Tyilui

Float, spin, and wind through space aboard the first alien-designed snub carrier in the 'verse. The Gatac Tyilui brings Xi'an engineering principles to a hull unlike anything Human shipbuilders have conceived, anchored by a zero-gravity hangar. A spectacular original in every sense.

We asked the team a few questions about the Tyilui and what it means to operate one. Here are the answers, straight from the devs themselves.

The Tyilui arrives alongside the Railen, introducing two Gatac ships at once. While they both share a similar interior and weapons, is the Tyilui a variant of the Railen, and what sets them apart?

The Tyilui and Railen share some of the interior, mostly the habitation level, but the other levels have significant differences to benefit the differing roles of the two ships. Externally, while the front profile is similar, the sides and rear of the Tyilui have changes to support the snub hangar, and as such, it is not a variant of the Railen.

What kind of experience were you aiming to deliver with the Tyilui, and what feelings or moments are you most excited for players to experience when stepping on board?

We want the Tyilui to feel even more alien than the Railen, with the addition of the multi-directional gravity hangar at the rear giving a very different traversal experience to other ships. The hangar space allows players to walk on any of the four pads and control the rear hangar door independently and launch out.

Where does the Tyilui sit within the current ecosystem of ships, and what sets it apart from anything available so far?

The Tyilui is the first dedicated snub-fighter carrier. While other ships do this indirectly, it’s not their sole focus. The Tyilui packs the ability to carry four snub fighters, 96 SCU of cargo, and hangar services in a compact package.

What can a solo pilot expect from the Tyilui, and how does that change with a bigger crew?

As a solo-crewed ship, the Tyilui allows you to carry a selection of ships for use. Obviously, more players aboard allow for more opportunities to launch and utilize more ships in parallel.

Four snub pads give players serious flexibility. What can be stored there, and what does that mean for the Tyilui in action?

The Tyilui’s primary role is carrying snub fighters, such as the Fury series, Pitbull, and Merlin. This allows those ships to partake in battles well beyond their home location and to add firepower to any encounter.

With pilot weapons, manned and remote turrets, missiles, and deployable snubs all in play, how do these layers come together in combat, and what does it mean for how the Tyilui handles a fight?

The wide variety of offensive and defensive weaponry allows the Tyilui and its crew to both attack targets as a single unit or as a mini fleet. It also allows the ship to defend itself in the event the snub fighters are otherwise engaged or unavailable.

Beyond transport, the Tyilui actively supports its snubs through repair, rearm, and refuel capabilities. What does sustaining those ships look like in practice, and how does the Tyilui's cargo capacity support that role?

The 96 SCU cargo capacity supports both cargo operations and the resources needed for the Tyilui's repair, rearm, and refuel functionality. This means crews can turn their snubs around directly from the Tyilui without needing to return to a station between sorties. For a small group, that self-sufficiency changes the scope of what they can accomplish together, keeping them in the fight far longer than they could manage without a dedicated support vessel.

How does the Tyilui handle, and what should players expect from its flight profile for a ship of its size and role?

The Tyilui is a medium industrial ship, but also embodies certain characteristics of a heavy vehicle. It’s designed to operate as both a cargo hauler and a carrier of smaller vessels, though its military-oriented role sets it apart from the Railen. Therefore, it trades a fraction of agility for greater resilience.

Where the Tyilui stands out is its lateral and vertical thrust profile. While its forward acceleration is closer to the heavy end of the archetype, its mobility is better for its weight, offering responsiveness more typical of medium industrial ships.

But this does have consequences, as players should expect some oversteer. The result is a ship with an interesting personality: the mass and forward drive of a heavy industrial, the maneuverability of a medium one, and the structural strength of something built for contested environments.

What kind of spaces and amenities can players expect on board?

The Tyilui has a comprehensive set of amenities aboard with a dedicated sleeping area, separate mess hall, and bathroom facilities.

The zero-gravity core and walking on walls inside a spaceship are not something players have experienced before. What drove that decision, and what can players expect when they step inside?

The hangar section is something we spent a lot of time on, ensuring it would feel good and as natural as possible while players walk around the room. The main benefit of this is that it allows us to have lots of surface area while also keeping the space open to allow easier access for any snub ships stationed within.

The Tyilui reflects both Gatac’s design philosophy and its place within Xi’an culture. How did those influences shape the ship, and what does it say about Gatac as a manufacturer going forward?

You can see the influence of Xi’an technology and culture throughout the ship. Gatac has never shied away from showing its skills with advanced manufacturing techniques, as highlighted by the way it plays with gravity around the ships. For example, the Tyilui’s multi-directional landing pads and 360 wraparound walkway, or how in the communal areas the waterfalls flow with the tapered shape of the walls and not the direction of gravity.

Gatac has also used rare, natural materials and shaped them to its will. There are no manufacturing details, few fasteners and fixings; it's all clean, bold, and intentional and shows off the design ethos of Gatac in contrast to our Human manufacturers.

All Gatac ships give a sense of calm. They pull from that feeling you get when you are in awe of nature. The heavy, oppressive sense of weight you get from walking into a large cave, or when you enter a quiet place of worship and you can feel the power and age of the building around you. This is something Gatac captures in its interior design, with large, flowing forms that connect the ship’s separate areas and help to flow consistently throughout the ship’s many layers. You get a sense of the strength and weight of the ships.

The Railen and Tyilui account for both Human and Xi’an crews, with the inclusion of Xi’an fermentation pods that dominate the food preparation area and the communal cave-like habitation area that brings calm to the Xi’an while accommodating Human crews with the comfort of individual bed pods.

The Xi’an maintain their language throughout the ship, and there are very few Human translations except for the most critical of information and systems.