Is Cobra mk5 op?

[Mohrgan]

Is it really that big of a thing?

The only ship I’ve tried that is a beast in SCO is the Cutter, the rest have been controllable.

The Krait, while cool, isn’t much worse to handle than the T8. It does drink fuel, but there a few situations when that’s an issue in the Bubble.

How many times do you SC for long distances where it becomes a real advantage?

They’re the first new ships we’ve had in ages so they’re really popular, but once the shine has worn off it would be interesting to see how many people return to their old faithfuls.

I’m already getting a touch of buyers remorse buying a Mandy for my alt instead of waiting for it to be available for credits as planned - I think the Mk5 will suit him better.

I find it a real 'thing'. Cavorting between signal sources is much more bearable at those speeds. I can't really count how many times that target SS is like 37k Ls away.

The new ships all have differing pros/cons with it's tuning, but they all handle the fuel consumption and heat better that the 1st gen ships, as well as the wobble. I'd say I get the SCOs benefit on almost all of my sorties. I hunt down pirates and SS all the time.

I really can't see a return until they put out out some kind of "SCO-Tuning' module. Unless the older ships can be brought within comparable performance levels I don't expect myself to go back to the aChief. On top of all of that, these new ships are better than their 1st gen counterparts, with the possible exception of the P2 (The P2 may have been created for parity with the FdL/Mamba). The T-8 just crushes the P1 for cargo and flight characteristics. The Mandalay is a Jump king and is crazy fast, not to mention that it handles like a diamondback.

I went and put some Arx down for the C5, but when it was downgraded back to a small pad ship, I changed my mind, and bought some shiny bits for the Mandy instead. I have just one 1st generation ship now, a Mining Krait2. I mine infrequently and the K2's hold fills in just about when my patience level for mining wears out. The T-8 would keeping my mining sessions for far longer. I can't really see why I would return to previous ships. I'm not really a nostalgic person.

 

[O'Roarke]

An Imperial Courier, as a min-max'd lightweight racer, is my daily driver.

And there's plenty of Ship Schematics in the storage hold.

Maybe expend some of those for an extra dorsal small hardpoint on each pylon?
Perhaps rearrange some core internals with the optional compartments.
The design is more then a century old, so the chassis can probably be remade with Proto Radiolic Alloys and some Meta-alloys for a nice tonnage reduction.
Amp up the drive bay with better mountings for the EPTs combined with that fancy new Thargoid-derived heat management system for +20% extra performance?
An FSD mounting that's SCO-certified would be nice too, that'll need a slathering of Ship Schematics yet also requiring a Titan Drive Component.

It's ok, we just might Street Rod these old timers to something more peppy!

 

[mtfatboy3006]

Tell me you have forgotten how long it takes to get the first few million as a new account owner, without telling me.

The other day, I reset my alt account to see how hard it would be to go from absolutely nothing to bombing the titan. Granted, I was veteran enough to know how to do it--there was no learning curve--but I bought an Artemis suit at the starting point, landed my free sidewinder on the first two moons I found with a bunch of biological signals, and earned 18 million in a couple of hours (It took another hour to buy and outfit a DBX and bomb the titan). It isn't as hard to get starting funds as we remember. There are youtube tutorials. There's the road to riches. The obstacle to progression is engineering; the hours I once spent hauling tea to Mawson Dock aren't really a thing anymore.

 

[Rat Catcher]

But I didn’t look at any external information for the best part of a year going by the date I joined the forum.

Pretty much the same for me.

I only came here because I got stuck finding something!

 

[DjVortex]

This is what happens when you're a company that's addicted to milking as much cash out of the players as possible.

How dare a private company try to make money! They should be ashamed of themselves! They should become a charity that does everything for free!

Seriously, you are complaining about a COMPLETE non-issue. If you don't want to buy the early-access ships, just wait a few months. You'll get them at no extra cost. This kind of attitude is just baffling and completely ridiculous.

 

[Vedmo]

But I didn’t look at any external information for the best part of a year

Pretty much the same for me.

I also made it about a year with no external resources. I think it was actually a bug that brought me here when bug reports used to be handled on the forums. Now that I think back, I should say a suspected bug that ended up be more of a matter of flying while intoxicated.
To the point though, you can never recreate that fresh start, void of experience and knowledge, and while it will always be easier for your second commander, that doesn’t negate the ease of stacking credits compared to the past. If the credit value of ships is still being used as a balancing factor, it really should not be as there is little congruity in the game in regards to credits.

 

[Riverside]

To the point though, you can never recreate that fresh start, void of experience and knowledge

That's the main reason I never reset my Cmdr. Thought about it when I got to Triple Elite back in early 2016 but in the end just kept going. IIRC I'm on 102 weeks in Live & 105 weeks in Legacy to date, there's always more to do

 

[mtfatboy3006]

This is what happens when you're a company that's addicted to milking as much cash out of the players as possible. Frontier will make ships that players will sell a kidney for and then make it so you can only access it by buying Arx.

How do you reverse this trend by Frontier? Simple, don't pay Arx for ships. If the sales of ships for Arx are low enough, Frontier will stop this ridiculous obsession with seeing the players as an ATM.

...and stop offering new ships. Sorry, I'm buying. I want additional development.

Besides, they haven't locked any ships behind an ARX wall. They've dangled them behind a patience wall that can be bypassed by ARX The only thing they're selling is instant gratification, the most common drug of choice.

 

[Northpin]

And what is your opinion, is Cobra mk5 too good for a small ship and don't you feel control of Cobra mk5 feels too arcade?

Yes, it's a bit too good IMO
it puts to shame any other small ship if you look at the overall pictures consisting of internals, speed, maneuverability, weaponry and crew slots.

 

[Unknown Zombie]

As far as "credits mean nothing" and "credit flow has destroyed progression" arguments go, sometimes maybe people just look back on the game with tinted glasses.

I started playing in 2016 and sometimes I would think to myself, "Yeah, I remember when I first started playing, doing missions that only paid credits in the low thousands, and I couldn't wait to save up enough to buy something better than a Sidewinder."

But the "share your first screenshot" thread really put those feelings of nostalgia for "how it was in the old days" into perspective by making me realize that in my very first screenshot, taken five days after purchasing the game, shows me already being in a Cobra III.

 

[Riverside]

It is fun in its own way. I spent hundreds of hours with my alt in a pre-engineered.

I only rushed to get ready for the Titan run this week because I’d Ironmanned and had to reset him. - with PP2.0 I don’t think I’ll go full Ironman again. I’ll still roll on ship loss but don’t want to lose power rank.

Yeah there was a beta where we all started from scratch a few years ago, my son bought a copy of the game & I watched him wrestle with the startwinder too, I don't think he ever actually bought another ship though it just made him realise 'dad's space game' wasn't as easy as I apparently made it look

You can only start from scratch once, no way to forget all the stuff you the player learned. I'm having some fun zooming around in a vanilla E-rated sidewinder today without concern for rebuy though

 

[the100thmonkey]

Is the Cobra Mk. V OP?

Yes, but that's OK.

 

[Vedmo]

That's the main reason I never reset my Cmdr.

I’ve never done a reset and don’t think I ever will. When Epic did the free account thing I spent maybe a month or two on a second commander, then decided it wasn’t worth dealing with Epic for reasons I don’t remember. I unlocked all bubble engineers with him then went to Colonia and unlocked those, then sent him in the black where will forever remain forgotten.

When I did find these forums I think I remember you being amongst a small choir respectful of treating out of game resources and info as spoilers, which was nice.

Yes, it's a bit too good IMO
it puts to shame any other small ship if you look at the overall pictures consisting of internals, speed, maneuverability, weaponry and crew slots.

The more I think about it, any one of the attributes that lead me towards it being OP probably wouldn’t if not for the fact it has so many internals, and when filling all of those internals you don’t pay much of a price in reducing handling and speed. It is the multi-role you can build for anything while keeping the agile and quick small fighter feel. I’m not calling for nerfs or anything, but it is a bit over the top.

 

[Riverside]

When I did find these forums I think I remember you being amongst a small choir respectful of treating out of game resources and info as spoilers, which was nice.

When I started there weren't any external resources & the only third party tools I remember back then were Slopeys trading guide & some rares run maps. I had been used to figuring stuff out myself from previous games (good trade runs etc) & just carried on that way, I don't even use a pen & paper

I enjoy it, not sure I'd recommend it but as you say I'm not the only one & I'm not sure the game expects players to approach the game that way any more (and most don't).

I'm really impressed with all the graphs & data inara displays & I think it's great that some share what they learned to make the game more accessible for others but it's not my way. I've helped lots of others figure things out over the years though, usually in-game by acting as a safety net so they can take risks they might not otherwise try.

Some things just filter through though, like knowing Beagle Point exists from this forum & reading the thread where the Cmdr (whose name I forget, apologies) and their ship, The Beagle got there & eventually decided to return to sell the data one system at a time.

Love an entertaining tale of woe

 

[Alien]

How dare a private company try to make money! They should be ashamed of themselves! They should become a charity that does everything for free!

Seriously, you are complaining about a COMPLETE non-issue. If you don't want to buy the early-access ships, just wait a few months. You'll get them at no extra cost. This kind of attitude is just baffling and completely ridiculous.

Hey look! Shiny new ship! Must have! No Frontier, please take ALL my money, I don't need it.

That's what some people seem like to me. But hey, you just carry on and criticise me, it's ok. These things never happen all in one go, it's always little chips away at a time until what is left is not what you wanted. How dare I point this out. I'm a bad person. Just give Frontier more of your money for the shiny new thing. Don't listen to the meanie.

I mean, it's not like I've been here since before Elite Dangerous was ever a thing. it's not like I've seen how Frontier has changed over the last 17 years (and not always in a good way either). No please don't listen to me, I'm a bad person. Just buy the shiny new thing.

 

[Hanerib]

Just had a thought: Some of us have like 50+ spaceships, including a Keelback, two Type-7's, a Type-6, 5 Fer-de-lances, and they all have paintjobs and whatnot. If a ship is too good compared to others, you lose good whale-money. Looking at my Viper mk3 here. Sure it's nice, and its small hardpoints feel close and personal, but am I going to buy more bells and whistles for it if I don't fly it?

 

[the100thmonkey]

Just had a thought: Some of us have like 50+ spaceships, including a Keelback, two Type-7's, a Type-6, 5 Fer-de-lances, and they all have paintjobs and whatnot. If a ship is too good compared to others, you lose good whale-money. Looking at my Viper mk3 here. Sure it's nice, and its small hardpoints feel close and personal, but am I going to buy more bells and whistles for it if I don't fly it?

I appreciate this argument. As others have said, there's basically little point in flying any other small ship now if you're interested in in-game efficacy in a small ship. the Mk. V has completely replaced my Cobra Mk. III and Viper Mk. III, both of which I've spent a fair amount of money on.

Personally, I hope the devs do something to bring the previous ships up to a level approaching the Mk. V, and there have been possible hints that this may happen with the Galnet stories about a new era of technology based on harvesting McGuffins from Thargoid wreckage. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'll spend some Arx on the Mk. V when it gets some decent skins - the set that it was released with isn't to my tastes,. The Midnight Black is too expensive and I wonder why someone would pay to not be able to see their ship. A Chromed skin would be nice.

 

[DjVortex]

Hey look! Shiny new ship! Must have! No Frontier, please take ALL my money, I don't need it.

Yeah, so? If you don't want to spend money on the game then don't. Nobody is forcing you to. Why are you mocking those who do spend money on the games they play? Do you think they are somehow idiotic or something?

 

[Rat Catcher]

Hey look! Shiny new ship! Must have! No Frontier, please take ALL my money, I don't need it.

As the ships cost less than a pizza delivery, it isn't ALL my money, but then, I'm not in abject poverty, so my values may differ from your own.

That's what some people seem like to me.

What, willing to spend a few quid on a game they are enjoying?

But hey, you just carry on and criticise me, it's ok.

Being particularly polite, you do often come across a little strong in your opinions... (As do I, naturally)

These things never happen all in one go, it's always little chips away at a time until what is left is not what you wanted.

I don't understand the extrapolation - but will when FD start charging £1-2,000 for a single ship that isn't in the game for the forseeable future...

How dare I point this out. I'm a bad person. Just give Frontier more of your money for the shiny new thing. Don't listen to the meanie.

I shall give FD as much of my money as I wish - You, obviously, do not have to give them a single penny, as is your wont.

I mean, it's not like I've been here since before Elite Dangerous was ever a thing. it's not like I've seen how Frontier has changed over the last 17 years (and not always in a good way either). No please don't listen to me, I'm a bad person.

Does it matter how long you have been here? You are here today, by choice, nobody is forcing you to participate with anything, are they?

Just buy the shiny new thing.

I shall, if I want it.

You do as you wish...

 

[the100thmonkey]

It looks stealthy

I personally only see a passing resemblance to the Nighthawk.