The Beagle is the first official human stealth ship, designed by Andre Holt and commissioned by Lord Vasiliev. It is the ship assigned to the ex-Velconi smuggler Cassidy Carran while working black ops for Lord Vasiliev.
Operational History[]
Main Article: Black Hearts: Frontier
Design[]
Though smuggling ships have been operating at low power levels to evade detection since the formation of the Yamshchiks, the Beagle was the very first ship designed around that function. Improving on previous waste-efficiency models, Andre Holt built the Beagle to use up the vast majority of byproducts created in power production as a secondary energy source.
Small amounts of heat and radiation that cannot be used in any way will remain, but these can be temporarily contained within the Beagle. When they are ultimately released, the hull is designed to distribute the waste equally along its surface rather than emitting it all from one location to further avoid energy signature spikes.
Crew[]
- Cassidy "Cass" Carran (Velconi Specialist, Technical Captain)
- Anira Laghari (Pilot)
- David "Dave" O'Connor (Navigator)
- Andre Holt (Engineer)
- Taiomi Witika (Weapons Specialist)
Gameplay[]
A Beagle modified for high combat performance, with additional weaponry and armour plating.
A Beagle modified for speed and maneuverability and given a different paint scheme.
While the Black Hearts series have many ships commanded by the player character, most of these ships were naval vessels that could not be modified at the whims of its captain. The Beagle is the first ship in Black Hearts that features a full customization option, taking after the style of many other sci-fi games. It can be modified when it is landed in any docking facility, including friendly official spacedocks or Yamshchik hideouts. The changes available depend on the facility being used, with Yamshchik sites typically offering lower quality modifications, but possessing certain illegal mods that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
Modifications to the Beagle work on the same premise as the weapon modification system. Some mods simply benefit your ship, whether by boosting an aspect of its performance or adding a new function, while others come with drawbacks. Many mods are incompatible with one another or have other limitations; for example, only one engine modification can be equipped at a time and there is a maximum amount of weapons the Beagle can support. This makes the player choose what they wish to prioritize for their ship.
Trivia[]
- The design of the Beagle bears resemblance to and is likely inspired by the Serenity from the Firefly series. However, its stealth systems is based on the technology employed by the Normandy from Mass Effect. The Beagle's firepower and size meanwhile is closer to that of Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.