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Factional variants of the Viper
Civilian Federation Pirate Rebellion


The Comara Racing Viper is a civilian ship in Escape Velocity Nova. This ship is unavailable for most of the Vell-os Storyline.

"With the rapid development of space flight, it was inevitable that sports (particularly racing) would come to fruition sooner rather than later. Power Sled racing stood up to the challenge. A few intrepid hot-rodders noticed that one particular sled, the Viper, took very well to a bit of extra weight in the form of armor and armament. This model is a civilian shell by Comara Racing." ― Buying a Viper

The Viper is a small fighter, and is arguably the weakest combat ship in the game. It mounts light protection, relying more on speed and agility. Regardless, Vipers are considered good frameworks for development, as several military variants exist.

Power Sled racing originally developed this as a racing sled for the Galactic Racing Network. However, it didn’t take spacefarers long to begin tweaking it as a means of travel. It is now used as the mainstream short-range fighter for the Federation, Rebels and Pirates.

Stats[]

"The young woman piloting this banana-yellow Viper would look more at home as a grease monkey at a race track than as a fighter pilot. «Actually,» she says, «I was a PowerSled pilot for a while, but escort duty pays more.» She seems somewhat uncertain about this, and continues to tune her aft plasma relay." ― Hiring a Viper

Fighter Class (#167)[]

Stats
  • Purchase/Hire Appearance %: 100%/95%
  • Purchase Cost: 80k
  • Hire Cost: 8k/upfront 800cr/day
  • Upgrade: Heavy Fighter Class
  • Upgrade Cost: 30k
  • Nova pict 6070 thumb Speed: 525
  • Nova pict 6069 thumb Acceleration: 900
  • Nova pict 6072 thumb Turning: 80
  • Nova pict 6067 thumb Shields: 45
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Regen: 11
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Recharge per second: 0.33
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Minutes to recharge Shields: 2.27
  • Nova pict 6052 thumb Armor: 25
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Disabled at Armor %: 33%
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Pre-disabled Armor: 17
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Total Fighting HP: 62
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Max Ion: 35
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Deionize: 8
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Total Outfits Space: 16t
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Free Outfit Space: 10t
  • Nova pict 6061 thumb Cargo Space: 5t
  • Nova pict 6001 thumb Max Guns: 2
  • Nova pict 6001 thumb Guns: 2 Light Blasters
  • Nova pict 6128 thumb Energy: 200 (2 jumps)
  • Nova pict 6074 thumb Jump Time: 1 day
  • Targetable by PD?: Yes
  • Strength: 30
  • AI Type: Interceptor

This ship comes prepared to fight Shuttles, and not much more.

Wild Variants[]

Stat changes are relative to the stats of the basic model. The basic model is Fighter Class.

The following shipvariants are unavailable in the shipyard and must be captured in the field.

Heavy Fighter Class (#335)[]

Stats
  • Purchase Cost: 110k (+30k)
  • Hire Cost: 11k/upfront 1.1k/day
  • Upgrade: Auroran Outfits Detected
  • Upgrade Cost: 40k
  • Nova pict 6069 thumb Acceleration: 925 (+25)
  • Nova pict 6072 thumb Turning: 85 (+5)
  • Nova pict 6067 thumb Shields: 50 (+5)
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Regen: 15 (+4)
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Recharge per second: 0.45
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Minutes to recharge Shields: 1.67
  • Nova pict 6052 thumb Armor: 30 (+5)
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Pre-disabled Armor: 20
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Total Fighting HP: 70 (+8)
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Max Ion: 40 (+5)
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Deionize: 10 (+2)
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Total Outfits Space: 26t (+10)
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Free Outfit Space: 10t
  • Nova pict 6001 thumb Guns: 2 Light Blasters
  • Nova pict 6008 thumb Missiles: 2 Raven Rocket Pods (10 ammo)

The significant bonus here is the additional outfit space from the addition of the rocket pods.

Auroran Outfits Detected (#336)[]

Stats
  • Purchase Cost: 150k (+70k)
  • Hire Cost: 15k/upfront 1.5k/day
  • Nova pict 6070 thumb Speed: 550 (+25)
  • Nova pict 6069 thumb Acceleration: 950 (+50)
  • Nova pict 6072 thumb Turning: 90 (+10)
  • Nova pict 6067 thumb Shields: 60 (+15)
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Regen: 20 (+9)
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Shield Recharge per second: 0.6
  • Nova pict 6065 thumb Minutes to recharge Shields: 1.67
  • Nova pict 6052 thumb Armor: 30 (+5)
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Pre-disabled Armor: 20
  • Nova pict 6309 thumb Total Fighting HP: 80 (+18)
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Max Ion: 45 (+10)
  • Nova pict 6134 thumb Deionize: 14 (+6)
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Total Outfits Space: 28t (+12)
  • Nova pict 6062 thumb Free Outfit Space: 10t
  • Nova pict 6001 thumb Guns: 2 Hail Chainguns (50 ammo)
  • Nova pict 6008 thumb Missiles: 2 Raven Rocket Pods (12 ammo)

This shipvariant additionally features a modest boost to speed.

Gameplay Analysis[]

Viper Shipyard

"The Viper is a fairly common sight, in one version or another, in Nova. This the original version. The reason that there have been so many modifications to the other ones is because the original sucks. Good for it's price, but you'd be better off saving your money for something else." ― EVula Survival Guide

The Viper's natural environment is flying high-speed though hoops in space. Even with the modifications, the Viper makes for a poor combat craft. One problem that is immediately apparent is that dual Light Blasters are not a particularly effective armament.

The main problems with the Viper as a combat vessel are its fragility and its low mass. Everything knocks it around. This is sometimes a boon, as you may end up being knocked away from further danger. Additionally, since it disables at 33% you get less staying power for a fight from armor upgrades. The main problems with the Viper as a general spacecraft are its extremely low range and cargo capacity that is insufficient for most main storylines.

The Viper's main advantages are speed and small size. It's able to outrun missiles and dodge railguns.

A Viper can be quite formidable when equipped with an Ion Cannon and a pair of Hail Chainguns. The remaining outfit space should be allocated to armor upgrades, as the Viper needs it greatly. This is not to say that terrorizing the galaxy in a Viper is easy, only that it is possible. Even a heavily upgraded Viper has paper for shields and cardboard for armor.

Images[]

The Civilian Viper was made by Scott Vardy who modeled the Fed Viper, then Dave Williams made the rest based on his original. Textures were by Phil and Steve Chick.

Appearance[]

Viper cockpit

The Viper features a head-only cockpit.

The Viper has a mottled shell in various shades of yellow and black, like a banana that's beginning to turn overripe. It has a V-shaped body with two swept back wings and a single engine placed beneath an array of exhaust vents.

The Viper features a head-only cockpit canopy, and the pilot gets in via lifting a section of the top deck out. This arrangement would be somewhat impractical for interstellar travel and would feel akin to being buried alive in a coffin.

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
  • Lights: 64x64
  • Engine: 64x64

Representative Images[]

Additional Images[]

Nova Civilians
Civilian Ships Cargo Drone (v) (i) 2k as escort only, Shuttle (v) (i) 10k, Heavy Shuttle (v) (i) 17.5k, Viper (v) (i) 80k, Asteroid Miner (i) 150k, Terrapin (v) (i) 150k, Lightning (WG) (v) (i) 250k, Thunderhead (v) (i) 300k, Valkyrie (v) (i) 350k, Starbridge (v) (i) 600k (Modified (v) (i) 750k), IDA Frigate (v) (i) 750k
Civilian OutfitsCivilian WeaponsFederation Licenses
Sigma Ships Star Liner (v) (i) 500k, Pegasus (v) (i) 2M, Leviathan (v) (i) 12M
Auroran Civilian ships Argosy (v) (i) 200k, Enterprise (v) (i) 450k
Polaris Civilian ships Sprite (v) (i) 500k, Cambrian (v) (i) 2.5M
Activities Galactic Racing Network
Corporate Strings United Shipping ( Main MissionsRepeatables ) • Sigma Shipyards (Main MissionsBulk Deliveries) • GLi-Tech ( Missions ) • Terraforming ( UHP-1002New Ireland )
Side Missions (Klavs) Cunjo HuntEscort BandLaunch ProbeTemmin Shard
Other Missions TutorialStandard DeliveriesEscort MissionRefueling MissionDerelictsDuelsPunishmentBlow Stuff Up
Bounty Hunters Bounty Hunters Storyline ( Minor StorylineRepeatables ) • Heraan LinkRebel LinkForced Bureau)
Wild Geese Wild Geese Storyline ( Intro MissionsDeath PathLife Path ) • Heraan LinkAssociation Link)
Wild Geese Preamble
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