So, convince me to buy a Diamondback.

Stealthie

Stealthie
Or, to be more precise, let me know if you find them especially suitable for some role.

The Diamondback (either scout or explorer) is one of those ships that just looks cool and I'm looking for an excuse to buy one.

I already have a Cobra which I use for rare-trading and surface-recon' missions.
I also have an AspX as my "daily driver", which is what I usually travel around in until I find a juicy trade-route or conflict-zone and then I get a more suitable ship delivered.

I was thinking of converting the Asp into a passenger ship so maybe I could do that and then buy a DBX to take over as my "runaround" ship, assuming it can be configured with enough cargo space to take on the odd mission here & there to pay for it's fuel and servicing.

I guess the obvious suggestion would be to use it for exploration but if I wanted a ship for that, I'd use my Asp so I need a different excuse to run a DB.

How are the DBs in general?
Problems with power management? Enough slots for sensors & scanners etc?

All suggestions welcome.
 

Morbad

Morbad
I don't really like either of them for exploration/very long distance travel...largest optional internal limits fuel scoop size overly much. They do have enough internal compartments for all the gear you need otherwise, however.

I do like the DBS as a combat vessel. Durable, fairly fast, awesome thermal capacity, great hardpoint placement, relatively small profile, very good vertical/lateral thrusters, etc.
 

the100thmonkey

the100thmonkey
I love my DBS because it's got awesome performance for its class.

Take it to a few engineers and it becomes an absolutely lethal combat ship.
 

Carroway

C
The DBX is great at exploration, it looks cool, is pretty manuverable and has a cheap rebuy. Due to limited optional internal slots, it isn't as versatile as say the AspX is, which also makes sense due to the increased price of the Asp. If outfitted correctly the DBX can have an equal jumprange to the Asp, although the Asp has a higher theoretical limit.

I mean if you think it looks cool, then i'd suggest you just buy it and try it out. It's relatively cheap and you get the full ship price back if you decide to sell it back down the line.
 

NecasekO

N
I have used a DBX for a very long time. To be fair, the main reason is I didn't want to fly an Asp like everyone else :) But it does have some unique qualities:
- It is much cheaper than an Asp and has similar jump range; when engineered, it can travel 250 Ly on one fuel tank and doesn't really need a fuel scoop inside the bubble (or even for trips to Maia or Sothis)
- It is the coolest running ship in the game as far as I know, it can be configured to run below 20% heat at all times; as a consequence, it can use overcharged power plant and hot running weapons much easier than other ships
- It uses a small landing pad so it can land even at busy outposts - Asps and Pythons can run into issues there; it is also very easy to land on planets in rough terrain compared to bigger ships
- It has a large hardpoint which is fairly unique among small ships; It can take out NPC Clippers or Pythons
- It has a fairly good shield for a ship of its size
- It can carry enough cargo for rare trading or small cargo missions (with shield and 2 scanners it has 24 t capacity); because it can't carry much, its "laden" jump range is higher than Asp
- It has fairly strong vertical thrusters so it doesn't drift much and is good at high G planets
- It can fly through station slot sideways ;-)

It also has some notable downsides though:
- It is way heavier than it looks, limiting thruster and shield performance; you can never get to "minimum" thruster mass; stripped down it is heavier than an Asp (this reverts when A rated due to DBX having smaller modules)
- It is fairly slow and sluggish for a combat ship, really needs thruster mods to be useful in combat; still it can't outrun a FDL
- It has a fairly small power plant and distributor, without mods it is difficult to find a good outfitting (weapons / shield / utilities)
- It has a limited number of optional slots (5) so you can't really outfit it for some tasks (mining, planetary exploration)
- It can only mount a class 4 fuel scoop, which is fairly slow filling its class 5 fuel tank
- Its boost is fairly short and it decelerates fast afterward, it actually never reaches its listed boost speed

Overall I like it a lot after engineering and use it for courier missions and light to medium combat. It's super fast for traveling in the bubble and good for low volume cargo missions. It's not too good for solo Haz RES but it can do high intensity CZ when equipped with a good shield.
 

Verlaine

V
On the advice of another thread here, I tried the Diamondback Explorer as a surface mission runner, for which it excels. I used to use a Federal Dropship for that duty, but the DBX is much better for surface missions.

For example, the DBX's hardpoint locations are perfect for fixed weapons, such as a pair of medium dumbfire missile pods and a large multicannon, which makes shooting down skimmers a breeze - even at surface installations guarded by an NPC ship. Plus the DBX is nimble, which makes it easy and fun to fly. And it's a cheap ship, so if you do get caught raiding a planetary installation, no big deal.
 

Julio Montega

Julio Montega
DBs are some of the best planetary strike ships you can fit.
The DB S is a very good combat ship, and the DBE works well
for that role, if you engineer it a bit.

The cockpit has a high visibility and you will
get the Lakon feeling instantly, only this time
you will be a Strike Chopper pilot, instead
of a trucker.
 

Iskariot

Iskariot
Snarfbuckle said:
No, the cockpit is an ugly square box. Sorry, my aesthetic alarms goes off whenever I see it.
Click to expand...

I agree.
The concept art cockpit looked much more interesting, but I understand that it might have had not enough visibility for the pilot.
However if FD had given the Diamondback sisters a cylindrical canopy, comparable to the Millennium Falcon, it would have looked infinitely better and it could have also retained it's current visibility.
 
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Ouberos

Ouberos
It's already been mentioned but a DBx with a pair of dumb fires and a large MC gives the feeling of playing a whole different video game.
 

Julio Montega

Julio Montega
Iskariot said:
I agree.
The concept art cockpit looked much more interesting, but I understand that it might have had not enough visibility for the pilot.
However if FD had given the Diamondback sisters a cylindrical canopy, comparable to the Millennium Falcon, it would have looked infinitely better and it could have also retained it's current visibility.
Click to expand...

The cockpit is the best there is ingame.
Don't ever dislike Elite's version of the WH40K Valkyries!! :D
 

Bryan K

Bryan K
The DBS is the ideal stealth fighter, and the DBX has infinitely more character than the Asp X.

In VR, the Diamondback cockpit is epic, and it has great firepower for its size and cost. It is also more compact than an Asp, and thus harder to hit. Oh, and its side engines pivot downward when it lands, like Serenity.

It's a great ship for any role where heat management is crucial.
 

Cmdr. Numa

Cmdr. Numa
Don't have a DBS, but I do have a DBE. I use use it mainly to move around the bubble quickly and in rares CGs. It's got 24t cargospace, which is enough for most rares. And the DBE is the only ship ingame that still jumps almost 30ly when fully A-rated unengineered.
 

askavir

askavir
The DBS is a great small combat ship, very manouverable, great hardpoint placement, runs very cold. Not very resilient, like its meant for hug opponents tails and its great at it, not tanking.

The DBX is a failed AspX alternative. It has the jump range and fuel tank, but that's all. Lacks internals. Has a large hardpoint. It was designed to be an inexpensive explorer, in a time where credits fall from the sky and "inexpensive" no longer matters.

They both have the lakon cockpit feel, for what its worth.

And they both look like this:

main-qimg-7b10bc680cf8c2510dd60d78d0f704a3-c
 
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Julio Montega

Julio Montega
Everytime i sit in a DB cockpit
my mind messes up and i hear this:
[video=youtube;-dwmf-wx8VQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dwmf-wx8VQ[/video]
 

Stealthie

Stealthie
Okay, now I'm a bit stumped...

I found myself at Sopwith Horizons station, noticed the shipyard there was flogging the DBX for CR1.4m and couldn't resist.

Thing is, in it's standard pokey trim it weighs 418t and it has a maximum weight of 420t so I can't seem to buy any decent upgrades for it without going over the max weight.

This is something I've never encountered before.
Is there any way to increase the max weight limit or do people just run these with a bunch of empty slots (no optional internals etc) so they can get a decent FSD & power plant onto it?
I'm sick to death of juggling compromises with my Vulture's power-requirements so if this is going to be a similar thing, with weight, it's going straight in the interstellar auto-trader.

And then I guess I'll try a DBS for all my AH64-related fantasies instead.
 
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