A long delema I've had....Any Advice?

[Talonsbane]

I would say that since you have operated both the Bucc & Hornet, you should base your decision on which was more fun for you to operate as well as what you plan on doing with it.

I myself have a Bucc that I currently have equipped with (2) CF-007 Bulldog Repeater & (2) CF-227 Panther Repeater on the wings with (2) CF-117 Badger Repeater attached to the turret mounts. When possible, I'll be upgrading the rest of the equipment to as high of grade of items for each area as I can to maximize performance in my small fighter.

 

[supitza]

I am concerned by the lack of polls this thread has. Testies like to vote on stuff.
Anyway, I like both the Horny and the Buccaneer. If I needed to choose only one of them, I'd get the Bucc because it's prettier and it's Drake.
As per the TEST Fleet Inventory, the people who bothered to fill that form collectively have 88 Hornets (split between variants) vs 42 Buccaneers. That means the Bucc is a huge underdog and the Horny owners are conformists and hispters.
DRAKE is love.

 

[Deroth]

Buccaneer all the way!

Currently running mine 2x M3As (may switch these to Suckerpunches when they actually work), 2x CF-227s, 1x Combine, and it chews things up quick!

I've flown both Hornets and the Buccaneer, but by far prefer the look and feel of the Buccaneer.

The Buccaneer is a bit of a glass cannon compared to the Hornet, but definitely looking forward to how both ships will be impacted by Item 2.0.

 

[marcsand2]

The Buccaneer opens like a BF109 cockpit, the middle sections are similar.

The front size of the Buccaneer looks like the front side of the FW190

Somehow I get a German feeling when flying in the Buccaneer.

 

[Varku]

I am concerned by the lack of polls this thread has. Testies like to vote on stuff.
Anyway, I like both the Horny and the Buccaneer. If I needed to choose only one of them, I'd get the Bucc because it's prettier and it's Drake.
As per the TEST Fleet Inventory, the people who bothered to fill that form collectively have 88 Hornets (split between variants) vs 42 Buccaneers. That means the Bucc is a huge underdog and the Horny owners are conformists and hispters.
DRAKE is love.

Well, to lower your [CONCERN] I would like to introduce the Poll if you need more Polls here. Please vote here:
https://testsquadron.com/threads/the-ultimate-poll

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Before you have to ask, I'm pretty much a long distance shooter, love energy weapons, and can maneuver both ships pretty well.

I suggest borrow a Vanguard and see how you like it. It is the only fighter able to carry an S5 weapon, which means it can carry the longest range energy weapon--the dread BEHR M7A--which is the only normal gun with >6km range. If you like to shoot from distance, I would check out this combination.

The Vanguard is not intended to be a dog-fighter, but if you like to shoot from long distance, you are technically not dog-fighting. You're sniping. Th Vanguard does not rotate as quickly as a Hornet, but this will make it MORE accurate for long range shooting. At closer ranges, the 4 additional MVSA lasers come on target, and I think you then have more energy firepower than any other fighter. This combination will tear down shields faster than any other. If you decide you want to go right at someone's hull, we should eventually be able to load a pair of fixed S4 BEHR C-788 Ballistic Cannon on that same fixed chin mount, which is the most powerful weapon available to small ships and also has excellent range. The ability to load a pair of these Ballistic Cannons has become my high water mark for fighters and ships turrets--if you want something dead fast, I think you will want that combination. If instead you want to kick down the shields say, because you want to sneak a spike missile through, then you want the big S5 laser.

And then add the Vanguard's additional turret, the superb shields, the best missile capability of any fighter and the option of 4 specializations.

Discriminating pilots choose Vanguard! So should you.

This has been a commercial advertisement, brought to you by Aegis Combat Systems, makers of the UEE's fastest and deadliest missile lock system.

 

[BadMoonRicin]

@Shadow Reaper
I had flown a Hoplite for a bit, I understand that has it's own hull but how similar are they?

 

[Bambooza]

Or just pick the jpeg that looks the best to you.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

@Shadow Reaper
I had flown a Hoplite for a bit, I understand that has it's own hull but how similar are they?

The Hoplite has a wider bay door so the frame is different from the other variants and it cannot be swapped into them nor they into it. I hope this changes and they just go with the wider Hoplite frame for all 4 variants but no mention of this as a possibility yet. Will probably never happen.

Remember that SQ 42 is based upon Vanguard combat (attack wings surrounded by Sabres) so I think the intention is to make the Hoplite rare. They want UEE to have martial capabilities that the average player group does not have--force you to use the Cutty instead. I think Hoplites are going to be an extremely effective tool for pirat. . .board. . .I mean loaning other people's rides.

 

[Deroth]

Buccaneer all the way!

Currently running mine 2x M3As (may switch these to Suckerpunches when they actually work), 2x CF-227s, 1x Combine, and it chews things up quick!

I've flown both Hornets and the Buccaneer, but by far prefer the look and feel of the Buccaneer.

The Buccaneer is a bit of a glass cannon compared to the Hornet, but definitely looking forward to how both ships will be impacted by Item 2.0.

I've done done reading and testing, apparently the collision detection driven detonation on the Combine is broken in 2.6.3, so something like only about a tenth of the rounds that impact, even on large stationary ships, do not detonate (they either pass through or ricochet off.) I'm guessing this means I've probably been doing better than I thought in dogfights...oops!

Additionally, with the new Ship Matrix it seems Buccaneers may lose the ability to equip size 4 weapons, instead getting an unmanned turret that can hold up to two size 3 weapons...this would definitely change things a lot for how to equip and fly a Buccaneer.

 

[BadMoonRicin]

After flying both the Hornet and the Bucc.. extensively, taking all the info into consideration...I've decided to go with the Hornet.

THANKS TO ALL my cameraden for their advice and the "usual" comments. (HeHehe, I DO Love this bunch!)

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Additionally, with the new Ship Matrix it seems Buccaneers may lose the ability to equip size 4 weapons, instead getting an unmanned turret that can hold up to two size 3 weapons...this would definitely change things a lot for how to equip and fly a Buccaneer.

Yeah, I remember them stroking the fact it had an S4 mount and played with the notion of its own interdiction weapon. Now the mount is gone and it has a turret? It's max one crew. Why give it a turret, unless they want to make it modular like the Hornet and you can then fit various loadouts like enhanced radar? Then you could have a whole wing of Buckies flying together as one with different capabilities, like the Hornets and Vanguard.

 

[Richard Bong]

Greetings All!

With the November sale coming up, I'm pondering "Buccaneer VS Hornet F7C" and which I want to keep...

I have flown both numerous times, searched the RSI Spectrum for info, and still CAN'T decide!
(maybe that's why I'm on my 3rd Marriage...ANYWAY)

I'm looking for comments from my TEST brothers and sisters. Your thoughts on the two ships.
Before you have to ask, I'm pretty much a long distance shooter, love energy weapons, and can maneuver both ships pretty well.

Note the new specs for both in the ship matrix. The standard Hornet no longer has a nose gun option, you have the chin turret instead, not as a choice. The Super Hornet, on the other hand is allowed Size 2 weapons on the chin turret and Size 3 on the Top turret. I thought I noticed a change in the Bucc, but since I don't have one I can't compare.

 

[Richard Bong]

The Hoplite has a wider bay door so the frame is different from the other variants and it cannot be swapped into them nor they into it. I hope this changes and they just go with the wider Hoplite frame for all 4 variants but no mention of this as a possibility yet. Will probably never happen.

Remember that SQ 42 is based upon Vanguard combat (attack wings surrounded by Sabres) so I think the intention is to make the Hoplite rare. They want UEE to have martial capabilities that the average player group does not have--force you to use the Cutty instead. I think Hoplites are going to be an extremely effective tool for pirat. . .board. . .I mean loaning other people's rides.

I was under the impression that the Sabre was an unadopted prototype and lost the contract to the F8 Lightning.

 

[AntiSqueaker]

Really comes down to if you want to be more agile and fragile, or more beefy and clumsy.

I like my Buccaneer, she's probably the most nimble fighter in the game and has great handling, amazing acceleration. The Gladius and M50 are a hair more agile, but they don't pack nearly the punch that the Buccaneer can offer.

Hornet on the other hand is basically the gold standard for fighters and has consistently been the top dog since Arena Commander 0.8 and will probably always be the best.

If you want long range firepower- have you looked at the Anvil Hurricane? It's basically the "fuck you and everyone around you" of the fighter world with 2 Fixed S4 cannons and a turret with quad Size 3 guns.


I'm sticking with my Buccaneer because I like the looks more than the Hornet, but none are bad ships.

 

[AntiSqueaker]

I was under the impression that the Sabre was an unadopted prototype and lost the contract to the F8 Lightning.

Lorewise, Sabre is a brand new design Aegis is pitching at the UEE to replace some of the carrier-borne Hornets (which have been in service for over 200 years at this point) with something faster and stealthier. In the meantime before the UEE decides to pick it up or not, Aegis is selling it to "qualified buyers" or some hogwash.

The Lightning is a specified Heavy Fighter, and looks to be too big to really be a carrier based fighter if you ask me.

But then again we've had like one lore blurb on the F8 so who the hell knows at this point.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Note the new specs for both in the ship matrix. The standard Hornet no longer has a nose gun option, you have the chin turret instead, not as a choice.

I don't understand this portion of the page at all. There are no gimbals listed. Did they start calling gimbals turrets or weapons (dopey designation)? IIRC, the caterpillar had 4 gimbals, 2 turrets and no fixed mounts (which is good for a ship that size). Now it says it has 4 "weapons" and 2 turrets. So fixed and gimbaled weapons are all called "weapons" now? How is that better?

 

[AntiSqueaker]

I don't understand this portion of the page at all. There are no gimbals listed. Did they start calling gimbals turrets or weapons (dopey designation)? IIRC, the caterpillar had 4 gimbals, 2 turrets and no fixed mounts (which is good for a ship that size). Now it says it has 4 "weapons" and 2 turrets. So fixed and gimbaled weapons are all called "weapons" now? How is that better?

They removed the gimbals from the page, IIRC. Now every hardpoint is listed at it's max size (or it should be, we all know how accurate and always correct the stats page is!) and the gimbal is just a "subtract 1 from the size to add a gimbal".

Turrets don't subtract the gimbals from their size because turrets are already capable of moving, so the weapon size on the turret is correct.

E.G. the Cutlass 2.0 (not on stats page) has 4 S3 weapon hardpoints and a turret with 2 S3 weapons. So you can have 4x S3 fixed weapons, or 4x S2 gimbals, or a mix of both. The turret with still be S3 regardless.

 

[Richard Bong]

Really comes down to if you want to be more agile and fragile, or more beefy and clumsy.

I like my Buccaneer, she's probably the most nimble fighter in the game and has great handling, amazing acceleration. The Gladius and M50 are a hair more agile, but they don't pack nearly the punch that the Buccaneer can offer.

Hornet on the other hand is basically the gold standard for fighters and has consistently been the top dog since Arena Commander 0.8 and will probably always be the best.

If you want long range firepower- have you looked at the Anvil Hurricane? It's basically the "fuck you and everyone around you" of the fighter world with 2 Fixed S4 cannons and a turret with quad Size 3 guns.


I'm sticking with my Buccaneer because I like the looks more than the Hornet, but none are bad ships.

Beauty is in the eye of hte beholder. I really can't stand the Drake ships. they look too clunky to me, and I really don't like the WWII tech vibe they seem to give me. :) In comparison, to me, a B-52 looks higher tech than Drake ships. :)

On the other hand I love the look of Aegis ships. :) Though I do think the classification of the Retaliator as a bomber is wrong, its specs are more PT Boat than Bomber. :)

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I was under the impression that the Sabre was an unadopted prototype and lost the contract to the F8 Lightning.

Could be. I don't recall. I know they heralded the Sabre as a superiority fighter, whereas the Hornet is a Multi-role fighter--kinda the same distinction between the F-15 (former) and F-18 (later). The F-8 is definitely a superiority fighter, and it would kick the Sabre's ass if it handles even near the same with all those guns. I think the only way to get them will be to steal them, and that would be mega hard.