Banu Defender, good fit for bounty hunting?

[Shadow Reaper]

Well if I really really want cells, I plan on using the blue... I am having a very hard time chosing which one to pleadge for between the three: my reason goes to the avenger, heart goes to the hawk and alienmind goes to the defender really. At the moment all points towards pledging for the hawk, but that crab >-oO-<

I am not a big fan of the vanguard, plus it does not suit my 2018 restric..solution in terms of expenses in star citizen. Why did yo consider the Sentinel? Also the view should be greatly improved according to the Q&A

The Vanguards should have excellent handling in atmosphere, where you could find bounties. Using Vanguards in atmo should yield surprising advantages. Vanguards are also relatively fast. Maybe not as fast as the Hawk and certainly not the Avenger, but probably faster than the Defender. Vanguards are also expected to have enormously high refresh on their shields, the fastest lock time of any missile computer, and have the turret which makes a second player or NPC useful but not necessary. Vanguards are one of very few ships that carry S3 missiles and the only fighter wearing an S5 gun, which means longer range with both missiles and guns. You can thus fight strategic instead of relying upon your dogfighting skills outmatching every opponent.

Finally the Sentinel has the ability to mask its own identity and perhaps that of its entire group. It is a ship built for guile and deception, so useful in running down a bounty. Also it has EM Warfare pods we don't understand yet, but appear will have some EMP capability like the Warlock, Hawk and Raven.

It is a thinking man's ship, and if you are not a thinker, you should not plan to run bounties to ground. There are alternatives to fighting and dogfighting, and they're best served in a thinking man's ship, like the Sentinel, IMHO.

And of course the Sentinel is due out soon, whereas the Defender is not.

 

[Zadig]

Drake ships in general feel less spaceworthy than a World War 2 aircraft to me. :slight_smile: Drake ships, to me are too blocky, as well. Those are the aesthetic reasons. The only Drake item I like the look of is the Dragonfly. :slight_smile: It isn't that the ship can't do the job, it is just that I don't like it. :slight_smile: It is a personal thing. :slight_smile:

From a practical standpoint, I decided, as a planned Bounty Hunter, after some serious consideration, to skip the Cutlass size ship and go straight from the Avenger to the Retaliator, though the Connie should work as well. I figure I need a vessel that can carry a ground vehicle as well as Prisoners and I don't think a bike is a good choice for carrying a resisting prisoner. :slight_smile:

Now the question becomes can I shove a bounty into a 1 SCU box to carry in a Cyclone or do I need an Ursa. LOL. Both fit in a Connie and both should fit in, at least, the forward cargo bay of a Retaliator.

Note that RSI has mentioned both the Connie and the Retaliator as a ship for Bounty Hunters. :slight_smile:

When you think handsome bounty hunter making his own way in a galaxy of enemies, you think the Constellation.​

And

The Future
There are more Retaliator modules in the pipeline! As the mechanics behind various persistent universe roles begin to take their final form, we will be developing additional modules to support different jobs. These include cryo-stasis pods for bounty hunters, medical equipment, recharging stations for Titan armor, salvage equipment and more. ​

You are right, to me Drake ships are reminiscent of the old game Crimson Skies, especially the brigand (http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090521181302/crimsonskies/images/9/9a/Plane_Brigand.jpg) that's why have a 'je ne sais quoi' that triggers old gaming memories still!

A retaliator would be more impressive than a connie but perhaps the bounties would see/fear you coming by far! I guess it will be easier running after them in your titan armor ;)

 

[Zadig]

The Vanguards should have excellent handling in atmosphere, where you could find bounties. Using Vanguards in atmo should yield surprising advantages. Vanguards are also relatively fast. Maybe not as fast as the Hawk and certainly not the Avenger, but probably faster than the Defender. Vanguards are also expected to have enormously high refresh on their shields, the fastest lock time of any missile computer, and have the turret which makes a second player or NPC useful but not necessary. Vanguards are one of very few ships that carry S3 missiles and the only fighter wearing an S5 gun, which means longer range with both missiles and guns. You can thus fight strategic instead of relying upon your dogfighting skills outmatching every opponent.

Finally the Sentinel has the ability to mask its own identity and perhaps that of its entire group. It is a ship built for guile and deception, so useful in running down a bounty. Also it has EM Warfare pods we don't understand yet, but appear will have some EMP capability like the Warlock, Hawk and Raven.

It is a thinking man's ship, and if you are not a thinker, you should not plan to run bounties to ground. There are alternatives to fighting and dogfighting, and they're best served in a thinking man's ship, like the Sentinel, IMHO.

And of course the Sentinel is due out soon, whereas the Defender is not.

You make a strong point for the sentinel! The defender Q&A says the defender will be faster than the sabre though, is the vanguard even faster? Also I read somewhere that some vanguard variants should have a different stock nose gun but can't figure out which one... Thank you for your reply, now I will look at the vanguard closely :)

Agreed, the sentinel seems to be a smart ship... Ok maybe I will push my resolution to 2019, do you know when the sentinel is due? Also I thought that much work was done on the defender already since it helped design the merchantman?

 

[Richard Bong]

You are right, to me Drake ships are reminiscent of the old game Crimson Skies, especially the brigand (http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090521181302/crimsonskies/images/9/9a/Plane_Brigand.jpg) that's why have a 'je ne sais quoi' that triggers old gaming memories still!

A retaliator would be more impressive than a connie but perhaps the bounties would see/fear you coming by far! I guess it will be easier running after them in your titan armor ;)

The Tali and Connie are the same size and have about the same performance. They are both also supposed to be fairly common. The Connie has better firepower, when the Tali is not equipped as a bomber, and requires less crew to fully man.

I really tried to like the Connie, especially since it is much more useful now than the Tali, but the cockpit view drives me up the wall, and I really like the look of the Tali.

 

[Richard Bong]

You make a strong point for the sentinel! The defender Q&A says the defender will be faster than the sabre though, is the vanguard even faster? Also I read somewhere that some vanguard variants should have a different stock nose gun but can't figure out which one... Thank you for your reply, now I will look at the vanguard closely :slight_smile:

Agreed, the sentinel seems to be a smart ship... Ok maybe I will push my resolution to 2019, do you know when the sentinel is due? Also I thought that much work was done on the defender already since it helped design the merchantman?

The Sentinel, plus a Warden BUK, is my third ship. :) That gives me quite a few options both for escorting my other half and to support Org Operations.

It also gives off a P38 vibe hence my choice for a name. :)

 

[Richard Bong]

The Vanguards should have excellent handling in atmosphere, where you could find bounties. Using Vanguards in atmo should yield surprising advantages. Vanguards are also relatively fast. Maybe not as fast as the Hawk and certainly not the Avenger, but probably faster than the Defender. Vanguards are also expected to have enormously high refresh on their shields, the fastest lock time of any missile computer, and have the turret which makes a second player or NPC useful but not necessary. Vanguards are one of very few ships that carry S3 missiles and the only fighter wearing an S5 gun, which means longer range with both missiles and guns. You can thus fight strategic instead of relying upon your dogfighting skills outmatching every opponent.

Finally the Sentinel has the ability to mask its own identity and perhaps that of its entire group. It is a ship built for guile and deception, so useful in running down a bounty. Also it has EM Warfare pods we don't understand yet, but appear will have some EMP capability like the Warlock, Hawk and Raven.

It is a thinking man's ship, and if you are not a thinker, you should not plan to run bounties to ground. There are alternatives to fighting and dogfighting, and they're best served in a thinking man's ship, like the Sentinel, IMHO.

And of course the Sentinel is due out soon, whereas the Defender is not.

I am not sure about how soon the Sentinel is planned to be out, since the Vanguard was sent, along with the 300 series, all the way back to the beginning of the Ship pipeline.

 

[Kenlee]

You make a strong point for the sentinel! The defender Q&A says the defender will be faster than the sabre though, is the vanguard even faster? Also I read somewhere that some vanguard variants should have a different stock nose gun but can't figure out which one... Thank you for your reply, now I will look at the vanguard closely :slight_smile:

Agreed, the sentinel seems to be a smart ship... Ok maybe I will push my resolution to 2019, do you know when the sentinel is due? Also I thought that much work was done on the defender already since it helped design the merchantman?

The Vanguard will top the defender in many aspects, speed is not one of them. The Defender will definately be faster than the Vanguard. The Hawk and Avenger are both slower than the Sabre which is said to be slower than a Defender according to the Q&A posted april 2017. (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/15871-Q-A-Banu-Defender)

 

[Zadig]

The Tali and Connie are the same size and have about the same performance. They are both also supposed to be fairly common. The Connie has better firepower, when the Tali is not equipped as a bomber, and requires less crew to fully man.

I really tried to like the Connie, especially since it is much more useful now than the Tali, but the cockpit view drives me up the wall, and I really like the look of the Tali.

I hear you mate, the constellation is a real pain to fly... But hey we can't like all ships can we? Agreed, if I may, the retaliator is totally badass! I am not a huge fan of the bombing thingie, but with all the modules it should offer an unparalleled combination of style and flexibility.

 

[Zadig]

The Sentinel, plus a Warden BUK, is my third ship. :slight_smile: That gives me quite a few options both for escorting my other half and to support Org Operations.

It also gives off a P38 vibe hence my choice for a name. :slight_smile:

Nice fleet indeed! He he Lockheed Martin :) I've been working for Thales group, division underwater systems, kinda aegis vs anvil here ^^

 

[Zadig]

I am not sure about how soon the Sentinel is planned to be out, since the Vanguard was sent, along with the 300 series, all the way back to the beginning of the Ship pipeline.

These reworks should not take too long, I mean when they start working on it ;)

 

[Zadig]

The Vanguard will top the defender in many aspects, speed is not one of them. The Defender will definately be faster than the Vanguard. The Hawk and Avenger are both slower than the Sabre which is said to be slower than a Defender according to the Q&A posted april 2017. (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/15871-Q-A-Banu-Defender)

that, what he said! cheers

The defender has a vibe which I can't find in any other ship at the moment so I will be faithful to it o7
Also because speed is not simply the magnitude of velocity with a xian engine ;)

 

[Zadig]

Now the question becomes can I shove a bounty into a 1 SCU box to carry in a Cyclone or do I need an Ursa. LOL. Both fit in a Connie and both should fit in, at least, the forward cargo bay of a Retaliator.

Should both fit in it, it makes one more argument in favour of the retaliator :) Not sure about the 1 SCU cargo box though, when we pick up boxed in the universe, these are 1 SCU right? And they each box may contain less than 1 unit of material inside or I missed something here? (will check in the PU later anyway)

 

[Richard Bong]

Should both fit in it, it makes one more argument in favour of the retaliator :slight_smile: Not sure about the 1 SCU cargo box though, when we pick up boxed in the universe, these are 1 SCU right? And they each box may contain less than 1 unit of material inside or I missed something here? (will check in the PU later anyway)

1 SCU is 1.25 meters by 1.25 meters by 1.25 meters. A Box you find at a wreck is half that, iirc.

 

[Richard Bong]

Should both fit in it, it makes one more argument in favour of the retaliator :slight_smile: Not sure about the 1 SCU cargo box though, when we pick up boxed in the universe, these are 1 SCU right? And they each box may contain less than 1 unit of material inside or I missed something here? (will check in the PU later anyway)

Note the word should. There isn't really a way to check, especially since the modules can't work in the current Tali. Unlike the Vanguard, the front Tali module is rounded so would have go out the front or back. Also with the current placement of the gear, all loading/unloading of both bays is from the center, where the personell elevators are. But based on the size of the bays you should be able to fit an Ursa sized vehicle. You can drive an Ursa under the front bay in the hangar.

 

[Zadig]

1 SCU is 1.25 meters by 1.25 meters by 1.25 meters. A Box you find at a wreck is half that, iirc.

thanks for your clarifications!

 

[Zadig]

Note the word should. There isn't really a way to check, especially since the modules can't work in the current Tali. Unlike the Vanguard, the front Tali module is rounded so would have go out the front or back. Also with the current placement of the gear, all loading/unloading of both bays is from the center, where the personell elevators are. But based on the size of the bays you should be able to fit an Ursa sized vehicle. You can drive an Ursa under the front bay in the hangar.

Ok affaire a suivre then. Hope for ya tali owners this will work!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

You make a strong point for the sentinel! The defender Q&A says the defender will be faster than the sabre though, is the vanguard even faster? Also I read somewhere that some vanguard variants should have a different stock nose gun but can't figure out which one... Thank you for your reply, now I will look at the vanguard closely :slight_smile:

IIRC, the guns that come stock with the Vanguards are different model to model. I know if you want an S5 gun it will be fixed, and because the Vanguard is not that maneuverable you will want to fight from a distance that way. However, what this means is theoretically, you can mount any gun on the chin of that bird, including the big S5 laser with max range of any gun short of a spinal mount, and the Vanduul "WAR" Neutron Cannon, which although hot and slow firing, ought to deliver the most powerful alpha strikes possible. Also we have to hope they'll create a twin mount so you can put a pair of S4 Ballistic cannon on the chin, which would be the most devastating DPS one could find.

I was not aware the Defender was slated to be so fast. That is certainly a point in the opposite direction for speed should be important in "chasing" anyone. The Sabre is certainly faster than the Vanguard, so if the Defender is faster again, that would make it more interesting to me.

BTW, I still love the notion of loading the Vanguard turret with a pair of Jokers if indeed these can shoot down missiles. There are a couple folks here who have done it, but no one has done a careful study. If you can fly that bird invulnerable to an opponent's longest range weapons--which are usually missiles--you can obtain a shocking advantage in combat.

Agreed, the sentinel seems to be a smart ship... Ok maybe I will push my resolution to 2019, do you know when the sentinel is due? Also I thought that much work was done on the defender already since it helped design the merchantman?

I am not sure about how soon the Sentinel is planned to be out, since the Vanguard was sent, along with the 300 series, all the way back to the beginning of the Ship pipeline.

I was not aware of this, but it gives me fresh hope they'll transfer the wider bay door from the Hoplite to the other three Vanguards so all their components become swappable between. right now the Hoplite has a different frame with a wider door, and that bird is in service now, so could be we'll see the other three variants out shortly. I have no idea when that is slated for nor even if CIG is bothering with supposed deadlines. Certainly what they had went out the window with 3.0.

 

[Richard Bong]

IIRC, the guns that come stock with the Vanguards are different model to model. I know if you want an S5 gun it will be fixed, and because the Vanguard is not that maneuverable you will want to fight from a distance that way. However, what this means is theoretically, you can mount any gun on the chin of that bird, including the big S5 laser with max range of any gun short of a spinal mount, and the Vanduul "WAR" Neutron Cannon, which although hot and slow firing, ought to deliver the most powerful alpha strikes possible. Also we have to hope they'll create a twin mount so you can put a pair of S4 Ballistic cannon on the chin, which would be the most devastating DPS one could find.

I was not aware the Defender was slated to be so fast. That is certainly a point in the opposite direction for speed should be important in "chasing" anyone. The Sabre is certainly faster than the Vanguard, so if the Defender is faster again, that would make it more interesting to me.

BTW, I still love the notion of loading the Vanguard turret with a pair of Jokers if indeed these can shoot down missiles. There are a couple folks here who have done it, but no one has done a careful study. If you can fly that bird invulnerable to an opponent's longest range weapons--which are usually missiles--you can obtain a shocking advantage in combat.



I was not aware of this, but it gives me fresh hope they'll transfer the wider bay door from the Hoplite to the other three Vanguards so all their components become swappable between. right now the Hoplite has a different frame with a wider door, and that bird is in service now, so could be we'll see the other three variants out shortly. I have no idea when that is slated for nor even if CIG is bothering with supposed deadlines. Certainly what they had went out the window with 3.0.

We differ on the down one size dual mount interpretation, I am not going to rehash it, but I don't expect more than one Size 4 Gimballed/Size 5 fixed on a Vanguard.

They did not show, on that shipshape, any indication that the Hoplite was getting the module mount of the rest of the series. They didn't talk much about it, but the Hoplite has been specified as a variant so I wouldn't expect that. Further it isn't just the ramp that is wider, but the back end of the module, with it's narrow door, is missing on the Hoplite making troop egress faster.

How different the other three will be from each other is an open question but they are honoring the BUK's (now named combo packs) so at the very least they will have swapable center sections and swappable weapon mounts/turrets.

Now I am, personally, hoping for a module for a Vanguard that replaces the torpedo mounts of the Harbinger with a pair of Stasis pods, but I don't expect it. :) There is space for it but, unlike the Redeemer, it hasn't been mentioned.

The possibility of an automated point defense turret on ships with turrets has been specifically mentioned, though nobody has said Jokers, and was supposed to be in 3.0 at launch. With the computers on a Vanguard that should be easily possible. Given the Hammerhead, I expect that to be laser repeaters as the weapon of choice. They won't make you immune to missiles but will make you a much tougher missile target.

Note that in 2.6 the Vanguard was pretty immune to missiles as they didn't get past the shields. Size 5 torps, more than 1, were needed. 3.0 missiles are bugged, but if anything my Vanguard is both tougher and more maneuverable in 3.0.

Give me back my M7A. LOL.

 

[Richard Bong]

I hear you mate, the constellation is a real pain to fly... But hey we can't like all ships can we? Agreed, if I may, the retaliator is totally badass! I am not a huge fan of the bombing thingie, but with all the modules it should offer an unparalleled combination of style and flexibility.

Unless you are talking view, they fly the same. Though they are both nicer to fly in 3.0 than 2.6. If you don't like one, you won't like the other. But otherwise, yes, there is a reason I have the Tali. LOL.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Now I am, personally, hoping for a module for a Vanguard that replaces the torpedo mounts of the Harbinger with a pair of Stasis pods, but I don't expect it.

I know there was some speculation about stasis pods that move like cargo, and you can fit cargo into the back of all the Vanguards. You just can't lash it down so it will bounce around. It'll be interesting to see what sort of damage that creates.

Given the Hammerhead, I expect that to be laser repeaters as the weapon of choice.

Depends upon your mission and target. Most players like that they can fire forever, but lasers kill much more slowly and can in this, get the one using them all dead and like that.

Given the Sentinel is a sneaky-ass ship, I want to investigate going all ballistic with reduced power and Void Armor. I'm so glad they made the 4 S2 lasers in the nose removable. They had not been for ages. If you use straight ballistics, Void Armor, and a smaller reactor, it is going to be extremely hard to tell what sort of bird you're facing, methinks.