Hi everybody,
I returned from a 5,000 light-years evaluation flight with the infamous Diamondback Explorer yesterday, and I'd like to present the results here. Very subjective results, primarily concerned with my exploration styles.
Situation:
Lakon inflated a locust. Then it stretched the inflated locust.
Mission:
Evaluate the Diamondback Explorer, make some money, get into the Top 15 % at the Lembava CG.
After Action Report:
Mission accomplished. Details?
Pre-flight: Outfitting
I simply stuffed the ship with full-sized D modules, an A power plant and, of course, an A FSD. Since it's a combat explorer (yeah, right),I also took two gimb'ed beam lasers and shield boosters. Official price tag was 14.4 million credits, range 31.84 light-years. My comparison is the similarly spec'd Asp I used to fly (16 million,31.27 light-years).
The price alone is very off-putting, even if you disregard the weaponry. The 4A scoop is hideously expensive compared to the faster and cheaper 6D. On the other hand, Debbie can be fully armed and A-spec'd and still manage 29+ light-years (and, with power management, even run that armament, for whatever it is worth).
Bonus Content: Accidental Combat Evaluation
And then I got interdicted on my way from outfitting at Lembava to my home station. By a deadly Vulture. I still had security blanket in the form of an 3C/G cannon at that point, and combined with a friendly neighborhood Eagle that turned up in a suicidal show of solidarity, it was enough to survive. With 60 % hull. Some ships turn on a dime, the Diamondback Explorer with D modules needs the entire Discworld. The large mount requires either a lot of negative G maneuvering (like flying a Cobra, but without a pitch rate) or a turret to be effective. On the plus side, the thruster control is quite good.
First Leg: Fast Travel
(Fast route, honk, but scan nothing)
Sold Clippy the Cannon, repaired the ship, and out I went,jump-honk/scoop-jump. I really wasn't happy at first until I started to trust the heat management - you can reach your peak scoop rate fast, and you can jump out as soon as the tank's full. I usually fly a "hot" ship - everything turned on except the cargo hatch and the AFMU - and it still never went above 81% heat. (And that was a full throttle jump from inside the corona.)
That makes Debbie faster at refueling than it looks on paper - but only as long as every star is scoopable. As soon as you have to scoop up for two jumps or more, even someone like me who is happy with a D6 scoop starts to get bored.
With my outfit and the star density close to the bubble, Debbie and me usually got seven jumps done before she ran on fumes; a 180-210 light-years speed run when returning from or leaving the bubble is no problem. Combined with a good home port or arrival point, that eases concerns about interdictions.
Verdict:C- (B for my comparison Asp)
Second Leg: Fast Survey
(Fast route, honk, scan main star)
Same as above, though the heat management allows a somewhat carefree CBDR while scanning the star. As long as every star is scoopable, that gives Debbie a slight edge, but only then.
Verdict:B- (B)
Third Leg: Slow Survey
(Economic route, scan everything of interest)
Scooping becomes a non-issue on economic routes, Debbie could have gone nearly 900 light-years without refueling; and simple scooping-of-opportunity en route to the next target was enough to keep her more or less topped up.
The main point of interest now became supercruise maneuverability, and I was in for a pleasant surprise. The ship that can't turn in realspace without reminding me of my late grandmother turned out quite nimble and precise all of the sudden; flying became fun again. I did some rough tests, supercruise turn rates seem to be the same as in an Asp,but with less inertia.
Verdict:A- (B+)
Fourth Leg: Fast Full Coverage
(Fast route, scan everything)
A combination of 2 and 3. As long as there is something to scan, yay, as long as the star is scoopable, it's alright, but enter a rough patch, and you'll start reading GalNet.
Verdict:B (B+)
Somewhat Objective Conclusion:
If you aren't focused on getting anywhere really, really fast and like to get somewhere where you can happily cruise around entire systems,it's quite a nice explorer. Wear & tear costs are bearable, I spent roughly 5,000 credits for 10 % damage (in other words, 1Cr/LY), and I was supercruising a lot. It feels like supercruise is her natural habitat, and that's not bad for an exploration vessel. Additionally, the heat management is excellent; pushing the D6 scoop on my Asp to its limits felt dangerous, but getting the A4 up to its342 kg/s and initiating the jump while leaving is not a problem. I actively tried to hit a few binaries, but they weren't playing along.
Oh,and don't do combat with lightweight modules. Boost, run silent, and tumble around with FA-off, every hunter will get bored before the heat rises to any interesting level.
Verdict: The Diamondback Explorer has a niche, but it's not a big one. (That might grow a lot bigger with more exploration or reconnaissance content.)
Very Subjective Reflections:
I tried to like this ship, then I bought it and hated it. Hated the paint-job, hated the realspace maneuverability, hated the combat capabilities. It's why I forced myself to take it out of the bubble,because non of these things really matter in the black, and I was suddenly enjoying myself (and the ship) as soon as I fell back into my usual exploration mode. Out there, she fits my style (slow survey or fast coverage,depending on the mood, no hurry) more or less perfectly for now.
With my current financial situation,I can use my Asp as an A-spec'd multi-role ship while still having an exploration vessel on standby that can stand a lot of heat and has long legs, and that's nice. At least as long as I can't afford a Python.
I still hate the paint job, though, and those two blue lights on the cockpit frame get on my nerves. (“Ooh, shiny star! Ach, stupid moodlighting.”)
I returned from a 5,000 light-years evaluation flight with the infamous Diamondback Explorer yesterday, and I'd like to present the results here. Very subjective results, primarily concerned with my exploration styles.
Situation:
Lakon inflated a locust. Then it stretched the inflated locust.
Mission:
Evaluate the Diamondback Explorer, make some money, get into the Top 15 % at the Lembava CG.
After Action Report:
Mission accomplished. Details?
Pre-flight: Outfitting
I simply stuffed the ship with full-sized D modules, an A power plant and, of course, an A FSD. Since it's a combat explorer (yeah, right),I also took two gimb'ed beam lasers and shield boosters. Official price tag was 14.4 million credits, range 31.84 light-years. My comparison is the similarly spec'd Asp I used to fly (16 million,31.27 light-years).
The price alone is very off-putting, even if you disregard the weaponry. The 4A scoop is hideously expensive compared to the faster and cheaper 6D. On the other hand, Debbie can be fully armed and A-spec'd and still manage 29+ light-years (and, with power management, even run that armament, for whatever it is worth).
Bonus Content: Accidental Combat Evaluation
And then I got interdicted on my way from outfitting at Lembava to my home station. By a deadly Vulture. I still had security blanket in the form of an 3C/G cannon at that point, and combined with a friendly neighborhood Eagle that turned up in a suicidal show of solidarity, it was enough to survive. With 60 % hull. Some ships turn on a dime, the Diamondback Explorer with D modules needs the entire Discworld. The large mount requires either a lot of negative G maneuvering (like flying a Cobra, but without a pitch rate) or a turret to be effective. On the plus side, the thruster control is quite good.
First Leg: Fast Travel
(Fast route, honk, but scan nothing)
Sold Clippy the Cannon, repaired the ship, and out I went,jump-honk/scoop-jump. I really wasn't happy at first until I started to trust the heat management - you can reach your peak scoop rate fast, and you can jump out as soon as the tank's full. I usually fly a "hot" ship - everything turned on except the cargo hatch and the AFMU - and it still never went above 81% heat. (And that was a full throttle jump from inside the corona.)
That makes Debbie faster at refueling than it looks on paper - but only as long as every star is scoopable. As soon as you have to scoop up for two jumps or more, even someone like me who is happy with a D6 scoop starts to get bored.
With my outfit and the star density close to the bubble, Debbie and me usually got seven jumps done before she ran on fumes; a 180-210 light-years speed run when returning from or leaving the bubble is no problem. Combined with a good home port or arrival point, that eases concerns about interdictions.
Verdict:C- (B for my comparison Asp)
Second Leg: Fast Survey
(Fast route, honk, scan main star)
Same as above, though the heat management allows a somewhat carefree CBDR while scanning the star. As long as every star is scoopable, that gives Debbie a slight edge, but only then.
Verdict:B- (B)
Third Leg: Slow Survey
(Economic route, scan everything of interest)
Scooping becomes a non-issue on economic routes, Debbie could have gone nearly 900 light-years without refueling; and simple scooping-of-opportunity en route to the next target was enough to keep her more or less topped up.
The main point of interest now became supercruise maneuverability, and I was in for a pleasant surprise. The ship that can't turn in realspace without reminding me of my late grandmother turned out quite nimble and precise all of the sudden; flying became fun again. I did some rough tests, supercruise turn rates seem to be the same as in an Asp,but with less inertia.
Verdict:A- (B+)
Fourth Leg: Fast Full Coverage
(Fast route, scan everything)
A combination of 2 and 3. As long as there is something to scan, yay, as long as the star is scoopable, it's alright, but enter a rough patch, and you'll start reading GalNet.
Verdict:B (B+)
Somewhat Objective Conclusion:
If you aren't focused on getting anywhere really, really fast and like to get somewhere where you can happily cruise around entire systems,it's quite a nice explorer. Wear & tear costs are bearable, I spent roughly 5,000 credits for 10 % damage (in other words, 1Cr/LY), and I was supercruising a lot. It feels like supercruise is her natural habitat, and that's not bad for an exploration vessel. Additionally, the heat management is excellent; pushing the D6 scoop on my Asp to its limits felt dangerous, but getting the A4 up to its342 kg/s and initiating the jump while leaving is not a problem. I actively tried to hit a few binaries, but they weren't playing along.
Oh,and don't do combat with lightweight modules. Boost, run silent, and tumble around with FA-off, every hunter will get bored before the heat rises to any interesting level.
Verdict: The Diamondback Explorer has a niche, but it's not a big one. (That might grow a lot bigger with more exploration or reconnaissance content.)
Very Subjective Reflections:
I tried to like this ship, then I bought it and hated it. Hated the paint-job, hated the realspace maneuverability, hated the combat capabilities. It's why I forced myself to take it out of the bubble,because non of these things really matter in the black, and I was suddenly enjoying myself (and the ship) as soon as I fell back into my usual exploration mode. Out there, she fits my style (slow survey or fast coverage,depending on the mood, no hurry) more or less perfectly for now.
With my current financial situation,I can use my Asp as an A-spec'd multi-role ship while still having an exploration vessel on standby that can stand a lot of heat and has long legs, and that's nice. At least as long as I can't afford a Python.
I still hate the paint job, though, and those two blue lights on the cockpit frame get on my nerves. (“Ooh, shiny star! Ach, stupid moodlighting.”)
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