How about an expensive tiny ship?

Jackie McMackie · Apr 30, 2015

After reading this thread...

http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDanger...really_forgotten_how_much_fun_the_sidewinder/

I'm just wondering why there aren't crazy expensive, smaller, faster ships.

Something perhaps the size and handling of a viper, but with much much better capabilities, power handling, and it would make sense because it's several factors more expensive.

There are supercars that cost £70,000 and supercars that cost £1,000,000. The £1,000,000 could be smaller, lighter, and definitely faster with several times the power of the former; why is there no in-game market parallel to reflect this kind of thing?

How about a glass-cannon style viper thing with 1 class 4 hardpoint and 3 utility points that sells for about 3-4 million? This would switch things up a bit, and the more experience combateers wouldn't have to get in a bigger, slower ship just to have a logical increment to their next combat ship, when they could still have something that is still fun and exciting with a higher degree of challenge.

Midian27 · Apr 30, 2015

I'd like a small profile stealth smuggler. Not a lot of cargo room but speed and a sleek profile to aid high profile smuggling. =P

Edit: Not to knock your idea at all, i think a higher tech small fighter ship would be a welcome addition. Was just adding my own want of a small expensive smuggling ship.

Lord_Itchybum · Apr 30, 2015

I have spent weeks exploring and am itching to get back to civilised space and this sounds like the perfect thing to do. I think some shenanigans are in order.

CMDR Ashylnn D'Elyse · Apr 30, 2015

As long as it doesn't dethrone my gilded viper I wouldn't mind... Though I'll never sell it I love it too much.

Neofactor · Apr 30, 2015

Wasn't the vulture originally 20 million? No one liked that before, though I think the price was good for what the ship is. Well maybe 12-15 million would be more appropriate and a faster boost speed. But then that would require a great deal of revision on a number of other things... whatever

DidierDrbois · Apr 30, 2015

But there already is one...
_
Lightweight, way below its shield's optimum. 2 large hardpoints. Small landing pad. ~20 million to equip. Although at least double that price is what it should have been.

Chance- · Apr 30, 2015

That would be amazingly fun. The bigger ships are fun don't get me wrong but the maneuverability is something to be missed.

Surly_Badger · Apr 30, 2015

Yeah! That'd be awesome! Something like a space Ferrari! .. and priced accordingly.

Maybe a specialized ship for racing. Something that could run a blockade or haul very small amounts of very valuable data or just run rings around everything else for the fun of being able to do it.

Neofactor · Apr 30, 2015

Couldn't they just fix the issues with the viper? I don't fly one anymore, but I miss the days when it could reach 500 m/s. It's suppose to be a fast fighter, but the cobra and the clipper are faster. I'm not sure they need to add new ships to fix the roles of of existing ships. But I do like your ship idea

CMDR Ashylnn D'Elyse · Apr 30, 2015

The viper is currently the fastest in theory but the issue is its power plant. For its size is basically have to choose between great armaments and class C thrusters or choose sub-par armament and Class A thrusters to obtain that max speed and acceleration.

Mister5150 · Apr 30, 2015

Small, fast, 1 large hard-point and completely unobstructed bubble canopy... I would pay for that

Bokugo · Apr 30, 2015

CMDR Ashylnn D'Elyse said:
The viper is currently the fastest in theory but the issue is its power plant. For its size is basically have to choose between great armaments and class C thrusters or choose sub-par armament and Class A thrusters to obtain that max speed and acceleration.

Which is why I wouldn't mind specialized variants of ships. Give us a racing viper or fdl. Give us a combat asp or python.
But most of all, give us anaconda docking as well as the condor and imperial fighter. I don't care if it's a black screen to change ships if there is no walking yet. Just gimmie

CMDR Ashylnn D'Elyse · Apr 30, 2015

See I'd love something like that dock in a friend's anaconda and get ferried to our next destination then disembark and own everything. Hell we could even take it a step further and put anaconda npcs that act as mobile bazaars.

Stahll Amatin · Apr 30, 2015

Aye they really should flesh out the ships with more 'niche' hulls that excell in specific roles but come at a premium;

EG;
Dedicated 'heavy' Explorer- Good forward speed for 'escaping', Features excelent jump range good shields but lacks cargo and sufficient hardpoints for direct combat
'Stealth' Smuggler/Scout ship. Small fast ship with reduced signature (prehaps even less then a sidey?) with good speed but lacks in offensive/defensive abilities.
and 'attack' gunboat. Something between the vulture and python to round out the combat ship lineup. Think of a bigger viper/eagle.

Geraldine · Apr 30, 2015

In times past...

In Elite II & III you had ships comprising of 4 Federal fighters: Falcon with 30 Gees acceleration, the Hawk Airfighter with 27 Gees, the Kestrel with 25 Gees and the Eagle Mk II at 28 Gees. For the the Imperial side the Osprey at 27 Gees, the Osprey X at 29.2 Gees and the Eagle Mk III at 28 Gees. All of these were very fast ships with light weapon loadouts and most had (with the exception of the Eagle MkIII) pretty weak retro thrusters. Perhaps FD might bring some of them back?

Here is an image of the Osprey X from Elite III

And the Falcon also from Elite III

I know these models look primitive by todays standard but do what many of us did back then and try to imagine how they would look today using the Cobra Engine of ED

Caspar · Apr 30, 2015

I love the idea. Mini glass cannon. Make it so.

Starf · Apr 30, 2015

In time I would love to see ship rigs ( eve style ) very expensive permanent ship modifications, well balanced with their drawbacks. Also wouldn't mind to see more hull variations mk1, mk2, mk3, mk4 etc...

hoopy · Apr 30, 2015

CMDR Ashylnn D'Elyse said:
The viper is currently the fastest in theory but the issue is its power plant. For its size is basically have to choose between great armaments and class C thrusters or choose sub-par armament and Class A thrusters to obtain that max speed and acceleration.

I don't get all these power plant complaints. My viper and vulture both have half beams and half canons, A shields, A thrusters, KWS, and work fine. Are people filling them up with shield boosters or something? If so that's choice you're not being forced into it.

Brian · Apr 30, 2015

Pro Racing ships! With extra lightweight carbon fibre hulls, and nothing to them except Power plant, Engine and life support! You could upgrade them, but the costs would be weight vs power balancing, and you could change that per race - the difference would be super straight line speed for long distance races, vs super manoeuvrability for home runs through station superstructure..

I want one already and I'm a Conda driver! I could park it in my Anaconda!

Brian

coffeecup · Apr 30, 2015

Perhaps the new imperial courier would be something along these lines?