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NSI Astaroth - Alpha 9.4x (HV)

The NSI Astaroth is a Noa|m Space Industries Hover vessel.

NOTE:
This is made as an entry (hopefully) into XCalibers Designer Challenge where the "goal" this time around is to make a HV that can take out a POI, loot it, salvage it and bring the stuff home without the need of other vehicles (that was the part of the challenge i took on for myself).
Wanna now more about XCalibers Designer Challenge, check out hes youtube-page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEZwdWsjmBLBTn-_Czk3BFg
Or on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/xcaliber___

The challenge of making all these features go into ONE vehicle and have it perform satisfyingly at every different aspect of it was a task that cost me most of my nails and some hair... Balancing the thrust vs weight vs manouverability etc had me sitting slamming my coffeemug into my forehead for some time :D

But yeah... here we are and i think it came out somewhat decent for what its purpose is.

Taking out a POI:
No problem whatsoever in my tests agains Zirax's finest POI's.. layers upon layers of combatsteel around keyparts kept all vital parts safe. The POI that gave the hardest fight took out the 3 harvesters and 1 block of combatsteel in the front. There was damaged blocks in the front middle, but nothing to speak of. Guns and Thrusters were all undamaged (hence why i changed the protection around the thrusters to something more pleasant to watch at).
Did just let the guns go crazy on the POI whilst i zig-zag'd around.. no manual shooting or sniping.. just went straight in for a brawl each time.

Looting/Salvaging:
After some trial and many more errors i finally found a configuration that worked in regards to balance between weight/volume/manouverability.
The HV have 2 x 32k storage (main) in the front/middle area, 1 x 32k Harvester storage in the middle/rear area, 2 x 4516 ammostorage on each middle side and 12 cargoboxes.
So to the big test... how much weight can be put into the storage before it will be stuck on the ground?? And here is where, after many different tries, i finally got pleasantly surpriced. Astaroth can lift of the ground and move in any direction with over 6kt weight. This was on a lavaplanet with 1.22g
Main issue was turning around, that is VERY slow with that weight.. but with clever stearing and use of O-button i transported the 6kt ++ cargo over 3km back to "base". The cargo was all 3 320k storages filled with combatsteel blocks and full ammocontainers.
The multiturret is retractable and sits at the rear of the vessel, just back up to the POI and slurp it up.

Armor/Weaponry:
Combat steel and more combat steel. Seems POI's just wanna shoot straight in the middle of the HV and that is totally fine since that is where the layers are thickest.
Every possible weapon "vanilla-rules" are placed with the standard config of miniguns at the front, the rockets before plasmas and the Artillery. Every row of turrets are placed above the former so all can shoot continuosly.
I found that if i took the HV up towards the poi on a slope (poi on a "hilltop") i had to tip the HV forward a little for the plasma to go off at the lower poi-guns. No issue, just a tip :)

Inside the Astaroth you will find everything you need equipment-wise.

Some stats:
- Size Class: 4 (4.23)
- Unlock Level: 20
- Mass: 564t
- Size: 14,5x22,5x7,5m

Equipment:
• 2 x Cargo Containers (Ammo) - each at 4516 vol.
• 2 x Cargo Containers each at 32k vol.
• Cargo Container for Harvest at 32k vol.
• 12 Storage Box's
• Wi-Fi
• Fridge
• Detector
• 2 x Armor Locker
• Medic Station
• O2 Station
• Clone Station
• 21 Fuel Tanks
• 12 Generators
• 13 O2 Tanks
• O2 Ventilator
• 199 RCS (would add more if i could, but that would mean a redo of the hull).
• 6 Spotlight
• 2 Passenger seats


Weaponry:
• 4 Plasma turrets (retractable)
• 4 Rocket turrets (retractable)
• 6 Minigun turrets(retractable)
• 6 Gattling guns
• 5 Harvester Modules

PS! Extra thanks to Vermillion for the LCD-codes to give it a bit of flair!

Please make a comment with changes, tips, praises, critique or just to say hi :)