Ship Technology

Ship technology includes some of the most amazing scientific breakthroughs of modern times, which is no small matter considering what else has been invented in the world of New Eden.

General

Capsules are the core of modern capsuleer technology.
Rigs are a multipurpose technology designed to push ships beyond their initial designs.

Types and Designs

There are multiple types of vessels, ranging from lowly shuttles to small frigates, all the way through bulky industrials slowly roaming through space, up to large fighting vessels such as battlecrusers, battleships and the almighty titans. Each of them has their own specific design, purpose and use.

Frigates are small and cheap, on the interstellar scale, at least.
Interceptors are a special frigate class intended for fast pursuit and tackling.
Assault Frigates are designed around firepower and survivability.
Electronic Attack Ships are fast and agile frigates that focus on electronic warfare.
Destroyers aim to destroy things, hopefully smaller frigates, but not so much larger cruisers.
Cruisers are mid-sized ships that fill a variety of specialized roles.
Industrials are our interstellar haulers.
The Iteron-class cargo transport is cheap, fast, reliable and adaptable
The Iteron Mark IV - Quafe Ultra Edition is a special, caffeine-fuelled version.
Battlecruisers fill the size and firepower gap between cruisers and battleships.
Battleships are the largest sub-capital ships in New Eden.
Marauders are a subclass designed for long-term stays in hostile environments without logistics support.
CD-1 is a specialized battleship.
A modified Isogen-5 Abaddon was glimpsed ferrying destructive cargo.
The Dam-Imud was an Apocalypse-class battleship.
Titans are as much mobile space stations as ships.
The Jovian Mothership was a terrifying vessel that dictated the outcome of one of New Eden's most notorious battles.
Orbital bombers were used in the Gallente-Caldari War.
Project Skymother was a historical development in starship engineering.
Single-man fighters were the Caldari answer to Gallente bombers.
Mining barges can tear through asteroids in a short time.

Propulsion and Travel

Ships are able not only to drift through space - a grand feat in the history of any civilization - but withstand and maintain immense speeds, camera drones in tow, that may at times appear to violate some of the most fundamental laws of physics. They may rush down warp tunnels, disappear through wormholes, and be shunted through stargates.

Fractal acceleration shell capacitors are a part of starship engines.
Ship sensors are a necessity for travelling through dark space.
Stargates render interstellar travel possible for ships lacking jumpdrives.
Warp drives allow for speedy travel within the limits of a solar system.
A warp tunnel is a visual phenomenon coincidental of warp drive operation.
The micro jump drive was to be a major advancement in instantaneous travel, right up until the point where it instantaneously put someone in a place they very much shouldn't have been.

Combat

Those magnificent vessels, created through amazing feats of science and engineering, may drift through the skies, shunt between impossible distances and assist in the transport of innumerable people and objects. This being New Eden, mind, they're probably going to spend most of their time firing at one another. This may involve defensive combat - boosting, tanking and remote boosting - indirect combat - drones, ECMs, smartbombs - or simply direct, unequivocal combat, in the form of guns and missiles. It also includes how they detect friends and foes.

An ancillary shield booster is vital for those occasions where you're caught with your shield down.
Military drones see great use, particularly among the Gallente.
The Vampire was an exceedingly dangerous - and costly - prototype combat drone.
The Target Spectrum Breaker can cancel targeting locks against the ship they are fitted to.

Mining and Other Ancillary Functions

Ships aren't just vessels for mining and hauling. They may engage in covert ops, for any number of purposes, or loot the wreckage of those unfortunates who found themselves in the way.

The drone damage amplifier improves the damage output of combat drones.
Salvage drones come in handy after a firefight.
Salvage modules can be used for cargo retrieval.
Warp scramblers keep target ships from escaping.

Internal Functions

Capsuleers control some aspects of ship operations, and can even push their vessels into overdrive when necessity calls.

Beyond that, though, operation of space vessels is a complex and tricky endeavor that requires the combined efforts of often large groups of experienced people.

So ships have crews, and some concessions need to be made to their comfort and well-being onboard their respective vessels. Those crews are thankfully not lost when the ships are - well, not all of them, at least - and thus can build up the experience needed to run the various internal systems that are either unreachable by or beyond the interest of capsuleers to focus on.

Fedos are used on many ships, mainly Minmatar, as a cheap organic waste disposal and cleaning system. Ships that employ fedos usually have a special nursery where female fedos are kept in a controlled environment to breed due to the very short life cycle of a fedo.
A ship crew is necessary, believe it or not, for the successful flight of most interstellar vessels.
Viewing halls are omnipresent on ships.