Cult Citizen

[icycalm]

We need to start talking cap ships, because the first capital warship, the Polaris, is coming in the game less than 12 months from now. Almost certainly it will be in the game for next year's IAE, if not earlier at CitCon. Moreover, Squadron 42 is expected around that time too and CR said at CitCon that they're bringing all versions of the Idris in SC at the same time. So that's TWO capital warships 12 months or sooner from now! And all we have right now is Adjudicator's one Idris. Which isn't bad, mind you, but obviously we need more.

So first order of business for me was to buy the Perseus to Polaris Warbond CCU that's available only today. It's $25 but it has a $75 value, so that's $50 saved. That's a significant saving considering the price of the ship is currently $750. And keep in mind that prices increase at release. It could well end up close to $1,000 by the time it's out, but now I've locked in the current price so I don't care, and I did it with only $25 up front. By chaining a bunch more Warbond CCUs I've been hoarding and will keep accumulating, I should be able to get it at about $500 come the summer. Which is a steal considering what this thing can do.



The new armor model that's coming in the game by the way will mean that large ships are basically invulnerable to small fighter fire. Big ships already pack a punch in the game, but by next year the only way to defeat a big ship will be another big ship, or a dedicated bomber ship like the Retaliator. So we need more big ships.

Polaris commercial from 7 years ago:

RSI Polaris: UEE Militia Mobilization Initiative
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK52v7NF-CA



ISC episode on the Polaris from 11 months ago (the Polaris segment starts at 7:00):

Inside Star Citizen: Finding the North Star | Fall 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Fjctpk2qU



And above all, the Polaris segment at CitCon a month ago:

Polaris - CitizenCon 2953
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGvjrVPfkWE



The thing can take a Scorpius, the heaviest dual-seat fighter in the game. It's still in greybox, so expect a shitton more detail. In the video you can see it releasing the Scorpius as it fires four giant torpedoes that down an Idris.

It's like thousands of Idris owners cried out in terror and then... Silence.

Carrying 10 size 10 torpedoes, yes, you can take a couple of Idris' down, but after that you will have to rock your way with empty pockets... looking good for big fleet skirmishes...

Big boat killer... There something big right there for firework... But it will be not efficient against smaller ship fleets while the Idris is. Chose your role. That's the definition.

How many Arrows you think you can fit in that bay? Like 4.

Or Furys lol. 10-20 at least.

And it has 28 torpedoes total.

Capital ships will be THE ships to bring to Pyro. We'll be able to live off them even without a base. But base-building also goes in the game within 12 months. At least the T0 implementation. And how do you defend a base in lawless Pyro? With cap ships.

So let's talk cap ships. If you have any plans to buy one, let us know here so we can coordinate our acquisitions. I haven't talked about the Idris yet, but that's an even bigger deal than the Polaris, and it costs twice lol. That has several versions including a military one that's very hard to get, or maybe even impossible now? I think Adjudicator has the gimped P (Peacekeeping) version. And moreover you can only buy an Idris twice a year, and even then only if you manage to win the F5 Wars (about which I am compiling sources for a ca$hmoney thread post soon). At least the Polaris isn't hull-limited and you can buy as many as you want, again only twice a year or so, but at least you don't have to fight the entire whale playerbase for one of them.


P.S. The exterior of the Idris has been in the game for a long time because you fight it in several missions, but just a couple of days ago the INTERIOR also went in, in the 3.22 PTU. Things are heating up in the verse!

Older videos of the Idris interior:

Idris interior "Captain's Quarters"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwpMo-pGl80



Exclusive Aegis Idris Interior Tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYdl04S94Q



P.P.S. The Hammerhead isn't a cap ship, it's just a giant gunship. Glad we have several of them, but it doesn't count as a cap ship and can't play that role in Pyro etc. The 890J IS a cap ship, but it's a leisure craft. Totally unsuitable for combat ops. I WILL buy one as soon as I can afford it, but the warships take precedence, so I am not buying it until I have both cap warships coming out next year. And you must win the F5 Wars to get this too btw. But we can buy it in-game, and already have one in fact, so it's definitely not a priority, and in fact it's a cool credit sink for us. I wonder if/how you'll be able to buy the cap warships in the game once they go in. I think I've heard you need maxed reputation with the UEE, and tons of credits. Not to mention operating costs lol.

P.P.P.S. The other major cap ship to start thinking about is the Pioneer. That's the base-building ship, and it's the only way to build XL base structures. But that's 2 years away at least. Still, you need to win the F5 Wars for it, so the earlier we start thinking about it, the better.

P.P.P.P.S. Any hull-limited ship that therefore requires you to win the F5 Wars cannot be CCUed to, or gifted. So you can't even get it from the grey market. The only way to avoid the F5 Wars and get these ships on demand (i.e. without having to wait for IAE or Invictus) is to buy one of the whale packs on the Concierge store. So that's something to look into for those who can afford it. I can't afford it for now unfortunately, and for the foreseeable future, so F5 Wars it is for me, and my first try will be in the summer at Invictus, crypto gods willing.

[icycalm]

Another way to grab cap ships if we need one or more urgently at some point and none of us can afford them is to... simply melt our fleets and put the credits in a cap ship. I think we must be at $20,000-$25,000 as a group by this point, so that amounts to a dozen or more cap ships. The only problem is that you still have to play the F5 Wars, and the credits version of the cap ships go much faster than the Warbond versions. But you can also buy a whale pack if you have enough credits. Something to think about, if we end up needing this option.

[ysignal]

I plan to buy the Polaris at the next CitCon or IAE, maybe earlier. I don't have any specific plans to buy an Idris yet.

[icycalm]

An update with some findings I've made over the last few weeks on capital ship acquisition.

It turns out that the F5 Wars are just for the poors. The F5 Wars are like the liberal Aryans who go to brown regions to distribute food. They open up the back of the truck and lob out some loaves, and the browns kill themselves over who will grab them. Meanwhile in Aryan regions people just go to the supermarkets or restaurants, some of which are open 24/7.

Same with CIG's capital ship sales. They open up a few slots for a few hours over the year with a few hundred available ships to drum up hype, and the poors stay up all night and employ complex procedures to fight the other poors and secure a ship. Meanwhile the wealthy and the comfortable go to the Game Packages page, scroll all the way down, and pick a package with the capital ship(s) of their choice, available 24/7/365: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/stor ... e-packages

For example, the $6,400 Dominus Pack that includes an Idris-P (the civilian model) among a couple dozen other ships: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pled ... ck-Digital



Or the $15,000 Praetorian Pack that includes an Idris-M (the exact same military version used in Squadron 42), 890J, Polaris, Pioneer, Prowler, Carrack, Hammerhead, Reclaimer, Merchantman, Hull C and dozens more: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pled ... ck-Digital



If $6,400 sounds like a lot of money, keep in mind at least THREE of our people have already hit it. Which means they could melt their entire fleets and put the credits in this package, getting an Idris with a few clicks any hour of the day or night. Sure they would lose some smaller ships, but they can rebuy them in the game with aUEC. Do keep in mind though that any CCU discounts or grey market markups will be lost in the process. But plenty of people don't bother with the CCU game at all, and anyway, if you want a capital ship, you're going to do what you have to do to get it. Losing your 30% discount on some random fighters or whatever is a small price to pay for having basically an entire FP4X-level base that can move across the galaxy and looks cooler than even movie ships.

So one strategy that a bunch of poorfags COULD employ if they HAD any brains is to GIFT ALL THEIR SHIPS to ONE new account to which they all have access, then MELT all those ships and buy a pack with capital ships that they can all use. So they would have that fleet available no matter which of them were online. But all this requires intelligence, trust, planning, etc. that poorfags of course lack. Which is why they're poor. As for us, we don't need this because we aren't poor. I am just sayin' tho, if any poors are reading this, and if they somehow have enough taste to play this game despite being poors. And if they have friends who play it, or friends at all. They COULD use this strategy to pool together their meagre resources and acquire a capital fleet.

That said, I have saved some extensive posts on the F5 Wars from Reddit and Spectrum, and will be posting them in the Real Ca$hmoney thread in the run-up to Invictus Launch Week (ILW) at the end of May.

And finally, here's an update on how the Cult Capital Fleet is currently looking.

Idris: Adjudicator has a -P and I will be getting at least a -P if not better sometime before the Idris is released

Polaris: ysignal, shubn and I have pledged to buy one each

Pioneer: shubn has pledged to buy one

It's looking really good then! 2 Idrises, 3 Polarises and 1 Pioneer is no mean fleet! The tougher task will be crewing them, and we do have enough people to fully crew ONE of them at a time. So the challenge is to manage to crew 2 at a time, and then more.

As for some tactics talk, if I could fly 2 of them, I'd pick an Idris and a Polaris, because they're each other's counter. And I would put 3 Gladiuses in the Idris and 1 Scorpius in the Polaris, so that we could unleash a small fighter squadron with 3 light and 1 heavy fighter when needed.

That's all I have for now, the next bit of info I need to research is precisely what the differences are between Idris-P, -K, and -M. I still haven't figured this out.

[icycalm]

Liberty's Reapers: We Perfect Warfare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9tqMuFkln8

Liberty's Reapers is a leading competitive PVP Organization in Star Citizen.

We recruit combat pilots and FPS players who have talent and the right mindset. Connect with us on Discord found on our RSI Page.

This video has been making waves recently because it's the coolest org trailer yet. I am putting it here because it depicts multi-capital ship combat where they crash a Javelin into a Bengal lol (which is the exact tactic an org used against CIG in the recent Capture the Idris event only there they were crashing Auroras into Idrises until CIG buffed the Idris in response). This is the future of game combat, and it's cooler than any movie combat you've ever seen. And I think it's motivational for us while building our capital fleet and trying to crew it to have this video in this thread.

And no, there's no black Gladius, they just made it.

[icycalm]

ysignal now has his Polaris, and shubn and I have our CCU chains ready to go for IAE. So now my sights are set on the Idris. Specifically the Idris-M, since Adjudicator already has a -P. Still don't know of a cheaper way to acquire it than the $15,000 pack. Unless I buy a secondhand account with one... That might be a viable alternative. However, all such accounts on the Impound are currently sold out: https://theimpound.com/collections/buy-idris?q=idris

They did have an Idris-M Original Concept for sale but it was $4k, and it's sold out too: https://theimpound.com/collections/buy- ... oncept-lti



The only Idris-related item they have in stock currently is an "Idris P After Market Kit" for $300 that might be of interest to Adjudicator: https://theimpound.com/collections/buy- ... et-kit-lti



However, you'll probably be able to buy it on the official store from CIG when the Idris launches, and also in the game, probably for cheaper than $300. So maybe not a good buy right now. I am also not sure if this is the same kit that turns the Idris into a -K. Still don't understand how this works. All I know is that an Idris without the iconic railgun is not really an Idris.

If my crypto portfolio pulls at least a 4x from here before IAE, I am buying the $15k pack that will also give me a Pioneer and 890J, among other stuff. Otherwise we'll just have to make do with Adjudicator's -P and our 3x Polarises, which isn't a bad fleet at all tbh.

[Adjudicator]

The only Idris-related item they have in stock currently is an "Idris P After Market Kit" for $300 that might be of interest to Adjudicator

I have already bought the Idris upgrade kit during the final days of IAE 2953 (December last year). I did not report that as that pledge was not a flyable ship.

However, you'll probably be able to buy it on the official store from CIG when the Idris launches, and also in the game, probably for cheaper than $300. So maybe not a good buy right now. I am also not sure if this is the same kit that turns the Idris into a -K. Still don't understand how this works. All I know is that an Idris without the iconic railgun is not really an Idris.

This kit is available for purchase during IAE or ILW. If your account already owns any kind of Idris pledge, you can pledge for the kit at any other time as well.

If my crypto portfolio pulls at least a 4x from here before IAE, I am buying the $15k pack that will also give me a Pioneer and 890J, among other stuff. Otherwise we'll just have to make do with Adjudicator's -P and our 3x Polarises, which isn't a bad fleet at all tbh.

I note that many of these high-end Concierge backer packages contain one or more Hornet Mk I and/or its variants. It is speculated that since these are announced to be removed from the pledge store and in-game stores post ILW 2954, it could be assumed that many of these high-value packs will be removed and/or revised: https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/co ... nt/l5zxli8

Better get that verse, dominus, provectus, Praetorian, escort or inceptor packages now, nobody knows for sure what will happen to them, and besides the verse they are non grey marketable (over 1k).

I still have hope they remain, like the provectus has the yellowjacket dragonfly, but nobody knows for sure, I've been trying to know since they said they were going to retire the mk1

If they remove packs with hornets almost half of concierge packages will be gone (but at least it will save me a ton of cash, the CCU game is way cheaper than any of those packs anyway, and no useless ships)...

There is a possibility that the US$15,000 pack (PRAETORIAN PACK - DIGITAL), when revised post-ILW 2954, will not only have the Mk I Hornets replaced with Mk IIs, but the Idris-M could be altered to an Idris-P during the revision.

The other possibility is that the new version of the pack will still have the Idris-M, but its price will increase to reflect the increased value of the revised ships in the package.

[icycalm]

Glad to hear you have the upgrade kit. How much did it cost? And is that the same as the -K kit? So it means you have an Idris-K now?

Can you summarize for us the differences between -P, -K and -M?

[Adjudicator]

Glad to hear you have the upgrade kit. How much did it cost? And is that the same as the -K kit? So it means you have an Idris-K now?

The Idris-K is a community nickname for an Idris (Usually the Idris-P, as that is what the upgrade kit is normally meant for) that is configured with the parts contained in the aftermarket kit.

The kit contains a size 10 Hurston Dynamics Exodus Laser Beam that is meant to be mounted on the empty size 10 slot of the Idris-P. It also has 4 automated point defense systems and an anti-ship missile turret.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/co ... m_weapons/ - contents copied from an email sent by CIG to Idris-P (And later Idris-M) pledge owners on 24 November 2018.

This month, our friends at Aegis Dynamics have asked us to pass along another message to Idris-P owners and those amongst our ranks who consider themselves enthusiasts:

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM AEGIS DYNAMICS

The Idris-P's legacy of excellence as an ardent peacekeeper speaks for itself. But sometimes, keeping the peace is not enough.

Aftermarket kits, initially produced for UEE government agencies seeking an improved patrol/protection plan, will be offered to all Idris-P owners.

On Aegis Dynamics' featured day at the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (26th November), all Idris-P owners will be badged and given the opportunity to upgrade at any time, into perpetuity. However, a limited amount of Credit SKUs will be rolled out and offered on a first-come-first-serve basis:

Wave 1 at 16:00 UTC, Wave 2 at 22:00 UTC, and Wave 3 at 04:00 UTC.

For your convenience, we have provided a Q&A regarding the upgrade kits below. Also, look for further details during this year’s Anniversary Special.

We thank you for your loyalty to the Aegis brand and hope you enjoy testing all 26 of our flyable ships, wherever in the 'verse your journey may take you.

Desmond Kilson
Outreach Associate
"The future is closer than you think."

What is the purpose of this Aftermarket Upgrade Kit?
This kit is designed to adjust the role of the Idris-P by providing equipment tailored to dealing with the swarm threat of carrier-type ships. By increasing the Idris-P’s anti-fighter capability, and adding a size 10 weapon, it allows the ship to be more aggressive offensively.

What does the Aftermarket Kit change about my Idris-P?
The equipment in this kit provides three changes: First, all four standard remote turrets can be replaced with the included Automated Behring M2C Point Defense Systems (2x S4 Hardpoints each). Next, a single Missile Turret equipped with two A&R Harrow Anti-Ship Missile Launchers (8x Size 3 Missiles), can be mounted in lieu of a standard Behring M3C ASA Turret. Finally, the kit provides a Size 10 Hurston Dynamics Exodus Laser Beam.

Why beam weapons now?
Beam weapons were originally off the table, but during development, we have been R&Ding different ways to approach them that avoid the traditional gameplay concerns with ‘hitscan’ weapons. We envision beam weapons the same way as analogue guns are to the Gatling guns in the ballistic weapons family: an incredibly high fire rate but generally low damage per ‘shot’, compared to, say, Laser Cannons that deliver a volley of fire rather than a stream. Of course, ‘low’ damage is a relative term when talking about the S10 Exodus.

How will beam weapons compare to energy or ballistic ones?
Beam weapons provide a much quicker projectile, therefore require less maneuvering to keep them trained on a moving target at range - a key benefit when firing from a relatively slow platform like an Idris. Another benefit, like all energy weapons, is the lack of physical ammunition requirements. A useful feature when mission endurance is required.

Does the Kit make my Idris-P more powerful than an Idris-M?
No, the Idris-M is still the best option for destroying big ships; out of the box, the railgun is much more powerful when the shot lands and its power requirements play better with the ship’s other systems. The M also has stronger armor and higher performance default components.

Will I be able to have shields at 100% while firing the Exodus?
The Exodus will require a significant amount of power to fire and it’s unlikely that all ship systems will be able to run at 100% whilst doing so (particularly when fire is sustained).

Will the upgrade influence cargo capacity?
No. The equipment involved in these upgrades does not impinge on the Idris-P’s cargo spaces.

The developers also confirmed in a forum post that the aftermarket kit can be used by the Idris-M, giving the option to switch out the size 10 Destroyer Mass Driver Cannon for the size 10 beam.

Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spec ... ris-update

Hi everyone,

We’ve received a lot of feedback surrounding the Idris Upgrade Kit that was made available in December, 2018, and wanted to take the time to offer a few clarifications.

Insurance
In the past, insurance was only made available to ship hulls. As we’ve progressed in the development of Star Citizen, we’re getting closer to having a need for a system to insure items as well. This is something that we’re still actively working on, so we don’t have full details to how this system will work just yet, but we’re eager to lock it all down and share that information with you in the future. I do however have an update on the Idris Upgrade Kit. As it currently stands, the kit shows that it has 72 months of insurance, which will be changing and retroactively updated to LTI in the very near future.

Upgrading your Idris-P
We received a lot of feedback surrounding the upgradeability of the Idris-P, and a desire for more information about if the Idris-P will be able to fully match an Idris-M via upgrading in-game. We can now confirm that we are planning to eventually add manufacturer shipyards (capital ship dealers) in-game which will help facilitate this conversion. For example, there will be an opportunity to take your Idris-P into a major authorized Aegis shipyard, where they can perform a conversion to an Idris-M for a substantial in-game fee.

Idris Upgrade Kit Usability on Idris-M
In the same way that the Idris-P can use the railgun that is present on the Idris-M, the Idris-M can also make full use of the items included in the Upgrade Kit, should you desire to do so. This means that you’ll be able to attach the beam weapon and the missile turret to your Idris-M should you choose to do so. We encountered a few limitations to utilizing the full Upgrade Kit on the Idris-M, such as missing hardpoints for the 4x PDS turrets, but to facilitate these fitting, we will be adding those hardpoints to the Idris-M to make this functionality work.

The aftermarket kit (Nicknamed Idris-K Kit by the community), costs US$ 250 as a warbond (new cashmoney) pledge. As of writing, this pledge is available at all times to accounts that own Idris hull owners.

During IAE and ILW, there is the option to purchase the kit using store credit, which costs US$300 in store credit.

Can you summarize for us the differences between -P, -K and -M?

As of writing (Subject to change by CIG):

Idris-P: Just the chassis with basic capital ship components.

There are only self-defense weapon turrets.
7 manned ASA (Anti-Ship Artillery) turrets (2x S5 laser repeaters each)

4 remote turrets (2x S4 ballistic gatlings each)

Empty Size 10 weapon hardpoint.

It is also mentioned as being lighter armoured, but faster than the Idris-M.

It has more cargo capacity, but this is at the expense of the capital size 8 missile racks present in the original military variant.

With enough resources and funds, an Idris-P can be taken to a major authorized Aegis shipyard to be converted to an Idris-M.

Idris-K: Community nickname for an Idris hull using the parts included in the aftermarket kit. If all components are applied to an Idris-P

4 remote turrets (2x S4 ballistic gatlings) replaced with 4 automated point defense system turrets (2x S4 ballistic gatlings).

1 of the 7 ASA turrets can be replaced with a missile turret that fires multiple size 3 missiles.


Idris-M: The full military specification Idris.

Military specification components

Self-Defense weaponry:
6 manned ASA turrets (2x S5 laser repeaters each).

In place of the the small remote turrets, it has two anti-ship turrets (2x S7 laser cannons each).

Anti-capital ship weaponry:
S8 capital missile launcher which is fed from a dedicated missile storage room.

S10 Destroyer Mass Driver Cannon.

TL;DR:

Idris-P stock: Can only slowly tickle other capital ships to destruction with its S5 and S4 self defense weapons.

Idris-P (K Kit upgrade): The S10 beam weapon can inflict sustained damage over time to a hostile, so long as energy reserves, capacitor and heat limitations last - enemies are either destructively enlightened, or their shields hold out and they flee the light show to recharge shields.

Idris-M: Has the most anti-capital ship weapons.

The S10 Mass Driver Cannon is a power ballistic weapon. It requires ammunition, but its damage is very frontloaded and (as of writing) much of its damage ignores shields. A well-placed shot from this weapon can severely damage/destroy another capital ship.

The 2 S7 (Ares Ion equivalent) turrets along with the S8 capital missile rack can contribute damage against enemy capital ships, but I believe they are meant to be used against evasive capital ships that are not easy to target with the fixed S10 mass driver.