Cargo isn't really an issue if you have a different ship for hauling. I already have a hauler/fighter hybrid with 100 mobility that uses the SA-4330.... Although it has 6 of them. Sounds like you want a more rounded build, but this here is a pure fighter. Some of my other builds are more well rounded. Hopefully fuel matters more once they add survival mode, but for now even 250 is quite a bit... Of course I run mine with 500 fuel because I don't use this for cargo. I do have a crate in the lower hab in case I need to store loot from boarding a ship, though.

@allensproject the worst flaw a ship could have, is to need another ship. I'd never switch from a ship to another just to be able to hold more cargo, it's annoying to do it everytime you expect to do something your current ship isn't suited for. I'd better get 2'5-3k cargo on a fighter than build a hauler. But that's just personal taste. My current ship is even smaller than most fighters out there, but it's not actually a fighter but a pocket cruiser. 150 speed and 100 mobility of course, but 8 crew, all crafting stations etc etc. SA-4330 is a beast

The game lets you have 10 ships, might as well have ships perfectly suited to a variety of missions. Building another 2k cargo fighter would be redundant... I mean, I probably will eventually, but I might sell one of my similar ships first... Switching ships is easy, all my outposts have a large landing pad except the first one I built and all the places you go to sell loot also have a ship tech.

Compared to the typical components, 35 hull for 13 mass is actually a great deal. A 1x1 hab offers 5 hull for 5 mass. Larger habs have more mass, but still only offer 5 hull. There are a few weapons that offer 2 hull for 1mass, but that's still not as good as 35 for 13, and I also wouldn't choose my weapons based on hull strength unless all other stats were the same. The only item I know of that offers a better ratio than 35/13 is the taiyo pinpoint landing gear, which offers 3 hull per 1 mass. I used two of those on this build. There might be a few more out there, but ratios this good aren't common. That being said, you might be more interested in cargo or fuel or something else, as opposed to hull strength. Plus, if you're not using it to fight the entire galaxy at once you might not need hull strength. Fighting normal sized groups of enemies, I hardly ever lose my shields, so hull doesn't matter. It depends on what you're trying to build.

When a weapon says automatic, it means that it has a rapid fire rate. Automatic weapons also store multiple shots when fully charged, so you will temporarily have full fire rate even if they aren't at max power. Perhaps they could have chosen a better name. There is a 'rapid' railgun in the game that is similar to the 'automatic' weapons. If you don't want to have to fire your weapons manually, you need to look for weapons that have "turret" in the name. Some weapons are both turrets and automatic, ex: the PBO-300 Auto Alpha Turret. Btw that's a pretty nice turret to have. Especially if you want to install a lot of them but won't be able to send them 12/12 power. None of the weapons on this build are turrets. All must be fired manually.

Thus ship is hardly complicated... only one hab which is a 2x1 because it fit, and I find the 1x1s boring and empty so I'd rather use a 2x1 if it doesn't ruin the shape... If you could do no habs I might try that lol but you can't seem to fit a docker and a landing bay that way. And if you're using 6 of the same class a guns, I'm guessing it's the vanguard obliterator autoprojectors, which I used on this build. This ship doesn't have any turrets either... Not that I have an issue with them. I've used them on other builds, and I'll use them in the future.

@@allensproject I apologize, as my post was written far too fast and not clear on my intent. It was not supposed to be 100% directed at your build, it was supposed to confirm that you don't need multi layers habs and 6 turrets. But on topic of your reply. You can go with ZERO habs....one companionway can accommodate your landing bay AND docking bay.....no need for a single hab. Also, depending on the cockpit you choose, you can have 7 crew with just that one cockpit.

@@8654ZuluFoxtrot I always considered companion ways or storerooms to be habs - they are in the hab category... But they are so empty that I could see how you might not consider them to be real habs lol. And it's true that there are cockpits that hold more crew... The Ares bridge actually holds 8, which seems to be the max. It is pretty large, though, so combining that with a 1x1 isn't really going to be any more compact than the bridge I used when combined with a 2x1... Just a different shape. I only had 2 or 3 crew with me when I tested this thing anyway, because I haven't leveled up my crew command skill yet... But I like the nova control station regardless, because it has a storage crate in it that can hold 150 kilos of gear.