Will anyone bother to unlock the Cutter again?

[Stealthie]

Apples and oranges honestly....

How did it take so many posts before somebody posted the correct answer?

More specifically, it's like comparing a fat, juicy, over-ripe apple to a rocket-propelled orange made of granite with a titanium skin... and machineguns glued to it.

Speaking as a Corvette fanboy, the Cutter is almost certainly still the most dangerous ship in the game.
Basically, the only way you're going to beat a Cutter in combat is 1) if it's a lousy build, 2) if it's being flown incompetently or 3) if the Cutter jockey dies of old age while you're trying to deplete it's shield.

It's kind of weird to think there might be people who think the Cutter is just a cargo ship.

 

[PilotB]

Do you think people will spend the time to unlock the Cutter and actually use itfor the style factor and exclusivity, when there's other ships that do things better? I don't think people will.

People will. As long as it's viable people will fly what they enjoy. There's very little resource scarcity in game so there's no need to be optimal. Good enough is just fine and good enough and fun are way better than optimal and not. You can look at all the odd ships that people explore in as a good example that the best ship isn't the only ship flown. Many people will start out min maxing but over time you just migrate to the ships that resonate with you.

 

[Bigmaec]

How did it take so many posts before somebody posted the correct answer?

More specifically, it's like comparing a fat, juicy, over-ripe apple to a rocket-propelled orange made of granite with a titanium skin... and machineguns glued to it.

Speaking as a Corvette fanboy, the Cutter is almost certainly still the most dangerous ship in the game.
Basically, the only way you're going to beat a Cutter in combat is 1) if it's a lousy build, 2) if it's being flown incompetently or 3) if the Cutter jockey dies of old age while you're trying to deplete it's shield.

It's kind of weird to think there might be people who think the Cutter is just a cargo ship.

But but ...unarmored unshielded meme minmax cargo build (goes boom ).

 

[kofeyh]

There are other uses for the Cutter besides hauling so yes.

This.

Using Cutter for hauling, is like using an Aircraft Carrier or Hercules Gunship to deliver Temu parcels. Of course you can, by all means, but Cutter is an absolute menace when outfit for combat and is still extremely good at what it does.

If you need to move bulk, sure, there's another option on the table. If you however need something dead, or need to move something spicy without becoming dead, it's pretty much unparalleled.

It will remain highly worth the grind, imo.

 

[Ian Skippy]

New ships should be sidegrades, not straight upgrades. They made that mistake with engineers, they are making it again.

But sidegrades sell less arx, so its on us I guess.

 

[Rat Catcher]

New ships should be sidegrades, not straight upgrades.

I guess they would sell one or 2 if that was the case. (to those folk who want bland)

But I am biased, naturally, and want a game to be fun, not even less interesting when new stuff is introduced. Yeah, yeah, it is for 'balance' or summat... Or that is what some folk insist. Better at something and nerfed at everything else isn't fun, not for me!

 

[drakkster2025]

I've been flying the Panther Clipper for a week now and for my money it's the best bulk hauler available. Previously I'd have said that was the Cutter, but in my builds the the Panther hauls 60% more tonnage, and is more maneuverable. Currently the Panther requires Arx to purchase but very soon it'll be available to everyone for credits.

While I see why this is a good thing for a lot of commanders it bums me out a bit. The Cutter had a bit of prestige about it. It was a bit of a status symbol. Before I'd made the commitment to carry mail for weeks for the empire to unlock it, I'd see someone flying one and think "wow they're committed, they earned that ship". I'll still think that when I see one flying, but in reality probably not gonna see too many Cutters flying around anymore. Why would anyone bother? You don't have to do anything extra to have the objectively best hauler in the game anymore.

It probably won't be long and the same thing will happen to the Corvette. With Vanguards on the horizon I can see a new large combat focussed ship being released that will make the Corvette pointless. That's not necessarily a bad thing, having new ships to engineer and play with gives us all something to do and there should definitely be more variety of ships out there.

I'm probably in the minority, but I liked having ships that required more than just credits to buy. I like the idea that if you want the best of the best at something you had to do a little extra. A lot of people are gonna say that the extra we had to do was an unfun grind, and yeah I can see that. With the revamp to Power Play, and the addition of Colonisation there's got to be a way to bring a few ships to the game that require something extra to purchase.

I think this can be solved if FDEV can do something with King and Admiral ranks in the Imperial and Federation ranking system. Currently, you get nothing for achieving these goals. If they offered something for them people will still do the work to get there and subsequently get the ships associated with the grind of reaching that. Maybe we get to name a planet for free or we get a capital ship placed in one of our systems we've built.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

People who play in imperial space will unlock it eventually anyway.

You mean by * GASP * just playing the game?

New ships should be sidegrades, not straight upgrades. They made that mistake with engineers, they are making it again.

I cannot see new ships being just sidegrades being well received by anyone who's been crying for new ships for years now.

"You know, the new Imperial Hauler Mk.VII can now do 810 tons, because they added a size four slot! Shame it still doesn't brake, but now it comes in a pretty white paint by default".

 

[Bob McBobblehead]

The Panther Clipper is good at one thing, hauling. For everything else there is the multi-role Imperial Cutter.

 

[Aashenfox]

New ships should be sidegrades, not straight upgrades. They made that mistake with engineers, they are making it again.

But sidegrades sell less arx, so its on us I guess.

I think it's important to see this pragmatically. This is a necessary evil for the good of the game (live service games need constant maintenance). To be totally fair, so far, mostly, each new ship had its own hook, one thing it does well. Mandalay for jump range, PClipper for cargo, type 11 for mining, type 8 for fast couriering medium loads. The exceptions are:

Python 2 - too much dps for only a power plant disadvantage. Belly hardpoint should be medium.
Corsair - too fast, too much dps, its only disadvantage is shield multiplier and pretty horrible hardpoints. Should have smaller (or fewer) optionals, or a speed nerf. Honestly, I think the optimal mass multiplier for thursters is probably a bug, you can add any amount of weight to the ship for almost no penalty, and you get no multiplier advantage from running a light build.
Cobra V - OP for a small ship, but hardpoints aren't great. Should have fewer optionals.

So out of 7, only 3 are really significantly power crept, it seems like they're trying to be a little balanced while keeping the ships desirable, so far I'm ok with the strat.

 

[Knuttin Atoll]

I cannot see new ships being just sidegrades being well received by anyone who's been crying for new ships for years now.

"You know, the new Imperial Hauler Mk.VII can now do 810 tons, because they added a size four slot! Shame it still doesn't brake, but now it comes in a pretty white paint by default".

They could've given the PC2 the physical dimensions it deserves (i.e. just about fitting through the mailslot, and on an L pad), even more cargo size (say 1,500t) but severely reduce defenses and/or flying characteristics. I'm not even sure if that'd automatically mean fewer Arx sales, but Frontier obviously thought otherwise and went for the jack of all trades master of all trades approach instead.

As for the OP... ever since Odyssey released I can't bring it onto me to fly the Cutter anymore, despite generally liking the aesthetics, and even the flight model, and having a few skins for it also. The sight of those "stairs" while on foot completely annihilates any resemblence of immersion. It's a joke that they didn't address scaling issues when the DLC released.

 

[PiLhEaD]

It's not SCO optimized, there are better combat ships, there's a better miner coming out, there are better options for passenger liners. What does it do better than any other ship in the game that would make anyone want to unlock it?

It's a fair point you make. I earned my Federation rank almost accidentally off the back of trading to earn my first Python. So, a sort of win-win. I've subsequently thought about earning an Imperial rank, but honestly just can't be bothered given the efforts required and the demands of the real world. So, whilst I can't speak for others, no, I won't worry about any Imperial rank, doubly so as the Corsair is free from any such requirement.

On a separate note, having now gained a few SCO ships, I'm mildly amused to find that I've used it barely a handful of times, instead enjoying the scenery sliding by and the sense of calming being-there that supercruise gives me.

Oh well.

Hooray for everything!

 

[zimms]

How did it take so many posts before somebody posted the correct answer?

More specifically, it's like comparing a fat, juicy, over-ripe apple to a rocket-propelled orange made of granite with a titanium skin... and machineguns glued to it.

Speaking as a Corvette fanboy, the Cutter is almost certainly still the most dangerous ship in the game.
Basically, the only way you're going to beat a Cutter in combat is 1) if it's a lousy build, 2) if it's being flown incompetently or 3) if the Cutter jockey dies of old age while you're trying to deplete it's shield.

It's kind of weird to think there might be people who think the Cutter is just a cargo ship.

The Corvette can brag about firepower and maneuverability all it wants, it's the Cutter who decides when and where an engagement happens.

This is what it looks like when a ganker in a Covette comes across a bunch of haulers in their Cutter:

Spoiler

 

[KhaosDoctor]

I would just unlock it for completeness, I have a goal to own every ship in the game with at least one nice build so I’ll do it for the grind

 

[tomalus]

Beside the cargo capacity, cutter is superior in every other way.

The clipper rolls slightly better then a t9,but its still really bad.

 

[Habakuk Tatsu]

Do you think people will spend the time to unlock the Cutter and actually use itfor the style factor and exclusivity, when there's other ships that do things better? I don't think people will.

Well, yes? I'm unlocking it right now as a side project for it great looks (i blame the Corsair to make me a Gutayama fan), while I actually have a PCII for two weeks now. Ships are like Pokemon. Gotta catch 'em all.

 

[Titler]

Yes, unfortunately the opportunity to burn users for Arx means that the wider structure of the game is being sacrificed to push the newest Shiny; and why grind Naval rank when you can just outright purchase (or wait a few months then get for in game cash) the best in class? I loved my 792t Cutter but it's hung up it's boots now, as will my Mining rig T9, which I got a scrap metal skin for, when the new ship comes in. As will my corvette when the inevitable P2W best big fighter appears...

There IS a way out of the spiral though.

There was never a reward for Rank 14 (Admiral / King-Queen) in Naval Rank. Put something special in there. Corvette/Cutter Refit. Unique ship skin, boost to stats, extra shields or guns. Bring your old friend in and have it further pimped out as a reward for your loyalty.

 

[Doctor Dread]

Besides combat use which is covered above, Cutter still is the fastest heavy-load (read as Passenger & Evacuation) carrier in the game. I'm certain there will again be AX evacuations with Thargoid hyperdictions 'n stuff, where the Cutter simply shines.

 

[Three Stars]

Yes, because there are people who enjoy each ship for their uniqueness and who don’t define their self-worth by whatever the meta happens to be.

 

[Inscydeus]

New ships should be sidegrades, not straight upgrades. They made that mistake with engineers, they are making it again.

But sidegrades sell less arx, so its on us I guess.

Schrodinger's Panther Clipper; it's simultaneously "not big enough", "Doesn't hold nine bajillion tonnes like the original™" yet it's a "straight upgrade". And yes it is an upgrade in cargo capacity, but it always was going to be a better trade ship than the Cutter - which is not a trade ship.