Are buying the larger ships really worth it, for the cost?

[JohnRoberts]

Are they worth the cost? Objectively, no. Subjectively, there is something to said about flying one of the biggest ships available to us. Even though most people would agree balance is off, pretty much every ship in the game has it's fans.

My two favourite ships are the Asp Explorer and the Corvette, both probably can make justifiable claims to being below the curve. How they feel to me, remembering some great gaming moments, the feelings of achievement, these things transcend ship stats. I'm not a min-max pvper, I'm a role player, and where FD have maybe failed in terms of balance, for me they nailed it in terms of, for want of a better word, personality.

 

[Karamon]

It has got me to thinking. Are ships like the Anaconda the same way? For all that money and equipment, do the other ships take pot shots until I are forced to withdraw? Or am I just doing it wrong? By the time the target gets in my reticle, I get one shot, it has already taken it's shots at me, and passes to my stern.

I had same problem with Python , it was awful for me , i really hated it .

Anaconda was different story, i liked her from the begining , awesome ship and very good in combat

 

[Lightspeed]

Python benefits a lot from engineering, especially thrusters.

 

[jonluv]

I fly in an A rated Cutter hoping to be interdicted and it very rarely happens but I love it—- so unless you have spare billions and no aim or ambition the big ships are not worth it. My favourite ship is the Python — cheap — tough- go everywhere and do everything If combat rigged will take out all except big 2 with ease

 

[CMDR Corlas]

Those looking for size comparisons should check out this excellent graphic:

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...gress-Complete-Full-Colour-ED-Ship-Size-Chart

The Corvette is overdue for a buff, and I think we all know that.
FDev just doesn't want to do it because it remains popular because it is the coolest ship in the yard at the moment.

This is true. I love my Corvette, it's an absolute beast in PvE, it prints money like crazy in a RES, and I'll still argue against those who call it "useless" compared to an Anaconda, because it's not at all.

But it's still not where it should be for a post-engineers game. The existence of the long-range mod for instant-hit weapons seems to be a big culprit, making the ability to control distance even more powerful in combat that it already was.

For a close-in brawler like the Corvette, whose main strength seems to be the burst damage of it's twin C4's carrying Cannons or Plasma, defense stacking and engineering already put a large dent in it's strengths vs other player-flown ships, and long-range weapons modding, without the Corvette having the speed to get in close vs many ships, put another even bigger dent.

Defense stacking and engineering needs to be brought under control. Stacking should be limited, and increases should be more static, like HRP's, and not percentage based.

And the Corvette needs a speed increase. It doesn't need to be as fast a Cutter, but it should be closer.

I could also image more complex scenarios, where weapon range and sensors are tied, so larger sensors give your weapons longer ranges, and then FD does a sensor pass on all ships with an eye to making the quick ones have smaller sensors and the slow ones bigger, but that seems a lot less likely.

Note: Could be a lot of pointless theorycrafting blather there, since I don't really PvP in Elite. I would like to, but until the balance issues are fixed (more about defense-stacking than ships), I'd rather not exclude myself from all the PvE content.

 

[DaveB]

Regarding the 'conda: Best large multirole. It's got legs, it can haul, can survive and can shoot. However, it's still a big ship and handles like one. Forget that and you'll even go kaboom in PvE combat. A good PvPer will consider you a "very large target" if they are flying anything with decent agility.

If you want, you can turn it into an almost-cargoless tank and PvE-pew all day. But if you're doing that, the 'vette is better at it and can be made more PvP-survivable. What's more, if you're doing that you'll have more fun with a smaller ship anyway.
You can strip it down into a decent hauler. But a T9 is cheaper, hauls marginally more (a LOT more after the upcoming capacity buff) and can be made almost as survivable as a stripped down 'conda build. Only the 'condas long legs give it any kind of advantage here.
As a deep-space explorer it used to be unrivaled, with legs to match or exceed the AspX and enough internal capacity to cram in the modules for extended self-sufficient cruising. This is no longer as true as it used to be, with several much cheaper ships matching or exceeding its exploration capability with judicious engineering.

If you're going to have just ONE large-pad ship in your fleet, unless you've a fairly narrow set of gameplay styles it's hard to argue against that one being a 'conda. If you've the credits for several, you could easily find your 'conda being the second-least-used of them, only beating out that dreadful scow called the Cutter.

 

[CMDR BOSLEY]

Cutter - Fast multi role ship, can carry tons of cargo - Have the best defense in this game - Worth it
Anaconda: Versatille, can do anything with a good efficiency - Worth it.
Corvette: Anaconda that turns a little better and can carry a little more stuff jumping like a combat ship that she don't are. ( Strange, in the description says she is a combat ship not a armed CARGO SHIP) - Don't worth the money, imagine money+rank grind.

I really want to understand why they created the Corvette? I'ts not suposed to be a COMBAT ship?
Why she have better multi-purpose internals than the multi purpose anaconda, why she is slower than the conda, why she are so overweighted? (Bla bla bla about armor, that means nothing -hardness-).
Fdev, i'ts possible to make the corvette like a FDL but in a BIG scale? I need a large combat ship, not another multipurpose one.

That's crazy talk the corvette is a beast in combat, destroys all.

 

[imaner76]

That's crazy talk the corvette is a beast in combat, destroys all.

To be fair, not even a wing of 4 ELITE NPC in an anarchy hazardous RES can touch a Corvette with SLF and Beam lasers. Well it stings a little, but they disappear. And on to the next.
I'm also not a PVP player, but most avoid you in open when in one. And those that don't get left drifting in space at 1-5% left and no powerplant. Unless they trash talk. 0%.

 

[CMDR BOSLEY]

To be fair, not even a wing of 4 ELITE NPC in an anarchy hazardous RES can touch a Corvette with SLF and Beam lasers. Well it stings a little, but they disappear. And on to the next.
I'm also not a PVP player, but most avoid you in open when in one. And those that don't get left drifting in space at 1-5% left and no powerplant. Unless they trash talk. 0%.

2 huge long range plasma, 2 small longrange feedback cascade rails, 2 medium beam with thermal vent and the large with the same. It annihilates everthing, and has the optionals to have all the scb, hrp, and mrp you could want.

 

[OHMSS]

Once I saved up about 250 million, I bought and equipped a python for appox., 150 million. While it is a nice ship, I have to admit I am a little disappointed. I expected it to fare better in combat, for the money I spent. I saw all the warnings on YouTube that the python doesn't pitch fast enough. It really doesn't. A smaller ship can maneuver to stay out of the reticle. My bad.

It has got me to thinking. Are ships like the Anaconda the same way? For all that money and equipment, do the other ships take pot shots until I are forced to withdraw? Or am I just doing it wrong? By the time the target gets in my reticle, I get one shot, it has already taken it's shots at me, and passes to my stern.

I'm sure it's been said already but in my opinion, no they're not. I've owned all of them and if I was told to choose one from the Cutter, Corvette, Anaconda (or T10). I'd choose the Anaconda, knowing full well that if it was just being released, FD would not give it the capabilities it has now. Fortunately too many people own one and they'd be up in arms if their 62ly money maker dropped to a 1/3 of it's current jump range.

In all honesty, I spend more time in small to medium ships. AspX and Python stand out as superb and I spend a lot of time in them. I'm spoiled for capable combat ships in the same size range, especially with the Chieftain coming, although the square canopy strutts bothers me for some reason.

 

[sollisb]

Define 'worth'

I have multiple accounts, and each of them have Vette's and Cutters. The grind was done on all of them, just so each of the accounts would have those ships. Each account has multiple variants of those ships. A Cutter for trading a Cutter for Combat a Cutter for Exploration. Vette's for Combat. My Game essentially evolves around me deciding which account to play and what role. I decide on the moment I pu tthe VR headset on. Will I take a Cutter or a Vette.

Are they worth the effort to me? Yes, hell yes. The costs is irrelevant. I milked Robigo, Quince, Pax Missions. I can afford my fleet multiple times over. The only obstacle is rank grind.

In which ever role I choose, the Cutter, Corvette & Anaconda is arguably the best per role.

I don't play ED to follow some story in a HSS, or to pander to FDev's idea of what game-play[sic] should be. I play my own way, how I choose. Each of the Top 3 ships allows me to do that. I'm happy out.