Hull B or Freelancer MAX?

[felyxsnow]

I've got the Carrack (which used to be a Connie) for group exploring and a Freelancer DUR for solo Exploring. The main purpose of the ship in question was to mainly get stuff from mining (low to medium risk) to station and a soloable cargo hauler that I can take smaller shipments and exploration finds to bigger places for trading.

I guess you could say I was really looking for a general purpose hauler that had something more than just two fixed on the nose, even if that means not carrying as much.

I also have a Space Turtle which is for deep exploration and recon. Plus I'm hoping for an EWAR suite to go with all them sensors. ::fingers crossed::

 

[Zadig]

I went with the MAX. If your plan with the ship was to only haul goods for sale between ports I would go with the Hull, but with what you described the Max sounds like the way to go.

same ! cheers

 

[Kenlee]

I think the question you should ask yourself is whether you plan to do cargo operations solo or in a group. If you are running alone, clearly the Freelancer to me would be the best choice. You obviously lose a lot of cargospace compared to the Hull, but that said cargospace is more secure in the Freelancer. I see the Hull working great in a group where you are sorrounded by others who can defend you, should that be a necessity.

 

[Takeiteasy]

MAX as you're not going to jump in game and instantly have a full HULL B worth of cargo, you will likely have to bid on haulage contracts and the lowest bid will win I imagine. I don't know if a HULL B worth of ore, ingots, scrap, water or any number of resources will be a fast thing to acquire but surely it won't be day one for most players.

The MAX is as mentioned a very versatile ship, you will get a full cargo quicker and it can be piloted alone so less overheads to worry about plus it's supposed to be a very efficient ship to run so I would rather earn a little a lot of the time than a lot some of the time and of course the HULL B is less defensible without escorts and pirates like to overwhelm, they want a sure thing, not a game of chance so the HULL B will be much more at risk. If I'm a pirate and your escorts are about to blow me up i'm gonna aim for you, not the hornets or the Avengers escorting you. Just out of spite of losing my catch.

Yeah MAX will pay for itself a lot quicker which means you will be able to afford a HULL B and ramp up as the game progresses, plus you will have a rep by then, know the routes, the risks and traders and all that jazz so it would make sense to start out smaller.

I'm thinking of using my Cutlass for short distance cargo hauling if it is feasible for me otherwise I'll just pirate. :)

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I guess you could say I was really looking for a general purpose hauler that had something more than just two fixed on the nose, even if that means not carrying as much.

The StarG is a great option, in that it can refuel escorts, so you can pick anything that can refuel in space. We don't know how many fighters that includes, but it will include the Tana at the least, and half dozen Tana loaded for bear even in the hands of NPCs would form quite a deterrent.

The other option is go bigger. The Hull C is a very cool ship, but again; even though it has more firepower aboard, it would not take much for a polished crew of pirates or privateers to take a Hull C unless it had an escort. I think Escorts are key. And you know, 6 Tana all flying off a StarG, even if the NPC pilot sucks, they have 10 missiles each. Who wants to cope with 60 S1 missiles? Not me. And if you can refuel birds like the Gladiator and Hornet off the StarG, you can build your own little armada, that will send pirates looking for easier targets.

I have been theorycrafting privateering assaults on various targets for a long time now, and I can tell you an escort will be much more effective than a turret, especially in the hands of an NPC. If you have to settle for NPC's, try to leverage missiles over guns, since the same AI governs missile attacks whether they are in the hands of a PC or an NPC. Gladiators ought to be excellent NPC escorts, IMHO.

 

[Cool-Hand-Luke]

So... you want to haul solo do ya?
Maybe run some rum to a dry system?
Well... Assuming the freelancer is the largest ship to travel small jump points. Assuming I can remove the interior rear bay missile loader and nobody would know.
I'm taking the MIS
Has larger guns and a reputation for delivering a missile blizzard like a pissed off porky pine....
It's your best hope.

 

[felyxsnow]

I see the Hull working great in a group where you are sorrounded by others who can defend you, should that be a necessity.

I have a BMM for group hauling. Something tells me with a couple escorts, should be pretty quiet. :fingers_crossed:

I have been theorycrafting privateering assaults on various targets for a long time now, and I can tell you an escort will be much more effective than a turret, especially in the hands of an NPC.

Taking note. Definitely putting escorts in the routine operating costs. At least one. Especially with you around. :skull_crossbones:

 

[Stevetank]

Why did I recommend a hull B but vote MAX?

Maybe Max Power knows the answer.

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Uhm... it's really tough.

I wish we had more infos on the Retaliator, because I don't know if it even can transport stuff without the Cargo Module (which would be lame as crap given they stated 120+ SCU).

The normal Freelancer is IMO overlooked, since he gets reasonable cargo space and a bigger max. shield than the Max.

The Cutlass might get bigger Cargo space on the rework, so it might also be a alternative.

The Taurus imo has a too small shield for it's size and the turret afaik also got nerfed.

 

[Thalstan]

Ok, I have a Connie and a freelancer. I played the freelancer this morning and took out two cutlasses with no issues (NPCs). I am going to try the Connie right now and see how it goes....(and no flying backwards tricks)

Freelancer flown with mouse and throttle using gimbles and 227 repeaters. M6As for the Connie and then will repeat with 2 M6As and 2 M7As

 

[Thalstan]

Computer updated undid all of my key/throttle/stick bindings....going to have to fix that...but before I do that, I might as well fix the dodgy power supply that developed a few days ago...(requires complete turn off of power supply, hold down power key, then turn on and press power so I can get a post).

Either a power supply or a MB issue...if a MB issue...time for a new processor and MB...

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Computer updated undid all of my key/throttle/stick bindings....going to have to fix that...but before I do that, I might as well fix the dodgy power supply that developed a few days ago...(requires complete turn off of power supply, hold down power key, then turn on and press power so I can get a post).

Either a power supply or a MB issue...if a MB issue...time for a new processor and MB...

Sounds like someone else also spends too much on Ships compared to his PC... i can relate.

 

[maynard]

Who has ever played an MMO without min-maxing their moneymaking activities? No one, that's who. Everyone trades up to more efficient gear as soon as they can afford to. A 'versatile' ship is a starter ship, soon to be abandoned.

If you decide you want to earn your UEE Credits by hauling freight, you will want the ship with the biggest capacity that will fit through the smallest wormhole on your route. Anything less is a waste of your most precious asset, your time.

The pirates you encounter will be acting in groups - multiple players in attack ships, with their own haulers/salvagers on call. A solo pirate won't be able to make off with enough loot in an attack ship to make a living. Anyone attacking solo is a griefer, not a pirate.

So it stands to reason that profitable hauling will be a group activity. Either you give shares to escorts to defend your convoy, or you share the losses of the fleet members who get picked off by the occasional pirate crew.

 

[Stevetank]

Who has ever played an MMO without min-maxing their moneymaking activities? No one, that's who. Everyone trades up to more efficient gear as soon as they can afford to. A 'versatile' ship is a starter ship, soon to be abandoned.

If you decide you want to earn your UEE Credits by hauling freight, you will want the ship with the biggest capacity that will fit through the smallest wormhole on your route. Anything less is a waste of your most precious asset, your time.

The pirates you encounter will be acting in groups - multiple players in attack ships, with their own haulers/salvagers on call. A solo pirate won't be able to make off with enough loot in an attack ship to make a living. Anyone attacking solo is a griefer, not a pirate.

So it stands to reason that profitable hauling will be a group activity. Either you give shares to escorts to defend your convoy, or you share the losses of the fleet members who get picked off by the occasional pirate crew.

Hi, I'm that no one you speak of. I get the 'good enough' gear instead of the 'best gear'. I sell at discounts even if I don't have to. I don't trade up as soon as I can afford to and I tend to hold out on old gear as long as I can.

I min-max other things but gear is normally last on my list. I go with what I'm comfortable with and not always the meta. I'm that unexpected wrench in people's sides that the Spanish Inquisition would be proud of.

I'm not dissagreeing with your ideas, just pointing out that the 'nobody' you speak about exists (*￣▽￣*)ブ


( ಠ_ಠ) or do I?

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I get the 'good enough' gear instead of the 'best gear'. I sell at discounts even if I don't have to. I don't trade up as soon as I can afford to and I tend to hold out on old gear as long as I can.

That is the profile of an information merchant--someone who stalks the hangouts, identifying movement patterns and partnerships, who is actually "growing" in a significant sense as he adds to his network of information conduits. You fit the profile of a covert agent, and there is a LOT more money to be made there than in casual hauling.

You'd make a good privateer. Put you in a Ghost Tracker and you could make a "killing" without ever lifting a single cargo crate.

 

[Stevetank]

That is the profile of an information merchant--someone who stalks the hangouts, identifying movement patterns and partnerships, who is actually "growing" in a significant sense as he adds to his network of information conduits. You fit the profile of a covert agent, and there is a LOT more money to be made there than in casual hauling.

You'd make a good privateer. Put you in a Ghost Tracker and you could make a "killing" without ever lifting a single cargo crate.

And I won't make any money if you keep telling everyone what I really do! Stop sharing IRS secrets!!!

 

[I_MIKE_I]

Who has ever played an MMO without min-maxing their moneymaking activities? No one, that's who. Everyone trades up to more efficient gear as soon as they can afford to. A 'versatile' ship is a starter ship, soon to be abandoned.

If you decide you want to earn your UEE Credits by hauling freight, you will want the ship with the biggest capacity that will fit through the smallest wormhole on your route. Anything less is a waste of your most precious asset, your time.

The pirates you encounter will be acting in groups - multiple players in attack ships, with their own haulers/salvagers on call. A solo pirate won't be able to make off with enough loot in an attack ship to make a living. Anyone attacking solo is a griefer, not a pirate.

So it stands to reason that profitable hauling will be a group activity. Either you give shares to escorts to defend your convoy, or you share the losses of the fleet members who get picked off by the occasional pirate crew.

I did plenty of times... >_> for example, in Guild Wars 1 I played story and PvP with the same builds.

In Lineage 2 I also used the same builds for Raids and PvP.

But I don't think all that matters too much regarding my reasoning in SC:

I simply don't see a Max being worth 40$ more than the base Freelancer... I'm not sure what to think of the Prospector tough... it's still a tiny ship, but I like the looks and it's able to mine etc. I wish I had more infos about it's Shields etc.

 

[AccidentProne8]

I'm going to dissent. Hull B. It and the C look smexy. I love it.

 

[Thalstan]

Bah, it's a bad cap all right, but it's on the MB...Guess I get to build a new comp this weekend...I will get back to you on the connie/freelancer issue...

 

[Thalstan]

Ok, snuck over and installed SC on the wife's comp. It's a better comp anyway, so...

If the Taurus comes with S5's hardpoints, meaning S4 gimbaled weapons, Get the Taurus. The engines, thrusters, powerplant are all the same. The shield is one size smaller (s5 vs S6), but with the way they are messing with shields, I really can't tell you what that will means. The big thing you are missing is the boatload of missiles from the Andromeda. (Taurus has 14 S1 missiles, Andromeda has 28 S1 and 20 S2) If you can soloplay on the Andromeda, you will be fine on the Taurus. NOW, this is a ship that absolutely NEEDS gimbaled weapons and mouse and throttle (or mouse and keyboard) controls. I was able to take down ships, even ships like the 350, pretty easily...and normally they give me fits on my hornet/sabre because I lock gimbals and play HOTAS

Now, the Freelancer is a bit more maneuverable, but if you use boost right, the Taurus will have better weapons to help you get out of a jam. Both are crewable with 1 player, but best with 3 unless you are using voice attack....and then you can get away with 2 unless you want someone to repair on the fly.

Now, I can't say what the Max will be like, but with those engines, it SHOULD fly faster than the Taurus (less than half the weight and cargo capacity) It will probably maneuver better too, but maybe not quite as good as the normal freelancer.

Not sure on range, this may be a key point as you might need to make a choice on how you want to run your jobs. Fast short runs with half the load capacity, or slower/longer runs that may take more time, but with twice the cargo capacity.

Note, you will not has as many missiles for defense on the max.

Now, If Sunder decides to hold his "ship expo" either this weekend or next, feel free to come join us. Lot of us have different ships you can inspect, look around in, and maybe even take for a test flight.