Panther Clipper as an exploration vessel.

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

Thank you my fellow CMDRs!
I’ve had loads of “The Caspian is better!”
And, “why aren’t you using the Caspian? I get there in 30 jumps when you take 60!”comments. And my replies of. “Because I want to” are met with triads of abuse and mocking.

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

Some people get mightily offended when their "authority" is questioned. The veterans (ie. old fogies ) here know better having played at a time when there was no engineering, no SCO, and a jump range of 30 LY was considered to be phenomenal.

Pilot the ship that you love and enjoy yourself

I remember back in GPP days on Xbox, I took a stock MKIII Cobra to Sag A.
One “man” in particular took real offence to me not using a Caspian…to the point where he stalked me over several FB groups just to leave the laugh Emoji on every post I made…
Crazy isn’t it?

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

Interesting choice. And I like interesting choices because they're, well, interesting, as opposed to "soulless, bland, boring exhibit of utter lack of creativity".

Carry on, CMDR, and enjoy!

Thank you! o7

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

It is YOUR game, YOUR world, YOUR experience.
Don't listen to them and play it the way you have the most fun (just don't grief anyone )

No griefing out near the Orion Nebula

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

it's just an odd choice is all - if you want to explore generally something w/ a good range is wanted. if you have the Nomad, there's little need for a Scarab, and why you would need a Scorpion on top of that is even more puzzling. if you ditched the SRVs, you'd be lighter and jump further. but that's just an observation, not a criticism. play it how you like it

I wanted the Scarab to explore “old school” and the Scorpion because it looks cool!

 

[Tessa R Act]

No griefing out near the Orion Nebula

peeking around the corner of the dark Asteroid : "...are you sure? My scope tells different...."

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

peeking around the corner of the dark Asteroid : "...are you sure? My scope tells different...."

Haha!! I mean, I could fire the little pulse lasers the Nomad has!

 

[Jinx Chrome]

...."Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Explorers Inquisition"
...

I didn't expect the Explorers' Inquisition?!?!

 

[Kamiyoda]

I didn't expect the Explorers' Inquisition?!?!

Wouldn't it be the Spansh Inquisition?

 

[baudelier]

My first successful explorer was a Type-10.

These whiny little min-maxing pests should have the decency to stay quiet while the grab their fainting couches.

 

[angusmadmac1]

Wouldn't it be the Spansh Inquisition?

But nobody expects the ....... Spanish inquisition
Our chief weapon is surprise ..... Surprise and fear fear and surprise ......
our two weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency
Our three main weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devoution to the Pope .......

 

[IstvaanDCIV]

Whatever ship you choose to fly is the right one for exploration.

There's a lot of room for optimisation, but it's not necessary to be successful. In combat you need at least one weapon in your hardpoints. In trade you need at least one cargo rack.

But exploration? All you really need is a ship that can jump. Anything beyond that is a nice bonus to have, but you don't need it to put your name on a place that nobody has ever visited before.

I find it very strange to see any kind of gatekeeping attitude to one's ship and outfitting choices in exploration. It's the part of the game with the easiest entry requirements by far.

 

[Tessa R Act]

My first successful explorer was a Type-10.

These whiny little min-maxing pests should have the decency to stay quiet while the grab their fainting couches.

you remember the times when a paperthin ASPX with 54.3 Ly range required a god-mode throw in the engeneering game of dice as well?

 

[Tessa R Act]

Anything beyond that is a nice bonus to have, but you don't need it to put your name on a place that nobody has ever visited before.

and in 99.2% of cases nobody ever will visit again.....

 

[vSTAMPv]

It's a game play how you like.

I have a fully engineered Caspian and its great. But I still take out my original old ASP just for fun.

I spent the weekend turning a Type 11 Prospector into a fully mining capable medium explorer. 52 LY with a Nomad, SRV and all the mining gubbins - again for fun.

 

[CMDR GRUMPYHEDGEHOG]

My first successful explorer was a Type-10.

These whiny little min-maxing pests should have the decency to stay quiet while the grab their fainting couches.

There are loads of these in the FB groups. Funny how they can’t accept that not everyone has to play Elite their way.

 

[Nadreck]

I seriously considered the Panther as a big "Starship Enterprise" explorer before the Caspian came out. It has some good internals, and the two restricted slots (unlike the military slots of some other ships) can be used for modules that could be useful to an explorer: an extra fuel tank and a cargo rack.

 

[Jinx Chrome]

There are loads of these in the FB groups. Funny how they can’t accept that not everyone has to play Elite their way.

I would even say that if you don't find your OWN way to play Elite but just follow those 'thought leaders', you will lose fun pretty quickly. Sure, learning good practises and copying some good ship builds is necessary. But in the end it counts where you're getting the fun from (being competitive or playing more RP style, making great photos or movies, pursuing a career path, finding new galactic records, following the lore, colonising, etc.). You probably cannot do it all at the same time or with the same CMDR but you're able to switch your play style whenever you want.

Just keep flying.

 

[Stealthie]

The only real "fly in the ointment", with the PC2, is that a couple of it's slots are reserved for cargo racks.
If you were planning an "everything except the kitchen sink" build, it might be a little bit irritating that theres at least one slot that you can't fill with something useful.
Similar thing with the T11;- it makes a cracking exploration ship but the restricted slots make it slightly more inconvenient.

I went to Beagle Point in a T10 with a 31Ly jump-range so the PC2 wouldn't get criticism for it's jump-range.
The main reason I wouldn't pick a PC2 would be the rather letterbox-style view out of the cockpit.
Course, I'm still flying an Annie, so what do I know?!
Besides, the external camera is a thing, for all your glory shots.

 

[Commander Biscuit]

So, basically I’ve received a lot of backlash over my choice of exploration ship. The Panther Clipper II. I’ve outfitted it with 41ly jump range, a huge fuel tank, a Nomad, a Scarab, and a scorpion.
I honestly don’t see the issue, yet some “men” ( a term I use very loosely) seem to hate the fact I’m playing Elite as I want.
What a fantastic community.

There are some very definite rules about what you're allowed to use as an exploration ship on the forums. Usually the complaint is if your ship can move too fast (jump and scoop) then it's not a real exploration ship, and you are merely travelling not exploring if you go too fast at any point.

Making an unconventional explorer like the Panther usually gets the seal of approval, but the forums can be a fickle place I guess? I think it's a cool choice. Exploring in the Panther has a Prometheus vibe to it. But it's best to keep your head down and not talk about your exploration ship at all honestly.