| Auroran Fighter | Auroran Bomber |
|---|---|
| Firebird | Phoenix |
The Aurora Industries Firebird is an Auroran ship in Escape Velocity Nova. To obtain a Firebird, you either must have been inducted as a Heraan warrior by the priesthood on Gungungun or disable and capture one.
"Firebirds are the main Auroran fighter. Their engines are simple, to say the least. Their task is to protect the Phoenix from attack by smaller fighters such as the Viper, while the Phoenix take on the heavier ships. The Firebird is slower than the Viper, but not by enough to give the Viper a decisive edge. Battles between the two often come down to individual skill. Many a Federation/Auroran border skirmish has come to a halt while the two sides watch a Firebird/Viper dogfight between renowned pilots." ― Buying a Firebird
The Firebird is the basic fighter of the Aurorans, used by novice warriors. It is, in two words, cannon fodder. Pilots who fly a Firebird rarely survive for long. They can be fired from a carrier using the Firebird Bay.
Stats[]
"The Firebird is not as heavily armored as the Phoenix, but she is quicker and vastly more maneuverable. The Firebird you are looking at has been painted with vast expanses of black. You comment on this to the pilot. «I am a rare thing in the Galaxy,» she says «for I am an Auroran warrior for whom Death is darkness. If you were to see me naked, you would find that my Death-Tattoo is only black. When I die, it will only be black.» {G "You bring yourself back from wondering what she would be like naked" "You stop comparing your own figure to hers"}, and consider what she has said." ― Hiring a Firebird
Thamgiir Class (#155)[]
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Wild Variants[]
The following shipvariants are unavailable in the shipyard and must be captured in the field.
Stat changes are relative to the stats of the basic model. The basic model is Thamgiir Class.
Themgaar Class (#303)[]
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This variant includes an Auroran IR Jammer, which is worth half of the Firebird's price. Besides the additional Chaingun, the other improvements are marginal and focus mostly on improved electronics.
Va Themgiir Class (#304)[]
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This appears to be a 'heavy' variant of the Firebird, featuring reduced handling but heavier guns.
Gameplay Analysis[]
"Worse than the Viper, in my opinion. The only variant that poses any kind of threat is the Va Themgiir Class, and that's only because I really like the Fusion Pulse Cannons. Chew threw them as quickly as you can, as half a dozen Chainguns pointed at you can do some serious damage after a while, no matter what kind of ship you're flying." ― EVula Survival Guide
The Firebird takes a different approach in fighter strategy than the Fed Viper. Unlike its Federation adversaries who primarily fight armed with the pitiful Light Blaster, it uses superior Auroran weaponry such as the Hail Chaingun or Fusion Pulse Cannon. The Firebird becomes much more dangerous when the Chaingun Fix is installed, which causes the DPS of chainguns to scale linearly with each emplacement. This causes a swarm of Firebirds to delete armor frighteningly fast.
The Firebird's advantage in weaponry is offset by its atrocious shields and non-reactive armor. Also, it is lacking in equipment space compared to the Fed Viper.
Excellent maneuverability and good armor allows for a fighter that can take down many more Vipers than other Firebirds, as they are particularly vulnerable to the weaponry of other Auroran Ships.
This ship should be used by pilots who enjoy flying and dog-fighting more than completing storylines.
Images[]
The Firebird was modelled by Dave Williams, who also did a fair amount of the textures.
Appearance[]
The Firebird has four flame-wreathed engines attached to a main body that tapers off towards the stern. The engines are attached with thin struts, and are arranged in a shallow inverted V shape, like flapping wings. Each engine has two RCS outlets. Near the fore, a flat cockpit panel ala Cybertruck. The main body is adorned with lightning bolts and incorporates various trapezoidal shapes in its geometry. A double chaingun with red highlights at the front of its housing is mounted to the bottom of the cockpit. Overall, the Firebird gives the impression of being constructed with papier-mâché.
Ship Spins[]
This ship has 36 frames per set and 3 sets for 108 frames in total. It banks when turning in one direction for a certain amount of time.
- Ship: 32x32
- Engine: 64x64
Representative Images[]
Additional Images[]
| Sub-factions: Family Heraan • Family Moash • Family Dani • Family Tekel • Family Vella • Dechtakar • Houseless Auroran Ships: Firebird (v) (i) 150k, Phoenix (v) (i) 150k, Argosy (v) (i) 200k, Abomination (v) (i) 400k, Enterprise (v) (i) 450k, Cruiser (v) (i) 2M, Carrier (v) (i) 12M, Thunderforge (i) 14M Heraan Storyline (Preamble • Intro Missions • Main Story • Gaiden 1 • Gaiden 2 • Final Missions) Auroran Outfits • Auroran Weapons Auroran fauna: Cunjo • Drop Bear | ||