first time building hv

[narib414]

Hey guys. I've finally got myself to the point where I'm about ready to make my first hv. I know I can download one from the factory, but as this being my first ever hv, kinda feel like I'd be cheating myself if I didn't make my first ship. Anyone have any comprehensive advice? Looked on youtube but a lot of the info is 6+ mths ago.

[Phelbore]

You'll need 1 rcs, 1 thruster in each movement direction, constructor is handy. More than one hover engine is good, keep it light.

[Larkspur]

I don't know if they changed this in the Alpha but in survival mode if you don't have an O2 tank on the HV and SV, you will be breathing from your suit's very limited O2 supply while in the cockpit. Even on planets with breathable atmospheres, the HV and SV cockpit is sealed and uses O2. So unless they changed that - remember to include an O2 tank and remember to fill it up before using the HV. Also - for your first HV or SV or CV - just keep it simple and light. No need to build something big or super-heavy-armored until you get the hang of the quirks and mechanics of each vehicle type.

[Lark]

Yes, you need the air tanks. Even on akua becuase you will use suit air even w/ helmet off.

I'd also suggest a couple cargo boxes. A auto cannon on the top and small weapon box. If you put that on, you can use it to watch your back by leaving your HV running.

You'll need to fuel tank too. A light on the front helps but isn't needed. I prefer it since I travel at night and it keeps me from running into tress and rocks.

[Siccaxe]

Some notes from my failures and success.

The bigger it is, the harder it will be to get up Hills. Even medium sized ones will not be able to get up mountains. I've read that more hover engines make the hit box of the hover larger, but not in my experience.

Make sure you use 'jump' to raise the hover height, 'c' to lower it back down.

You don't u have to leave anything exposed to access it except the constructor and oxygen supplier, hide it all behind armor and access it from the cockpit.

Time your boost (shift+jump) to be used before u hit jumps or Hills, while you're going max speed.

I built a small one for harvesting, and then a big one to take over bases. Getting the big one across the map was a struggle, but once it got to the first enemy base I just house it there and use that a forward operating base. It's invaluable for defense and cover while I attack bases and drones, 3 turrets.

[Lark]

Wow that must be huge. You should post a pic of it.

Also, if you flip over on your top, hit shift. It should flip you back.

I try to go up the gradual slopes on Akua. Haven't played on Omicron for a bit.

It takes a bit longer to go around the mountains but it is easier than the steaper hills.

I have had troops ships land near me. My minigun actually blew one up. Shocked me. It has been invaluable with the troop ships. If I get overwhelmed I charge back closer to it. Since I left it on, it auto shoots anything coming after me.

I can remember the first builds of Akua where you had more water features. You could travel by water. I loved that.

[Targa]

Some pretty comprehensive advice already. I'll add this:

The easiest way to build any ship is to start a game in Creative mode. Your jetpack keeps you floating 100% of the time. Nothing costs anything, and building is 1,000 times easier.

In a creative game, press H to browse items. To remove blocks and objects, you don't need the R&R tool. With a block in your hand, aim at the block you want to remove and press Shift+right-click. No worries about making a mistake and having to manufacture more parts. No worries about animal or drone attacks, etc.

When you're satisfied with your creation, stand close to it and aim your cursor at the ship. Press the right-side ALT key and the letter O. This will bring up the Blueprint window. "Save as" and give it a name. Back in your regular game just press F2, select it, click "To Factory", add the required ingots and start production.

The only thing you need to take careful note of is the level requirement for the parts you're adding to the ship. You probably don't want to build a ship that you're not high enough level to build in survival mode. Speaking of which, HV's and SV's can operate just fine using "Thruster Directional" as main engines on the rear. You don't need to use "Thruster Normal", which has a higher level requirement. Just don't make the ship too heavy.

[flux.faraday]

Here is a pic of my current HV. It goes up and down mountains just fine. I suspect it will stop working in a future patch!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=672639986

edit: Thanks wc, for teaching me how to do the link correctly!

[Siccaxe]

Originally posted by flux.faraday:

Here is a pic of my current HV. It goes up and down mountains just fine. I suspect it will stop working in a future patch!
Inverted pyramid

edit: ok, so that link doesn't work. how do I link a steam screenshot here?

Very clever keeping the base small, the logic of video games!

[Siccaxe]

Originally posted by 01blaze2:

Wow that must be huge. You should post a pic of it.

Oh oops, didn't mean I use the HV as a base, I use the enemy bases that I capture as a forward base. I'd say the HV is midsized compared to some of the builds on here, no interior space. I'll still post a pic tomorrow though! This game is great at creating satisfaction for your builds.

[Palad1n]

Consider yourself lucky they haven't put together and implemented structural integrity for SV / HV yet! That is certainly a unique look and one I have not seen before, the sheer weight on top would crush the cockpit and snap off though I fear.

[flux.faraday]

Oh I know!! The whole thing is the antithesis of what a hovercraft should be. But, I watched how they worked in game, and then used what the devs gave me. When they do SI on ships, it's going to be great fun getting them all to work again. I'll have to toss my HV design completely.

[Wisp Cat]

Originally posted by flux.faraday:

Here is a pic of my current HV. It goes up and down mountains just fine. I suspect it will stop working in a future patch!
Inverted pyramid

edit: ok, so that link doesn't work. how do I link a steam screenshot here?

Instead of posting

[ url = http : // images.akamai.steamusercontent . com / ugc/277345238416331065/E17A7CD7C54653724582D115AA5B9991F35DA329/ ] link text [ / url ]

post

http : // steamcommunity . com / sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=672639986

like this:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=672639986

There's two reasons for how I did it different:

First, if you use the [ url = ... ] ... [ / url ] form, that's a link to another page, and you will not get an image.

Second, those akamai links are temporary and will fail after a time, even if they might sometimes seem to work.

Btw, that s a really clever design, and I like it. (And I suspect that your extra hover engines would make it work even if they implemented SI for hover vehicles.)

[Hoxer]

You can use this and select "Simple Hover Vessel" from the blueprints drop down to figure out the amount of resources you need: http://hoxer.net/empyrion

[scotantaco]

Some time ago I posted a quick how-to on making an HV that will actually work properly. The built-in blueprint just sucks and you would have a bad time trying to use it. It's all about where the starter blocks are (were), rather than hover engines.

It's about half way down the page here: http://empyriononline.com/threads/small-vessel.1501/page-28

I know my super-ugly example above and 2 workshop blueprints are small (I made them for starters for personal use), but I also have a 13 ton hover fort that operates just as well. The steepest cliffs do not stop me.

[flux.faraday]

Originally posted by eninrebmun:

...It's all about where the starter blocks are (were), rather than hover engines.

That's a great post over in the other forum. Thanks for that. Now I need to redesign the pyramid to float a few blocks above where it currently is!