{"data":{"id":15359,"title":"Q&A: Drake Buccaneer - Part II","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/engineering\/15359-Q-A-Drake-Buccaneer-Part-II","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/15359","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/15359","channel":"Engineering","category":"Development","series":"Concept Ship Q&A","images":[{"id":4956,"name":"Presentation-Bucc05-No-People.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/cggwwctky6bicr\/source\/Presentation-Bucc05-No-People.jpg","alt":"","size":2390499,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2016-05-26T19:43:02+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4956","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4956\/similar"},{"id":4957,"name":"Presentation-Bucc14-Copy.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/qgauq6kzgoavvr\/source\/Presentation-Bucc14-Copy.jpg","alt":"Concept Art - Drake Buccaneer","size":2853016,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2016-05-26T19:43:24+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4957","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/4957\/similar"},{"id":25004,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w0shv2sobeaiw\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":927693,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-05-09T20:01:24+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/25004","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/25004\/similar"},{"id":38062,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/huwhfjtdvra4r\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":3377215,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2025-03-21T15:18:25+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/38062","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/38062\/similar"}],"images_count":19,"translations":{"en_EN":"Greetings Citizens,\nAnother Concept Sale, another Question & Answer session. Since last Friday, we\u2019ve been collecting questions from the dedicated Q&A post here and today our designers working on the ship will answer 10 more questions! We are very excited to discuss this ship in more detail, so let\u2019s jump right in to part 2!\n\nSpecial thanks to Matt Sherman for taking the time to answer these questions for us, and be sure to check out his Design Review at the bottom of this article!\n\nQuestion & Answer\nWhat is the maneuverability going to be like for the Buccaneer?\nWe\u2019re currently targeting it\u2019s maneuverability to fall somewhere close to the Gladius, with a goal of being more responsive. It should have a decent top-speed while still below more dedicated racing-ships like the 350r, M50, or Mustang Gamma\/Omega. Against larger fighters like the Hornets or Sabre, it should feel more nimble, though with the noted durability drawbacks when lined up against them.\n\nWhat variants down the road, if any, could you see the Buccaneer having?\nThere are currently no active plans for variants of the Buccaneer. Ideally, we want to make sure any of this ship\u2019s customization comes directly from the choices in installed components it\u2019s owner has decided on.\n\nDoes the Buccaneer have an ejection seat?\nLike the rest of the Drake lineup, ejection seats are not provided. Die Trying, Die Flying, or Run.\n\nThe lower turret slot is listed as a S4 turret. Does that mean it has a S6 slot fixed \/ S5 gimbal? Or is it hard mounted as a turret and the max size is S4?\nThe underbody hardpoint is a S4 hardpoint. This would allow for a single, fixed S4 weapon, a single gimbaled S3, fixed twin-link S3, or gimbal twin-link S2 weapon configurations.\n\nWill the Buccaneer be able to dock to a Cutlass?\nNo, the Buccaneer\u2019s only entry\/exit point will be its main cockpit access.\n\nWith it\u2019s speed, durability, agility, range, very respectable weapons load-out, and comparatively low price, what are the Buccaneer\u2019s trade-offs\/weaknesses?\nThe bulk of the Buccaneer\u2019s weapons are on its more exposed wings. If you\u2019re fighting a Buccaneer and can knock these out, you\u2019ll be able to seriously impact its potency, and ideally, push the pilot more towards running away from the fight as they\u2019d be limited to just the weapons on the S4 mount. Beyond the weapon mounts, the more pronounced cockpit section is definitely going to create a more exposed cross-section to incoming fire.\n\nIn some of the concept art, the Bucaneer appeared to have two seats \u2013 Are you planning on releasing a two seater variant at some point?\nNo, the Buccaneer has only ever been planned and designed as a single-occupant, cockpit only seat. This also goes to show just how easy Jim Martin has been to work with on the concept of the Buccaneer, as when we saw those earlier versions leaning towards a 2 seat craft, he was extremely fast and accommodating to bring the ship back in line to the intended spec. There are no plans to provide anything other than a single-seat version.\n\nThe Buccaneer is an \u2018interdictor\u2019. What sort of unique traits\/equipment are being brought to the table to fulfill that role?\nAt the core, its speed, maneuverability, and stopping power bring most of the interdiction potential of the Buccaneer. Along with that, we\u2019re still developing out the full scope for more equipment-driven Interdiction gameplay and how you\u2019ll be able to interact with other targets travelling at Quantum\/Jump speeds. Expect more details to come as these systems are fully mapped and ready for implementation.\n\nWhat will the fuel capacity\/travel distance be like with those large engines?\nIt\u2019ll be flexible. If you\u2019ve loaded out the Buccaneer specifically for the furthest possible range, you definitely should be able to match the distance of a Herald, though a Herald will probably reach the destinations first for its speed. On the other hand, if you\u2019ve decided to run a much more ballistic-heavy loadout, you\u2019ll actively be giving up some of the maximum fuel capacity to bring along the ammunition for your weapons.\n\nDesign Goals, Visual Style, and Working Together\nBack in February of this year, we announced the Drake Buccaneer, but we wanted to try approaching the design a little differently. We opened the Buccaneer sub-forum, gave everyone some bare bones information based on our early planning meetings, and asked to get everyone\u2019s thoughts on what kind of reference imagery did those details evoke.\n\nIn just one months\u2019 time, you contributed over 22 pages of visual ideas and inspiration, ranging from other spaceships, cars, boats, materials appearances, doodles, renders, and every possible level of detail between. Even after we stepped away to start locking down the design, you kept contributing for another 2 months with more ideas and images leading up to the start of the concept sale. So we want to really start this off with thanking everyone who participated and contributed to the thread, you\u2019ve helped make this little experiment a success.\n\nNow, what more people are probably wondering about is how those early details and ideas have held up into the final concept of the ship, and reasons any changes happened beyond just saying \u2018balance\u2019. So in keeping you more involved with how the Buccaneer has taken shape, we\u2019ll take you through each set of the bullet-points originally posted. Overall, the information breaks down into 3 key groupings: Core Design Goals, Visual Style Requirements, and Reach Goals to add nuance and character to a ship.\n\nFirst off, the Core Design Goals. These are the things that have been the backbone for planning out the Buccaneer\u2019s design, and with only one exception, have held true throughout the design as we worked towards the final concept.\n\nSingle-Pilot craft with no interior. \u2013 We always planned the Buccaneer to be a dedicated fighter for the Drake family of ships, and felt a cockpit-only setup would deliver that best. When we received the 2-seat concepts, we knew we still wanted to keep this ship single-occupant, but through the revisions, we\u2019ve been able to add in a weapon rack so you\u2019ll be able to bring some options with you both in space and when you land.\n\nFast and Maneuverable, under a pure racer in speed, but handles well at high speed. \u2013 All still alive and supported by the 16 maneuvering thrusters which will provide 4 dedicated thrusters to the top, bottom, and side faces of the ship. The current tuning goals are to make it extremely nimble around mid-high combat speeds, consistently strong pitch roll through max cruise speed, but weaker strafing and Yaw-rotation at higher speeds.\n\nRoughly the same size as a Sabre. \u2013 Our only exception in the Core Design Goals. As the design for the Buccaneer narrowed in, we decided the ship would be better suited around the size and weight class of the Gladius rather than the Sabre, as the larger profile would have led to a far more bulky design than its performance goals needed. In the end, we\u2019re happier with a ship planned to fight above its weight class rather than just match it.\n\nPairs well with the Cutlass or Caterpillar as an escort fighter. \u2013 Probably the most important goal, as it helps to fill a specific void inside the Drake family of ships. This was even expanded to make sure with the right loadout, a Buccaneer can also serve as escort to a Herald, able to support the entire lineup. Overall, for anything that changed in the design, this is probably the thing that prompted the change the most.\n\nExtreme reliability, exceptional ease of maintenance. \u2013 Twin-engine, redundant key components to ensure no one attack can take it below half fighting strength. We want you to get shot and survive in your travels, to feel safe taking hits to the hull without taking bigger hits to your UEC when it comes time to repair.\n\nNext up are the Visual Style Requirements. These are some of the primary Drake Interplanetary aesthetics that help shape the companies visual style guide. Each goal needed to be met, but still left enough room for the look and feel to line up with the gameplay needs.\n\nEngines tend to me mounted at the end of wing-like features, pontoon style. \u2013 Engines on drake ships are typically very powerful compared to the size of the ship and visually they need to be fairly large features, such as in the Caterpillar, Herald and Cutlass. They are always cylindrical and when twin mounted are always mounted on pontoon style features, either midway through a wing or at the tips. They are meant to look large and industrial. On the Buccaneer the engines are huge features of the ship and are one of the major elements you notice first, this ship is fast.\n\nCanopies do not have any curved glass, they are all flat panes held together by strong struts. \u2013 Drake as a whole has a construction vehicle tinge to them which is reflected in the way they arrange their canopies. Similar to construction cranes their canopies tend to wrap around the pilot from the front to the top affording them more visibility. Canopies as a feature also tend to be the forward most part of the cockpit or bridge area of the ship. Glass on their canopies also tend to remain very flat, making them easier to replace and manufacture in the event of a fracture. The Buccaneer in particular opted for thinner struts then you would typically find in a drake ship because it is meant to be a fighter, being able to keep track of fast moving enemies became a priority.\n\nFunction is King. \u2013 Overall drake is interested in making a functional vehicle that can get the job done as cheaply as possible and isn\u2019t overly interested in luxury or comfort. They leave many mechanical features entirely exposed even if it becomes a hazard because in their mind it makes repair\/modifications much easier. You will notice that the engines on the Buccaneer are more exposed and that the landing gear does not fold neatly into compartments that\u2019s tuck them away and out of sight.\n\nLastly, the Reach Goals. These are ideas that we felt could be capable additions to the ship, but would still be safe enough to alter or cut from the original design to help deliver on the goal of a dedicated fighter.\n\nIt is planned to have the ability to carry\/move cargo, it just doesn\u2019t sit inside the ship. \u2013 While limited external cargo was initially in the design, for the Drake style, we felt it would have caused the ship to sway too much from a dedicated fighter. Though removing this is also what led to the Buccaneer getting its 2 Size 1 missile hardpoints, as it was initially designed as a pure gunship.\n\nWhile it would have the same size footprint as a Sabre, it won\u2019t be filling as much of that space. \u2013 This changed a bit with the size change to lineup more towards the Gladius. Now, it\u2019s almost the inverse, with the Buccaneer and the Gladius both having a comparable size\/weight profile, with the Gladius taking up less space in that general volume.\n\nIts biggest weapons are all planned to allow a full 360 rotational arc from their mount. \u2013 While this is still technically the case with the S4 mount, the original design planned to include the S3 mounts now located under the wings to have the same range. In the end, the usefulness of all 3 hardpoints rotating would undermine the look and feel too much without offering a consistent and compelling gameplay reason.\n\nIt\u2019s prompting more active exploration and design into fake-component containers for cargo. \u2013 This is still very much the case in terms of planning for Smuggling gameplay and how it\u2019ll impact not just the Buccaneer, but any ship and pilot willing to give up a little potency to their ship to help move some high-value contraband when needed. Please keep in mind, these mechanics are still are far from fully designed and implemented, but are starting to get some of their groundwork laid.\n\nHopefully this has provided everyone with a bit more insight into some of the choices made as we worked to bring the Buccaneer to its current state. While we\u2019re really happy with how things have turned out, like anything still in development, there\u2019s still some room for changes and alterations. Exact tuning and performance are things we can only plan for so much on paper before the ship is fully built and flying, but if anything does change, you can expect it to be in direct support of one of the Core Design Goals for the Buccaneer.\n\nOnce again, we want to thank everyone who participated in the original Reference Image thread. All of your contributions helped, from showing us some new things we hadn\u2019t seen or thought of as Drake, along with seeing a number of images and ideas that were already working their way into the Drake style guide, helping us know we\u2019re heading down the right track. This was definitely a new spin on our design process, so we hope you enjoyed being able to come along for the ride.\n\n\u2013 Matt Sherman","de_DE":"Gr\u00fc\u00dfe B\u00fcrger,\nEin weiteres Konzept Verkauf, eine weitere Frage & Antwort Sitzung. Seit letztem Freitag sammeln wir hier Fragen von der speziellen Q&A-Post und heute werden unsere Designer, die auf dem Schiff arbeiten, 10 weitere Fragen beantworten! Wir freuen uns sehr, dieses Schiff im Detail zu besprechen, also lasst uns gleich zu Teil 2 \u00fcbergehen!\n\nBesonderen Dank an Matt Sherman, der sich die Zeit genommen hat, diese Fragen f\u00fcr uns zu beantworten, und schau dir unbedingt seinen Design Review am Ende dieses Artikels an!\n\nFragen & Antworten\nWie wird die Man\u00f6vrierf\u00e4higkeit f\u00fcr den Seer\u00e4uber aussehen?\nWir streben derzeit die Man\u00f6vrierf\u00e4higkeit an, irgendwo in der N\u00e4he der Gladius zu fallen, mit dem Ziel, reaktionsschneller zu sein. Es sollte eine ordentliche H\u00f6chstgeschwindigkeit haben, w\u00e4hrend es noch unter den spezielleren Rennschiffen wie der 350r, M50 oder Mustang Gamma\/Omega liegt. Gegen gr\u00f6\u00dfere K\u00e4mpfer wie die Hornissen oder die S\u00e4bel sollte sie sich agiler anf\u00fchlen, allerdings mit den bekannten Nachteilen der Haltbarkeit, wenn sie sich gegen sie stellen.\n\nWelche Varianten, wenn \u00fcberhaupt, k\u00f6nnten Sie dem Seer\u00e4uber in der Zukunft vorf\u00fchren?\nEs gibt derzeit keine aktiven Pl\u00e4ne f\u00fcr Varianten des Freibeuters. Im Idealfall wollen wir sicherstellen, dass die Anpassung dieses Schiffes direkt von der Auswahl der installierten Komponenten abh\u00e4ngt, f\u00fcr die sich der Eigent\u00fcmer entschieden hat.\n\nHat der Buccaneer einen Schleudersitz?\nWie der Rest der Drake-Linie sind auch hier keine Schleudersitze vorgesehen. W\u00fcrfelversuch, W\u00fcrfelflug oder Lauf.\n\nDer untere Revolverschlitz ist als S4-Revolver aufgef\u00fchrt. Bedeutet das, dass es einen S6-Slot fest \/ S5-Kardanring hat? Oder ist es als Turm fest montiert und die maximale Gr\u00f6\u00dfe ist S4?\nDer Unterboden-H\u00e4rtepunkt ist ein S4-H\u00e4rtepunkt. Dies w\u00fcrde eine einzelne, feste S4-Waffe, eine einzelne kardanische S3, eine feste Twin-Link-S3 oder eine kardanische Twin-Link-S2-Waffenkonfiguration erm\u00f6glichen.\n\nWird der Seer\u00e4uber in der Lage sein, an ein Entermesser anzukoppeln?\nNein, der einzige Ein- und Ausstiegspunkt des Buccaneers ist der Hauptzugang zum Cockpit.\n\nMit seiner Geschwindigkeit, Haltbarkeit, Agilit\u00e4t, Reichweite, sehr respektablen Waffenausladung und dem vergleichsweise niedrigen Preis, was sind die Kompromisse\/Schw\u00e4chen des Buccaneers?\nDer Gro\u00dfteil der Waffen des Freibeuters befindet sich auf den freiliegenden Fl\u00fcgeln. Wenn du gegen einen Freibeuter k\u00e4mpfst und ihn ausschalten kannst, kannst du seine St\u00e4rke ernsthaft beeinflussen und im Idealfall den Piloten mehr dazu dr\u00e4ngen, vor dem Kampf davonzulaufen, da er sich auf die Waffen auf dem S4-Mount beschr\u00e4nken w\u00fcrde. Jenseits der Waffenhalterungen wird der ausgepr\u00e4gtere Cockpitabschnitt definitiv einen exponierteren Querschnitt f\u00fcr das eintreffende Feuer schaffen.\n\nIn einigen der Konzeptkunst schien der Bucaneer zwei Sitze zu haben - Planen Sie, irgendwann eine zweisitzige Variante herauszubringen?\nNein, der Buccaneer wurde bisher nur als Einzelplatzsitz im Cockpit geplant und konstruiert. Dies zeigt auch, wie einfach es f\u00fcr Jim Martin war, mit dem Konzept des Buccaneer zu arbeiten, denn als wir sahen, wie sich diese fr\u00fcheren Versionen zu einem zweisitzigen Schiff neigten, war er extrem schnell und entgegenkommend, um das Schiff wieder in die gew\u00fcnschte Richtung zu bringen. Es ist nicht geplant, etwas anderes als eine einsitzige Version anzubieten.\n\nDer Freibeuter ist ein \"Interdictor\". Welche Art von einzigartigen Eigenschaften\/Ausr\u00fcstungen werden an den Tisch gebracht, um diese Rolle zu erf\u00fcllen?\nIm Kern bringen seine Geschwindigkeit, Man\u00f6vrierf\u00e4higkeit und Bremskraft den gr\u00f6\u00dften Teil des Verbotes des Freibeuters. Dar\u00fcber hinaus entwickeln wir immer noch den vollen Umfang f\u00fcr ein ausr\u00fcstungsbasiertes Interdiction-Gameplay und wie Sie mit anderen Zielen interagieren k\u00f6nnen, die mit Quantum\/Jump-Geschwindigkeiten reisen. Erwarten Sie weitere Details, da diese Systeme vollst\u00e4ndig abgebildet und f\u00fcr die Implementierung bereit sind.\n\nWie wird die Kraftstoffkapazit\u00e4t\/die Fahrstrecke bei diesen Gro\u00dfmotoren aussehen?\nEs wird flexibel sein. Wenn Sie den Buccaneer speziell f\u00fcr die gr\u00f6\u00dftm\u00f6gliche Reichweite geladen haben, sollten Sie auf jeden Fall in der Lage sein, die Distanz eines Heralds anzupassen, obwohl ein Herald wahrscheinlich zuerst die Ziele erreicht, was seine Geschwindigkeit betrifft. Auf der anderen Seite, wenn Sie sich entschieden haben, eine viel ballistischere und schwerere Verladung durchzuf\u00fchren, werden Sie aktiv einen Teil der maximalen Treibstoffkapazit\u00e4t aufgeben, um die Munition f\u00fcr Ihre Waffen mitzunehmen.\n\nDesignziele, visueller Stil und Zusammenarbeit\nBereits im Februar dieses Jahres haben wir den Drake Buccaneer angek\u00fcndigt, aber wir wollten versuchen, das Design etwas anders anzugehen. Wir er\u00f6ffneten das Buccaneer-Subforum, gaben jedem ein paar nackte Knocheninformationen, die auf unseren fr\u00fchen Planungsmeetings basierten, und baten alle, sich Gedanken dar\u00fcber zu machen, welche Art von Referenzbildern diese Details hervorrufen.\n\nIn nur einem Monat haben Sie \u00fcber 22 Seiten visuelle Ideen und Inspiration beigesteuert, die von anderen Raumschiffen, Autos, Booten, Materialerscheinungen, Kritzeleien, Renderings und allen m\u00f6glichen Detaillierungsgraden dazwischen reichen. Selbst nachdem wir uns zur\u00fcckgezogen hatten, um das Design abzuschlie\u00dfen, haben Sie f\u00fcr weitere 2 Monate mit weiteren Ideen und Bildern bis zum Start des Konzeptverkaufs beigetragen. Also wollen wir das wirklich damit beginnen, allen zu danken, die mitgemacht und zum Thema beigetragen haben, Sie haben geholfen, dieses kleine Experiment zu einem Erfolg zu machen.\n\nNun, was weitere Leute wahrscheinlich fragen, ist, wie sich diese fr\u00fchen Details und Ideen in das endg\u00fcltige Konzept des Schiffes eingepasst haben, und warum es Ver\u00e4nderungen gab, die \u00fcber das blo\u00dfe Sagen von \"Gleichgewicht\" hinausgingen. Damit Sie mehr dar\u00fcber erfahren, wie der Freibeuter Gestalt angenommen hat, werden wir Sie durch jeden Satz der urspr\u00fcnglich geposteten Punkte f\u00fchren. Insgesamt gliedern sich die Informationen in 3 Schl\u00fcsselgruppen: Kernziele des Designs, Anforderungen an den visuellen Stil und Erreichen von Zielen, um einem Schiff Nuancen und Charakter zu verleihen.\n\nZun\u00e4chst zu den Kernzielen des Designs. Das sind die Dinge, die das R\u00fcckgrat f\u00fcr die Planung des Entwurfs des Freibeuters waren, und mit nur einer Ausnahme galten sie w\u00e4hrend des gesamten Entwurfs, als wir an dem endg\u00fcltigen Konzept arbeiteten.\n\nEin-Pilot-Flugzeug ohne Innenausstattung. - Wir haben den Buccaneer immer so geplant, dass er ein engagierter K\u00e4mpfer f\u00fcr die Drake-Schiffsfamilie ist, und waren der Meinung, dass ein reines Cockpit-Setup das Beste bieten w\u00fcrde. Als wir die 2-Sitzer-Konzepte erhielten, wussten wir, dass wir dieses Schiff immer noch als Einzelperson behalten wollten, aber durch die \u00dcberarbeitung konnten wir ein Waffengestell hinzuf\u00fcgen, so dass Sie einige Optionen sowohl im Weltraum als auch bei der Landung mitbringen k\u00f6nnen. Schnell und wendig, unter einem reinen Rennfahrer in Geschwindigkeit, aber mit hoher Geschwindigkeit gutm\u00fctig. - Alle noch am Leben und unterst\u00fctzt von den 16 Man\u00f6vriertriebwerken, die 4 spezielle Triebwerke f\u00fcr die Ober-, Unter- und Seitenfl\u00e4chen des Schiffes bereitstellen werden. Die aktuellen Tuning-Ziele sind, es extrem wendig zu machen bei mittleren bis hohen Kampfgeschwindigkeiten, konstant starker Pitch Roll durch maximale Reisegeschwindigkeit, aber schw\u00e4cheres Straffen und Gierrotation bei h\u00f6heren Geschwindigkeiten. Ungef\u00e4hr die gleiche Gr\u00f6\u00dfe wie ein S\u00e4bel. - Unsere einzige Ausnahme in den Core Design Goals. Als sich das Design f\u00fcr den Buccaneer verengte, entschieden wir uns, dass das Schiff besser f\u00fcr die Gr\u00f6\u00dfe und Gewichtsklasse der Gladius als f\u00fcr die Sabre geeignet sein w\u00fcrde, da das gr\u00f6\u00dfere Profil zu einem weitaus umfangreicheren Design gef\u00fchrt h\u00e4tte, als es seine Leistungsziele erfordern. Am Ende sind wir gl\u00fccklicher mit einem Schiff, das geplant hat, \u00fcber seine Gewichtsklasse zu k\u00e4mpfen und nicht nur mit ihm zu mithalten. Passt gut zum Entermesser oder zur Raupe als Begleitj\u00e4ger. - Wahrscheinlich das wichtigste Ziel, da es hilft, eine bestimmte L\u00fccke innerhalb der Drake-Schiffsfamilie zu schlie\u00dfen. Dieser wurde sogar erweitert, um sicherzustellen, dass mit der richtigen Auslastung ein Buccaneer auch als Eskorte zu einem Herald dienen kann, der in der Lage ist, die gesamte Aufstellung zu unterst\u00fctzen. Insgesamt ist dies f\u00fcr alles, was sich im Design ge\u00e4ndert hat, wahrscheinlich die Sache, die die \u00c4nderung am meisten ausgel\u00f6st hat. Extreme Zuverl\u00e4ssigkeit, au\u00dfergew\u00f6hnliche Wartungsfreundlichkeit. - Zweimotorige, redundante Schl\u00fcsselkomponenten, um sicherzustellen, dass kein Angriff unter der halben Kampfst\u00e4rke stattfinden kann. Wir m\u00f6chten, dass Sie auf Ihren Reisen erschossen werden und \u00fcberleben, sich sicher f\u00fchlen, wenn Sie Schl\u00e4ge auf den Rumpf nehmen, ohne gr\u00f6\u00dfere Schl\u00e4ge auf Ihre UEC zu nehmen, wenn es um die Zeit der Reparatur geht. Als n\u00e4chstes folgen die Visual Style Anforderungen. Dies sind einige der wichtigsten interplanetarischen \u00c4sthetiken von Drake, die dazu beitragen, den visuellen Style Guide des Unternehmens zu gestalten. Jedes Ziel musste erreicht werden, aber es blieb gen\u00fcgend Platz f\u00fcr das Look and Feel, um es mit den Anforderungen des Spiels in Einklang zu bringen.\n\nDie Motoren neigen dazu, dass ich am Ende von fl\u00fcgelartigen Merkmalen im Pontonstil montiert bin. - Motoren auf Drachenschiffen sind typischerweise sehr leistungsstark im Vergleich zur Gr\u00f6\u00dfe des Schiffes und m\u00fcssen optisch ziemlich gro\u00df sein, wie beispielsweise bei Caterpillar, Herald und Cutlass. Sie sind immer zylindrisch und wenn die Zwillingsmontage immer auf Pontons montiert ist, entweder auf halbem Weg durch einen Fl\u00fcgel oder an den Spitzen. Sie sollen gro\u00df und industriell aussehen. Auf dem Buccaneer sind die Motoren riesige Merkmale des Schiffes und eines der wichtigsten Elemente, die Sie zuerst bemerken, dieses Schiff ist schnell. Vord\u00e4cher haben kein gebogenes Glas, sie sind alle flache Scheiben, die durch starke Streben zusammengehalten werden. - Drake als Ganzes hat einen Hauch von Baufahrzeug, der sich in der Art und Weise widerspiegelt, wie sie ihre Vord\u00e4cher anordnen. \u00c4hnlich wie bei Baukr\u00e4nen neigen ihre Vord\u00e4cher dazu, den Piloten von vorne nach oben zu umschlingen, was ihnen mehr Sicht erm\u00f6glicht. Vord\u00e4cher als Merkmal neigen auch dazu, der vordere Teil des Cockpit- oder Br\u00fcckenbereichs des Schiffes zu sein. Auch das Glas auf den Vord\u00e4chern bleibt in der Regel sehr flach, was den Austausch und die Herstellung im Falle eines Bruchs erleichtert. Der Freibeuter entschied sich insbesondere f\u00fcr d\u00fcnnere Streben, als man sie typischerweise in einem Drachenschiff finden w\u00fcrde, weil es als K\u00e4mpfer gedacht ist, und die M\u00f6glichkeit, den \u00dcberblick \u00fcber schnell bewegte Feinde zu behalten, wurde zur Priorit\u00e4t. Die Funktion ist K\u00f6nig. - Insgesamt ist Drake daran interessiert, ein funktionales Fahrzeug zu bauen, das die Arbeit so billig wie m\u00f6glich erledigen kann und nicht allzu sehr an Luxus oder Komfort interessiert ist. Sie lassen viele mechanische Eigenschaften v\u00f6llig ungesch\u00fctzt, auch wenn sie zu einer Gefahr werden, da sie in ihren Augen die Reparatur\/Modifikationen wesentlich erleichtern. Sie werden feststellen, dass die Triebwerke des Buccaneer st\u00e4rker exponiert sind und dass sich das Fahrwerk nicht sauber in Abteile faltet, die sie weg und au\u00dfer Sichtweite versenken. Abschlie\u00dfend die Reach-Ziele. Dies sind Ideen, von denen wir der Meinung waren, dass sie in der Lage sein k\u00f6nnten, das Schiff zu erg\u00e4nzen, aber dennoch sicher genug w\u00e4ren, um das urspr\u00fcngliche Design zu \u00e4ndern oder zu ver\u00e4ndern, um das Ziel eines engagierten J\u00e4gers zu erreichen.\n\nEs ist geplant, die M\u00f6glichkeit zu haben, Fracht zu transportieren\/bewegen, sie sitzt einfach nicht im Inneren des Schiffes. - W\u00e4hrend begrenzte externe Ladung zun\u00e4chst im Design war, waren wir f\u00fcr den Drake-Stil der Meinung, dass es dazu gef\u00fchrt h\u00e4tte, dass das Schiff zu sehr von einem engagierten J\u00e4ger beeinflusst wurde. Obwohl das Entfernen dieses ist auch, was dazu f\u00fchrte, dass der Freibeuter seine 2 Raketen-Haltepunkte der Gr\u00f6\u00dfe 1 erhielt, da er urspr\u00fcnglich als reines Kampfschiff konzipiert war. Obwohl er die gleiche Gr\u00f6\u00dfe wie ein S\u00e4bel haben w\u00fcrde, wird er nicht so viel Platz einnehmen. - Dies \u00e4nderte sich ein wenig mit der Gr\u00f6\u00dfen\u00e4nderung zur Aufstellung mehr in Richtung Gladius. Jetzt ist es fast umgekehrt, wobei der Buccaneer und der Gladius beide ein vergleichbares Gr\u00f6\u00dfen-\/Gewichtsprofil haben, wobei der Gladius weniger Platz in diesem allgemeinen Volumen einnimmt. Die gr\u00f6\u00dften Waffen sind alle so geplant, dass sie einen vollen 360 Grad Rotationsbogen von ihrer Halterung aus erm\u00f6glichen. - W\u00e4hrend dies bei der S4-Halterung technisch immer noch der Fall ist, sah das urspr\u00fcngliche Design vor, die S3-Halterungen, die sich jetzt unter den Fl\u00fcgeln befinden, mit der gleichen Reichweite zu integrieren. Am Ende w\u00fcrde die N\u00fctzlichkeit aller 3 sich drehenden Hardpoints das Aussehen und das Gef\u00fchl zu sehr untergraben, ohne einen konsistenten und \u00fcberzeugenden Gameplay-Grund anzubieten. Es veranlasst zu einer aktiveren Erforschung und Entwicklung von Containern mit gef\u00e4lschten Komponenten f\u00fcr Fracht. - Dies ist immer noch sehr zutreffend in Bezug auf die Planung des Schmuggel-Gameplays und wie es sich nicht nur auf den Buccaneer auswirken wird, sondern auf jedes Schiff und jeden Piloten, der bereit ist, ein wenig Kraft auf sein Schiff zu geben, um bei Bedarf einen hochwertigen Schmuggelartikel zu bewegen. Bitte beachten Sie, dass diese Mechaniken noch lange nicht vollst\u00e4ndig entworfen und implementiert sind, aber beginnen, einige ihrer Grundlagen zu schaffen. Hoffentlich hat dies jedem einen etwas besseren Einblick in einige der Entscheidungen gegeben, die wir getroffen haben, als wir daran gearbeitet haben, den Freibeuter in seinen derzeitigen Zustand zu bringen. Wir sind zwar sehr zufrieden damit, wie sich die Dinge entwickelt haben, wie z.B. alles, was sich noch in der Entwicklung befindet, aber es gibt noch etwas Raum f\u00fcr \u00c4nderungen und Erg\u00e4nzungen. Genaue Abstimmung und Leistung sind Dinge, die wir nur auf dem Papier planen k\u00f6nnen, bevor das Schiff vollst\u00e4ndig gebaut und geflogen ist, aber wenn sich etwas \u00e4ndert, k\u00f6nnen Sie erwarten, dass es in direkter Unterst\u00fctzung eines der Hauptentwicklungsziele f\u00fcr den Freibeuter steht.\n\nNochmals vielen Dank an alle, die am urspr\u00fcnglichen Reference Image Thread teilgenommen haben. Alle Ihre Beitr\u00e4ge haben geholfen, indem sie uns einige neue Dinge gezeigt haben, die wir nicht als Drake gesehen oder gedacht haben, zusammen mit einer Reihe von Bildern und Ideen, die sich bereits in den Drake Style Guide eingearbeitet haben, um uns zu zeigen, dass wir auf dem richtigen Weg sind. Dies war definitiv ein neuer Spin in unserem Designprozess, also hoffen wir, dass es dir gefallen hat, die Fahrt miterleben zu k\u00f6nnen.\n\n- Matt Sherman","zh_CN":"Greetings Citizens,\nAnother Concept Sale, another Question & Answer session. Since last Friday, we\u2019ve been collecting questions from the dedicated Q&A post here and today our designers working on the ship will answer 10 more questions! We are very excited to discuss this ship in more detail, so let\u2019s jump right in to part 2!\n\nSpecial thanks to Matt Sherman for taking the time to answer these questions for us, and be sure to check out his Design Review at the bottom of this article!\n\nQuestion & Answer\nWhat is the maneuverability going to be like for the Buccaneer?\nWe\u2019re currently targeting it\u2019s maneuverability to fall somewhere close to the Gladius, with a goal of being more responsive. It should have a decent top-speed while still below more dedicated racing-ships like the 350r, M50, or Mustang Gamma\/Omega. Against larger fighters like the Hornets or Sabre, it should feel more nimble, though with the noted durability drawbacks when lined up against them.\n\nWhat variants down the road, if any, could you see the Buccaneer having?\nThere are currently no active plans for variants of the Buccaneer. Ideally, we want to make sure any of this ship\u2019s customization comes directly from the choices in installed components it\u2019s owner has decided on.\n\nDoes the Buccaneer have an ejection seat?\nLike the rest of the Drake lineup, ejection seats are not provided. Die Trying, Die Flying, or Run.\n\nThe lower turret slot is listed as a S4 turret. Does that mean it has a S6 slot fixed \/ S5 gimbal? Or is it hard mounted as a turret and the max size is S4?\nThe underbody hardpoint is a S4 hardpoint. This would allow for a single, fixed S4 weapon, a single gimbaled S3, fixed twin-link S3, or gimbal twin-link S2 weapon configurations.\n\nWill the Buccaneer be able to dock to a Cutlass?\nNo, the Buccaneer\u2019s only entry\/exit point will be its main cockpit access.\n\nWith it\u2019s speed, durability, agility, range, very respectable weapons load-out, and comparatively low price, what are the Buccaneer\u2019s trade-offs\/weaknesses?\nThe bulk of the Buccaneer\u2019s weapons are on its more exposed wings. If you\u2019re fighting a Buccaneer and can knock these out, you\u2019ll be able to seriously impact its potency, and ideally, push the pilot more towards running away from the fight as they\u2019d be limited to just the weapons on the S4 mount. Beyond the weapon mounts, the more pronounced cockpit section is definitely going to create a more exposed cross-section to incoming fire.\n\nIn some of the concept art, the Bucaneer appeared to have two seats \u2013 Are you planning on releasing a two seater variant at some point?\nNo, the Buccaneer has only ever been planned and designed as a single-occupant, cockpit only seat. This also goes to show just how easy Jim Martin has been to work with on the concept of the Buccaneer, as when we saw those earlier versions leaning towards a 2 seat craft, he was extremely fast and accommodating to bring the ship back in line to the intended spec. There are no plans to provide anything other than a single-seat version.\n\nThe Buccaneer is an \u2018interdictor\u2019. What sort of unique traits\/equipment are being brought to the table to fulfill that role?\nAt the core, its speed, maneuverability, and stopping power bring most of the interdiction potential of the Buccaneer. Along with that, we\u2019re still developing out the full scope for more equipment-driven Interdiction gameplay and how you\u2019ll be able to interact with other targets travelling at Quantum\/Jump speeds. Expect more details to come as these systems are fully mapped and ready for implementation.\n\nWhat will the fuel capacity\/travel distance be like with those large engines?\nIt\u2019ll be flexible. If you\u2019ve loaded out the Buccaneer specifically for the furthest possible range, you definitely should be able to match the distance of a Herald, though a Herald will probably reach the destinations first for its speed. On the other hand, if you\u2019ve decided to run a much more ballistic-heavy loadout, you\u2019ll actively be giving up some of the maximum fuel capacity to bring along the ammunition for your weapons.\n\nDesign Goals, Visual Style, and Working Together\nBack in February of this year, we announced the Drake Buccaneer, but we wanted to try approaching the design a little differently. We opened the Buccaneer sub-forum, gave everyone some bare bones information based on our early planning meetings, and asked to get everyone\u2019s thoughts on what kind of reference imagery did those details evoke.\n\nIn just one months\u2019 time, you contributed over 22 pages of visual ideas and inspiration, ranging from other spaceships, cars, boats, materials appearances, doodles, renders, and every possible level of detail between. Even after we stepped away to start locking down the design, you kept contributing for another 2 months with more ideas and images leading up to the start of the concept sale. So we want to really start this off with thanking everyone who participated and contributed to the thread, you\u2019ve helped make this little experiment a success.\n\nNow, what more people are probably wondering about is how those early details and ideas have held up into the final concept of the ship, and reasons any changes happened beyond just saying \u2018balance\u2019. So in keeping you more involved with how the Buccaneer has taken shape, we\u2019ll take you through each set of the bullet-points originally posted. Overall, the information breaks down into 3 key groupings: Core Design Goals, Visual Style Requirements, and Reach Goals to add nuance and character to a ship.\n\nFirst off, the Core Design Goals. These are the things that have been the backbone for planning out the Buccaneer\u2019s design, and with only one exception, have held true throughout the design as we worked towards the final concept.\n\nSingle-Pilot craft with no interior. \u2013 We always planned the Buccaneer to be a dedicated fighter for the Drake family of ships, and felt a cockpit-only setup would deliver that best. When we received the 2-seat concepts, we knew we still wanted to keep this ship single-occupant, but through the revisions, we\u2019ve been able to add in a weapon rack so you\u2019ll be able to bring some options with you both in space and when you land.\n\nFast and Maneuverable, under a pure racer in speed, but handles well at high speed. \u2013 All still alive and supported by the 16 maneuvering thrusters which will provide 4 dedicated thrusters to the top, bottom, and side faces of the ship. The current tuning goals are to make it extremely nimble around mid-high combat speeds, consistently strong pitch roll through max cruise speed, but weaker strafing and Yaw-rotation at higher speeds.\n\nRoughly the same size as a Sabre. \u2013 Our only exception in the Core Design Goals. As the design for the Buccaneer narrowed in, we decided the ship would be better suited around the size and weight class of the Gladius rather than the Sabre, as the larger profile would have led to a far more bulky design than its performance goals needed. In the end, we\u2019re happier with a ship planned to fight above its weight class rather than just match it.\n\nPairs well with the Cutlass or Caterpillar as an escort fighter. \u2013 Probably the most important goal, as it helps to fill a specific void inside the Drake family of ships. This was even expanded to make sure with the right loadout, a Buccaneer can also serve as escort to a Herald, able to support the entire lineup. Overall, for anything that changed in the design, this is probably the thing that prompted the change the most.\n\nExtreme reliability, exceptional ease of maintenance. \u2013 Twin-engine, redundant key components to ensure no one attack can take it below half fighting strength. We want you to get shot and survive in your travels, to feel safe taking hits to the hull without taking bigger hits to your UEC when it comes time to repair.\n\nNext up are the Visual Style Requirements. These are some of the primary Drake Interplanetary aesthetics that help shape the companies visual style guide. Each goal needed to be met, but still left enough room for the look and feel to line up with the gameplay needs.\n\nEngines tend to me mounted at the end of wing-like features, pontoon style. \u2013 Engines on drake ships are typically very powerful compared to the size of the ship and visually they need to be fairly large features, such as in the Caterpillar, Herald and Cutlass. They are always cylindrical and when twin mounted are always mounted on pontoon style features, either midway through a wing or at the tips. They are meant to look large and industrial. On the Buccaneer the engines are huge features of the ship and are one of the major elements you notice first, this ship is fast.\n\nCanopies do not have any curved glass, they are all flat panes held together by strong struts. \u2013 Drake as a whole has a construction vehicle tinge to them which is reflected in the way they arrange their canopies. Similar to construction cranes their canopies tend to wrap around the pilot from the front to the top affording them more visibility. Canopies as a feature also tend to be the forward most part of the cockpit or bridge area of the ship. Glass on their canopies also tend to remain very flat, making them easier to replace and manufacture in the event of a fracture. The Buccaneer in particular opted for thinner struts then you would typically find in a drake ship because it is meant to be a fighter, being able to keep track of fast moving enemies became a priority.\n\nFunction is King. \u2013 Overall drake is interested in making a functional vehicle that can get the job done as cheaply as possible and isn\u2019t overly interested in luxury or comfort. They leave many mechanical features entirely exposed even if it becomes a hazard because in their mind it makes repair\/modifications much easier. You will notice that the engines on the Buccaneer are more exposed and that the landing gear does not fold neatly into compartments that\u2019s tuck them away and out of sight.\n\nLastly, the Reach Goals. These are ideas that we felt could be capable additions to the ship, but would still be safe enough to alter or cut from the original design to help deliver on the goal of a dedicated fighter.\n\nIt is planned to have the ability to carry\/move cargo, it just doesn\u2019t sit inside the ship. \u2013 While limited external cargo was initially in the design, for the Drake style, we felt it would have caused the ship to sway too much from a dedicated fighter. Though removing this is also what led to the Buccaneer getting its 2 Size 1 missile hardpoints, as it was initially designed as a pure gunship.\n\nWhile it would have the same size footprint as a Sabre, it won\u2019t be filling as much of that space. \u2013 This changed a bit with the size change to lineup more towards the Gladius. Now, it\u2019s almost the inverse, with the Buccaneer and the Gladius both having a comparable size\/weight profile, with the Gladius taking up less space in that general volume.\n\nIts biggest weapons are all planned to allow a full 360 rotational arc from their mount. \u2013 While this is still technically the case with the S4 mount, the original design planned to include the S3 mounts now located under the wings to have the same range. In the end, the usefulness of all 3 hardpoints rotating would undermine the look and feel too much without offering a consistent and compelling gameplay reason.\n\nIt\u2019s prompting more active exploration and design into fake-component containers for cargo. \u2013 This is still very much the case in terms of planning for Smuggling gameplay and how it\u2019ll impact not just the Buccaneer, but any ship and pilot willing to give up a little potency to their ship to help move some high-value contraband when needed. Please keep in mind, these mechanics are still are far from fully designed and implemented, but are starting to get some of their groundwork laid.\n\nHopefully this has provided everyone with a bit more insight into some of the choices made as we worked to bring the Buccaneer to its current state. While we\u2019re really happy with how things have turned out, like anything still in development, there\u2019s still some room for changes and alterations. Exact tuning and performance are things we can only plan for so much on paper before the ship is fully built and flying, but if anything does change, you can expect it to be in direct support of one of the Core Design Goals for the Buccaneer.\n\nOnce again, we want to thank everyone who participated in the original Reference Image thread. All of your contributions helped, from showing us some new things we hadn\u2019t seen or thought of as Drake, along with seeing a number of images and ideas that were already working their way into the Drake style guide, helping us know we\u2019re heading down the right track. This was definitely a new spin on our design process, so we hope you enjoyed being able to come along for the ride.\n\n\u2013 Matt Sherman"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":158,"created_at":"2016-06-03T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"9 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-08 00:49:41","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":15358,"next_id":15361}}