Q&A: Drake Cutter
Engineering Development Concept Ship Q&AContent
Drake Cutter Q&A
Now that the Drake Cutter has been added to the 'verse, we posed a few questions to the vehicle team about the new, versatile starter ship. Here are the answers, straight from the designers themselves.
1. How does the Cutter's armor compare to other ships in its class?
Compared to other ships in its class, the Cutter is relatively tanky to offset its lower-than-average shields. This is achieved partly via its armor and partly by the base structure being stronger.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does this ship have versus the other starters in its class?
Aside from the slight armor advantage mentioned earlier, the Cutter has a full interior, a healthy four SCU of cargo, and generous quantum and hydrogen fuel tanks.
3. How does this ship handle, maneuverability-wise?
For its size, it’s relatively fast in a straight line but is let down by the smaller maneuvering thrusters, which don’t allow it to change velocity at higher speeds particularly well.
4. Does the Cutter have any docking collars?
It does not have a docking collar.
1. Do you see the Cutter being used as a snub or stevedore for ships it fits within, in the way the Pisces serves the Carrack?
The Cutter is probably too big of a ship to find much use in this category for anything but the largest of our ships, where it could certainly fill the role of a runabout. It’s a much larger and heavier ship than our more typical runabouts though, so it’s going to be quite a bit slower and more costly to fuel. However, it does have the advantage of being able to carry more than just people.
2. What ships will the Cutter fit inside?
At present, just the 890 Jump. However, it’s classified as an XS (Size 2) ship, so any future ships with that hangar size will accommodate it.
3. Can the Cutter carry any land vehicles?
This wasn’t a requirement of its design and, as such, none are officially supported. However, you’ll find that a few of our smaller vehicles currently fit, such as the Drake Mule and Greycat STV.
1. Is the cockpit separated from the cargo area to prevent venting, or is this all considered one area for the purposes of life support?
The Cutter is split into three areas: the cockpit, hab, and rear. The toilet is considered part of the hab for this purpose, so warn anyone else aboard.
2. What are the Cutter’s living amenities like?
Barebones is probably the nicest way to put it: you’ve got a bed with your very own reading light and a bathroom module. There’s also a little bit of shelving space to put things on and a personal storage locker.
3. What weapons can the weapon locker fit?
The weapon locker has room for two pistols, one longarm (such as rifle, shotgun, or LMG), one special weapon (such as a rocket launcher or railgun), and a MultiTool.
1. Combat-wise, where is the Cutter supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Cutter is quite low in the combat rankings; it’s not a combat-focused ship by any metric and its loadout reflects that. It’ll have difficulties against anything combat-focused, such as an Arrow or Gladius, but will hold its own against the other starter ships.
2. How does the signature of the Cutter compare to other starter ships when being scanned?
It has a slightly larger cross-section than most of the other starter ships due to just being bigger, but the IR and EM will be very similar as it has the same size and variety of components.
3. Can the external lighting be controlled by the pilot?
Only the main headlight is controlled manually. The external lighting is triggered by the power state of the ship.
4. Do the missile doors have clearance to open when the Cutter is landed?
They do, but we’d recommend not attempting to launch missiles whilst landed…
1. Why does the Cutter Scout make an excellent starter ship?
The Scout is built off the Cutter, which is an excellent starter ship by itself, so all the same benefits apply, including onboard habitation and high quantum-fuel capacity.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does the Cutter Scout have in comparison to the standard Cutter?
Compared to the base Cutter, the big standout is better object detection at greater distances. The trade-off for the larger radar and necessary supporting components is the reduction of cargo capacity from 4 SCU to 2 SCU.
3. How does the Cutter Scout compare against other scout ships like the Terrapin?
Compared to the Terrapin, the Scout functions quite well in the current game, packing the same-sized radar item, allowing it to have equal scanning capabilities. Ultimately though, it is more fragile than the Terrapin, so not suited to long-duration expeditions in hostile environments.
4. Is the Cutter Scout a multi-role scouting vessel, like the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila, or a single-purposed scout ship, like the Terrapin?
It somewhat straddles the boundary between each. The Terrapin has extra armor to allow it to stay out for longer and travel further into hostile environments, while the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila have greater onboard living capacity.
1. Gameplay-wise, where is the Cutter Rambler supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Rambler is the final of the three original Cutter variants that were planned when the ship was designed and pushes the long-distance-exploration aspect of the series.
2. What advantages does the Cutter Rambler have over the base Cutter and Scout?
Purely from a numbers side, the Rambler has by far the biggest range, featuring more hydrogen and quantum fuel via additional fuel tanks. In addition to that, the Rambler has a much larger habitation area. This includes a large storage space for weapons, suit lockers, and a food processor to allow the player to stay out in the ‘verse for longer.
3. How does the Cutter Rambler compare to its competitors? For example, the Origin 100i, the Anvil C8X Pisces, and the Consolidated Outland Mustang Beta?
The Rambler’s larger fuel tanks and more comfortable living space are designed to help the ship stay out there for longer and go further. Although it might not feature technology like the 100i's AIR system, its larger tanks give it plenty of staying power.
4. The Cutter Rambler comes factory-equipped with a food processor. Are there any additional supplies that come with the Rambler, such as drinks or medical supplies?
Although the Rambler features plenty of space to store supplies for exploring the ‘verse, it does not come fitted with any of these as standard. It will be down to the player to gather supplies and make choices about what to bring with them.
DISCLAIMERThe answers accurately reflect development’s intentions at the time of writing, but the company and development team reserve the right to adapt, improve, or change feature and ship designs in response to feedback, playtesting, design revisions, or other considerations to improve balance or the quality of the game overall.
Drake Cutter Q&A
Jetzt, da der Drake Cutter dem Verse hinzugefügt wurde, haben wir dem Fahrzeugteam ein paar Fragen zu dem neuen, vielseitigen Startschiff gestellt. Hier sind die Antworten, direkt von den Designern selbst.
Wie ist die Panzerung des Kutters im Vergleich zu anderen Schiffen seiner Klasse?
Im Vergleich zu anderen Schiffen seiner Klasse ist der Cutter relativ stark gepanzert, um seine unterdurchschnittlichen Schilde auszugleichen. Das liegt zum einen an seiner Panzerung und zum anderen an der stärkeren Grundstruktur.
Welche Vor- und Nachteile hat dieses Schiff gegenüber den anderen Startern seiner Klasse?
Abgesehen von dem bereits erwähnten leichten Panzerungsvorteil verfügt der Cutter über einen vollen Innenraum, vier SCU Ladung und großzügige Quanten- und Wasserstofftanks.
Wie verhält sich das Schiff in Bezug auf die Manövrierfähigkeit?
Für seine Größe ist es relativ schnell auf gerader Linie, wird aber durch die kleineren Manövriertriebwerke gebremst, die es ihm nicht erlauben, die Geschwindigkeit bei höheren Geschwindigkeiten besonders gut zu ändern.
Hat der Cutter einen Andockkragen?
Er hat keinen Andockkragen.
Kannst du dir vorstellen, dass der Cutter als Snub oder Stauer für Schiffe eingesetzt wird, in die er passt, so wie die Pisces für die Carrack?
Der Cutter ist wahrscheinlich zu groß, um in dieser Kategorie für etwas anderes als die größten unserer Schiffe verwendet zu werden, wo er sicherlich die Rolle eines Runabouts übernehmen könnte. Er ist allerdings viel größer und schwerer als unsere typischen Runabouts und wird daher etwas langsamer und teurer im Treibstoffverbrauch sein. Allerdings hat es den Vorteil, dass es mehr als nur Menschen transportieren kann.
In welche Schiffe passt der Cutter?
Zurzeit nur in den 890 Jump. Er ist jedoch als XS-Schiff (Größe 2) klassifiziert, so dass alle zukünftigen Schiffe mit dieser Hangargröße ihn aufnehmen können.
Kann der Cutter auch Landfahrzeuge transportieren?
Das war bei der Entwicklung nicht vorgesehen und wird daher offiziell nicht unterstützt. Du wirst jedoch feststellen, dass einige unserer kleineren Fahrzeuge wie der Drake Mule und der Greycat STV darauf passen.
Ist das Cockpit vom Frachtraum getrennt, um eine Entlüftung zu verhindern, oder gilt das alles als ein Bereich für die Lebenserhaltung?
Der Cutter ist in drei Bereiche unterteilt: das Cockpit, den Frachtraum und das Heck. Die Toilette wird als Teil des Laderaums betrachtet, also warne alle anderen an Bord.
Wie sind die Lebensbedingungen auf dem Cutter beschaffen?
Nüchtern ist wohl die schönste Umschreibung: Du hast ein Bett mit einer eigenen Leselampe und ein Badezimmermodul. Außerdem gibt es ein kleines Regal zum Abstellen von Dingen und einen persönlichen Stauraum.
Welche Waffen können im Waffenschrank verstaut werden?
Im Waffenschrank ist Platz für zwei Pistolen, eine Langwaffe (z. B. Gewehr, Schrotflinte oder LMG), eine Spezialwaffe (z. B. Raketenwerfer oder Railgun) und ein MultiTool.
Welchen Platz nimmt der Cutter im Gesamtgefüge ein?
Der Cutter steht in der Kampfrangliste ziemlich weit unten; er ist kein kampforientiertes Schiff, und seine Ausrüstung spiegelt das wider. Gegen kampforientierte Schiffe wie den Arrow oder den Gladius wird er es schwer haben, aber gegen die anderen Startschiffe kann er sich gut behaupten.
Wie verhält sich die Signatur des Kutters im Vergleich zu anderen Startschiffen, wenn er gescannt wird?
Er hat einen etwas größeren Querschnitt als die meisten anderen Startschiffe, weil er einfach größer ist, aber die IR- und EM-Signatur wird sehr ähnlich sein, da er die gleiche Größe und die gleiche Vielfalt an Komponenten hat.
Kann die Außenbeleuchtung vom Piloten gesteuert werden?
Nur der Hauptscheinwerfer wird manuell gesteuert. Die Außenbeleuchtung wird durch den Energiestatus des Schiffes ausgelöst.
Können die Raketentüren geöffnet werden, wenn der Cutter gelandet ist?
Ja, aber wir empfehlen, während der Landung keine Raketen zu starten...
Haftungsausschluss
Die Antworten spiegeln die Absichten der Entwickler zum Zeitpunkt der Erstellung dieses Artikels wider. Das Unternehmen und das Entwicklungsteam behalten sich jedoch das Recht vor, Funktionen und Schiffsdesigns als Reaktion auf Feedback, Spieltests, Designüberarbeitungen oder andere Überlegungen zur Verbesserung der Balance oder der Qualität des Spiels insgesamt anzupassen, zu verbessern oder zu ändern.
Drake Cutter Q&A
Now that the Drake Cutter has been added to the 'verse, we posed a few questions to the vehicle team about the new, versatile starter ship. Here are the answers, straight from the designers themselves.
1. How does the Cutter's armor compare to other ships in its class?
Compared to other ships in its class, the Cutter is relatively tanky to offset its lower-than-average shields. This is achieved partly via its armor and partly by the base structure being stronger.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does this ship have versus the other starters in its class?
Aside from the slight armor advantage mentioned earlier, the Cutter has a full interior, a healthy four SCU of cargo, and generous quantum and hydrogen fuel tanks.
3. How does this ship handle, maneuverability-wise?
For its size, it’s relatively fast in a straight line but is let down by the smaller maneuvering thrusters, which don’t allow it to change velocity at higher speeds particularly well.
4. Does the Cutter have any docking collars?
It does not have a docking collar.
1. Do you see the Cutter being used as a snub or stevedore for ships it fits within, in the way the Pisces serves the Carrack?
The Cutter is probably too big of a ship to find much use in this category for anything but the largest of our ships, where it could certainly fill the role of a runabout. It’s a much larger and heavier ship than our more typical runabouts though, so it’s going to be quite a bit slower and more costly to fuel. However, it does have the advantage of being able to carry more than just people.
2. What ships will the Cutter fit inside?
At present, just the 890 Jump. However, it’s classified as an XS (Size 2) ship, so any future ships with that hangar size will accommodate it.
3. Can the Cutter carry any land vehicles?
This wasn’t a requirement of its design and, as such, none are officially supported. However, you’ll find that a few of our smaller vehicles currently fit, such as the Drake Mule and Greycat STV.
1. Is the cockpit separated from the cargo area to prevent venting, or is this all considered one area for the purposes of life support?
The Cutter is split into three areas: the cockpit, hab, and rear. The toilet is considered part of the hab for this purpose, so warn anyone else aboard.
2. What are the Cutter’s living amenities like?
Barebones is probably the nicest way to put it: you’ve got a bed with your very own reading light and a bathroom module. There’s also a little bit of shelving space to put things on and a personal storage locker.
3. What weapons can the weapon locker fit?
The weapon locker has room for two pistols, one longarm (such as rifle, shotgun, or LMG), one special weapon (such as a rocket launcher or railgun), and a MultiTool.
1. Combat-wise, where is the Cutter supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Cutter is quite low in the combat rankings; it’s not a combat-focused ship by any metric and its loadout reflects that. It’ll have difficulties against anything combat-focused, such as an Arrow or Gladius, but will hold its own against the other starter ships.
2. How does the signature of the Cutter compare to other starter ships when being scanned?
It has a slightly larger cross-section than most of the other starter ships due to just being bigger, but the IR and EM will be very similar as it has the same size and variety of components.
3. Can the external lighting be controlled by the pilot?
Only the main headlight is controlled manually. The external lighting is triggered by the power state of the ship.
4. Do the missile doors have clearance to open when the Cutter is landed?
They do, but we’d recommend not attempting to launch missiles whilst landed…
1. Why does the Cutter Scout make an excellent starter ship?
The Scout is built off the Cutter, which is an excellent starter ship by itself, so all the same benefits apply, including onboard habitation and high quantum-fuel capacity.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does the Cutter Scout have in comparison to the standard Cutter?
Compared to the base Cutter, the big standout is better object detection at greater distances. The trade-off for the larger radar and necessary supporting components is the reduction of cargo capacity from 4 SCU to 2 SCU.
3. How does the Cutter Scout compare against other scout ships like the Terrapin?
Compared to the Terrapin, the Scout functions quite well in the current game, packing the same-sized radar item, allowing it to have equal scanning capabilities. Ultimately though, it is more fragile than the Terrapin, so not suited to long-duration expeditions in hostile environments.
4. Is the Cutter Scout a multi-role scouting vessel, like the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila, or a single-purposed scout ship, like the Terrapin?
It somewhat straddles the boundary between each. The Terrapin has extra armor to allow it to stay out for longer and travel further into hostile environments, while the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila have greater onboard living capacity.
1. Gameplay-wise, where is the Cutter Rambler supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Rambler is the final of the three original Cutter variants that were planned when the ship was designed and pushes the long-distance-exploration aspect of the series.
2. What advantages does the Cutter Rambler have over the base Cutter and Scout?
Purely from a numbers side, the Rambler has by far the biggest range, featuring more hydrogen and quantum fuel via additional fuel tanks. In addition to that, the Rambler has a much larger habitation area. This includes a large storage space for weapons, suit lockers, and a food processor to allow the player to stay out in the ‘verse for longer.
3. How does the Cutter Rambler compare to its competitors? For example, the Origin 100i, the Anvil C8X Pisces, and the Consolidated Outland Mustang Beta?
The Rambler’s larger fuel tanks and more comfortable living space are designed to help the ship stay out there for longer and go further. Although it might not feature technology like the 100i's AIR system, its larger tanks give it plenty of staying power.
4. The Cutter Rambler comes factory-equipped with a food processor. Are there any additional supplies that come with the Rambler, such as drinks or medical supplies?
Although the Rambler features plenty of space to store supplies for exploring the ‘verse, it does not come fitted with any of these as standard. It will be down to the player to gather supplies and make choices about what to bring with them.
DISCLAIMERThe answers accurately reflect development’s intentions at the time of writing, but the company and development team reserve the right to adapt, improve, or change feature and ship designs in response to feedback, playtesting, design revisions, or other considerations to improve balance or the quality of the game overall.
Drake Cutter Q&A
Now that the Drake Cutter has been added to the 'verse, we posed a few questions to the vehicle team about the new, versatile starter ship. Here are the answers, straight from the designers themselves.
1. How does the Cutter's armor compare to other ships in its class?
Compared to other ships in its class, the Cutter is relatively tanky to offset its lower-than-average shields. This is achieved partly via its armor and partly by the base structure being stronger.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does this ship have versus the other starters in its class?
Aside from the slight armor advantage mentioned earlier, the Cutter has a full interior, a healthy four SCU of cargo, and generous quantum and hydrogen fuel tanks.
3. How does this ship handle, maneuverability-wise?
For its size, it’s relatively fast in a straight line but is let down by the smaller maneuvering thrusters, which don’t allow it to change velocity at higher speeds particularly well.
4. Does the Cutter have any docking collars?
It does not have a docking collar.
1. Do you see the Cutter being used as a snub or stevedore for ships it fits within, in the way the Pisces serves the Carrack?
The Cutter is probably too big of a ship to find much use in this category for anything but the largest of our ships, where it could certainly fill the role of a runabout. It’s a much larger and heavier ship than our more typical runabouts though, so it’s going to be quite a bit slower and more costly to fuel. However, it does have the advantage of being able to carry more than just people.
2. What ships will the Cutter fit inside?
At present, just the 890 Jump. However, it’s classified as an XS (Size 2) ship, so any future ships with that hangar size will accommodate it.
3. Can the Cutter carry any land vehicles?
This wasn’t a requirement of its design and, as such, none are officially supported. However, you’ll find that a few of our smaller vehicles currently fit, such as the Drake Mule and Greycat STV.
1. Is the cockpit separated from the cargo area to prevent venting, or is this all considered one area for the purposes of life support?
The Cutter is split into three areas: the cockpit, hab, and rear. The toilet is considered part of the hab for this purpose, so warn anyone else aboard.
2. What are the Cutter’s living amenities like?
Barebones is probably the nicest way to put it: you’ve got a bed with your very own reading light and a bathroom module. There’s also a little bit of shelving space to put things on and a personal storage locker.
3. What weapons can the weapon locker fit?
The weapon locker has room for two pistols, one longarm (such as rifle, shotgun, or LMG), one special weapon (such as a rocket launcher or railgun), and a MultiTool.
1. Combat-wise, where is the Cutter supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Cutter is quite low in the combat rankings; it’s not a combat-focused ship by any metric and its loadout reflects that. It’ll have difficulties against anything combat-focused, such as an Arrow or Gladius, but will hold its own against the other starter ships.
2. How does the signature of the Cutter compare to other starter ships when being scanned?
It has a slightly larger cross-section than most of the other starter ships due to just being bigger, but the IR and EM will be very similar as it has the same size and variety of components.
3. Can the external lighting be controlled by the pilot?
Only the main headlight is controlled manually. The external lighting is triggered by the power state of the ship.
4. Do the missile doors have clearance to open when the Cutter is landed?
They do, but we’d recommend not attempting to launch missiles whilst landed…
1. Why does the Cutter Scout make an excellent starter ship?
The Scout is built off the Cutter, which is an excellent starter ship by itself, so all the same benefits apply, including onboard habitation and high quantum-fuel capacity.
2. What advantages and disadvantages does the Cutter Scout have in comparison to the standard Cutter?
Compared to the base Cutter, the big standout is better object detection at greater distances. The trade-off for the larger radar and necessary supporting components is the reduction of cargo capacity from 4 SCU to 2 SCU.
3. How does the Cutter Scout compare against other scout ships like the Terrapin?
Compared to the Terrapin, the Scout functions quite well in the current game, packing the same-sized radar item, allowing it to have equal scanning capabilities. Ultimately though, it is more fragile than the Terrapin, so not suited to long-duration expeditions in hostile environments.
4. Is the Cutter Scout a multi-role scouting vessel, like the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila, or a single-purposed scout ship, like the Terrapin?
It somewhat straddles the boundary between each. The Terrapin has extra armor to allow it to stay out for longer and travel further into hostile environments, while the Freelancer DUR and Constellation Aquila have greater onboard living capacity.
1. Gameplay-wise, where is the Cutter Rambler supposed to fit in the overall scheme of things?
The Rambler is the final of the three original Cutter variants that were planned when the ship was designed and pushes the long-distance-exploration aspect of the series.
2. What advantages does the Cutter Rambler have over the base Cutter and Scout?
Purely from a numbers side, the Rambler has by far the biggest range, featuring more hydrogen and quantum fuel via additional fuel tanks. In addition to that, the Rambler has a much larger habitation area. This includes a large storage space for weapons, suit lockers, and a food processor to allow the player to stay out in the ‘verse for longer.
3. How does the Cutter Rambler compare to its competitors? For example, the Origin 100i, the Anvil C8X Pisces, and the Consolidated Outland Mustang Beta?
The Rambler’s larger fuel tanks and more comfortable living space are designed to help the ship stay out there for longer and go further. Although it might not feature technology like the 100i's AIR system, its larger tanks give it plenty of staying power.
4. The Cutter Rambler comes factory-equipped with a food processor. Are there any additional supplies that come with the Rambler, such as drinks or medical supplies?
Although the Rambler features plenty of space to store supplies for exploring the ‘verse, it does not come fitted with any of these as standard. It will be down to the player to gather supplies and make choices about what to bring with them.
DISCLAIMERThe answers accurately reflect development’s intentions at the time of writing, but the company and development team reserve the right to adapt, improve, or change feature and ship designs in response to feedback, playtesting, design revisions, or other considerations to improve balance or the quality of the game overall.
Links
No links available.
Images
0No images available.
Metadata
- CIG ID
- 18988
- Channel
- Engineering
- Category
- Development
- Series
- Concept Ship Q&A
- Comments
- 0
- Published
- 1 week ago (2026-05-25T14:00:00+00:00)