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The Sigma Shipyards Shuttle is a civilian ship in Escape Velocity Nova. This is the ship you begin with in EV Nova.
"Sigma Shipyards first produced this simple in-system shuttle over two hundred years ago, and the basic keel design hasn't been changed since. The shuttle has only enough power for three jumps, a single light blaster and a tiny shield generator; enough to protect against micrometeoroids but a few direct hits by even a light blaster will cause real problems for this craft." ― Buying a Shuttle
The alpha-class Shuttle is an ultralight freighter built by Sigma Shipyards and used for in-system transport. Compared to other vessels, the Shuttle is extremely weak and under-powered, with a pitiful armament and a short range (only the Viper and IDA Frigate are worse). Likewise, the shield generator is essentially useless against any military hardware.
Stats[]
"The trader working on this run-down cargo shuttle looks older than his ship, if that's possible. He gives you a wan smile as you look over his vessel. The shuttle is small, and won't win any awards for cargo capacity or strength of armament, but the asking price for escort duty is cheap enough." ― Hiring a Shuttle
Version A (#128)[]
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You'll obtain a copy of this ship for free, alongside a reset of your legal status, whenever you eject from an Escape Pod. Your character, fool that they are, will spend a long time working odd jobs to purchase a Shuttle again even if they are far more affluent than that.
Any other time you purchase this ship should be excused as an unfortunate misclick. Try to force quit the game to get your previous ship back.
Shipyard Variants[]
Stat changes are relative to the stats of the basic model. The basic model is Version A.
Poorly maintained Second-hand (#361)[]
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Behold, the only ship in the game that you can purchase that's a direct downgrade to the original Shuttle. It's half the cost as an escort, but Cargo Drones are even cheaper. Thematically, this shipvariant represents the phenomenon of "shitboxes" in the real world second-hand car market.
Well maintained Second-hand (#362)[]
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The included outfits have a combined value of 15k new. You really don't get much otherwise for your 25K. Generally, you shouldn't re-finance someone else's love affair with a Shuttle.
Wild Variants[]
The following shipvariant is unavailable in the shipyard and must be captured in the field.
Version B (#188)[]
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You should avoid flying this shipvariant due to the drastically reduced fuel. It may be worthwhile upgrading a Shuttle escort to this for the missiles (for values of worth relative to anything concerning a Shuttle).
Technical Variants[]
The following shipvariant is unavailable in the shipyard and serves a particular visual purpose.
Economy at Work (#391)[]
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This automated variant moves between space objects in the system. You can observe this behavior in the Rautherion system. This ship can't be plundered.
Gameplay Analysis[]
"Not much to say; this is the first ship you're ever given. It's pretty bad. Get out of it and into something better (like a Heavy Shuttle) as soon as you can." ― EVula Survival Guide
Each new pilot is given a basic Shuttle as their starting craft. Because of its weaknesses, you should upgrade to a more capable craft as quickly as possible. The greatest threat to your life as a Shuttle pilot is not hostile Marauders and Pirates (as they can be bribed), but rather Auroran warriors and Federation naval officers trying to shoot through you to get to their most hated of enemies. Take care while flying through the Tichel, Kerella and Nesre Secundus systems.
Much has been said of the Shuttle's weakness, but it is relatively maneuverable. As long as threats don't spawn within range of you, and don't have guided munitions, you may be able to outrun them (as the player character gets a 50% boost to speed when not on Strict Play). This is where an IFF Decoder comes in handy, to ensure you're running away from your enemies instead of towards them.
You can easily make some money in the Shuttle via rescuing crews from disabled derelicts (the Nesre Primus system is a safe place to quickly land if it turns out to be a pirate ambush), or by taking the odd job such as Cunjo Hunt or Launch Probe from the Spaceport Bar (though Launching the Probe will require an additional Battery Pack at a minimum). Beware of Escort Band, however as you may encounter hostile Vipers. And try not to take any Deliveries to Earth or you may encounter a hostile Fed Destroyer that you might have difficulties surviving, especially if you land with it in the system.
Other more mundane methods of making money include leading a gaggle of Cargo Drones along trade routes, or accepting basic delivery missions from the Mission BBS. You can also accept every Derelict Rescue mission you can, avoid completing any of them, then board a derelict Leviathan and plunder the cash that's now available to you as a result of the game engine being unable to offer you any more Derelict Rescue missions.
A typical upgrade would be the Heavy Shuttle, which offers an extra jump alongside increased cargo space. It's not necessary to make any money at all to upgrade to one. A Pirate Viper is also a straight upgrade in every respect, but is much more expensive.
Once you've upgraded, then is the point at which you can start to look towards a economic role - either as an Independent via Mining or Trading, or a Privateer who tries to fight pirates (especially Marauders), in an attempt to gain the Combat Rating to begin a Storyline and who gains loot and ship upgrades via Boarding. An ideal ship for the Independent role would be the Argosy, and an ideal ship for the Privateer role would be the Thunderhead.
Images[]
"%!? I forgot to put doors on the#?!ing things" ― Dave "pipeline" Williams
The Shuttle was modeled by Scott Vardy of ATMOS.
Appearance[]
The light Shuttle is shaped like a wedge or a doorstop. It has four copper engines on the stern. On the port and starboard are blue plastic sponsons with an uppercase Sigma (Σ). The body of the Shuttle flares out to meet the sponsons. Gray plastic RCS thrusters are present on the top and sides. No RCS is present on the bottom. An uppercase Sigma (Σ) also adorns the ship on the fore above a decal reminiscent of a comet's trail. A disc shaped decal adorns the top of the ship near the stern.
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: 24x24
- Lights: 48x48
- Engine: 48x48
Representative Images[]
"One must ask: 'How did I get here?'
'How did that Ion Cannon miss?'
'How am I still alive?'" ― Yuyuko Saigyouji
Additional Images[]
