Ox

Up to date for latest version, 0.97a.

Ox-class Tug
Low Tech Frigate
16,000c
Logistical data
CR per deployment	40%
CR per deployment	40%
Recovery rate (per day)	10%
Recovery rate (per day)	10%
Recovery cost (supplies)	5
Recovery cost (supplies)	5
Deployment points	5
Deployment points	5
Peak performance (sec)	240
Peak performance (sec)	240
Ordnance points	5
Ordnance points	5
Maintenance (supplies/month)	10 (+5)
Maintenance (supplies/month)	10 (+5)
Cargo capacity	0
Cargo capacity	0
Maximum crew	4
Maximum crew	4
Skeleton crew required	2
Skeleton crew required	2
Fuel capacity	10
Fuel capacity	10
Maximum burn	8
Maximum burn	8
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	5
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	5
Combat performance
Hull integrity	500
Armor rating	150
Flux capacity	500
Flux dissipation	50
Top speed	100
Systems
Defense	None
System	Flare Launcher
Mounts	None
Hullmods	Drive Field Stabilizer High Maintenance Civilian-grade Hull

	The Ox-class tug carries a drive field stabilizer that allows a fleet to reach a higher burn level. It's rare to see more than one or two of these in a fleet, however, due to prohibitive fuel consumption and high maintenance costs.
–In-game description

A frigate with high maintenance costs, the Ox provides a massive utility to the fleet as a whole by increasing Burn Speed levels.

Overview

An utility frigate which increases the strategic map travel speed(Burn/Sustained Burn) of all ships in the fleet with its Drive Field Stabilizer; each individual Ox increases the travel speed of the fleet by one Burn level. This Burn level is NOT multiplied by Sustained Burn; for example a ship with Burn level of 8 and an accompanying Ox will have Burn level of 9(8 + 1) and Sustained Burn level of 17(8 x 2 + 1) The Burn bonus applies to the Ox itself and can be stacked with multiple tugs in the fleet up to the usual Burn limit of 20.

In addition to the Civilian-grade Hull frigate sensor profile penalty, the Ox's Drive Field Stabilizer further increases its sensor profile by an extra 200 points for a total of 260, thus sacrificing visibility by other fleets for extra speed. Though this sensor profile could be halved with the use of the Insulated Engine Assembly hullmod, the tug will continue to has a large sensor profile of 130, on-par with capitals with their base sensor profile of 150. S-modding Insulated Engine Assembly into the tug will reduce its sensor profile to a mere 26 though, letting fleets hide away more easily from enemy fleets and neutral patrols.

Because the burn speed of the fleet is based on the speed of the slowest ship, and given the penalties and maintenance/fuel cost of the Ox, it may be preferable to make the slowest ship(s) in the fleet faster with the Augmented Drive Field or Militarized Subsystems hullmods, or invest in the Bulk Transport Skill (though Militarized Subsystems and Bulk Transport only affects civilian hulls.)

Strategy and tips

The following section contains user-submitted suggestions, these may be inaccurate or outdated.

Changelog

Patch 0.9a:  reduced fuel cost/light year to 5 (was: 10) maintenance increased from 2 to 5 (high maintenance hull mod adds another +5)