The Free Eagle

[Ttaskmaster]

A dogfight is specifically a battle between two *fighter* craft, apparently...
That would exclude transports, gunships, cruisers and anything else.

In a real dogfight, skill and tactics win, not equipment.

Indeed - I usually can take down almost anything flown by NPCs that has up to double the number of weapons my Freagle has.
I've decked it out with twin Multicannons (one atop, one below) and supplement them with a burst laser, as well as upping things like the power plant, armour and distributor. I'm pretty awesome and usually outmanoeuvre things with a combination of strafing, reverse thrust and throttle management... yet do not consider myself an especially good pilot.

One-on-one, I generally eat Adders, Vipers, Asps and Cobra IIIs for breakfast.

 

[aRtFuL]

Nonsense, the Viper is far, far, far better than the Eagle (which I do actually like by the way).

... as an interceptor and heavy fighter, NOT as a dogfighter.

There is a bit of a difference between dogfighters and interceptors. Viper's advantage is that it is heavily armed and shielded for it's size. It won't outmaneuver an Eagle on a beginner pilot though, which makes it hard to learn and practice flying in. Hence my point Eagle is a great beginners fighter.

You really have to use the crap out of that FA off to make Viper formidable. Eagle you can be decent at it just by having a good joystick.

If the Viper always wins, the Python always would beat a Viper and an Anaconda all other ships. If this was the case. Why do we need other ships than the Anaconda?

In a real dogfight, skill and tactics win, not equipment. The Viper has its weaknesses as well as the Eagle. One definite disadvantage of the Viper is the poor visibility. You can not shoot what you can not see. Speed is not necessarily an advantage. The Viper has good shields ans better hull, but also poses a large target.

Exactly.

 

[Norbert]

What I like the most about the eagle is the sound of the engine. I have tried sidewinder and cobra, but it's definitely not the same. There is some crackling sound from time to time when you come out of supercruise or take a steep turn that makes it feeling really alive. I would never sell it. I plan to upgrate it to its maximum power.

 

[Uncle Natron]

Mine isn't exactly free anymore

I've cashed in about 120 bounties for around $750,000 so far in my free Eagle, though with the amount of upgrades I've thrown into it, I'd hardly call it "free" anymore. I love it because it's cheap to repair and re-arm, and it can be configured to pack a pretty good punch. I have twin beam lasers and a top-mounted cannon, a shield cell, and the chaff launcher for when I orbit around the fatties. I have actually crashed it three times; twice I was rear-ended by an over-zealous Federal Viper (that was instant explosion), and the third time I decided I could fit through the envelope at the same time as a type-9--at full boost. I wish I had recorded that one.

 

[Lutz]

I didn't think you'd be able to sell it. I assumed that it'd be like the starting Sidewinder, ie, worthless. Hmm! May sell that to fund some upgrades. Of course that'd mean travelling all the bloody way back to LHS 1614 or wherever it is.

 

[Ttaskmaster]

The Eagle is free.
Anything else is an optional extra, which costs. Simple as.

 

[Kirisute]

This free Eagle you get as a second ship if you're an early backer. Is there any point at all in keeping it? I was just going to skip it and go for a viper or cobra. Unless it's dome sort of limited edition.

keep it...zoom about in it..then flog it for a quick 40k!!!

 

[Rewind303]

I'm keeping mine. It's fun, easy to upgrade, has the best view of all small ships in the Rift in my opinion.

It's lovely upgraded fully. I'm keeping mine as a side project. Over time I'm gonna get it up to A spec across the board and use it for weekend flying

Will still keep a Viper etc. for general killing but will always have a soft spot for my Freagle.

 

[Carl720]

Do I assume to flog the free eagle I have to travel to where it resides. It would be handy to have some cash to help outfit my cobra for trading and some defense/ attack potential for odd missions

 

[Ghostlight]

As other folks have pointed out there's lots of reasons to keep it and which ones are applicable to you depend on your play style. If you decide none of them do, flog it to supplement your meager starting balance and jumpstart your trading.

Flog it for 40k, and within the hour you will have enough cash to buy three new Eagles (money makes money in this game). There is no reason to keep it as far as I can see, other than sentiment.

 

[PsychoFish]

I flew 3-4 routes with my Sidey and parked it to get into my Eagle. Cargohold upgraded to 4 and you already have a better Sidewinder... I enjoy flying that nice looking ship and do some basic mission before upgrading to something bigger.

 

[Lutz]

Flog it for 40k, and within the hour you will have enough cash to buy three new Eagles (money makes money in this game). There is no reason to keep it as far as I can see, other than sentiment.

Within an hour? I must be doing something wrong. It's taken me about six hours to get to 120k.
Then I blew that lot on an Adder.

 

[Jay8ch]

If you clear your save do you start with a new free eagle or is it a one off thing?

 

[freehotdawgs]

I kept my eagle and am still using it for bounty hunting. It's a nice ship and a lot better than the sidewinder, or at least I have yet to meet a sidewinder I couldn't toast in few minutes of fighting.
I used to do trading and you can make a lot of money, but it's just so dang boring. I'd rather keep the eagle and earn money by killing ships even if it will take me a bit longer at the beginning.

 

[kylania]

If you clear your save do you start with a new free eagle or is it a one off thing?

A new one with each cleared Save.

 

[Ceekay]

Kept mine and spent around 120k on it, it's fast, agile, cheap to run and repair what's not to like! in fact buy one for all your favourite systems!

 

[Jay8ch]

A new one with each cleared Save.

Thanks for reply. That's good to know, I was keeping mine back until I knew the ropes but I'll use it now.

 

[Straha Yeagar]

Nonsense, the Viper is far, far, far better than the Eagle (which I do actually like by the way). Even though the Eagle is considerably more agile than the Viper, it's lack of speed, and the Vipers speed and tough standard issue shields, means the Viper can easily boost away, FA/off pivot and boost right back in hitting the Eagle at will. A decent pilot in an Eagle vs a decent pilot in a Viper, the Eagle has absolutely no chance.

That said, the Eagle is certainly a better fighter for novice pilots, to get the most out of the Viper you need to be able to take advantage of its speed, excellent thrusters and also FA/Off, otherwise it flies like a brick. The Eagle however flies like an absolute dream, you only really have to worry about keeping it in the blue zone. I would definitely recommend that you get used to combat in the Eagle first, then upgrade to the Viper if you find combat is your thing. If not, and you want a more balanced ship, go for the Cobra. The way I see it, the Viper is only really for dedicated and skilled combat pilots.

The FA off is very important to be good with a Viper, and is almost a necessity against an Eagle...and then the pilot of the Eagle happens to be good with FA off as well...

 

[Ttaskmaster]

I have yet to meet a sidewinder I couldn't toast in few minutes of fighting.

Upgrade the weapons and power systems - Those few minutes will become a few seconds!!!
Seriously, it feels great when you pop out of SC, target a ship, blow it to pieces and then look down to notice your FSD still recharging, heh heh!!

 

[TShriker]

When did you have to sign up to get one, before the 16th I'm guessing?