NPC Imp Clipper, toughest AI opponent?

[n4p0l3on]

it seem so to me, note this observation only based on RES combat

yes, no matter what ship I use, I can't seem to out turn a clipper, even when it just literally rotating on the spot and yes I tried FA off too... another important factor is because it seem to have even thicker hull can pythons... but that may be just my wrong assumption...

am I missing something? isn't it supposed to have poor rated maneuverability? afaik it's rated 2 in the game, and yet it can keep up with a vulture!

other ships, like even pythons are noticeably easier to beat than a clipper; and it's nost just me either, I often saw more police beaten by clipper than other ships; seem a little odd to me considering it's stats.

so what happened here?

 

[The Librarian]

What ship are you flying? What is your weapon loadout?

My all laser Python eats them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Wait for them to scan you, once they turn and start to head of for fresh prey, then open up, as you will already have them at a disadvantage, as they will slow to a halt and try and re-engage.

A stationary target is a soon to be dead target.

NPC Pythons seem to take the longest to kill for me. I guess they are all tanked.

 

[Bruce Warren]

Anaconda for me.

I recently encountered a "competent" one. It was too My poor python limped home with blown windscreen and 25% hull.

I think it must have been shooting at my power plant because the thing malfunctioned several times leaving me a sitting duck for a few panic ridden seconds before the thrusters camr back on line.

 

[encrypted]

Clippers are not that tough, since they have no shields in general, and hull is made of paper. White imperial paper (of course you can paint it off but that doesn't change a thing... kidding, love clipper, but it's just not as tough).

As for me Pythons can be pretty tough, Anacondas and Vultures - Vultures are especially bad since I am in Python and not that fast as them. Fleet of Vultures is worst enemies for me - I simply run away. Even a couple of Anacondas is not that bad as 3-4 Vultures.

 

[ChubbyBunneh]

Conflict zone Vipers are the toughest for me. The buggers are hard to hit with all your guns and they have super armor in CZs.

 

[Trafalgar Law]

The Clipper has a good pitch, but poor lateral thrusters (which means it drifts a lot), which is why it has a manoeuvrability rating of 2. The best method against Clippers is to take advantage of it's weaknesses, namely that it's got terrible weapon convergence and that it's quite flimsy for it's size. This means that most player and AI pilots will be equipping gimballed or turreted weapons on the larger size 3 mounts and probably on the inner size 2 mounts as well, this means you need to use chaff to prevent him from hitting you. Make sure you target it's power plant and use something with a decent punch to take it down fast (gimballed cannons, plasma accelerators or railguns).

 

[CMDR Mansoul]

Yep, Clippers are not that tough, just don't take them face on. Vultures and Pythons are the worst, which is appropriate - they give bigger bounties.

 

[Crimson Kaim]

Imperial Courier with 1 C2F beam laser. Clippers are actually my favourite targets due to their huge hitbox

 

[Darrett]

Clippers and Dropships both seem very capable of keeping their nose pointed at you if you favor pitching and vertical thrust; they have more difficulty with lateral thrust, so if you try to stay at a right angle to their pitch axis and use lots of lateral thrust, you can stay out of direct fire reasonably well.

Also be prepared to boost past and FA off once they start getting turned toward you at a distance. You want to stay fairly close and make use of chaff.

 

[EUS]

Almost lost my vulture to a dangerous, or elite NPC clipper, after I shot many of them down without trouble at an RES.
Pivoting in place, impossible to get away from it's nose, then it would blast me with the space-shotgun (i'm assuming), canopy cracked, I ran away until shield recharge, came back to finish it off, but it made me sweat.

 

[Trinity Star]

Almost lost my Vulture to a master clipper, it was his two wingmen that did the damage. Managed to kill them all but was reduced to 24% hull in the process.

 

[tetra]

Don't mind clippers too much, never had an issue with them. Had a wing of 4 vultures attack me today though which was a lot of fun

 

[Monk]

The Clipper gets a couple advantages. Based on the way it is shaped and its CoM, thrusters are very effective on this ship. The standard pitch on it isn't much to write home about, but you couple that with maneuvering thrusters and its unbeatable yaw rate, and you can flip that ship over on a dime. Thruster upgrades on the clipper, in my experience, have the greatest effect on improved maneuverability than upgrades on any other ship I've flown so far.

I always turn that ship using a combination of pitch and yaw (faster to turn at 45 degrees from vertical with both ptich and yaw vectors combined) plus thusters to control the size of my turn.

Just sold my Clipper for a Python, and I'm already scratching together the credits to buy it back.

Even before the AI upgrades, the NPC Clippers could still turn on you fairly quickly. Now, the Elite ones anyway, can turn on you while never losing a targeting solution.

 

[Darrett]

Almost lost my vulture to a dangerous, or elite NPC clipper, after I shot many of them down without trouble at an RES.
Pivoting in place, impossible to get away from it's nose, then it would blast me with the space-shotgun (i'm assuming), canopy cracked, I ran away until shield recharge, came back to finish it off, but it made me sweat.

It does matter a lot on what they have equipped; I find beam turrets and fragment cannon turrets both make them much, much more powerful than any other loadout would.

 

[Marcns007]

My 'A' grade Cliiper suits me, it has beams and takes out most things, more fun than my Vulture for some reason.
I will skip the Python and wait for the Cutter.

 

[Khazid]

Maybe its just my impression but I feel Imperial Clipper power plant is harder to hit than other big ship PP. Makes me not bothering targeting the PP at all since most times its hull pops earlier.

 

[Achilles7]

The toughest for me is undoubtedly an elite system authority Python that interdicted me. At the time, I had only ever been interdicted by pirates before, so I drew first blood, not realising that it was just going to scan me, then pee off! That was an absolute beast, I flew bout as well as I can, it never once got me in its front target sights, but the firepower from its side & rear firing beam weapons left my Vulture with 46% hull and although I got it's hull down to 34%, the danger of system malfunctions scared me off and I did a runner Guv..with a wanted bounty into the bargain.
Also, try a military strike zone for a challenge!!!! I came out of one with a pathetic 52 merits for the Federation cause (worse than being a Man U fan, I know!)..hardly worth it for the fortune in repair costs and limping back to the station time and time again!

 

[Fireclown]

Depends on what I'm flying and how many beers I've had.
Yeh high ranked clippers can become a pain if I don't maneouver properly.

My latest death was an elite cobra dropping prox mines which I blundered into then it rammed me.

 

[technophebe]

I find clippers and vultures to be the most problematic, flying a decently kitted Python.

 

[Quineloe]

The hull of a Clipper is definitely not made of "paper". It's not an Anaconda, but it definitely takes a while to wear down with military grade armor (which is standard on highly ranked AI it seems). The power plant is also pretty hard to hit compared to other large ships.

What's standing against the Clipper is the hilariously bad loadout they get from FD. Turreted MCs on the large hardpoints? really?