How good is the Imperial Clipper?

[DCello]

Hey all =)

Had this game for about 2 or 3 days and been taking my time with it. My gameplay style is usually to just fly around, take in the views, dock a lot, and shoot people when I get bored. I decided to get an Eagle after the SW, and now I am working my way up to a Viper. However, I have my eyes on the Imperial Clipper, and I wanted to know the oppinions of more experienced pilots before I commit myself to working so hard to get that 22mil ship =P

What I want to know is basically stuff like can it hold itself in a fight, is it fast/slow, maneuverable/sluggish, and pretty much anything else you think it's worth knowing and interesting about it =)

Thanks!

 

[RandomSanity]

Hey all =)

Had this game for about 2 or 3 days and been taking my time with it. My gameplay style is usually to just fly around, take in the views, dock a lot, and shoot people when I get bored. I decided to get an Eagle after the SW, and now I am working my way up to a Viper. However, I have my eyes on the Imperial Clipper, and I wanted to know the oppinions of more experienced pilots before I commit myself to working so hard to get that 22mil ship =P

What I want to know is basically stuff like can it hold itself in a fight, is it fast/slow, maneuverable/sluggish, and pretty much anything else you think it's worth knowing and interesting about it =)

Thanks!

I'm not the best player to respond, as I've only been playing a few days longer than you. That being said, I'm also aiming at the Clipper.

My expectation of the clipper is that it is similar to the Asp, or the Cobra. If you're mostly aiming at pure combat vessels like the Eagle and the Viper, it is going to fly very differently. I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the Cobra when I switched from the Viper. The Type 6 was like flying a space cow, but it was necessary to start earning funds for the ASP.

 

[HeavyGroovez]

Its awesome.

The view from the bridge is the best in the game, the interior is gorgeous and i was killing Anacondas with it when i had mine back in late Beta.

Plus its really fast and has excellent cargo capacity.

Drawbacks :

You have to use turrets on the large nacelle hardpoints and gimbals on the medium underside hardpoints.

Its as wide as a Space Cow so shieldless docking is perilous and the jump range is a bit meh as well.

 

[Jorlin]

Only flew it in Beta, don't know how much has changed.

Liked the maneuverability and speed.
Disliked the placement of weapon slots.
Was fun to fly but i didn't find a "use" for it.
Everything could be done by a cheaper ship better.

But like i said: It was fun to fly

 

[Kolato]

I havent flied the clipper, but i belive its just an overpriced, cool looking ASP.
Heres another view of it :
The Clipper : A pretty cool Mac doing stuff, its expensive
The ASP : A cool PC, but not as cool as the Mac, doing stuff, its expensive but pretty cheap in comparison to the mac

(And before this turns into a console/OS war, i am a mac user)

 

[Danneh]

Pros:
- Fast - very fast, nothing can outrun it, mayyybe a viper/cobra, but it'd have to be upgraded and they'd get away very slowly, with A grade thrusters I was hitting about 435m/s boost
- Large hardpoints - the jump from class 2 to class 3 hardpoints is just as noticeable as from class 1 to 2, big damage increase
- Turn rate - I'm convinced (said this a few times now) it has a great turn rate, far from the best, but definitely not Type 7 level as the maneuverability would suggest
- Cargo space - higher than a Type 7 with class 4 shields, so it's a no brainer for trading
- Look at it. Just, look at it...

Cons:
- Lateral thrusters - pretty damn poor, this things goes in a straight line and a straight line only
- Acceleration/deceleration - acceleration isn't a problem, but the deceleration is noticeable particularly when docking, if you fly in at a reasonable speed and get one of the closest landing pads, you're gonna overshoot
- Large landing pads - this rules out outposts, which can makes finding good trade routes harder, and you're gonna want to hop system if you pick up a bounty, can't pay it off at an outpost
- Jump range - awful without an upgraded FSD, save at least 2M extra on top to get a B grade FSD, 5M for an A grade, without it you aren't going anywhere
- Fuel tank - not a massive issue, fuel scoops sort this if you're travelling long distances, but you'll notice the step down if you come from an Asp
- Weapon placement - the wing hardpoints HAVE to be gimballed/turrets, and the bottom two will only converge on large ships. Basically make them all gimballed for best results.

All in all I loved it, I'm in a Python now, but I definitely enjoyed my time in it. Beautiful ship that's excellent for trading (bar the outpost issue), and a damn good bounty hunter. Keep an Asp if you want to explore and dock at outposts, but I certainly don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Mephane]

- Of all the big ships, the Clipper is the fastest. You can expect normal flight speed 300m/s fully loaded with cargo, boost speed 380m/s and higher, depending on the thrusters you are using.
- It also accelerates and decelerates surprisingly switftly for a ship of its size.
- It is quite agile, for its size, not as agile as a Python, but with 4 pips to engines and speed at 50% it feels almost on par with a Cobra.
- Lateral and vertical thrust is very weak, but yaw is surprisingly strong.
- Maximum jump range, when optimized for weight and with the best FSD possible (A5), is 24Ly empty, 18Ly loaded.
- It can mount 2 large and 2 medium weapons. For comparison, a Python has one extra large hardpoint. Other than that, only the Anaconda can load more raw firepower.
- Be advised the hardpoints are spread far apart, so you will definitely want to use gimballed weapons or turrets.
- It looks fantastic both from the outside and the inside, and the engine sound is wonderful (especially boost).
- Very large window, has better visibility than a Cobra or Viper.

 

[777Driver]

The ship is incredibly fast, only the viper could outrun it. Still it feels like a large ship, it fits a huge amount of cargo (upto 248T) I have 4 torpedo's under the main hull and missiles on each engine nacelle, it's more than capable of holding it's own.

I am doing a little exploring at the moment, however the ship does have it's downsides. The tank is tiny for such a huge ship, 16T. You need at least a B3 fuel scoop as you'll be refueling a lot, my jump range is 21LY unladen, 15LY 248T cargo, not great but it does the job.

The ship is also extremely expensive to maintain, around 9% damage will cost you 80,000c & I have spent around 30 mill on the ship.

Still I would never sell this ship, it flies beautifully and makes me a ton of cash.

 

[DCello]

Its awesome.

The view from the bridge is the best in the game, the interior is gorgeous and i was killing Anacondas with it when i had mine back in late Beta.

Plus its really fast and has excellent cargo capacity.

Drawbacks :

You have to use turrets on the large nacelle hardpoints and gimbals on the medium underside hardpoints.

Its as wide as a Space Cow so shieldless docking is perilous and the jump range is a bit meh as well.

Oh, bridge view being good is very high on my list of priorities =P
Also, why are the gimballed guns a drawback? Are they inherently worse than normal ones? (I ask because I kinda like them)

Only flew it in Beta, don't know how much has changed.

Liked the maneuverability and speed.
Disliked the placement of weapon slots.
Was fun to fly but i didn't find a "use" for it.
Everything could be done by a cheaper ship better.

But like i said: It was fun to fly

Fun to fly is literally why I play this game ^^ Sold me on that! =P

 

[Danneh]

Also, why are the gimballed guns a drawback? Are they inherently worse than normal ones? (I ask because I kinda like them)

They do a little less damage and aren't as accurate if you're good at flying. It's mostly personal preference, but if you're looking to maximise damage output, you want fixed.

 

[Mephane]

Also, why are the gimballed guns a drawback? Are they inherently worse than normal ones? (I ask because I kinda like them)

Gimballed weapons do less damage than the same size fixed weapons. It's usually a matter of taste, but on ships like the Clipper you haven't much of a choice, so there's a drawback if you prefer fixed weapons. If you liked gimballed anyway, the point is moot, of course.

 

[DCello]

Alright!
Thank you *very* much for all who answered. Your oppinions, bullet lists and more have been incredibly helpful =)
Now I just have to figure out how to make a fortune to afford it! =P

 

[EddyRockSteady]

Gimbals are a must as convergence sucks without them: I have 2 C3 gimballed beam lasers and two gimballed multi-cannons. I cook everything under a Python in literally 10 seconds to about a minute if you run into an Elite Viper. In clashes with a Python I outturn it easily without issues - fights are over in a minute or two with 3 pips to weapons and one and a half each to systems and engines. Anacondas are ridiculously easy to stay behind and kill.

 

[Mephane]

Alright!
Thank you *very* much for all who answered. Your oppinions, bullet lists and more have been incredibly helpful =)
Now I just have to figure out how to make a fortune to afford it! =P

One word of advice, you should aim towards 30 million before buying it if you want leverage its full cargo capacity, put in some guns and some internal upgrades (at the very least get a C5 FSD), and still have money left for insurance and cargo.

 

[DCello]

One word of advice, you should aim towards 30 million before buying it if you want leverage its full cargo capacity, put in some guns and some internal upgrades (at the very least get a C5 FSD), and still have money left for insurance and cargo.

Sure gonna. Thanks for the advice, Mephane.

 

[vonvonbraun]

I have a mate that flies one and he raves about it

it really depends on your playstyle

withouth getting lost in too many details, from our testing is a very capable fighter if your style is boom and zoom

you can do a pass and then kite and kite, very fast and back again

all this looking awesome

 

[Telnets]

Looking awesome is really the most important

 

[DCello]

Errr... where can I find the Clipper? I must have scoured half of Imperial Space and still can't find the damn thing! =P

Also, do I need to have a certain Imperial rank before I buy it? I've done a couple of Naval Progression missions just in case but I'm still on neutral ._.

-Edit-
Never mind! For any who have interest, found the Clipper at the Siddah system, and it needs a Master rank to be bought =3