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At the end of Invictus 2022, Drake unveiled the Mule, Star Citizen’s first forklift vehicle. Billed as a cargo loader, the Mule is a precursor to activity players and NPCs will engage in once the cargo re-factor is introduced into the game. For now, it serves as a method for obtaining lifetime insurance on a more expensive ship by using the site’s ship upgrade options. Using “LTI tokens” to gain lifetime insurance on more expensive ships is a mini-game within the Star Citizen community.
On its own, the Mule isn’t of much use yet – another vehicle made available in-game while its core mechanics are being completed. Regardless, it’s a fun little vehicle and an item that most players will probably need to speed up moving boxes around. I definitely see its eventual usefulness across all content activities, whether it’s used in a hangar, on the ground, or aboard a large ship.
CARGO REFACTOR
Soon, cargo will be physicalized within the Star Citizen universe. No more magical arrival of purchased commodities appearing and disappearing from ships during purchase and resell. Using a drag-and-drop interface, ship components used for upgrades won’t be magically available in your inventory. These will be actual in-game items that have to be moved around. The recently added loot boxes we have to carry one at a time. Delivery missions of multiple boxes going to or being retrieved from the same location. A vehicle that carries multiple boxes at once could aid in all the aforementioned scenarios. In the distant future of Star Citizen, players will have ground bases. Transferring supplies around the base will require ground vehicles fit for purpose. I can definitely see myself using one to navigate and move inventory on a base.
DRAKE MULE
The Drake Mule is a small cargo loader measuring 4.2M in length, 3M wide, and 2.7M in height. It reminds me of a little Tonka truck. I expect that we’ll see a larger version, eventually.
Its capacity is equally small. It can store six hand boxes, 1 SCU-sized crate in the rear storage, and another 1 SCU crate in the forklift storage. Given the scope and amount of items players are often transporting, it would take a long time and be a tedious exercise to use this size vehicle. However, for new players, especially doing box delivery missions and looting bunkers, I can see this as a timesaving option when it’s fully functional.
Being the introductory version of a forklift, they priced the Mule like a starter ship. $40 for cash with lifetime insurance. $45 with 120 months of insurance if purchased with store credits. It’s a fun little vehicle to drive around. The animations are good. The HUD is clean. I look forward to when I can use the Mule with purpose.
For more information on the Drake Mule visit the RSI website here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ column_width_percent=”100″ expand_height=”yes” overlay_alpha=”50″ gutter_size=”3″ medium_width=”0″ shift_x=”0″ shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″][vc_images_carousel images=”53769,53766,53761,53762,53765,53764,53763,53770″ img_size=”600×400″ speed=”3500″ autoplay=”yes” wrap=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
