Well no wonder nobody shot at you, they already saw you flying around in a coffin.
The Crusader - The Pilot
- Thread starter The Pilot
- Start date
Own one, I love it, I use it as IMHO It was designed to be used as a Heavy Fighter/ Brawler with SLF for close protection. The SLF keeps the wingmen/ more agile smalls occupied so I can get up close with the space-shotguns and PA'S, not overly fast but can roll/strafe enough to stay out of the gunsights of the target HRP MRP buy time for shield regen if I get in a jamb I wouldn't want to use it as a multi-role as it would be a poor fit, better choices for that role already exist
That's just me, I'm not trying to sell you one, but you should totally buy one, they're fun!
Edit: sp
That's just me, I'm not trying to sell you one, but you should totally buy one, they're fun!
Edit: sp
Last edited:
Can't wait for Clipper video. That would be very interesting dish
I must admit when I read "Alliance" I always think of another game - Mass Effect - and the glorious appearance of an Alliance fleet at the Citadel. Which always reminds me, how do ships appear in in Elite when they come out of hyperspace, do they just pop in or is it more like capital ships?
I never flew the C-series, when they came out I was working on outfitting my Cutter, then went back to by Python and later to the Krait II.
I never flew the C-series, when they came out I was working on outfitting my Cutter, then went back to by Python and later to the Krait II.
A fleet of T-10s would certainly make the Reapers think twice....I'm sure.
The Reapers would have time to think three, maybe four times, as the T-10s slowly approached at maximum speed.
But you can't repel chonk of that magnitude.
You just have to shoot that small glass thing in the front and the rest is space junk. Given that reaper beam weapons are used to paint in wide strokes they have an above average hit chance on slow moving targets.
A T-10 is like a giant mechanical E Honda, so chonk it can deflect any robo squid easily with rapid slapping. Any canopy breach is instantly filled in by extra chonk.
Shepard really could have used them, maybe a fifth ending to ME3...
Ideas for military slot modules besides hit point buffs...
- Damage Buffing equipment for glass cannon vs tank builds, the oldest diversity in the book
- Engine-disabling mines
- Automated EMPs for defense or offense
- Reactive shielding that shocks enemies that get too close, draining sys when it activates
- Reinforcements for ramming that add raw mass without hit points
- Supplementary combat thrust boosters for rapid agility or significant raw speed increase with deep fitting costs, forcing strong build planning (or requiring engineering modifications for fitting that are currently largely unused)
All of which are military, combat, offense or defense oriented. Not multi-role.
Granted, a few of those could see service for defense of trading craft like the Type-9. The main focus is that they are all reactive/automated. They aren't additional keybinds or hardpoints, they are augmenting modules - which is what a military slot ought be - for combat vessels.
Now, specific to the Crusader...a SLF medium with, as you pointed out, poor shielding but generally good agility in line with the C-Series...
- Military Slot modules that buff SLF rebuild speeds, damage, or agility would all be welcome
- Reactive Shielding that drains sys is sensible for an armor focused ship, because it doesn't need the sys as much
- Supplementary Boosters could render the Crusader a strong dogfighter alongside its attendant SLF...or...
- Supplemetary Boosters could allow the Crusader to kite enemies, forcing them to engage the SLF while the Crusader hammers at distance
Nevermind that any sort of combat support modules that buff a wing - combat sensors that improve target acquisition, boost turret tracking of all wing ships, improve missile lock-on times for all wing ships, etc - would also be excellent candidates for an obviously multi-crew or wing-oriented ship. SLF-capable ships, across the board, are all excellent support vessels for wings alongside more dedicated dogfighters. A Crusader with support capabilities, paired with two chieftains or vultures...or even vipers!...could create some incredible synergy.
Again, the issue isn't the slots. It's the lack of diversity for them. Vast opportunities for synergy, support roles, and diverse combat builds remain out of reach for lack of development imagination.
All the issues with balance between existing modules and you want to add more magic special effects that blow balance out of the water? Hopefully the devs remember combat is also about how you fly, not just what you stuff your ship with. Synergistic modules for wings are a gankmare, the rest you mention just accentuates the rock/paper/scissors element that already turns a lot of fights into a roll of the dice that is all but determined before any hardpoints are deployed. The ships in ED handle beautifully, all with their own quirks and trade-offs. Other MMOs lack that kind of control feel, and shouldnt be aped as some substitute for imagination.
(Yeah ok, its a salty retort, im doing that a lot lately it seems, but its not just salt..)
There is just one issue for me with military slots...
guardian HRPs are not mod-able to increase the caustic resists,
guardian MRPs do not offer any reasonable bonus for the power cost,
AFMU can't be put in there
SCBs are usually not in my builds either.
so i am limited to modded HRPs, MRPs and guardian shield booster -> i wouldn't mind being able to put a limpet controller in there with an integrated limpet storage for repair/decon/recon
guardian HRPs are not mod-able to increase the caustic resists,
guardian MRPs do not offer any reasonable bonus for the power cost,
AFMU can't be put in there
SCBs are usually not in my builds either.
so i am limited to modded HRPs, MRPs and guardian shield booster -> i wouldn't mind being able to put a limpet controller in there with an integrated limpet storage for repair/decon/recon
The biggest sin of the Crusader is the fighter bay- rather than actually make the ship mold around it better, the designers chopped and extruded the bay into the chassis leaving ugly pointy bits that really set me off in a bad way.
Although its a remote hope, I wish the designers would revisit this and blend it better. Currently its like those bugs where two ships occupy the same pad- in this case a biscuit tin has spawned underneath a Chieftain.
Although its a remote hope, I wish the designers would revisit this and blend it better. Currently its like those bugs where two ships occupy the same pad- in this case a biscuit tin has spawned underneath a Chieftain.
have you ever seen how the fighterbay of the Type9/10 opens up?
its hidden behind a huge metal plate that slides away in a total unrealistic way.
or checked the Dolphin and Orca, which are missing any side facing thruster to enable side thrust? actually i think a majority of the ships misses them...
design changes are not very likely to ever happen...
I finished building my BH-CZ Crusader inspired by Ceekay's build. I ended up with ~1000MJ of shields, one free internal to use (chaff, PDT, KWS). Speaking of weapons - this ship is agile enough to rely of fixed hardpoints exclusively and after day of extensive testing I must that Crusader is more fun than FGS, at least for me. Simply - better speed, better mobility and steady handling. Absolutely no reason to call the Crusader bad, especially if you can have A-rated with military bulkheads quite effective and versatile combat ship under 80 mil cr! Seriously dear cmdrs raise the awareness, fly the Alliance Crusader https://inara.cz/galaxy-statistics/
Tested weaponry.
- 3 cytos, 3 frags
- 3 rails, 3 PA's
- 3 enforcers, 2 imperial hammers, 1 long range beam
- 3 cytos, 3 cannons
- 3 x cytos, 3x cannons.
- 3 rails, 2 frags, 1 torpedo pylon - tested in friendly pvp sparring - Conda lost the shield gen due successful torpedo attack. Exposed for destruction.
Also I found this constructive comment on wikia regarding Crusader / FGS comparison. Makes sense.
So for some reason, everyone insists on comparing this thing to the Federal Assault Ship. Perhaps they're just looking at the cost increase of FDS>FAS>FGS and assuming that the cost increase of Chieftain>Crusader>Challenger means that's how you should be comparing them.
Instead, let's compare them by role. Compared to the Federal Gunship, the Crusader is about 10 million credits cheaper, has a bit more jump range, considerably more manueverable, a little faster on the throttle, significantly faster under boost and has superior armor and slightly higher armor hardness. Downsides are the fact that it loses two medium hardpoints and only gains one small hardpoint, has moderately weaker shields, and cannot support a Class 6 fighter bay alongside a Class 6 shield, nor can it support a good enough Shield Cell Bank to back up a Class 6 shield. It also has a Class 6 Distributor compared to the Gunship's Class 7 but the reduced hardpoints make this a non-issue.
I have found that the Gunship's higher number of hardpoints don't always result in higher damage output. The Crusader's mobility allows it to easily employ fixed weapons that the FGS would struggle to bring on target. Additionally, without ditching the SCB, the FGS can have a hard time powering all it's weapons. Four medium railguns on an FGS do almost the exact same damage as two medium and three small rails on a Crusader and the FGS can't really support any more rails beyond that.
The FGS is far more reliant on it's SLF while the Crusader is more capable of holding it's own, and in my opinion, the Crusader is just a lot more fun to fly. Plus, it's cheaper and there's no rep grind.
Alliance Crusader
A modified version of the Alliance Chieftain, the Alliance Crusader's main point of distinction is its fighter bay. The Crusader also offers three internal military compartments and space for up to two crew members, making it ideally suited to combat situations. — In-Game Description The...elite-dangerous.fandom.com
There are loads of those, and it does make me twitch a bit coming from a design background. But this one for me is just annoying, as I'd expected more than a box welded onto a Chief. Just having some sort of bash plates / bull guard on the corners would help.
