No your not, I have a class 6A and with charge enhanced it runs my weopons continuously without depleting, boost continously.So why have a 7A that slows you down, draws more power and costs more?
Need help with imperial courier build
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No your not, I have a class 6A and with charge enhanced it runs my weopons continuously without depleting, boost continously.So why have a 7A that slows you down, draws more power and costs more?
I do hold you in the greatest of esteem Goemon, but yes you are doing it wrong
I can't think of any situation going a class lower to save a m/s or two in speed will ever be worth taking the drop in distributor power.Distributor power not entirely necessary for weapons? Change your pip management. If anyone is letting distributor management go to waste you're playing wrong. Why?
Well you have two areas of distributor that have passive effects. Systems and engines. So in an ideal situation you'd forget about weapons and go for 4/2/0 or 2/4/0. Are you telling me you can run your python constantly with no pips to weapons? No? In that case, higher distributor is valid and you can use pip reallocation to recharge the weapon capacitor.
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It's ok, but you could lose a shield booster and add a point defence. Try a fixed beam or pulse on the central hardpoint for ranged / shield stripping / fire through chaff attacks and some kind of gimballed kinetics on the sides. You really don't want your shield going down on a courier, so I'd lose the hull reinforcement packages and possibly stick a shield cell bank in there.
iCourier doesn't need point defence. You've just stated you don't want your shields going down. Provided they don't you don't care about missiles.
I personally run one HRP or so. Why? Well with armour mods you can get out of the "when my shields are dead so am I" mentality. especially if in a wing, retreat to recharge shields or with the correct movement can finish a low health enemy off.
SCBs are poor on iCouriers. Their unique situation with shields and internals means a top class SCB will recharge a small fraction of your shields and will cause you heat damage in the process.
Fixed weapons are overrated. iCourier is a subsystem wrecker, through and through. If you can get every single shot of a fixed weapon into a powerplant then kudos to you, but assuming not, run gimballed and burn that powerplant down ASAP. Shield stripping can come from OC pulse and incendiary MCs.
I do hold you in the greatest of esteem Goemon, but yes you are doing it wrong
Distributor power not entirely necessary for weapons? Change your pip management. If anyone is letting distributor management go to waste you're playing wrong. Why?
Well you have two areas of distributor that have passive effects. Systems and engines. So in an ideal situation you'd forget about weapons and go for 4/2/0 or 2/4/0. Are you telling me you can run your python constantly with no pips to weapons? No? In that case, higher distributor is valid and you can use pip reallocation to recharge the weapon capacitor.
good reasoning! i will reconsider my choice upon returning to the bubble.
as @duedy i run a weaponloadout on my python, which isn't heavy on distributor load (1 large, two med pulses, and 2 large MC in my case), and i have a pre-2.1.05 L5 dirty drive tuning with a heavy hit on thrusters optimal mass.
running it with a 6A saves 40T plus another 20T for an undersized powerplant. 60T are 5% of thrusters optimal mass, and add around 12-18 m/s additional boost speed if i do the mass right ... the difference between a 408 m/s boosting python and a 426 m/s boosting python is quite handy for a mission runner.
but with high level materials easier to get, and the L5 dirty drive tuning being more powerfull, and your reasoning, i might go for a better roll...
Taking advice from the forums? Pfft, I just thought the forums were here so we could argue?
Love that the Python can basically do what the hell it wants with loadout and still works.
This is the trap many people fall into with boost speeds, they neglect to consider that the average speed is going to be somewhere between the base speed and max boost speed and this depends on the frequency of boosting. A higher grade PD (especially with PD mods from the Dweller) can allow you to boost almost continually and this means even with a slower max boost speed you can actually have a higher AVERAGE speed. The result is that it is almost never worthwhile (even for a pure speed build) to downsize your PD because the increase boost frequency with an oversize PD will almost always make up for any speed difference you "lose" with the excess weight. And that's just boosting, it's even more of an issue when you look at weapons or sys power levels in combat in which case the large PD is well worth any possible weight penalty. The only possible situation in which I could see someone going with an undersize PD on a Python if they somehow had to do a jump-specific task like a Buckyball race or a Fuel rat run where the extra 40 tons had enough of an impact on jump range (which is not affected or related to PD) that it was absolutely necessary to get every last ly of range out of their build. But in that case, I would argue that if you're using a Python to do a Buckyball race, you're doing something wrong and have bigger problems then deciding on the size of your power distributor.
This is horrible advice lol
iCourier has an ok distributor, its the hardpoints that make it good. the absence of 2 small hardpoints substituted for a medium makes it equal in damage but less cap draw
overcharged pulse laser will drain your cap really fast, also overcharged is a bad mod til grade 5 because it takes off the jitter, and since pulse's cant go to grade 5, it's not worth getting overcharged
Missile's have too low ammo for PvE.
Bottom hardpoint is fine
Having a fuel scoop while fighting is pretty poor lol.
D boosters? WHAT??! always go for A boosters
armour mods dont matter, it's a shield tank.
I run class 5 dirty drives and overcharged powerplant. no problem.
It is presumed that the OP will modify the shield boosters. My Corvette has modified grade A shield boosters. Each one is over 11 tons and consumes 1.4 MW of power. I think we can rule out that mod for the courier. Now if the OP mods D rated boosters then they will be as good as the unmodified A rated shield boosters, but with a fraction of the power draw. And about the same weight.
Nothing wrong with a fuel scoop on a courier. It weighs nothing and if you use all your internals for HRP then your courier will be too heavy
A very light Courier can be very effective in combat (at least PvE). Mine boosts at 825 (cruise speed at 608) and I can stay in a CZ during 1 year without losing one ring of shield (c2 biweave energy resistance grad 5 + 4 shield boosters E0 with resistance grad 5).
Alternatively, to save weight you can also install E rated shield boosters and modify them as Resistance Augmented shield boosters (grade 4 materials are not too hard to come by). Each one is only 0.5 tons and consumes very little power. A good solution for a high speed courier that still wants some protection.
Right, kiddie. I've been flying the iCourier for months now and class is open. Get ready to be taught via the "wall of text" method.
-iCourier has a pants distributor. It's class 3. Deal with it. It's okay modded, but under no circumstances suitable for multiple beam type setups.
-No to overcharged? You just tried to tell me that the distributor hasn't got any problems, but now a single overcharged pulse is too much for it? If you look at raw figures, pulse has always had the best damage to draw ratio going by a long shot. Overcharged lets you bring a single thermal weapon to the party and not be weak asf at shield stripping. You then have two kinetics, which are good for getting through hulls - that's important for this ship. Any distributor draining is losing DPS compared to less thermal/more kinetic weaponry. The hardpoint layouts don't change any of this.
-Yes, overcharged has jitter. But the max grade one doesn't have much, and you should be close enough to your target in an iCourier that it doesn't matter much
-Yes, missiles do have low ammo...thankyou for repeating exactly what I said: "try MCs if you're going to do PvE in a RES etc., or include a missile rack/two if you want something that won't last long but can blow up NPC hardpoints"
-Bottom hardpoint is last to connect when you're pitching up to meet an enemy, and it's that simple. You will naturally pitch upwards to see an enemy because your canopy is above you, not below you, therefore giving you situational awareness of your target quicker
-No fuel scoop? Have you ever flown an iCourier with performance enhanced thrusters? Let me please refer you to your own point:
-iCourier is a shield tank...you're semi right here. But to digress, let me put performanced enhanced thrusters in perspective for you. For every 2T my iCourier gains, I am losing about 15 m/s now. So no fuel scoop? What else do you want it for? HRPs? Well you can kiss goodbye to about 60 m/s speed, and...oh right, it's a shield tank. We aren't doing that. I use a single or so modded HRP because I am the kind of git that sticks around in a fight once the shields are down because 600 m/s plus unboosted speed is still hard to hit and I can still harass targets in PvP
-ALWAYS get armour mods. Have you ever been to a single engineer?!?! Armour mods on lightweight bulkheads have NO drawbacks. Free health, free resistances. If you don't want that, shield tank or not, you're playing this game wrong
-YES D-rated boosters. They have for some time had a great deal of significance. Why, I hear you ask, young student? Well aside from the far lower power consumption, you can move from E to D rated and gain only 0.5 T mass for an extra 4% shield. From there on until the B to A upgrade, it's 1T mass per 4%. What did we say about mass and performance enhanced thrusters? Given you'll likely be applying mods, resistance mods will still add the same resistance, and on the offchance you're trying heavy duty, heavy duty mods give better results on lower class boosters. In fact you'd probably use E rated for heavy duty.
-Please for the love of God don't play in Open with that level of heat management. One fixed thermal shock weapon = bye bye
Now, to finish off my point about you being semi-right on iCouriers being a shield tank, and to educate you further on boosters/mass management. iCouriers have EXCELLENT survivability. Their shields are, yes, strong for their size point, which is important- because on a smaller ship you're worried about all incoming damage and shields both regenerate and don't take module damage. However, the iCourier is still not a shield tank. With 3 A-class boosters and maximum shield generator, which is a very shield dedicated setup, you have 536 Mj shield. If you put that shield on a conda, would you call it a shield tank? Nope. Tank implies being able to soak up damage. If you stand still in the iCourier and let people unload, you will still be dead in seconds flat.
So why the excellent survivability? Three attributes: Strong shields for its size, very fast, very small profile. This means that it survives so well largely because a well-flown iCourier should spend the majority of its time NOT being hit. It gets out of sight easily, turns fast with FA Off, has nice inertia control, and when you're in their sights you should have chaff up. Hitting what is basically something condor sort of size moving at 600 m/s unboosted, faster boosting, while gimbals won't lock on and missiles can't keep up with it, is why it survives well. And when you DO hit, THAT is when the shields matter - because they aren't mincemeated so fast you don't have time to get out of trouble. So no, with resistance buffs, you don't need A shield boosters given the priority should be having a fast ship that doesn't get hit, and the resistance boost is all the same.
Class dismissed.
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So just to recap the recommended core modules for a good base are:
shields - 3A prismatic with THERMAL RESISTANT SHIELDS (GRADE 5)
shield boosters x4 E or D rated each with RESISTANCE AUGMENTED SHIELD BOOSTER (GRADE 5)
Armour - lightweight with HEAVY DUTY ARMOUR (GRADE 5)
PD - 3A CHARGE ENHANCED POWER DISTRIBUTOR (GRADE 5)
power plant - any specific recommendation ?
shields - 3A prismatic with THERMAL RESISTANT SHIELDS (GRADE 5)
shield boosters x4 E or D rated each with RESISTANCE AUGMENTED SHIELD BOOSTER (GRADE 5)
Armour - lightweight with HEAVY DUTY ARMOUR (GRADE 5)
PD - 3A CHARGE ENHANCED POWER DISTRIBUTOR (GRADE 5)
power plant - any specific recommendation ?
I'm having good results with my PvE build, I followed many of the best practices to the best of my abilities:
Only have Clean Drives 3 on my Enhanced Engines, but I can still boost to 669 if I keep the weight below 67.7. With my current loadout I lose just a smidge of that and clock in at 664. I think this build weighs in at 68 Tons, so I'm almost at peak performance. I love the way it flies, though it's definitely the hottest thing I've ever flown. I crash into larger slower moving targets a lot when I misjudge my speed. But the shields are my saving grace, if I keep moving and choose my targets carefully, and make sure to bail out of bad situations when I get into them, my surviviablity is pretty decent! And docking is crazy, I come in crazy hot and dance around like some kind of bumblebee.
Weapons are Two Lightweight Grade 5 Pulses and One Lightweight Grade 5 MC's. All gimbaled. Have also run 1 Pulse 2 MC's to decent effect. I also have an Efficient Grade 5 Beam Laser with Thermal Shock that works well with 2 MC's. No heat issues to speak of, I can even put an Efficient Beam on it, it will keep firing it forever, and I was lucky to get a light weight roll and thermal shock which looks cool as hell when I fire it but of course it doesn't seem to quite do the job that the larger C3 Beam would do if it were mounted on a Vulture. I kind of need to use 2 thermal weapons to strip shields with the ease I'm accustomed to in larger ships.
Shields are C2 Biweaves with Thermal Resist grade 3, 3 x E0 Sheild Boosters with Heavy Duty, Grade 3. And a single Chaff, Lightweight Grade 5. Might be worth tossing the Chaff overboard in favor of a fourth booster, maybe run some D0's with Grade 3 Resistant and Thermal Resist. That's a big win for a lot of builds, but with the biweaves I feel like I need heavy duty to bring my cap up to a reasonable number.
I also carry an A2 shield cell bank. Not sure if this is worth it yet. That's 2.5 tons of weight that could be better spent elsewhere, maybe bump up to C3 Biweaves or A3 Shields? The performance gain is small but could help more than having SCB's. IDK, lots of options.
Power Plant is A3 Overcharged Grade 5, no problems. Can even power my 3A AMFU.
I've got it to a nice point now where I'm happy to fly it the way it is. I have some tiny heavy duty 5 Hull Reinforcements, but I can't equip them right now without losing some speed, so they are staying off. Besides if my shield goes down I know the party's over for the moment and it's time to boost out. Maybe I will put them back in later as my build gains some weight in some places. And some decent effects on the weapons would of course help, incendiary rounds and thermal shock would probably be my first choices.
Thanks for all the great advice, could not have built my MurderBird without it
Only have Clean Drives 3 on my Enhanced Engines, but I can still boost to 669 if I keep the weight below 67.7. With my current loadout I lose just a smidge of that and clock in at 664. I think this build weighs in at 68 Tons, so I'm almost at peak performance. I love the way it flies, though it's definitely the hottest thing I've ever flown. I crash into larger slower moving targets a lot when I misjudge my speed. But the shields are my saving grace, if I keep moving and choose my targets carefully, and make sure to bail out of bad situations when I get into them, my surviviablity is pretty decent! And docking is crazy, I come in crazy hot and dance around like some kind of bumblebee.
Weapons are Two Lightweight Grade 5 Pulses and One Lightweight Grade 5 MC's. All gimbaled. Have also run 1 Pulse 2 MC's to decent effect. I also have an Efficient Grade 5 Beam Laser with Thermal Shock that works well with 2 MC's. No heat issues to speak of, I can even put an Efficient Beam on it, it will keep firing it forever, and I was lucky to get a light weight roll and thermal shock which looks cool as hell when I fire it but of course it doesn't seem to quite do the job that the larger C3 Beam would do if it were mounted on a Vulture. I kind of need to use 2 thermal weapons to strip shields with the ease I'm accustomed to in larger ships.
Shields are C2 Biweaves with Thermal Resist grade 3, 3 x E0 Sheild Boosters with Heavy Duty, Grade 3. And a single Chaff, Lightweight Grade 5. Might be worth tossing the Chaff overboard in favor of a fourth booster, maybe run some D0's with Grade 3 Resistant and Thermal Resist. That's a big win for a lot of builds, but with the biweaves I feel like I need heavy duty to bring my cap up to a reasonable number.
I also carry an A2 shield cell bank. Not sure if this is worth it yet. That's 2.5 tons of weight that could be better spent elsewhere, maybe bump up to C3 Biweaves or A3 Shields? The performance gain is small but could help more than having SCB's. IDK, lots of options.
Power Plant is A3 Overcharged Grade 5, no problems. Can even power my 3A AMFU.
I've got it to a nice point now where I'm happy to fly it the way it is. I have some tiny heavy duty 5 Hull Reinforcements, but I can't equip them right now without losing some speed, so they are staying off. Besides if my shield goes down I know the party's over for the moment and it's time to boost out. Maybe I will put them back in later as my build gains some weight in some places. And some decent effects on the weapons would of course help, incendiary rounds and thermal shock would probably be my first choices.
Thanks for all the great advice, could not have built my MurderBird without it
