Most well rounded ship?

[Max Caliber]

With the impending annual ship sale coming up, I wanted to get the communities opinion on what ship I should get next. right now I just have the starting Mustang and Aurora (I mean, the Aurora is of course legit amazing). I'm wondering if there is a ship that can both handle itself in a space fight, but also move some cargo and/or carry a land vehicle?

 

[DirectorGunner]

probably the Cutlass. I think it's the cheapest all around hybrid fighter/utility ship there is right now.
That or an Avenger titan but for a few bucks more, cutlass is a better deal.

 

[Bruce]

probably the Cutlass. I think it's the cheapest all around hybrid fighter/utility ship there is right now.
That or an Avenger titan but for a few bucks more, cutlass is a better deal.

Overall you are right, but still I wouldn't refer to twice the price as "a few bucks more" . Still if there is a need for "sad jack of almost all trades" it is cutlass role for now )

 

[Shadow Reaper]

CIG intentionaly avoids building multi-use ships, because their business is to sell ships. They don't want you to buy one. They want you to buy, insure and fly as many as possible.

That said, if you intend to fly cargo, you need a cargo hauler, and the Conny is hard to beat. Watch the vids of it in combat. Borrow one here and fly it some. Don't be concerned with the turrets. Ask yourself, can you fight or flee with this bird" If so, it's the most bang for the buck IMHO. Just don't plan to dogfight in a freighter, as you'll get your ass handed to you. Same will happen in a Cutty, Avenger, etc. Only dogfighters are capable of dogfighting, and they don't haul cargo.

 

[Thalstan]

The most well rounded ship today is probably be the Freelancer (base, a Dur, Max) or Cutlass Black, followed by the Connie Andromeda/Aquila, the Mercury, then the Phoenix.

It will depend on what you are looking for. All can be used for missions of most sorts, but some are much more solo friendly (Freelancer then the Cutlass or Mercury) and some are more group friendly Connie)

 

[Kaiserz]

Get a cutlass black, great ship, for combat, delivery, and is easy to "park"... if you have some money and like bigger ships, get the andromeda..

You have 2 great ships already, get something even better, cutlass black, i use it for every type of mission, when i want to get in trouble, i jump to the sabre (:

 

[AstroGimp01]

Entry level is Avenger Titan, I love the SpacePenguin.

I don't own a Cutlass Black but think it is better in the middle than the Connie since it is a bit smaller and better for solo ops.

I still like the concept and aesthetic of the Connie but I fear as newer ships are introduced she will lag behind in terms of design and capability, I am disappointed that she has drifted far afield from the space superiority concept.

Key is just find one you like for whatever reason(s) and focus on enjoying it.

'Gimp

 

[SullyQuindarius]

Cutlass Black for sure. It carries 46SCU of cargo, can fit two bikes or a buggy, has a copilot seat and a turret but does just fine in a fight solo, and has two beds as well as space to put boxes separate from the main cargo hold.

 

[Bambooza]

The Avenger, Cutlass Black, Freelancer, Mercury and Constellation in order of size fit that great mid ship multi role element.

The biggest issue I have with the Avenger is it sacrifices a lot to try and keep that fighter stance. Where it really can't engage a Hornet and doesn't have the cargo capacity of a Cutlass or Freelancer.

The Cutlass and Freelancer are both great multi role ships that can take along a bike if you need to explore a location or carry around some cargo or friends. While they do have issues engaging a Hornet they do have a turret that makes up for the slower turn speeds and improves their survivability.

On the larger side we have the Mercury and Constellation while requiring one to have friends or hire NPC's have a larger cargo area and longer range as well as being a more difficult target for a Hornet to engage. The added benefit of the Constellation is it is capable of hauling a rover or buggy or multiple bikes.

 

[Deroth]

Definitely SpacePenguin (Avenger Titan) for less expensive multi-role or Cutlass Black for more expensive true multi-role; everything else bleeds more into some specialization. (At least until CIG decides to add in more starter and mid size multi-role ships from other manufacturers.)

 

[August]

Going to buck the trend and say consider a prospector. Mining is a money earner in the game now. More money = more goodies in-game. You’re buying for longer term gameplay rather than just running boxes.

Otherwise the cutlass.

 

[Black Sunder]

In order of value and win:

Avenger Titan
Cutlass Black
Freelancer(base version)
Constellation Andromeda
Mercury Star Runner(the better Constellation)

 

[Deroth]

Going to buck the trend and say consider a prospector. Mining is a money earner in the game now. More money = more goodies in-game. You’re buying for longer term gameplay rather than just running boxes.

Otherwise the cutlass.

By that logic the Vulture should be included, especially since it is supposed to come with an handheld multi-tool for scanning, salvage, and repairs.

 

[maynard]

in a game where min-maxing will rule, "well-rounded" is just another way of saying, "loser"

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I should have said above, if I were looking at a career as a transport pilot, I would investigate the notion of flying a StarG with Tana escorts.

If only ships with refueling probes can refuel direct off other ships in space that have no hangar, then many transports are going to go without escorts. So far as I am aware, the Tana is the only fighter that can refuel direct off the StarG, and the G can harvest the fuel at each stop, so theoretically one could have NPC pilots aboard lots of cheap Tana's and they fly continually off that bird. Were I looking at transport, I'd want to see if I can refuel the Kore off the Starfarer and go from there.

Certainly the Starfarers are both way too vulnerable to fly in anyting but the most controlled space, but if you can take your earnings and continually reinvest them in escorts and NPCs, the StarG and Tana combo could make a great transport system. It holds 4X what the Connies do, and the fuel on top, but without escorts it's just a flying target.

 

[glockjs]

I've actually been looking at this a bit lately and the answer that keeps coming up is the Cutlass black. I'm waiting on the rework to see if I'm going to keep my freelancer mis because I might just melt and go down to a Cutlass black. Freelancer really isn't a bad option either though. Both can do alot of things really but the Cutlass is gonna be a better fighter. If you wanna be able to fight and haul = Cutlass or if u want a better hauler that can defend itself = freelancer.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

in a game where min-maxing will rule, "well-rounded" is just another way of saying, "loser"

What he said.

The only way to keep transport safe without an escort is going to be fly a Polaris or some such. Even then you're vulnerable at times.

A Polaris is a VERY expensive transport ship, that probably cannot be justified for transport work from a fuel economics standpoint.

The game is designed to make transport work dangerous. There' isn't a safe alternative.

 

[Deroth]

I should have said above, if I were looking at a career as a transport pilot, I would investigate the notion of flying a StarG with Tana escorts.

If only ships with refueling probes can refuel direct off other ships in space that have no hangar, then many transports are going to go without escorts. So far as I am aware, the Tana is the only fighter that can refuel direct off the StarG, and the G can harvest the fuel at each stop, so theoretically one could have NPC pilots aboard lots of cheap Tana's and they fly continually off that bird. Were I looking at transport, I'd want to see if I can refuel the Kore off the Starfarer and go from there.

Certainly the Starfarers are both way too vulnerable to fly in anyting but the most controlled space, but if you can take your earnings and continually reinvest them in escorts and NPCs, the StarG and Tana combo could make a great transport system. It holds 4X what the Connies do, and the fuel on top, but without escorts it's just a flying target.

There have been many indications that a game mechanic might be implemented to improve the synergy between a BMM and Defender escorts, possibly remora-like setup where one or more Defenders can dock to refuel and resupply while in transit.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

That will be great if it happens, but the Defenders are already designed as long range, just like the Vanguards. The problem CIG deliberately created is that short range fighters can't manage the distances transports fly, and all dogfighters are short range. So the Vanguard and Defender are the only two viable options, unless you provide refueling in flight. StarG can do this if there's a refueling probe (Tana) and the Carrack and Polaris can do this since they have hangars and can refuel one bird at a time. If you want to use an Idris or Kraken as a transport I suppose you can, but the really big haulers like the Hull series are out of luck it seems, unless you can hire Vanguards or Defenders. Both of these will get their asses shot up and down by Sabres, Hornets, etc.

Hence--no safe solution. And I gotta say I like it! If transport were safe it would be boring. However just saying, 8 Tanas is 80 S1 missiles. That would be pretty off-putting to me. Given NPCs can fire missiles, Tanas can have a role in the 'Verse.

 

[Black Sunder]

That will be great if it happens, but the Defenders are already designed as long range, just like the Vanguards. The problem CIG deliberately created is that short range fighters can't manage the distances transports fly, and all dogfighters are short range. So the Vanguard and Defender are the only two viable options, unless you provide refueling in flight. StarG can do this if there's a refueling probe (Tana) and the Carrack and Polaris can do this since they have hangars and can refuel one bird at a time. If you want to use an Idris or Kraken as a transport I suppose you can, but the really big haulers like the Hull series are out of luck it seems, unless you can hire Vanguards or Defenders. Both of these will get their asses shot up and down by Sabres, Hornets, etc.

Hence--no safe solution. And I gotta say I like it! If transport were safe it would be boring. However just saying, 8 Tanas is 80 S1 missiles. That would be pretty off-putting to me. Given NPCs can fire missiles, Tanas can have a role in the 'Verse.

This is why I use a Javelin to transport my red solo cups. Can't take chances.