Advice needed for paint job(s)

[schlowi123]

Before I start: I would like paint jobs to be discussed in this thread. These have to be purchased with real money from the frontier store. I am NOT getting any money from Frontier Development nor am I in any other way affiliated with them. I will not link to the shop but I have to mention it as certain colour packages need to be named for a meaningful discussion.
From my point of view is this a gameplay discussion since I see my ship all the time and after (much) more than half million light years I got a bit tired of yellow.
I've also put it into this subforum since the reasons are mostly attached to things which are just relevant for explorers. But let's start now.


Hello commanders

Since it went so well with the neutron boosting, I'm turning to you again for advice. Albeit I have to admit that I feel a bit embarrassed for asking the following: what's your favourite paint job and why?
Let me elaborate on that.

Flying an Anaconda means looking all the time onto her hull. I see her hull when I fly, I see her hull when landed, I see her hull when I make photos I even see her hull when dreaming. Hence, her dress is somewhat important. And yes, I'm that superficial .

My favourite colour is yellow. Hence my Kassiopeia is painted in Vibrant Yellow and overall am I very happy with it. After all, when trying other colours or when heading out for a new expedition, I'm always coming back to it. And when I finally get my Chicken of Doom (which will be a T 9) it will be vibrant yellow, too.
But I have to say that I'm a bit displeased with the "weathered" look. One gets used to it, but one get's also used to bread and water if that's the only thing available for a year.
That was a bit of a disappointment since the weathered look of my Kassandra (Asp Explorer) is rather nice.

Anyway, I've tried other colours (red and blue) for my Kleopatra (PvE Combatconda) but out here these seem to dark.

So there is one issue: I think prefer lighter colours.

I've checked all of the available paint jobs but just can't seem to find one that made me go "YES! That's it" as vibrant yellow did.

I like it (somewhat) simple and I'm pretty sure that I don't like too many details. Like these pirate skulls … kind of overkill (pun intended). The Dazzle Pack Yellow seems to fall under this category, too. At least judging from the pictures in the shop.

The yellow in the military pack seems a bit dull and the community chevron … well, it almost made it, but then there was … I don't know … it didn't "click" with me.

The squadron paint pack has no yellow. The orange seems OK (even though it is a but dull), but the "intention" with this colours scheme seems not to fit my role as a traveler.

The white/blue Horus paint job looks good. Can't say much more.

The pulse paint(s) pack and the fusion paint(s) are intriguing. I've seen them on some ships during DW2 and looked it up immediately. I may even chose a different colour than yellow. But how does it "work" after hundreds and thousands of jumps? I don't mean the scratches. I mean the psychological issues. Something is glowing all the time, but I'm (also) out there to allow my eyes some silence (a.k.a. blackness).
The pulse red may be a nice looking compromise, covering all the above. Purple may be nice, too.
But is the rest of the ship always pitch black?
And also, Fusion red is shiny and I totally fall for such "traps" .
Anyway, these are certainly on the short list and I like red the best even though it isn't yellow.

The galvanized paint job falls more or less into this same category. I can be convinced to use it, but looking at the pictures available in the shop it seems a bit too flashy.

And then there is the Crypsis Yellow. THAT one I've looked at so many times. It seems to be perfect. It does show some colour when I'm in the shadow and that is something I'm looking for. But then again does it seem to have a green tint which I don't like. So please convince me that I want to buy it .

So long story short. Above you could read my opinion on the (relevant) paint jobs and my preferences. Much of this is a struggle just because I can't just change the colour whenever I feel like it. If I get something I need to be happy with it for many many many hours of gameplay.

Money is not really an issue. I've been playing that game so many hours and it contributes to my life in other ways I'm happy about, too. However, I would like to avoid buying something I'll discard soon after.

So if you, my fellow commanders have some advice or comments, or screenshots of some of the discussed paintjobs from angles different than above … please let me hear (and see) them.

 

[Sapyx]

For me, a paint job should fit the purpose of the ship - if the purpose matches, then the aesthetic seems to follow naturally. And for me:
- Explorers - White. "Star Trek" white, if possible. Nothing says "we come in peace" more than a brilliant white spaceship. I've never bothered upgrading from the Asp for exploration (the 'Conda on spec looks like it's simply too wallowy; the slow Supercruise turn rate would drive me crazy). My Asp is Apollo White.
- Mining - High-vis yellow or orange. You want to be seen, so other miners don't mistake you for another rock.
- Warships - Battleship grey. A warzone's no place for pretty colours.
- General-purpose - go wild, pick whatever colour looks good or sits your personality. My mission-running Python is Army green (slightly brigher than the default green). My Krait II is Precision Blue, so garish it looks like a unicorn vomited all over it. And my Cobra III has the Australian flag.

I'm a perfectionist and always repair the paint whenever I'm in dock. So the "explorers" are the only ones for which the look of the worn paintjob is at all relevant.

 

[schlowi123]

I like that answer. It taps into some of the unmentioned aspects (even though I mention "role" somewhat).
It also supports my preference for light colours for my exploration ships.

As a sidenote: I went from Asp Explorer to the Anaconda. Yes, the supercruise turn rate is slow but I got used to it. And if something is (more or less directly) behind me I simply drop out of supercruise, turn and get back into supercruise. That's a bit faster.

 

[Rooster Podunk]

It is such an individual choice that any right answer to a,b,c,d just wouldn't pass muster. What I would suggest is take a look at the many screenshots in the explorer's photo thread. You'll find just about every scheme on every hull there and in just about every stellar environment.

I do get what you are saying about switching it up. As mostly an explorer I go with contrast to help with screenies. I love the deep navy blue and the dull forest green but was disappointed how they presented themselves out in the black. Some screens need contrast to the background, some not. Again, a matter of personal choice and living with it for 10k, 20k, 50k LY.

 

[schlowi123]

I know that it is an individual choice and I agree that no "right" answer exists. But it helps with decisions if the wisdom (and experiences) of the crowd is consulted beforehand. So any input is valuable
And I'm asking since I'm docked for the first time since months … haven't had the chance to change "dresses" before today.

 

[Orvidius]

I have to admit, I also consider this to be very important (for me, anyway). When you spend countless hours looking at your ship (the only one you're flying for long periods of time), then it needs to give you the right sense of satisfaction.

I've switched ships for exploration many times over the last year and a half, and most of the time I was thinking "This is my favorite ship now!", which wouldn't last. Many times this was due to handling, module space, cockpit visibility, and so on. But the appearance of the ship factors into it as well, in subtle ways, including how the ship looks from the ground in the SRV, and how the paint wears down.

For instance, I think the smooth/curvy ships from Gutumaya and Saud Kruger tend to look terrible when the paint is worn down, and that stands out even more with the bright paint jobs. Their front ends will be almost bare. (EDIT: And it's a shame because I think they're some of the most beautiful ships otherwise!) Some of the metallic paints do a little better here, especially "chromed" which makes it look more like the sheen has been worn off, but not the color.

Then there's the Lakon ships, which take the paint wear quite nicely. The T9 in particular gets that "dirt under the fingernails" look to it, instead of looking like it's been worn bare. It almost looks better that way. In fact, I think the Lakon transports look better in the standard three paint packs (vibrant, tactical, military) than most other ships do.

But in terms of paint choices, my favorite has always been the White Pharoah from the Horus set. I used that exclusively on my AspX, and was sad when I couldn't use it on other ships. Eventually they added it to several more, and I was quite happy with it on my Python and Krait Mk2.

When it comes to taking screenshots, the really dark paints (black or tactical graphite, for instance) just disappear. I feel like the ship needs to either be either white, or a more striking color if you want it to show well in screenshots. Chromed looks great, but it also tends to disappear into the background in screenshots unless you're very careful with lighting conditions and angles, which you may not have as much control over as you need.

 

[schlowi123]

Thank you very much for the words and support that the hull painting is more than just paint or "look what I have".

I've bought the Fusion Red … and I almost instantly didn't like it. I give it a chance for approx. 10 kly but most likely I'm pretty sure that I will switch back to yellow at the next chance.
It didn't live up to my expectations. That includes that the light feels a bit too bright for me when close to the ship (or in the cockpit) and it goes as far as me disliking the bright red bar I see when my SRV is lowered to the ground. On the other hand can the red lines still not be seen in pictures in which Kassiopeia is far away. Especially the latter I hoped to be much better since I (sometimes) like to see the huge Anaconda as teeny tiny in comparison to a planet. Usually just the outline of the ships hull can be seen and I hoped that this paintjob may be able to fix that.

Anyway, "fortunately" am I having a bit of a bad conscience because I play and like ED so much but I haven't paid the full price. I always compare everything time- and moneywise with going to the movies, which is stupendously expensive but which I do rather often.
So I see this as a small contribution to a game that gave and gives me a (not just) gaming experience like none before

While I will change back to yellow for gameplay reasons, do I intend to try out Crypsis Yellow once I'm in Colonia. And at one point I will likely try the Horus paint, too. It does indeed look very good.
And I will also get some paintjob for my SRV … I just can't decide which one.

But please don't see this as finishing remark for this thread please continue discussing