Ship Submission Terms & Conditions

[Igiss]

Necessary Hardpoints

In this post I will list all hardpoints that are commonly used for custom ships in Freelancer.

Hardpoints in italics are revolute (has rotation properties, like weapons, turrets, and torpedoes). All the rest are static. HpTorpedo can be either revolute or static, but revolute is preferable.

Direction of hardpoint is generally the Y axis. For example, the turret or mine will face in the direction of its Y axis, and if you place Y inside the ship, the equipment will be placed inside the ship instead of outside. Exception of this rule are all lights. Lights shine in the direction where Z axis points; manipulating other axis is useless. By default, Z is pointed to the front of the ship, and lights without Z customization shine directly forward (which is usually OK for all front lights). HpMount, HpPilot direction must remain default. HpThruster will display thrust effect in the direction opposite to Z axis, so Z should remain default (pointing to the front of the ship) for that. However, thruster equipment model will face Y axis, like any other equipment.

Case of each letter is important! Be attentive. If you place HpDockLight01 on the ship, and HpDocklight01 in the loadout, the game won't recognize the hardpoint, and server error messages will appear.

Hardpoints should not overlap and be placed in same locations.

Hardpoint Reference

Common errors are highlighted in red.

HpMount - Mounting point of the ship. For fighters placed under the center, for capships - under the nose. Must not contain a number (NO "HpMount01").

HpPilot - Placed inside cockpit for fighters, near cockpit for larger ships. For smaller ships should be tested to suit the cockpit space well. Must not contain a number.

HpShield01 - Placed inside the ship. This hardpoint is placed outside for vanilla ships, but for custom models it's usually inside.

HpRadar01 (optional) - Placed inside the ship. Better not to use it at all.

HpEngine01(02,03,04 etc, no more than 9 may work, so no more than 8 recommended).

HpThruster01 (not used for battleships) - Placed near engines, preferably in the center.

HpTractor_Source - Usually placed in front of the ship, near HpHeadLight01. Must not contain a number.

HpHeadLight01(02) - Usually 1, might be 2 depending on ship nose configuration. Note that "Headlight" is used for vanilla ships instead of "HeadLight", but it's already a custom for new models to use "HeadLight".

HpRunningLight01(02,03,04 etc) - Up to 10 for small ships, up to 25 for larger ships.

HpDocklight01(02,03,04) - Usually 2, sometimes 4, might be more if necessary.

HpContrail01(02,03,04) - Usually 2, sometimes 4, might be more if necessary.

HpBayDoor01 - Cargo jettison point, should be placed some way off the ship hull. The larger the ship, the more the distance. Up to 100-200 units away from hull for battleships.

HpBayDoor02 - 2nd cargo jettison point, should be placed some way off the ship, near 01. This hardpoint determines the direction in which cargo will flow. Note that cargo crate will NOT stop when it reaches this spot.

HpCM01 - Countermeausure hardpoint.

HpMine01 - Mine hardpoint.

HpTorpedo01(02) - Torpedo hardpoint, similar to a weapon. Torpedo hardpoints should be of the "revolute" type with minimal turning angles (less than 10-15). Angles determine how far the gun barrel will be able to rotate.

HpWeapon01(02,03,04 etc) - Gun hardpoint. May be used for turrets if it's necessary for some strange reason (and vice versa). Weapon hardpoints are of the "revolute" type with limited turning angles. Refer to vanilla models to see what angles their weapons use. Usually 15-45 is enough.

HpTurret01(02,03,04 etc) - Turret hardpoint. Turret hardpoints are of the "revolute" type with wide turning angles. Setting angle to 180 in both directions is possible when turret won't shoot through any large ship parts. If the turret, for example, is located on the ship side and faces right or left, angle should be limited to about 90 degrees in each direction.