Ships Clipper vs Vulture shield tank?

Terry Bruge-Hiplo

Terry Bruge-Hiplo
Maybe I'm imagining it, but on numerous occasions I've found the shields on the Clipper melt much faster than on the Vulture. They'll be down and into hull before the Vulture would be on its last ring. Is there something more to the shields effectiveness than just the number of mj? I gather there's diminished performance if you're over the optimal mass, but the Clipper is way under that. I feel like I'm gonna have to resort to SCBs if I wanna keep the Clipper for combat...

Vulture (363):
http://coriolis.io/outfit/vulture/34A5A4A3D5A4D3C0v0v----4b2t---.Iw19kA==.IwBj4jTI

Clipper (501):
http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...v0s0s040404084k3d------.AwRj4yrI.AwiMIzPKg===

Thoughts and suggestions welcome!
 

vindicator jones

vindicator jones
Terry Bruge-Hiplo said:
Maybe I'm imagining it, but on numerous occasions I've found the shields on the Clipper melt much faster than on the Vulture. They'll be down and into hull before the Vulture would be on its last ring. Is there something more to the shields effectiveness than just the number of mj? I gather there's diminished performance if you're over the optimal mass, but the Clipper is way under that. I feel like I'm gonna have to resort to SCBs if I wanna keep the Clipper for combat...

Vulture (363):
http://coriolis.io/outfit/vulture/34A5A4A3D5A4D3C0v0v----4b2t---.Iw19kA==.IwBj4jTI

Clipper (501):
http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...v0s0s040404084k3d------.AwRj4yrI.AwiMIzPKg===

Thoughts and suggestions welcome!
Click to expand...

Clipper has always been a bit of a glass canon imho... I think the issue you were facing was that the vulture is a lot more maneuverable and harder to hit, whereas the clipper is huge and very easy to hit. Even with gimballed weapons, a larger target will be hit more often up close than a smaller one.
 

mossfoot

mossfoot
vindicator jones said:
Clipper has always been a bit of a glass canon imho... I think the issue you were facing was that the vulture is a lot more maneuverable and harder to hit, whereas the clipper is huge and very easy to hit. Even with gimballed weapons, a larger target will be hit more often up close than a smaller one.
Click to expand...

That's probably the case, but I do find that the Vulture takes a serious pounding when I'm in CZs... I'd sooner go after a Python or Anaconda instead most of the time.
 

Faded Glory

Faded Glory
I find that even though my Imperial Courier has on paper stronger shields, the Vulture can take much more of a beating. Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that the Vulture's weapons are stronger so can take opponents out quicker, I really don't know. If I know I'm going up against an Anaconda, it will be in the Vulture every time.
 

Terry Bruge-Hiplo

Terry Bruge-Hiplo
vindicator jones said:
Clipper has always been a bit of a glass canon imho... I think the issue you were facing was that the vulture is a lot more maneuverable and harder to hit, whereas the clipper is huge and very easy to hit. Even with gimballed weapons, a larger target will be hit more often up close than a smaller one.
Click to expand...

I have taken that into consideration, of course. I find it really noticeable when I'm being attacked by an Eagle, which peppers either ship with pulse laser fire pretty consistently - they don't have gimbals either, as far as I can tell. Another thing is when I'm against an NPC Clipper, it goes down a lot faster than a Vulture. Not really sure of the specifics of their builds, so hard to tell there. Glass canon is right!

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Faded Glory said:
I find that even though my Imperial Courier has on paper stronger shields, the Vulture can take much more of a beating. Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that the Vulture's weapons are stronger so can take opponents out quicker, I really don't know. If I know I'm going up against an Anaconda, it will be in the Vulture every time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I concur!
 

despiser

despiser
Clipper tactics vary with opponents. Easier targets you can stay with them and blast. I use C3 gimballed beams and F2 turreted multis. Harder opponents must be engaged with fresh shields. If they get low, use its speed to stay out of range. Same tactic for targets with lots of SCBs. D rated modules are preferred to max maneuverability but an A grade power plant is a must. Class 3 slots are perfect for SCBs and pack an AFM if your class 7 shield generator gets damaged.
 

ForeverN00b

ForeverN00b
Because the Clipper is so big, the shields aren't as effective as a compact ship such as a Vulture or FdL, even though the shield generator is bigger. There's simply too much surface area to cover.

The best way to mitigate this IMO is to use some of that internal space on SCBs, plus judicious use of Chaff.
 

BostromNZ

BostromNZ
Do you have any power issues in your Vulture with that build? I run a C rated shield with 2x boosters and a SCB. Tried the 5B and 5A shields but found my current setup works better.
 

Terry Bruge-Hiplo

Terry Bruge-Hiplo
despiser said:
Clipper tactics vary with opponents. Easier targets you can stay with them and blast. I use C3 gimballed beams and F2 turreted multis. Harder opponents must be engaged with fresh shields. If they get low, use its speed to stay out of range. Same tactic for targets with lots of SCBs. D rated modules are preferred to max maneuverability but an A grade power plant is a must. Class 3 slots are perfect for SCBs and pack an AFM if your class 7 shield generator gets damaged.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll give that a go!

BostromNZ said:
Do you have any power issues in your Vulture with that build? I run a C rated shield with 2x boosters and a SCB. Tried the 5B and 5A shields but found my current setup works better.
Click to expand...

No issues really. In fact, I find the Vulture to be the optimum killing machine. I can usually stay in combat for a good while without trouble. I just wanted to try the Clipper again for variety, and because she's a pretty ship.
 

Kazacy

Kazacy
To the OP: i noticed that too, in pve vulture seems to last longer, small, very easy to fly, reasonable speed, good firepower for his class and good shields. But in pvp it's where clipper became really good. A lot of internals to fill with scb's (and a good fuel scoop for long travels), awesome speed and agility for his class and fantastic ramming power. Most of the time i tried in pvp the vulture, targets can run away from me with low jump, or i exhaust my scb's before my enemy, forced me to retreat from fight. Also only three jumps available combined with a small fuel scoop make the travels tedious. If you want to undermine and pew pew the enemy commanders you encounter i highly recommend you the clipper.
And one last thing: every time i return to Harma and if is camped by enemy players, with clipper it's really easy to break through the station (read awesome speed), with vulture or courier i am forced to high jump, and come back few times in a row until the game puts me in another instance.
PS my clipper fit around 436m/s max boost speed, cheap and very effective (ask the python commanders i killed or run away from me):
http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...46b.Iw18aQ==.IwBhrSs1jug=?bn=pew_pew_budget_3
It's under 60 millions if you buy from Sirius space, i prefer to ram with him then if they come to you use the torpedoes. Any good commander after first ram will run away from you with high jump, the others if they stay waste them.
 
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