Greetings Citizens,

Another Concept Sale, another Question & Answer session. Since last Friday, we’ve 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’s jump right in to part 2!

Special 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!

Question & Answer

What is the maneuverability going to be like for the Buccaneer?

We’re currently targeting it’s 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.

What variants down the road, if any, could you see the Buccaneer having?

There are currently no active plans for variants of the Buccaneer. Ideally, we want to make sure any of this ship’s customization comes directly from the choices in installed components it’s owner has decided on.

Does the Buccaneer have an ejection seat?

Like the rest of the Drake lineup, ejection seats are not provided. Die Trying, Die Flying, or Run.

The 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?

The 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.

Will the Buccaneer be able to dock to a Cutlass?

No, the Buccaneer’s only entry/exit point will be its main cockpit access.

With it’s speed, durability, agility, range, very respectable weapons load-out, and comparatively low price, what are the Buccaneer’s trade-offs/weaknesses?

The bulk of the Buccaneer’s weapons are on its more exposed wings. If you’re fighting a Buccaneer and can knock these out, you’ll be able to seriously impact its potency, and ideally, push the pilot more towards running away from the fight as they’d 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.

In some of the concept art, the Bucaneer appeared to have two seats – Are you planning on releasing a two seater variant at some point?

No, 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.

The Buccaneer is an ‘interdictor’. What sort of unique traits/equipment are being brought to the table to fulfill that role?

At the core, its speed, maneuverability, and stopping power bring most of the interdiction potential of the Buccaneer. Along with that, we’re still developing out the full scope for more equipment-driven Interdiction gameplay and how you’ll 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.

What will the fuel capacity/travel distance be like with those large engines?

It’ll be flexible. If you’ve 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’ve decided to run a much more ballistic-heavy loadout, you’ll actively be giving up some of the maximum fuel capacity to bring along the ammunition for your weapons.