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How do I load ground vehicles onto my ship?

Last Updated

Alpha 3.23.1

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Many ships have cargo holds large enough to hold ground vehicles and even smaller spacecraft; some, like the Starlifter series, are purpose-built to carry & deliver ground vehicles.

However, the hangars designed for retrieving ships are in different locations than the garages or pad for ground vehicles. Some cities have dedicated facilities for storing and retrieving ground vehicles, while Platinum Bay operate a series of vehicle pads at ground stations around the system.

Changes coming in 3.23.x

The Personal Hangars that are coming in a future 3.23.x patch will make the process of calling & loading vehicles much easier, as you will be able to retrieve the ground vehicle, then retrieve the carrier into the same hangar. This guide explains the process as of patch Alpha 3.23.0.

You'll need to own or rent a ground vehicle, and own or rent a ship large enough to carry it. You can check the Ground Vehicle grid on the SC Wiki to see what can will fit. As a starter, you can rent a Cutlass Black fairly cheaply from refinery decks, and also the Greycat ROC mining buggy from the same location - or pick up a Greycat STV from Astro Armada in Area 18, which is a cheap, small but versatile two-seater buggy.

Load from ground garages

  1. Retrieve your ship and fly it to a location with ground garages or Platinum Bay pads:

    • New Babbage; NBIS Garage or Commons Surface Entrance

    • Lorville Perimeter Gates

    • Ground stations; e.g. HDMS locations, Rayari Research outposts, ArcCorp Mining areas or Shubin Mining facilities

      Note: Ground stations can be found on planets and moons, alongside other locations with similar names. For example, HDMS locations are mining stations with refueling and Platinum Bay pads, while HDSF locations are secured underground bunkers that will likely attack you if you get too close. Similarly, mining and research stations are generally friendly, while processing facilities are hostile.

      Loading snubs & shuttles

      Platinum Bay pads can also be used to retrieve XXS ships, such as snub fighters and shuttles, and they will often fit inside the same cargo spaces as medium-to-large ground vehicles.

  2. Land your ship and access the terminal area

    • Land your ship near the Platinum Bay pads; you can land on the open ground, though landing on a dedicated ship pad will give you a flat surface and enable you to use a tractor beam.

      Platinum Bay Landed Ship

    • Exit your ship and walk to the Platinum Bay building, which is marked with blue lights on a large antenna/spire.

      Platinum Bay

      Don't block the pads in your ship

      If you hover your ship too close to the small PB pads or try and land directly on them, your ship will be impounded, causing it to be stored at the station. This can be a serious problem as there are no pads available that are large enough to retrieve the ship, so you would have to get back to a space station or spaceport to get it back.

    • There are two locations to retrieve ground vehicles in New Babbage: the spaceport garages and the Commons surface entrance.

      • The Commons Surface Entrance can be found on the edge of the city facing the ice lake and the space port; follow the train lines from the spaceport towards the city and follow the left branch when it splits. The Commons itself is a group of four domes clustered together.

        Commons from above Commons surface entrance

        There are several options for landing near the Commons garage - you can land on the ice lake for a flat surface, or directly on the snowy slope heading up to the garage; there's also a medium landing pad on the other side of the domes that can be useful for larger ships, but isn't the easiest to drive vehicles to.

      • The entrance to the NBIS Garages is hidden under where the train lines to the spaceport enter the mountain.

        NBIS Garage NBIS Garage

    • There are six gates around the perimeter wall of Lorville. They aren't especially easy to find, especially as some are tucked into corners, but if you fly around the wall you'll eventually find one.

      Lorville Perimeter Gate Lorville Perimeter Gate

  3. Once inside the terminal area, retrieve your vehicle from the terminal.

    Terminals Called Vehicle

    Note: At most locations you can simply walk to the vehicle once it is retrieved; at the NBIS Garages, you will need to take an elevator to the specific garage number that you are given by the terminal. Both NB Commons and NBIS require you to contact ATC before allowing you to leave.

  4. You can drive the vehicle directly onto your ship if it has a ramp or elevator.

    Vehicle Loading Vehicle Loaded

    Vehicles are often light enough to load with a handheld tractor beam which may be necessary for ships that don't have ramps, like the Caterpillar. You can also use vehicle-mounted tractor beams for heavier vehicles, or when in armistice but not landed on a pad.

Storing ships with vehicles

If you store a ship with a vehicle loaded, the vehicle will still be there when you next retrieve it. This allows you to gear up a ship ahead of time with equipment and vehicles, then store it ready for when you want to run missions.