The Imperial Courier needs a buff

[DragoonKnight]

The Imperial Courier has been lacking in something for a long time and I think I realized what that is. The power distributor is too small on the Courier. I propose to buff the courier with a Class 4 PD.

Let us examine the evidence and compare it to the cheaper alternatives that do not require a rank.

The Courier has a class 3 power distributor and costs 2.5 Million credits.
A Combat Fitted Courier will have a top speed of around 285 m/s and a boost speed of 385 m/s
A Courier has 3 medium hardpoints. This is comparable to a Viper or a DBS that has 2 medium and 2 small - The 2 small hardpoints are generally equivallent to 1 medium hardpoint in firepower.

A Viper MK3 has a class 3 power distributor and costs 110,000 credits.
A Combat fitted viper will have a top speed of around 325 m/s and a boost speed of 415 m/s
Not as agile as a Courier or a DBS, but it is the 2nd cheapest combat ship.

A DBS has a class 3 PD and costs about 500,000 credits.
A Combat fitted DBS will have a top speed of around 325 m/s and a boost speed of 425 m/s
A DBS is a more agile ship than a Courier, has more hull armor, and a greater jump range.

The next dedicated combat ship we have is a Vulture that we all know. The Vulture has a Class 5 PD and that works great for it, however if you take a closer look you will notice that we do not have any dedicated combat ships that have a Class 4 PD. We jump right from the Class 3 PD that the vipers, DBS, and courier have to the Class 5 PD that the Vulture has. Only multirole ships have a Class 4 PD.

Consider that by moving from the DBS to the Courier you are giving up agility, speed, armor, and spending a lot more on the ship itself. Great hardpoint placement is good, but the true limitation of firepower is the power distributor. A Courier with a class 4 PD wouldnt be overpowered as the Vulture would still be the king of the space superiority fighters, but it would fill the gap between the vulture and its cheaper cousins.

Questions, Comments, Concerns, and hate mail are welcome

 

[markur]

I agree One thing I want to add is the following: With recent patches several ships got an extra military compartment, in order to make room for upcoming modules, such as SRV or Fighter hangar, including the vulture getting a size 5 military compartment. The imperial courier is depicted as a "multi-purpose ship" ... but the vulture has now effectively 6 internal compartments (5+1 military internal), same amount as the courier and additionally, the compartments in the vulture are overall bigger.... sooo the vulture is now kind of a better multi-purpose ship than the courier, if you want to carry a shield cell bank with you... This I find kind of unfair. The courier needs some love.

 

[Tryst]

A class 4 on a courier would weigh more and slow the ship down some. It's not really a combat ship. As the title suggests, it's a courier that's meant for fast delivery of documents and essential supplies. The speed is so it can get away rather than fight, I have mine engineered to top 320 normal and 500 boosted so I don't need weapons because it can outrun practically anything. My only annoyance is being interdicted again by a persistent NPC almost as soon as you low wake out.

I feel that an interdiction jammer (on an Aux slot since they are seldom used) needs to be added to the game that reduces the chance of successful interdiction and drops the pursuer out of SC so you have a chance to escape before being interdicted again.