Falling out of love with the Cobra MkIII

insanephoton

insanephoton
Now I know it has iconic status in the game and some might think that what I'm about to say is heresy, but I don't love the Cobra anymore.

Back in Alpha it was the only upgrade from the trusty Sidewinder and I loved it. In Premium Beta it was the pick of the bunch as the Lakon and Anaconda felt too unwieldy and all of the smaller ships were flawed in some way. The Hauler was almost defenceless and the Eagle was a glass cannon. I still loved the Cobra. It's speed was unsurpassed and it seemed a good compromise on cargo capacity , firepower and agility.

Then Standard Beta happened. Two ships made me re-evaluate my feelings. The scales fell from my eyes and I could see that the Cobra was flawed Those idiosyncrasies that had initially seemed cute now grated. I no longer loved the Cobra.

It started with the Viper. Sure she was a good looking ship in a way that the Cobra couldn't really compete, but looks aren't everything. It was only meant to be a brief Beta fling, try the Viper, see how she flew and then move on. I wasn't expecting much. As soon as I took off, something clicked. It just felt so right. The Viper felt balance and poised in a way that the Cobra didn't and then there was the extra speed. The Cobra is like the stereotypical American 'muscle car', good straight line speed but lousy handling, the Viper is more like an Aston Martin or Jaguar, faster and more nimble. I was hooked. The Viper stole my heart, fun to fly and so capable, the only thing the Cobra had going for it was cargo space...

Then I tried the Lakon Type 6. I feared the worst, having flown her big sister, but was pleasantly surprised. The handling was ok, much like the hauler, but the real surprise was how small she felt for a ship carrying 100 tonnes. Docking was a breeze compared to the Cobra. However the thing that blew my away was the jump range.

Suddenly it became clear what the problem was. The multi-role nature of the Cobra was the issue. It's a jack of all trades and master of none. Whatever role you're using it for you'll find that compromises have been made. There is always a better choice. The other thing is that the Cobra is so damn wide, only the Type 9 and the Anaconda are wider.
 

Calaban

Calaban
Heresy!! ;)

I love the Cobra, precisely because you CAN do it all- to some degree.

Here is how I fell out of my hot passionate affair with the Viper: Fill its class 4 hardpoints with class 4s, and your class 2s... AND armor upgrades, and try to jump somewhere else. uh, you cant.

You basically outfit it fully, and it hobbles itself. What good is a "Jaguar" that cannot break 60mph if you fill all the seats? That sounds like a clumsy design to me.

Granted the Cobra is limited a bit too by loading up, but to a much lesser degree. Thus a fully armed cobra can reach most of the systems, while a Viper is stuck in the local 3-4. In this way the Viper is unbalanced, and the Cobra is fine tuned.

And the Vipers primary armament is the ones widespread on the chassis, whereas the cobra has concentrated class 4s centerline(ish)

But the biggest problem I had with the Viper was its "on rails" handling... That is a BAD thing to my style of flying!! The cobra can "depart" its flight path effortlessly- skidding and sliding around to enable combination turns and reversals that in the end with skillful piloting make it more nimble than an (inexperienced) Eagle, as well as bedevil their targeting and aim!

So yeah, the viper DID give me momentary goosebumps, but then its limitations began to sour it for me.

and PS: that "extra wide" thing you dislike is another "feature". Have you ever been "Cobra Axed"?? where the wingtip rips you a new one in a collision, that barely even dents the cobras shields? Oh, you havent?? then come at me, bro. :D
 
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EAGLE 5

EAGLE 5
Are there better ships in Elite?

You betcha... In the original, The Fer De Lance, the Wolf MK.II, the ASP Mk.II were "better" ships but you only got one choice the Cobra and you made it work all the way to Elite status.

The Cobra is pretty much the jack of all trades at the expense of being the master of not one thing in particular, it's all about making it work for what you want to do but I can't think of a better ship if you're not decided on one particular career.
 

Asp Explorer

Asp Explorer
Who cares about Cobras? They are fun and iconic, and has been mentioned they are pretty good at everything. However, every man and his dog has one. Time for something different I think.

Devs - please release the Asp :)
 

Katkon

K
I too love the Cobra. I prefer it to the Viper by virtue of the Viper's useless C4 mounts (terrible in a dogfight), small cargo hold and crummy range. I love the sound and speed, though. It turns a bit better too - but I seem to have no problem staying on PC's six when they fly the Viper and I'm in a Cobra - close-quarters.

The Lakon 6 isn't bad - but it's hardly suited for anything other than trading.

If I was into piracy in a group, I'd go for the Viper. If I were a hardcore trader I'd be up for a Lakon. As a bounty hunter, merc and smuggler who likes to visit more than 2-3 systems at a time, the Cobra is great!
 

Aewarin Jameson

Aewarin Jameson
insanephoton said:
Suddenly it became clear what the problem was. The multi-role nature of the Cobra was the issue. It's a jack of all trades and master of none. Whatever role you're using it for you'll find that compromises have been made. There is always a better choice
Click to expand...

I think that's the point - perfectly suited for all scenarios.

There is only a better choice if you have a particular task in mind.

Switching ships come release will be a lot more expensive as (IMO) the current prices are merely place holders.
 

Ceo

C
I've never liked the Cobra. But then I never played Elite, and joined the journey at Frontier. The Cobra always seemed... plain and uninspiring. I was a Viper/Eagle/Asp kid back then. I'll probably be a Viper/Eagle/Asp man now :D
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
Jenner
I just want my Imperial Eagle, that's all. :)

That said, the Viper is my current love.
 

Ayo

Ayo
Liqua said:
I think that's the point - perfectly suited for all scenarios.

There is only a better choice if you have a particular task in mind.

Switching ships come release will be a lot more expensive as (IMO) the current prices are merely place holders.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the Cobra will be the ship I take when I'm not at all sure what I'm going to be getting myself into :)
 

Jane Turner

Volunteer Moderator
Jane Turner
I've been up and down he ships, but am back in a Cobra now. If it had a bigger jump range it would be perfect.
 

Comrade Napoleon

Comrade Napoleon
insanephoton said:
Now I know it has iconic status in the game and some might think that what I'm about to say is heresy, but I don't love the Cobra anymore.

Back in Alpha it was the only upgrade from the trusty Sidewinder and I loved it. In Premium Beta it was the pick of the bunch as the Lakon and Anaconda felt too unwieldy and all of the smaller ships were flawed in some way. The Hauler was almost defenceless and the Eagle was a glass cannon. I still loved the Cobra. It's speed was unsurpassed and it seemed a good compromise on cargo capacity , firepower and agility.

Then Standard Beta happened. Two ships made me re-evaluate my feelings. The scales fell from my eyes and I could see that the Cobra was flawed Those idiosyncrasies that had initially seemed cute now grated. I no longer loved the Cobra.

It started with the Viper. Sure she was a good looking ship in a way that the Cobra couldn't really compete, but looks aren't everything. It was only meant to be a brief Beta fling, try the Viper, see how she flew and then move on. I wasn't expecting much. As soon as I took off, something clicked. It just felt so right. The Viper felt balance and poised in a way that the Cobra didn't and then there was the extra speed. The Cobra is like the stereotypical American 'muscle car', good straight line speed but lousy handling, the Viper is more like an Aston Martin or Jaguar, faster and more nimble. I was hooked. The Viper stole my heart, fun to fly and so capable, the only thing the Cobra had going for it was cargo space...

Then I tried the Lakon Type 6. I feared the worst, having flown her big sister, but was pleasantly surprised. The handling was ok, much like the hauler, but the real surprise was how small she felt for a ship carrying 100 tonnes. Docking was a breeze compared to the Cobra. However the thing that blew my away was the jump range.

Suddenly it became clear what the problem was. The multi-role nature of the Cobra was the issue. It's a jack of all trades and master of none. Whatever role you're using it for you'll find that compromises have been made. There is always a better choice. The other thing is that the Cobra is so damn wide, only the Type 9 and the Anaconda are wider.
Click to expand...

Hey there, remember that its not a marriage :p you can shift as you like and as situation demands: The viper for quick action, the cobra for serious long range pummeling and the lakon for the day to day long range profit gaining :D
You can shift between them you are not married :p

cheers Cmdr's
 

OlFart

O
Katkon said:
I too love the Cobra. I prefer it to the Viper by virtue of the Viper's useless C4 mounts (terrible in a dogfight), small cargo hold and crummy range. I love the sound and speed, though. It turns a bit better too - but I seem to have no problem staying on PC's six when they fly the Viper and I'm in a Cobra - close-quarters.
Click to expand...

Heh. Precisly why I can't stand the Cobra - the useless C2 mounts (terrible in a dogfight.)

I'm actually in a Cobra at the moment, for the sake of range and cargo space. I uh... pick things up that fall out of the cargo holds of other ships. No crime involved I assure you. The Cobra bothers me though; I much preferred the loadout of my Viper (2xC2 burst, 2xC3(G) multis) over my Cobra's double cannons and gimbal bursts. Tried fixed C4 bursts and double C1(G) multis but it just didn't have enough oomph against armor and sucked too much energy to keep using lasers throughout.

The viper always had the speed and maneuverability to get close enough to use the multi cannons, and thanks to the bursts the shields would be gone by the time you got in range (and they doubled as ranged dps in case it was ever needed). The only load outs that I think feel ok in a cobra turn it into a close range slugger, which causes a problem if something decides it doesn't want to be close any more. Killing Vipers, and even Cobras at times, is a pain in the behind.

Oh well, matter of taste I guess. I much prefer the C2/C3(g) of the viper over the C1(g)/C4 of the cobra any day of the week. Feels a lot more flexible and balanced.
 

Jumpin' Jack Flash

Jumpin' Jack Flash
insanephoton said:
..(Abbreviated).... There is always a better choice....
Click to expand...

The Cobra MK 4 has a larger cargo space, and a higher jump range btw.
Also the 'Tiapan Discus', a top secret design undergoing trials at an Imperial test facility, (code name TD), is reputed to have a jump range of 24 LY's and able to carry the new chameleon stealth skin hull technology! :eek:

Damn!...this straightjacket feels tight this morning....:(

Jack :D
 

Zargor

Zargor
I think we should withhold any jump range consideration until drive upgrades are available. I fully expect Cobras to go in the 10-20 LY range after drive upgrades, as it was the case in the old Elite 2. It has plenty of space to fit a better drive. Viper on the other hand, agile as it is, will be forever nearly planet-bound, as it should be.
 

KEY

KEY
The Cobra was my second ship right after the Sidewinder, but I -as a total newbie to the Elite universe- only took it as a step inbetween the Sidey and the Lakon T6. I did not really fly the Cobra long enough to appreciate its jack of all trades attitude.
Arriving at the little Lakon I loved that ship, but still I wanted the big one, the space cow... and after reaching the T9 Heavy I was making -like I think all of the Lakon T9 pilots - a bazillion of credits.
After a while I tried the bigger snake, the Anaconda. Which first was kinda funny to play with. A flying fortress full of guns, and while atomizing poor little NPCs, you could in the meantime deliver quite some tons of goods. But it's a slug, and if I wanted to fly a slug I'd go back to the Lakon T9 Heavy. Which I did after testing the Viper.

To be honest, I never got the hang of that superfast fighter. No reach at all, and as I am not a biggie in PvP, I kinda never fell in love with that ship.

So right now I am hauling whole planets from A to B to C and back in that space cow T9 Heavy again.

BUT... The OP makes me want to give the Cobra another chance! And I think I'll do it like... RIGHT NOW :) so, thank you OP ;)
 
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