Q&A: Drake Golem

Golem
By Drake Interplanetary
With its “essentials only” build, the Drake Golem welcomes new miners into the field or easily expands a fleet without costing you the ‘verse. Drake is for everyone. Drake is for you.

We asked the Vehicle and Gameplay teams a few questions about Drake's first mining starter ship. Here are the answers straight from the devs themselves.

1. 'Golem' is fairly unique to the Drake naming convention. What inspired this?
“We were just looking at the industrial workhouse aspect of the ship and thinking of names that had a utilitarian, workhorse vibe. As some of the Narrative team are still deep in a recent RPG playthrough, golems are a fun component of that and tabletop gaming at large. But with a lot of our ships, the list of names starts pretty wide (usually ten or fifteen) and then whittles down to what feels evocative or sounds good.” David Haddock, Narrative Director

2. With numerous starter ships already available, where does the Drake Golem fit in the scheme of things? What prompted the decision to come up with this ship, and why was now the right time?
The Golem is a true starter ship, both in size and scope, providing a bare-essentials entry point into the mining gameplay loop. While previous ships, such as the MISC Prospector, were the initial entry point, they were ships people would upgrade into to try out the gameplay rather than start their experience with. Though capable, there are limitations with the Golem in terms of upgradability to offset its lower-priced entry point.

3. From a design point of view, what were the reasons not to include an interior? Has the ship benefitted from this, and if so, how?
To keep the Golem firmly at the lower end of the budget spectrum, it does away with luxuries, such as a walkable interior with living quarters. This also gives those who do want to spend more time in a mining career a suitable upgrade path into ships that do have interiors or multi-crew aspects.

4. Is there personal storage onboard?
Yes, there is a personal storage locker, accessible from the outside of the ship near the cab.

5. Can you tell us about the Golem's propulsion and maneuverability?
The Golem features a strong array of maneuvering thrusters, with some incorporating a movable lateral structure for VTOL functionality. This design proves especially useful for carrying full cargo loads in atmospheric environments. While its overall maneuverability is average, the ship has enhanced strafing performance, allowing for precise positioning - an essential trait for space mining operations.

However, these advantages come at the cost of a reduced top speed compared to other ships of the same size.

6. We see that the Golem has slightly more firepower than the Prospector. How does the Golem perform in combat situations?
Alongside the same size and number of pilot-controlled guns as the Prospector, the Golem benefits from a pair of S1 missiles. While not enough to be truly combat capable, it should be enough of a deterrent to allow owners to get away from attackers relatively easily.

1. What about its self-defense and escape capabilities?
Classic Drake design cues mean no ejection seat, so it’s on the pilot to judge the situation and get out ahead of time.

2. What kind of scanning capabilities does the ship have?
As it’s equipped with a standard Size 1 radar, the Golem has no special scanning capabilities beyond any other ship equipped with an S1 radar.

3. The Golem has an integrated S1 mining beam. How customizable is this, in regard to laser heads and modules?
The mining head is bespoke to the Golem and not interchangeable with other mining heads. However, it does have slots for mining modules to allow users to slightly customize the mining behavior.

4. How does the mining laser on the Golem compare to that of the Prospector's?
The Golem’s mining laser is bespoke so, unlike the Prospector or the Mole, players will not be able to swap out the head. However, players will be able to place two sub items to customize the laser. Mining gadgets work with the Golem too.

The mining laser itself is one of the most powerful ones presently in the game (in terms of laser power) since Drake wants to solve every problem with power. Of course, this comes at the cost of no resistance mitigation or instability counter. But, to suit its role as a starter mining ship, the so called ‘green zone’ is a bit larger to allow players a bit of wiggle room.

In direct comparison to the Prospector, the laser seems stronger but is better suited to some minables than others. Here, the Prospector is more versatile because you can switch out the mining head for another one that fits the requirements of a specific minable.

5. Can the mining beam be swapped out for a salvage beam?
No, it is integrated into the arm and not swappable.

6. Can the mining laser be used as a weapon?
While not recommended, it does cause damage to targets when fired.

1. The Golem has 2 x 16 SCU detachable storage pods. Will these lock to a cargo grid?
The Golem’s storage pods are built to the same metrics as regular 16 SCU containers, so will stack appropriately on all cargo grids.

2. Are the Golem's storage pods interchangeable with the Prospector's and MOLE's pods?
The Golem's storage pods are bespoke and are not interchangeable with those from the Prospector or MOLE.

3. Can you detach your storage pods for a speed boost in case of an emergency?
The Golem does not feature quick detachment capabilities, though these can be removed via tractor beams when the ports are unlocked. Like any other ship item, they have mass and when removed do influence flight characteristics appropriately.

4. The storage pods can currently only store mined materials and ores. Are there any plans to make them compatible with general cargo?
No, there are no plans for them to be able to store anything but mined materials.

5. Can players vent unwanted ore to free up storage space and focus on collecting specific resources?
No. Unwanted ore is stored in the containers, so mine wisely, as there is no easy way to remove it.

6. Are there other starter industrial ships like the Golem planned?
Yes. As recently shown in Star Citizen Live, we’re looking to introduce other starters, such as an RSI salvage ship, in the future.

Golem OX
By Drake Interplanetary
1. What kind of protection does the Golem OX offer against piracy? On paper, it seems like a high-risk, high-reward ship, with lots of cargo capacity but little room for error.
The Golem OX is a classic no-frills Drake ship. The cargo is exposed and vulnerable, so make sure you account for that when flying through the ‘verse.

2. What changes, upgrades, or quality-of-life improvements set the Golem OX apart from the base Golem?
As the OX shares the front cab setup with the Golem, the main difference can be found in the rear, which has been substantially widened to accommodate two 32 SCU containers, a deployable tractor beam, and revised main thrusters.

3. How does the rear tractor beam system work when loading and unloading containers? Since it’s positioned at the rear, does it fold or swivel to reach the cargo grid effectively?
The rear tractor beam can be deployed to give the operator a great view of the cargo grid and their surroundings, enabling easy loading and unloading of the 32 SCU containers.

4. Drake often builds practical ships for everyday pilots. What’s the thinking behind releasing a smaller cargo hauler like the Golem OX that can still take on mid-tier contracts?
Exactly that - it’s a small-frame ship capable of punching above its weight in hauling missions.

5. With a 64 SCU capacity, could the Golem OX carry four of the Golem’s storage pods? (That This could make for some interesting group cargo ops, but it depends on how the cargo grid is laid out.)
The cargo grid is currently capable of taking any crate from 1 to 32 SCU. This includes the Golem’s storage pods, which have the same metrics as 16 SCU cargo containers.

6. How does the Golem OX compare to other ships in the same category, like the MISC Hull A, the C1 Spirit, the Freelancer, or even the Cutlass Black?
While the obvious comparison is to the Hull A, given the shared SCU capacity and external access, the Golem OX trades the frills of interior accommodations for the versatility of carrying SCU crates of every size up to 32 SCU containers, unlike the 16 SCU container restrictions present in the Hull A. Other cargo ships offering internal cargo might be safer, but it comes at a greater loading/unloading time.

7. Does the Golem OX feature VTOL thrusters?
Yes. Like the base Golem, the main thrusters double as VTOLs, though they have been revised to provide more thrust to offset the expected heavier loads.

DISCLAIMERThese 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.