Imperial Clipper good in combat?
- Thread starter Symbiont
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I fight close-in and dirty with my Clipper and I love it. The maneuverability is bad in stations because it's so heavy and you're at low throttle there, but once you learn to control the drifting in combat you can effectively orbit a target and change directions suddenly by hitting flight assist, etc. It becomes very nimble in the right hands. Shields are a Clipper's biggest weakness; shield gens that are able to cover its hull mass are very expensive.
Its actually a lot more manuverable than you would think.
the hardpoint locations aren't that big of a deal.
its a very good combat ship once you figure out how to fly it in combat.
it isn't as manuverable as a vulture, and it can't shield tank incoming fire.
you have to use your speed to your advantage for it to be effective.
if you're looking for a tool to make you money in a res site you need to stay with the vulture.
if you're looking for an instrument of destruction that can do more than destroy other ships then get the clipper.
the hardpoint locations aren't that big of a deal.
its a very good combat ship once you figure out how to fly it in combat.
it isn't as manuverable as a vulture, and it can't shield tank incoming fire.
you have to use your speed to your advantage for it to be effective.
if you're looking for a tool to make you money in a res site you need to stay with the vulture.
if you're looking for an instrument of destruction that can do more than destroy other ships then get the clipper.
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It can be made into an exceptional combatant.
It's rotational performance is quite good, so it can point where you need it to point, even if it's inertia means it's not very responsive to directional thrust. It has a respectable amount of power available and many internal compartments for things like SCBs. It's faster than any ship in the game, except a light Cobra, and retains the bulk of it's speed until very heavily loaded.
On the negative side, in addition to the aforementioned inertia, it's wide hard-point placements usually require at least a few gimbals or turrets. Also, it's relatively low shield strength for a combat vessel of it's size. Shields can be augmented to very acceptable levels, however.
Biggest downside for many is the cost to turn it into a competitive warship. You only need 20 million to make a Vulture as good as it's ever going to get. You need 75-90 million for an FDL. You need 120-150 million to total max out a Clipper.
It's rotational performance is quite good, so it can point where you need it to point, even if it's inertia means it's not very responsive to directional thrust. It has a respectable amount of power available and many internal compartments for things like SCBs. It's faster than any ship in the game, except a light Cobra, and retains the bulk of it's speed until very heavily loaded.
On the negative side, in addition to the aforementioned inertia, it's wide hard-point placements usually require at least a few gimbals or turrets. Also, it's relatively low shield strength for a combat vessel of it's size. Shields can be augmented to very acceptable levels, however.
Biggest downside for many is the cost to turn it into a competitive warship. You only need 20 million to make a Vulture as good as it's ever going to get. You need 75-90 million for an FDL. You need 120-150 million to total max out a Clipper.
The clipper doesn't have "miserable" maneuverability. It's pretty nimble at speed in combat.
The Vulture has been my fave combat ship up until now. The worst thing with the Clipper is the shields are weaker than a Vulture. I'm currently running my Clipper with C7 Shields with 2 x A Class Shield Boosters with a couple of shield cell banks. In this formation I can now go up against Elite NPC Anaconda's with no worries. Because you don't have the power juggling to the same extent of the Vulture and you have some additional hardpoints I actually now find it more useful for Combat than a Vulture. A Vulture is more Maneuverable and can take more of a pounding, but you can take more ships out faster with the additional hardpoints, just keep your chaff ready and be ready to pop a cell or two when you need them. I've currently got 2 x Class 3 G Burst and 2 x Class 2 G Multi Cannons which I find works very well.
Personally I love the Clipper. Due to it's speed and masslock capability. The shields are a bit weak but if you run a certain setup it's really not an issue. I'm not the "best" pilot out there... yet... but I've never lost the Clipper in a fight.[video=youtube;i06JzLEWsKU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i06JzLEWsKU[/video]
I find 9/10 targets try to run... big mistake.
I also find 8/10 Vulture pilots are complete derpcases that think ramming is their best offensive solution... also a big mistake. They always act all hardcore ramtard until their shields drop, then they try to outrun the clipper and die.
If you can afford one, I suggest picking it up it's hands down my favorite ship to fly.
I find 9/10 targets try to run... big mistake.
I also find 8/10 Vulture pilots are complete derpcases that think ramming is their best offensive solution... also a big mistake. They always act all hardcore ramtard until their shields drop, then they try to outrun the clipper and die.
If you can afford one, I suggest picking it up it's hands down my favorite ship to fly.
if you go with 5 A0 shield booster it is much better. One you upgrade the power you can run those, plus 4 beams. Two fixed and two gimbal.
For me the one big disadvantage to the Clipper is it needs a large landing pad. Sometimes you really do need the option to make it to an outpost (usually to pay off fines).
That is why I would go for the Python - yes Python not Vulture. As with most things - it just comes down to personal preference.
That is why I would go for the Python - yes Python not Vulture. As with most things - it just comes down to personal preference.
It is an issue. That said, I've picked up FF bounties a few times in my Clipper and haven't yet been caught sneaking into the station to pay them off. It adds a little extra thrill to the game.
Agree with everything said here also due the the shields the only issue I have had in a RES is asteroids. Not very forgiving them things.
How do you fit 5 boosters to only 4 utility slots ?
Recently I've been running, from right to left: a fixed large pulse laser, a medium railgun, a torpedo pylon (last effort at crippling subsystems on runners), and a large pulse laser turret.
A7 shields and three or four A boosters is a viable setup, and will leave you with stronger shields than almost any Vulture.
After months in a Clipper I bought a FDL just to try something different for RES hunting. I find the Clipper to be more effective against AI ships. I just can't get the FDL to turn fast enough to keep all guns on target whereas the clipper can fly circles around anything. I had no qualms about doing assassination missions in the Clipper but I'm not so confident in the FDL.
FDL is underpowered IMO, but I'm enjoying the extra challenge after having it so easy in the Clipper.
Are you using your vertical and lateral thrusters, or are you just trying to pitch?
I have a great deal of confidence in my FDL:
[video=youtube;DCRejFkOmns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCRejFkOmns[/video]
[video=youtube;XpwQH6ipvfM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpwQH6ipvfM[/video]
Don't let yourself get fooled by NPC Clippers... NPCs somehow manage to make it appear like a T9. In fact it's by far the fastest and most maneuverable of all the big ships. It pays its price for this though by having the weakest shields and worst hardpoint placement of all the big ships.
It's a formidable yet expensive (the A7 shields alone cost 50 mill) combat ship, though. Smashed countless Vulture commanders with it, who obviously underestimated the Clipper. It's especially useful as a pirate ship, because it's fast enough to run down (or outrun for that matter) almost any other ship and still has enough room for scooped up booty.