Frontier, please tell us if the Panther Clipper will ever leave spacedock
- Thread starter TheSisko
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Alternatively, they could release it alongside a slew of comparable ships to form a new generation of top-tier ships. Rather than tying it down to the Cutter's performance, make it a step above and release it alongside the Boa, Big Alliance ship (take design cues from Turner-class?), Federal Frigate and Imperial Caravel/Carrack to form a new generation composed of the "bigger 4" that all offer the maximum performance possible out of a large landing pad. We get our Panther, as well as improved choice at the top end of the scale and a good opportunity for Frontier to have a full set of ships that are expressly designed to be balanced against each other rather than offering a progression up to the top.
I agree the panther will be in a new top tier but of cargo class, the 1000 ton'rs which will be designed around a defence concept.
Bigger shields better armour bigger SB's etc but how well you defend will sacrifice cargo space.
I have read multiple times that the Panther was practically THE unkillable endgame-ship. If it will be released as a "normal" ship some players might be disappointed if they expect an equivalent. If it will be a (type of) squadron carrier, solo players probably won't have access.
I think there will be new credit sinks before a super transporter is released.
I think there will be new credit sinks before a super transporter is released.
I played the original Elite for years, and Arch Elite after.
I never played FE2 or FFE because Frontier decided not to support the platform (Archemedes) I used.
Therefore, in all my time playing Elite, I've never seen a Panther Clipper, and so to me, it makes no difference at all if it ever appears. It's as meaningless to me as Powerplay.
Before we have this supposed super-ship from the sequels, can we at least have some more of the original ships?
I never played FE2 or FFE because Frontier decided not to support the platform (Archemedes) I used.
Therefore, in all my time playing Elite, I've never seen a Panther Clipper, and so to me, it makes no difference at all if it ever appears. It's as meaningless to me as Powerplay.
Before we have this supposed super-ship from the sequels, can we at least have some more of the original ships?
You do realise that is, quite literally the definition of "Power Creep"
It is power creep, and I quite agree that uncontrolled power creep is unhealthy in the long run for game development. However, the Elite has a very definite upper limit on ship sizes (large landing pads) and by creating a generation of ships to make full use of said limits puts an absolute limit on acceptable ship performance. By creating a generation of ships beyond the Cutter (which is already pretty much in a generation of its own), that upper limit's performance will be defined and therefore, by definition, any ship that outperforms ships of that generation is overpowered and in need of a good round with the nerf bat (they might outperform them in specific metrics but suffer serious drawbacks). The Panther Clipper by its very nature will either cause a cascade of disappointment (if they downgrade it to a Cutter levels of performance) or it will cause power creep (if it is anywhere near its original performance, carrying 1500ish tonnes of cargo while fully armed and shielded), the question would be about how to allow for that power creep while also allowing for player choice and avoiding the slippery slope that such power creep can lead to.
This is also one of the issues surrounding making special XL landing pads for the Panther: it opens up the floodgates for almost unlimited powercreep. Adding in an entire set of landing pads allows for much larger ships to appear to render previous ones redundant, and even if those landing pads are still limited in maximum size the slippery slope is still in full effect as it shows that FD are willing to create new ship sizes.
Scope Creep?
It's the very definition of "well within expectations" since 2013, and already 5 years late.
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I have a suggestion:
As previously noted, introducing the Panther Clipper will immediately make other large trade ships obsolete. But one solution would be to rank-lock it to your Trade rank: you have to be Elite in Trade to get a Panther Clipper. So there is still a role for the other trade ships: you need those to reach Elite. And when you qualify for the Clipper, you're pretty much at the stage where you have plenty of credits anyhow, so its increased earning power isn't going to matter.
Perhaps ships of this size aren't owned by individuals, but by companies: Trade Elite makes you eligible to lease one. Pay a 100m deposit and 1m per day rental thereafter, and you get to run one.
As previously noted, introducing the Panther Clipper will immediately make other large trade ships obsolete. But one solution would be to rank-lock it to your Trade rank: you have to be Elite in Trade to get a Panther Clipper. So there is still a role for the other trade ships: you need those to reach Elite. And when you qualify for the Clipper, you're pretty much at the stage where you have plenty of credits anyhow, so its increased earning power isn't going to matter.
Perhaps ships of this size aren't owned by individuals, but by companies: Trade Elite makes you eligible to lease one. Pay a 100m deposit and 1m per day rental thereafter, and you get to run one.
This would be very cool, and my ideal. It could also be done in a way that could negate the worst aspects of combat power creep, even if those ships were too big for a large landing pad (which I would prefer).
For example, you could give such top end ships class 9, or even 10 internals, but not make new defensive modules to go in them (aside from shields, probably), limiting them to under-sizing if the player want to stack defenses, or to proper-sized things like cargo racks, fighter bays, repair facilities, or whatever else you come up with for bigger-than-large ships to be doing. (a module that enables landing pads for small ships?)
You could give them a wide selection of hardpoints, but make them geared towards defensive armaments only by putting most of them behind each other or facing sideways or straight up or whatever, making most of them mostly only good for turrets, or missiles/torpedos, or maybe new tactics like broadsides like the capital ships do. Giving them really bad agility would also help cement this, as well as making thematic sense.
I would love to have that in game. (although personally, I'd keep on mostly flying my mediums, I'd think)
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There would still be the choice of the bigger but less defendable Panther and the smaller but much more tanky Cutter.
Personally, though I still very much want the Panther, I'm thinking FD buried it the day they buffed the T9 to Cutter cargo levels.
Personally, though I still very much want the Panther, I'm thinking FD buried it the day they buffed the T9 to Cutter cargo levels.
This ship has been mentioned by David Braben, had concept art done for it years ago and even has NPC SLF pilots talking about it:
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Panther_Clipper
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Panther_Clipper?file=Panther_Clipper_LX_Pilot.png
I was hoping that the Panther would be unleashed for Chapter 4 but alas, it was not to be.
Will this beast of a trading ship ever leave spacedock? Is it too big to get out?Its about time Traders had a Super-Space Cow. Pirates would potentially benefit too, attempting to subdue and steal from such a beast. The Panther would encourage wing-play in open.
Please Frontier, unleash the Panther. Or Not. Either way please let us know if the ship will ever be released. Thanks.
GROUNDHOG DAY!
Stop with more ships already. The inch deep gameplay needs to be priority.
Just give the Panther Clipper the Sidey landing dock that the Anaconda was supposed to have (but never will). With PP 2.0 there will be destructible faction fleet carriers - the Panther can be a miniature version of that.
With its relatively smooth SCO handling, the nimble Sidewinder is the perfect in-system shuttle craft - the perfect partner for the lumbering Panther Clipper
With its relatively smooth SCO handling, the nimble Sidewinder is the perfect in-system shuttle craft - the perfect partner for the lumbering Panther Clipper
The reason the 'conda lost the feature was because Frontier didn't want to code it. For some reason you think they'll change their minds just for the PC? And if they did, they wouldn't just restore the feature to all ships that was supposed to have it? Oh, hang on, maybe that's the new feature? Let the speculation begin. 
The reason the 'conda lost the feature was because Frontier didn't want to code it. For some reason you think they'll change their minds just for the PC? And if they did, they wouldn't just restore the feature to all ships that was supposed to have it? Oh, hang on, maybe that's the new feature? Let the speculation begin.
I can't think of anything else (other than ship interiors duck ) that can draw people in like ship mini-carriers. Fleet carriers are a lot toil & trouble, the DSA Array people had to follow up with a commander just the other day because his FC in deep space went dark due to it being heavily in debt.
What other ships aside from the Annie were supposed to have that landing dock?
I was not aware that a similar thing had been discussed previously when I posted this idea:
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threa...overhaul-for-2023.607741/page-7#post-10064475
Wouldn't it be better if such a thing existed independent of one particular ship model.
On topic, I don't think that the decision to spend design resources on a Panther Clipper or anything else ever mentioned, in lore or casually or for whatever reason abandoned idea, will be based solely on people wanting it for completeness or because they caught the illusion that since it was uttered at all, it must exist. There needs to be a rational argument geared towards justifying the investment. One could say that seeing players drooling over it incessantly for such a long time is a good indicator, but they're also a finnicky and sometimes ungrateful crowd -- afterwards they protest against it being offered for real money.
Maybe a solution for all similar considerations is launching smaller Kickstarter campaigns for individual design projects, it doesn't always have to be for a whole new game or major version upgrade. The method is called "fail fast, fail cheap" and is a proven way of testing commitment for new business ideas.
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