Defecting. I'm off to join the Empire!

Synthetic Frost · Mar 23, 2015

Gimbaled weapons are almost mandatory on the Clipper due to it's wide hardpoint placement. Anything smaller than a Python can just weave between your shots when you're using fixed weapons.

With that said, I always have to laugh when a Federation player uses "the slave argument" against the Empire. According to Elite's own story, slavery is a lot more rampant in the Federation than it is in the Empire. It's just hidden from the public thanks to the Federation cloak and dagger campaigns. And what makes it worse is that it's not regulated. The Federation upper echelons are a lot more corrupt than the Empire.

I don't endorse slavery in any form, but at least in the Empire slavery is regulated, and they're treated with honor and decency.

Professor Cupcake · Mar 23, 2015

QorbeQ said:
Traitor!

You'll regret it when you see your first batch of starving slaves up close. Oh the humanity!

(Where's our mechanic to deal with deserters! Shouldn't be possible to ally yourself to Feds and Empire simultaneously!)

Imperial slaves are not allowed to starve.
Imperial slavery is not the savage practice that your corporate overlords permit.

Mephane · Mar 23, 2015

CMDR Brock Samson said:
Welcome to the Empire.Here's top hat, monocle and fake moustache.

Didn't you get the memo? You must wear a goatee as an Imperial.

Synthetic Frost said:
Gimbaled weapons are almost mandatory on the Clipper due to it's wide hardpoint placement. Anything smaller than a Python can just weave between your shots when you're using fixed weapons.

A Python can also avoid getting hit by a Clipper with fixed weapons, by rolling to a 90° orientation.

Bacon Sarnie · Mar 23, 2015

I've managed to hit Squire pretty quickly, would probably be higher ranked but been having so much fun just whizzing about in my Vulture. It really is a great little ship.

Poseidal · Mar 23, 2015

Plooker said:
STATUS REPORT #15

I bought an Imperial Clipper.

Oh. My. God.

What a ship! What a great engine sound. Good power management. Fantastic handling.

Using 2 large gimballed pulse lasers and two medium gimballed multi-cannons. Any better loadouts?

(I sold my Asp, not needed now)

I'm running cannons in mine, though I'm not sure they're any more effective than the multi-cannon.

I've tried pulses and twin beams. Beams are fun, but I'm not convinced they are 'better' than Pulse lasers in practical terms. I feel like the Pulse lasers get more damage per energy, and although the beams are decent with the 6A distributor, I might only run one if using an asymmetric loadout.

I haven't run the more exotic C3 weapons on the Clipper. Railgun placement on C2s was too wide to be useful (running a pair anyway), unfortunately.

Plooker · Mar 23, 2015

I just realised how wide the clipper is - I started my line-up turn while in the docking slot and pranged it. Oops.

Synthetic Frost · Mar 23, 2015

Plooker said:
I just realised how wide the clipper is - I started my line-up turn while in the docking slot and pranged it. Oops.

Hence why I said you'll need those gimbaled weapons. When you're lined up with the mail slot, hit the external debug camera, or watch another NPC in a Clipper try to dock. You'll see that the Clipper almost hits both sides. It's comparable to a Type 9 in width.

QziQza · Mar 23, 2015

Mephane said:
Didn't you get the memo? You must wear a goatee as an Imperial.

Yeah, i let my goatee get out of hand.. just a little!

QziQza · Mar 23, 2015

Plooker said:
I just realised how wide the clipper is - I started my line-up turn while in the docking slot and pranged it. Oops.

Her fantastic proportions mean that she appears far smaller than she really is, the great handling and speed also do much to enforce that feeling.

Great ship, hope you have many hours of joy in metering out destruction to all enemies of the Empire, and make a pretty penny from her ample cargo space.

nazartp · Mar 23, 2015

Plooker said:
STATUS REPORT #15

I bought an Imperial Clipper.

Oh. My. God.

What a ship! What a great engine sound. Good power management. Fantastic handling.

Using 2 large gimballed pulse lasers and two medium gimballed multi-cannons. Any better loadouts?

(I sold my Asp, not needed now)

One of more suggested loadouts is to have fixed weapons on one side and gimballed on the other. Honestly, I never bothered just having all gimballed but my son ran Class 3 plasma accelerator and three gimballed lasers. Somewhat awkward targeting for plasma, but was killing NPC 'Condas at RES's with two shots to the power plant.

OldSchoolPlayer · Mar 23, 2015

zuadao said:
well the empire does have darth vader... or... wait what movie is this again?

Dunno... The Empire have a catchy ring to it !

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Plooker said:
Made it as far as Ensign in the Federation. Took one look at the Federal Dropship. What a load of pants. So...time to aim for an Imperial Clipper. I'm off to Empire space!

Any suggestions for some nice Empire systems to work in when ranking up?

I shall update my progress with status reports in this thread.

Brave and bold move... Highly commended for your bravery and then publicly declaring it!

Plooker · Mar 23, 2015

STATUS REPORT #16

Phew. Thought I'd load up with some Onion Head and other rares before I headed back home. Almost ran out of fuel at one point even though I have a scoop. Had to divert to another star. Each star I scooped at the console said "Illegal Cargo" - one scan by the Feds and I would've been done for. I got interdicted quite a few times, but because of the Onion Head in the hold, I chose to go for the escape vector each time. This was easy, must be because of the bigger mass of the ship.

Now to sell this load of rares, do some more kitting out and then off to a RES to really test this bird...

Plooker · Mar 23, 2015

STATUS REPORT #17

I have to make a confession. I am a double agent. This was merely a ploy to get hold of an Imperial Clipper. Now that I have it, and have analysed it, I'm taking it back to my true master - the Federation - where it shall be used against the Imperial menace!

;-)

OldSchoolPlayer · Mar 23, 2015

Plooker said:
STATUS REPORT #17

I have to make a confession. I am a double agent. This was merely a ploy to get hold of an Imperial Clipper. Now that I have it, and have analysed it, I'm taking it back to my true master - the Federation - where it shall be used against the Imperial menace!

;-)

Ha... You are double dissolutioned! Baron rank is as far as you will get with the Empire tatoo that you permanently have. You will not be welcomed if you shoot other Imperialist! See you in space and we'll settle it like a commander!!!

dunnykin · Mar 23, 2015

Got to earl last night. So that's earl post commander dunnykin heading home to alliance space having infiltrated the highest levels of the federation and empire.

OldSchoolPlayer · Mar 24, 2015

dunnykin said:
Got to earl last night. So that's earl post commander dunnykin heading home to alliance space having infiltrated the highest levels of the federation and empire.

You have me cracking up in laughter!... Why didn't you retreat to the Independents instead of being with the Alliance?

Kaeldian · Mar 24, 2015

QorbeQ said:
Traitor!

You'll regret it when you see your first batch of starving slaves up close. Oh the humanity!

(Where's our mechanic to deal with deserters! Shouldn't be possible to ally yourself to Feds and Empire simultaneously!)

Shouldn't... but we can.

Signed
CMDR Kaeldian
Chief Warrant Officer, Federation Navy
Knight in service of the Empire.

Plooker · Mar 24, 2015

STATUS REPORT #18

Loving the Clipper. I compared it with the Vulture by doing some RES bounty hunting. Not bad.

Have to say, the class 3 pulse lasers on the Clipper seem more puny than on the Vulture. The laser shots are thinner, though they must do the same damage. I put a couple of class 2 beam lasers on as well for extra zing, though not sure if I need them.

Figured out a nice strategy with this Clipper because it has some decent cargo space:

Start at system A, and buy a full load of commodity X.
Fly over to system B and do some bounty hunting in a local RES.
Land at a port in system B, collect the BH money and sell commodity X.
Buy commodity Y and fly back to system A to sell it.

Nice.

Poseidal · Mar 24, 2015

They look thinner due to the distance they are from the cockpit. The Clipper is pretty big.

rednalraH · Mar 24, 2015

Synthetic Frost said:
With that said, I always have to laugh when a Federation player uses "the slave argument" against the Empire. According to Elite's own story, slavery is a lot more rampant in the Federation than it is in the Empire. It's just hidden from the public thanks to the Federation cloak and dagger campaigns. And what makes it worse is that it's not regulated. The Federation upper echelons are a lot more corrupt than the Empire.

"Don't listen to that fatuous Federation propaganda! Listen to the fatuous Imperial propaganda!"