Making the Eagle useful - thoughts?

Balfuset790

Balfuset790
I want to preface this by saying this isn't me calling for a buff to the Eagle or anything of the sort. :D

However, I love the Eagle, it's got one of the coolest aesthetics from my perspective and from my brief stint in one at the beginning of my career I LOVED how it flew and handled. However, now that I'm sitting in an Imperial Courier with enough capital to get a Vulture if I really wanted I've kinda forgotten about the Eagle.

Of the 3 'starter' ships of the Sidewinder, Eagle and Hauler, 2 of them have some uuse even later in the game. The Hauler makes a decent explorer and a good long-distance taxi and the Sidewinder is pretty good for running small scale smuggling missions.

My question is, using the current balance and game methods, would it be possible for me to build an Eagle that I could use for something fun so that I can occasionally decide to get back in the cockpit of my favourite small fighter?
 

Rubbernuke

Rubbernuke
Light RES Hunter? Put a hull booster, some decent weapons and hunt the smaller guys. It's great manoeuvring will give you the edge over the tubbier opposition.
 

GrimThara

GrimThara
I remember how excited I was to fly the Eagle back in Beta. It was the first ship I bought, still remember the power going out when I deployed all 3 guns without knowing that they'll drain my shields. Good times. :p

As for making it useful. Mh. I think this would require some new gameplay features to be possible. The eagle is very maneuverable and fairly fast for its size. I understand it is used for those player held races and as such I think if they made racing a viable activity it could see new life as a racer.

The CQC pvp arena features it as one of the playable ships as well, I think it'll be quite popular once that comes out.

Lastly, the Eagle is very cheap. If they ever add in AI wingmen and player outposts I think the Eagle will be a cheap and affordable "strength through numbers" option for escorts or base defense. It might even be useful for starting traders who need more of a "distraction" to run away from their attacker (certainly the AI would fall for it, humans not so much, but some people play solo so they'd benefit from it.).

Just my thoughts.
 

M4rt1n

M4rt1n
You could keep it as a RES hunter, for challenge and fun. I think an Eagle is more than enough for everything the game throws at you at a RES - if you fly it skillfully. If it is true, that ranking up considers the size of your ship vs. the size of the target (I'm not sure about this) - then it is a very good reason to fly combat in a small ship to quickly rank up.
Also, pledge to Antal, to get the enforcer cannon, I think an Eagle with 3 of those would be massive fun, again, strictly PvE, not against the PvP pilots flying brave gimballed vultures/clippers
 
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Globusdiablo

Globusdiablo
Balfuset790 said:
...My question is, using the current balance and game methods, would it be possible for me to build an Eagle that I could use for something fun so that I can occasionally decide to get back in the cockpit of my favourite small fighter?
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Purist combat/flight extension? Speed and maneuverability is unsurpassed.

Hone those skills. Fixed weapons and chaff. Be the annoying mosquito noone can swat!

Fly safe :)
 

Mephane

Mephane
It has been my opinion for a long time that the Eagle is just too slow for its role. Barely faster than a Python, it can be either outpaced or outtanked (or both) easily by almost any potential opponent. It should be at least as fast as a Viper, preferrably with the boost speed of a Cobra. It'd still be fragile, have weak hardpoints, is very power-limited etc., but would offer some genuine advantage then. As it is now, it is completely obsolete, especially considering the Vulture is almost as agile while being even a bit faster, much tankier and better armed.

:(
 

Psycho Romeo

Psycho Romeo
Alone, no I don't think so. The eagle is simply too slow and too light to be of any use alone. The problem is that the eagle has little stopping power and little chasing power. It needs to be assisted in this regard. A great wingmate would be a clipper or FDL. Against medium-large ships and under the cover of chaff, an eagle is just three free hardpoints added to the fight.
.
Unfortunately, the eagle is completely outclassed in almost every regard by its faster older brother, the DBS.
 

[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
Balfuset790 said:
I want to preface this by saying this isn't me calling for a buff to the Eagle or anything of the sort. :D

However, I love the Eagle, it's got one of the coolest aesthetics from my perspective and from my brief stint in one at the beginning of my career I LOVED how it flew and handled. However, now that I'm sitting in an Imperial Courier with enough capital to get a Vulture if I really wanted I've kinda forgotten about the Eagle.

Of the 3 'starter' ships of the Sidewinder, Eagle and Hauler, 2 of them have some uuse even later in the game. The Hauler makes a decent explorer and a good long-distance taxi and the Sidewinder is pretty good for running small scale smuggling missions.

My question is, using the current balance and game methods, would it be possible for me to build an Eagle that I could use for something fun so that I can occasionally decide to get back in the cockpit of my favourite small fighter?
Click to expand...

if it was me and i was a dev, the eagle would be THE best atmospheric fighter in the game (that we have at the moment)...... (purely because design wise she looks the best suited of the elite ships)

Maybe she will come into her own once we get atmospheric flight.
 
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Snarfbuckle

S
Mephane said:
It has been my opinion for a long time that the Eagle is just too slow for its role. Barely faster than a Python, it can be either outpaced or outtanked (or both) easily by almost any potential opponent. It should be at least as fast as a Viper, preferrably with the boost speed of a Cobra. It'd still be fragile, have weak hardpoints, is very power-limited etc., but would offer some genuine advantage then. As it is now, it is completely obsolete, especially considering the Vulture is almost as agile while being even a bit faster, much tankier and better armed.

:(
Click to expand...

Not to mention the Courier at 35 tonnes with 3 medium mounts, 4 utility mounts and 50 more speed

The main difference is that it is a CHEAP ship and quite disposable.
 

Time Streamer

Time Streamer
M4rt1n said:
(...) that ranking up considers the size of your ship vs. the size of the target (...)
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By no way wanting to be doubtful of your statement, I would like to see why you think that. If that's true, I'm gonna get my Viper or i'll even buy an Eagle and throw myself into the nearest High RES Site...
 

Philip Coutts

Volunteer Moderator
Philip Coutts
Have you thought about winging up? That for me is where Eagles successful, 2, 3 or even 4 in a wing would be highly effective in an RES.
 

Babul

Babul
there is one special thing to do in an eagle: pimp it as usual, but without: shields, boosters, cellbanks. instead chaffs, use a heatsink launcher, and use silent-running as often/long as you can (not using the heatsink tho).
3 (multi)cannons instead lasers are indeed better if you plan to avoid heat production, so dont hesitate to build a ship you wouldn't fly under normal circumstances. its really fun sometimes!

i think a wing with some eagles can be a major annoyance to a single big ship... anyone close to Kamadhenu currently, maybe for a test if bountyhunting can be done in 4 eagles?
 

Evil

Evil
Increase the boost to 400, thats all it needs, but I think all the small ships should boost a min of 400.
 

Yodafone

Yodafone
Oh god here we go, and I'll no doubt be shouted at because of this, but this thread gives me the opportunity to suggest a simple change in the current mechanics that would encourage us all to consider using the smaller ships (Eagle & Sidewinder) again, and change the fact with them just being stepping stones.

I believe these smaller ships have their main advantage in the fact they are small (harder to see visually) and manoueverable (obviously) but also the shields when de-activated charge up relatively quickly (compared to most, if not all other ships). So with this in mind if the mechanics for how a target blip is displayed and resolved on radar and how sensors pick up a ship running Silent Running, as in the turbulence of this radar blip isn't just a little wobble (currently one can still narrow down where the hostile roughly is still, serves to fool nobody), but... if this turbulence was over the whole radar map (ideally I think when rigged for Silent Running you shouldn't appear on radar at all but this is too drastic a change for now), but even with blip turbulance to the point someone knows something is there but not know where one could use Silent running considerably more as a combat stealth tool, thus making these smaller variety ships more useful again and make the player consider using them for stealth combat runs/scenarios. This would also give combat some much needed stealth and heart puming cloak and dagger combat which is the only thing lacking in my opinion.
 

Mephane

Mephane
Philip Coutts said:
Have you thought about winging up? That for me is where Eagles successful, 2, 3 or even 4 in a wing would be highly effective in an RES.
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Ah yes, the old "4 Eagles are a formidable" argument; it is useless because that can be said of any ship - multiple ships together are, of course, stronger than one alone. Sure, 4 Eagles probably beat a Vulture, but what's to stop the Vulture from bring 3 other ships of its kind, then, too? 4 Vultures will mop up the floor with your 4 Eagles easily.
 

Philip Coutts

Volunteer Moderator
Philip Coutts
Mephane said:
Ah yes, the old "4 Eagles are a formidable" argument; it is useless because that can be said of any ship - multiple ships together are, of course, stronger than one alone. Sure, 4 Eagles probably beat a Vulture, but what's to stop the Vulture from bring 3 other ships of its kind, then, too? 4 Vultures will mop up the floor with your 4 Eagles easily.
Click to expand...

Not in any way saying they would be formidable just that in an RES site 4 eagles winged up could make an awful lot of credits pretty quickly. Cheap to buy and equip and repairs are very cheap too.
 
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