Having raised hundreds of millions of $USD to date, Cloud Imperium Games are still asking their community of loyal backers to pledge towards concept ships that will be eventually added to their still-in-alpha-development space simulator game, Star Citizen. Asking players if they want to “refine [their] prospects”, the next ship to be available for players to pledge towards is the MISC Expanse, which is due to go on-sale to all backers today.
From the in-universe ship manufacturer, Musashi Industrial and Starflight Concern (MISC), the MISC Expanse is pitched as a “single-crew vessel at the heart of both large and small-scale refining operations across the Empire”. The ship is described as containing a “self-contained refinery system makes it the industry standard for accessible vehicular-based mineral processing. Specifically designed to operate in tandem with mining vehicles like the MISC Prospector, the Expanse enhances any serious mining operation by transforming raw-mineral pods into saleable material on the fly”.
The ship is 35.5m in length, 10.75m in height and 21.1m in width, making it comparable in size to a MISC Freelancer, and a bit larger than the MISC Prospector. With support for just one crew member, it features 6 refinery reactors, 2x S1 weapons, 64 SCU and a S1 Tractor Beam.
Promoted features of the craft (both practical and lore-wise) include:
READY TO RECEIVE
The Expanse integrates seamlessly with all leading contemporary mineral extraction systems. Supporting the UEE-standard mineral storage pods used throughout the empire, the Expanse efficiently ingresses raw ore, refines it, and distributes saleable material into empty cargo containers.
SECURE TRANSFER
Integrated tractor beams ensure receiving raw materials and distributing processed ore are entirely hands-off procedures. Ingress full pods from mining vessels with ease and run entire operations from the comfort of the cockpit.
MINERAL PROCESSING, REFINED
The heart of the Expanse is its onboard refinery. This fully integrated, self-sufficient system processes raw ore from external mineral pods into refined saleable material, which it then distributes into empty containers waiting in the pod bays.
TROUBLE-FREE OFFBOARDING
Cargo containers full of refined ore are easily offboarded thanks to the fool-proof design of the pod bay and tractor beams. Unload significant volumes of ore for huge profit and move on to the next job in no time.
So… how much would you look to pledge to add the MISC Expanse to your line-up? Fortunately it is not the most wallet-breaking of prices, but still comes in at a standard price of $150.00 USD during the time-limited concept sale, with a Warbond price of $135.00 USD should you be willing to pay using no funds from melted ships.
You can learn more about the MISC Expanse by clicking HERE.
In development by Cloud Imperium Games and their studios across North America and Europe, Star Citizen is being helmed by Wing Commander (1990s) creator Chris Roberts. The game has currently been in a long-term alpha phase with no confirmed release date. Despite this, the studio has raised more than $435 million USD through on-going crowdfunding. Please keep in mind should you decide to purchase towards Star Citizen, that this is an incomplete project and that you are pledging towards an extended crowdfunding campaign with no 100% guarantee of a finished product.
