Hep me testies: Cutlass Blue or Naked Tali?

[Zadig]

Hello folks,

So here is my dilemma: I've put my hands on two upgrades from hornet tracker, one being the cutlass blue and the second the naked Tali, both ships at $150 pricetag for now, and .... I don't know which one I should keep ^^

With the current cutlass rework, the blue version is expected to become awesome for bounty hunting (comes stock with better everything plus prison cells and handcuffs) and I guess it will increase in price. While I am free to swap between a more various range of modules with the Tali. Plus the latest ATV on the AI modules got me thinking about the future of the Tali: with 5 of those modules this ship will be a flying fortress!! It is confirmed that AI modules will fit the retaliator right? (I've read somewhere they can't be replaced with flashfire mounts, nor be slaved to the pilot's chair, but installing AI modules on manned turrents will be possible in all ships)

Sooo I value versatility in both ships and I like the size of the cutlass and its ability to enable the pilot to shoot on sight, but the Tali has this 'je ne sais quoi' and I envision it could have so much more potential in the verse in the near future (armed cargo, passenger transport, dropship, maybe prison cells as well?) so it might end up being an aegis version of the cutlass/caterpillar, that remains quite affordable... What do you think?

In my fleet I have a titan, a 350r and a BMM, but I plan on melting some stuff (very likely the old - but loved- avenger) and use store credits to upgrade the BMM to the reclaimer. Any piece of advice would be greatly appreciated :)

 

[Crymsan]

Given what we currently know, you are more likely to be able to use the cutlass blue as an escort than the Tali (for whatever big ship you end up with). I think the Tali will end up as a useful cargo ship and will have some bombing functionality that will be fun. That being said I think the Hornet tracker has merit what with all the many stealth ships around all be it lacking cargo capacity and would maybe go well with a reclaimer to find hulks?

 

[Zadig]

Given what we currently know, you are more likely to be able to use the cutlass blue as an escort than the Tali (for whatever big ship you end up with). I think the Tali will end up as a useful cargo ship and will have some bombing functionality that will be fun. That being said I think the Hornet tracker has merit what with all the many stealth ships around all be it lacking cargo capacity and would maybe go well with a reclaimer to find hulks?

Thanks for your reply, yeah that makes sense about the tracker, still I am really planning on getting rid of it... Hmm I'd be using the cutlass blue for bounty hunting mainly, do you think it could be effective as long range escort for bigger ships while piloted solo? I thought a fully armed Tali would be better to escort a convoy of merchants along with fighters, should any big hostile comes around?

So it looks like the Tali will end up in a better spot in terms of versatility that the cutlass series... Hmmm ...

 

[Lienna]

The Tali has a few modular options: Cargo, troop transport, living space for passengers etc, and bombs. The important thing to note is you will need these to even fly the thing, without them your ship will have a massive hole or two in it which some may find less than ideal for flight. So just bear in mind that the Tali is going to be more expensive, sure you can buy the modules in game, but you can buy anything in game so that's another argument.

With the cutlass you have, as default, cargo and troop transport (though the blue may lose the troops for prisoner space?) and that's about it, you aren't going to be ferrying VIPs and you certainly aren't going to be doing bombing runs!

The Tali has a massive crew requirement and no pilot-controlled guns, so bear in mind that you will have large overheads for npcs (or buy AI modules which supposedly shrink your gun size), it won't make a good dogfighter, it purely exists to deliver it's cargo (explosive or not) safely, using the turrets to deter attackers as it escapes/attacks. The cutlass should be a fair dogfighter, sure it will be outmatched by the dedicated ships, but it can hold it's own with a good pilot and should be plenty good enough to fight off npcs.

Honestly they are very different ships, but with the $150 you have available, and as a Aegis Fangirl I hate myself for saying this, get the cutlass. The Tali is prettier, bigger, and can make capital ships quake in fear. But you have a big ship with the BMM that should be able to carry plenty of cargo and passengers (and therefore troops, though it may struggle with hot drops). The cutlass will give you a nice mid-sized ship that will be capable for most quasi-military missions.

That being said.

I'd buy the Tali, those things are pretty! I love my space-submarine!

 

[Thalstan]

What do you want to do? Are you looking to be a bounty hunter? Are you wanting to join the torpedo delivery service? Are you looking to haul cargo...people...etc?

The Tali is one of those love/hate ships. It looks absolutely stunning on the outside...and the inside looks like it was designed as an FPS level, not a ship. It has a ton of issues with geometry, etc.

All that said....I would get a freelancer over either with the Tali being a close second.

 

[Zadig]

What do you want to do? Are you looking to be a bounty hunter? Are you wanting to join the torpedo delivery service? Are you looking to haul cargo...people...etc?

The Tali is one of those love/hate ships. It looks absolutely stunning on the outside...and the inside looks like it was designed as an FPS level, not a ship. It has a ton of issues with geometry, etc.

All that said....I would get a freelancer over either with the Tali being a close second.

Well with my flatmates we plan on doing some serious bounty hunting since the future gameplay for this profession is quite promising! I don't plan on joining the torpedo express delivery, still if by hayling cargo and people you mean bounties and loots, then yes ;)

Ok so maybe I should not raise y expectations so high for the tali then?

I hate the cockpit view in the freelancer ^^ But I agree it is a very very good ship!

thanks for your reply :slight_smile:

EDIT: typos

 

[Printimus]

do what you wanna do

 

[Zadig]

do what you wanna do

thank you for your wisdom grand admiral ;)

 

[Printimus]

thank you for your wisdom grand admiral ;)

thats what im here for.

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Hello folks,

So here is my dilemma: I've put my hands on two upgrades from hornet tracker, one being the cutlass blue and the second the naked Tali, both ships at $150 pricetag for now, and .... I don't know which one I should keep ^^

With the current cutlass rework, the blue version is expected to become awesome for bounty hunting (comes stock with better everything plus prison cells and handcuffs) and I guess it will increase in price. While I am free to swap between a more various range of modules with the Tali. Plus the latest ATV on the AI modules got me thinking about the future of the Tali: with 5 of those modules this ship will be a flying fortress!! It is confirmed that AI modules will fit the retaliator right? (I've read somewhere they can't be replaced with flashfire mounts, nor be slaved to the pilot's chair, but installing AI modules on manned turrents will be possible in all ships)

Sooo I value versatility in both ships and I like the size of the cutlass and its ability to enable the pilot to shoot on sight, but the Tali has this 'je ne sais quoi' and I envision it could have so much more potential in the verse in the near future (armed cargo, passenger transport, dropship, maybe prison cells as well?) so it might end up being an aegis version of the cutlass/caterpillar, that remains quite affordable... What do you think?

In my fleet I have a titan, a 350r and a BMM, but I plan on melting some stuff (very likely the old - but loved- avenger) and use store credits to upgrade the BMM to the reclaimer. Any piece of advice would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

My recommendation:
Buy CCU to the Cutlass Black and Prospector (0$ available), they can be expected to jump in price with 3.0, so you might be able to save a bit on the upgrading.

Personally, I'm in that dilemma as well... but right now the Retaliator comes ahead in my book. It's simply "a lot of ship" for the price and it looks damn cool. Also, it's not hull-nerfed the way a Taurus or Cutlass Red/Black can only equip smaller Shields than the others.

The Tali base is also quite versatile with AI Turrets:

1. It easily has the Range for being a proper long-range escort, for BMM etc. and the Turret Coverage should really help against agile opponents that might have slipped past the Vanguards etc.

2. Even without the Modules, it has the beds and life support for 6 Crew (possibly more if it's able to sustain shifts) even with proper escape pods. So if you fly it with AI Turrets, you don't need a Dropship Module as it has 2 decent elevators.

3. Depending on weither or not CIG planted that number there for show, it has actually a reasonable Cargo Capacity.

4. Since you pay the Upgrade-Insurance anyway for the AI Turrets, LTI Modules wouldn't really matter much... at least given my current understanding of how insurance works.

 

[Zadig]

My recommendation:
Buy CCU to the Cutlass Black and Prospector (0$ available), they can be expected to jump in price with 3.0, so you might be able to save a bit on the upgrading.

Personally, I'm in that dilemma as well... but right now the Retaliator comes ahead in my book. It's simply "a lot of ship" for the price and it looks damn cool. Also, it's not hull-nerfed the way a Taurus or Cutlass Red/Black can only equip smaller Shields than the others.

The Tali base is also quite versatile with AI Turrets:

1. It easily has the Range for being a proper long-range escort, for BMM etc. and the Turret Coverage should really help against agile opponents that might have slipped past the Vanguards etc.

2. Even without the Modules, it has the beds and life support for 6 Crew (possibly more if it's able to sustain shifts) even with proper escape pods. So if you fly it with AI Turrets, you don't need a Dropship Module as it has 2 decent elevators.

3. Depending on weither or not CIG planted that number there for show, it has actually a reasonable Cargo Capacity.

4. Since you pay the Upgrade-Insurance anyway for the AI Turrets, LTI Modules wouldn't really matter much... at least given my current understanding of how insurance works.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one :) Thank you for your reply. At the moment I have a cutlass game package (it is on my brother's account, not currently in my fleet per se, that's why I am not getting any cutlass black ccu), I don't feel particularly interested in the prospector though...

But has CIG confirmed the AI modules will work on the retaliator? If so, it'd be great but also overkill. I am afraid CIG wil once again compromise with capabilities otherwise the multicrew-aspect of this very particular ship will be decreased. I quite like the cutlass blue for being smaller and more solo friendly than the tali, but I feel quite attracted by the versatility of the latter. For now I plan on keeping the cutlass blue, see how the rework goes, you made good points though! I strongly agree with 1) but turret coverage needs to be revisited

 

[Zadig]

The Tali has a few modular options: Cargo, troop transport, living space for passengers etc, and bombs. The important thing to note is you will need these to even fly the thing, without them your ship will have a massive hole or two in it which some may find less than ideal for flight. So just bear in mind that the Tali is going to be more expensive, sure you can buy the modules in game, but you can buy anything in game so that's another argument.

With the cutlass you have, as default, cargo and troop transport (though the blue may lose the troops for prisoner space?) and that's about it, you aren't going to be ferrying VIPs and you certainly aren't going to be doing bombing runs!

The Tali has a massive crew requirement and no pilot-controlled guns, so bear in mind that you will have large overheads for npcs (or buy AI modules which supposedly shrink your gun size), it won't make a good dogfighter, it purely exists to deliver it's cargo (explosive or not) safely, using the turrets to deter attackers as it escapes/attacks. The cutlass should be a fair dogfighter, sure it will be outmatched by the dedicated ships, but it can hold it's own with a good pilot and should be plenty good enough to fight off npcs.

Honestly they are very different ships, but with the $150 you have available, and as a Aegis Fangirl I hate myself for saying this, get the cutlass. The Tali is prettier, bigger, and can make capital ships quake in fear. But you have a big ship with the BMM that should be able to carry plenty of cargo and passengers (and therefore troops, though it may struggle with hot drops). The cutlass will give you a nice mid-sized ship that will be capable for most quasi-military missions.

That being said.

I'd buy the Tali, those things are pretty! I love my space-submarine!

Thank you for your reply!
I am definitely attracted by the many capabilities of the Tali, but I've been a cutlass owner for a while and, damned the rework looks great. I was planning on getting the modules in game since I'd have a source of income from BMM/reclaimer, but from what you said, flying theTali will be really expensive and crew demanding if I don't want turrets' sizes to be decreased due to AI modules...

Yes the blue will lose cargo for prison cells, and better stock weapons, hull armor, cockpit, power plant and shields, so it is definitely flight and bounty hunting ready.

I am super fan of Aegis as well, the video on the Reclaimer definitely sold me. Since it should go in price when flight ready I'll melt the avenger to cover the difference, so in the end the fleet would be composed of the reclaimer and the 350r while the cutlass blue would be on a different account. I totally understand your love for the Tali's look, reminds me of the Xmen's plane

EDIT: typos

 

[AntiSqueaker]

Yes the blue will lose cargo for prison cells, and better stock weapons, hull armor, cockpit, power plant and shields, so it is definitely flight and bounty hunting ready.

would like to point out that CIG has said the Blue is just as modular and the Black, and you will be free to rip out the bounty hunting equipment/prisoner cells and replace them with the cargo hold or SAR equipment you would find on the Black and Red respectively.

I would grab the Blue in case there is a price increase on the Cutlass series as a whole with the rework, and see how the Blue and the Cutlass as a whole emerges from the rework before deciding. Cutlass right now is a hot mess to fly.

 

[Zadig]

The Tali has a few modular options: Cargo, troop transport, living space for passengers etc, and bombs. The important thing to note is you will need these to even fly the thing, without them your ship will have a massive hole or two in it which some may find less than ideal for flight. So just bear in mind that the Tali is going to be more expensive, sure you can buy the modules in game, but you can buy anything in game so that's another argument.

With the cutlass you have, as default, cargo and troop transport (though the blue may lose the troops for prisoner space?) and that's about it, you aren't going to be ferrying VIPs and you certainly aren't going to be doing bombing runs!

The Tali has a massive crew requirement and no pilot-controlled guns, so bear in mind that you will have large overheads for npcs (or buy AI modules which supposedly shrink your gun size), it won't make a good dogfighter, it purely exists to deliver it's cargo (explosive or not) safely, using the turrets to deter attackers as it escapes/attacks. The cutlass should be a fair dogfighter, sure it will be outmatched by the dedicated ships, but it can hold it's own with a good pilot and should be plenty good enough to fight off npcs.

Honestly they are very different ships, but with the $150 you have available, and as a Aegis Fangirl I hate myself for saying this, get the cutlass. The Tali is prettier, bigger, and can make capital ships quake in fear. But you have a big ship with the BMM that should be able to carry plenty of cargo and passengers (and therefore troops, though it may struggle with hot drops). The cutlass will give you a nice mid-sized ship that will be capable for most quasi-military missions.

That being said.

I'd buy the Tali, those things are pretty! I love my space-submarine!

By the way, as an aegis fan, what do you think of the avenger titan renegade? At the moment I feel I paid for the skin alone (which I love don't get me wrong) but it does not even come with gimbals on the longswords, or rattle missiles... Plus I find it quite hard to maintain the tigerstreik on target, so my dps is frustratingly low, shall I melt it? I think it is a bit expensive for the low skin/stock premium, even though I adore the titan for its capabilities, and the cutlass seems stronger at doing everything than the titan while being fairly manageable alone?

 

[Zadig]

would like to point out that CIG has said the Blue is just as modular and the Black, and you will be free to rip out the bounty hunting equipment/prisoner cells and replace them with the cargo hold or SAR equipment you would find on the Black and Red respectively.

I would grab the Blue in case there is a price increase on the Cutlass series as a whole with the rework, and see how the Blue and the Cutlass as a whole emerges from the rework before deciding. Cutlass right now is a hot mess to fly.

Thanks for your reply!
Yes I've read it as well, at first I thought the rework cutlass will be a drake version of the tali (smaller, cheaper, less potent, etc.) of the tali, so their modularity is kinda similar, but the rework is very promising so I was torn between the two. I did not know we could equip the SAR equipment on the blue as well! So in the end, with a black, I could come close to the blue version except for the cockpit, the hull armor and the shield?

I've secured both upgrades (blue and tali base) and will decide upon seeing the rework (honestly I'm 99% confident now that I will keep the cutlass), hopefully overall rework and handling will be worth the wait.

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one :slight_smile: Thank you for your reply. At the moment I have a cutlass game package (it is on my brother's account, not currently in my fleet per se, that's why I am not getting any cutlass black ccu), I don't feel particularly interested in the prospector though...

But has CIG confirmed the AI modules will work on the retaliator? If so, it'd be great but also overkill. I am afraid CIG wil once again compromise with capabilities otherwise the multicrew-aspect of this very particular ship will be decreased. I quite like the cutlass blue for being smaller and more solo friendly than the tali, but I feel quite attracted by the versatility of the latter. For now I plan on keeping the cutlass blue, see how the rework goes, you made good points though! I strongly agree with 1) but turret coverage needs to be revisited

No with the CCU I mean going for a 0$ CCU, then using it in case the Ship gets a price increase, so you save some bucks during the upgrade path.

From what I understood, the AI Modules work on every "manned" Turret... I dare say the Retaliator was one of the reasons why they decided on bringing them in the first place.

As far as coverage is concerned, I think it's less of an issue than most think. From what I've seen the Tally is quite good at rolling for it's size so I doubt fighters could sit in deadzones. Big question would be how well the Shields compare to the Fighters... right now the big ships are fairly fragile in that regard.

By the way, as an aegis fan, what do you think of the avenger titan renegade? At the moment I feel I paid for the skin alone (which I love don't get me wrong) but it does not even come with gimbals on the longswords, or rattle missiles... Plus I find it quite hard to maintain the tigerstreik on target, so my dps is frustratingly low, shall I melt it? I think it is a bit expensive for the low skin/stock premium, even though I adore the titan for its capabilities, and the cutlass seems stronger at doing everything than the titan while being fairly manageable alone?

The Avenger kinda got nerfed from what I heard, it used to fly really good but now it's a bit of a brick (relative to it's armament etc.), the non-changable ballistic weapon would be a no-go for me.

The skin prices are kinda stupid, since we can make our own skins later on. Especially the 25$ for the Avenger is just lame IMO.

 

[Zadig]

No with the CCU I mean going for a 0$ CCU, then using it in case the Ship gets a price increase, so you save some bucks during the upgrade path.

From what I understood, the AI Modules work on every "manned" Turret... I dare say the Retaliator was one of the reasons why they decided on bringing them in the first place.

As far as coverage is concerned, I think it's less of an issue than most think. From what I've seen the Tally is quite good at rolling for it's size so I doubt fighters could sit in deadzones. Big question would be how well the Shields compare to the Fighters... right now the big ships are fairly fragile in that regard.


The Avenger kinda got nerfed from what I heard, it used to fly really good but now it's a bit of a brick (relative to it's armament etc.), the non-changable ballistic weapon would be a no-go for me.

The skin prices are kinda stupid, since we can make our own skins later on. Especially the 25$ for the Avenger is just lame IMO.

Do you know if equipping the AI modules will effectively decrease the turret size by one? Ha true the Tali's ability to roll is quite impressive, I've been quite surprised when I attacked it in the verse... it kept rolling so the top turret would face me ^^

Still I love the avenger, and the mini-gun is not so terrible ... I feel it is a one-seater cutlass

 

[Zadig]

No with the CCU I mean going for a 0$ CCU, then using it in case the Ship gets a price increase, so you save some bucks during the upgrade path.

From what I understood, the AI Modules work on every "manned" Turret... I dare say the Retaliator was one of the reasons why they decided on bringing them in the first place.

As far as coverage is concerned, I think it's less of an issue than most think. From what I've seen the Tally is quite good at rolling for it's size so I doubt fighters could sit in deadzones. Big question would be how well the Shields compare to the Fighters... right now the big ships are fairly fragile in that regard.


The Avenger kinda got nerfed from what I heard, it used to fly really good but now it's a bit of a brick (relative to it's armament etc.), the non-changable ballistic weapon would be a no-go for me.

The skin prices are kinda stupid, since we can make our own skins later on. Especially the 25$ for the Avenger is just lame IMO.

Ok I've understood for the o$ CCU, I hope the cutlass black will increase in price to becoe closer to the tracker so I pay significantly less to get up to the blue ;)

 

[Mich Angel]

Well from my point of view it's simple and short... BEER.. :beers:

The Cutlass Blue.. (loaner is a black and that is soon done)
Now why? you can drive the Blue by your self and succeed really good in it, that's never gonna happen in the Tali that often on your own...
Tali you can probably pick up much easier than a Blue seem more rare to get hands on..
SO BLUE it is ...not the beer :P

CHEERS :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Do you know if equipping the AI modules will effectively decrease the turret size by one? Ha true the Tali's ability to roll is quite impressive, I've been quite surprised when I attacked it in the verse... it kept rolling so the top turret would face me ^^

Still I love the avenger, and the mini-gun is not so terrible ... I feel it is a one-seater cutlass

No, afaik AI Modules don't do that... it's already limited by the "has to be a manned turret" thing.

AFAIK the Tally was supposed to have S2 Guns but got restricted to S1 because S2 would clip... CIG said they wanted to fix that but I dunno if that idea has been given up.

Theoretically, it should be able to use Quad S1 Turrets just fine... which would be some massive pewpew.

The gun itself is great, but I hate Ballistic weapons and I also would prefer a bigger size rather than gimballed, since I'd fly a Fighter with Dual Sticks.