Elite 1984 40th Anniversary - Replica Jameson Cobra Mk3 Build

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
I'm sure I'm not the 1st to do this, but I decided to build a Cobra Mk3 that closely resembles the original Cobra Mk3 that you flew in the original Elite way back in the 80s.
Modules you could get in the original Elite:

ECM
Fuel Scoop
Docking Computer
Military Lasers
Seeker Missiles
Mining Lasers
Larger cargo Rack
Cloaking Device
Energy Bomb
Edit:
Escape Pod
Extra Energy Unit
Naval Energy Unit
Galactic Hyperdrive

Here's the link to my 1984 Cobra Mk3

There is obviously a bit of artistic licence with this build, for example:
1. no cloaking device in ED so I added a heatsink instead since silent running and a heatsink is sort of, loosely, a cloaking device.
2. There wasn't engineering in the original Elite, but there's nothing to say your modules weren't G5 engineered already...so I've used engineering along with modules from PP and CG/Permit Unlock.
3. Since you could mine with mining lasers I also added a refinery as just collecting fragments just didn't sit right with me.

It's by no means a meta build and very much a small multi role ship with the primary goal to be based off the original where possible.

Any thoughts?
Have I missed out any modules from the original Elite...or accidentally added one from FE?
What would people change?
 
Last edited:

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Kzak said:
Rear as well as port and starboard lasers. You really could fit a lot of gear onto the original Elite Cobra Mk III!
Click to expand...
Yes you could. Makes the ED build a little weak on defences for my liking, but it is what it is.
Dillon Fallon said:
Don't forget the 35t cargo capacity.
Click to expand...
Yup...the only reason I didn't go for this is because it makes the hull quite weak and I'd have to sacrifice other features like docking computer or refinery or have a rubbish fuel scoop.
 

Dillon Fallon

Dillon Fallon
Cmdr Snuffler said:
Yes you could. Makes the ED build a little weak on defences for my liking, but it is what it is.

Yup...the only reason I didn't go for this is because it makes the hull quite weak and I'd have to sacrifice other features like docking computer or refinery or have a rubbish fuel scoop.
Click to expand...
To be fair, the original CMDR Jameson must have been doing an awful lot of warranty breaching modifications to that ship to make all tgat stuff work.
 

Ian Doncaster

Ian Doncaster
Nice!

If I was doing it I'd probably make the following nitpicky changes, but then I'd probably also skip the mining laser entirely because I never bothered with that in the original, so it's all definitely a matter of interpretation at this point.
Elite 1 missiles (and for that matter FE2/FFE missiles) are more like torpedoes in terms of ammunition count and damage, so I might swap the missile launcher for a torpedo rack if going fully for authenticity (though seekers are fine, and what I went for on my Cobra III).
I'd also swap one of the HRPs for another 4t of cargo space, just to match the unextended 20t capacity of the original (since getting exactly 35t would be tricky with ED's outfitting model).

Dillon Fallon said:
To be fair, the original CMDR Jameson must have been doing an awful lot of warranty breaching modifications to that ship to make all tgat stuff work.
Click to expand...
The Cobra III in the original was a much more substantial [1] ship than in the sequels - the Krait II is probably the closest ED match in terms of "capability compared with the rest of the shipset": it doesn't have all the raw capacity or toughness of the Python, or the speed and agility of the FDL, but it's not too far behind either at what they're good at without being bad at what they're bad at.

[1] One of the reasons the Cobra III was famously difficult to dock in the original is that it is - by a substantial margin - the widest ship in the game (one of the few to be wider than it is long), whereas the ED edition will almost fit through the mailslot sideways.
 

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Ian Doncaster said:
Nice!

If I was doing it I'd probably make the following nitpicky changes, but then I'd probably also skip the mining laser entirely because I never bothered with that in the original, so it's all definitely a matter of interpretation at this point.
Elite 1 missiles (and for that matter FE2/FFE missiles) are more like torpedoes in terms of ammunition count and damage, so I might swap the missile launcher for a torpedo rack if going fully for authenticity (though seekers are fine, and what I went for on my Cobra III).
I'd also swap one of the HRPs for another 4t of cargo space, just to match the unextended 20t capacity of the original (since getting exactly 35t would be tricky with ED's outfitting model).


The Cobra III in the original was a much more substantial [1] ship than in the sequels - the Krait II is probably the closest ED match in terms of "capability compared with the rest of the shipset": it doesn't have all the raw capacity or toughness of the Python, or the speed and agility of the FDL, but it's not too far behind either at what they're good at without being bad at what they're bad at.

[1] One of the reasons the Cobra III was famously difficult to dock in the original is that it is - by a substantial margin - the widest ship in the game (one of the few to be wider than it is long), whereas the ED edition will almost fit through the mailslot sideways.
Click to expand...
...and this is where the artistic license comes into play.
It has to be "functional" imo, so you're absolutely correct I could add more cargo, and even more including the cargo rack upgrade in the original, but I'd have a weak hull and no mining. I play exclusively in open so don't generally fly paper thin ships and almost all my builds can escape a gank attempt. While a single class 2 HRP and MRP don't seem like much it could be the difference between seeing a rebuy screen vs escaping by the skin of my teeth.
Same applies to weapons, while torps are more closely matched to the original missiles in terms of ammo quantity, chewing through a large ships hull with beams alone is going to be painful. The missiles, while they have way more capacity, at least make the build usable.
I think I may also go for a single crypto instead of a class 1 beam and RP it as a military laser :D

I've been using this build for the last two days and it's fun, if not a bit dicey during some encounters.
Got it with a rusty paintjob and some raider ship kits, since back then in was all cut throat anarchy and the ship is old now after all.
Had a flash back to the '80s last night while playing, which made me all warm and fuzzy.

Didn't realise it was the widest ship in the game, every day is a school day :D
 

Valorin

Valorin
Cmdr Snuffler said:
I'm sure I'm not the 1st to do this, but I decided to build a Cobra Mk3 that closely resembles the original Cobra Mk3 that you flew in the original Elite way back in the 80s.
Modules you could get in the original Elite:

ECM
Fuel Scoop
Docking Computer
Military Lasers
Seeker Missiles
Mining Lasers
Larger cargo Rack
Cloaking Device
Energy Bomb
Edit:
Escape Pod
Extra Energy Unit
Naval Energy Unit
Galactic Hyperdrive

Here's the link to my 1984 Cobra Mk3

There is obviously a bit of artistic licence with this build, for example:
1. no cloaking device in ED so I added a heatsink instead since silent running and a heatsink is sort of, loosely, a cloaking device.
2. There wasn't engineering in the original Elite, but there's nothing to say your modules weren't G5 engineered already...so I've used engineering along with modules from PP and CG/Permit Unlock.
3. Since you could mine with mining lasers I also added a refinery as just collecting fragments just didn't sit right with me.

It's by no means a meta build and very much a small multi role ship with the primary goal to be based off the original where possible.

Any thoughts?
Have I missed out any modules from the original Elite...or accidentally added one from FE?
What would people change?
Click to expand...
This is the only build where I would tolerate a docking computer... :D
 

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Valorin said:
This is the only build where I would tolerate a docking computer... :D
Click to expand...
Funny you should say that, couldn't agree more...I was in the same boat as you when I 1st did the build since the DC, while not required. was so important in the original Elite and a great QOL module.
In saying that, this is the 1st ship I've ever fitted with it, and thus I've experienced something new in ED...like the damn thing slamming into station walls at 200 m/s because I boosted then throttled back. It's a flippin' liability!!! Slow, very SLOW, and the DC AI has an evil steak where it wants you to blow up on impact any chance it gets!!! Literally 5mins ago I nearly saw the rebuy screen after I throttled down near the letterbox and it decided to use me and the station as a pinball game! How/Why Cmdrs use these death traps is beyond me!
It's like a Tesla "Auto Pilot"...should be made illegal galaxy wide!
I don't want to disable it, but I don't really want to take it off either due to the history behind it...although I suppose I could fit a DSS in it's place, which I'm sure the original Cobra had built into it's scanners. Not having it is not lore breaking imo.
 
Last edited:

Comandante

Comandante
I used to fit fore and aft military lasers and port and starboard mining lasers. I used to fly up to asteroids and join their path to the side and blast them. It was quite an art once you got it right.

I'd use the aft ML when my front shields were down, flying away from the enemy and hitting the invert controls button so I could aim easily at my opponent. Once front shields were better I'd re-invert controls and go head-on at them again.

Perfectly great game that has stood the test of time (and at the time was way ahead of its time for a long time).

Nice build and perfectly fitting for a 40th anniversary!
 

Spaceman-FXL5

S
Kzak said:
Rear as well as port and starboard lasers. You really could fit a lot of gear onto the original Elite Cobra Mk III!
Click to expand...
Tried these (port and starboard lasers) and could never get the hang of passing and shooting with the turn, yaw, pitch, etc, to keep on target.
Usually got only 1 shot in passing then had to try to get on target again using the spectrum rubber keys (no joystick or controller then BTW). Eventually gave up and just used front and rear military lasers :rolleyes:

Wasn't it qweasdzxc for directions? can't remember exactly. fingers all over the place, space, f, r, o, p tchhhhh.
 

Kzak

Kzak
Spaceman-FXL5 said:
Tried these (port and starboard lasers) and could never get the hang of passing and shooting with the turn, yaw, pitch, etc, to keep on target.
Usually got only 1 shot in passing then had to try to get on target again using the spectrum rubber keys (no joystick or controller then BTW). Eventually gave up and just used front and rear military lasers :rolleyes:

Wasn't it qweasdzxc for directions? can't remember exactly. fingers all over the place, space, f, r, o, p tchhhhh.
Click to expand...
The side lasers were mostly used for mining lasers where the target wasn't moving around much, as far as I can recall.
 

metatheurgist

metatheurgist
Kzak said:
The side lasers were mostly used for mining lasers where the target wasn't moving around much, as far as I can recall.
Click to expand...
I used all of the weapons in combat. You can train your brain to fight with the 4 different control paradigms, just takes some practice. Useful because the heat level was separate for each view.

Fun fact: it's the last shot that destroys an asteroid that releases minerals, so you could cut the time to mine an asteroid short by working out the number of shots to hit a roid without blowing it up with a given laser before switching to the mining laser.
 

Tassier

T
Spaceman-FXL5 said:
Wasn't it qweasdzxc for directions? can't remember exactly. fingers all over the place, space, f, r, o, p tchhhhh.
Click to expand...

I only played the 48k spectrum version and the controls were... almost all of the keyboard :D

There was this thin card overlay in the box (as well as a poster of ships, book and the lenslok device) which fitted perfectly over the keyboard to make it easier to remember, I still use a similar basic layout to this playing ED today!

Elite_KeyboardOverlay.jpg

worldofspectrum.net

Elite - World Of Spectrum Classic

The spiritual successor to the legendary WoS
worldofspectrum.net worldofspectrum.net
 

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Felix DiCestria said:
Definitely the side mount for the mining laser.
Presumably you're doing a tour of the Old Worlds...
Click to expand...
Yup...Headed straight for Lave obviously :D
Mined, Bounty Hunted, Ran Missions...it's a good-ish all rounder.
Issue I have run into is it's just not got enough offence or defence for my liking, so I find I keep switching back to my Vulture (my goto ship for combat that's tough as old boots) for the more dangerous tasks...that and the fact me and the docking computer have still not made friends yet and it is still trying to kill me any chance it gets. It thinks that flying into a station wall is the best way to slow down from a boost!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom