Preface:
I got a Steam card as a bonus from work. And-
The Dark Side Has Cookies.
Bought Horizons. Still evaluating, but it
is pretty. The flight displays are well though out and done. I have been practicing planetary flight in a Sidewinder, and Adder, because they are cheap to lose. So far, no losses. This part of the game has been well thought out and done. It's a lot like landing at the old starport/planet maps in Traveller.
Main Story:
I've had my Vulture in storage since summer. I bought it sharply discounted, and found it a wonderful ship to fly. As I am primarily an explorer, I parked it during the last half of the year, as I was out sniffing about. As many of you recall, I play in Solo, with NPC's for my opposition. Ten million credits of combat ship was lying around in a docking bay, unused. That's a lot of rebuys for my little ships.
Also, as many may recall, I'm a mad ship collector. Not quite Jay Leno, but thirty ships is a bit much.
Horizons beckoned. I thought I would dust off Vicky The Vulture, and go after my frenemies, the Seppaku System Posse, and see if Vicky was still viable. If she was, I would keep her.
Two hours of terror and frustration later, I had my answer.
Low-skill sim pilots like myself are at a grave disadvantage in Horizons. The NPC's, while manageable by the upper end of the skill distribution curve, were shredding me even in the simplest PvE combats.
I was spending ten times the rebuy, to live about 10-20 seconds longer than Orson The Eagle. NPC interdictions are often in teams, and with nasty weapons and tactics. Even humble Nav Beacon encounters were far, far more hazardous for me.
Feel free to laugh at me. One must know one's limitations. It's a lot less hurtful to lose Cr 50,000, than Cr 500,000.
And, the Eagle is still a joy to fly. From now on, those silly impulses to explore Salvageable Wreckage will go to a re-constituted Orson The Eagle (who will, admittedly, die fast).
Now, I have 10 MCr more in cash for rebuys for my other ships, after cashing out Vicky. Many of the discounted modules made their way to other ships, to lower total operational and rebuy costs.
The process of flying about the inhabited galaxy to cash out bookmarks has been assigned to Gladys The Cobra 3, and her 400+ m/s escape speed. Seymour The Adder is the new Dune Buggy ship. Alison the Asp is reserved exclusively to long-range exploring. I'm not risking a 1 MCr rebuy inside inhabited space.
NB: I'ts useless to fit out small ships with more than "D" sensors, and life support. You die just as fast, and you gain jump range, and normal space speed over "C" and "A" rated gear.
Enjoy your youth, oh immortal ones.
