Are cannons really even worth bothering?

William J Smith

William J Smith
I use a pair of cannon turrets on my A grade python on the med points... 4 million each... can be a bit hit and miss with smaller ships, get close in on a bigger ship and get in the optimal firing position and aim at a module... the module will go pop very fast
downside.... slow firing and reload takes forever... but seeing a 'conda go from a 90% PP to 0% in a space of 6 shots or so.... loverly

Bill

.. then you can have a nice discussion with your concience while you blow out the life support module [haha]
 

Mohrgan

Mohrgan
I had great success with a single Large G-Cannon on the top of a FAS. It was perfect for PP sniping. The three lower hard points were filled with lasers, but for some punch to knock out the larger ships in good time, the cannon was effective. Once my little fling with the Dakka Goddess is over I expect to have the Large G-cannon on my Python. Except the Python isn't a get up close and personal kind of ship. We'll see. I had some luck with a fixed huge cannon on the bottom of an FdL just before the Beta. With the flight speed of the projectile being increased, to what the PA does, in 1.6/2.1 I'm hoping to use that in the future too.
 

Kaocraft

Kaocraft
I don't understand why FDev can't adjust the cannon projectile speed to be the same as multicannons. This change alone would make them worth using I'd think.
 

Poy

Poy
Cannons were buffed in 2.1 they're even better than before, they're so good against internals !

I've got a C2 along with a seeker rack and a pair of C3 lasers on my Clipper and it's very good on its own, having two would be even better but missiles are fun now !
 
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ChaosCloud

ChaosCloud
Kaocraft said:
I don't understand why FDev can't adjust the cannon projectile speed to be the same as multicannons. This change alone would make them worth using I'd think.
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I think that them having a 5 shot mag with 1 shot in 2 sec and 4 sec reload for changing the mag is the worse design choice. Just make them be like railguns and only hold a single shot which you have to place well.
 

CMDR Endincite

CMDR Endincite
They work well in certain situations/applications. I put 1 huge, 1 large, 2 medium, and 2 small cannons on my Conda along with two large bursts for shields, and it works wonders.
Interdicted by NPC, just flip over & fly backward and he'll likely back off to near max range. Push in a bit to get his shields down, and guess what does full damage at near maximum range? 6 damned cannon shells, that's what!
 

smiths121

S
I used 2 x pulse and 1 x cannon on an Eagle in 2.0 just prior to 2.1 update.

I was in high intensity conflict zone with Fed Capital Ship support. This turned the conflict zone from "survive in an Eagle" to how to make some money, as last shot takes kill is in effect. I found cannons helped a lot as you could time cannon shots at a few % to actually get the killing shot compared to the lasers used by the capital ship and other NPCs. It increased my kill rate back towards 4 out of 5. Pretty good money, rep and ranking contribution for a Novice Eagle.

Has this changed in 2.1?

Simon
 

CMDR_Vyse

C
On my FdL build I tended to use a gimballed Huge cannon in the slot. If the cannon impacted a module, or perhaps just the power plant, that module lost 35-50% of its integrity in one blow. I've since switched to a Huge Bofors cannon because multicannons fit my style better.
 

X-Terminator

Banned
X-Terminator
Nope. I carry a Frag Cannon but have it switched off just for when MODs to PP will get more efficient.
 
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Cybermykl

Cybermykl
Butter of Sorrow said:
After a little back and forth comparison between them, multi-cannons and frag-cannons I just can't help but feel they kinda suck. The slow fire-rate alone gives them an unreliable accuracy and dps compared to either of the other alternatives.

So can anyone say do they have some redeeming value I might have overlooked? I suppose one thing worth noting is that class 3 multi-cannons don't exist so there's that.
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I tend to agree with the OP. I was on one of the moons and found a crashed ship with a component inside I wanted to harvest with my SRV. So, I got back into my ASP and with my stock cannon tried blasting it. It didn't even scratch the paint. I must have pummelled it 10-15 times with the one cannon and nothing happened. So, I'm wondering, how is this going to make a difference in space when I can't even destroy a derelict on the ground?
 

Muetdhiver

Muetdhiver
IMO cannon really shine at C2, because :

  • 1000 m/s shell speed, like the C1 which is better than the C3 and C4.
  • little to no penalty when firing against large targets.
  • Very good penetration / module damage.

Above C2, I don't really see the point in using them as the new MC just seem plain Superior in every way that matters.
 

ChaosCloud

ChaosCloud
Cybermykl said:
I tend to agree with the OP. I was on one of the moons and found a crashed ship with a component inside I wanted to harvest with my SRV. So, I got back into my ASP and with my stock cannon tried blasting it. It didn't even scratch the paint. I must have pummelled it 10-15 times with the one cannon and nothing happened. So, I'm wondering, how is this going to make a difference in space when I can't even destroy a derelict on the ground?
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If that component was called "Ship something" then you were just supposed to have scanned it, otherwise it just glitched through it and like all planetary 'structures' are crashed ships likely indestructable anyways.

But they look damn nice.
 

DrSaphron

D
The trick to cannons is the angle at which the shell hits the hull of your target. If you get a nice flat surface for your shell to connect with it's gonna rip a hole in your target and take a good chunk of whatever internal component you were targeting with it. If, however, you connect at a bad angle the damage is going to be quite pitiful and module damage will be negligible, provided you score a hit to internals at all. I used to run a C4G cannon on my FDL and being able to 2 shot ANY power plant on ANY ship was just fantastic, of course this was BEFORE the FDL got buffed and was a true judge of a pilots' skill.
 

Hexcaliber

Hexcaliber
Cannons are perfectly fine if you put the time into improving your ability to lead a target correctly, or you could cheese it and use gimballed. With the increased armour piercing they are great for taking modules out; slap a couple of burst lasers on for taking care of Shields and let rip with the cannons, it has the bonus of being easier to fit than many other builds. The huge cannons in particular rock, a few salvos can leave an enemy conda floating in space with no power plant while you finish it off.

EDIT you will find them much easier to use on a number of ships if you set targeting to leading rather than trailing
 
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Stigbob

Stigbob
Cannons are great, but you need to think about which slot you stick them in. In a DBS I use 2 fixed medium burst lasers and a pair of gimballed small cannons, the cannons can lead your target so you can hit with all weapons at once. I like the projectile speed info you get in outfitting now as well, small faster shells seem more effective than larger higher damage shells.

Still love the huge gimballed cannon on my FDL though (although I'm trying all the new huge weapons), a bit of back thrust helps (me) steady the reticule.
 

KING5TON

KING5TON
Cannons used to rock back in the day. Fond memories for a quad cannon viper mashing up other players in PVP during beta.

Unfortunately they got hit so hard with the nerf bat they've never recovered in 2 years now.
 
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