Ships Imperial Courier hull upgrades??...

[Lhynn]

Hello fellow CMDRs,

I just don't understand what's happening and thought some of you might help me.
I recently bought an Imperial Courier and had already some fun with this nice little ship - although I nearly got spanked by a Master AI FedDropship and his 2 Sidewinder escorts despite having huge shields... I guess I'll have to train more to get used to this ship; anyway, that's not the point.
So far, my ship is almost fully upgraded - A class outfitting, shield boosters, SCBs etc. The only thing missing to the picture is a Military Grade Composit armor...

...And this is where I fell from my chair: I can't find none anywhere!!! I'm looking for it in Li Yong-Rui's systems, as they provide an awesome -15% discount on outfitting and I refuse to pay more than I would be able to for this armor (which nonetheless still costs around 2.3Mn with the discount). But I've visited a dozen different systems with good outfitting stocks for most ships - Lembava, Pikum, Aasgananu, Ross 584, Akkadia and so on - and none of them offers hull upgrades, though I know for sure they usually do for other, heavier ships (I equipped my Python there...)
So, my question is 2-fold: (1) what the hell? and, most important, (2) do you know where I could find a Military Grade Composit hull upgrade for a Courier in Li Yong-Rui's space (I know this kind of upgrade exists, this is why I don't understand why on Earth I all of a sudden can't find it anywhere anymore)?

Thank you so much for those of you who could give me a hint, I'd be extremely grateful.

Fly safe CMDRs.

 

[Morbad]

Firstly, you don't want armored bulkheads on your Courier. The ship is one of the most weight sensitive craft in the game, and it has enormously powerful shield emitters. Armored bulkheads are a disgusting waste of mass on this ship.

Secondly, the station has to sell the ship in question for it to have bulkheads for it.

 

[Night Hawk]

Installing the Military Grade armour will add 8 tons of extra weight to the ship and my experience is you need to keep these ships as light as possible or you will suffer a loss in handling - which is the main reason to have a small light ship.

While you are searching for the upgrade, why not try adding some cargo racks up to 8 tons, then load up and do a few test flights - I will be surprised if you don't notice the difference in combat.

I found that the Courier is a great little combat ship, but lose those shields and you will want to get out quickly. I had a similar problem to you in an engagement with a Dropship and 2 escorts, I lost my shields quicker than I anticipated and was down to 15% hull when SC kicked in.

From that experience I can understand you wanting to beef up the hull for extra security, but it may be better (and cheaper) in the long run to keep you ship light and try to avoid heavy fire.

Just a thought, have you tried Diaguandri - its in Li Yong's area and it is also a High Tech system with good upgrades - probably better than Lembava IMO.

 

[Aussiedroid]

For what its worth, I have installed armor on my Courier and found the handling difference to be non-existent. Not that I disagree with the fact you don't really need it, but it doesn't turn the ship into a Python in handling terms from my experience.

 

[Cruel_R]

I thought that weight only really effected jump range? Didn't think it effected the flight model in any way.

 

[Cliffson]

I thought that weight only really effected jump range? Didn't think it effected the flight model in any way.

It does, however the effects are non linear hence why some people say they don't see a difference.

It's all to do with the optimum mass figure of your thruster, if you are going between 100-90% the difference is negligible, but between 60-50% the difference is more significant.

OT you need a system with a high enough tech level and which sells a ship. Go to a Senator Pat control system which is high tech and you'll find it.

I run my courier heavy and don't feel the need for more maneuverability personally and the bulk head did save me when i got cocky and let a dropship ram me as i had full shields and he didn't... Left me on 50% hull. (NB I imagine in pvp if you cone across a light courier in the hands of a competant player you will come off worse.)

 

[ErichZann]

I always think that this panicking about "turning the ship into a brick" by adding some tons is exaggerated. Especially, people always bring it up with armour, hundred heavy scb seem ok...

But still, on the courier I doubt I would install them, not really worth the price inmy eyes, bkbut that's taste of course.

I tend to install armour on ships with weak shields only, like dbs or clipper...

Otherwise yeah, you need to find a system that sells the courier itself, this list might help :

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=155377&p=2595516&viewfull=1#post2595516

Best regards

 

[Quineloe]

Good luck finding armor for an Imperial ship outside Empire space.

 

[goemon]

Good luck finding armor for an Imperial ship outside Empire space.

actually tangaroa is an imperial system and li yong ruis space. but i'm not sure, whether they sell the courier and therefore bulkheads.

 

[Lhynn]

Installing the Military Grade armour will add 8 tons of extra weight to the ship and my experience is you need to keep these ships as light as possible or you will suffer a loss in handling - which is the main reason to have a small light ship.

While you are searching for the upgrade, why not try adding some cargo racks up to 8 tons, then load up and do a few test flights - I will be surprised if you don't notice the difference in combat.

I found that the Courier is a great little combat ship, but lose those shields and you will want to get out quickly. I had a similar problem to you in an engagement with a Dropship and 2 escorts, I lost my shields quicker than I anticipated and was down to 15% hull when SC kicked in.

From that experience I can understand you wanting to beef up the hull for extra security, but it may be better (and cheaper) in the long run to keep you ship light and try to avoid heavy fire.

Just a thought, have you tried Diaguandri - its in Li Yong's area and it is also a High Tech system with good upgrades - probably better than Lembava IMO.

Yes, I tried, and nope, there's none.

Indeed, that's exactly what happened. That FedDropship wasn't actually a master for nothing, as I earned 150k for eventually destroying him. But it was my first fight in this brand new Courier and I really didn't expect to lose my shields so quickly, especially vs 2 useless Sideys. I had to run around like a headless chicken waiting for my shields to recharge and spamming the Security Alert button (which first sent me Eagles, then an Anaconda) to survive . One of the Sideys was downed by the security, I managed to kill the last 2 one by one but I barely had 30% hull remaining.
My knowledge of the ship improved since then and now I can easily spend all the time I need in a CZ without suffering nervous breakdowns xD

The thing is - as my ship is 100% equipped now (well, 99.9% without the hull), I know exactly how it handles. I'd like to test a hull upgrade to see if it really critically affects the flight model and which of those suits me best. I might eventually remove the hull and run light as you guys suggest me, but there's no such thing as testing stuff by yourself. And this is where my problem lies: if I were to keep the hull, I need to find it first - and I really want to save that extra +400k credits for it, as I'm not exactly swimming in cash atm.

What I didn't know so far is that the station has to sell the ship to be able to buy upgrades for it. If this really is the case, it means that it will indeed be impossible to find hull upgrades for both the Courier and the Clipper outside of Imperial systems. However, I wonder why it is so for hulls only, as you can buy pretty much any other kind of modules (including other ship-specific ones like thrusters and power distributors...) anywhere, depending on the type of system you're in (I've been looking into Industrial and High-Tech stations with more than 1Bn inhabitants to make my odds better). I don't see in what hull upgrades would be so much more ship-specific than any other module, I thought they depended roughly on the ship size/class. The Courier being roughly similar to the Viper and the DBS, I thought I would be able to find hull upgrades there where I could find some for the aforementionned ships...

I thought that weight only really effected jump range? Didn't think it effected the flight model in any way.

It does, with regard to the mass-to-thruster power ratio. The question is to know if this change is critical to your playstyle or not.

OT you need a system with a high enough tech level and which sells a ship. Go to a Senator Pat control system which is high tech and you'll find it.

I bought my ship at a Pat's system for the 10% discount, of course. But I was precisely looking for a hull upgrade in Li Yong-Rui's systems for even more savings.

Good luck finding armor for an Imperial ship outside Empire space.

Yeah, that's sadly what I'm starting to figure out...

actually tangaroa is an imperial system and li yong ruis space. but i'm not sure, whether they sell the courier and therefore bulkheads.

Nope, they sell no imperial ships, I know this station well.


All of this really puzzles me.

 

[Aratoth]

Mine's pretty heavy but it's still agile...I hate taking on a wing of 3 Ships, cause even Sidewinders are annoying and take your shields down. I'd love to try the reflective mirrored armour, not sure its exact name...cant be bothered looking it up.

 

[Perseus]

I'm surprised CMDRs are putting armour on the Courier. You'll definitely notice a speed and manoeuvrability difference with weight on this ship.
Light is right with the Courier. If your shields have collapsed, you want to be out of there around +410m/s boost minimum.

 

[Aratoth]

The beauty of the Courier is that you can customise it the way you like...Great ship. Last night i put two turreted pulses on its wings...was interesting.

 

[Sire]

Hello fellow CMDRs,

I just don't understand what's happening and thought some of you might help me.
I recently bought an Imperial Courier and had already some fun with this nice little ship - although I nearly got spanked by a Master AI FedDropship and his 2 Sidewinder escorts despite having huge shields... I guess I'll have to train more to get used to this ship; anyway, that's not the point.
So far, my ship is almost fully upgraded - A class outfitting, shield boosters, SCBs etc. The only thing missing to the picture is a Military Grade Composit armor...

...And this is where I fell from my chair: I can't find none anywhere!!! I'm looking for it in Li Yong-Rui's systems, as they provide an awesome -15% discount on outfitting and I refuse to pay more than I would be able to for this armor (which nonetheless still costs around 2.3Mn with the discount). But I've visited a dozen different systems with good outfitting stocks for most ships - Lembava, Pikum, Aasgananu, Ross 584, Akkadia and so on - and none of them offers hull upgrades, though I know for sure they usually do for other, heavier ships (I equipped my Python there...)
So, my question is 2-fold: (1) what the hell? and, most important, (2) do you know where I could find a Military Grade Composit hull upgrade for a Courier in Li Yong-Rui's space (I know this kind of upgrade exists, this is why I don't understand why on Earth I all of a sudden can't find it anywhere anymore)?

Thank you so much for those of you who could give me a hint, I'd be extremely grateful.

Fly safe CMDRs.

When I need an item I start going around from system to system until I find it on my own, it gives me more satisfaction than asking other people to make the dirty work for me. If you can't find it discounted grind a little more and buy it full price: you can't always have your cake and eat it.

 

[Arry]

I just traded my T6 in for one of these. It can't handle beams, which for me is a disappointment, so I have pulses on the wings, it works, but a lot slower at dealing with the enemy. My issue is that I can eat Couriers, alive in my Cobra and I am not too confident about what I can take on in the Courier.

 

[Lhynn]

I'm surprised CMDRs are putting armour on the Courier. You'll definitely notice a speed and manoeuvrability difference with weight on this ship.
Light is right with the Courier. If your shields have collapsed, you want to be out of there around +410m/s boost minimum.

Sure, sure, but it doesn't prevent me from testing by myself, does it? I want to know how the ship handles in both cases, without always relying on others to tell me "it's great/it's bad". As I said, I wanted that extra protection to feel safer, but I don't consider myself as a fool yet and if this extra protection proved to be detrimental to the overall manning of the Courier I'd remove it asap. All I want is test both configurations - but for this I need to find first a place that sells this stuff, and this is where I failed so far.

When I need an item I start going around from system to system until I find it on my own, it gives me more satisfaction than asking other people to make the dirty work for me. If you can't find it discounted grind a little more and buy it full price: you can't always have your cake and eat it.

Thank you for your constructive comment. You might have misread my initial post, as I state that I did try to find such a system myself and failed despite visiting about twenty by now, at different locations and of different types. This is why I asked for help.
And, as a hint/pro-tip, if you're smart enough you actually can more often than not "have your cake and eat it", even in this game...

I just traded my T6 in for one of these. It can't handle beams, which for me is a disappointment, so I have pulses on the wings, it works, but a lot slower at dealing with the enemy. My issue is that I can eat Couriers, alive in my Cobra and I am not too confident about what I can take on in the Courier.

This is because you're not used to it yet. I've done a bit of conflict zones yesterday and returned with a nice bounty and a series of Anaconda, Python & Clipper kills.
I tried different weapon setups and the one I'm currently running is the following: http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...5369.AwRj4zKA.CwBj4zgRgJgZmEA=?bn=Courier SCB . I use 1 Beam and 2 MCs, it's a very efficient combo. I limited myself to one beam because it is true that the Courier doesn't have a very good power distributor and energy weapons tend to draw power rather fast if you're not putting 4 peeps into weapons. You can also use 2 Pulse and 1 MC, I tried this setup too in the CZ and it worked well.
If you're used to ships like the Vulture, playing in a Courier does indeed take a little more time killing ships, but not much longer. And as this ship is very agile and accelerates extremely fast (I love the way it roars when you push the throttle forward!), you basically have no issues tracking targets, sitting on their six and running away when things get too hot around. Playing with this extremely pleasant agility and good punch, you can take on anything. As I said, Anacondas and Pythons are not a threat when you avoid their frag cannon shots, which you can do easily given your small size. Plus, this ship has one of the strongest shields in the game, which dramatically enhances your survivability and allows you to divert less power into shields for the benefit of energy weapons, even though I prefer kinetic ones once target shields are down because they are more efficient and draw much less power.
The only thing that really causes an annoyance is turreted beams equipping some Anacondas and Pythons, as well as the railguns occasionnally used by Vipers and Asps, which overcharge your shields and make you waste your SCBs. Apart from that, you're just a dangerous little weasel on the battlefield, jumping from one big ship to the other and biting them in the nuts until they die

 

[Arry]

This is because you're not used to it yet. I've done a bit of conflict zones yesterday and returned with a nice bounty and a series of Anaconda, Python & Clipper kills.
I tried different weapon setups and the one I'm currently running is the following: http://coriolis.io/outfit/imperial_...5369.AwRj4zKA.CwBj4zgRgJgZmEA=?bn=Courier SCB . I use 1 Beam and 2 MCs, it's a very efficient combo. I limited myself to one beam because it is true that the Courier doesn't have a very good power distributor and energy weapons tend to draw power rather fast if you're not putting 4 peeps into weapons. You can also use 2 Pulse and 1 MC, I tried this setup too in the CZ and it worked well.
If you're used to ships like the Vulture, playing in a Courier does indeed take a little more time killing ships, but not much longer. And as this ship is very agile and accelerates extremely fast (I love the way it roars when you push the throttle forward!), you basically have no issues tracking targets, sitting on their six and running away when things get too hot around. Playing with this extremely pleasant agility and good punch, you can take on anything. As I said, Anacondas and Pythons are not a threat when you avoid their frag cannon shots, which you can do easily given your small size. Plus, this ship has one of the strongest shields in the game, which dramatically enhances your survivability and allows you to divert less power into shields for the benefit of energy weapons, even though I prefer kinetic ones once target shields are down because they are more efficient and draw much less power.
The only thing that really causes an annoyance is turreted beams equipping some Anacondas and Pythons, as well as the railguns occasionnally used by Vipers and Asps, which overcharge your shields and make you waste your SCBs. Apart from that, you're just a dangerous little weasel on the battlefield, jumping from one big ship to the other and biting them in the nuts until they die

Not rich enough for the Vulture yet. I have been using a Cobra with D2 and F1 beams and I thought that the Courier with 3 mids, would be better. But as I said, it can't handle, 3 mid beams, not enough power and too much heat. I have never used Pulses before, butthey seem to keep there cool and will run indefinitely with one beam under the nose. I have yet to take it to a RES, where I am sure, the credits, will just roll in.

 

[Lhynn]

Not rich enough for the Vulture yet. I have been using a Cobra with D2 and F1 beams and I thought that the Courier with 3 mids, would be better. But as I said, it can't handle, 3 mid beams, not enough power and too much heat. I have never used Pulses before, butthey seem to keep there cool and will run indefinitely with one beam under the nose. I have yet to take it to a RES, where I am sure, the credits, will just roll in.

In any case, going full energy weapons will ruin your power consumption. In many cases, a combination of energy & kinetic weapons is recommended to save power and be efficient against any kind of targets, shielded and unshielded. Plus, beams overheat your ship extremely fast. One is fine, 2 are ok but more than 2 will just melt your PPlant. Pulse lasers however draw roughly half the power of beams and burst lasers, so for the same peep setting you can fire them 2 to 4 times longer. They deal a bit less damage but have a high DPM, and a better armor-piercing value than beams, so they are probably your best energy weapon choice against hulls if you consider it with regard to the efficiency-vs-energy-consumption (this is where railguns and plasma guns fail, as they trade their extreme punch for a tremendous energy consumption and overheat your ship to 110%+ heat in 2 shots).
However, as I said, the Courier doesn't have a really good distributor, so even with only 1 beam and 4 peeps in weapons you'll be able to fire it for only ~15sec. But It doesn't bother me, as I only use it to destroy shields, once they are down I switch to kinetics. This is why I suggest you to try 1 beam + 2 MCs or 2 Pulse + 1 MC in a CZ to see if any of these setups suits your playstyle and which one do you prefer.

Edit: I don't recommend you the Vulture. Unlike many players, I didn't like this ship at all because it has a terribly underpowered and inadequate PPlant which forces you to choose between attack and defense. If you want to keep the highest possible shields, you must use Pulse lasers. Any other weapon setup makes you sacrifice shield strength. And if you love beams, forget about them on the Vulture straight upfront, they'd fire for exactly 7 seconds with 4 peeps before cooldown. And if you go on firing them, they'll overheat your ship to 130% in seconds. Plus, there are only 2 weapon mounts, which is not enough even if they are L-sized. I'd rather prefer 4xM mounts than a mere 2xL. Stick with the Courier or the DBS for combat until you eventually can afford yourself a FDL or a Python. I think even an Asp performs better than the Vulture overall.

 

[Perseus]

Sure, sure, but it doesn't prevent me from testing by myself, does it? I want to know how the ship handles in both cases, without always relying on others to tell me "it's great/it's bad". As I said, I wanted that extra protection to feel safer, but I don't consider myself as a fool yet and if this extra protection proved to be detrimental to the overall manning of the Courier I'd remove it asap. All I want is test both configurations - but for this I need to find first a place that sells this stuff, and this is where I failed so far . . .

Fair enough, I'm not trying to ruin your experimental experience.
You could always put a 8t cargo rack on, fill it with pods and experience the flight differentials that way.
Good luck with your quest!

 

[Brujah]

I was under the impression that they sell more hull upgrades and kinetic weapons at Industrial stations than high-tech ones. Perhaps worth checking some large pop Industrial systems and see if you have any more luck.