Meh ill be flying the courier for eternity though ill probs reset my character and go back to the same commander name, though i wonder if it means i lose my discovered systems.
Meh ill be flying the courier for eternity though ill probs reset my character and go back to the same commander name, though i wonder if it means i lose my discovered systems.
I've flown one now for about 30 minutes. It's fun to fly and it looks sexy. It really does feel like an Eagle 1.5. Although I was comfortably able to fit A shields, A3 shield cell bank, A thrusters, 3x A0 Boosters etc, the power distributor doesn't seem to be much to write home about. With 4 pips to weapons, 3 pulse lasers will overheat after about 45 seconds of firing.
I'm not entirely sure what the actual purpose of this ship is, though. It's out-classed by the Viper for combat and the Cobra for multi-role. It's puny fuel tank and jump range make it terrible for exploration. It's not even that fast. I don't know what I was expecting from a Courier, but to me, Courier means fast, long range ship.
Will be interesting to see if FD tweak the Courier at all. It sounds and looks great. But I'm not too sure what it's supposed to do.
I'm not entirely sure what the actual purpose of this ship is, though. It's out-classed by the Viper for combat and the Cobra for multi-role. It's puny fuel tank and jump range make it terrible for exploration. It's not even that fast. I don't know what I was expecting from a Courier, but to me, Courier means fast, long range ship.
Will be interesting to see if FD tweak the Courier at all. It sounds and looks great. But I'm not too sure what it's supposed to do.
With a few boosters, yup.
Beta-1 Tucanae
It has more than twice the shields of a Viper (with shield boosters), it replaces the 2 small weapons for 1 medium, which is an upgrade, but most importantly, the hardpoint placement is much better. The Viper only really works for fixed loadouts, the Courier has 2 hardpoints at the front tip of the nacelles (very very clever, FD), and one right under the nose. It seems there is no area in the forward FOV that you cannot hit with all 3 weapons simultaneously. FYI my loadout after trying around: gimballed pulse lasers on the nacelles, gimballed cannon on the nose. Works like a charm.
It has more than twice the shields of a Viper (with shield boosters), it replaces the 2 small weapons for 1 medium, which is an upgrade, but most importantly, the hardpoint placement is much better. The Viper only really works for fixed loadouts, the Courier has 2 hardpoints at the front tip of the nacelles (very very clever, FD), and one right under the nose. It seems there is no area in the forward FOV that you cannot hit with all 3 weapons simultaneously. FYI my loadout after trying around: gimballed pulse lasers on the nacelles, gimballed cannon on the nose. Works like a charm.
Now the question is.... is it more than 20 times better than the Viper?
I don't really know what to think of the Courier.
It's not that it's a bad ship per se, but i can't seem to spot its particular strength either.
Part of the problem may be, that with an estimated cost of 2 million, i still (maybe wrongly) compare it more to the likes of a Vulture than to ships in the cobra range. But that alone isn't it.
Weapons are sufficient but nothing to write home about, power distributor is certainly not.
Trading capacity is very low, even when not outfitted with combat specific modules like SCB's or utilities like fuel scoop and scanners.
Jump range is mediocre but borderline disappointing when equipped as a true multipurpose ship.
Speed and handling are okay-ish, but again, nothing to choose the Courier over other ships.
So regardless from which angle i look at it, i'd either take a Cobra for better jump range and more flexibility OR save up a tiny bit more and just get a Vulture.
Which fights better, flies better, and with my preferred Vulture setup even has more cargo capacity AND jump range...and all that in a combat setup (albeit without armor)!
I'd really have prefered if the Courier was a medium ship in the 10-12 Mill Credit range, where it would have been much more appreciated as a gap-closer in ship progression.
Edit: Oh, i forgot. Yes, it has got exceptional strong shields for such a tiny ship. But still not sure if that alone warrants the distinctively unspectacular performance in every other area.
It's not that it's a bad ship per se, but i can't seem to spot its particular strength either.
Part of the problem may be, that with an estimated cost of 2 million, i still (maybe wrongly) compare it more to the likes of a Vulture than to ships in the cobra range. But that alone isn't it.
Weapons are sufficient but nothing to write home about, power distributor is certainly not.
Trading capacity is very low, even when not outfitted with combat specific modules like SCB's or utilities like fuel scoop and scanners.
Jump range is mediocre but borderline disappointing when equipped as a true multipurpose ship.
Speed and handling are okay-ish, but again, nothing to choose the Courier over other ships.
So regardless from which angle i look at it, i'd either take a Cobra for better jump range and more flexibility OR save up a tiny bit more and just get a Vulture.
Which fights better, flies better, and with my preferred Vulture setup even has more cargo capacity AND jump range...and all that in a combat setup (albeit without armor)!
I'd really have prefered if the Courier was a medium ship in the 10-12 Mill Credit range, where it would have been much more appreciated as a gap-closer in ship progression.
Edit: Oh, i forgot. Yes, it has got exceptional strong shields for such a tiny ship. But still not sure if that alone warrants the distinctively unspectacular performance in every other area.
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Very nimble and fun to fly. Tried with 2 gimballed pulse + 1 rail OK. 3 Rails - no way Jose... Top speed (with boost) all A class modules a D class sensor fsd and life suport less than 400. So it wont escape FDL. Shame about class 3 drives. This thing should have been close to cobra wit class 4 doing 440 m/s. Gimballed weapons can hit almost 90 degreed above the plane. However with new chaff dynamics making gimballs less effective it will be interesting. Oh and yes people we have class 2 bursts now. I tried it with 3 - it overheats
That would have probably been a better name actually... You know, I think half of the problem with the reception these ships have got is due to FD's naming and descriptions of them not matching what they actually will be like to own and fly. The Diamondback, similarly, is no "combat explorer"; it's basically a medium attack fighter.
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What I want to know is chain of thoughts who went through the ship designer's head when he sat down to hammer out the specs for the Imperial COURIER and decided:
"yeah, this is going to be a space superiority fighter "
If they want yet another light fighter to clutter up the roster before the pilot participates in a community goal and can afford the superior vulture , then that's ok I guess. Just name it something appropriate.
That way you can use the name" courier " in the future for a ship designed as a courier first and foremost with combat performance a distant tertiary concern.
"yeah, this is going to be a space superiority fighter "
If they want yet another light fighter to clutter up the roster before the pilot participates in a community goal and can afford the superior vulture , then that's ok I guess. Just name it something appropriate.
That way you can use the name" courier " in the future for a ship designed as a courier first and foremost with combat performance a distant tertiary concern.
Is anyone having problems with the Courier overheating when fuel scooping? I'm a beta player and have used fuel scoops without incident since they came out. I put an A3 fuel scoop in my Courier, but I cannot scoop for the life of me without overheating. I tried a very slow approach and the temps start climbing at around 30 units/second, practically right after the fuel scoop deploys. I'm as far away from the star as I can get and still scoop. Even then, temps rise so quickly, I have to bug out before making a dent in my tank.
The ship is fun to fly, but aside from the very jet fighter like canopy (which I love), I can't see myself using this for anything. There are better fighters, the Clipper still has the best view, and other ships are better for other tasks. What is the point of this ship?
The ship is fun to fly, but aside from the very jet fighter like canopy (which I love), I can't see myself using this for anything. There are better fighters, the Clipper still has the best view, and other ships are better for other tasks. What is the point of this ship?
There isn't one.
If you try to use her as a true courier, then you have to strip everything off of her AND reduce her to fuel tanks that are small enough that you risk stranding yourself on your first unscoopable star. You basically have zero room to transport any cargo whatsoever because it will have catastrophic consequences on your jump range. The courier will also need to scoop more often than a hauler or adder because she needs to hobble her fuel tank in an attempt to match her capabilities. Unfortunately, unlike the hauler and adder, the Courier bursts into flames when you try to scoop fuel. You will waste far more time scooping fuel because the process is more precarious in the courier and you will need to scoop more often.
As far as acting as a courier is concerned, the Hauler, Adder, and Asp are all lightyears ahead of the Imperial Courier.
If the Courier does anything "well" it is being a super-eagle space superiority fighter. You can get some pretty good performance for an evening or so. Then you'll have enough cash for a Vulture and the courier can be retired to collect dust.
The vessel is poorly named, can't perform her namesake role, and serves only as a tiny stepping stone towards the Vulture.
Nonya
Banned
Flew one of these for about an hour today and took it straight into combat because I'm a complete moron.
A few observations:
1) This thing looks and sounds sexy.
2) It's a heat magnet. Forget about fuel scooping, load up on extra tanks instead.
3) With gimbaled beams you quickly overheat, keep a heat sink dropper handy. Still took out some Anacondas and Pythons in a Strike zone but it took longer than usual.
4) Hope you like jumping between systems because you'll be doing a lot of it.
5) It's fairly nimble, on par maybe a wee bit better than a Cobra with A-class thrusters.
A few observations:
1) This thing looks and sounds sexy.
2) It's a heat magnet. Forget about fuel scooping, load up on extra tanks instead.
3) With gimbaled beams you quickly overheat, keep a heat sink dropper handy. Still took out some Anacondas and Pythons in a Strike zone but it took longer than usual.
4) Hope you like jumping between systems because you'll be doing a lot of it.
5) It's fairly nimble, on par maybe a wee bit better than a Cobra with A-class thrusters.
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This is all quite disappointing to read. In Frontier the Courier was badass. It should be maybe double Cobra size but smaller than a clipper and be able to take on a Vulture in a fight. There's a big gap in the game between the cobra size ships and the big ships, currently poorly served by the blobby ASP, the Courier should be In this section. Instead we have what just sounds like another Viper alternative, with the diamond back being in the same category too, I just don't see the logic!
Yup, I am hoping someone realizes that what they are calling the Courier is so far of a departure from what was in Frontier and First Encounters that they rename it to Imperial Scout and actually give the community an Imperial Courier that is more in line with what the other 2 games had. What the Courier should be imo:
About Asp sized with more speed than an Asp but less than Cobra, Clipper, Viper, FDL etc.
2 Medium and 1 Large Hardpoint
Internal Compartments on par with an Asp and a jump range that competes with an Asp. There should be enough of them to allow a passenger cabin or two.
Instead of a 32t fueltank maybe a 16t as that is the same tank that the Clipper has.
A differently designed cockpit (seriously dump the fighter cockpit and use something similar the Clipper but perhaps a little less roomy on the bridge.)
Oh and please go back to the nacelles that raise when landing and lower when in flight like the original design. (For those that do not know very similar to a Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek)
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