This will be a quick and easy guide to allow you to see available ship types and hangars you don't normally have access to. There are other guides on the web that are more in depth and will allow other functionality, such as removing/adding parts on the holotable. But doing it this way you will be able to interact with the ship and its currently accessible parts.


First off, if you don't already have it download 7 zip file manager:

http://7-zip.org/


Navigate to the StarCitizen install directory. Default is Libraries>Documents>StarCitizen. Navigate to CitizenClient>Data, within that folder find the Scripts.pak and GameData.pak files. Make a copy of each and put it somewhere safe (Pictures folder works well for me). Now also paste those same files on your desktop for easy navigation.

For Hangar switching; I have the discount hangar so these instructions will be based on switching from discount to business/deluxe. But it should work the other way around.

-Fire up 7zip and find your Desktop folder, C:\Users\UserName\Desktop\

-Double click Gamedata.pak
-Double click GameLayers
-Double click either Business.lyr or Deluxe.lyr and open in notepad (depending on which one you want to experience)
-Select all text (CTRL+A) then copy (CTRL+C). Close that file.
-Double Click Discount.lyr
-Select all text then paste (CTRL+V). Save that file and close it. 7zip will ask if you want to update it in the archive, yes you do. Click ok.
-Now copy the Gamedata.pak file on the desktop and paste it in the StarCitizen>CitizenClient>Data folder. Select "Copy and Replace" option.

Launch the Hangar Module, now you have a shiny new hangar!

For ship switching; I have an Aurora MR as my only ship, so again, this will be based on steps I use. This guide will replace your ship with whichever one you want to switch it with. The new ship will occupy the area in the hangar the old ship was in. This won't have any effect on which ships you have pledged for it's just a way to experience ships you don't own.

-Fire up 7zip and find your Desktop folder, C:\Users\UserName\Desktop\

-Double click Scripts.pak
-Scripts
-Entities
-Vehicles
-Implementations
-XML

From here it is just a matter of renaming the file of the current ship you have.

For example If you have the Aurora MR and want to see the Constellation;
-Right click the RSI_Aurora_MR.xml and rename it 1 and hit enter. This just helps to avoid confusion.
-Right click RSI_Constellation.xml and rename it RSI_Aurora_MR.xml and hit enter.
-Right click 1 and rename it RSI_Constellation.xml and hit enter.
-Close 7zip
-Now copy the Scripts.pak file on the desktop and paste it in the StarCitizen>CitizenClient>Data folder. Select "Copy and Replace" option.

Launch the Hangar Module, now you have a shiny new ship!

To set everything back to normal just paste the backups to the original file that you put somewhere safe (Pictures Folder for me) into the StarCitizen>CitizenClient>Data folder.

As a warning, from my experimenting trying to switch to the RSI_Bengal_Carrier.xml or DefaultVehicle.xml will freeze the Hangar Module. You can even replace your ship with the buggy, Greycat_PTV.xml, but it isn't drive-able.

Have fun! If anyone has any info they would like to share on this subject please do!

Moving to Modding, for now, pending CIG approval or disapproval.