Thank God for the Beta

[Deleted member 182079]

Tried the Cutter in live for a week or so, reasonably engineered.

Found it a chore to fly (as opposed to the Vette, or T10, or Beluga which I all own) and worst of all the insane money it requires to properly outfit, tying up a large chunk of my assets in one ship, plus the running costs if something goes wrong made me realise this ship isn't for me.

I purchased paint jobs and ship kits for all my permanent ships in my fleet but had to think long and hard with the Cutter and ultimately decided against it.

I also don't feel the role of mass hauler fits its aestetic - and for that and other roles I already have excellent ships that fit those better, looks and utility wise.

 

[[VR] Frank_G]

Woah! Someone call the naming-police stat!

I thought it was a rule that Kraits are called Pancake, not 'condas. Conda = fatboi, krait is flat as a ....

...manta ray and sharp like a razor.

 

[Phazon Xenomorph]

A feature to try before you buy or something would be nice but that's what beta is for I guess. I personally can't fly any ship where I'm not front and center on the cockpit for maximum viewing angles and handling. Being off to the side left or side right irritates the hell outta me. I AM THE COMMANDER (A, WHERE IS THE COMMANDA? HE KNO DE WAE!), I do not play second fiddle with a co-pilot or anyone. Those people are behind me, not taking up my angles for viewing and piloting the ship to maximum effectiveness!

 

[Deleted member 182079]

How do people manage driving their cars being off centre

 

[Kaltern]

I, like most people, have flown every ship in the game, and I've either liked or disliked it for various reasons (can't stand the FDL, never figured out why it's so popular...)

Back in the days when credits were not quite so easy to come by, I eyed up the Cutter with undisguised longing (just ask anyone from Canonn Discord back then...) and I finally resolved to get on with the grind of rep and acquire one of those magnificent beasts.

It took a long time. I'd found a really nice spot for rep, and it was at the same time the new planetary scanning missions had been introduced - including the 'scan one, complete many' mission which I unashamedly made much use of. And the millions of courier missions of course....So the money built up, the rep increased and finally, after I don't know how long, I was finally ready to make that purchase.

My new shiny Cutter. Many screenshots later, I took it for a proper spin. Mainly D rated, with not exactly a huge amount of firepower, nonetheless, the gaping cargobay was just crazy, and a CG or two later, my wallet was stuffed and my admiration for the ship was unparall....

No.. no, shut up ... stupid memory...

It was awful! The ship felt like it weighed the same as a small moon. It took 500 years to turn in a circle. I quickly realised the pilot position not being quite in the centre of the viewing screen, while only an optical illusion, was just... odd. That took me some time to get used to.

And it was literally as I finished my first delivery CG that I realised... the greatest ship in the Imperial fleet, its crown jewel, status symbol of the mega rich - the iPhone X of the ship world... was nothing more than a freight train in space.

Sure it has a huge hardpoint, and many smaller hardpoints, and utility slots for days. But the optionals...there just never felt like enough. And for combat.. unless everything is a turret, I could never really figure out how to fight effectively in one. Sure, with many turrets and a gimballed beam at the top, it was pretty easy to take out one or two pirates. But in a combat zone, I found it much more of a challenge, and not a fun one.

So.. I decided that the only thing to do was to abandon my Imperialism, and become chums with the Federation. So off we went again, although the grind to the 'Vette was made slightly easier with the cavernous belly of the Cutter, it still took an insane amount of time (especially as I didn't have 12 hours a day by now...) - but eventually I got there, and with only a slight amount of regret I traded the fat whale in for the sleek Corvette.

And.. wow. The feeling of absolute oneness I felt as I pulled away from the station was just joyous. No more moon-sized weight, turning a circle in a normal amount of time... ok sure the jump range was atrocious, but I resolved to fix that later, but... yeah.

And then I did a little bit of combat. I did have a bit more coin since I was grinding to get the thing, and I was able to kit it out quite modestly. B rated powerplant, because I was not yet megarich, but everything else was pretty much A Spec, and with the 2 glorious huge hardpoints and other various flavours of turreted beams and cannon, I dove into the fray... and it was actually fun! Now I am definitely not the best combat pilot - I much prefer exploration, but I think I can at least hold my own if I need to defend an attack - but my 'Vette was just unstoppable. And with the extra addition of a fighter (didn't have those when I originally got my Cutter), it almost felt like cheating.

So yes... I think we all have our own preferences to the ship we fly. But I've not yet found another ship that can do virtually everything, except land on small stations. And with a bit of engineering, and some Guardian Grind resulting in an FSD booster, Emerald In The Stars is now a very competent exploration ship - that just happens to be armed to the teeth

I just think it's a little sad that the jewel of the Imperial fleet is really just a cargo ship.

 

[krusty23]

I'm not a big ship fan either really.
In the current live game I have a T9 which I actually like because it's a bit more of a challenge to fly and my all my traders and explorers are weapon less so it can be fun in the T9 avoiding pirates, etc.

I bought an Anaconda primarily so I could engineer the parts for my T9, as it's better for jumping around in.
My conda has since become a passenger ship that I'll get out every now and again.

I've never really wanted the Cutter or Corvette because I had this impression that once I get those it's kind of game over.

Anyway in this beta after trying and enjoying a lot of the new stuff I thought I'd try a few ships I hadn't before so I bought the Cutter, Corvette, Challenger, Orca (no restricted slots) and Dolphin. Fully A rated and engineered them all which says a lot about how much I have saved in Credits and matts.

To be honest of those ships I really liked the Cutter and the Saud Kruger ships.
In fact I will probably buy the Cutter in the live game, after flying the T9 I found the Cutter is a breeze to fly.
Plus the Cutters uber shields, decent unladen jump range, lots of optional options.
So I may have to give in and buy one and retire my T9.


PS I absolutely hated the Corvette but I suppose I'm an imperial at heart anyway.

 

[moorison]

And.. wow. The feeling of absolute oneness I felt as I pulled away from the station was just joyous. No more moon-sized weight, turning a circle in a normal amount of time... ok sure the jump range was atrocious, but I resolved to fix that later, but... yeah.

And then I did a little bit of combat. I did have a bit more coin since I was grinding to get the thing, and I was able to kit it out quite modestly. B rated powerplant, because I was not yet megarich, but everything else was pretty much A Spec, and with the 2 glorious huge hardpoints and other various flavours of turreted beams and cannon, I dove into the fray... and it was actually fun! Now I am definitely not the best combat pilot - I much prefer exploration, but I think I can at least hold my own if I need to defend an attack - but my 'Vette was just unstoppable. And with the extra addition of a fighter (didn't have those when I originally got my Cutter), it almost felt like cheating.

So yes... I think we all have our own preferences to the ship we fly. But I've not yet found another ship that can do virtually everything, except land on small stations. And with a bit of engineering, and some Guardian Grind resulting in an FSD booster, Emerald In The Stars is now a very competent exploration ship - that just happens to be armed to the teeth

The one thing preventing me from trying the Corvette (haven't tried the Anaconda either) is the bridge position that far back. Seeing some weapons is nice but it is effectively a reduction in field of view (although nothing is as bad as the Adder with less then half of the screen). At least the FTL-range isn't that much of a problem anymore.

 

[moorison]

I've never really wanted the Cutter or Corvette because I had this impression that once I get those it's kind of game over.

I have a list of all visitor beacons I found and there are still many unchecked entries. Access to restricted systems is another, even though those are usually not as exciting.

 

[lenna]

I know some of you love your big ships, and I have nothing but admiration for you. But for me, I am happy I got to try out one of the 'big 3' and more happy to finally be able to confirm they aren't for me. I would hate to take one into combat as it would not suit the way I fly and fight. I will resign myself now to the only two large ships I will own, a Clipper and when 3.3 has dropped, an Orca for exploration (although that is still a toss up with the Phantom - love that ship in Beta).

The Big-3 are actually the Big-4/5 (including the T10D and possibly the Beluga), but I digress. Each of the big ships have unique characteristics and feel slightly different from each other but IMO using them as maxed out trade ships is not making best use of them.

The Cutter is the worst of the primary 3 for cost management because it is also the most expensive of them. It also drifts more heavily than either the Anaconda or the Corvette - this can be an asset or a liability depending on how you fly it. It is however fast enough to avoid damage and with the right tactics can be very effective. The Cutter can be an effective ship even when not max classed thus the cost element need not be overly prohibitive.

The Anaconda is perhaps the most utilitarian of the primary 3, a Python on steroids. With the right outfitting the Anaconda can make a superior mining vessel (relative to the Python) and the new mining mechanics of 3.3 only strengthens that position IMO. One of the key discriminators is the SLF capability since the SLF can serve as an effective decoy if not defender (albeit a disposable one).

The Corvette is essentially a more combat oriented Anaconda - same kind of price range but better weapon positioning IMO. IME it is far more effective in Combat than the Anaconda, but probably on par with my current Cutter (not fully A-Spec).

Overall, there is more to ship builds than min-maxing and each ship flies at least subtly differently. There are some key common factors about flying at least the primary big-3 but the two key points in a PvE setting IME is be prepared to use your shields to maximum effect in order to minimise repair costs and two always be prepared for a fight in any of them.

I am currently only Master in my combat rank but have been up against Elite/Dangerous/Deadly NPCs and in the big ships it definitely pays to submit and fight any NPC pirates IME. The Anaconda is the only one of the primary big 3 I have had any combat issues with and that I put down to effective shield strength being too weak. The sweet spot seems to be a natural/absolute 1k with Bi-Weaves, higher than that is nice and probably essential for heavy (more than a wing on 1) combat situations, much lower than that is asking for trouble.

Just to reiterate, I am not against the Big 3, just glad the Beta gave me the opportunity to try one out and finally confirm they aren't for me.

Fair enough, but I would say that you probably gimped your own experience with your build choices. If all you want is a cargo hauler that you can run with then the Big-3 are probably not for you, but if you are willing to engage in combat then the Big-3 can provide cargo hauling in relative safety (albeit with perhaps lower cargo loads).

My miner/explorer/trader Python has a 96T cargo capacity, my miner/explorer/trader Anaconda has a 128T cargo capacity, my trader/explorer Cutter has a 256T cargo capacity by comparison. For big-hauls, I have a 640T T-9 but I would not rely on it for combat. My point being, large cargo holds come at a price and min-max-builds are not necessarily the optimal approach for any given ship.

 

[Kaltern]

The one thing preventing me from trying the Corvette (haven't tried the Anaconda either) is the bridge position that far back. Seeing some weapons is nice but it is effectively a reduction in field of view (although nothing is as bad as the Adder with less then half of the screen). At least the FTL-range isn't that much of a problem anymore.

It's no different than flying a Conda, except you're not made of paper One thing to try and keep in mind, is that you have to think of the big ships as more like Destroyer class ships, rather than fighters - you're not generally going to be dogfighting in a Vette, so the slight lack of FOV is much less of an issue, as you're relying more on turrets to do the damage - although the turning speed of a Vette is enough to be able to keep your target more or less in front of you.

And it does take a little adjustment to remember the front of the ship is WAY in front of you - poking your nose into walls is a common issue until you get used to it

 

[lenna]

It's no different than flying a Conda, except you're not made of paper

The Corvette is better than the Anaconda for bridge position IMO/IME, the Corvette does not have a sagging belly/backside to deal with and the weapons in general have better convergence with the bridge view.

One thing to try and keep in mind, is that you have to think of the big ships as more like Destroyer class ships, rather than fighters

Agreed in general.

And it does take a little adjustment to remember the front of the ship is WAY in front of you - poking your nose into walls is a common issue until you get used to it

I am not sure I agree with this, but then I have played the X series of games and the bridges in the Carriers/Destroyers do tend to be positioned further back in the main so perhaps I am used to the general approach. Slightly O/T, I am looking forward to trying to pilot some of the bigger ships in X4 (eventually).

 

[moorison]

It's no different than flying a Conda,...

The Corvette is better than the Anaconda...

Well, there is no reason to not at least try it out I suppose.

 

[Kaltern]

Well, there is no reason to not at least try it out I suppose.

Bear in mind when I say 'like flying a 'Conda' I was referring to the 'look' of the viewscreen, it does handle a bit differently. (and is just better )

 

[moorison]

Bear in mind when I say 'like flying a 'Conda' I was referring to the 'look' of the viewscreen, it does handle a bit differently. (and is just better )

Don't worry, I expected that it handles different, the Corvette being called the most manoeuvrable of the big three. I shortened the quotes so that it is clear who I am referencing but the answers themselves were very detailed in comparison to my response.

And regarding giving it a try: It definitively requires getting used to but is not as bad as I suspected, the bow only taking a small part of the screen. I scraped it a few times entering and leaving a station and even got stuck while trying to land on a surface port. I didn't expect looking up obstructed. It probably won't become my favorite combat ship but I won't sell it either.

 

[Stealthie]

Yep, the Beta just saved me a lot of money! On a whim this afternoon I decided to get a Cutter.

......

Okay first mission down, did make some decent credits but the repair cost (for the emergency drop when I didn't clear the star - yes my fault, I admit it) chewed into the profits more than I thought.

Wait 'til you use one to do something like ship stuff to Colonia, and then need to repair the Integrity.

 

[Commander Vesica Urinaria]

It would be really nice to have a "try before buy" feature in Elite Dangerous. Something like a simulator at every station that sells ships that would allow a potential buyer to try out the ships available at that station.
Maybe even with engineering (obviously just selecting the desired mod and special effect - as it is only a simulation) and then some test scenarios to try out the ship with.

And yes, betas are great for testing ships and more crazy engineering stuff without wasting resources (other than time).

Yes I would like this too..
I tested a ship or two by now and in the process I lost quite a few millions of credits, simply because I didn't like the ship and sold it immidiately.. With the cheaper ships I didn't notice that I lost credits, but when I bought a Type-10 Defender and selling it back after 1 testflight, I thought I ended up with less credits than before buying it.. And when I bought a Cutter a bit sooner than I could afford it (upgrades and stuff we're much more expensive than the Anaconda) so I ended up selling it again I finally knew for sure that I was missing a lot of credits..

Even a few decent pictures of the ships and all specifications instead of the standard equiped modules would already help.. Because sometimes the equiped modules/ weapons are of a smaller size than the slot actually is.. I know I can find those things on various sites, but I would rather play the game without the need to look up everything on external websites..