Frontier, please tell us if the Panther Clipper will ever leave spacedock

TheSisko

TheSisko
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? :eek: 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.
 

Kaocraft

Kaocraft
The state of ship flight, outfitting, engineering, and combat mechanics is such that it would be a bad idea right now to release any new ship which truly *matters* in a significant way. Just tell yourself the T10 is the Panther Clipper, because that's the kind of thing it would be if it were released any time soon.
 

Jukelo

Jukelo
The Panther Clipper would be one of those ships for which Frontier will first need to add the ability to either dock to stations outside (ala X2) or to use smaller shuttles.

It would also require new content to make use of it: people are already complaining they can't find enough missions to fill their Cutters, and bulk trading pays peanuts compared to the absolutely mental payouts on the mission board, this would still be true with the Panther clipper.
 
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GoldenSilver484

GoldenSilver484
Kaocraft said:
The state of ship flight, outfitting, engineering, and combat mechanics is such that it would be a bad idea right now to release any new ship which truly *matters* in a significant way.
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None of those are reasons to not introduce a new ship or FD wouldn't have released the T-10, Alliance tank ships, Krait MkII and the soon to be released Phantom and Mamba.

IMO, the only balancing issues that aren't linked to player behaviours are certain blueprints and their lack of diminishing returns.
Kaocraft said:
Just tell yourself the T10 is the Panther Clipper, because that's the kind of thing it would be if it were released any time soon.
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The Panther would be another alternative to the Anaconda and not the top end cargo ship everyone thinks and hopes it'll be?
 

Mengy

Mengy
Jukelo said:
The Panther Clipper would be one of those ships for which Frontier will first need to add the ability to either dock to stations outside (ala X3) or to use smaller shuttles.
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I see people say this a lot but I don't really believe it would. If you watch a Beluga or a T10 fly through the slot there is still a lot of room for more ship to fit there. Well, to the sides anyway, those fins on the Beluga are just in the way.

A really big Panther Clipper could fit through the slot and land on a large pad just fine in my opinion. Any larger than that and it would be a borderline mega ship or fleet carrier. Which, ironically enough, might also be why we haven't seen it released yet....
 

Jukelo

Jukelo
Mengy said:
I see people say this a lot but I don't really believe it would. If you watch a Beluga or a T10 fly through the slot there is still a lot of room for more ship to fit there. Well, to the sides anyway, those fins on the Beluga are just in the way.

A really big Panther Clipper could fit through the slot and land on a large pad just fine in my opinion. Any larger than that and it would be a borderline mega ship or fleet carrier. Which, ironically enough, might also be why we haven't seen it released yet....
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Well it would be an obvious candidate to be one of those ships too big to fit the mailslot which David talked about back then.
 

Hooplah

Hooplah
In past games the Panther Clipper was the ultimate cargo ship unless we hacked the game in DOS and used a Bulk Lynx Carrier or a Long Range Cruiser. I miss those great times. In the current ED game if and when it shows up It still has to get through the mailslot in an orbiting station. So in many ways it won't be any better that what we have now.

What I desire is those four rotating engine nacelles mating perfectly to the fuselage providing combined thrust out the back. Without that it is really not a Panther Clipper.

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Mengy

Mengy
Cmdr Eagleboy said:
There are no big volume trading gameplay in ED, that's why Panther isn't there. Devs say they have no role for it at the moment.
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S~P said:
I can think of one role it could be used for, CGs.
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Ninj said:
Those of us working on station repairs would make very good use of it too.
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TheSisko said:
Here's another one - repairing stations within Incursion-state systems.
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Here's another one: running wing cargo missions with very high tonnage amounts!
 

FNLWA

FNLWA
The point of the Panther Clipper is also the problem: It's too big and would be the ultimate trader without any competition.

Either you introduce it according to peoples expectations and totally break the balance between ships for trading
OR you balance it to be roughly as good as the Cutter / T9 (+100T?) and totally ignore its raison d'Être
OR you just don't do anything, preserve the balance and keep your options open.

I mean, obviously it would be a nice ship to have. Just like an explorer ship that can jump 200ly or a combat ship with 6 huge hardpoints. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

Genus

Genus
Mengy said:
I see people say this a lot but I don't really believe it would. If you watch a Beluga or a T10 fly through the slot there is still a lot of room for more ship to fit there. Well, to the sides anyway, those fins on the Beluga are just in the way.
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Indeed, the early concept art had the Panther being mailslot shaped. All this "it won't dock" or "it'll be planetary base landing only" is just typical forum madness.

The T10 is just the XR3i version of the T-9, with "ship version deadline" written across the spoiler in crayon, it's no Panther.

That said, Frontier will have a few "IP cleared ship designs" lying about the office, to be released at will when take up is relatively slow, or frustrations are relatively high. The latest focus group will dictate which ship is being most requested, and hey presto...one of the designs will have a ship label assigned to it, even if it's nothing like it was in the lore.

Like the "Mamba" Naboo Cruiser, instead of actually getting a Mamba. But you know, yay! New ship to cross off the list of the 30 missing ones.

They should just release them all, including the Panther.



The Universe will balance itself out fine.

Maybe even voluntarily.
 
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Kemo

Kemo
Genus said:
Indeed, the early concept art had the Panther being mailslot shaped. The T10 is just the XR3i version of the T-9, with "ship version deadline" written across the spoiler in crayon.
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XR3i - now you are really showing your age ;)
 
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