Too close for comfort

[Llewelyn Morgan]

So here I am in my recently acquired Python, not fully kitted out as yet, but C6 bi-weave, 1x A0 booster, so not really *bad* shields, just tooling around trading. (flying in solo)

And along comes this NPC vulture who thinks my cargo should be his. Now, I've got E3 gimbal pulse, plus 2x F2G multi-cannon, and the vulture has that cheating interdictor which is impossible to beat, so I figure OK, let's see how good he is.

Turns out this NPC is good. Really good. And has a bunch of missiles to send after me. Should point out that with this as-yet not so good build, I've taken out several other NPC chancers, including another vulture which was hanging around a station (but with a less competent pilot, obviously) - The build is not supposed to be for serious combat, but for mission-running, smuggling and trading for now. Full power build on the Python is not exactly cheap.

So eventually, I decide I'm not going to beat him in combat, so I bug out, boost and hit FSD back to supercruise. Except he's almost instantly interdicting again, before my shields are even fully charged. So, more fight, more of the vulture being more maneuverable than the Python (especially with the python only having D grade thrusters on and being laden with cargo to boot). So I bug out again... and again, instant interdiction, and again, and finally I high wake off to another system with a cracked canopy and hull at 27% (it has some hull reinforce, too, luckily). And yes, I did try using boost to turn and get onto him, but no dice - not FA off, as I'm not that good, but hitting boost gives a short period of fast turn even with FA on.



And people ask me why I like fitting turreted weapons and point defence. With those, I might've got him. Of course, can't afford them yet, but that's what will be going on it later... yes, turreted weapons are not as damaging as fixed, but if you can't get lined up on the target, that's kind of irrelevant.

I do think though that this interdiction is getting a bit silly - I've had small, way outclassed ships which can obviously only mount quite a poor interdictor and they interdicted even the Asp-E unbeatably, and the Asp is hardly really a big ship.

 

[Insane4un]

So here I am in my recently acquired Python, not fully kitted out as yet, but C6 bi-weave, 1x A0 booster, so not really *bad* shields, just tooling around trading. (flying in solo)

And along comes this NPC vulture who thinks my cargo should be his. Now, I've got E3 gimbal pulse, plus 2x F2G multi-cannon, and the vulture has that cheating interdictor which is impossible to beat, so I figure OK, let's see how good he is.

Turns out this NPC is good. Really good. And has a bunch of missiles to send after me. Should point out that with this as-yet not so good build, I've taken out several other NPC chancers, including another vulture which was hanging around a station (but with a less competent pilot, obviously) - The build is not supposed to be for serious combat, but for mission-running, smuggling and trading for now. Full power build on the Python is not exactly cheap.

So eventually, I decide I'm not going to beat him in combat, so I bug out, boost and hit FSD back to supercruise. Except he's almost instantly interdicting again, before my shields are even fully charged. So, more fight, more of the vulture being more maneuverable than the Python (especially with the python only having D grade thrusters on and being laden with cargo to boot). So I bug out again... and again, instant interdiction, and again, and finally I high wake off to another system with a cracked canopy and hull at 27% (it has some hull reinforce, too, luckily). And yes, I did try using boost to turn and get onto him, but no dice - not FA off, as I'm not that good, but hitting boost gives a short period of fast turn even with FA on.



And people ask me why I like fitting turreted weapons and point defence. With those, I might've got him. Of course, can't afford them yet, but that's what will be going on it later... yes, turreted weapons are not as damaging as fixed, but if you can't get lined up on the target, that's kind of irrelevant.

I do think though that this interdiction is getting a bit silly - I've had small, way outclassed ships which can obviously only mount quite a poor interdictor and they interdicted even the Asp-E unbeatably, and the Asp is hardly really a big ship.

You just need some practice. You are trying to catch Vulture with a Python (dodge figth) but in fact you only need to reverse) Reverse is your best friend on a ship like python. But yea Vulture are kind of a badass NPC. And just you wait)) The FAS is coming! It's like Vilture M2.

 

[goemon]

a) fitting turrets is a good idea, especially in the two medium hardpoints . large turrets have problems to keep up with small nimble ships like eagles. i had medium beam turrets on my python, it fries eagle in seconds.

b) the python is one of the ships, which handles really much much better, if kept at 50% optial thruster. with d-class thrusters, it flies like a brick, with c-class, it flies like an Adder, put a-class thrusters and 50% optimal thruster mass to compare...

c) if you plan on taking your python into combat, you need to get used to some basic combat-FAOFF - really only flying FAOFF for seconds, like boost-flip. check some videos or search this forum! i needed 3 fights or something to get it... and i am by no means a good combat pilot.

and the Asp is hardly really a big ship.

have a look here: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=146710. it's astonishing how big the Asp is, actually, it's only a little shorter than an python - changed my perspective on that ship a lot.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Cheating? A Vulture can fit the best interdictor in the game. Except for the Sidewinder every ship in the game can fit atleast a 3A FSDi. A Vulture is also far more agile than a Python. Given equal skill, a Vulture should beat the Python in an interdiction. If it is a very good pilot its a forgone conclusion. So when you're being interdicted by a better cmdr/NPC in a better interdictor-ship, bailing that system is the only way to go. There is truly no reason why jumping back to SC should ever work in that situation.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

And yes, I did try using boost to turn and get onto him, but no dice - not FA off, as I'm not that good, but hitting boost gives a short period of fast turn even with FA on.

Afterburning in a Python gives you the temporary boost in turn rate of course - but it comes at the price of a huge turn circle and ending up in a speed regime where the Python's already limited maneuverability almost ginds to a halt.

FA off at corner velocity (center of blue Throttle area) is the only way to maintain a Gimbal Weapon equipped Python in a good shape when in a fight.
Failure to do so will result even in Eagles or Vipers becoming a serious threat.

And it's not hard to do, easy and safe to experiment with. Have FA off as an intuitively reachable toggle button and you'll very quickly get the hang of it.
For starters, it's extremely useful for breaking the turn circle and forcing a firing solution, absolutely mandatory when operating against more agile opponents.

 

[Lobstris]

For NPCs I keep a couple of C2 pulse or C2 burst laser turrets on the top of the Python. Often you can destroy/remove shields from light ships (Sidewinder, Eagle) even before nose-on target. As FalconFly says though, without FAoff, getting nose-on in a Python is tricky. Alternative is reverse + opposite directional thrust in turns to try and increase separation to avoid getting into a circle fight you're going to have little joy with.
.
Still haven't quite got used to the point of the belly hardpoint on the Python - I can understand PvP guys mounting something large there (cannon or PA), but currently I just keep it occupied with a gimballed C2 multicannon for chewing the hull of PvE nasties - such as the Vulture, or the Federal 'whatever' ships.

 

[Llewelyn Morgan]

well it'll get A class thrusters later, when I earn the rather nasty amount they cost (about 1/3 as much as the whole ship). I guess I'll need to practice that FA off thing too. For now, though, it's armed merchant cruiser mode - and yeah, I could've made more credits before buying it, but one of the issues I find with Elite as a whole is the credit-making ability doesn't scale up anything like as fast as the ships - which is right as far as it goes, it should take *some* work to get to the real top end ships. However, the jump in credits from Asp to Python is about 10x; and the ability to earn credits seems to increase more like linear with increasing ship class. I did try a clipper set up as a trader, but even the most lucrative repeatable trades you can find don't make much with 200-odd cargo. Although the Python is more pricey, it'll actually carry more than the clipper if set up to maximise cargo - and you can do that with a class 5 shield (i.e. vaguely credible) which, on the Clipper, loses you a lot of cargo space due to having to go in a class 6 space.

Anyhow. I quite like the Python now I have it. Provided I don't meet Elite level vultures too often before I get it kitted out nicely.

BTW, the belly hardpoint is kinda handy, in that all the rest of the armament is on the top side of the hull. The good part is it being a large point, which lets you fit something decently powerful there. When stuff happens to be dead ahead, all the weapons bear, but if the target dodges downwards, then that belly point come into its own.

 

[goemon]

However, the jump in credits from Asp to Python is about 10x... I quite like the Python now I have it. ... BTW, the belly hardpoint is kinda handy...

yes, amazing ship it is! ... i lost my homesystem, sold my small fleet of 5 ships, stripped my Asp down, and got a python. it's my mobile living room. i went trading each rare that is ingame, took missions on the way, did bountyhunting, and after that it was a-graded. try a turreted burst-laser under the belly! it does exactly what you describe.