The practical use of Carrier birds.

[LoicFarris]

YES! Carrack love. This man know his shit! He actually plays the game! I just spend on it. And shitpost.

Haha, well honestly I took the Carrack and Caterpillar out for cargo-running this evening. @Fin_Corso flew the Carrack and I flew the Caterpillar and I loaded each ship up for cargo for round trips between Hurston and Crusader... Fin did just fine on his own, the key is to have strong enough shields that if somebody tries to take a few shots at you, you can get away fairly easy. Anyway, it was a pretty smooth run, even though @Fin_Corso is still learning how to park. ;)

 

[Sirus7264]

My current fleet is an Avenger, a Sabre, a Vanguard Warden and a Retaliator, plus a couple of bikes.
In my fleet the Sabre serves the role of Carrier fighter for the Org, stealth recon and hard hitting combat craft to cover other missions.
The Avenger is supposed to fill the role of multi-purpose light craft, that can haul some bounties.

Granted they don't have the fuel mechanics balanced, but it is looking like the range on the Avenger and Sabre are going to be shorter than I will want to normally deal with. I am keeping the Sabre because I should have a stealth ship, especially one that is quick, agile and hard hitting. I figure I should also have a single seat fighter that fits in most carrier hangars.

Given hints by CIG, it appears the Rover will be important to have available.
Now I don't know if I can carry a rover in the forward bay of my Retaliator but the Retaliator is supposed to get a Bounty Hunter Module.

The Avenger doesn't really carry enough cargo to be useful, it isn't as fast, as agile or as hard hitting as the Sabre, so I am thinking it needs to be replaced.

I really dislike the Cutlass, in fact all Drake Ships, yes, it is irrational, but I just can't stand any Drake ship except the Dragonfly. :)
I could probably live with the Freelancer, but I would prefer a better view and a more comfortable interior.
The Connie, especially the Phoenix, appears to, capability wise, check all the boxes but the struts drive me nuts, and it is boring.
The Valkyrie needs too big a crew, but checks most of the boxes, especially if I can lock a prisoner into a troop seat.
The Star Runner might work but the firepower is anemic it can't carry a rover, and with all the same cargo capacity, same crew as an Andromeda and same price as an Andromeda, is the better looks really worth it?

600i Explorer?

What do you guys think?

I vote Banu Merchantman big carries alot of cargo, has room to put your ships and good firepower.

 

[Thalstan]

One thing I will say the Max has over the Connie is that it is supposed to be the largest ship that can pass through a small jump point (unless that changes). That's quite a powerful advantage for an Ursa carrier if they don't bring anything else out with that capability.

What size jump hole will a Mercury be able to use? EDIT - I looked it up the original Q&A states the same as the Freelancer, at least for them moment. Then it would only depend on if an Ursa fits the Mercury.

My understanding is that the freelancer series/star runner is the largest that will pass through small jump points. The Connie will need a medium jump point.

 

[Phil]

I feel similar in regards to Drake ships and I also hate the views out of the lancers, but I have to suggest the Corsair, unless your dead set against the interiors of Drake ships, I feel the Corsair is exactly what you are looking for, its got decent firepower, can haul a Rover, has plenty of cargo space, could prolly serve as a bounty hunter ship, this is a way better option imo than a 600i and to be honest I actually like the design of this drake ship.

 

[Ayeteeone]

One of the biggest holes, with prison game play coming online, is the mid tier Bounty Hunter ship (that isn't made by Drake. :) ) There is also no endgame Bounty Hunter Ship.

We have 3 low end ships, the Avenger, the Hawk and the Cutlass Blue, and that is it.

This is a question. I have an unfounded suspicion that 'Live Bounty Hunting' may become possible in many different ships, as the discriminating characteristic is a holding cell of some kind. We've seen several different varieties of cells now, from the built-in unit on the Hawk, the supposedly removable units in the Stalker and Blue, to the cargo variant being used in the prison transport mission.

Part of the 300i pitch was it's use as a bounty hunter.. a horizontal cell like those seen in the SQ 42 vertical slice would fit in it's cargo bay nicely. So having the cell as a 'cargo module' opens up the possibilities. This would be a VERY sensible direction to take the tools of the profession, as it means almost any ship could be used by a bounty hunter - keep them pirates paranoid!

 

[LoicFarris]

My 2 cents and this is based on a lot of speculation...

With regards to Bounty Hunting, I will be frank in saying that I feel that the neither the Corsair, 600i, Carrack, Banu Merchantman, or anything in that size range + will make a good Bounty Hunting ship on its own... maybe as part of a group. I can't speak for the capabilities of the ships that haven't been released, but I can make some very educated assumptions based on what's out now. Take the Mandalorian for instance and look at his ship. It's maybe 1/3 the size of a Connie if that... for Bounty Hunting I expect you'll need function over form and the ability to transfer your bounty. So I know the Avenger is out there and the Cutlass? Is supposed to be another ship that works for that... I might be wrong... anyway. A ship that keeps coming to mind as I type this is the Redeemer, it reminds me of the Mandalorian's ship with regards to size, the redeemer is a little bigger, and configuration. I think a ship as described here, that can carry a respectable amount of cargo and an Ursa Rover is simply going to be too big and too unwieldy for Bounty Hunting... at least on it's own and in situations where you're engaging in ship to ship combat.

... now that said. If you picture your self hunting bounties on foot, IE most of your engagements will be FPS based, you can pretty much disregard everything I've just told you. In that case I would point to the Carrack again, or as other's have said, and if you're not turned off by the utilitarian style, the Corsair. Based on the idea of focusing Bounty Hunting on foot, I don't consider the fire-power of the Corsair to be a must. My expectation would be that you would want a fast, durable ship. IE, a ship with shields that can absorb hits, make a run for it in sub-light speed and make the jump to Quantum quickly. I can't speak for the size of the fuel tanks on the Corsair, but I will say that the fuel tanks in the Carrack are rather large.

Anyhow, interesting conversation, hope my comments give you some food for thought.

 

[Phil]

We were all going off the original post that he wanted a ship that could haul a rover, looks like he wants multiple bounty hunting ships for various situations. Imo the Carrack is way to large unless you plan on splitting bounties between 5 or more crewmembers, even NPC will require funds and you cant go out in a Carrack without them seeing as they have no weapons for the pilot to operate, this to me eliminates this ship from bounty hunting, again unless its some sort of huge bounty that requires multiplayer, which there will be. But for someone who wants a Rover, needs firepower, range and some cargo area and still be able to operate it alone you really cant beat the Corsair right, its literally the only ship in that size with all of these features.

I guess a 600i could prolly do the same, it does have decent firepower but where are you going to put the bounty? If we stick with the immersion of the game, this ship just isn't designed for bounty hunting. The cost diff between the two is almost 250$.

I was going off the impression he would be solo bounty hunting, if this is true the Carrack is a no go right out the gate, if he wants to haul a rover around in a medium to large size ship by himself, something that has range, firepower and as the ship is Drake will prolly end up having a cell type modification at some point again I say the Corsair is the way to go.

 

[vahadar]

Haha, well honestly I took the Carrack and Caterpillar out for cargo-running this evening. @Fin_Corso flew the Carrack and I flew the Caterpillar and I loaded each ship up for cargo for round trips between Hurston and Crusader... Fin did just fine on his own, the key is to have strong enough shields that if somebody tries to take a few shots at you, you can get away fairly easy. Anyway, it was a pretty smooth run, even though @Fin_Corso is still learning how to park. ;)

I am curious, in the end what ship made the best benefit, time-wise? The carrack flies much faster than the cat, i guess it might compensate its lower cargo bay in the end? I own both (well the cat is a loaner one and i have never traded with it yet since its very recent addition), and so far i was doing my trades in carrack, and i'm still planning to do it with this ship since the trade route i use have no armistice, so speed matters to me, but still i'm curious.

 

[vahadar]

There is also no endgame Bounty Hunter Ship.

Polaris is supposed to have a prison? And its definitely end-game ;)

 

[LoicFarris]

I am curious, in the end what ship made the best benefit, time-wise? The carrack flies much faster than the cat, i guess it might compensate its lower cargo bay in the end? I own both (well the cat is a loaner one and i have never traded with it yet since its very recent addition), and so far i was doing my trades in carrack, and i'm still planning to do it with this ship since the trade route i use have no armistice, so speed matters to me, but still i'm curious.

So stock, as of 3.8.2, the Caterpillar is faster than the Carrack in Quantum. Now, the Carrack is faster than the Caterpillar in Sub-Light at top speed, but the Caterpillar accelerates faster. Now, my Carrack and Caterpillar are nowhere near stock. My Caterpillar and Carrack both have the same S3, Grade A Military drive, so they go the same speed in QT. I don't have the specs in-front of me but both ships have virtually all components upgraded, industrial Grade A power plant and coolers, the Carrack has Military Grade A shields but the Caterpillar has Industrial Grade A shields. Both ships have attrition guns on their turrets, which may feel like a waste in the Caterpillar, but it's already paid off. I had a friend in the top turret when somebody tried to EMP us, my gunner shredded the bogey with little effort as we pulled away from T&M with over 300k in diamonds in our cargo-hold.

 

[vahadar]

I had a friend in the top turret when somebody tried to EMP us, my gunner shredded the bogey with little effort as we pulled away from T&M with over 300k in diamonds in our cargo-hold.

That's the no armistice location i was vaguely refering to ;) Well i had a mis-adventure with an EMP guy too there in the carrack i managed to save the cargo logging off in my bed as my ship was totally red, and when i relogued in PO the ship was "safe" available for retrieve with cargo inside. Scariest day i had in SC heh.

Ok so basically from what you say the caterpillar will be better for benefit generated time-wise i guess.

 

[Blind Owl]

Haha, well honestly I took the Carrack and Caterpillar out for cargo-running this evening. @Fin_Corso flew the Carrack and I flew the Caterpillar and I loaded each ship up for cargo for round trips between Hurston and Crusader... Fin did just fine on his own, the key is to have strong enough shields that if somebody tries to take a few shots at you, you can get away fairly easy. Anyway, it was a pretty smooth run, even though @Fin_Corso is still learning how to park. ;)

So stock, as of 3.8.2, the Caterpillar is faster than the Carrack in Quantum. Now, the Carrack is faster than the Caterpillar in Sub-Light at top speed, but the Caterpillar accelerates faster. Now, my Carrack and Caterpillar are nowhere near stock. My Caterpillar and Carrack both have the same S3, Grade A Military drive, so they go the same speed in QT. I don't have the specs in-front of me but both ships have virtually all components upgraded, industrial Grade A power plant and coolers, the Carrack has Military Grade A shields but the Caterpillar has Industrial Grade A shields. Both ships have attrition guns on their turrets, which may feel like a waste in the Caterpillar, but it's already paid off. I had a friend in the top turret when somebody tried to EMP us, my gunner shredded the bogey with little effort as we pulled away from T&M with over 300k in diamonds in our cargo-hold.

Ok, I gotta find time to play this game with you, haha.

 

[LoicFarris]

Ok, I gotta find time to play this game with you, haha.

Dude, I've been here, waiting. :)

Cargo runs get old but it's a fun way to make cash. I'm just trying to build up a balance so I can just dork around the game and do whatever I like without worrying about fuel or repair costs.

 

[Blind Owl]

Dude, I've been here, waiting. :)

Cargo runs get old but it's a fun way to make cash. I'm just trying to build up a balance so I can just dork around the game and do whatever I like without worrying about fuel or repair costs.

Finding time (read: breaking my routine) is exceptionally hard for me. ANd for years, my routine has been avoiding playing SC. It's freaking weird, because the more I see SC, the more I want to play, but I seem to just keep playing other things.

 

[LoicFarris]

Finding time (read: breaking my routine) is exceptionally hard for me. ANd for years, my routine has been avoiding playing SC. It's freaking weird, because the more I see SC, the more I want to play, but I seem to just keep playing other things.

Well I feel that you should wait until 3.9. Then we can overwhelm you with everything that's there to see and play.

 

[Blind Owl]

Well I feel that you should wait until 3.9. Then we can overwhelm you with everything that's there to see and play.

Sounds good to me, lol

 

[Richard Bong]

We were all going off the original post that he wanted a ship that could haul a rover, looks like he wants multiple bounty hunting ships for various situations. Imo the Carrack is way to large unless you plan on splitting bounties between 5 or more crewmembers, even NPC will require funds and you cant go out in a Carrack without them seeing as they have no weapons for the pilot to operate, this to me eliminates this ship from bounty hunting, again unless its some sort of huge bounty that requires multiplayer, which there will be. But for someone who wants a Rover, needs firepower, range and some cargo area and still be able to operate it alone you really cant beat the Corsair right, its literally the only ship in that size with all of these features.

I guess a 600i could prolly do the same, it does have decent firepower but where are you going to put the bounty? If we stick with the immersion of the game, this ship just isn't designed for bounty hunting. The cost diff between the two is almost 250$.

I was going off the impression he would be solo bounty hunting, if this is true the Carrack is a no go right out the gate, if he wants to haul a rover around in a medium to large size ship by himself, something that has range, firepower and as the ship is Drake will prolly end up having a cell type modification at some point again I say the Corsair is the way to go.

I have some friends. I've no real intention to seriously solo bounties. :)

 

[Blind Owl]

I have some friends. I've no real intention to seriously solo bounties. :)

Friends are good. I have a few that I may game with occasionally. Around 19,000 at last count, haha.

 

[Richard Bong]

Polaris is supposed to have a prison? And its definitely end-game ;)

Or an Idris with a Rail Gun. LOL

 

[Richard Bong]

My understanding is that the freelancer series/star runner is the largest that will pass through small jump points. The Connie will need a medium jump point.

Last word is that is up in the air.