That's great insight about the IronClad. Your thing about stacking cargo high is also boosted by the fact that the command module that actually flies the ship is on the SIDE so it's view forward won't be blocked by cargo stacked high :)
@@RaysGuide I wonder if it'll be possible to use one command module cross-hull as long as they all belong to the same person, eg caterpillar and ironclad. So it could drop off a clad assualt for ground operations and bring supplies in a caterpillar.
Loved this video, and after hearing/seeing the container ship bit while thoughts of 1536 cargo units danced through my head, the question was begged-what happens to the high bermed, wide loaded stack of 32 scu containers when the retractable top bay door automatically closes during quantum jumps? A designated door jockey with some time in an Antares under their belt springs, er pushes into action? :D
@@jordostan yeah, I had a moment of aporia that masqueraded as silliness, and was hoping there were no philosophers or critical thinkers in the comments. DOH! 😅
1536 capacity with atmosphere flight also brings up utility as a way to shift cargo from a large Hull series ship to planet surface, and with the tractor stations it can load itself so no need for an MPUV tractor to assist
@@Ace-Brigade BMM won't be able to load as easily since I doubt the entire cargo area of it opens up for easy zero g loading. I was more thinking about how the advertised the MPUV as something to unload a Hull C-E which can't land. This would make much more sense for orbit to surface unloading of bulk haulers
I think we'll have to wait and see if the tractor beams are in place where they can move cargo up and over the side of the ship like that. I certainly hope that will be possible but I'm not sure.
@@kristianhawk Negative, it's just Erkul - Talon = x2 S3s, Talon Shrike = x2 S2s - you can no longer hot-swap the Talon to x2 S4 fixed, and Shrike to x2 S3 fixed etc.
@@spcrowe the prices often go up, I don't understand how it's a marketing thing unless they said it'd go up, to drive sales. Maybe I'm missing something.
Doors closing is a placeholder mechanic and can easily be countered by hitting the open all exterior doors hotkey as soon as you enter quantum. Also, I can fit 112 SCU in my Cutlass Black, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to fit more than 1536 in the Ironclad interior if you are not worried about it snapping to a grid.
@@captain-hooked True i load my reclaimer up so much more then oficially. i stack boxes up on the catwalk above processing. fill elevators. . barely move in any room after i finish. think i got 800 or 1000 scu in one trip..
I kind of just think of the Fatterpillar as a giant flying bathtub that you dump all your toys into. This will be the basis for the "Junk Collector" career path.
Here's my conspiracy theory. 1536 SCU of cargo just sounds too juicy and since they mentioned Internal and External cargo space I have my questions. Does 1536 SCU of cargo fit INSIDE while the cargo doors are closed? Or maybe 1536 SCU of cargo is the MAXIMUM cargo we can stack including stacking containers above the ceiling while it's open? In example, we get 800-900 SCU of space while fully locked and we can stack it up to 1536 SCU while cargo top doors are open and we stack them above the ceiling level maxing out by predefined limit. I hope that's not the case and we'll be able to just go above and beyond with our new brick being filled with cargo like container ship. :)
when they mention cargo space it always about the the cargo grid (and not the one we smugle on board), they will leave way to walk in the cargo, i think just large enough for a mule . Plus it's an heavy armor, mean to protect cargo, so it's door closed with no cargo outside because drake don't do that (cargo outside is for the hull series)
1536scu on the ironclad, i had a cat pledged anyway so upgrading it to a ironclad make no difference to my hanger, its going to be a great ship, though im not going to be using it for piracy, just being a whale of a cargo hauler, it will be the biggest cargo hauler than can land while loaded, currently the title is held by the c2, with the hull c being stuck in space when loaded so the ironclad is going to be the go to ship for any cargo hauler that doesn't just want to do runs from station to station. it also opens up the door to having fast Hull C loaded with goods only found on planetside, rather than have something like a raft running 3 containers back and forth, you grab an ironclad and just ferry a few loads up
8:02 Yeah he said internal and external LOADING of cargo, that was the external part of that statement, meaning you can load it from the outside via tractor beams, or internally via forklift certified individuals
As a Hull C user, yeah this thing terrifies us, before we were just too big a target that nobody wanted to bother with us, wasn't worth the attempt to pirate a ship that only makes money at scale, but with 3 of these each carrying 1536 SCUs of cargo that changes thing, but this also does have a use for those same logi players, allowing us to ferry our cargo to the ground for maximum profits in a nicely well armored craft
A thought that has occurred to me is, the reclaimer can carry 180 SCU (with some creative stacking and filling of non storage areas it can hold around 1800 SCU) but to then struggle immensely moments such as landings, so I wonder given how the ironclad can hold 1536 (without any creative stacking or non cargo area storage) how would it handle the now increased issues the reclaimer already faces, I've even been told a heavy landing can just break the landing gears, not sure if true or not but I would assume a enhances VTOL mode would need needed for the ironclad, especially given the assault forms stated use in planetary combat. (I used reclaimer due to being more familiar with it and the max cargo load being similar to ironclads stated cargo)
1536 SCU is a nice amount of loot...er.. cargo, but being able to straight up make off with smaller ships was something I definitely hadn't thought of!
You didn't mention this and from what I am hearing from quite a few sources is that the roof of the Ironclad Assault will not retract and can not be used as a hangar unless you can fly it in through the cargo ramp. It is in the way the description and the specifications of the ship have been worded.
CIG has not said either way at this moment in time. The roof is segmented and has markings to indicate it can open, and the panel colour scheme implies that all but the panel over the service bay will open, but the store page doesn't explicitly say that it will. That's the current dilemma, but we should know for sure when the Q&A goes up in the coming days.
In the brochure, the Ironclad points out the features, making note of the retractable roof .. That feature is noticeably missing in the Assault variant.. Presumably CIG does not want to cannabalize the liberator
@@womblissimo6666 I don’t think it would canalized it. It’s like a flat bed trailer and a cargo trailer. Flat beds are faster and easier to load and unload large or weird shaped things. Cargo trailers are better for stacking lots of smaller pallet or containers. Sometimes cargo is to protect very expensive things from theft and elements. Say origin comes out with space races worth the value of an 890 jump and tech they don’t want stolen. Pretty sure they would pay a more to ship it enclosed in a heavily armed and armored ship. Especially when an iron clad with a bunch of armed escorts would draw attention to what they want to hide and protect.
I think the ironclad with 1536 storage capable to land in hangers will change multi crew/multi ship game play. Maybe put a few MPUV tractors on board to gather the material bags and crates so they can keep mining and salvaging. If they did it right 1-4 MPUV Tractor storage in the back where you store small vehicles. Take an expanse with to refine on location Image a bunch of vulture or prospectors in asteroid belt chewing up plates or rock. No need to go back to sell MPUV it to the expanse the. Iron clad and MPUV directly to the ironclad with ease. The 500+ external refined mining capacity of arrastra empty three times stay mining while the ironclad sells and returns. If they redesign reclaimer by adding a ramp style door on the back of the cargo processing deck can do the same for massive salvage. Not only that but planet side bases/homes will take tons of material to fab. If you craft out of them chances are you will need lots of material to craft ships and vehicles. As Hulls can’t land on planets loaded. Bring in a hull C,D, or E and have the ironclad easily transfer from mag plates to it cargo deck. Then run large sections at a time from orbit to planet. Mass delivery or capable to sell goods to a plant side market in an efficient manner especially with multi ironclads working to unload the Hulls. Betting plant side will have higher profit margins since they will need insane amounts of good and you are cutting out the space station middle men.
1536 scu is good, but I think the 1152 from the Assault is enough and I tend to feel like extra guns are always useful. It sounds like the Assault loses the tractor beams though, which might make it worse.
I honestly hadn't even considered swallowing a smaller ship whole. The 1536 SCU capacity should mean a pretty large bay in terms of clearance, and while I'd thought of the turret being used for more of a BMM-like use while selling acquired goods or defending the door when touching down to sell at remote locations I hadn't considered using it like that. Good thought.
The 1536 SCU of the base Ironclad is nice, but I really like the idea of the Assault variant as we've been needing some more Ships that can transport the larger ground vehicles.
Even as a cargo-hauler, after seeing the Ironclad’s 1536 SCU of cargo, I still immediately gave it a hard pass but after your explanation of what it can be used for, I am actually interested in it.
As soon as I saw it I wanted it. As soon as I saw the 1536 scu cargo capacity I KNEW I wanted it. It looks like several freight trains glued together and I fully expect it to fly like that too! Hope to see you at CitCon if you make it!
The designers really did a great job on then Ironclad - it's probably the best looking Drake ship so far and surprisingly reasonably priced considering the spec (although more than I can spring for). Of course the first thing many of us though was how many Buccaneers can you fit in 1536 SCU of cargo grid? Looks like it should hold 2 or 3 light fighters - even more if you go with Mirai Furies. Even the cargo variant seems like a Q-ship light carrier for nefarious types to ambush unwary haulers.
1536 SCU is a LOT of cargo space when you think about it, but given the tradeoff of only about 350 with the Ironclad Assault variant, I can see the give and take being extremely worth-while. Plus, if you don’t just want to be the cleanup-crew, the assault variant makes a lot more sense due to its really nice firepower. Basically a hybrid Hammerhead and Liberator.
When I saw them announce the Ironclad, and they said a step up from the Caterpillar before the Hull-C, I knew it had to have at bare minimum 1200 scu. 1536 scu is absolutely insane. First Drake ship I've been legit excited for. I can live without the assault, not enough reason to use ground vehicles imo, but that can change.
The Ironclad Freighter having 1536 SCU is perfect for a stepping stone in capacity between the Caterpillar and Hull C. The Ironclad is 1/3 the capacity of the Hull C and the Cat is a little over 1/3 the capacity of the Ironclad.
With that 1536 SCU of space its going to be really nice large size cargo hauler and has a way better asthetic that the hull series, plus it's less of a shopping mall compared with the merchantman. I know some people that are very interested in this, but I've told them to wait for the warbond CCU that'll likely come later down the line on one of the events. Anyway, great review thanks Ray!
Another option to deal with having "only" 1536 scu while looting a Hull C is to bring 2x Ironclads. With all the jumpseats; this ship seems positioned to jump in, open up, launch a *lot* of snub fighters, then start looting. Add a Nursa in the back for killed pilots and.... yea, wow. The power creep is real. That said: I don't think we'll see this before 2030.
I think the Ironclad Assault is a little silly and definitely doesn't replace the M2 for ground vehicle transport into hot zones. Even though the M2 only carries half as many tanks, it is able to unload them from both the front and rear ramp simultaneously, halving the time it would take the Ironclad Assault to unload the same number of vehicles. It also will handle far better than the Assault meaning that the time the ship is actually in danger will be much lower as it is able to get in and get out faster. Lets not forget that the M2 also has pilot controlled weapons, something the Ironclad completely lacks. While the total number of tanks the Assault can carry is higher, in order to effectively use the ship (considering its likely extremely slow in-atmo speeds) it will need at least one turret gunner to fight off incoming missiles or fighters. Because of it's pilot controlled weapons, the M2 on the other hand can much more effectively be crewed solo, meaning that for the same number of players you could have multiple M2's instead of 1 Ironclad Assault evening out the number of tanks that 2 or 3 people could bring in safely on either platform. That is of course assuming CIG is ever able to give us a reason to use ground vehicles in the first place. I definitely like the standard Ironclad much more, 1536 is a substantial amount of cargo though that number seems to come from 12 32 SCU containers per side of the cargo hold (with a gap down the middle) each side stacked up 2 high for a total of 48 32 SCU containers. As far as I can tell from all the concept art and renders it has plenty of space to stack up to 3 of these containers internally while still having enough room to close the door. The tractor beams being external means that this isn't a problem for the ship since they wouldn't have any clearance issues. I was speculating with others on spectrum that it would be able to stack them 3 high, 12 wide per side which would have given us 2304 SCU of storage. We also predicted that given that very high number the ship would have cost closer to $600, and if it had that amount of storage I would have happily upgraded to it. I hope what you said about the cargo being able to be stacked outside the hull is true, but in my experience with CIG, if they don't explicitly say it, it's not going to happen.
I think the 1536 cargo is much needed for normal cargo runners to help bridge the gap between c2 and hull series as it will allow for a steady progression of the cargo loop
When they redo the caterpillar, An easy change they could do to make it a much better ship is redo the cargo grid. If they allow the main cargo holds to have 2x 32SCU on the bottom and 2x 24 scu containers stacked on top of them. And then in the front allow 4x 24 SCU containers in the front. This would give the caterpillar the same amount of cargo but far easier and more versatile to load. If they move the tractor beam on the starboard side further out, Then the tractor beam could access the ends of each box making it far superior to quickly load and unload.
Don't expect the Ironclad soon. They stated on SCL that they do not yet have the type of modularity to detach the control room from the rest of the ship like the MPUV. When we have this, we will likely have ejection pods. If the Iron clad comes sooner than later, it will not have that feature yet like the caterpillar
1536 SCU is quite the capacity for a ship that can probably land on outposts, the liberator is supposed to be able to haul small ships outside its hull, so I am guessing the Ironclad could do something similar for the cargo boxes.
1536 scu should mean we can fit a Vulture in there right? I appreciate you pointing out that it's the loaner that's so important. This ship might not come out for 3 years
It will be very interesting to see if you can load more than the 1536 SCU if you leave the doors open. Another thing that was noted elsewhere was that the assault brochure didn't mention anything about doors so there's a good chance it might not have them.
1536 say no mores. but I so love the idea of stacking it up and out with snapping to grid. and yea, happy with the upgrade to the Redeemer's turrets, they were beyond useless in current setup
I hope the assault's top opens up as well. If not there is still to very good reasons to own both the Assault and normal Ironclad (and a Liberator for that matter). Glad the IronClad got the 1536 Scu but was still hoping when they said in-between Cat (576) and Hull C (4608) that it would be closer to 1900-2000.
Ironclad has 1536 SCU + extra space. The Assault version does not even feature a retractable roof. The two ships look the same but they are very different. They mean it when they say: Ironclad = Cargo ship Ironclad Assault = Dropship I'll be honest, both ships sound cool, the Ironclad might be the only ship that can properly carry the large ground vehicles using the Atlas frame (Spartan, Ballista, ...) I'm looking forward to the modules on the Caterpillar, curious to see what they'll do with that.
I melted my C2 for the Ironclad purely because i wanted it for the 'hauler' version alone. Reason why, is that i also have a Galaxy. The Galaxy's cargo is 64+512 for a total of 576ish Not all 'that' much lower than the C2, and the Ironclad fits nicely between it and the Hull C. Essentially giving me a steady 'increase in stages' for hauling cargo depending on what size ship i need at the time, or how much im willing to risk :D
I truly was looking forward to upgrading my C2 to Ironclad. If they would loan C2, I wouldn't even think about it. I mean 1536 SCU cargo of Ironclad vs. 696 SCU of C2, they are not even in the same category. Although likely C2 is likely to be always soloable ship as it is crew 1-2 while Ironclad won't be soloable ship so this is my other concern. When engineering is up, flying such ships solo might not make sense and NPC AI being what they are, as well as being a casual player, I don't want to "hire NPC crew" or "not be able to use the ship". Unless ships come with in-built AI so you can solo any ship without worrying about renting a crew, things might be different.
I am still holding out for the Liberator. I have a CCU for it and plan on using it to extent my industrial operations. But those 1536 SCU on the Ironclad are indeed worth considering, and the repair bay on the Assault makes me wish for the Liberator have that too, it was after all advertised as a small carrier.
1536 is a solid amount of cargo. Personally, I'm a drake fan. I have ccu's for both versions, and not sure which I'll eventually build, time will tell. Both have pros.
8:20 FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT OMG I'm down with that 1536 for sure. Not a cargo guy, really just wanted it to be my Bebop. But I'll do a little shipping while it's there. That's how adventures start, right?
I really hope they allow us to pilot the ship from the operations bridge. It's a cargo tanker in space, It's weird to have the pilot off to one side. I'd love a standing flight position on the ops deck for the view alone.
I love the Ironclad for what it is, and even though it's 1536 SCU of reported cargo is more than double my C2... it's _not_ going to fly like my Herc. But I love that it's in the game. I'm sure Jack Axton is going to be all over it. It reminds me of Han Solo's upgrade after he lost the Falcon. For Drake Lovers who can't afford a Kraken, it's a glorius weekend. Also, the Ironclad Assault's workshop will be the perfect spot for a Jukebox once they're both in-game.
You can fit like 24+ novas on the current liberator model but people are calling the assault ironclad an upgrade? 1536 cargo grid is the main focus of this ship. That is how you will make the most from it.
The 1536 SCU of cargo is really nice. I really wish we could get some more info on the Endeavor. That ship isn't listed as having cargo modules, but hopefully it will some day.
The magic word is 1530 SEU (Plus locked room storage). Nice review, if I was going ask for a "talk" on why I spent $400 on something, I would point to this vid in my defense :P
The Ironclad is clearly meant to be a Pirate Ship. Being able to transfer 1536 SCU before the Mark respawns and comes back with his org in a Polaris is the challenge.
For the 1536 th time, CIG has buffed a sales ship because they want to sell more. I have to say I am impressed with how blatant they were this time. The ship made it through development and somehow was determined to be balanced with the current ships. Then only a couple days later they gave it a massive bump. New retaliator "modular" version was not seen as worth the money, so lets just upgrade its weapons to make people like it better. I think the old adage that DRAKE ships are made of paper is dead. Somehow in CIG infinite wisdom they gave the DRAKE ships 58% damage reduction armor. Then the UEE Aegis ships got only 50% damage reduction. I have zero clue who at CIG comes up with these XML numbers but I am pretty sure they know nothing about the game.
I think some distortion guns on the interior turret to protect the 1536 SCU of cargo would be ideal. Don't want anything being accidentally damaged after all (actually how is CIG going to handle shooting your own hull from the inside?). In fact, given the enforced very short ranged, the distortion shotguns start to look really good for making sure any unruly cargo stays compliant.
1536 scu can be a huge advantage for pirating but half of that and let a little space to land 1,2 or even 3 snub figther and you could become the deepest an meanest fear of all merchant on your shard
I actually managed to correctly guess the 1536 SCU before release by eyeballing that internal shot that showed a few 32 SCU containers lined up. It looked like you could slam 12 down, two high, and then two rows of that. So 32 x 24 x 2 = our magical number. That depth of two, however, makes me concerned about what ships would fit in height wise. Size wise... you can at least fit a 100 series in it seems, which is amusing to mash those to manufacturers together.
I think they did mention the less legal stuff, including swallowing ships. I ended up getting the base variant at 1536 SCU though since I don't know enough about the Assault to commit to that and melt something.
As a c2 owner, the Iron Clad doesn't interest me at all. I want the drive on and drive off capability. Edit: I guess I should say 'drive through' capability. The Herc allows the two vehicles that it carries to just immediately drive off of the herc at the same time. The Iron Clad requires 4 vehicles to maneuver to exit from a single door that only allows one vehicle to exit at a time.
I'm thinking of upgrading my caterpillar to the ironclad, there is literally no downside as things currently are and having 1536 cargo capacity is something I can't pass up on
I got over excited by the Assault and pledged for that before understanding it’s not a more armoured and better defended cargo ship as well, but some sort of weird drop ship concept. So I’m going to get that refunded replaced with the standard Ironclad I’ve decided. I also want the retractable roof.
1536 SCU is the perfect number to SCUirt an hull c Edit: I became a member nevertheless, your humor is and presentation is both mature and entertaining😊. Great work Ray
I spend more time in space and I prefer the look of the Ironclad Assault than the basic and the Hercules. Great use of Monty Python, can remember using them when I was a kid.
Highly perceptive, as usual. I too spotted the catch and kill mechanic as a likely use case. But I missed the idea of stacking above the roof. Good spot. But I am not convinced that the Libby is necessarily a "poor man's version". Plausible that Libby will be longer-range; also likely better as a pocket carrier, as averse to vehicle deployment landing craft - note Libby also twin-deck (and quite a bit wider in the beam).
I mean 1536 scu cargo is a lot. However, if you compare that to a BMM, which supposedly can also land on planets, the BMM looks like the better value proposition *if* you are a law abiding star citizen who only runs cargo. BMM is a bit more expensive and quite a bit chonkier, also probably does not get such a convenient sliding roof, so there is a point to this. While component manufacturing sounds nice, it will be SOOO barebones, and we will get other vessels capable of that. I can totaly see a Galaxy factoryx module (kinda makes sense when it already has a base construction module planned). I can also see the Iroclad being a mid-to-long term storage out in pyro for a small org. Park it in Nowheresville and you have a nice supply base.
That 1536 Scu of cargo and being able to take that planeside unlike the hull large series is going to be fun to go back into cargo hauling
Those subtle yet important details you highlight, such as the external cargo, are the reason why I love your channel! Well done sir!
It's important to know that the re arm and refuel garage is for ground vehicles only as stated in the description.
That's great insight about the IronClad. Your thing about stacking cargo high is also boosted by the fact that the command module that actually flies the ship is on the SIDE so it's view forward won't be blocked by cargo stacked high :)
I noticed that too.
@@RaysGuide I wonder if it'll be possible to use one command module cross-hull as long as they all belong to the same person, eg caterpillar and ironclad. So it could drop off a clad assualt for ground operations and bring supplies in a caterpillar.
Loved this video, and after hearing/seeing the container ship bit while thoughts of 1536 cargo units danced through my head, the question was begged-what happens to the high bermed, wide loaded stack of 32 scu containers when the retractable top bay door automatically closes during quantum jumps? A designated door jockey with some time in an Antares under their belt springs, er pushes into action? :D
@@chaoscorgi9348 while that isn't what question begging means, I had the same thought. 😂
@@jordostan yeah, I had a moment of aporia that masqueraded as silliness, and was hoping there were no philosophers or critical thinkers in the comments. DOH! 😅
1536 capacity with atmosphere flight also brings up utility as a way to shift cargo from a large Hull series ship to planet surface, and with the tractor stations it can load itself so no need for an MPUV tractor to assist
It also has 4 VTOL thrusters and 10 main thrusters just for the purpose of landing/leaving planets.
Just wait for the banu merchant Man. That thing is like 3600 SCU or something like that
@@Ace-Brigade BMM won't be able to load as easily since I doubt the entire cargo area of it opens up for easy zero g loading. I was more thinking about how the advertised the MPUV as something to unload a Hull C-E which can't land. This would make much more sense for orbit to surface unloading of bulk haulers
I think we'll have to wait and see if the tractor beams are in place where they can move cargo up and over the side of the ship like that. I certainly hope that will be possible but I'm not sure.
The TALON SHRIKE does have two S2 guns on it. Can't wait for the Ironclad.
right, but the Firebird has a pair of S3s
Point is he said it has none. I told him this last video also.
They upped the Shrike to match the Talon for some reason.. at least it shows that on dps calc. If it's true, they murdered the base Talon
@kristianhawk I haven't seen but that might just be a data error. Or just typical CIG balance haha
@@kristianhawk Negative, it's just Erkul - Talon = x2 S3s, Talon Shrike = x2 S2s - you can no longer hot-swap the Talon to x2 S4 fixed, and Shrike to x2 S3 fixed etc.
Amazing.... the Iron Clad Assault just went up $10.00 today :P They could not even wait....
Disgraceful marketing
luckily I got my ccu upgrades yesterday and didn’t wait
fuckin oath cig get your shit together
@@spcrowe the prices often go up, I don't understand how it's a marketing thing unless they said it'd go up, to drive sales. Maybe I'm missing something.
That retractable roof and big floor sells the whole ship for me. 1536 SCU is crazy.
7:59 When you enter quantum all doors will close, so there is no place for external cargo. 1536 SCU
that could easily change when they add decompression as that will atleast require a soft rework of the door system
Doors closing is a placeholder mechanic and can easily be countered by hitting the open all exterior doors hotkey as soon as you enter quantum.
Also, I can fit 112 SCU in my Cutlass Black, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to fit more than 1536 in the Ironclad interior if you are not worried about it snapping to a grid.
@@captain-hooked Are you consider exploits as a feature?
@@lcnevar CIG's official stance is "if it sits, it fits.". This is no exploit.
@@captain-hooked True i load my reclaimer up so much more then oficially. i stack boxes up on the catwalk above processing. fill elevators. . barely move in any room after i finish. think i got 800 or 1000 scu in one trip..
I kind of just think of the Fatterpillar as a giant flying bathtub that you dump all your toys into.
This will be the basis for the "Junk Collector" career path.
Here's my conspiracy theory. 1536 SCU of cargo just sounds too juicy and since they mentioned Internal and External cargo space I have my questions.
Does 1536 SCU of cargo fit INSIDE while the cargo doors are closed?
Or maybe 1536 SCU of cargo is the MAXIMUM cargo we can stack including stacking containers above the ceiling while it's open?
In example, we get 800-900 SCU of space while fully locked and we can stack it up to 1536 SCU while cargo top doors are open and we stack them above the ceiling level maxing out by predefined limit.
I hope that's not the case and we'll be able to just go above and beyond with our new brick being filled with cargo like container ship. :)
when they mention cargo space it always about the the cargo grid (and not the one we smugle on board), they will leave way to walk in the cargo, i think just large enough for a mule . Plus it's an heavy armor, mean to protect cargo, so it's door closed with no cargo outside because drake don't do that (cargo outside is for the hull series)
1536 SCU is a beefy amount of cargo, but man that assault is a sexy option at 1152
1536scu on the ironclad, i had a cat pledged anyway so upgrading it to a ironclad make no difference to my hanger, its going to be a great ship, though im not going to be using it for piracy, just being a whale of a cargo hauler, it will be the biggest cargo hauler than can land while loaded, currently the title is held by the c2, with the hull c being stuck in space when loaded so the ironclad is going to be the go to ship for any cargo hauler that doesn't just want to do runs from station to station.
it also opens up the door to having fast Hull C loaded with goods only found on planetside, rather than have something like a raft running 3 containers back and forth, you grab an ironclad and just ferry a few loads up
8:02 Yeah he said internal and external LOADING of cargo, that was the external part of that statement, meaning you can load it from the outside via tractor beams, or internally via forklift certified individuals
As a Hull C user, yeah this thing terrifies us, before we were just too big a target that nobody wanted to bother with us, wasn't worth the attempt to pirate a ship that only makes money at scale, but with 3 of these each carrying 1536 SCUs of cargo that changes thing, but this also does have a use for those same logi players, allowing us to ferry our cargo to the ground for maximum profits in a nicely well armored craft
A thought that has occurred to me is, the reclaimer can carry 180 SCU (with some creative stacking and filling of non storage areas it can hold around 1800 SCU) but to then struggle immensely moments such as landings, so I wonder given how the ironclad can hold 1536 (without any creative stacking or non cargo area storage) how would it handle the now increased issues the reclaimer already faces, I've even been told a heavy landing can just break the landing gears, not sure if true or not but I would assume a enhances VTOL mode would need needed for the ironclad, especially given the assault forms stated use in planetary combat.
(I used reclaimer due to being more familiar with it and the max cargo load being similar to ironclads stated cargo)
1536 SCU is a nice amount of loot...er.. cargo, but being able to straight up make off with smaller ships was something I definitely hadn't thought of!
You didn't mention this and from what I am hearing from quite a few sources is that the roof of the Ironclad Assault will not retract and can not be used as a hangar unless you can fly it in through the cargo ramp. It is in the way the description and the specifications of the ship have been worded.
CIG has not said either way at this moment in time. The roof is segmented and has markings to indicate it can open, and the panel colour scheme implies that all but the panel over the service bay will open, but the store page doesn't explicitly say that it will. That's the current dilemma, but we should know for sure when the Q&A goes up in the coming days.
In the brochure, the Ironclad points out the features, making note of the retractable roof .. That feature is noticeably missing in the Assault variant.. Presumably CIG does not want to cannabalize the liberator
@@womblissimo6666 I don’t think it would canalized it. It’s like a flat bed trailer and a cargo trailer. Flat beds are faster and easier to load and unload large or weird shaped things. Cargo trailers are better for stacking lots of smaller pallet or containers. Sometimes cargo is to protect very expensive things from theft and elements. Say origin comes out with space races worth the value of an 890 jump and tech they don’t want stolen. Pretty sure they would pay a more to ship it enclosed in a heavily armed and armored ship. Especially when an iron clad with a bunch of armed escorts would draw attention to what they want to hide and protect.
wait for the Q&A about the vehicle, it will answer a lot
We dont know that yet. Wait for Q&A
I think the ironclad with 1536 storage capable to land in hangers will change multi crew/multi ship game play. Maybe put a few MPUV tractors on board to gather the material bags and crates so they can keep mining and salvaging. If they did it right 1-4 MPUV Tractor storage in the back where you store small vehicles. Take an expanse with to refine on location Image a bunch of vulture or prospectors in asteroid belt chewing up plates or rock. No need to go back to sell MPUV it to the expanse the. Iron clad and MPUV directly to the ironclad with ease. The 500+ external refined mining capacity of arrastra empty three times stay mining while the ironclad sells and returns. If they redesign reclaimer by adding a ramp style door on the back of the cargo processing deck can do the same for massive salvage. Not only that but planet side bases/homes will take tons of material to fab. If you craft out of them chances are you will need lots of material to craft ships and vehicles. As Hulls can’t land on planets loaded. Bring in a hull C,D, or E and have the ironclad easily transfer from mag plates to it cargo deck. Then run large sections at a time from orbit to planet. Mass delivery or capable to sell goods to a plant side market in an efficient manner especially with multi ironclads working to unload the Hulls. Betting plant side will have higher profit margins since they will need insane amounts of good and you are cutting out the space station middle men.
It's the 1536 SCU of cargo that convinced me. Paired with the rugged looks this ship could finally be my Bebop. :)
1536 scu is good, but I think the 1152 from the Assault is enough and I tend to feel like extra guns are always useful. It sounds like the Assault loses the tractor beams though, which might make it worse.
1536 SCU of "legitimate salvage" sounds good to me!
The 1536 SCU might also make this ship a tempting target for other vessels.
It's armored, has 4 S3 Shield generators and 10 main thrusters. So it should have time to quantum away bravely .
@@jedi_drifter2988 Shields sure, an "armored" drake ship though...I imagine thats more of a relative comparison to other drake ships
I honestly hadn't even considered swallowing a smaller ship whole. The 1536 SCU capacity should mean a pretty large bay in terms of clearance, and while I'd thought of the turret being used for more of a BMM-like use while selling acquired goods or defending the door when touching down to sell at remote locations I hadn't considered using it like that. Good thought.
The 1536 SCU of the base Ironclad is nice, but I really like the idea of the Assault variant as we've been needing some more Ships that can transport the larger ground vehicles.
1536 Is nice, but I might willing to give up that last 386 SCU for the upgrades (esp. component fab), however losing those tractor beams might hurt.
Even as a cargo-hauler, after seeing the Ironclad’s 1536 SCU of cargo, I still immediately gave it a hard pass but after your explanation of what it can be used for, I am actually interested in it.
I’ll stick with the liberator.
I’ll work my way up to the ironclad
As soon as I saw it I wanted it. As soon as I saw the 1536 scu cargo capacity I KNEW I wanted it. It looks like several freight trains glued together and I fully expect it to fly like that too!
Hope to see you at CitCon if you make it!
The designers really did a great job on then Ironclad - it's probably the best looking Drake ship so far and surprisingly reasonably priced considering the spec (although more than I can spring for). Of course the first thing many of us though was how many Buccaneers can you fit in 1536 SCU of cargo grid? Looks like it should hold 2 or 3 light fighters - even more if you go with Mirai Furies. Even the cargo variant seems like a Q-ship light carrier for nefarious types to ambush unwary haulers.
1536 SCU is a LOT of cargo space when you think about it, but given the tradeoff of only about 350 with the Ironclad Assault variant, I can see the give and take being extremely worth-while.
Plus, if you don’t just want to be the cleanup-crew, the assault variant makes a lot more sense due to its really nice firepower. Basically a hybrid Hammerhead and Liberator.
I have 1536 reasons to love this ship. Never been a Drake boy but this ship is definitely hitting its mark with me. Love both variants!
Really looking forward to seeing the Drake Ironclad in game. The 1536 SCU of cargo will be a game changer.
When I saw them announce the Ironclad, and they said a step up from the Caterpillar before the Hull-C, I knew it had to have at bare minimum 1200 scu. 1536 scu is absolutely insane. First Drake ship I've been legit excited for. I can live without the assault, not enough reason to use ground vehicles imo, but that can change.
The ship looks amazing, the 1536 SCU looks amazing.
1536 SCU internal is already pretty big. If you can stack with the roof open, I can’t wait to see what people come up with!
cool factor check, lots of guns check, 1536 scu of cargo check, drake check looks like this is gonna be my favorite ship
To the hull C owners, "They will be taking your business" w/1536 SCU
At a time. 3 Ironclads will strip a HULL C.
The Fatterpillar's massive 1536 SCU cargo, 3 tractor beams and opening roof place way above any other ship of it's type in practicality.
The Ironclad Freighter having 1536 SCU is perfect for a stepping stone in capacity between the Caterpillar and Hull C. The Ironclad is 1/3 the capacity of the Hull C and the Cat is a little over 1/3 the capacity of the Ironclad.
With that 1536 SCU of space its going to be really nice large size cargo hauler and has a way better asthetic that the hull series, plus it's less of a shopping mall compared with the merchantman. I know some people that are very interested in this, but I've told them to wait for the warbond CCU that'll likely come later down the line on one of the events. Anyway, great review thanks Ray!
Another option to deal with having "only" 1536 scu while looting a Hull C is to bring 2x Ironclads.
With all the jumpseats; this ship seems positioned to jump in, open up, launch a *lot* of snub fighters, then start looting. Add a Nursa in the back for killed pilots and.... yea, wow.
The power creep is real. That said: I don't think we'll see this before 2030.
I think the Ironclad Assault is a little silly and definitely doesn't replace the M2 for ground vehicle transport into hot zones. Even though the M2 only carries half as many tanks, it is able to unload them from both the front and rear ramp simultaneously, halving the time it would take the Ironclad Assault to unload the same number of vehicles. It also will handle far better than the Assault meaning that the time the ship is actually in danger will be much lower as it is able to get in and get out faster. Lets not forget that the M2 also has pilot controlled weapons, something the Ironclad completely lacks. While the total number of tanks the Assault can carry is higher, in order to effectively use the ship (considering its likely extremely slow in-atmo speeds) it will need at least one turret gunner to fight off incoming missiles or fighters. Because of it's pilot controlled weapons, the M2 on the other hand can much more effectively be crewed solo, meaning that for the same number of players you could have multiple M2's instead of 1 Ironclad Assault evening out the number of tanks that 2 or 3 people could bring in safely on either platform.
That is of course assuming CIG is ever able to give us a reason to use ground vehicles in the first place.
I definitely like the standard Ironclad much more, 1536 is a substantial amount of cargo though that number seems to come from 12 32 SCU containers per side of the cargo hold (with a gap down the middle) each side stacked up 2 high for a total of 48 32 SCU containers. As far as I can tell from all the concept art and renders it has plenty of space to stack up to 3 of these containers internally while still having enough room to close the door. The tractor beams being external means that this isn't a problem for the ship since they wouldn't have any clearance issues. I was speculating with others on spectrum that it would be able to stack them 3 high, 12 wide per side which would have given us 2304 SCU of storage. We also predicted that given that very high number the ship would have cost closer to $600, and if it had that amount of storage I would have happily upgraded to it. I hope what you said about the cargo being able to be stacked outside the hull is true, but in my experience with CIG, if they don't explicitly say it, it's not going to happen.
I think the 1536 cargo is much needed for normal cargo runners to help bridge the gap between c2 and hull series as it will allow for a steady progression of the cargo loop
When they redo the caterpillar, An easy change they could do to make it a much better ship is redo the cargo grid.
If they allow the main cargo holds to have 2x 32SCU on the bottom and 2x 24 scu containers stacked on top of them.
And then in the front allow 4x 24 SCU containers in the front.
This would give the caterpillar the same amount of cargo but far easier and more versatile to load.
If they move the tractor beam on the starboard side further out, Then the tractor beam could access the ends of each box making it far superior to quickly load and unload.
1536 Cargo isn't shabby at all. I won't be picking one up IRL, but I'll happily work towards one in-game when they release.
So 1536 scu is a huge amount of cargo for strict haulers, but for those of us who want a strict combat vessel, 1152 scu is perfect.
Don't expect the Ironclad soon. They stated on SCL that they do not yet have the type of modularity to detach the control room from the rest of the ship like the MPUV. When we have this, we will likely have ejection pods. If the Iron clad comes sooner than later, it will not have that feature yet like the caterpillar
However, that 1536 SCU will surely be worth the wait when it arrives either way.
With 1536 SCU of cargo, the Ironclad is a great transport ship - whether transporting your own goods or "borrowed" goods.
1536 SCU is quite the capacity for a ship that can probably land on outposts, the liberator is supposed to be able to haul small ships outside its hull, so I am guessing the Ironclad could do something similar for the cargo boxes.
That 1536 (or more) SCU capacity will be real interesting when it comes into play.
1536 Reasons to love this ship. Also good point about the potential for pulling ships inside....
1536 scu should mean we can fit a Vulture in there right?
I appreciate you pointing out that it's the loaner that's so important. This ship might not come out for 3 years
It will be very interesting to see if you can load more than the 1536 SCU if you leave the doors open. Another thing that was noted elsewhere was that the assault brochure didn't mention anything about doors so there's a good chance it might not have them.
1536 say no mores. but I so love the idea of stacking it up and out with snapping to grid. and yea, happy with the upgrade to the Redeemer's turrets, they were beyond useless in current setup
I hope the assault's top opens up as well. If not there is still to very good reasons to own both the Assault and normal Ironclad (and a Liberator for that matter). Glad the IronClad got the 1536 Scu but was still hoping when they said in-between Cat (576) and Hull C (4608) that it would be closer to 1900-2000.
Ironclad has 1536 SCU + extra space. The Assault version does not even feature a retractable roof.
The two ships look the same but they are very different. They mean it when they say:
Ironclad = Cargo ship
Ironclad Assault = Dropship
I'll be honest, both ships sound cool, the Ironclad might be the only ship that can properly carry the large ground vehicles using the Atlas frame (Spartan, Ballista, ...)
I'm looking forward to the modules on the Caterpillar, curious to see what they'll do with that.
I melted my C2 for the Ironclad purely because i wanted it for the 'hauler' version alone.
Reason why, is that i also have a Galaxy. The Galaxy's cargo is 64+512 for a total of 576ish Not all 'that' much lower than the C2, and the Ironclad fits nicely between it and the Hull C. Essentially giving me a steady 'increase in stages' for hauling cargo depending on what size ship i need at the time, or how much im willing to risk :D
As long as the Ironclad's Assault doors open, I can use a Argo Tractor as my ships tractor beams.
I truly was looking forward to upgrading my C2 to Ironclad. If they would loan C2, I wouldn't even think about it. I mean 1536 SCU cargo of Ironclad vs. 696 SCU of C2, they are not even in the same category. Although likely C2 is likely to be always soloable ship as it is crew 1-2 while Ironclad won't be soloable ship so this is my other concern.
When engineering is up, flying such ships solo might not make sense and NPC AI being what they are, as well as being a casual player, I don't want to "hire NPC crew" or "not be able to use the ship". Unless ships come with in-built AI so you can solo any ship without worrying about renting a crew, things might be different.
I am still holding out for the Liberator. I have a CCU for it and plan on using it to extent my industrial operations. But those 1536 SCU on the Ironclad are indeed worth considering, and the repair bay on the Assault makes me wish for the Liberator have that too, it was after all advertised as a small carrier.
1536 is a solid amount of cargo. Personally, I'm a drake fan. I have ccu's for both versions, and not sure which I'll eventually build, time will tell. Both have pros.
1536 scu, i love the design.
They evolved in making spaceships.
8:20 FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT OMG
I'm down with that 1536 for sure. Not a cargo guy, really just wanted it to be my Bebop. But I'll do a little shipping while it's there. That's how adventures start, right?
I really hope they allow us to pilot the ship from the operations bridge. It's a cargo tanker in space, It's weird to have the pilot off to one side. I'd love a standing flight position on the ops deck for the view alone.
I love the Ironclad for what it is, and even though it's 1536 SCU of reported cargo is more than double my C2... it's _not_ going to fly like my Herc. But I love that it's in the game. I'm sure Jack Axton is going to be all over it. It reminds me of Han Solo's upgrade after he lost the Falcon. For Drake Lovers who can't afford a Kraken, it's a glorius weekend.
Also, the Ironclad Assault's workshop will be the perfect spot for a Jukebox once they're both in-game.
well, I am certainly interested in the Standard version. and I loved my Cat when I had one. but I really like my M2. 1536
You can fit like 24+ novas on the current liberator model but people are calling the assault ironclad an upgrade? 1536 cargo grid is the main focus of this ship. That is how you will make the most from it.
The 1536 SCU of cargo is really nice. I really wish we could get some more info on the Endeavor. That ship isn't listed as having cargo modules, but hopefully it will some day.
The magic word is 1530 SEU (Plus locked room storage). Nice review, if I was going ask for a "talk" on why I spent $400 on something, I would point to this vid in my defense :P
i love the 1536 cargo and tractor beams ....this is a Pirate's wet dream
The Ironclad is clearly meant to be a Pirate Ship. Being able to transfer 1536 SCU before the Mark respawns and comes back with his org in a Polaris is the challenge.
For the 1536 th time, CIG has buffed a sales ship because they want to sell more. I have to say I am impressed with how blatant they were this time. The ship made it through development and somehow was determined to be balanced with the current ships. Then only a couple days later they gave it a massive bump. New retaliator "modular" version was not seen as worth the money, so lets just upgrade its weapons to make people like it better.
I think the old adage that DRAKE ships are made of paper is dead. Somehow in CIG infinite wisdom they gave the DRAKE ships 58% damage reduction armor. Then the UEE Aegis ships got only 50% damage reduction. I have zero clue who at CIG comes up with these XML numbers but I am pretty sure they know nothing about the game.
1536Scu is more than twice the capacity of the c2. Considering the price difference the concept seems like a decent deal.
There's nothing stopping anyone with a C2 from purchasing the CCU and waiting for the release.
I guarantee 1536 SCU of cargo space is definitely gonna be able to fit a vulture inside + room for cargo. Would be a great salvaging ship in that way.
With 1536 SCU of internal cargo and the BMM no where in sight, the Ironclad is likely the hauler of choice for planet side trading.
I think some distortion guns on the interior turret to protect the 1536 SCU of cargo would be ideal. Don't want anything being accidentally damaged after all (actually how is CIG going to handle shooting your own hull from the inside?). In fact, given the enforced very short ranged, the distortion shotguns start to look really good for making sure any unruly cargo stays compliant.
1536 scu can be a huge advantage for pirating but half of that and let a little space to land 1,2 or even 3 snub figther and you could become the deepest an meanest fear of all merchant on your shard
I actually managed to correctly guess the 1536 SCU before release by eyeballing that internal shot that showed a few 32 SCU containers lined up. It looked like you could slam 12 down, two high, and then two rows of that. So 32 x 24 x 2 = our magical number. That depth of two, however, makes me concerned about what ships would fit in height wise. Size wise... you can at least fit a 100 series in it seems, which is amusing to mash those to manufacturers together.
I was looking for a freighter and then they dropped this. 1536 SCU drake brick sounds good. Im looking forward to fly that thing one day.
I think they did mention the less legal stuff, including swallowing ships. I ended up getting the base variant at 1536 SCU though since I don't know enough about the Assault to commit to that and melt something.
1536 SCU sounds like about the max we'll get from a subcap ship capable of landing on a planet. Really impressive.
Bruh, my dream girl BMM will have 2800 SCU.
1536 SCU of cargo are a plenty of mirai Furies. all being able to deploy almost simultaneous. what a sight it will be :D
As a c2 owner, the Iron Clad doesn't interest me at all. I want the drive on and drive off capability.
Edit: I guess I should say 'drive through' capability. The Herc allows the two vehicles that it carries to just immediately drive off of the herc at the same time. The Iron Clad requires 4 vehicles to maneuver to exit from a single door that only allows one vehicle to exit at a time.
1536 is underselling it imo. Like you said stacking up outside or even just one box higher should bring it to 2000
I like the concept, let's see how it will turn out when it will get into production.
I'm thinking of upgrading my caterpillar to the ironclad, there is literally no downside as things currently are and having 1536 cargo capacity is something I can't pass up on
1536 of cargo is nuts, i forgot just how big some of these ships get lol
Pulling them in...picking em clean and disassembling them with the hand scavenger....
The Ironclad is basically all I've ever wanted in SC, so I had to get one. Now we wait
Your style is very entertaining and informative, thanks. That 1536 SCU of cargo is tempting but too rich for me.
1536 is a lot. Kind of makes the Cat seem small.
That large open maw of a bay sure looks handy for snatch and scoot salvage gameplay.
I got over excited by the Assault and pledged for that before understanding it’s not a more armoured and better defended cargo ship as well, but some sort of weird drop ship concept. So I’m going to get that refunded replaced with the standard Ironclad I’ve decided. I also want the retractable roof.
1536 SCU is the perfect number to SCUirt an hull c
Edit: I became a member nevertheless, your humor is and presentation is both mature and entertaining😊. Great work Ray
I spend more time in space and I prefer the look of the Ironclad Assault than the basic and the Hercules. Great use of Monty Python, can remember using them when I was a kid.
Note: Shrike has 2 size 2 guns, Firebird has 2 size 3 guns. both have back-up weapons.
1536 SCU is really making think about upgrading my caterpillar.
1536 SCU is a pretty good cargo space i would say, its a super sweetspot between C2 and Hull C
Highly perceptive, as usual. I too spotted the catch and kill mechanic as a likely use case. But I missed the idea of stacking above the roof. Good spot. But I am not convinced that the Libby is necessarily a "poor man's version". Plausible that Libby will be longer-range; also likely better as a pocket carrier, as averse to vehicle deployment landing craft - note Libby also twin-deck (and quite a bit wider in the beam).
I mean 1536 scu cargo is a lot. However, if you compare that to a BMM, which supposedly can also land on planets, the BMM looks like the better value proposition *if* you are a law abiding star citizen who only runs cargo. BMM is a bit more expensive and quite a bit chonkier, also probably does not get such a convenient sliding roof, so there is a point to this.
While component manufacturing sounds nice, it will be SOOO barebones, and we will get other vessels capable of that. I can totaly see a Galaxy factoryx module (kinda makes sense when it already has a base construction module planned).
I can also see the Iroclad being a mid-to-long term storage out in pyro for a small org. Park it in Nowheresville and you have a nice supply base.