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Kraken Privateer & Player Run Shops

Hello & Welcome to some more Star Citizen, We had a Kraken Privateer Q&A going over a lot of the most asked questions about the Ship and how it’s Shops will work.

The Kraken Privateer will be available to earn in game as with pretty much every other ship.

How do the Kraken & Privateer Variant Differ?

The Privateer takes the main cargo bay and replaces in with 8 customizable public shops.

And the Dragonfly Bays for 2 private shops, these private shops are shielded from scanning so it’s hard to know what’s in them without being on the ship and this should provide protection from the prying eyes of the law. It also have an additional 10 habs for the NPC crew that will tend the shops.

The regular Kraken can only refuel, rearm, and resupply ships landed on its pads or in its hangars. These supplies come from the Kraken’s own stock or cargo grid, so the standard Kraken could technically also sell services, but it doesn’t have any means of safely charging customers like the Privateer does.

Can the Privateer conversion kit be swapped on and off?

The Kraken Privateer Conversion Kit fully changes the standard Kraken to the Privateer and you can’t freely swap back and forth NOR can you only apply some of the kit.

To convert between the two in-game, you will need to take the Kraken to a capable shipyard, pay a significant fee, and wait for the work to be completed. This is the same mechanic we will have in place for other capital-tier ship upgrades and customization.

How does the Privateer Compare to the Banu MM?

The Kraken’s major advantage is the landing pad array that allows it to function completely independently. 

The Merchantman is approximately 1/3 smaller than the Privateer, allowing it to get to and land in more places.

How will Player Owned Shops Work?

The very high-level approach will be:

Chose the shop type (weapons, clothing, etc.)

Hire a shopkeeper

Buy stock

Set a profit margin

Sell to players and NPCs

These shops will operate in the same way for the Banu MM.

Will the shops be visited by NPC customers?

Yes. It’s envisaged that NPCs will make up 90% of the universe. They’ll be able to land and traverse locations with various routines and will provide the backbone of the wider economy.

How will people know that you have shops open on your ship? 

Currently, there isn’t a specific mechanic to allow owners to advertise that their ship is open for business. However, there are plenty of ways to get the word out, including in-game chat and Spectrum. Plus, the Kraken Privateer isn’t the most subtle ship, so it should get plenty of passing trade if parked in a high-traffic location.

When owners log off, will the Kraken remain online? How will other people take advantage of purchasing, selling, renting, etc. when owners aren’t online?

The ship will follow the same rules as others for remaining online: if players are on or nearby, it won’t be removed from play until various conditions are satisfied.

Will the shops, ship repair, refueling, and respawn service work if the Kraken stands on a landing platform on a planet?

Yes. The Kraken and other services work independently of the location they’re in. However, as hangars and landing locations have a physical inventory, doing so won’t create a way to infinitely resupply ships as implied.

How big of a ship can fit in the internal hangar?

The internal hangars are designed to take ships that fit on the current XS landing pads, such as the Buccaneer and Herald, so fighter sized ships.

Will the Privateer have a medical bay, and can one of the shops be a medical clinic to provide medical services?

While not originally specced to have a medbay, they are considering adding a very low-level facility when they start active production of the interior. I think just a T3 one meant for crew would probably be sensible on a ship of this size at least.