The Caterpillar does look like it would be right at home in the Star Wars Universe, without looking like a carbon copy of any particular Star Wars ship.
Also if one stops @8:13 the door opening up to the engine room clearly has "Engineering Access" on it. Contrast that to Morph's narration about his first expectation of a path leading to the command module. ;) Edit: It's OK I still love you Morph! :)
@@MattyP650 Segway is the thing that mall cops ride around with. A segue is a transition of thoughts, like moving from space piracy to internet piracy in the video.
@@fullyarmedbattletoaster8596 so true. And although creators do get a tiny bit of add revenue, even if you join the channel, Google takes 40%! I mean, it’s their system but that still seems a bit steep no?
Haha as an MSR owner, I don't disagree with Morphologis. I'd say the MSR is the Millenium Falcon fresh off the lot (or Ebon Hawk), but the Caterpillar has the cockpit and worn feel of the Falcon.
@@themisterh I have owned a Starfarer since Nov 2014, and I never had any problem getting to or from any part of the ship fairly quickly. I will admit several of my friends HAVE gotten lost in her, tho .....
"There are rumors of a pirate squad still wandering the corridors of this Starfarer, trying to navigate their way to an exit. So there's a tradition to leave food and water in different places of the ship. I don't believe that tail since I have seen mummified bodies in one of the lesser used passages. Or was it a different boarding party?"
Bro lol you hit the nail on the head. I swear it takes me 10-15 mins to get from outside this ship to the pilots seat every time. I swear! But tell me why I can find my way out every time in about 5 mins so weird….
4:30 This landing sequence highlights one of the biggest issues hounding Star Citizen - the perception that ships are "too nimble" or "float about" without "weight." Nearly every ship has this problem, too, not just the caterpillar, not just large ships, but even small ones. CIG have gone about tackling this the wrong way, too, in my mind, since _unladen_ ships will _need_ that comparative level of agility and responsiveness to compensate for the mass and inertia that cargo will add. Instead, I feel that the VFX team really needs to step up their game on thruster plumes in terms of density, brightness, length, and environmental effect. If they can make them morph with surrounding atmospheric pressure as well, all the better. If they can make particularly potent landing thrusters, as might be found on the Caterpillar, Hammerhead, and Starfarer, scorch the ground on unimproved surfaces or even pose a serious and lethal hazard to people and equipment on the ground underneath, even better still.
While this isn’t my most favorite ship, Morphologis has a way of making me see passed the manufacturer’s short comings, and just appreciate the ship for what it is. Side Note: During a session, I remember opening the side panel and singing, “Hello my baby! Hello my honey! Hello my ragtim-“ I never finished because I was shot.
10:09 I feel like the only reason the stairs take up so much space is so that it's easier to navigate well in 0 G. One thing you leave out of your reviews is how a space may change if the ship losses gravity.
A bigger space is in theory worse for 0G? Unless you're about to use a jump pack inside a ship 0G means you have to grab around surfaces to crawl around. Not to mention that yes, 0G exists, I don't know if magboots are/will be a thing in SC, but given that SE has them, I'd say they're pretty cool, maybe a speed penalty since that's not how we're used to walking would make wanting to fix gravity gens a good thing too
I have been thinking about that "SC's Millennium Falcon" idea, and I have to admit that while I wasn't convinced by the MSR, the Caterpillar didn't even occur to me. And I gotta agree, it's a very strong competitor for the title.
Agreed. In terms of interior look and feel the Caterpillar definitely conveys that feeling. Then again, I kinda view the Mercury as the Millenium Falcon when Lando was still the owner and it being in a more pristine condition. 😃
favorite ship in the game. It just feels right. I've flown hundreds of cargo runs in her and the experience and the experience is possibly the most visceral. you feel the mass in the controls. Not overly sloppy, or unwieldy like the Connie's, she feels just the right sort of heavy for her size. She's not the fastest or most maneuverable, but she is probably my favorite ship to fly. she feels real, unlike a lot of the lighter ships that feel very arcade-y.
Love this series. Love this series. Love this series. I have a Cat, and I was looking at the view of the ship from the command module with recent comments made by the developers in mind regarding the new telescoping docking feature they're working on for stations. Some of the most enjoyable "moments" in the game come when you see your ship - your pride and joy - from an interesting perspective (chase cams don't count, fight me). The Cat allows for this very nicely from the command module. It gives a slightly elevated view of the full ship from the rear looking forward. A grand perspective. There aren't many ships that offer that perspective, and it does seem like something to be taken advantage of when cockpit or observation deck positions allow.
this is one of the huge reasons why i love the cat. its gotta be my favorite ship in any universe. its perfect size for one person. but not too cramped with 4. its capable of doing pretty much anything. it flies amazingly. not too slow and lumbering, but not fast and nimble. it just feels good all around. its a no BS ship. but it doesnt fail to impress either
Another episode of the beat SC series on RU-vid, thank you Morphologis. I always thought that this ship was more of a millennium falcon, both because of the cockpit on the side and the cargo modules out front because the Corellian YT-1300f light freighter pushes along its cargo in front of itself (like a tugboat). A lot of shots fired at the 600i... Would love to see a "Morphologis fixes the 600i" video.
@@nicksiegfried4906 Maybe because CIG designed it to be SC's Millennium Falcon, complete with asymmetry (that's uncommon for Crusader ships), chessboard and smuggling spaces.
I have no idea why you don't have over 1m subs Morphologis because the video style and the amount of professionalism you put into your content is bloody amazing!!!
I think the staircase up from the engine room to the bridge serves a second function. The stairs themselves look like they can be angled which makes me think that you could take a trolley and get some supplies into the bridge or upper floor easier without carrying everything one by one.
The transition to the ad read was f-ing smooth! Only downside that it's for a "security" company that tried to hide that they had a potentially damning data-leak and got hacked for well over a year.. I don't know if I would trust, for example, a home security system that just deactivated itself for a month and then didn't tell me about it for a year until they got forced to.
Using it as a delivery vehicle for modular homesteads would be awesome, you could have a cargo section fitted for passengers, then a standard cargo section for their belongings and supplies, then another one for their light vehicles, then a few sections where the cargo section is replaced with the homestead buildings. That could be a cool way to establish a lucrative and plausible kind of work for players with these big bastard boats, using them to run little colonies out to wherever they want to settle down. They could even have ongoing module, vehicle, supply, and colonist jobs to keep the player engaged with the living world they had a hand in establishing.
i remember players placing small fighters in the cargo holds on the caterpillar. so people weren't expecting the thing to open up and launch 5 or 6 fighters. type of shenanigans
Great review. Nice walk-through. I've been flying one since the HULL C loaner switched from Starfarer to the Cat . . . .and loving it. I *will* cry when I have to give it up. ; ) When that hold is completely full, I love to walk the gangway. As you said, it's definitely due for refresh -- Red Warden, providing Port Olisar's Scrap needs day by day.
Controversial opinion incoming, but I think Morphologis could do with a script editor. He explains things multiple times over and the way he's going through it sounds like a first read or a spontaneous monologue. If he could tighten up the scripts of his videos I think they would be even better.
I love how the Cat is the littlest Large ship, and the Carrack is the largest Large ship, and they are both pretty much built in the same spirit. But are few frills, both are modular and versatile, both do a lot more than their roles presume for them.
@@MattyP650 Exactly what I said. Cat is the smallest ship to use a Large hangar and use Large ship components. Carrack barely fits in a Large Hangar and uses large ship components. But are not luxurious, they are built for purpose. Both are meant to be modular, their cargo bays can be swapped out as the mission dictates. Both can do far more than their listed rolls. Cat is much more than a cargo ship. Carrack is much more than an explorer.
Stoked that you got around to the caterpillar, have had mine since once upon a 2013 and the first time stepping inside her was something else. That feeling of being able to fiddle with every one of her internals, to tweak as needed to whatever shenanigans pilot and crew get up to, and the ability to brick-fit the thing enough to aggravate anyone not willing to expend torpedoes. With that out of the way, she's getting to that point where a second pass is incredibly past due, Deadweight on the RSI forums put out a 'concept pods' for her years ago and the CIG inside the caterpillar where they were playing with module designs almost feels like it happened a lifetime ago. Want to see her done right and the old caterpillar pilots thread was one of the longest running and most hopeful on the forums for an incredibly long time, here's to seeing the cat done right and don well.
Ah dude these chill vibes. Am watching your videos now the second or third time, just to relax, watching beautiful ships, listen to your phenomenal architecture knowledge!
You do such a good job taking your time around the interior! Far too many tours neglect to give the viewer time to truly appreciate the spaces of these ships. Thank you!
A really cool vid would be you discussing the architectural concepts you talk about. Things such as circulation, spatial organization, design strategies or guides, contrast of details, etc. idk much about architecture so these questions may seem stupid or nonsensical but I would love to learn different styles and takes of these kinds of things. How do architects, if given free reign, decide how to plan their floors and where each room goes and when to add hallways and stuff? Are there different styles and principles to that previous question? How do architects properly use contrast without ending up looking tacky? What’s the design strategy in how you pick colors and hues in your interiors? These kinds of things we’d love to hear about from you (or at least I would). Don’t feel you have to indulge this suggestion though In any case, love your videos!
really love this ship, any time a designer can pull off asymmetry it really speaks to me. All the random viewpoints that give clear indications of where you are in the ship I'm sure make it very easy to learn its layout. It just looks and feels like a true sci-fi ship, like one you'd see in a film about a motley crew and their missions with it.
I don't think you get the recognition for such Beautiful videos . From the Sound , to voice , to the shots hand selected to use . From going to different takes and Border selection. The choice of planet for lighting and just to show how tough the ship is . To choosing which places to go first and capture the attention of people before it leaves . Thanks for all the hard work , it looks amazing .
When they do finally make it modular and can have the command deck a separate ship, I would like to see another pilot seat on the main section of the ship so both could be piloted if separated
Some of your comments on the ships show a bit of a lack of military understanding. Having the front turret access be segmented from the front open cargo bay, is a very good design to prevent people running in and accessing the turret fast (the side doors could be kept shut in case of hostiles). Since the front is a cargo bay, not an entrance, all your personell are going to come from the rear of the ship, so it wouldnt serve much purpose to keep turret accessible from two directions (harder to prevent intruders). Yes, the side doors of the previous module can open, but this is the best they could do with a bad situation. ONE opening as opposed to TWO. The same applies for the Mercury Starrunner. It may seem as a civilian bad design to only have 1 entry/exit from the ship. But in defensive terms, it is brilliant. A single choke point to defend greatly decreases the odds an invader can make it through. Yes, there is the hidden hatch in the cargo bay, but again its "meant to be hidden", and it still ties in with the cargo bay as a single main defended area. As opposed to having a side-door next to the cockpit for intruders to easily hijack the bridge. Furthermore the elevator/ladder as the bottleneck to access ANY room of the ship, is another brilliant defensive position (especially taking grenades into consideration). Again, yes, intruders could use the hidden hatch, but the "point" of the design is that intruders wouldnt know about it. Love your videos. But it is definetly showing that you're a civilian architect, as opposed to a military designer.
I think you add an interesting perspective to the evaluation but 1 entry to the ship is not a safe idea, despite the advantages it might pose at a glance. Military designers take into account the possibilities of taking enemy fire, not just hijackers (in fact, you will likely encounter a hijacker exponentially less than you would enemies shooting at you). Should a module catch fire, a cabin depressurize, or a hull panel rupture (to name a few of many possible things that can go wrong) and an evacuation of the ship is needed, leaving the ship from one point will have a terrible outcome for ships with more than a one-person crew as you all scramble for 1 exit (discounting the concealed hatch, as if you all go for it its effectiveness as a rapid exit is gone and if you split up between exits hostiles would only be paying attention to the overt exit thus partially nullifying its effectiveness, assuming they are not familiar with MSR's design). Not to mention, should the exits become obstructed by flames, or collapses, or debris, you are effectively trapped. This is something a military designer will take into account and, in the real world, tends prepare for much more than the possibility of 1 person bringing a vessel close enough to enter a ship to hijack it (not to mention with sensors and ship computers, it will be easy to identify points where attackers will make entry, and this will only become easier as you become more familiar with your ship). You add a good bit of perspective to the analysis and I think there is some merit to what you say, but a lot of what Morphologis says is about architecture in general, and no matter what kind of architect you are, it's always going to be important to make sure the users of your design have the tools available to them to avoid disaster (whether that's an extra door for emergency exit or a choke point to stop hijackers!). Big ups :)
I agree. The Cat has that lived-in feel. A ship that can be used for so many uses such as a mini HQ, trader, great Pirate ship (with especially with the tracker beam) and of course the modularity sections.
I'm supremely happy that you're continuing this series of videos. My interest in this game could really be graphed out like my heart beat on a relaxed day reading a book by a fire. Large spikes and long breaks. These videos here keep my interest in the game in the back of my mind so I don't forget about it completely as I bounce around with other games. I realize you aren't playing it constantly either as you have videos on EFT and Space Engineers. But, your dedication to this series is admirable and the videos themselves are works of art. Keep at it, Morph! - a forever faithful fan.
I love the utilitarianism of Drake as a whole, which is why they're my favorite ship manufacturer. As for the stairs, I have a feeling they might have issues with player traversal with stairs that are too steep. Which is why you rarely see it in any game.
Drake definitely sits well with me, as bad as the ships are compared to others in their respective classes, I can see them being used as they are cheap, versatile and robust ships. It’s something you’ll see criminals or low levelled players using.
Regarding the versatility of the Drake Caterpillar, it was used in the infamous Kesslering Heist where a miner named Emilie Kesslering found some eriesium in some asteroids in the Tohil System. Up until that point his mining efforts didn't lead to much but upon discovery of the deposit it was the largest quantity of eriesium ever found in UEE space. Kesslering bragged about it and word soon spread around the Empire. On 21/06/2903, while in transport of the eriesium with a security detail, a Caterpillar broke out from heavy traffic, and rammed into the transport using the front sensor array as hooks to latch onto the hull. The front cargo door opened and pirates leapt onto the immobilized transport and cut their way inside while the turret engaged the shocked security detail. Within five minutes, the security detail had been destroyed, the transport breached and the eriesium taken. The Command Module detached from the Caterpillar and the pirates disappeared back into the spacelane with their fighter accomplices. By the time authorities arrived, they found an image that permanently seared itself into the public's consciousness, a Drake Caterpillar attached to the vented husk of a transport. Despite an exhaustive search through all the system, authorities never figured out who was behind the heist. The Caterpillar was forever tied with criminal element to the present after the event, which is probably why there's a dedicated pirate variant Caterpillar on the market.
Fantastic job as always, Mr. Morphologist. The point is fairly made by you regarding the stairs but I'm sure it's due to walking metrics, at least at the time the Cat was designed/ implemented. And the pathing of entry issue you addressed: it WOULD make fighting the way to HIJACK the control module a lot trickier.
My second favorite ship in Star Citizen after the Constellation Aquilla. Just a perfect blend of asymmetry and work-a-day that I love. Thanks for the fantastic walkthrough!
Love the Caterpillar, a mate from my organization has one, and we once crammed in as many buggies as possible to then go for a road trip on Delamar, getting to the top of a hill at the perfect time to watch the sunset, amazing and beautiful experience!
I love this ship so much. I bought it in-game and I still haven't finished exploring it, I've never been in some of the places you've shown. Yes, it is kinda rough, but if the game let me I would just live in it. As you said, its biggest downfall is the lack of a more direct access to the pilot seat. I think there should be DIRECT ACCESS straight to the command module. Having to go all around the interior, through that engine room, makes trading just a bit more annoying than it should be. You did a tremendous job showing us around, as you always do. Cheers
Fast way to the cockpit: through te crew quarters to the first cargo section, there is a ladder on your left. Up on the ladder, trough the doors, and there you are :)
The Cat was the ship that made me join Star Citizen. Now, finally the proud owner of one, I have some requests of for this craft in the future: 1) functionality of cockpit module to separate and fly away on its own (planned, eventually) 2) functionality of ship tractor beam to funnel loose “space flotsam” to crew members within cargo bays for proper storage (planned, eventually) 3 ability of front ramp angle to lower to the deck so that ground vehicles can be driven inside the fore cargo bay 4) ability to swap out all of the cargo bay modules and in their place: RAIL GUN
I really love the Caterpillar, I'm intrigued by how it can potentially be used as a stealth pirating vessel in the future. Hopefully, the modularity really opens up the options so you can never really trust that incoming cat... A missiles module that adds interior racks of missiles like the constellation or a snub fighter hanger that can hide a single ship in each module would be amazing.
I find I love that Matt Jeffries has become so immortalized that ANY science fiction (and perhaps even real world) access points are now called Jeffries Tubes.
Your videos are always so smoothing I love it. and I 100% love the lived-in feeling and looks, while I saw the command's little house under the cockpit I legit wanted to sleep there IRL (sadly it's just a few pixels) Let's hope that I either live long enough to be a space hauler or that I get reincarnated into the full-blown space age.
The circulation makes a _little_ more sense from the perspective of someone who enters the ship from the command module docking with the rest of the ship. But just a little-it’s still awkward to get to the main crew space from the command deck.
They've updated the cat and added something back to the empty yellow fenced area (quantum/powerplant thingy). That space used to be vacant. The Cat is a great ship, and my second larger ship purchase after the Connie. My only issues with this ship are the stairs from lower to upper deck going through the engineering, and the toilet in the crew quarters/kitchen area.
Just bought this a few days ago, it's an impressive ship. It was only today that I found out about the captain's quarters behind the pilots seat and down the ladder, lol. I bought it mainly for the modular design as I'm looking forward to that being implemented.
In real estate the four bay warehouse is perhaps the most common and basic form of commercial development. That CIG were able to turn such a thing into an amazingly cool spaceship is testament to their insight and skill.
10:00 I think it's worth pointing out that it does give you a *very* defensible area in case you're boarded, which could explain why they allow it to take up that much space
The Cat really reminds me of a belter ship from The Expanse. Super lived in and looks like you gotta fix something every 10 minutes, it’s perfect. It also has the best engine start sounds
I'd like to point out something you missed as well about the exterior of the cat....If you notice on the top of the hull along the modules there's a ladder system for use in 0G environment that takes you from the turret to the EVA hatch and vice versa in case of an emergency.
Something I noted regarding that oversized staircase, it looked like the steps could "fold down" to essentially create a ramp, to make it easier for stuff like wheelchairs
Great video. I feel there's a missed opportunity for the Caterpillar to have the very foremost ramp angling down to the ground in some way, to allow loading of a vehicle or two. Or maybe that's intentional as it would encroach on other ship designs.
I always love these episodes. As an urban planner I come at design from a slightly different angle, but on the whole I wholeheartedly agree with your observations, based on what I learnt when I was studying at university. I think your observation regarding the stairways is particularly astute. If the stairways were shorter I think that would open up possibilities for reconfiguration of the internal layout. Instead of going through the engine room the corridor could do a U turn to the stairs with an airlock type access to the engines, with turret access off that corner. Seems that would be safer, as I feel that those engines aren't particularly safe to be around, they've got that "I'm dangerous" glow. I also agree with you on design principals, that things should not be deceptive, which increases (what I learnt as) the legibility of the design. However, I did have one interesting counterpoint I thought you might find interesting. On old age of sale warships all the officers "rooms" were essentially little spaces defined by canvas screens. They had to be this way as they would "clear the decks" for action and take these rooms down. One thing that was commonly done, was to paint these screens, to give the impression of being in a more substantial room. These would even include painting fake windows, with country scenes, to cheer up the homesick officers. I think something like that could be appropriate on a space ship, and it would be a nice nod to some real historical naval phenomenon in a sci-fi setting.
Old video but a very good one! I own a Cat and I totally agree with you, the stair should be shorter and not be accessible from the engine room, it could easily be accessible from the Foyer as well as the turret and keep a single door to the engine room.
Ever since I first learned about Star Citizen, my goal has been to crew a Caterpillar. Loading and unloading cargo, doing maintenance, occasionally gunning a turret. It's not exactly a new ship anymore, but it's aged amazingly well. I'm assuming they're waiting with getting it up to date, till they have all the other systems implemented as well.
