Imperial Clipper.

Tenshi · Mar 19, 2017

Last time I ran the Imperial Clipper it was during the Engineers beta and it was a really nice ship that could do a bit of everything. I took one out in this beta and wondered what happened to this ship?

The speed and agility are there but its shields even a 7A shield with a grade A booster doesn't help. They are paper thin and in a high rez area the ship is a flying coffin. My Type 7 in live has more survivability than the Clipper as it can take far more shots to it before it gets to hull damage.

I was looking forward to this ship when I could afford to buy one but thankfully the beta has shown me that the Clipper is now a ship to be skipped on.

Please FDev take a look at the Clipper and run the numbers on it, something isn't right on this so called flag ship of the Empire.

Threeofseven · Mar 19, 2017

Fdev does need to buff the shields. For combat I recommend 7A bi-weaves G5 thermal resistance. Then modify the resistance boosters until you get at least 50% resistance in thermal/kinetic/explosive. This works really great, the shields can take a punch and regenerate in like 30sec to a minute.

MrFailfactory · Mar 19, 2017

The Clipper does do a number of things very well, and it's one of my favorite ships.

Is Combat your primary way of spending time in the game?

Riôt

Kyennamo · Mar 19, 2017

Threeofseven said:
Fdev does need to buff the shields. For combat I recommend 7A bi-weaves G5 thermal resistance. Then modify the resistance boosters until you get at least 50% resistance in thermal/kinetic/explosive. This works really great, the shields can take a punch and regenerate in like 30sec to a minute.

This.

The clipper is my favorite ship(i own every ship). And the buff to shield regen made the clipper with a bi weave super awesome.

Also....as a side note:

Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.

Comrade Napoleon · Mar 19, 2017

The Clipper is also my favourite ship! It makes such nice debris....
It does honestly!

Cheers Cmdr's

Darkphoenix · Mar 19, 2017

OP I am in full agreement with you, when I came back to the game and decided I was going to take the Clipper out of storage to run a few missions while doing some running around gathering mats for engineering, when I got interdicted by anything larger than a FAS I was being forced to retreat because the shields seemed paper thin (7A with 2 shield boosters) compared to what they used to be. I remember before I left being able to take on Anaconda's with no issues and that was simply not the case when I came back. I think the shields on the Clipper have undeniably gotten weaker but also I think a lot of the fault lies in how broken engineers are and the fact that NPC's will often have modded engineer modules to "make them more competitive". What this means is that people who have ships with no engineer enhancements need to bust their tail to get engineered ASAP, and you need to be very careful with what engagements you stick around for until you get engineered.

Arry · Mar 19, 2017

I can't say that the Clipper is a rubbish ship, because it is not, but I will say, for me, it failed to live up to expectations. Again, that shields are appalling; class 6 shields and a joke and class 7 are not much better; especially if you want to take it too a fight. Yes it is a great cargo mission runner and trader, but fighting ship, for any real opposition, it is not. Well not in my hands anyway; but then I have not got gud yet.

tafkabb · Mar 19, 2017

I finally bought the Clipper on Friday. I have a FGS and a Python so I sold it yesterday. It's pointless.

PhanttoM · Mar 19, 2017

Been using a Clipper for PVE combat since the gamma period - works just fine.

Ian Skippy · Mar 19, 2017

Darkphoenix said:
OP I am in full agreement with you, when I came back to the game and decided I was going to take the Clipper out of storage to run a few missions while doing some running around gathering mats for engineering, when I got interdicted by anything larger than a FAS I was being forced to retreat because the shields seemed paper thin (7A with 2 shield boosters) compared to what they used to be. I remember before I left being able to take on Anaconda's with no issues and that was simply not the case when I came back. I think the shields on the Clipper have undeniably gotten weaker but also I think a lot of the fault lies in how broken engineers are and the fact that NPC's will often have modded engineer modules to "make them more competitive". What this means is that people who have ships with no engineer enhancements need to bust their tail to get engineered ASAP, and you need to be very careful with what engagements you stick around for until you get engineered.

Npcs dont use modded weapons generally and the clipper definitely has the same shields as ever.

ThevAI got updated though...

Vasco Sapien · Mar 19, 2017

You really do need to think outside of the box with engineering mods being in game.

just hitting an A class shield and stacking Boosters isnt always the answer. and the game is better for that.

Mohrgan · Mar 19, 2017

I think Sleutelbos has the right of it. Nothing with the iClipper has changed. Only the NPC's got tougher. Being away from the game you may have missed the AI buff that occurred. I am not all in favor of just wiping out a ships negative aspects. No ship should be perfect, or easily do anything. FD has been pretty liberal with the ship buffs, make a more convincing argument on it's shortcomings, and you may find some traction.

Noctover · Mar 19, 2017

Clipper would be OP if they buffed the shields. Clipper is my primary ship, i love it.

I have an FDL for combat but often use my Clipper instead...For combat; slap on a 7C biweave, mod and hull reinforcement with mil grade hull and enjoy a brand new style of combat. Clipper requires good flying, not taking it to the face, flown correctly enemy ships of any type will have very little up time on you anyway, if they do, shields recharge quick and your hull is nails.

The ship is insanely fast and agile, asking it to shield tank too is a bit to far.

Darkphoenix · Mar 19, 2017

sleutelbos said:
Npcs dont use modded weapons generally and the clipper definitely has the same shields as ever.

ThevAI got updated though...

You sure? I constantly get messages when attacked about thermal attacks blah blah rising temps and Impulse attacks FSD disruptions.........

- - - Updated - - -

Mohrgan said:
I think Sleutelbos has the right of it. Nothing with the iClipper has changed. Only the NPC's got tougher. Being away from the game you may have missed the AI buff that occurred. I am not all in favor of just wiping out a ships negative aspects. No ship should be perfect, or easily do anything. FD has been pretty liberal with the ship buffs, make a more convincing argument on it's shortcomings, and you may find some traction.

well...maybe I am wrong, for 7A shields they seem weak though and the 8A shields on my Cutter seem broken the other way (way too strong) with 4 shield boosters (yes, I know this will soon be a changin').....

Ian Skippy · Mar 19, 2017

Darkphoenix said:
You sure? I constantly get messages when attacked about thermal attacks blah blah rising temps and Impulse attacks FSD disruptions.........

These are damage type warnings: PA (damage type thermic) will give you those for example, modded or not. It doesnt mean they have thermal mods.

NPC weapon mods are very rare, only on high-ranking NPCs, and even then they dont go for all-out supermods on all weapons the way players do.

Darkphoenix · Mar 19, 2017

sleutelbos said:
These are damage type warnings: PA (damage type thermic) will give you those for example, modded or not. It doesnt mean they have thermal mods. NPC weapon mods are very rare, only on high-ranking NPCs, and even then they dont go for all-out supermods on all weapons the way players do.

Well then, thanks for the info. I retract my earlier assessment regarding engineered npc's....

Tenshi · Mar 20, 2017

MrFailfactory said:
The Clipper does do a number of things very well, and it's one of my favorite ships.

Is Combat your primary way of spending time in the game?

Riôt

I was looking at the Imperial Courier ship to do missions, bounty hunt and a little trading much like my Cobra MKIV.

I often fly a Imperial Courier and can bounty hunt in high rez zones without a problem against wings or 3 npc ships. In the Clipper this is a death sentence due to how poor the shields are. I am a seasoned commander and have been playing since alpha so combat isn't a problem. The problem lies in that the Clipper is worse to fly in combat than a Type 7 which can survive far better than the Clipper.

I also like to try ships out without engineer mods to it, because if you need an engineer to make a ship become viable then the basic ship is broken and needs to be fixed. To rely on a RNG to test a ship can't be a real test because there are no constants to it.

The Type 7 is a far better trading vessel than the Clipper and cheaper to buy and outfit, so to buy the Clipper for trade is pointless.

The Asp Explorer is a better mission runner than the Clipper at a fraction of the cost.

The Type 7 again is a better passenger ship, not as stylish granted but still over all better.

A Vulture is a better combat ship than the Clipper, or even the Imperial Courier is a better combat ship.

The Imperial faction ships also do not even out very well when compared to the Federal ships. The Empire doesn't have a medium hull for a start and the jump from the Courier to the Clipper is a massive leap in cost for little return.

I really like the Imperial ships but I can't see a reason to buy the Clipper as I can not see a real use for it because other ships simply out perform it in every field of the game.

shadragon · Mar 20, 2017

Tenshi said:
in a high rez area the ship is a flying coffin.

I find any ship I fly in a HazRES is a flying coffin, but I am admittedly crap.

rally · Mar 20, 2017

I bought a clipper to make into a miner recently. Why? Because I've always wanted to mine in a clipper.

Not sure exactly how to fit it into the other similar ships and come out ahead. Sometimes you just have to fly what you want to fly.

IndigoWyrd · Mar 20, 2017

I love my Cheerleader.
It's a great passenger ship with some light cargo duty.
I'm also told it makes an excellent mining ship, and good pirate ship as well.

I just don't get it use it all that often, especially right now, being off in some distant corner of the galaxy doing my own thing in an AspX.