Ships Pimp my build: Splora-conda

[ModishNouns]

I'm a way off, yet, both financially and distance from the nearest ship yard, but I've a hankering for an exploration focussed Anaconda.

This is my starting point. (updated with scoop)

Guidelines:-

1. Purely PvE exploration. Defensive weapons only.
2. Other than shields, I don't like under-sizing things. It feels bad. Convince me.
3. SRV and SLF are mandatory.
4. I have level 5 access at Farseer but lacking with other engineers.

Ta

 

[Kasero]

Mandatory: the best fuel scoop you can afford (at least 7B)

 

[ModishNouns]

Mandatory: the best fuel scoop you can afford (at least 7B)

I thought a scoop was on there. Well spotted!

7B or 6A? I already have a 6A in storage that I bought for my Asp. It seemed overkill and did ridiculous things to my re-buy so I shelved it.

Not sure why I have two AFMUs of different sizes. Clearly done in a hurry

 

[goemon]

6A thrusters will perform the same as 7A, as both are below 50% optimal mass with an explonda.

check out the sticky in the exploration subforum "portal", there is a very good guide how to outfit exploration ships.

 

[goemon]

I thought a scoop was on there. Well spotted!

7B or 6A? I already have a 6A in storage that I bought for my Asp. It seemed overkill and did ridiculous things to my re-buy so I shelved it.

fuelusage of a class 6 fsd (conda) is higher per jump, than of a class 5 fsd (aspE). 7B performs better than a 6a ... there is no reason for a class 6 fuelscoop on an explonda.

 

[Kasero]

I suggest the 7B, you will like it in the long range and still quite affordable.

I am back from Colonia in this Anaconda. I have some enhancements to do, but she performed great on this journey.

 

[znôrt]

2. Other than shields, I don't like under-sizing things. It feels bad. Convince me.

i can't, i agree

i only do that for jump range or raw speed. if those are not priorities for you, just don't.

3. SRV and SLF are mandatory.

i agree with this too!

4. I have level 5 access at Farseer but lacking with other engineer.

then just roll increased fsd range and you're good to go. it's optional, of course, only if you have a destination and want to get there fast. (disclaimer: your jump range actually limits the places you can visit or go through. that's why many explorers absolutely max out jump. luckily the galaxy has places enough to explore with limited jump range).

one thing i might ask: you actually own the conda, right? because if you don't, maybe you should fly it before scratching your head pimping a build for a ship ... you might not even like. exploring gets lonely, not a good thing to spend so much time alone in something you don't really enjoy.

 

[ModishNouns]

one thing i might ask: you actually own the conda, right? because if you don't, maybe you should fly it before scratching your head pimping a build for a ship ... you might not even like. exploring gets lonely, not a good thing to spend so much time alone in something you don't really enjoy.

This is a worry, tbh. I'm an AspX pilot. Maybe always will be.

What I really want, though, is something with a decent jump range and a fighter bay. The Beluga also fits that bill but is just as fat and unmaneuverable as the Conda?

 

[goemon]

This is a worry, tbh. I'm an AspX pilot. Maybe always will be.

What I really want, though, is something with a decent jump range and a fighter bay. The Beluga also fits that bill but is just as fat and unmaneuverable as the Conda?

no, the beluga is surprisingly nimble in supercruise (and for its size in real space).

but the beluga can't fit acceptable fuelscoop + shield for landing + fighter bay.

some love the supercruise handling of a conda (me for exampel. a special floating feeling!), many hate it. at the end of the day i prefer the conda above an AspE, but the DBE above both.

you could consider a keelback.

 

[Virandar]

This is a worry, tbh. I'm an AspX pilot. Maybe always will be.

What I really want, though, is something with a decent jump range and a fighter bay. The Beluga also fits that bill but is just as fat and unmaneuverable as the Conda?

Didn't fly Beluga, so can't compare with that ship. But comparing with other heavies (Corvette and Cutter) Conda is not a speed demon or something to do cartwheels in. Still, I like her. She feels solid and in a good sense. Like a safe ship that will take you far. I wouldn't call her fat and un-manouverable. She's just built like a tank and you can feel it, that's all.
For sure AspX is much more responsive, but I prefer my Conda for longer trips. There's also the fact that you don't have to compromise on what optional internals you want there and there's also the option to have a fighter with you.

 

[znôrt]

The Beluga also fits that bill but is just as fat and unmaneuverable as the Conda?

don't know the beluga. but the point is that it's personal preference, you must try out yourself. the conda is cool, and many people love it, but it just may not be your thing.

i agree pretty much with goemon's preferences, though. and also would give the keelback a shot, it's a very nice flying bathtub (with fighters!).

 

[Virandar]

Also, 40Ly in my multipurpose (mostly trading) Conda. Engineered, but it's 40Ly in a ship which has teeth. I don't usually fight in it and wouldn't take it to a CZ, but when I pop in to a Nav Beacon, it feels like being a great white shark. I have no problems turning around and hunting down smaller and more nimble ships (hardpoints are either gimballed - bigger ones, or turreted - smaller ones). Majestic would be the good word to describe it. But yes, it is a matter of personal preference and what you are used to.

 

[ModishNouns]

Thanks all. I will probably give the Anaconda a try when I have the cash. I can always sell it if I don't like it

 

[Nighteyes]

Just to add, I love my Anaconda, and will eventually kit it out for exploration. I've had no problems with its supercruise manoeuvrability, you just need to know what you're doing and prepare for turns early. It feels like a genuinely large ship. Also, scooping a star is still easy if you keep your throttle at 75%, which is still high enough to jump with once you're aligned with your next hop.

 

[bgraziose]

Also, 40Ly in my multipurpose (mostly trading) Conda. Engineered, but it's 40Ly in a ship which has teeth. I don't usually fight in it and wouldn't take it to a CZ, but when I pop in to a Nav Beacon, it feels like being a great white shark. I have no problems turning around and hunting down smaller and more nimble ships (hardpoints are either gimballed - bigger ones, or turreted - smaller ones). Majestic would be the good word to describe it. But yes, it is a matter of personal preference and what you are used to.

I'm working on fitting my Conda also for exploration (passenger data mission/planet scanning at the same time, double the payout idea) and I'm with you. i have an Asp Ex small upgrade to FSD to 37LY and my Conda's lighter fit is 32ly. id rather take the Conda. My Conda has 4 Large/Mid turreted engendered burst/pulse lasers and anything smaller than Python class ship gets roasted by the turrets. Don't really need my Hugh multi cannon (upgraded to corrosion shells\Large Multi Cannon (Incendiary shells) and small cannon combo). Probably next week Ill take the trip with weapons, shield and some limpets for material finds along the way, and forgoing all other things (taking the obvious needed scanners). with a passenger i don't think i need a SUV now due to their needs. I'll do a mid level range to see how I like it before fulling committing to one of the long ventures into the unknown.

I love the exploring aspect of the game but every few days i get the need to blow stuff up. My Conda is not A rated (a ways to go before the power plant/distributor is there) so hunting in High Rez/Nav Points are fine but CZ are sticky if the shields go down, so I tend to avoid those for now.

 

[Virandar]

I'm working on fitting my Conda also for exploration (passenger data mission/planet scanning at the same time, double the payout idea) and I'm with you. i have an Asp Ex small upgrade to FSD to 37LY and my Conda's lighter fit is 32ly. id rather take the Conda. My Conda has 4 Large/Mid turreted engendered burst/pulse lasers and anything smaller than Python class ship gets roasted by the turrets. Don't really need my Hugh multi cannon (upgraded to corrosion shells\Large Multi Cannon (Incendiary shells) and small cannon combo). Probably next week Ill take the trip with weapons, shield and some limpets for material finds along the way, and forgoing all other things (taking the obvious needed scanners). with a passenger i don't think i need a SUV now due to their needs. I'll do a mid level range to see how I like it before fulling committing to one of the long ventures into the unknown.

I love the exploring aspect of the game but every few days i get the need to blow stuff up. My Conda is not A rated (a ways to go before the power plant/distributor is there) so hunting in High Rez/Nav Points are fine but CZ are sticky if the shields go down, so I tend to avoid those for now.

I got blown up by some stupid Python(!) a few days ago. Which is what happens when you underestimate the opponent just because you've tackled many similar ones in the past. No problems whatsoever to keep him in the crosshairs, but I was flying with huge and large Beams I didn't test before and poor Connie didn't quite have the juice to keep them shooting. Oh well, 9M less and lesson learned. Switched back to Pulse lasers. So yeah, unless your Anaconda is equipped for combat, it's best to pay attention to whom you are taking on and where. High intensity CZ is not the place to be for sure.

Funny thing. Yesterday I re-fitted my Conda for exploration. And the jump range dropped to 36 with some change This is the link to the current build (except engineering): https://eddp.co/u/WBzH87fN So it looks like I will have to skip a few QoL improvements (collector limpets) and make other changes (lighter shield) as well as do some research on shaving off some mass through engineering. Generally it seems that getting jump ranges over 40 would require quite a bit of retrofitting and getting rid of several things I don't really want to get rid of (i.e. weapons). I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that with premium FSD boost I can get out of sticky places.

On the bright side, I used to use 5A Fuel Scoop, which I found quite sufficient when just flying around trading and whatnots. Even if it wasn't incredibly fast, but I could also fit it in my other ships if need be. Yesterday I tried 6A and the difference is significant. My scooping technique is to jump out, throttle down to 50%, go around the star to align with the next target and scoop during that time. When 5A never quite managed to refill the tank after a jump, 6A has more than enough time for that.

As for AspX, I have one and I'm not a fan of it. When I started, I wanted to have one and thought it will be the best ship ever, but I didn't want to buy it until I had enough creds to equip it properly. So focused on making creds and somehow went through Cobra, T6, T7, Python and then Conda. I already had the Conda when I got my AspX. Apart from one trip to Horsehead Nebula AspX wasn't really used much. Nothing wrong with it, I just prefer Conda. Which again shows that really a lot depends on your personal preferences. I like having compartments to spare and I like flying big and heavy ships, somebody else might find it tedious and too slow.

 

[bgraziose]

I got blown up by some stupid Python(!) a few days ago. Which is what happens when you underestimate the opponent just because you've tackled many similar ones in the past. No problems whatsoever to keep him in the crosshairs, but I was flying with huge and large Beams I didn't test before and poor Connie didn't quite have the juice to keep them shooting. Oh well, 9M less and lesson learned. Switched back to Pulse lasers. So yeah, unless your Anaconda is equipped for combat, it's best to pay attention to whom you are taking on and where. High intensity CZ is not the place to be for sure.

Funny thing. Yesterday I re-fitted my Conda for exploration. And the jump range dropped to 36 with some change This is the link to the current build (except engineering): https://eddp.co/u/WBzH87fN So it looks like I will have to skip a few QoL improvements (collector limpets) and make other changes (lighter shield) as well as do some research on shaving off some mass through engineering. Generally it seems that getting jump ranges over 40 would require quite a bit of retrofitting and getting rid of several things I don't really want to get rid of (i.e. weapons). I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that with premium FSD boost I can get out of sticky places.

On the bright side, I used to use 5A Fuel Scoop, which I found quite sufficient when just flying around trading and whatnots. Even if it wasn't incredibly fast, but I could also fit it in my other ships if need be. Yesterday I tried 6A and the difference is significant. My scooping technique is to jump out, throttle down to 50%, go around the star to align with the next target and scoop during that time. When 5A never quite managed to refill the tank after a jump, 6A has more than enough time for that.

As for AspX, I have one and I'm not a fan of it. When I started, I wanted to have one and thought it will be the best ship ever, but I didn't want to buy it until I had enough creds to equip it properly. So focused on making creds and somehow went through Cobra, T6, T7, Python and then Conda. I already had the Conda when I got my AspX. Apart from one trip to Horsehead Nebula AspX wasn't really used much. Nothing wrong with it, I just prefer Conda. Which again shows that really a lot depends on your personal preferences. I like having compartments to spare and I like flying big and heavy ships, somebody else might find it tedious and too slow.

I love the feel of the Conda. I have always wanted a game to fly big large ships, not so much smaller "dog fight' style ones but ships that can do everything and carry a big stick. If i can get my Conda up to jump ranges to match my Asp Ex (or close when property fitted) I may be down to using just 2 ships for all my needs in the future (well, 3...i am a few ranks from Corvette for all my combat needs. Then my Conda will be truly exploration/cargo..some mining) and Python for all other things

 

[Virandar]

I love the feel of the Conda. I have always wanted a game to fly big large ships, not so much smaller "dog fight' style ones but ships that can do everything and carry a big stick. If i can get my Conda up to jump ranges to match my Asp Ex (or close when property fitted) I may be down to using just 2 ships for all my needs in the future (well, 3...i am a few ranks from Corvette for all my combat needs. Then my Conda will be truly exploration/cargo..some mining) and Python for all other things

If you are willing to compromise more than I, Conda can jump. Personally I don't like flying totally stripped down ships, I feel exploration vessel should be reasonably versatile, but each to their own. Conda can jump, bite, haul cargo around and it's built like a tank. After the Python, I think it's my favourite ship so far. Followed by Cobra MKIII.
I guess I'm DeLacy fanboy I feel strange when I hear "Lakon Victor India Romeo or Guatamaya Victor India Romeo" or whatever that's not "DeLacy Victor India Romeo".

 

[mikekim]

my current Explora Conda... on its way to Beagle Point, currently 18kly out

 

[Virandar]

my current Explora Conda... on its way to Beagle Point, currently 18kly out

This shows me I will have to make some uncomfortable decisions before I head out. Like shaving off power plant and power distributor sizes as well as loosing weapons
And some testing of various size and class thrusters on planets with various G. I nearly crashed my Python on 1.6G planet yesterday (was 30 meters from the re-buy screen) and I don't want to have the same experience with my Conda at some point. She can boost like there's no tomorrow now, but with smaller thrusters and less juice that might not be the case... I see you kept size 7 thrusters, was there a reason for that?