Imperial Clipper Bounty

[Ray Nova]

So I came accros some Imperial Clippers last night with 50k credits or more on their head. Naturally I tried to intercept with my Combra MKIII but dang those guys are quick!!!

They just gave me their taillights and made me eat dust...

Has someone caught them with a cobra or other ship so far?
I think one needs a certain approach vector as i almost got one but due to lag he slipped my grasp.

 

[Danneh]

Flying one now and they are indeed fast for their size. The cobra should be *slightly* faster if you have equal modules, but I'm on D thrusters and hit 400 on boost. Not much you can do other than get the hits in fast, take out the drives if you can.

 

[SamVerner]

clippers are the fastest ships with a grade thrusters - even faster than a cobra with a grades - nothing gets them and nothing gets away...

 

[IceSerpent]

clippers are the fastest ships with a grade thrusters - even faster than a cobra with a grades - nothing gets them and nothing gets away...

I would agree on "nothing gets them" part, but "nothing gets away" is highly dubious - clipper has maneuverability of your average supertanker.

 

[SamVerner]

I would agree on "nothing gets them" part, but "nothing gets away" is highly dubious - clipper has maneuverability of your average supertanker.

with those a grade thrusters a clipper turns like a cobra - the only downside are the up/downward and right/left thrusters but that can be compensated by pitch/roll - i think its right not to be able to strafe with such a big ship and its just another way to fight with it

and to get away is for me getting distance to a ship - so with a clipper just boost and align to target while hes running - or go blue zone and align and then boost - however you will get to your target very fast

 

[Lazaruslong]

Taken a few of these out with my Viper, no serious upgrades on it really. Just watch out for the buggers ramming you when your shields are down or low. Also, there was a bug where the bounty is allocated on kill but doesn't appear on your transactions list. Not sure if this has been fixed yet.

 

[Hethwill_Khan]

As they are as manoeuverable as the Cobra ( actually slightly better ) what I do IF the clipper is a Master ( only NPC level which actually gives a good fight and even death ! ) you will have to do a combination of both hugs on him and turn and keep up speed with him right underneath his tail - don't let those turrets get a lock on you. It is tricky and requires a lot of fine tuning on the throttle but is highly rewarding. If by any chance he runs from the knife fight, zoom away. Some have good thrust that can keep up with your boosting...

I use two beams B.1 ( packing money for the A.2 versions ) and two multi-cannon ( can't recall the levels ). On top of that Shield Cells are mandatory.

The Master Clippers usually pack 2 high energy beams, a missile laucher and two kinetic turrets, but variations can be of any sort, especially on the engines side.

Anything below Master, and i've downed a few of them, are not really that dangerous. But them even a Master Cobra will make you fight for your life properly. Still they don't beat a human player.

 

[Juffa]

While up close and personal with a fixed weapon clipper I noticed a blind spot in front of the ship that I could fit a viper into. Rolled my ship to face the clipper on a ninety degree angle and watched as thermal fire zipped passed without touching my shield.

Oh yeah, I'm flying a clipper and it's really pointless to have more than one fixed weapon... the hardpoints are just too far from each other. I have one fixed, and 3 gimballed lasers... The aiming point is quite a bit off-center, but that large-hardpoint fixed beam laser packs a real punch when it hits... add the gimballed ones to the play and eagle pops in about 2 seconds, and cobra in less than 5... once their shields are down.
Though it's pretty confusing when the fixed weapon's aiming point moves even more to the side when the target is too close, and then then the gimballed weapons on otherside can't even hit.

 

[Ravenov]

I would agree on "nothing gets them" part, but "nothing gets away" is highly dubious - clipper has maneuverability of your average supertanker.

I fought a novice (might have been competent) clipper in my eagle. He had no shields, but did have turrets and was easily able to turn with me, constantly down thrusting to try and stay out of his fire arc. Got him in the end (thank you shield boosters) but i have a respect for them now, and won't engage so blindly a second time.

 

[bullfrog]

I just got one in a Viper, A power B thruster and C shield, the Clipper had some fierce lasers and interestingly opened fire first in a non anarchy system, cracked my windshield, the trickiest bit was bounty scanning it while it was trying to ram me. Had to run away at one point and recharge shields.

 

[Sarutoshi]

Has someone caught them with a cobra or other ship so far?

I saw an imperial clipper about 3km away from a station as i undocked in my Viper. It was the first one I saw so I wanted a closer look, but as I notice him he starts charging his FSD. Full power to engines, boosting non stop. I was closing with him but just barely, i've never had as much trouble closing a gap with anything other than other vipers. I managed to get within 1km of him before he entered super-cruise.

I'm pretty sure had he been boosting too I wouldn't have closed the distance.

 

[Daeglann]

I shot some clippers but most of time they engage their FSD as soon as they are in difficulty, and even if I'm close to their tail they escape