From Vulture to Python

[Spanksh]

Hey CMDRs, I need some advice or insight of experienced Python and Vulture pilots. I currently own a fully equipped Vulture with a (for me) perfect loadout and a fully equipped multipurpose Asp and would like to advance to a single ship to do both jobs at once, namely the Python. When I sell my ships I have enough money to afford the following loadout, which I plan to improve step by step as I gain the necessary funds:

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=705,5...,2-BaA07_6uBaA08I,7Um0AA0AA7go7go4_w9sK2jw2UI

Spoiler

[Python]
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Pulse Laser
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 7D Power Plant
TM: 6D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 4D Life Support
PC: 7D Power Distributor
SS: 6D Sensors
FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32)


6: 6D Shield Generator
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
5: 4A Shield Cell Bank
5: 4A Shield Cell Bank
4: 4A Fuel Scoop
3: 3D Frame Shift Drive Interdictor
3: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner

The actual question now is, do you think I will be able to do at least as good (or even better) bounty hunting and fighting in wars (PVE only) with this loadout, or would I regret trading in my Vulture? In other words, is it worth going for the Python now or is it advisable to wait until I can directly afford a better set of parts? I would really appreciate some insight. As much as I want to have a Python (preferably sooner than later), I'm kind of scared to regret giving up my Vulture

Thanks in advance

_________________________

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'll keep my Asp and Vulture for now and buy the Python once I can afford it additionally to my ships

 

[Deleted member 38366]

--- Deleted ---

 

[technophebe]

I would recommend you stick with the vulture until you can afford a loadout that includes class A thrusters on the Python. I know that seems a bit restrictive but I'm a dedicated bounty hunter and made the mistake of jumping from the Vulture to the Python and regretted it all the way until I got those class A's, at which point the Python started to be enjoyable to fly. The Python does give you a boost in pew-pew but you lose more than the equivalent in maneuverability until you have decent thrusters.

Edit: Also, I recommend using shield cell banks in the smallest slots, 2x 3A + 1x 2A gives you a decent boost while using much less power and space than the bigger banks. For bounty hunting, I'd recommend something like this: http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=705,5TP5TP5TP7u57u50_g0_g0_g3wU,2-BQ9Y7_72B6A08I,7UcmpX7fE7fE7dg

 

[Soopyyy]

Hey CMDRs, I need some advice or insight of experienced Python and Vulture pilots. I currently own a fully equipped Vulture with a (for me) perfect loadout and a fully equipped multipurpose Asp and would like to advance to a single ship to do both jobs at once, namely the Python. When I sell my ships I have enough money to afford the following loadout, which I plan to improve step by step as I gain the necessary funds:

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=705,5...,2-BaA07_6uBaA08I,7Um0AA0AA7go7go4_w9sK2jw2UI

Spoiler

[Python]
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
L: 3E/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Pulse Laser
M: 2F/G Pulse Laser
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster
U: 0A Shield Booster


BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy
RB: 7D Power Plant
TM: 6D Thrusters
FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive
EC: 4D Life Support
PC: 7D Power Distributor
SS: 6D Sensors
FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32)


6: 6D Shield Generator
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
6: 6E Cargo Rack (Capacity: 64)
5: 4A Shield Cell Bank
5: 4A Shield Cell Bank
4: 4A Fuel Scoop
3: 3D Frame Shift Drive Interdictor
3: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner
2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner

The actual question now is, do you think I will be able to do at least as good (or even better) bounty hunting and fighting in wars (PVE only) with this loadout, or would I regret trading in my Vulture? In other words, is it worth going for the Python now or is it advisable to wait until I can directly afford a better set of parts? I would really appreciate some insight. As much as I want to have a Python (preferably sooner than later), I'm kind of scared to regret giving up my Vulture

Thanks in advance

You're going to be able to tank better, but the agility of the Python will be a stark contrast to that of the Vulture, you will get kills quicker with the vulture simply due to the fact that you have guns on target for longer periods of time. The Python is a fantastic ship for pirating, interdicting pirates for bounties and trading. How ever, if you want to venture into combat zones or RES, the Vulture is better suited.

 

[GammaZ]

Python is slow and somewhat sluggish. And even more so without A-grade thrusters (which will also require better powerplant...). If you are ok with this for BH you will be fine.
Also it is probably better to replace medium weapons with cannons/multicannons, or you will run out of power fast.

 

[Trenchfoot321]

This is a difficult one. That array of pulse lasers is not gonna be able to fire for nearly as long as a vulture, but you'll do a lot more damage. You're moving up from a heavy fighter to something more along the lines of a gunship. It's not exactly slower, but it certainly lacks the ability of the vulture to snap around on a dime. In addition to that, it's big and has a lot of inertia, so you'll feel yourself "sliding" around during turns a lot more. It's difficult for me to say which I like more. For CZs, I prefer the python, but in RES zones, I really miss my vulture.

 

[Han Brannigan]

I would recommend you stick with the vulture until you can afford a loadout that includes class A thrusters on the Python.

Seconded. Although it will do better in trading then the Asp for fighting you'll want the A thrusters ...

 

[Trenchfoot321]

Personally, I'm running my Python with 3x Gimballed large lasers and 2x railguns. The lasers pretty much rip anything apart quickly (think about 50% quicker than the vulture would), and then I have the rails as sort of high damage weapons for when I come across a larger ship that's giving me trouble. But honestly, the Vulture is always one of those ships that I regret giving up. That said, I like having the power availability to run both shield strength boosters and recharge boosters, which makes for a nasty combo regardless of who or what you're going against.

 

[Spanksh]

Okay thanks a lot everyone So most importantly I should definitely go for A thrusters and the appropriate power plant from the start. I already expected the Vulture to be better in RES, however that doesn't really matter since 1.3 anyways. I make many times more in CZ now anyways. For weapon loadouts I'll have to see what works out in regards to energy with the lower end distributor.
The shield cells should actually be fine. On my Vulture I also only use them as "oh sh*t button" to stop my shield from disappearing completely. I don't really use them to refill entirely.

 

[AndiBcool]

Keep in mind the repair costs will go up by a lot if you take damage and the phyton will take a bit longer to get out of the line of fire, since its bosts only to 310 with D Thrusters.

It also catches more fire due its size.

I would say the 3 ships you might need in this game is Asp, Vulture and Phyton. I think thouse offer the most for there roles.

You can still use other ships for specific things, but i think with thouse 3 you can do everything and well enought.

 

[Spanksh]

I would say the 3 ships you might need in this game is Asp, Vulture and Phyton. I think thouse offer the most for there roles.

You can still use other ships for specific things, but i think with thouse 3 you can do everything and well enought.

So in other words keep my ships and farm the python alltogether. Well damn

 

[Trenchfoot321]

Okay thanks a lot everyone So most importantly I should definitely go for A thrusters and the appropriate power plant from the start. I already expected the Vulture to be better in RES, however that doesn't really matter since 1.3 anyways. I make many times more in CZ now anyways. For weapon loadouts I'll have to see what works out in regards to energy with the lower end distributor.
The shield cells should actually be fine. On my Vulture I also only use them as "oh sh*t button" to stop my shield from disappearing completely. I don't really use them to refill entirely.

A set of 6a and 3a scbs fired at the same moment will charge your shield fully from almost gone to not yet taking hits in only a few seconds on a python. it's really surprising. That said, I'd recommend the best distributor especially if you're going to be running all lasers on your gunboat. Otherwise, you'll spend most of your time in combat waiting for your weapons to recharge. I'll try and post my current build as it's working on here to give you an idea of what I'm working with and maybe it can help you out. Your python is not gonna be cheap, and if you don't spend much on it, you're doing it wrong.

Here's my Shipyard build. Like I said, wasn't cheap, but works wonders. And unlike the combat ships I've flown, I can keep my FSD powered at all times so there's no awkward pause after pulling the guns back in when I'm usually trying to get the hell out of dodge.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=705,5TP5TP5TP9qS9qS0_g0_g0_g0_g,2-B69Y7_6uB6A08I,7UI52M7jwmpU9tu7fE

 

[Spanksh]

A set of 6a and 3a scbs fired at the same moment will charge your shield fully from almost gone to not yet taking hits in only a few seconds on a python. it's really surprising. That said, I'd recommend the best distributor especially if you're going to be running all lasers on your gunboat. Otherwise, you'll spend most of your time in combat waiting for your weapons to recharge. I'll try and post my current build as it's working on here to give you an idea of what I'm working with and maybe it can help you out. Your python is not gonna be cheap, and if you don't spend much on it, you're doing it wrong.

Here's my Shipyard build. Like I said, wasn't cheap, but works wonders. And unlike the combat ships I've flown, I can keep my FSD powered at all times so there's no awkward pause after pulling the guns back in when I'm usually trying to get the hell out of dodge.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=705,5TP5TP5TP9qS9qS0_g0_g0_g0_g,2-B69Y7_6uB6A08I,7UI52M7jwmpU9tu7fE

Well I'm not expecting it to be cheap. The build I'm aiming for is over 200mil cr. This is more about the question from which point on (minimum necessary loadout) the Python will generate as much credits as a Vulture in combat. In theory I could go with a stock Python, but there is no point in switching ships if it would slow down my progress

 

[GammaZ]

IMO for python to give you more profit you need instance full of big enemy ships sitting close to each other.
In all other cases, like current RES with lots of small high-ranked ships with large bounties, or kill x ships missions vulture will be better.

 

[Dingus Maximus]

You will notice the loss of agility tho FA off turns should make up for it. I had 2 gimballed c3 beams 1 c3 gimballed pulse and 2 c2 gumballed pulse. Beams for stripping sheilds pulse for sub systems. How ever the biggest drawback is almost everything will out run u. However anyone stupid enough to fight u eill die.

 

[smiths121]

Hello Spanksh

Good thread timing as I have a gross worth of about 75MCr, mostly invested in a multi-role Asp (includes mining, so perhaps a bit too multi-role), and a 20 MCr Vulture. My next ship is going to be a Python. I took feedback from some of the players I game with that had already owned a Python.

1) I player swears by the Python. He bought an Anaconda, and then sold it again to go back to his Python.
2) 2 others players stripped their Pythons back to traders to rebuy the Vulture. We currently do a lot of bounty hunting and conflict zone work.

The Python will be different, however it should handle better than a tanked Asp (i.e. an Asp designed to peform aggressive combat), I am guessing you will find it a pleasure to fly compared to the Asp, and will miss how the Vulture handles.

I have therefore decided to wait till I earn another 10-15MCr, keep my Vulture and sell the Asp, factors for me are:

1) Until I get used to the new AI, I want a lower rebuy value. Splitting functions into 2 ships reduces the risk for all activities by reducing the rebuy value.
2) Operational cost for the Python is higher (wear and tear/repair bills, I might even move the advanced warranty scanner and detailed discovery scanner onto a Cobra, as I need short range (50-100 LY) scouting capabilities but not the vast distances of an explorer. So actually move to 3 ships.
3) I am hanging around a certain area, so have a good home base to run multiple ships.

Hope this third hand advise is of use! YMMV

Simon

 

[Trenchfoot321]

You will notice the loss of agility tho FA off turns should make up for it. I had 2 gimballed c3 beams 1 c3 gimballed pulse and 2 c2 gumballed pulse. Beams for stripping sheilds pulse for sub systems. How ever the biggest drawback is almost everything will out run u. However anyone stupid enough to fight u eill die.

This is the main reason I always miss my FDL. Honestly, if it wasn't so terrible in combat zones (in my experience), I'd sit with the FDL from now on. Don't get me wrong, I love my Python gunship. But I miss the ability, when the you know what hits the fan, to turn 90 degrees and shoot out of there quicker than anything else in that FDL.

 

[jou84]

I have both. I initially got a python too early from a vulture and wasn't happy so I went back to the vulture. I then built up 95m for the python and have since spent more (total over 120m). It is good but it isn't great. You really wouldn't want to loose your shields in it. It is a big multipurpose ship and it can trade and shoot, but it is not my first choice for a fight. With powerplay I am really considering selling it. I have d classed and cargoed my old asp which seems like a better choice for dropping off the infinate c**p we have to drop off in power play.

Keep the vulture what ever you do.

 

[Spanksh]

Hope this third hand advise is of use! YMMV

Thanks! yes it definitely is. I'm happy about every little bit of advice I'm still thinking it all over, but from what I've read all over the place and especially the things posted here, I think I'll stay on what I have for now. The main reason I want a Python (apart from the fact that it looks awesome) is to switch from multiple ships to a single one. However as it seems even owners of Pythons are very pro-Vulture. Since it comes down to having more than one ship either way and the Asp being a lot nicer for exploration than the Python, I will probably simply keep my Asp and Vulture. One for combat, one for everything else. I'll still try to go for a Python at some point, however without selling my current ships.

 

[Trenchfoot321]

Thanks! yes it definitely is. I'm happy about every little bit of advice I'm still thinking it all over, but from what I've read all over the place and especially the things posted here, I think I'll stay on what I have for now. The main reason I want a Python (apart from the fact that it looks awesome) is to switch from multiple ships to a single one. However as it seems even owners of Pythons are very pro-Vulture. Since it comes down to having more than one ship either way and the Asp being a lot nicer for exploration than the Python, I will probably simply keep my Asp and Vulture. One for combat, one for everything else. I'll still try to go for a Python at some point, however without selling my current ships.

Yeah, just think though, a jack of all trades is a master of none. Does everything fairly well, but it can't be relied upon as a dedicated anything. Can explore, lacks range of exploration ships. Can fight, but lacks speed and maneuverability in a combat zone. Can trade, but lacks capacity of a similarly priced trade ship. More I use it in combat, more I realize I was too heavily spoiled by the maneuverability of the vulture and then later by the speed/acceleration of the FDL. Having longer jump range is nice, but I'd rather feel more comfortable in combat, I think (am heavily considering selling it and getting my FDL back XD).