Question regarding ship building and game mechanics

[Ashnak]

I'm using my type 9 to grind to get the cutter. I am close, just three ranks away

If my experiences from half a year ago are still valid - don't. "Just" three ranks take a long time, and doing cargo missions (even if you choose the high rep option) isn't/wasn't the most effective way.
Rank grinding worked better by doing passenger evac missions from Thargoid attack systems. Get a cold Phantom and the Thargs won't even notice you - and at least back then, a properly engineered Phantom could outrun the (inevitable) hyperdictors. If you want to stick to the T-9 and haven't done so yet (they also work great on the Cutter), I'd also suggest you unlock (at least) the Guardian shield reinforcements and FSD boosters.

 

[husky of snow]

OK. So people are asking for my ship build, and here it is. I have a few goals with this hip

If my experiences from half a year ago are still valid - don't. "Just" three ranks take a long time, and doing cargo missions (even if you choose the high rep option) isn't/wasn't the most effective way.
Rank grinding worked better by doing passenger evac missions from Thargoid attack systems. Get a cold Phantom and the Thargs won't even notice you - and at least back then, a properly engineered Phantom could outrun the (inevitable) hyperdictors. If you want to stick to the T-9 and haven't done so yet (they also work great on the Cutter), I'd also suggest you unlock (at least) the Guardian shield reinforcements and FSD boosters.

My problem with any of the guardian stuff is, I want this ship to be able to go into maltrums, and guardian modules just break in there

 

[Jmanis]

OK. So people are asking for my ship build, and here it is. I have a few goals with this hip

Missing a link?

My problem with any of the guardian stuff is, I want this ship to be able to go into maltrums, and guardian modules just break in there

You can unfit/ refit guardian modules as needs still.

 

[Rubbernuke]

I'm using my type 9 to grind to get the cutter. I am close, just three ranks away

The Cutter is the top tier T-9. The TTT9 if you will.

 

[husky of snow]

So people have been asking for my build, so here it is. I don't have much experience in ship building beyond mining and hauling. My ship has these goals and priorities, at least at the time of when I first got the ship. My end goal is to take what I learn from my type 9 and apply it to a cutter. These are my goals:

Get a cutter
Do this by running missions
Missions I'm comfterble with
Transport (deliver or retrieve comodities)
Salvage missions

Be able to survive if I do need to fight
I have practicly no combat experience, any help is apreciated

Also grind missions for engineering materials

Be able to astroid mine for engineering materials

Yes, trying for an all round ship is hard, I'm very forgetful and will leave modules behind that I need

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

Coriolis seems to be missing an optional slot, I have an advanced planetary approach suite in it

Money is an issue right now, but I am willing to grind to get it so I cam build a ship that will get me a cutter, and I want to use what 8 learn with the type 9 to build that cutter

 

[husky of snow]

Missing a link?

You can unfit/ refit guardian modules as needs still.

Sorry, sont know how a draft got posted

 

[Northpin]

So people have been asking for my build, so here it is. I don't have much experience in ship building beyond mining and hauling. My ship has these goals and priorities, at least at the time of when I first got the ship. My end goal is to take what I learn from my type 9 and apply it to a cutter. These are my goals:

Get a cutter
Do this by running missions
Missions I'm comfterble with
Transport (deliver or retrieve comodities)
Salvage missions

Be able to survive if I do need to fight
I have practicly no combat experience, any help is apreciated

Also grind missions for engineering materials

Be able to astroid mine for engineering materials

Yes, trying for an all round ship is hard, I'm very forgetful and will leave modules behind that I need

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

Coriolis seems to be missing an optional slot, I have an advanced planetary approach suite in it

Money is an issue right now, but I am willing to grind to get it so I cam build a ship that will get me a cutter, and I want to use what 8 learn with the type 9 to build that cutter

This is a nice goal, but - imo you are using the wrong tools for the job
Doing Supply/Delivery missions were my preferate activities while settling in a system - but i always done those in a Python, not in a T9

Mining for materials is doable, but then again - T9 is not that good for that - since you dont pick the fragments, only the materials, you dont need cargo space and you can do it in any ship. For example in a Cobra Mk3 which is fast and maneuverable.
Also, while minining for engineering materials may work - it's way better to look up for HGE (high grade emissions) Signal Sources - either by FSS-in the system and scanning all signal sources or by scanning the nav beacon. You can rely on luck to find those HGE or you can rely on Inara and a bit of game knowledge to find more of them.
The beauty with HGE is they contain mostly G5 (with some G4 for a couple of types) materials which you can then trade down to get the lower tiers in big numbers.

Now, if you dont have the credits to build and outfit a Python - you can keep trying to use the T9 but you really need to make sure you win Every Single Interdiction and submit only as a last resort
Winning interdictions is rather hard with the T9 - but there are a couple of tricks that may help. First and most important is to drop throttle to 50% (make a bind to it) when you're about to be interdicted - you get more "maneuverability" during the interdiction minigame.
A second trick (which works with the mouse, and less with Joystick/Controller) - more small and rapid and repeated inputs (too keep in the center of the escape vector during the interdiction minigame) seem to be more effective than inputs of larger amplitude.

I personally stopped using the T-9 (even tho i really like the flight model) simply because of those interdictions. Winning those interdictions is sometimes a tedious process - having to do it 5 times during a run... meh. And besides that, once in a blue moon it happens to get The Interdiction that i simply cannot win. And that can be a problem.

So, to improve your T-9 build - you can add a chaff in the open utility slot - it may buy you some time and a size 6 SLF hangar - just make sure you hire a Crew pilot and if you get attacked you can try either to see if you can win the fight - with the help of the SLF or at least you can keep the attacker distracted so you can get away.
BUT... the same attacker will be all over you again once you get into supercruise - to get rid of them permanently you need to win the interdiction or to summit and win the fight.
The problem with submitting is if you stacked several missions, each of them may generate a tail / bounty-hunter and they may all line up to interdict you and if you submit you may have the surprise to have them all dropping in your instance - that's why i said it's very important to win every single interdiction.

 

[Kayvan]

If I remember correctly, I grinded (ground?) my Empire rank just by stacking Courier missions between the systems notorious for that. Couple of hours and you're done. Of course the proper ship to do that in is the Imperial Courier. ^^ It won't earn you a lot of money though.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

So people have been asking for my build, so here it is.

Well there is your problem. That is what we call a "paper plane". Your passive defences are nowhere near strong enough to withstand your attackers. It's tough to give advice beyond "you're flying the wrong ship", but the one thing I would say is: Don't fly a mixed build. If you haul, ditch the mining gear and replace it with hull. Or are you taking mining missions? I thought you said you were a trader.

Coriolis seems to be missing an optional slot, I have an advanced planetary approach suite in it

Coriolis doesn't show that slot, as it is the same on every ship and you cannot put anything else in it.

If I remember correctly, I grinded (ground?) my Empire rank just by stacking Courier missions between the systems notorious for that. Couple of hours and you're done. Of course the proper ship to do that in is the Imperial Courier. ^^ It won't earn you a lot of money though.

I think the meta is still doing courier missions between Ngalinn and Mainani.

but really... get a Python (what exactly are your funds?) and outfit it for whatever job you're about to do. Don't run mining gear on hauling trips, and so on.

 

[Ashnak]

Ok, a few first comments from the past:

• 7A thrusters on a T9 are not worth it. That cow won't move, whatever you do. 6A thrusters will save you 40 tons and quite some power so that you can
• change trhe engineering on the power plant to "armoured". That'll give you a bit more integrity, a bit better thermal performance and a bit more power
• you shouldn't use E ranked modules at all (life support, sensors). They're just cheap, that's all. Most people would use D as default (lightweight).
• you (seem to) want to use the single loadout for everything. Don't. Swap loadouts for mining (more mining lasers, more collector limpets), long distance transport (decent fuel scoop)

 

[Factabulous]

• Look at your mission list in the transactions tab. Do the ones that are sending enemies against you FIRST (or just abandon them) for a quiet life
• If you don't want to abandon missions because you have no money - then why are you grinding for a Cutter? they are expensive
• Enemies tend to only start after you have had the job for a while, so take fewer missions and do them faster
• Don't worry about the ship build - nothing will change how easily you get interdicted except how well you fly, and if you actually are looking at the screen when it happens
• If you get successfully interdicted more than 1 in 100 times in a T9 you are doing it wrong. If you get interdicted more than 1 in 1000 times in a non-T-9 you are also doing it wrong

 

[Shurimal]

Instead of pirates, system security would spawn, and dispite never shooting a single , the fired on me

A known bug; NPC-s have some mixup with their firegroups making them shoot at you briefly when attempting a scan. If they have turrets installed, these will continue shooting you until they or you get out of range.

And sysauthority vessels can very occasionally go full offensive at you. I blame the ripple effect from the Grey Swan event. Don't shoot back if you don't want bounties on your head. Just go to supercruise and drop back in to reset the instance.

ran two size two, highest grade I can get for a turret beam laser

This is a problem if you set them to "fire at will" and the above bug happens. Your turrets will shoot at them, every sysauthority in the vicinity will go hostile and you'll get bounties on your head and eventually killed.

Bottom line, don't use turrets in "fire at will mode". It's asking for trouble.

 

[SteveWW57]

My belief is that the Cutter is not a dream ship, but a nightmare ship. If you want a large, cool looking ship, then it's the Imperial Clipper. Still a large ship so restrictions on where you can go, much less cargo space and range. Range range is solved by adding a fuel scoop into one of the smaller optional modules, as well as adding an extra fuel tank. Even un-engineered, that ship goes like the proverbial bat out of hell and handles so well.

Until well established, I would suggest sticking with medium ships. The Python is a top choice for hauling (200 ton capacity) and mining (128 ton capacity) (combat if desired) and passengers. The Krait is not far behind, and in some respects better.

If you want to get the rank as fast as possible, you have to accept the repetition of doing the same mission between the same stations over and over. Passenger missions are good for gaining rank, but the data courier runs as mentioned above work in a small cheap ship.

Adjusting the loadout for the task is important. Do not carry unnecessary weight, like weapons on a trader or miner. Learn to win the interdiction game (the mini game and if it looks like you are going to get pulled out of SC, submit and boost away).

Steve

 

[Darkfyre99]

So people have been asking for my build, so here it is. I don't have much experience in ship building beyond mining and hauling. My ship has these goals and priorities, at least at the time of when I first got the ship. My end goal is to take what I learn from my type 9 and apply it to a cutter. These are my goals:

Get a cutter
Do this by running missions
Missions I'm comfterble with
Transport (deliver or retrieve comodities)
Salvage missions

Be able to survive if I do need to fight
I have practicly no combat experience, any help is apreciated

Okay, looking at your ship, IMHO, there are a number of problems:

• You have a paper thin hull. In any ship that may face hostile ships, which is anything in the Bubble, I slap military grade composites on that puppy. What's the point of getting to your destination a minute faster if you're getting destroyed in route?
  • You've been mining, so you should have access to Selene Jean. One she's unlocked, add heavy duty and blast resistance.
• Remove the weapons. You're in a huge, slow moving target, not an agile fighter. Having those weapons just tempts you to stick around and fight in something that is uniquely unsuited for combat. When you go back to mining, use a fixed beam mining laser. Turreted is only good for multi-crew, IIRC.
• If you're hauling cargo, either bulk or mission, there's no point to be kitted out for other purposes. Either replace the mining kit and surface scanner with additional cargo slots, or install hull reinforcement packs.
• No engineering on your shield generator. If you have limited engineering mats, I would've engineered that first.
• I would've put thermal resistance on those shield boosters, since you're facing NPCs.
• I personally prefer chaff launchers over heat sink launchers.
• You have a free optional slot. Use that for point defense.

But my biggest piece of advice would be: sell that shield generator, and kit out a Python to run those missions instead. You say you're relatively new to the game, and it sounds like to me that you've got too much ship for your relative skill level. A Python is a great multi-role ship, especially if you insist on fighting back. Personally, I would stick to dedicated fighters for combat until you build up your combat skills. You'll have a lot less on the line that way.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

But my biggest piece of advice would be: sell that shield generator, and kit out a Python to run those missions instead.

oh wow. I just realized that an 8A shield generator costs 162 MCr. That gets you a long way towards any well outfitted medium ship.

 

[SteveWW57]

oh wow. I just realized that an 8A shield generator costs 162 MCr. That gets you a long way towards any well outfitted medium ship.

And just compare the prices of ships outfitted for roles. Your (un-engineered, merely A/D rated) trader cutter can run to 435 million whereas a Python is 88 million. Making the Python "good enough" as a start. Just engineer the FSD.

Steve

 

[cheechoong]

like the op, i have a t9 that's part cargo carrier, part miner: my t9

i regularly use it, mostly for cg and tritium trades but in the past for laser mining and missions (those 50m cr hauling ones) as well. no problem taking out succession of anacondas spawned by missions. i'd say engineering helps very much as well as a decent npc crew. ship launched fighters remain a great way to distract attackers and provide respite. also, use flight assist off for quick turns to mitigate the t9's lack of agility.

if you stack multiple missions, chances are higher you'll be interdicted more frequently by more parties. my t9 may be able to prevail over a handful of anacondas but i tire of rebooting the ship after each fight to regain 50% of my shields. in situations where i stacked say a dozen missions, i would just fly out of the station i just took the missions from on a dedicated combat ship to try to thin out the bad guys before i start the missions proper. that way the return trip is less stressful while collecting nice bounties on the side.

or fit a supercruise assist module. engage sca to your destination but point your nose slightly off course (outside the sca reticle) so that you fly at full speed to the station. where you would usually cut to 75% when 6s to the station when flying manual, you continue full speed but point your nose towards the sca reticle. the point of this is to evade or at least reduce frequency of interdiction, by slowing down less when reaching the station which is where most interdictions occur.

or as other cmdrs have pointed out, use a more survivable ship eg python. when i started out in elite, the cobra then the krait were my do-everything ships. they remain regularly used as they are so versatile.

i get that your t9 is a stepping stone towards the cutter but i much prefer the t9's handling to the cutter. i seldom use the cutter for that reason. not to discourage you, just to say the cutter won't necessarily solve some of your current difficulties.

anyway, the beauty of elite is you can do many things many ways at your pace. a t9 can be made to be a multifunction platform though you can just take the easier way with a more agile and versatile ship like the krait. don't feel compelled to follow just one way.

 

[Helmut Grokenberger]

And just compare the prices of ships outfitted for roles. Your (un-engineered, merely A/D rated) trader cutter can run to 435 million whereas a Python is 88 million. Making the Python "good enough" as a start. Just engineer the FSD.

Steve

I would probably also engineer the thrusters, and if I can, shields and boosters. I did a quick click-together, this is what you could buy for that 8A shield generator. I limited engineering to the FSD and Drives; I'd fully engineer the FSD first, and get the drives to G3 if possible (I don't know what the engineering chain is though, it's been too long for me), and stuck the two boosters in OP already started to engineer. Rest is unengineered, and it hauls 192 t.

Still a litte less shields than I'd like (only 630 raw), but this should be able to evade all and any NPC interdictions, and survive attacks from all but the nastiest NPC attackers. G3 the shield boosters and generator to G3, and you're looking at 1000 MJ. That's more comfortable.

 

[SteveWW57]

I would probably also engineer the thrusters, and if I can, shields and boosters. I did a quick click-together, this is what you could buy for that 8A shield generator. I limited engineering to the FSD and Drives; I'd fully engineer the FSD first, and get the drives to G3 if possible (I don't know what the engineering chain is though, it's been too long for me), and stuck the two boosters in OP already started to engineer. Rest is unengineered, and it hauls 192 t.

Still a litte less shields than I'd like (only 630 raw), but this should be able to evade all and any NPC interdictions, and survive attacks from all but the nastiest NPC attackers. G3 the shield boosters and generator to G3, and you're looking at 1000 MJ. That's more comfortable.

Farseer can engineer G5 FSD and G3 thrusters. Good enough. G1 Booster.

Steve

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Even going for the full fat and all the trimmings option for a Python is still a manageable amount IMO, especially if you buy your modules in Li Yong Rui space.

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

With this build I can comfortably take on a destroy incoming enemy Anacondas (or whatever else is attacking) and a non-engineered version would still have no problem escaping if you do things like putting 4 pips into sys if you're attacked.