Ships Diamondback: Let's think Outside the Box

[Nerdicus]

First, she's a great little ship, and there's a lot to like, but she need's a tweaking. Instead of the usual "put a bigger shield on her" discussion, I'd like everyone to consider a different path (to please include the FDev team), the path of a true interceptor. I'd like to recommend putting in a class 5 power coupling for her combat needs (as well as an additional class 1 internal module for exploration).
Why this change, because this game has WAY to many tanks with long legs (Cobra, Asp, etc..), but no interceptors to break them. This game has become tanks killing tanks, and I'd like to change the paradigm on dog-fighting for ED. We have Hawker Typhoons and P-47 Thunderbolts, we need more Spitfire's, P-51 Mustangs, and P-38 Lightning's.
OK, so why the class 5 coupling? Because I want to keep as much of the original Diamondback in tact (little guns and all), while making her a true ship to be feared by almost anyone. Give that tight group of little guns enough juice to overcome a Cobra/Asp's tank, while allowing her enough power to keep her smaller shield in tact long enough to finish the job. We have two ships with big, sloppy guns and big shields with a similar setup (Vulture and FDL), but nothing in small guns or the legs of the Diamondback. And I'm sure of my argument that small guns firing longer are just as effective as giant guns blasting away.
More importantly, I'm a small ship pilot, who regardless of how much I make in the future, will probably never buy a ship bigger than a medium hull (maybe not even that), as they're just not as fun to fly.
Anyway, just my "outside the box" thinking.

 

[Ziljan]

I could get behind a change to a more combat focused ship. They should really just drop the "explorer" facade. An extra class 1 slot is pointless on a ship that is quite literally the slowest ship in the game. Anyone using this for exploring needs to take a math class, and cut up their credit cards.

 

[Nerdicus]

I could get behind a change to a more combat focused ship. They should really just drop the "explorer" facade. An extra class 1 slot is pointless on a ship that is quite literally the slowest ship in the game. Anyone using this for exploring needs to take a math class, and cut up their credit cards.

Don't get me wrong, I'd like a class 4 scoop on her, but I also don't get into exploration as much as folks like you and Puca. I guess I'm more of a casual explorer. I do think that the extra internal module is critical, even for us casual types.

 

[Ziljan]

Don't get me wrong, I'd like a class 4 scoop on her, but I also don't get into exploration as much as folks like you and Puca. I guess I'm more of a casual explorer. I do think that the extra internal module is critical, even for us casual types.

What will a casual person do with an extra class 1? It's useless for combat. If you are casual you won't need a repair module. You can load, scanners, and even a shield if you want. Is it simply because you don't want to pay the 10% restock fee on the DSS, lol? Cute. You know you can earn that in exactly 1 minute at an RES right? And EVERY station sells them.

 

[Nerdicus]

What will a casual person do with an extra class 1? It's useless for combat. If you are casual you won't need a repair module. You can load, scanners, and even a shield if you want. Is it simply because you don't want to pay the 10% restock fee on the DSS, lol? Cute. You know you can earn that in exactly 1 minute at an RES right? And EVERY station sells them.

No, I just don't mind taking the extra minute to scoop with a class 3 scoop. I'll still explore, I just enjoy the ride a bit more, that's all. Didn't mean to pee in your Wheaties there fella.

 

[Ziljan]

Didn't mean to pee in your Wheaties there fella.

*sniffs bowl* remind me never to eat breakfast at your house! Lol. Btw, you'll be using that scoop whether you explore or not. But you won't have to use it more than a few times per trip around the bubble so will only add about 5 minutes to your journey. For us explorers, it will add several hoursto our journey. So I can see where you are coming from with the not caring. For us it is a MUCH bigger deal.

 

[Starender]

Don't get me wrong, I'd like a class 4 scoop on her, but I also don't get into exploration as much as folks like you and Puca. I guess I'm more of a casual explorer. I do think that the extra internal module is critical, even for us casual types.

i do not like exploration that much, but this ship is tagged as "combat-explorer", so it should be good at both, but the bad shield is seriously hurting for combat, and the bad fuel scoop and lack of space to put two scanners seriously hurt for exploration

that's why we are so unhappy about this ship, but yea it's a wonder to fly but for the price of 540k, we are expecting something better than a simple Cobra who cost 235 (and is faster, more balanced, and better for exploration)

 

[WR3ND]

Nice post there, Starender. Makes sense and is direct to the point. People can play "theorycraft" all day, but when you distill the issues with the Diamondback down, this is what you're left with.

I would really like to use this ship as an explorer, and I know I can "just because," but I'd like for it to at least be halfway decent at it. Is that so much to ask from a "combat explorer" at this price, to be better at exploration than a Cobra?

 

[popuptoaster]

Devs cant just add extra internal spaces as far as I'm aware, I think the ships have fully mapped and planned out interiors ready for when we can walk around in them and the full damage model, it might just be a function of the ships design that it only has room in it for the slots it already has.

 

[Leoben Capa]

More importantly, I'm a small ship pilot, who regardless of how much I make in the future, will probably never buy a ship bigger than a medium hull (maybe not even that), as they're just not as fun to fly.

Same here. Currently I have no interest in anything larger than a Vulture. I agree that the Power Distributor needs to be larger.

 

[puca]

Devs cant just add extra internal spaces as far as I'm aware, I think the ships have fully mapped and planned out interiors ready for when we can walk around in them and the full damage model, it might just be a function of the ships design that it only has room in it for the slots it already has.

Reference for this?

 

[WR3ND]

Reference for this?

It or similar has been talked about on the fundraising development videos FD put out which can be seen on their YouTube channel. I'm not sure how much this has actually been implemented and followed in the game's ships that we have now though, if at all really.

 

[Starender]

Devs cant just add extra internal spaces as far as I'm aware, I think the ships have fully mapped and planned out interiors ready for when we can walk around in them and the full damage model, it might just be a function of the ships design that it only has room in it for the slots it already has.

of course they can, first person is still very far, and they already changed internals on others ships (ASP and a Type if i remember correctly)

 

[LKx]

...
I'd like to recommend putting in a class 5 power coupling for her combat needs (as well as an additional class 1 internal module for exploration).
...

I like your idea.

 

[popuptoaster]

of course they can, first person is still very far, and they already changed internals on others ships (ASP and a Type if i remember correctly)

Both bigger ships so it may have been possible to rearrange the living quarters of something similar, i didn't say it was impossible but i did want to point out it may well be more complicated than just changing some numbers. When we can get out of the pilots seat and wander around there are going to be a LOT of players checking internal dimensions against external one and ship to ship to see if everything matches up.

It's also entirely possible that we don't have a full list of the modules that will be available for thing like planetary landings and exploration and the equipment that may require.

Everyone is fixated on what is in game NOW and never gives a thought to what the devs may have set these ships up for in the future.

 

[LKx]

Well, maybe for a class 1 module slot no one will notice that "it's bigger on the inside"

 

[Starender]

Both bigger ships so it may have been possible to rearrange the living quarters of something similar, i didn't say it was impossible but i did want to point out it may well be more complicated than just changing some numbers. When we can get out of the pilots seat and wander around there are going to be a LOT of players checking internal dimensions against external one and ship to ship to see if everything matches up.

It's also entirely possible that we don't have a full list of the modules that will be available for thing like planetary landings and exploration and the equipment that may require.

Everyone is fixated on what is in game NOW and never gives a thought to what the devs may have set these ships up for in the future.

you can test your theory right now, the outside camera go thru objects and can see inside, ctrl+alt+space and enter inside the Diamondback, if you see the engines from the inside then you are right, if you don't, then they haven't worked on it yet and they can change whatever they want

 

[Nerdicus]

i do not like exploration that much, but this ship is tagged as "combat-explorer", so it should be good at both, but the bad shield is seriously hurting for combat, and the bad fuel scoop and lack of space to put two scanners seriously hurt for exploration

that's why we are so unhappy about this ship, but yea it's a wonder to fly but for the price of 540k, we are expecting something better than a simple Cobra who cost 235 (and is faster, more balanced, and better for exploration)

Completely agree with everything stated. The DB is a great ship to fly with some long legs, but the Cobra is a better explorer and fighter at half the cost. With regards to the fixes, I actually like the smaller guns and shields if they have ample power to use them. In looking at the math of a class 3 shield and class 2/1 weapons paired with a level 5 coupling, you have a ship that could fully recharge it's shields (with four pips in shields) in just over 2 seconds, and fire with four energy weapons almost non-stop (again, because they're small). Now being that the shields are only a class 3, you can't park beside the target and trade blows like in most current ED tank battles, but you could fly in putting a sustained beam attack for more than five seconds (actually longer) while taking a few hits, then fly out of range for a few seconds, then press the attack all over again. We just don't have anything like that in ED now.

 

[Ziljan]

Completely agree with everything stated. The DB is a great ship to fly with some long legs, but the Cobra is a better explorer and fighter at half the cost. With regards to the fixes, I actually like the smaller guns and shields if they have ample power to use them. In looking at the math of class 3 shield and class 2/1 weapons with a level 5 coupling, you have a ship that could fully recharge it's shields (with four pips in shields) in just over 2 seconds, and fire with four energy weapons almost non-stop. Now being that the shields are only a class 3, you can't park beside the target and trade blows like in most current ED tank battles, but you could fly in putting a sustained beam attack for more than five seconds (actually longer) while taking a few hits, then stay out of range for a few seconds, then do it all over again. We just don't have anything like that in ED now.

The ship is being called the Scout now, so clearly FD has an idea for what they want to do with it. It isn't exploration, and it also isn't straight up combat. I am guessing it has more to do with short range <50 LY Power Play reconnaissance missions. I think mostly, they wanted a ship that was fun to fly even if it wasn't meant to used primarily by CMDRs with the cash for something better.

 

[Nerdicus]

The ship is being called the Scout now, so clearly FD has an idea for what they want to do with it. It isn't exploration, and it also isn't straight up combat. I am guessing it has more to do with short range <50 LY Power Play reconnaissance missions. I think mostly, they wanted a ship that was fun to fly even if it wasn't meant to used primarily by CMDRs with the cash for something better.

Yes, just saw it. I guess we'll have to see what they have planned, oh well, back to the Vulture.