game is at its core a shooter, not an adventure game like wow. You really shouldn't be playing this game with others not expecting to be shot at by other players. If that's your expectation you should be playing a single player co-op server truth be told.

Lawless space should be a free for all with little consequences, risky if you want to venture out there. Secure space should be that, low risk and safe and if you get aggressed there that party should very quickly be losing status until they're considered outlaw, and shot on sight by the military (and any traditional insurance becomes null and void if killed by the UEE). Though if an organized group wants to raid secure space as pirates, that's how the whole meta game will play out.

In that regard though this game will likely be a lot like early EVE. Lots of things to do in secure space and tons of empty low/null sec space to explore if that's your thing.

My only fear is, big entities like goonswarm. While we're all getting our feet wet doing early missions in secure space, I'd hate to think some larger organizations will be rushing out into all the unclaimed solar systems trying to quickly "claim" and bottle them up for themselves. Hopefully as we'll the npcs in low sec will be harder to kill than ones found in secure space, balance that early rush to those systems a bit.

Hopefully whole systems will be almost impossible to secure, because anyone familiar with REALLY early EVE can attest to how it took only one determined asshat group to bring the whole game world to a halt. Mooooooo

 

Map updated