I DON'T want a Python anymore. What I want is the Military Asp !

[Teklow82]

In the lore- if I recall correctly (theres something painful about seeing 1990's graphics on a 54" HD television- so this is all from memory)

The Asp originally was a military long range Fighter. Recon. Scout. Infiltrator... thing.

The version us common pilots got were Navy Surplus- similar to having a ww2/Korean war Jeep as your car. Sure, it was able to do some really awesome stuff, but was by no means military grade anymore.

After flying the Asp a bit, and even taking it into combat one or 14 times... Its a lumbering cow. Or super easy target blimp (if going by engine noises). Its such a big sluggish hockey puck that after popping chaff, enemy ships can just keep on firing their gimbaled weapons; the "scatter" still hits the ship!!

So maybe its a case of Korean war Jeep going up against Hummers and even blinged out H2's... while still tried and true- its age is starting to show.

But if you think Vultures are bad news to larger ships, wait until 1.4 is released.. OMG- the railgun vipers!! Talk about system failure swiss cheese.

priceless ... +repped

 

[Deathstroke2000]

BTW is 60 million good enough to get myself a dcecent trading Python which can carry more than a T7 ?

 

[vindicator jones]

So isn't the FDL supposed to be the better choice for combat than Python ? I thought it was a specialized combat ship in the same price range as Python, so should be better at fighting than Python, no ? BTW I have around 55 million if I sold my Vulture and my Diamondback Scout ( which I was using for supply missions ). That should be more than enough to buy an FDL, but not enough to equip it.

Despite what some might say, FDL is significantly more superior than the python for combat, but the trick to its success is how you fly it. If you just fly it with pips to shields and weapons.. then its going to handle like a python, if you fly it with pips to engines and weapons, this radically changes its combat capability. I can comfortable stay behind a python or at a 90 degree angle to its bottom or top hull without too much effort, a python pilot will never fully shake me off. If you learn to fly the FDL properly, and yes its a very hard ship to fly right, then you can engage a python and maybe only get hit a handful of times after the python has gone through a dozen or so SCB charges. Constantly shift between full pips to engines and full pips to weapons, and trust me, you will see a significant improvement in handling whilst in combat.

But there are massive drawbacks for the FDL, Power issues, overheating issues fuel scooping, Range, Fuel tank, lack of component slots. But this is a pure combat vessel, Its going to have limitations where as the Python is a multi-role ship, and you can do a hell of a lot more stuff with it.

I am thinking about creating a video series on how to train yourself to fly the FDL properly.. dunno if anyone would be interested tho.. lol

 

[Deathstroke2000]

Despite what some might say, FDL is significantly more superior than the python for combat, but the trick to its success is how you fly it. If you just fly it with pips to shields and weapons.. then its going to handle like a python, if you fly it with pips to engines and weapons, this radically changes its combat capability. I can comfortable stay behind a python or at a 90 degree angle to its bottom or top hull without too much effort, a python pilot will never fully shake me off. If you learn to fly the FDL properly, and yes its a very hard ship to fly right, then you can engage a python and maybe only get hit a handful of times after the python has gone through a dozen or so SCB charges. Constantly shift between full pips to engines and full pips to weapons, and trust me, you will see a significant improvement in handling whilst in combat.

But there are massive drawbacks for the FDL, Power issues, overheating issues fuel scooping, Range, Fuel tank, lack of component slots. But this is a pure combat vessel, Its going to have limitations where as the Python is a multi-role ship, and you can do a hell of a lot more stuff with it.

I am thinking about creating a video series on how to train yourself to fly the FDL properly.. dunno if anyone would be interested tho.. lol

Thanks, BTW is around 64-65 million good enough to get a Python and have it equipped for trading ?

 

[goemon]

Thanks, BTW is around 64-65 million good enough to get a Python and have it equipped for trading ?

no. at least not if you trade open + and want to have the feeling you are flying at all. cheapest usefull build is 85 million w/o discounts, i'd say.

In the original Elite, the Asp was a top of the line Military ship, was off the most feared ships to face, easily as feared as a FDL.

We've got the civilian explorer version, it's a great multirole ship, but we need the Military Asp as well!

Smaller FSD, bigger capacitor, 3 class higher Shields, one class higher Thrusters, one class Higher Powerplant. A lot fewer internals to match the combat build and a 16m pricetag.

A couple extra utility slots and 4 class 2 and 2 class 1 weapons would be a devasting build. We NEED this Asp

*continues dreaming*

i'm not sure, what a class thrusters higher would give on a ship, which you can easily outfit und fly now with 50% optimal mass ... and that#s how it flies... but the same goes for fds + fas, so why not....

of course we wouldn't get a one class higher powerplant, otherwise it wouldn't have powerproblems, so it wouldn't be a combat ship :-D

those times, when the Asp was a feared combat ship are 1000 years back --- the pythons design hold much better!

 

[Night Hawk]

Yes please - I would be very interested in seeing a video on how to fly an FDL properly and I am pretty sure other CMDR's would be interested as well!

I have been working on improving my combat skills in the FDL and have been making some progress, but it still feels like a struggle sometimes and I am sure that I am making lots of mistakes. Even though I am happy to learn by the trial and error method, its very useful to see what techniques other CMDR's use.

Thanks.

 

[Ziljan]

But if you think Vultures are bad news to larger ships, wait until 1.4 is released.. OMG- the railgun vipers!! Talk about system failure swiss cheese.

1.4 ?? ...what's that got to do with Vipers and Rail Guns?

 

[Calaban]

1.4 ?? ...what's that got to do with Vipers and Rail Guns?

Well, the AI is better, it actually targets our subsystems, the railgun damage penetration profile is better (other weapons are less effective at through-drilling ships)

v1.4 will give players new experiences in their ships... such as life support failure, Engine failure, FSD failure.. often back to back over a short period of time (shudder)


As for the Fer De Lance (detour); I recently upgrade to a "Ferdy", from an A grade Vulture, and at first had troubles with its combativeness. Turns out I was just flying it wrong. I was flying it like a Vulture, and a vulture it is NOT. [Gonna bust out some world war 2 reference here]:

A Vulture is like the Japanese Zero- not too fast but able to out-maneuver and out turn anything. It fights by getting in close, sticking to its target, and blasting it away continuously. A real dogfighter- all about the tight circles and slippery sideslips.

A Ferdy is a P-38 Lightning. And fights a whole different way. For one; its FAST. with its speed it is able to dictate who it wants to engage, and who it can (successfully) disengage from. While somewhat agile, it is not really a dogfighter- thus, it fights how the P-38 did; "slashing" attacks: swooping in on an Anaconda, pounding its shields down, to an exhilarating flyby, and boost away- by the time the Conda gets guns to bear- we are already >3km. Ferdy swoops around makes another slashing attack, Against that same Conda, or against some eagle that showed up. Repeat. The point is, that Anaconda with no shields back there has NO chance of ever getting a shot off against you is you don't want it to.

When times call for it; the Ferdy can be a real bruiser, too- coming to a relative stop at a distance from a target, and literally tank its shields and dump firepower into its target in a race to see "who is tougher". The Ferdy wins. Best part is- when its done, or wants to be done- it can just boost away.

So, in the end, flying a Ferdy like a Vulture will only get you killed, the same way as flying a Vulture like a Ferdy will only get you killed. They really are two different animals.

 

[idahosurge]

I had a pimped out Python for a week to do trading, I wanted to be able to defend myself. It was so slow I got rid of it and got a Type 9 with almost twice the cargo space. It was easier in a Type 9 to submit to an interdiction and then jump away than it was to stick around and fight in a Python. For my taste the Python was just way to slow to maneuver. I guess my Vulture spoiled my for wanting a very maneuverable ship in combat. In combat I will take my pimped out Vulture any day over a pimped out Python.

 

[goemon]

I had a pimped out Python for a week to do trading, I wanted to be able to defend myself. It was so slow I got rid of it and got a Type 9 with almost twice the cargo space. It was easier in a Type 9 to submit to an interdiction and then jump away than it was to stick around and fight in a Python. For my taste the Python was just way to slow to maneuver. I guess my Vulture spoiled my for wanting a very maneuverable ship in combat. In combat I will take my pimped out Vulture any day over a pimped out Python.

if you ever come back to a python: get A-class thruster, keep it lightweight, and use basic combat FAOFF. and medium turretts on the medium hardpoints --- than you will sit in the middle, shooting away happily und kill every npc. i'm always shuddering if people put military bulkheads on their trading python, and d-class thrusters (for jumprange?), fixed weapons for dps... than, true, it flies like an adder in combat...

and for sure, the vulture damages our ideas how manouverable a ship should be, it's simply too good just don't complain it's too easy!

 

[Chip Patton]

In pvp, 2 words for the python, reverse thrust. I have yet to get a vulture that can more than scratch the paint on my python. The only problem with the python is its boost/top speed. Just about every player can outrun the darn thing, but I've yet to meet anything smaller that poses much of a challenge. The FDL maneuvers at the same rate, its strong suit is simply it can chase a fleeing player down where the python cannot. However, a python can a much bigger beating than the FDL can.