Why not the "little" ships

[Agony_Aunt]

I would say the same for the big ships? I have way too many hours in game and TBH I can't find a reason TO fly a big ship. I can trade in small/medium ship very easily. I can kill anything in my Viper/Cobra. I can explore like a boss in the DBE. So why bother getting a big ship?

One thing i found funny is how people grind to get the big ships, and yet, once there, what do you actually need them for? Bigger ships usually mean you can generate credits quicker, but when you already have everything, then you don't need more credits (unless you are into PvP of course). So then, might as well fly the ships that give you the most fun.

Some people can't get out of the big ship mentality though. Sometimes those people also complain that the game is too easy, when sitting in an fully engineered A rated Conda/Cutter/Corvette.....

 

[obliterator]

Don't see the need, I spend most of my time in a cobra despite having 2 of the big 3 and having a lot of the others. If people want to fly big ships they will if they want to fly small ships they will. It's easy enough to use an eagle for high end assasination missions if you know how to fly it. The idea of making missions for specific ships will just mean that missions are made easier for a larger payout with a small ship. Can't see the point personally.

Maybe you don't care about efficiency. But most people do. I enjoy flying smaller ships, but I'm not going to do it if it's less efficient than flying a big one. If you have access to a ship that does everything objectively better than the previous one, then the previous one becomes effectively useless.

You can't blame people for using the most effective ships, and right now, small ships are not effective at anything (other than just aimlessly flying around).

Some people can't get out of the big ship mentality though. Sometimes those people also complain that the game is too easy, when sitting in an fully engineered A rated Conda/Cutter/Corvette.....

This is basically the same as saying "you think skyrim is easy? Just don't use any armor!", which doesn't make any sense. The game is designed to entice players to always progress towards bigger and more expensive ships.

 

[WR3ND]

One thing i found funny is how people grind to get the big ships, and yet, once there, what do you actually need them for? Bigger ships usually mean you can generate credits quicker, but when you already have everything, then you don't need more credits (unless you are into PvP of course). So then, might as well fly the ships that give you the most fun.

Some people can't get out of the big ship mentality though. Sometimes those people also complain that the game is too easy, when sitting in an fully engineered A rated Conda/Cutter/Corvette.....

Game is also too easy in an FSD only Engineered Vulture, but at least it has decent pep in its step. [hehe] Admittedly, it'd be fairly crap for competent PVP, but I'm not really into that.

Actually, once I got a decently outfitted Cobra Mk. III, there wasn't all that much for me to worry about in the game. Maybe not so much any more with Engineered FdLs and the like out there.

We'll see if the Thargoids help mix things up a bit.

...

Anyway, from my point of view as well, it does seem a little strange how players always seem to be after the next big thing, jump range, ship, whatever. I guess that's how you "win" at this sort of thing.

 

[Madrax573]

Maybe you don't care about efficiency. But most people do. I enjoy flying smaller ships, but I'm not going to do it if it's less efficient than flying a big one. If you have access to a ship that does everything objectively better than the previous one, then the previous one becomes effectively useless.

You can't blame people for using the most effective ships, and right now, small ships are not effective at anything (other than just aimlessly flying around).

This is basically the same as saying "you think skyrim is easy? Just don't use any armor!", which doesn't make any sense. The game is designed to entice players to always progress towards bigger and more expensive ships.

Well it all really depends on what you class as efficiency? The DBE can efficiently explore as well as an ASP or Conda!

I can efficiently kill everything in a HAZRes in my engineered Viper MKIV.

I can efficiently trade CG or rares in my T6 or heck even my Cobra MKIV.

I suspect that you are confusing efficiency with bulk.

As for the game being designed to entice everyone to 'progress' into bigger/more expensive ships. Bah! You'll only be enticed if you have the mentality for it, which is fine as long as you are having fun with it but you certainly don't HAVE TO.

 

[Bran Tse Mallory]

This has been mentioned before but you're quiet right.
There is little need to fly anything that isn't a 'conder outside of wanting a cheaper rebuy cost.

I don't and never intend to own one either...

There is an old joke about the Ford Escort XR3 which I won't post here as the mods would have a heart attack but the end result is everybody has one.

 

[Ursusskandia]

Not entirely correct OP - i love my Cutter, but half of the missions are not possible due to "ship too large". So i find myself flying my good old AspX for long distance passenger missions and my trusty Python for haulage.

 

[Muzz UK]

There need to be outposts and small bases that only have small landing pads.

That would make some small ships popular in the same way that the Python is the current 'go anywhere' ship.

Yes I have to agree... smaller pop systems or those with bad economy should only have small starports and landing pads.

Medium and large ships dominate the game!

 

[VR andysonofbob]

Yeah, some situational vehicles might be nice. Like how you can buy SRVs, it might be nice to buy a high performance system ship that you can just mess about in and enjoy ED's awesome flight mechanics

I want a ship that can I can fly as hard and fast through canyons as possible. Like a SLF, but one that is not tethered to the mothership.

Gimmi Gimmi Gimmi!

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Bigger is always better. It's because of the module system.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

Anyway, from my point of view as well, it does seem a little strange how players always seem to be after the next big thing, jump range, ship, whatever. I guess that's how you "win" at this sort of thing.

Its called power creep, and is a risk with any game which has any sort of progression like this.

People rush to get everything in game, then complain there is nothing else for them to do. Seen it time and again. Some games actually milk their playerbase taking full advantage of this. World of Warcraft expansions that add more levels, more dangerous foes, more loot, buy it now!!!! So they get the new levels (and grind like hell for them) and get the new loot, and now they are more uber, so they need harder enemies, so.... here, another expansion, with harder enemies, more levels, more loot, etc.

Its a game devs can never truly win because the demand more more will always be there. So the best way to win (as we were taught by War Games) is (for the devs) not to play (the game of power creep).

I sometimes wonder if the whole concept of Engineers came around because FD also fell into this trap. People wanting harder enemies, more phat loot, etc. So they beefed up the AI (but messed up so had to roll back a bit) and added more loot, etc.

Now we have Thargoids coming, and new weapons and oh... look, are we getting more power creep?

Well, we have known from the start Thargoids were likely to come, and we expected them to be nasty... but those anti-Thargoid weapons that have been touted makes me think we are looking at power creep. My hope is that while those weapons might be effective against Thargoids, they will be sub-optimal against human ships. Making people have to choose between kitting ships for Thargoids or humans.

This could have some interesting knock on effects for players in Thargoid space. Imagine a player killer going to Thargoid space to disrupt some sort of Thargoid CG going on. So, they kit for killing players, but then run into a Thargoid... ooops, nasty. But if they go kitted for killing Thargoids, then their PK ability will be reduced.

Assuming that FD are going that way. If its blatant power creep, then meh.

 

[Lobstris]

Its called power creep, and is a risk with any game which has any sort of progression like this.

Power creep, arising as a side effect of methods to deal with the Thargoid menace is one of my main concerns with Elite's direction at present. Please let 2.4 be more than just 'Here's new engineers with grade 6 to 10 blueprints!"

*Edit* Sorry Agony - I can't rep you again for your post. Apparently I'm being 'Elitist', and need to embrace the 'new, old Labour' philosophy of spreading the rep. wealth around.

 

[joshman72nd]

well if asteroids were placed closer together and some of them moved.........

 

[Kristalan]

I fly my Eagle Mk II for everything if I can. I am currently out on a exploration run in a build out of it. I adore small ships because they add spice to the game. What is the fun to see a fleet of cut and paste massive ships? Accept that what you want to fly may not be the 'perfect' build out, then smile and hit that Launch button!

 

[obliterator]

Well it all really depends on what you class as efficiency? The DBE can efficiently explore as well as an ASP or Conda!

I can efficiently kill everything in a HAZRes in my engineered Viper MKIV.

I can efficiently trade CG or rares in my T6 or heck even my Cobra MKIV.

I suspect that you are confusing efficiency with bulk.

You're playing with words here. You know perfectly what I mean. Don't tell me that a viper does a better job in a hazres than a vulture or FDL. Don't tell me that a cobra is a better tradeship than the T9 or anaconda. Call it bulk or call it whatever the hell you want, but it still doesn't change that most players care about it, and it's a perfectly valid way to play.

As for the game being designed to entice everyone to 'progress' into bigger/more expensive ships. Bah! You'll only be enticed if you have the mentality for it, which is fine as long as you are having fun with it but you certainly don't HAVE TO.

You're still playing with words here. Of course you don't HAVE to do anything, but this is STILL is the way the game was designed. Again, just because you don't care about progression doesn't mean other people shouldn't.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

Ain't nobody got time fo' dat. My exploration build scoops are always 1-2 classes larger than the fuel tank.

Riiiiight... because the galaxy isn't 13.21 billion years old, with at least another 13.21 billion more to go.

And if your lifespan isn't at least that long, well.. I feel bad for you short-lived species.

 

[IndigoWyrd]

I don't and never intend to own one either...

There is an old joke about the Ford Escort XR3 which I won't post here as the mods would have a heart attack but the end result is everybody has one.

Never owned a Ford.
My first car was very used Alfa Romeo Spyder that literally fell apart. At one point the passenger door was held on with duct tape, adhesive aluminum and liquid weld.
After that, I had a nearly as-used Volvo 240 that perished in an accident (got rear-ended by someone who wasn't paying attention).
Then I had a not-as-used Fiat 124 Spider which also met an untimely end in a head-on collision with a full-sized van not paying attention to cross-traffic. Interesting note, I was also pronounced DOA when the paramedics arrived, but refused to stay that way.
Bought a gently used BMW 525i after that, had just under 275k miles when someone lost control in front of me and wound up colliding head-on (it was snowing something fierce).
Bought a Jauguar XJ Vanden Plas after that, which is my everyday driving vehicle, and an Aston Martin DB-9 GT to drive on the best of summer days. (ask me how much my wife's blood pressure went up, until I drove her around in it!)
Next car will be a Tesla. Sick of making Big Oil even richer. It will be the first US-made and branded car I've owned (though technically the Jag is a Ford property).

 

[Remus]

I would love a new kind of small fast and agile ships !

I imagine for example a Hawk MK II.

Smaller than the eagle, faster, more agile, no cargo but 4 hard points and no FSD.

 

[NecasekO]

You're playing with words here. You know perfectly what I mean. Don't tell me that a viper does a better job in a hazres than a vulture or FDL. Don't tell me that a cobra is a better tradeship than the T9 or anaconda. Call it bulk or call it whatever the hell you want, but it still doesn't change that most players care about it, and it's a perfectly valid way to play.



You're still playing with words here. Of course you don't HAVE to do anything, but this is STILL is the way the game was designed. Again, just because you don't care about progression doesn't mean other people shouldn't.

This is true for some activities, yes. For bulk trading, mining and intense combat big ships are definitely more efficient.

But there are many activities where smaller, faster ships really shine. Courier missions, any planetary work, wake scanning, and I'm sure there's more.

Have you ever tried to land a big ship in rough terrain on a high gravity planet? Can you dock or leave station in 15 seconds in a big ship? How long does it take to turn around in supercruise?

 

[BeanpotBeanie]

Yeah, some situational vehicles might be nice. Like how you can buy SRVs, it might be nice to buy a high performance system ship that you can just mess about in and enjoy ED's awesome flight mechanics

I want a ship that can I can fly as hard and fast through canyons as possible. Like a SLF, but one that is not tethered to the mothership.

Gimmi Gimmi Gimmi!

100% agree with this. I'd love to see some expensive, high end, high performance small ships as options at "end game" rather than the large conda/'vette/cutter options. The super cars of Elite if you will.

 

[Pyrobee]

For the people who are disagree...Why you fly a Cobra if you can afford a Python? Or vanilla or full ing both.

Please answer the question seriusly, maybe any one could change my opinion.

Because small ships are more fun to fly, it's not about credits in them you fly them for the joy. I don't have a python because I hate the wedge shaped target. But have a combat conda and a trade cutter, both are fun to fly but nothing beats thrashing around in an eagle with G5DD and incendiray enforcer cannons sitting on a python's drives where they couldn't even hit you if they had turrets and have no hope of shaking you short of a high wake