Drake DefenseCon 2956
What to know
After a one-year hiatus and in the wake of the strange withdrawal of Invictus Launch Week 2956 to the Sol system, Drake DefenseCon – Drake Interplanetary's recently traditional tag-along event to the Invictus Launch Week – has made its return in 2956.
After a one-year hiatus and in the wake of the strange withdrawal of Invictus Launch Week 2956 to the Sol system, Drake DefenseCon – Drake Interplanetary's recently traditional tag-along event to the Invictus Launch Week – has made its return in 2956. Unlike in previous events where no companies aside from Drake itself participated and the event was timed to not immediately coincide and compete with Invictus for attendance, DefenseCon 2956 has expanded in duration to encompass the entirety of Invictus Launch Week 2956 and includes as participants many of the manufacturers who would otherwise have attended the more prestigious event with Consolidated Outland being the most conspicuous absence.
About
Traditionally Drake had been holding the event on its own to showcase their contribution and solutions in defense offered to militias and security organizations. But in 2955 Drake was, for the first time, invited to participate in the Invictus Launch Week. However in 2956 – and for reasons still not known – Invictus Launch Week was withdrawn and held only in the Sol system, enabling Drake's CEO Anden Arden to reinstate the DefenseCon beyond Sol on a far grander scale and even drawing the attendance of other manufacturers, with Arden boasting to SSN/CAtv that they were "proud to welcome all manufacturers, no hidden agenda, no glossy bait" and that "DefenseCon will show'em how it is really done".
Therefore, the Drake Interplanetary DefenseCon 2956 was held independently of its normally overshadowing event at the Bevic Convention Center in Area18, from the 14th to the 27th of May, 2956.
As announced on Drake DefenseCon 2954, Drake has presented the long-awaited Drake Ironclad and Ironclad Assault, an armored heavy freighter suited for the roughest systems with a detachable Command Module like the Caterpillar, and a military/assault variant respectively.
Nonetheless Drake Interplanetary has not fully escaped being overshadowed on this annual occasion, with Anvil Aerospace's major announcement of the Odin battlecruiser at this event.
"Come on down to the real party, the party for the people." - Anden Arden.
Free Fly
Anyone who wants to try Star Citizen can do so for FREE. The Free Fly event will start on May 14, right when the DefenseCon event launches, and will finish on May 27. To join in, just go to the RSI website and create a free account. Once you finish, a selection of vehicles will be temporarily available on your account. After you’ve had a chance to try them out, consider visiting the DefenseCon showhall located in the Bevic Convention Center next to Area 18, and then head to the vehicle rental terminals to check out more vehicle options.
The Free-fly was temporary suspended from the 14 to 18 May due to performance issues.
Vehicles
- Hall: Manufacturers Vehicles
- Main Hall: Drake Interplanetary, Grey's Market Buccaneer, Clipper, Corsair, Cutlass Steel, Cutter, Dragonfly, Ironclad Assault, Mule, Pitbull, Shiv
- Hall 1: Pilot's Choice: Kruger Intergalactic, Origin Jumpworks 125a, L-21 Wolf, L-22 Alpha Wolf, M80
- Hall 2: Frontline Favorites: Anvil Aerospace, Mirai, Roberts Space Industries F7C-M Super Hornet Mk II, F8C Lightning, Fury MX, Guardian MX, Meteor, Perseus
- Hall 3: New Standards: Aegis Dynamics, Crusader Industries, Roberts Space Industries Ares Inferno, Aurora Mk II, Eclipse, Tiburon
- Hall 4: Steady Support: Anvil Aerospace, Greycat Industrial, Mirai, Musashi Industrial and Starflight Concern, Tumbril Asgard, C8R Pisces, Cyclone MT, MDC, MTC, Nova, Pulse, Starlite, Storm AA, STV
Armor sets
In the Main Hall, this years armor exhibition features four variations of the Tailwind Flight Suit and Helmet set.
- “Anvil”: “Drake” “Kruger” “Murray Cup”
- Flight Suit | Helmet: Flight Suit | Helmet Flight Suit | Helmet Flight Suit | Helmet
Flight blades
Throughout the halls, there are exhibits showcasing the latest flight blades for the following ships; Asgard, Buccaneer, Carrack, Clipper, Corsair, L-21 Wolf, L-22 Alpha Wolf, Shiv
New vehicles
DefenseCon 2956 showcased a number of entirely new vehicle launches that was available for purchase.
| Day | Image Name Description |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Drake Pitbull Designed for close combat and fierce battles, it's a sleek, effective tool that combines agility with strong firepower for a powerful impact in a compact, single-pilot design. |
| Day 3 | Origin M80 A heavy fighter that merges interceptor-class flight tuning with outstanding design. Its key components are arranged for quick internal repairs, while less critical parts are externally accessible post-combat. |
| Day 5 | MISC Starlite Featuring two standard fuel pods and a sleek design, designed to assist stranded ships with refueling anywhere in space, where fuel depletion is inevitable. |
| Day 7 | Aegis Tiburon An anti-capital ship that includes a fixed forward facing beam weapon, along with additional turrets mounted on the sides and rear. |
| Day 11 | Anvil Odin An anti-capital battlecruiser manufactured by Anvil. |
Stock limited ships
The event also features sales of stock limited ships on the Pledge Store. These ships are considered 'exclusive' and are therefore only sold in limited quantities over a small period of time. Each stock-limited ship is limited to 1 per account and will be available in several waves. Click the individual time slots for a conversion to your own time zone.
| Day | Date Ships Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4 Wave 5 Wave 6 |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | May 14 Kraken Kraken Privateer 1600 UTC 2000 UTC 0000 UTC 0400 UTC 0800 UTC 1200 UTC |
| Day 7 | May 20 Idris-P Javelin 1600 UTC 2000 UTC 0000 UTC 0400 UTC 0800 UTC 1200 UTC |
| Day 11 | May 24 Odin 1600 UTC 2000 UTC 0000 UTC 0400 UTC 0800 UTC 1200 UTC |
Vehicle renting
In this years event, there will be a series of Traveler Rentals terminals aligning the walls of the hallway just prior to the main hall area. Here, you have the option to rent specific vehicles, from different manufacturers that are available in the game, for a duration of 48 hours. The rental schedule outlined below alternates between manufacturers at 16:00 UTC each day.
| Day | Date Manufacturers Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Day 1-2 | May 14–15 Drake Interplanetary, Grey's Market Buccaneer, Caterpillar, Clipper, Corsair, Cutlass Black, Cutlass Blue, Cutlass Red, Cutlass Steel, Cutter, Cutter Rambler, Cutter Scout, Dragonfly, Golem, Golem Ox, Herald, Ironclad, Ironclad Assault, Mule, Shiv, Pitbull, Vulture |
| Day 3-4 | May 16-17 Kruger Intergalactic, Origin Jumpworks, Roberts Space Industries 125a, 325a, Apollo Medivac, Apollo Triage, Aurora Mk II, Constellation Andromeda, Constellation Aquila, Constellation Phoenix, Constellation Taurus, L-21 Wolf, L-22 Alpha Wolf, Lynx, M80, Mantis, Meteor, Perseus, Polaris, Scorpius, Scorpius Antares, Ursa, Ursa Medivac |
| Day 5-6 | May 18-19 Argo, Greycat Industrial, Mirai, Musashi Industrial and Starflight Concern Freelancer MIS, Fury, Fury MX, Guardian, Guardian MX, Guardian QI, MDC, MTC, MPUV Cargo, MPUV Personnel, MPUV Tractor, Pulse, Razor EX, Reliant Tana, Starfarer Gemini, Starlancer MAX, Starlancer TAC, SRV, Starlite |
| Day 7-8 | May 20-21 Aegis Dynamics Avenger Stalker, Avenger Titan, Avenger Titan Renegade, Avenger Warlock, Eclipse, Gladius, Gladius Valiant, Hammerhead, Redeemer, Retaliator, Sabre, Sabre Comet, Sabre Firebird, Tiburon, Vanguard Harbinger, Vanguard Hoplite, Vanguard Sentinel, Vanguard Warden |
| Day 9-10 | May 22-23 Crusader Industries, Tumbril Land Systems Ares Inferno, Ares Ion, Cyclone AA, Cyclone MT, Cyclone RN, Cyclone TR, Hercules A2, Hercules C2, Hercules M2, Mercury Star Runner, Nova, Spirit A1, Spirit C1, Storm, Storm AA |
| Day 11-12 | May 24-25 Anvil Aerospace Arrow, Asgard, Ballista, C8R Pisces Rescue, C8X Pisces Expedition, Carrack, Centurion, F7C Hornet Mk II, F7C-M Super Hornet Mk II, F7C-R Hornet Tracker Mk II, F7C-S Hornet Ghost Mk II, F8C Lightning, Gladiator, Hawk, Hurricane, Paladin, Spartan, Terrapin, Terrapin Medic, Valkyrie |
| Day 13-14 | May 26-27 Finale All ships that were previously available during the expo will be rentable via the rental kiosks. |
Gear
There is clothing available at the event location lobby. Along with the below shirts and hats, an assortment of manufacturer specific shirts and hats are also available. 00 (plus tax).
- DefenseCon '56 Shirt, Hat, Pants
Twitch drops
In celebration of the DefenseCon 2956 event, CIG is hosting a Twitch drops event. From May 14 through May 27, backers must watch any Star Citizen stream that has Drops enabled for a cumulative duration of four hours to receive the Tailwind Flight Suit Murray Cup and helmet for free.
Reception and technical issues
Drake DefenseCon 2956 launched with Star Citizen Alpha 4.8.0. The event showfloor was scheduled to open up on May 14, 1600 UTC. CIG had intended to launch the patch the day before, on May 13. On spectrum, CIG developers kept confirming this was the plan. Developers supposedly kept working through the night to get it ready for launch. The patch ended up launching on May 14, at about 1300 UTC, three hours before DefenseCon was going to begin. The patch introduced numerous stability issues, particularly server-side and mission related.
A day later, on May 15, during CIG's Star Citizen Live twitch stream, Jared Huckaby told the community "we are not going to start the free-fly today". Jared said this was decided to keep the experience of the existing players at a good level, and starting the free-fly would likely cause disruptions for everybody.
On May 18, after a few hotfixes, the Free-fly was announced and non-backers were able to play the game for free until the 27th. Some existing players were not too happy about this, since according to their experience, the game was still too unstable.
DefenseCon Showcase
CIG held a pair of live shows hosted by Jared Huckaby where developers talk about the new ships that were launched during the DefenseCon event.
| Day | Date Episode Subject |
|---|---|
| Day 2 | May 15 Part 1 M80, Starlite, and Tiburon. |
| Day 11 | May 24 Part 2 Odin |
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