[Droid803]

Yes but its built into the cockpit. Blows you up/shrinks you down so you fit perfectly!

That sounds rather jarring, if not outright unpleasant. The sacrifices that GTVA pilots make to keep their worlds safe are greater than I could have ever imagined.

Not really, its far more comfortable to be "adujsted" to the appropriate size than to try and fit into something too small or deal with something too big!
Why wouldn't the designers agree on a size?
BUREAUCRACY.

[Hades]

you mean the apollo from the first intro that was supposed to be a bomber?

"Supposed to be" is more like "What the fans think it may be", it was never set in stone (canonically) that it was meant to be a bomber or pure bomber variant. I really doubt it was meant to be, too, as it doesn't appear to have a heavy payload. It strikes me as more of a heavy assault variant, a more specialized variant.

[yuezhi]

well i thought that was speculation left over from the freespace bible as well as miscommunication between studios.

Not really, its far more comfortable to be "adujsted" to the appropriate size than to try and fit into something too small or deal with something too big!
Why wouldn't the designers agree on a size?
BUREAUCRACY.

as if fringe science of armegeddonish proportions wasn't enough.
perhaps we can thank them for never using the shrink technology on vasudans when it really mattered.

[el_magnifico]

you mean the apollo from the first intro that was supposed to be a bomber?

"Supposed to be" is more like "What the fans think it may be", it was never set in stone (canonically) that it was meant to be a bomber or pure bomber variant. I really doubt it was meant to be, too, as it doesn't appear to have a heavy payload. It strikes me as more of a heavy assault variant, a more specialized variant.

Strange. I remember the semicanon FS Reference Guide stated it was supposed to be a bomber.
I even used some sketches I extracted from the credits as reference material for my "Apollo Bomber" model (as you may guess, I'm obsessed with the Apollo).

(As a side note, it would be cool to have a heavy assault variant. Think about it, it supposedly was the mainstay of the fleet for many years, so it makes sense for it to have some specialized versions).

[z64555]

they've already known the ancient art of vacuum sealing food so i don't find this surprising.

on the bright side, the **** spacemen are eating nowadays could taste better since they've been brought down to size. guys in perseus must think liver flavoured toothpaste is a delicacy.

Taste aside, if their nutrition is significantly better than today's "first-world" nutrition, then I think the expected average height of humans would be somewhere around 6 to 7 feet tall.

[yuezhi]

Strange. I remember the semicanon FS Reference Guide stated it was supposed to be a bomber.
I even used some sketches I extracted from the credits as reference material for my "Apollo Bomber" model (as you may guess, I'm obsessed with the Apollo).

(As a side note, it would be cool to have a heavy assault variant. Think about it, it supposedly was the mainstay of the fleet for many years, so it makes sense for it to have some specialized versions).

huh, never thought of it that way. except at one point they most have thought heavy assault was pointless explaining why they only had recon/intercept and space superiority.
now i'm curious how big guys flying athenas are.

el_magnifico do you work for Han Ronald Corp?

[el_magnifico]

el_magnifico do you work for Han Ronald Corp?

Damn! My cover's been blown up. The honeymoon is over! DIVE DIVE DIVE

*jumps through the window*

(Funny trivia: Han-Ronald manufactured 6 of the 9 Terran fighters of the FS1 era, and some other craft too. Lobbyists anyone?)

[yuezhi]

el_magnifico how about something relevant to the topic for a change like how many sandwiches will fit in the cockpit with the pilot on your finished bomber, taking into consideration whether you'll mesh out Wilt Chamberlain or Mini-Me in there. i expect the spaciousness will be luxurious since it's a bomber.

lol in fs2 they only made one. Herc2 is actually RNI Systems (which in my own fanon universe defected from HRC when the latter joined the NTF.) How the mighty have fallen especially after they designed the flagship fightercraft of the alliance

[el_magnifico]

Not really much to say apart that I hate cockpits anyway, and I would have much preferred if they would have been left black, like a polarized glass.

[LordMelvin]

Since when is polarized glass black?

[esarai]

Well back on topic, assuming the diaspora pilot is the right size, then the only pilot remotely in the vicinity of proper human proportions is the Perseus pilot. 

I know that when I build my ships, I stand the dudes up and make sure they're 2 m tall, and then keep rough proportions as I pose them in the cockpit.

[el_magnifico]

Since when is polarized glass black?

Whatever you guys call this. We call it "vidrio polarizado" (polarized glass) in Rioplatense Spanish.
I liked to imagine cockpit glass was made of something like that before the MediaVPs introduced cockpit models.
Well, I guess it's my opinion against the majority here, so I'll just sigh...

[headdie]

isnt that just a tint?

[Legate Damar]

Obviously these dudes were introduced by the MVPs, so there's nothing of, uh, canonical interest here. But it's fascinating to see what seems to be a caste system at work: Perseus pilots are selected for their diminutive size, whereas Ursa and Herc pilots are totally roided out.

But then how is Alpha 1 able to fly such a wide variety of ships during the FS2 main campaign?

He is a shapeshifter! The Dominion has infiltrated the GTVA!

[jg18]

While we're drifting off topic, I'd like to point out that, contrary to the OP, anal sex != gay sex. [Interesting article from Slate.]

Moving back on topic, though, Droid's explanation for how Alpha 1 can fly all those different ships (including Vasudan ships, which presumably weren't designed with Terrans in mind) is fairly compelling, or at least I can't come up with a better one, unless Alpha 1s just have to be small so they can fit in ships of any class.

High-tech versions of the kind of adjustments found in cars today could probably fix the case of someone being too small to pilot a given ship class, but I don't think they could fix the case of someone being too big.

And I guess this pilot-shrinking technology can't propagate through space, since otherwise the GTVA would have a weapon that'd make enemy pilots itty bitty so they couldn't pilot their ships.

[z64555]

Moving back on topic, though, Droid's explanation for how Alpha 1 can fly all those different ships (including Vasudan ships, which presumably weren't designed with Terrans in mind) is fairly compelling, or at least I can't come up with a better one, unless Alpha 1s just have to be small so they can fit in ships of any class.

High-tech versions of the kind of adjustments found in cars today could probably fix the case of someone being too small to pilot a given ship class, but I don't think they could fix the case of someone being too big.

And I guess this pilot-shrinking technology can't propagate through space, since otherwise the GTVA would have a weapon that'd make enemy pilots itty bitty so they couldn't pilot their ships.

I'd like to think that the larger craft have extra seats for passengers, cargo, and robotic help. And, IIRC, the average Vasudan was comparatively larger than the average Terran (By girth if not by height)

[General Battuta]

While we're drifting off topic, I'd like to point out that, contrary to the OP, anal sex != gay sex. [Interesting article from Slate.]

but it is if it's with thaeris!

after going carefully through the root VPs i think i've found an answer. portrait of alpha 1 discovered



get yer coat, wilford brimley

[z64555]

Awww... I JUST cleaned that floor!

Sheesh.

[BengalTiger]

How does the GTF Pegasus pilot compare to those?

[General Battuta]

How does the GTF Pegasus pilot compare to those?

Open FRED and find out