StarCitizen:Ship components

File:Hasgaha-Reliant over Cellin.png

Main Thruster on the Reliant

Beyond just the hull, the components are all the devices, equipment, and tools that make up the "working" parts of a ship. From weapons to thrusters, each component has different characteristics that differentiate it from other components in that class. Equipment and components can be procured from various stores and shops located throughout the universe such as StarCitizen:Hardpoint Guys; supplying weapons from StarCitizen:Apocalypse Arms or shield generators from StarCitizen:Seal Corporation. These components are then attached to your ship and integrated into the power and CPU systems and activated. Beyond simply purchasing and attaching new equipment, pilots may fine-tune, overclock, and test modifications to the components at the risk of damage or destruction.<ref name="Comm-Link 12936">Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Components operate on a "Size" system: Size 2 components will only fit and operate properly in Size 2 hardpoints. The only exception is weapons, which work on a more complicated sizing system allowing weapons to be twin-linked, gimbaled, or manned with a compensating size increase, such as a Size 3 weapon that is twin-linked and gimbaled would require a size 5 hardpoint.<ref>Template:RSIForumComment</ref>

While it might be easy to dismiss most components as being less impressive than the more flashy weapons, turrets and missiles, they are no less important to the overall operation of your spacecraft, and found far more commonly across all ships and vehicles in-game.<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Ship components are covered by StarCitizen:insurance and are not lost from a ship upon its destruction.

Component Types

Core systems

Power plants

Template:Main The power plant is the main source of energy for the ship. Its power depends on its size, its model and the type of technology used.

Coolers

Template:Main Coolers are a necessary piece of StarCitizen:equipment used on all StarCitizen:Ships in the StarCitizen:Star Citizen Universe. Their purpose is to keep other components such as StarCitizen:Quantum Drives from overheating during use.

When StarCitizen:Quantum Drives are engaged they produce extraordinary high temperatures. Farther destinations require the StarCitizen:Quantum Drives to be engaged for longer periods of time. The standard equipment Coolers that come with most StarCitizen:Ships provide insufficient cooling capacity for medium and long distance Quantum travel resulting in overheating. When the StarCitizen:Quantum Drives overheat a cool down period is required upon exiting Quantum travel before you can use them again. Waiting for your StarCitizen:Quantum Drives to cool down could be potentially catastrophic if you exited Quantum travel among or near hostile characters.

Purchasing more advanced Coolers (more advanced than the stock Coolers with which most ships are equipped) at StarCitizen:Dumper's Depot, and equipping your ship with them is a solution to shorten or eliminate the cool down period after medium to long distance Quantum travels.

StarCitizen:Localized Artificial Gravity (LAG) System

A modern Localized Artificial Gravity system is an common system in StarCitizen:Ships and Space stations normally comprised of three parts:

• A particle generator,
• Gravplating panels, and
• Conduits connecting the particle generator and the gravplating panels.

This system is used to generate an artificial "gravity" field to eliminate the atrophic effects of long-term exposure to low gravity and to allow for crew and passengers of equipped ships and stations to walk normally as though they were on a planet - nominally StarCitizen:Earth at 9.8 m/s².<ref name=":0">Template:Cite RSI</ref> LAG systems common in the UEE work at high latency, and the field "lags" if the ship performs maneuvers, losing strength and effectiveness while trying to adapt to new forces and directions and so causing people and items inside the ship to become "loose" and be more subject to inertia during a turn.<ref>Star Citizen Live: Invictus Ship Talk (timestamped): https://youtu.be/fOkYR-y2Sx4?t=941</ref>

In the Xi'an Empire (SaoXy'an), artificial gravity technology is greatly advanced to the point of common use in mundane objects.<ref name=":0" />

Batteries

Batteries are a component that most ships will feature. Specifically, these function like real world batteries and can be charged up and used whilst the power plant is offline for both redundancy and lower signature performance.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Electronics (Avionics)

Computers

Computers are essential to the control and operation of any vehicle, acting as the interface and interpreter between the vehicle's controls and functional components.

Radar

More appropriately called "Sensors", as infra-red and (likely) electromagnetic signature detection does not depend on radar. The same may not be true for cross-section signature sensors.

Propulsion

Thrusters

Thrusters are a key part of a spaceships - critical for getting you around, and also a key area to manage in both fuel consumption and emissions. Thrusters come in a huge range of sizes and types from the smallest fixed maneuvering thruster on a Nox, the huge pivoting VTOL thrusters found on the Idris, and all the way to the humongous fixed main thrusters found on the Bengal.<ref name="ReferenceD">Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Main {M}

The primary thrusters on the ship that are responsible for making it go forwards, these are the most important ones on traditionally constructed ships and provide the bulk of forward momentum.<ref name="ReferenceD" />

Retro {R}

Having moved from the maneuvering section of the old matrix these are now counted in the Main Thruster category as they are a critical thruster set on the ship. There is little point having the biggest thruster around if you cant stop in time! Generally found in pairs some ships may have more or less depending on their roles and having a damage one can cause serious issues when trying to stop.<ref name="ReferenceD" />

VTOL {V}

These thrusters provide lift in the Z+ axis and can either be fixed in one position to provide continuous upward thrust or can pivot when needed to provide that thrust. Cargo or particularly ships tend to have fixed VTOL thrusters on the underside if they are required to enter/exit planets or moons with gravity to aid them in leaving the atmosphere and to also slow their decent. If a ship does not have any dedicated VTOL thrusters it is not the end of the world, it just requires more forethought under those circumstances mentioned before.<ref name="ReferenceD" />

Maneuvering Thrusters

Fixed {F}

Fixed Maneuvering thrusters provide instant thrust output as they do not need to align to the desired vector first, this gives a quicker response leading to more agility. The downside is you need to have more of them, a minimum of 12 on a ship to provide the ability to move in any direction with 6DOF.<ref name="ReferenceD" />

Gimbal {G}

Gimbal Maneuvering thrusters provide thrust on one or more axis as they pivot or rotate to align themselves to the desired vector before providing thrust. This allows less thrusters to be needed but at the cost of a slower response rate and a small amount of power required to move them into position, making them vulnerable to power management problems.<ref name="ReferenceD" />

Fuel Tanks

Tank that stores Hydrogen fuel for the thrusters.

Quantum Drives

The [[StarCitizen::Category:Quantum drives|Quantum Drive]] is an engine type based on the manipulation of the quantum medium, which allow ships to cross the vast distances of open space in a reasonable time.

Quantum Fuel Tanks

Tank that stores Quantum fuel for the Quantum drives.

Fuel Pods

To provide extra hydrogen or quantum fuel supplies for longer range flights.<ref name="ReferenceB">Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Weapons

Weapons used by ships are almost all mounted externally with ordinance being mounted on an appropriate intermediary rack and guns being mounted on a gimbal mounting or turret with gimbal mountings, but some weapons or their racks can also be mounted integrally to the ship. Integral weapons are often also StarCitizen:Bespoke.

Turrets

Turrets can be found on vehicles of almost all sizes. The largest found on some capital ships are bigger than the smaller ships flying escort, wielding weapons capable of massive destruction.

Turrets are divided into two distinct categories: Manned and Remote. Both of these turret types support player, NPC or AI control via various methods detailed further below:<ref name="ReferenceE">Template:Cite RSI</ref>

All Turrets

• Turrets can only be attached to turret hardpoints, they cannot go on weapon or ordnance hardpoints.
• Turrets themselves have multiple itempoints of their own for attaching armament to. These are traditionally weapon hardpoints, but some turrets can also have ordnance and utility hardpoints as well.
• Turrets can only be swapped out for the same type of turret, and all turrets are "hull locked." This means you can only swap a Manned Constellation Turret out for a different variant of a Manned Constellation Turret. You can not swap one out for a Manned Starfarer Turret, as example.
• Remote Turrets cannot be swapped for Manned Turrets, and vice versa due to hull requirements.
• As they are now "hull locked" turrets no longer have a size attributed to them. You can only swap out like for like. They no longer have a +2 to the sum size of the weapons calculation.<ref name="ReferenceE" />

Manned Turrets

• These turrets are controlled by a player or NPC acting as player within them, usually in a seat that moves from within the ship hull into the turret itself.
• All manned turrets have a consistent entrance tube diameter which means that upon destruction… they become a viable breach point.<ref name="ReferenceE" />

Remote Turrets

• These turrets are controlled from a station or seat elsewhere within the ship by a player or NPC acting as player. Their view is remotely sent back from the turret allowing them to control it and see what it sees while physically being elsewhere in the ship.
• Remote turrets have no physical path inside them for players to enter, so they're a great way to add defense on ships where space is a premium, but will often pack lower size weapons.<ref name="ReferenceE" />

Missiles

Missile Racks

Missile racks are attached first to ordnance hardpoints, with the missiles or torpedoes attaching to them, not unlike a gimbal mount. These missile racks have sizes similar to weapons and there are multiple missile rack options per hardpoint size with adjustments to payload.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

Rocket Pods

As development continues, we intend to allow players to attach other items to these hardpoints, the first of which are Rocket Pods that fire unguided missiles, similar to the ones already found on the Mustang Delta. Rockets will be available with a variety of fuse types like timed, impact and proximity. Rockets should be perfect for ground attack missions where you want to saturate an area with explosives.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

Mines

Droppable explosives that safeguard an area of space, air, land, or sea.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

Distortion Field Generators

Smaller versions of what gives something like the Avenger Warlock its punch.<ref name="ReferenceB" />

Size Categories

Aside from Fuel Tanks and Utility Hardpoints, all of these items are swappable and to ensure balance, fall under one of 5 size categories:

• Vehicle (0)
• Small (1)
• Medium (2)
• Large (3)
• Capital (4)

Each itemport is restricted to a single type and size, meaning you cannot put a Power Plant on a hardpoint that a Cooler occupies, nor can you swap two Small Shield Generators out for a Medium Shield Generator. The jump in output between each item type varies but it can roughly be considered to be a 3:1 ratio, as in 3 Small items give roughly the same output as one Medium.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Item Grades

Every swappable item in the game is assigned a grade for ease of comparison, this should be your first port of call when deciding what items to buy and swap out as it gives you a simple scale to compare against. Additional details about the individual nature of an item with be visible in the purchase screen of any vendor, but for a place to start, we provide a simple letter grade.

Different grades have different values to the items:

• Grade A - The best possible performance, usually has an additional Sub Item slot.
• Grade B - A good upgrade to performance, may have an additional Sub item slot.
• Grade C - The standard item for most ships be default, average performance.
• Grade D - Lower grade, generally makes up the NPC/AI populace, good for emergency use to get through troubles.

Most ships come standard with default C grade components. Some of the more exotic or specialized ships may come with Grade B equipment in default loadouts, which can often be seen reflected in their price. Of course, the reverse can also hold true where cheaper ships may come with D grade components by default. They'll still work fine and get you where you wanna go, but you'll want to consider upgrading them after a while.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Item Classifications

• Civilian: Average overall performance, with the benefit of low maintenance overheads.
• Competition: High performance and low weight, but with a trade-off of low durability, fewer options for power management, and the 'loudest' signatures across all classes.
• Industrial: Although heavy and power-hungry, this class excels in durability and heat management and also has lower maintenance costs.
• Military: Extremely durable and highly configurable, with the highest output of any class at the cost of significant signature emittance and power consumption.
• Stealth: Stealth components are the most fragile and their output is in the middle of the pack. However, they consume very little power, have lower minimum power consumption, and produce extremely low signature emissions. This reduced minimum consumption makes them more flexible for power management, allowing you to easily adjust their settings without overburdening your power pool.

At present, no ship is restricted to a single class of item, with each having at least two classes and virtually all of them featuring Civilian as an option. While this system is still in development, the idea at its core is to prevent players from making certain ships too powerful within respective areas. We still want there to be an enormous amount of customization available, but this system we're still developing would do things like limit the chances of finding a Military Spec 85X or a Stealth Herald simply due to people buying the best items of that type.

CIG are still in the design phase of this system and therefore still working on all the edge cases. For 3.0 the default loadouts for the ships are the correct grades/classes that they are planned to be, so the performance of those ships should change and there will be many upgrade paths even with the class restriction. More information on the class restriction system will be provided when there is more concrete information to share.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Sub-items

Sub-items live inside components and provide a boost to the base effectiveness in a variety of ways. Currently, they are consumable parts that will wear out much quicker than their host items themselves. Without sub-items the base item still functions as normal, but will find a small boost in performance when sub-items are installed. It's recommended that players carry spares for longer trips as the need to swap these out over extended duration trips is likely. Not carrying spares (or not having the ability to carry spares) isn't an impediment to base functionality, but should be seen as a continued maintenance loop necessary to provide an improved-upon and highly proficient system.

Each Sub Item fits in one of three categories, each boosting a different set of stats for that item:

• Efficiency - Improves the overall effectiveness of the main item by reducing power or improving cooling performance.
• Protection- Reduces the damage being dealt to the main item by absorbing different damage types or reducing wear rate and misfire chances.
• Detection - Inhibits emissions in various spectrum from the main item or provides resistance to scanning.

Sub Items can fit in many different items and are not restricted to a specific type of item, such as a Power Plant Sub Item.

Computer Blades are not Sub Items. They are their own stand alone item that adds or expands functionality rather than improving a baseline stat. While currently they can only be added to Computer items, that may not be the only place for them in the future.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Tuning

File:Endeavor9.jpg

Endeavor Supercollider: for overclocking ship components

Tinkering and tuning ships, parts, and components is particularly interesting to many people. Every component produced is "rated" to a certain specification by the manufacturer, even though it may possibly be capable of superior performance. Tuning, or "Overclocking", is the process of pushing a module or component beyond its rated specification. A laser cannon may be able to do 10% or 20% more damage if greater power is routed to it, but at the risk of greater heat generation or damage. Certain players or NPCs may make a living by overclocking components and selling them at a premium to others.<ref name="Comm-Link 12936" />

Tuning can be conducted in various facilities. Basic overclocking can be done anywhere with the proper tools. Advanced tuning requires advanced facilities, such as the supercollider module on the StarCitizen:Endeavor <ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Manufacturers

Template:Main Component manufacturers design and manufacture nearly every ship component found on the market, competing with each other to release the next big part that brings them significant profit.<ref>Template:Cite RSI</ref>

Ship Parts
Manufacturer	Focus	Grade
StarCitizen:Aegis Dynamics	Power Plants • Thrusters	Template:Ubl
Tyler Design & Tech	Power Plants	Quality
StarCitizen:Wilkes & Federman	Thrusters	Standard
StarCitizen:WillsOp Systems	Avionics • CPU Systems	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Chimera Communications	Avionics • Scanners • CPU Systems	Template:Ubl
Defensive Systems (Armor/Shields)
Manufacturer	Focus	Grade
StarCitizen:Basilisk	Armor • Shields	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Talisman	Armor • Shields	Template:Ubl
Weapon Manufacturers (Guns/Missiles)
Manufacturer	Focus	Grade
StarCitizen:Behring	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Klaus & Werner	Template:Ubl	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Associated Sciences & Development	Ship weapons (Kinetic, Energy, Missiles, Turrets)	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Talon Weapons Systems	Missiles	Standard
StarCitizen:Joker Enterprises	Speciality Weapons	Template:Ubl
StarCitizen:Roussimoff Rehabilitation Systems	Personal weapons • Armor	Template:Ubl

References

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