The video praises the RSI Hermes as a well-designed, practical medium cargo hauler that effectively fills a needed role in Star Citizen, contrasting it with the RSI Apollo, whose original medical gameplay concept never fully materialized and now feels oversized and awkward. It also highlights broader development challenges like ship variant bloat and shifting priorities, expressing hope that future ship designs will better align gameplay with player expectations.
The RSI Apollo was originally envisioned as a unique battlefield triage medical ship with deep medical gameplay, serving as a critical support vessel behind enemy lines. However, its in-game implementation has fallen short, becoming a larger, less distinct version of the Cutlass Red with uncertain future prospects. Meanwhile, Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) recently introduced the RSI Hermes, a ship that shares similar dimensions but serves a very different and more practical role as a medium cargo hauler. This shift highlights the struggles and changing priorities in Star Citizen’s ship development, especially regarding medical gameplay and the Apollo’s viability.
The RSI Hermes is a sizable cargo ship, about 73 meters long, carrying 288 SCU of cargo, making it a strong competitor to other medium haulers like the Starlancer Max. However, its cargo loading design features a tight rear opening that limits ease of loading larger items or vehicles, contrasting with more accessible designs like the Starlancer Max or the Ironclad, which offer larger access points for efficient cargo transfer. Despite this drawback, the Hermes boasts solid defensive capabilities with multiple turrets, shields, and higher hull health, positioning it as a durable armored transport with practical cargo handling features such as a rail-mounted tractor beam.
Visually, the Hermes is praised for its aesthetics, reminiscent of the Apollo’s original appeal, which many fans admired. Unfortunately, the Apollo’s medical gameplay never fully materialized, and its size increased significantly from the initial 43 meters to 73 meters, reflecting changes in design philosophy and gameplay focus since 2017. The Hermes’s release underscores how much better the chassis fits cargo hauling than medical support, emphasizing the missed potential and current awkwardness of the Apollo in the game. Additionally, the two ships require separate development resources due to different paint schemes and models, complicating updates and player preferences.
The video also touches on a broader issue within Star Citizen’s development: the proliferation of ship variants. While variants can be beneficial by adapting ships to different roles and gameplay, the rapid increase in variants risks creating “ship bloat” and diluting development focus. Many ships like the Apollo, Terrapin, and Prowler exist without fully realized gameplay loops, and variants like the Hermes repurpose these chassis into roles with active gameplay, sometimes overshadowing the original designs. This trend highlights challenges in balancing funding needs, development priorities, and maintaining cohesive gameplay experiences.
Ultimately, the video expresses a mixture of appreciation and disappointment. The Hermes is a surprisingly enjoyable and practical ship that fills a needed cargo role, but its existence also reflects the compromises and uncertainties surrounding the Apollo and medical gameplay in Star Citizen. The creator hopes CIG will better align ship design and gameplay expectations moving forward, avoiding situations where ships like the Apollo become sidelined or overshadowed by their variants. Despite some negativity, the overall tone is one of love for the game and hope for its continued improvement.