Ship Builds & Load Outs Fer-De-Lance - D vs A thrusters?

Draco25240 · Nov 4, 2015

So after playing around with the FDL for a while, I started looking into finally upgrading my thrusters (since I kept hearing that a thruster upgrade on the FDL is a must). I'll be using a lot more power if I use the A thrusters though, power the FDL doesn't have, and will have to sacrifice some modules if I go for it. So I decided to do some testing, and compared the performance between the two. Results in the spoiler.

Fer-De-Lance

D thrusters (385.9 tons, Flight Assist On)
Turn speed (0 pips, optimal): ~120 m/s
Turn speed (4 pips, optimal): ~145 m/s
Turning time (optimal, 0 pips): 13.6s
Turning time (optimal, 4 pips): 11.3s
Turning time (0 m/s, 0 pips): 32.5s
Turning time (0 m/s, 4 pips): 26.4s
Turning time (top speed, 0 pips): 43.4s
Turning time (top speed, 4 pips): 19.3s, drifts
Top speed (0 pips): 229 m/s
Top speed (4 pips): 271 m/s
Boost (0 pips, 1 boost): 365 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 1 boost): 365 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 2 boosts): 365 m/s
0 -> 229 (0 pips): 9.5s
229 -> 0 (0 pips): 10s
0 -> 271 (4 pips): 11.8s
271 -> 0 (4 pips): 11.8s

A thrusters (397.9 tons, Flight Assist On)
Turn speed (optimal, 0 pips): ~130 m/s
Turn speed (optimal, 4 pips): ~152 m/s, drifts
Turning time (optimal, 0 pips): 12.3s
Turning time (optimal, 4 pips): 10.7s
Turning time (0 m/s, 0 pips): 30.2s
Turning time (0 m/s, 4 pips): 34.4s
Turning time (top speed, 0 pips): 39.8s
Turning time (top speed, 4 pips): 18.0s, drifts
Top speed (0 pips): 254 m/s
Top speed (4 pips): 300 m/s
Boost (0 pips, 1 boost): 404 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 1 boost): 405 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 2 boosts): 405 m/s
0 -> 254 (0 pips): 9.4s
254 -> 0 (0 pips): 10.1s
0 -> 300 (4 pips): 11.0s
300 -> 0 (4 pips): 11.7s

optimal = exact center of the blue zone
drifts = ship loses "traction"/control while turning and starts sliding/spinning out, severely slowing down the turning (because the thrust bar goes outside of optimal)

So, I'm wondering, are the A thrusters really worth it? The difference in performance compared to the huge leap in power required (and the loss of 0.43 ly jump range) doesn't really seem like it to me...

goemon · Nov 4, 2015

Draco25240 said:
So after playing around with the FDL for a while, I started looking into finally upgrading my thrusters (since I kept hearing that a thruster upgrade on the FDL is a must). I'll be using a lot more power if I use the A thrusters though, power the FDL doesn't have, and will have to sacrifice some modules if I go for it. So I decided to do some testing, and compared the performance between the two. Results in the spoiler.

Fer-De-Lance

D thrusters (385.9 tons, Flight Assist On)
Turn speed (0 pips, optimal): ~120 m/s
Turn speed (4 pips, optimal): ~145 m/s
Turning time (optimal, 0 pips): 13.6s
Turning time (optimal, 4 pips): 11.3s
Turning time (0 m/s, 0 pips): 32.5s
Turning time (0 m/s, 4 pips): 26.4s
Turning time (top speed, 0 pips): 43.4s
Turning time (top speed, 4 pips): 19.3s, drifts
Top speed (0 pips): 229 m/s
Top speed (4 pips): 271 m/s
Boost (0 pips, 1 boost): 365 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 1 boost): 365 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 2 boosts): 365 m/s
0 -> 229 (0 pips): 9.5s
229 -> 0 (0 pips): 10s
0 -> 271 (4 pips): 11.8s
271 -> 0 (4 pips): 11.8s

A thrusters (397.9 tons, Flight Assist On)
Turn speed (optimal, 0 pips): ~130 m/s
Turn speed (optimal, 4 pips): ~152 m/s, drifts
Turning time (optimal, 0 pips): 12.3s
Turning time (optimal, 4 pips): 10.7s
Turning time (0 m/s, 0 pips): 30.2s
Turning time (0 m/s, 4 pips): 34.4s
Turning time (top speed, 0 pips): 39.8s
Turning time (top speed, 4 pips): 18.0s, drifts
Top speed (0 pips): 254 m/s
Top speed (4 pips): 300 m/s
Boost (0 pips, 1 boost): 404 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 1 boost): 405 m/s
Boost (4 pips, 2 boosts): 405 m/s
0 -> 254 (0 pips): 9.4s
254 -> 0 (0 pips): 10.1s
0 -> 300 (4 pips): 11.0s
300 -> 0 (4 pips): 11.7s

optimal = exact center of the blue zone
drifts = ship loses "traction"/control while turning and starts sliding/spinning out, severely slowing down the turning (because the thrust bar goes outside of optimal)

So, I'm wondering, are the A thrusters really worth it? The difference in performance compared to the huge leap in power required (and the loss of 0.43 ly jump range) doesn't really seem like it to me...

depends

with your D-class thrusters you are getting a slower boost speed than an Asp, and might have problems to catch up with some ships. also, you are killing a strenght of the FDL against python (basically: if you want to fly a slower ship without powerproblems, why not flying a python?)

also, if your are using fixed weapons, turning rate etc. make much difference.

i personally fly all my ships besides explorer builds with a-class thrusters, even my vulture. it's just more fun.

Tusken · Nov 4, 2015

As extensive your analysis is it is missing a crucial component.
The actual effect of the thrusters on your turn speed.

Manoeuvrability is not just determined by speed and turnrate, but thruster power as well.
By thruster power I mean the strafing thrusters.
Simplest example is that while pitching up, thrusting down will make you turn faster.(as your ship starts to flip as it where)

Perhaps adding times for a 180 degree turn assisted with thrusters would give better insight in the differance.

Eddit:
Side note.
For a all PA wep setup I downgraded my thrusters to a class B.
Although heat management was crazy with that setup, it was actually the less manoeuvrability of the B thrusters that made me change it back.

Never again!

Starender · Nov 4, 2015

A, always A, never ever try less than A, you must buy it with an A grade thruster immediately, it's already not that agile with A, you don't want to know how it is with less.

Draco25240 · Nov 5, 2015

goemon said:
with your D-class thrusters you are getting a slower boost speed than an Asp, and might have problems to catch up with some ships. also, you are killing a strenght of the FDL against python (basically: if you want to fly a slower ship without powerproblems, why not flying a python?)

I usually deal with running ships with a single plasma accelerator shot to the thrusters, stops them instantly in most cases. So boost speed isn't really my greatest concern

And perhaps, but I chose the FDL instead of the Python because
1: I couldn't afford an outfitted Python at the time, and I really didn't want to continue the "grind"
2: I knew I was only going to use it for combat
3: I like the look of the FDL a lot more
4: I came from an Eagle (yes actually, except for a DBX used for exploring and mining), so the powerproblems didn't really concern me (and apart from the thrusters, they still don't).

goemon said:
also, if your are using fixed weapons, turning rate etc. make much difference.

I can't aim well enough do to more continuous damage with fixed than with gimballed, yet, so I'm using gimballed

Tusken said:
As extensive your analysis is it is missing a crucial component.
The actual effect of the thrusters on your turn speed.

Manoeuvrability is not just determined by speed and turnrate, but thruster power as well.
By thruster power I mean the strafing thrusters.
Simplest example is that while pitching up, thrusting down will make you turn faster.(as your ship starts to flip as it where)

Perhaps adding times for a 180 degree turn assisted with thrusters would give better insight in the differance.

Interesting, thanks for pointing that out. I'll see if I can get some results on that too when I get back to my main base again.
Heck, if I get bored enough, I might even do this kind of testing for all ships and thrusters...

Starender said:
A, always A, never ever try less than A, you must buy it with an A grade thruster immediately, it's already not that agile with A, you don't want to know how it is with less.

Well that was exactly the reason why I compared the D and A thrusters in the first place, if you even looked at the spoiler in the original post. Most of the time I wasn't really gaining more than a second in turn time for full rotations, let alone the enormous leap in power draw and decrease in jump range...