Subscribe to download
MFE Kestrel Drop Carrier (RE2)

Welcome to Maddog's Fugly Engineering! For all your utilitarian, face-only-a-mother-could-love needs! If it's ugly but it works, we probably made it.


THIS SV HAS BEEN MADE FOR REFORGED EDEN 2. AS OF APRIL 29, 2024 IT WORKS, BUT SCENARIO UPDATES MAKE THIS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.


I have always loved SVs as a base ship for their cozy size and (relatively) low cost. Thankfully, Reforged Eden makes SVs much more useful than vanilla alone does (with clone bays now available in RE2, they're almost perfect). To this end, I like to make carrier SVs. I've tried a couple with hangars, but the size of roll-up doors and ramps available to an SV are pretty limiting for what shape/size of SV or HV you can put inside it, so when I started building something for RE2, I made another pass at a suspended-hangar type ship (think Halo's Pelicans dropping a Warthog, or the Star Wars dropships from Attack of the Clones dropping walkers). This ship has been heavily influenced and inspired by JRandall's Merc-Infiltrator-RCT, made for vanilla and RE1.

The general layout of the Kestrel is a forward command deck with port and starboard hatches and ramps for planet-side embarkation. There is also a rear hatch to a gangway that allows you to access any suspended SVs or HVs under the flight deck, or to walk up to the flight deck for any ships parked on top. Important equipment and upgrade options (shield, warp, constructor, healing, food, etc.) are in the command deck, and longer-term upgrades (fusion gen, big shield extenders, etc.) have space in the main drive housings beneath either side of the flight deck. The ship has a gravity generator, but be careful near the rear of the flight deck where it cuts out.



WHAT YOU'RE GETTING.

First, I made this vessel to be spawned on the cheap. Nothing more complicated than neodymium, cobalt, aluminum, or small optronic bridges are required. To achieve this, I had to forego the 2x5x2 thrusters as they require zascosium and erestrum, while the 3x7x3 thrusters do not. CPU was a challenge, as I wanted this to be cheap from a CPU perspective as well (only basic and improved CPU extenders are required stock), so the forward thrusters need to eventually be swapped for the 3x7x3 thrusters I intended. No other thrusters need to be added or swapped, and this comes out of the box fully flight capable with over 500 tons of lift capacity. The price is the Kestrel has no weapons, shields, or warp yet.

There are upgrade bays/slots for all of these, but more CPU will be needed. The intent for this is to spawn in after you've had a warp-capable miner to build up materials, and then move the warp drive and pentaxid tanks over to start moving your early-game SVs and HVs around the starting system. From there you can either build up the materials for a CV, or loot a little platinum for upping to the advanced warp core so you can start visiting nearby systems. Basic warp and pentaxid can now be added within the CPU limit (formerly 96 over; removed two aft wireless devices to keep warp under and allow for clone bay).

Stock Features:
1 - Armor Locker
3 - Storage Chests
1 - O2 Station
1 - Fridge
2 - Advanced Generators
1 - Detector
1 - Large gravity generator
1 - Clone bay
64k Main Cargo
12k Ammo Cargo
LCDs with complete upgrade option details

Upgrade Options:
4+ additional Advanced Generators
Shield Generator
Warp Core or Advanced Warp Core
Pentaxid Tank
Trauma Station
Food Processor
Mobile Constructor
5x Defense Turret Hardpoints
4+ Fixed Weapon Hardpoints
Long-Range Radar or Radar Array
Advanced CPU cores
Superior CPU cores
Quantum CPU cores
Auxiliary CPU cores
1 - Fusion Generator (upgrade bay could be reconfigured to hold 2 if several shield upgrade spots were sacrificed)
All 4 T1 shield upgrades
All 4 T2 shield upgrades
All 4 T3 shield upgrades
Thrusters to plasma or antimatter

I have not tested yet what the end-state configuration limits are as far as these upgrades and CPU limits, as I've done minimal survival play in RE2 yet, and I don't know how hard to get some of the materials for these upgrades will prove. With advanced and superior CPU extenders added, there should be plenty of room for shield, warp, weapon, and/or thruster upgrades without needing quantum or auxiliary CPU extenders.

I have in mind a few smaller SVs and HVs to design to fit on and/or under the Kestrel, so if you like my design, keep an eye on my workshop for complimentary designs.